Egypped

Silly Fox News. Egypt is in Africa.

The Next Cassavetes?

A few months back I remember watching John Cassavetes' 1971 classic Minnie and Moskowitz, and I suppose just out of curiosity I flipped on my IMDB application on my iPhone to peruse his extensive film library, when I came across a new project entitled The Next Cassavetes. There wasn't much detail to the story behind this new film, other than it's being directed by a virtual unknown and that veteran Cassavetes actor Seymour Cassel will be playing himself. Cassavetes' has been responsible for some of the most heart-wrenching styles of cinema verite, and among some of my favorite films, Husbands, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, and of course Minnie and Moskowitz. Apparently this new movie is not only loosely based on a remake of Moskowitz, but will also incorporate some of the director's own personal life story. It certainly sounds interesting, and Seymour Cassel's return somewhat legitimizes this intriguing homage to the original DIY director.

This, my favorite scene from Minnie and Moskowitz, is probably one of cinema's greatest confessions of love. Not even Seymour's amazing 'stache will distract you...well, not entirely.



And I can't leave out the always enjoyable Ben Gazzera....the opening scene from The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.

Yawn...

I feel as though I haven't slept much lately, and as this lazy Saturday morning comes to a close, I must bring an end to my tired state. And in conjunction bring closure to the song that's been getting multiple plays as of late. Sun Araw, or otherwise known as Cameron Stallone, creates hazy lo-fi sounds that don't mix well with already laid-back personality types such as mine. I don't know why I've been enjoying this lately, as it's not really my taste per se. Psychedelic is one of the few adjectives I can barely stomach in musical terms. I don't abuse hallucinogenic drugs, nor do I smoke pot, and I barely have the tolerance for over-the-counter drugs. So why is this so appealing to me? Intermittent insomnia and Saturday morning coziness brought me to this...

Warms the Heart

Which House?

So a friend of mine played me a few tracks from electro-drag band Salem the other day, just released last year. I guess I never paid much attention to this growing phenomenon (if you could call it that) of new stylistic electronic music. It's a sub-genre of a sub-genre dubbed witch house. Witch house? Really? Okay, the music itself, somewhat shoegazey, droney, dark electro-pop, isn't really that bad. It is technically new ground being explored, but, sigh, witch house? This may be the silliest labeling of a genre since math-metal. I love the good sound of synths floating over an upbeat tempo, don't get me wrong, but this is getting a little ridiculous. In the world of indie music, the revolutionary thing to do may someday actually be just a simple musician playing music through...um, hm, let's just say the guitar for example, to maybe break up the monotony of electronic hullabaloo.

John Fahey, a master of acoustic, finger-picking minimalism, is a breath of fresh air today. I'm very grateful for being exposed to the creative experimental world that is today's modern music. But sometimes I just want to hear someone play six strings for Pete's sake.

Saturday Randomness

I stumbled across these very fluid paintings by Brazzillian artist, Rimon Guimaraes. I don't have anything to say about them, as they speak quite well for themselves....What's the saying? A painting is worth a thousand bucks? No, words, a painting is worth a thousand words. Ouch. These are beautiful.

I do, however, have something to say about the following musical accompaniment. I don't have the luxury of artists sending me their new material, so I must resort to the relentless searching (and the inevitable deleting) of endless waves of new music material that I come across. So far, every time I discover a new possible musical endeavor, it's almost always the only decent track in the artists' repertoir, which then renders said track only mediocre. I hate to sound negative, as I am quite a responsible appreciator; I welcome new music with open arms and ears. Discovering a new group of talented musicians is like seeing a really good film that sticks with you for days and days. Anyhow, Tony Bonanza has a new E.P. available for download (for free) via Bandcamp. Baby B is decent enough, and shows promise. It's nothing new mind you, nor ground-breaking, but still quite enjoyable.

Tony Bonanza - Baby B. EP - 04 yssup by Mexisota Kid

And I can't help myself....Just to sort of round out this cocktail of random thoughts today, Elli et Jacno.

Orange Juice

It's Friday, and I'm feeling very under the weather. And besides the copious amounts of tea and soup I'll be consuming, I'm also in need of some orange juice. Not only for it's natural source of vitamin C, but (yea, I'm going to say it) for it's unintentional correlation to perhaps one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time. Orange Juice represents the fundamental sound of young Scotland in the early 80's, and this sound still maintains a timeless quality that many bands from that era could not achieve.Coals to Newcastle, the quintessential box set OJ released just a few months ago, is still getting frequent play in my daily rotation, almost to the point of annoying of any innocent bystanders. Lead vocalist and songwriter Edwyn Collins is still playing these days, despite a near fatal stroke that rendered half of his body almost inoperative, and a struggle to regain control of his ability to read and write, much less play a song. Everyone has some version of their "Beatles", and I suppose for me, my Beatles would have to be Orange Juice, the band that I'll probably cherish for a very long time to come. Of course there are others bands that I would list as such, and when I'm feeling better I'll share their praise, but as of today, my feverish state of mind has spoken. Also, I just need to go back to bed.





And from the Edwyn Collins documentary, Home Again.....

Mind Your Own Bidness

So the secret identity of an enigmatic street artist super-hero is soon to be revealed? Honestly, who really cares? British artist Bansky, quite possibly the most notable among the street art movement, had his secret identity up for grabs in an eBay auction recently, but the auction has since been removed. But it reached a total of nearly one million dollars, which is certainly incredible. I'm a fan of his artistic exploits, and his recent documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop was incredible, but I honestly don't really care to find out who he is. Just let the man be. It's refreshing for once, an artist who doesn't want to share more of the spotlight than the work they create.

I don't really have anything else to add, so I'll just tie-in this danceable post punk classic from British band Delta 5.

Nite Jewel

I was going to do an in-depth post about the process of carbon dating, but then something more important came up, Nite Jewel announced their Texas tour dates yesterday. So I apologize.

I first fell in love with her, ahem, fell in love with her music, a few years ago when I first heard "Weak for Me", still one of my favorite tracks from her debut album Good Evening. Since then, synth-pop or "chill-wave" or whatever people are calling it now, has been somewhat played-out. Don't get me wrong, I love electro pop, but it just seems to have exploded everywhere lately, resulting in the bland shrapnel that is the minimal synth wave revival nowadays. But I still enjoy it, and Nite Jewel does it far better than anyone else really. I enjoyed their latest EP, Am I Real?, even though it had some touches of New Agey atmoshpere throughout. And their live performances can really live up to the energy of the albums, probably even more so. Whatever, I just wanna dance. But, I'm old now, so let me rephrase that. I just wanna bob my head slightly and lean up against something kinda near the back, it's too loud in here....





And, on a side note, I just noticed the other day the girls from Nite Jewel played small parts as hipster girls at a party in my favorite scene from the very underrated film Greenberg. I think I enjoyed the film mostly in part because I found myself kinda-sorta-but not really-but definitely identifying with some of his rants, which isn't a good thing....

A Stencil Graffiti of Dorian Gray

I think street art may be the last great movement in the ever-evolving world of modern art. Granted, it perhaps consists mostly of pop art and political or social satire, but I think what I enjoy the most of street artists today is their challenge to the context of which art can be perceived. I certainly don't claim to know everything there is to know about modern art (certain art history professors can attest to that), but I know what I like, and I like my art to say something rather than be something. It's all subjective anyway. I just think beauty can exist in the every day. Which is what this UK designer has done with these broken chair sculptures. Karen Ryan creates skeletal victims of these discarded furniture pieces and strews them about alley ways and empty fields. I probably wouldn't even notice them at first glance, and in a gallery setting they would lose some of the impact as these settings play a part of the piece as well.

I just hope they weren't scooped up and reassembled in someone's apartment. But, eh, that's the great thing about street art I suppose. It's so temporary. Some things are better appreciated that way.













Anyway, I'll dispense with the art speak for now and share this video of one of my favorite Television Personalities songs. I know they were referenced recently in a song by MGMT, and at first I was upset. But that's just silly. I'm no musical elitist, nor do I claim to know everything there is to know about even some of my most cherished musicians. And it should be a good thing when bands get shared beyond the world of small local record stores and millions of independent music blogs, right? What did the aging fist-shakers at kids and their music do in the days before the internet? I never wanted to be one of them, and hopefully if more musicians today play honest music such as this, I won't have to.

Lazy Sundays

I don't particularly like that the winter season is usually the most lazy of all seasons for me. The days are short which leaves me in a constant state of yawn. It's cold obviously, which keeps me indoors and reclusive (more so than usual). And I haven't seen the sun in 13 or 14 days! I don't know how vampires or Alaskans do it. And to top it all off, I tend to eat more during the winter just to maintain my hibernation weight at a healthy 20 to 30 pounds above average. But Sundays are the exception in order to maintain a long standing tradition that is the marriage between lazy and Sunday. And this Sunday is no different. I'm talking 3 hour Planet of the Apes documentary lazy.

Chet Atkins will have to subdue my sunny disposition today. The pioneer of the fingerstyle guitar and the Nashville sound, Chet's masterful guitar playing is something that I like to appreciate on days like today. Spring is just a few short months away. Which gives me plenty of time to shed some of my hibernation weight, (I am refraining from inserting the obvious "Atkins diet" pun into this post), and to catch up on some sleep.



To the two plants that I knowingly let die on my patio this winter: I am sorry. I promise to plant new ones in your honour.

Italians do Do It Better

Okay, so everything is better in New York. Better pizza, better public transportation, better crazy people, and better shows by Italians who do it better apparently. I'm mildly upset I'm missing this show hosted by the folks at Italians Do It Better, featuring three of the best bands on the label, the Chromatics, Glass Candy, and Desire. Oh well. It's better that I miss something like that. These random mild rants aren't going to blog themselves.



And this is one of my favorites from the After Dark compilation...

True Stories

Sometimes I like to entertain the idea of being alive at a certain time when experiencing something first hand would undoubtedly leave one changed for ever. I think if I could have picked a year to be born, it would no doubt be 1967. I was very careful in choosing this year, for it's nothing to guesstimate. I would have been 10 years old when the first Star Wars hit theaters in 1977, the perfect age to see the beginning of the beloved galactic saga, and on the big screen no less. I would have also been 18 when The Smiths' Meat Is Murder album dropped, just at that perfect time when silly teen angst is coming to a close, and silly twenty-something delusional naivete begins to set in.

But most importantly, I would have witnessed perhaps one of the greatest moments on the silver screen ever captured. I'm speaking of course of actor John Goodman's first big break onto the silver screen with David Byrne's obscure film debut True Stories. While "Wild Wild Life" may not be at the top of my list of favorite Talking Heads songs, the way the quirky script held on for dear life until the delivering of this cinematic enigma of a scene, I couldn't think of a better coup de gras. It's simple yet confusing, kind of what I was like when I was 19....and a good age to be when quirks such as this are at their finest.



I was ,however, able to witness this at a young age instead. Ahh universe, you've done it again..

Milton Nascimento

Despite his collaboration with Duran Duran, Milton might still be one of my favorite Brazillian musicians, or musician from any region for that matter. His 1972 release, Clube De Esquina, still transcends the time period from which it was released. And anyhow, I like him enough to sift through countless performances to post on a tiresome Saturday night when I could be out painting the town red, or getting anxiety attacks at a crowded party or what have you...

It Figures

I appreciate pop art just as much as the next guy, but any artistic material that relies too much on gimmicks and pop references just come across as lazy. Except when it comes to Star Wars (and action figures). I admit that I'll lay down my appreciation defenses when it comes to the Star Wars galaxy. I sat through numerous mind-numbing children's cartoon shows and purchased cheap greasy combo meals just because of their Lucas approved attachments, none of which I'm proud of. But hey, it's Star Wars. I'm a sucker for nerdy obsessions.

And the folks over at Suckadelic have taken this obsession to new heights (or is it lows?) with their new line of hand made action figures. Some of these figures I would have to admit are a bit too tongue-in-cheek for me, but I still appreciate their creativeness, even if it sullies my childhood memories. Sucklord, the mastermind behind this home-made toy extravaganza, will be showcasing these and many others at the Boo-Hooray gallery in New York. I can only imagine how much one such figure would cost, and if I could request two (so I can leave one in it's original package and play with the other...duh).

Photogenic Shmotogenic

I stumbled upon these captivating photos by Chicago photographer Randy P. Martin, courtesy of FecalFace.com. I thought I would share as I was briefly blown away by them. Only briefly. I'm not so much anymore as I'm finishing this post, but I sure don't feel like writing about anything else at this point.

Okay, they are still rather beautiful.

I know Ariel Pink's album Before Today is old news, but this track shuffled into my ears at 6 a.m., and made the morning drive rather pleasant.

Underground Dorauz

The next time you want to impress your friends on your way to a basketball game, suggest they change the song from the bass heavy stylings of the Underground Kingz to this soft little number by early 80's German pop musician Andreas Dorau. That's sure to set the mood...

Well, maybe not. But I really enjoy this track, moreso than his more popular hit Fred vom Jupiter. It has a whimsical yet meloncholy tone that seem to go together like french cafes and accordions, or trout and Dr. Pepper. I can't actually vouch for either of those. But this is definitely the standout track from the album "Die Doraus und Die Marinas: Blumen und Narzissen". (And I still love UGK by the way...represent)

Rangers and Bridges

When I read an announcement recently on IMDB that my favorite Cormac McCarthy book, Blood Meridian, was going into production to be released sometime next year, my immediate thought was of Jeff Bridges. I finally got around to viewing the Cohen brother's latest masterpiece, True Grit, and this solidified my nomination of Jeff Bridges portraying McCarthy's perhaps darkest character known simply as the Judge. This may be one of the most scariest characters ever portrayed in a western theme. But, hey, he's also a botanist with alopechia and speaks a dozen languages. Whatever, I just really enjoyed Bridges' world weary swagger and ability to fire a six shooter, which is all the convincing I need. Until we can CGI a young Marlon Brando, or somehow reanimate Mr. Wayne, I think he's the obvious choice.

And, if you ever have to assemble office furniture on a Monday morning, this track will make it seem somewhat easier. It may be one of my favorite songs released this past year, and I always appreciate it when guitar and synth are used together accordingly.

Sunday Uncertainties

I came across this article a while back about this Danish artist, John Kenn, who does these incredible intricate drawings on tiny post-it notes. I think that despite the tiny format, I would still consider them to be some of the finest characterizations of monster fantasies ever committed to paper. It just goes to show that a good smack in the face (artistically speaking) can sometimes come in any size.

And just to tie in a tiny slice of musical accompaniment, I thought I would share this short track from California band White Fence. It's definitely one of those bands that I would never share with anyone, but would perhaps slip unsuspectingly into a mix cd in hopes that it would go unnoticed. I don't know why, I just don't trust bands (especially with California attachments) these days. They're very blog friendly and buzz worthy, which are two things that turn me off almost instantly about any band. But it's nice to be proven wrong once in a while.

White Fence - Ring Around a Square by Mexisota Kid

Here I Go....

What? Yet another music/art/film/pop culture-laden blog to drip lightly into a vast sea of over-saturated blog culture? Yes, It's true. Call it self indulgence or mere boredom, or just plain lack of originality, I can't help but want to add my two cents every now and then for my own enjoyment.

With the start of every new year, I get that feeling not unlike when I hear the announcement of another Tim Burton film. Like Edward Scissorhands, that one great experience Mr. Burton has not quite replicated ever since. Every year I have high hopes that invariably get bland results with every Coraline or Alice in Wonderland that gets released. I don't want to sound negative (certainly not what you would expect from a blog about pop culture these days), but this year I'm just going to look forward to my own remake of Planet of the Apes, and perhaps be pleasantly surprised if something good comes out of it.

This wonderful (and perhaps my favorite Talking Heads) song has been regurgitated over and over again, and some of said regurgitations are not so bad, but for the most part (and not unlike this blog) are unoriginal. So I thought it would be kind of fitting to start this blog with a nice little naive melody. Here's to a new year and to mediocre unoriginality.