David Lynch presents Interview Project

David Lynch is an interesting man. I dont know too much about him, but if you have ever seen his films you know exactly what im talking about. And if you dont know, go watch "Blue Velvet" "Inland Empire" "Twin Peaks" or any other of his mind-blowing movies and youll understand. Im still making my way through his body of work, but i have yet to dislike anything he is involved with.

Lynch's latest project is a web-based documentary series aptly titled Interview Project. Its a 20,000 mile road trip over 70 days where a crew meets random, real people and interviews them. Starting on June 1st, one of the 121  interviews will be released every 3 days via the interwebs. The episodes are short (about 4 mins) and the interviewees openly and honestly discuss their real life experiences. Some are sad. Some are funny. You may like them or you may hate them. But they are all different and they are all REAL. My fave so far is Palmer Black, a 68 year old Ute who is "a happy person that cooks real good BBQ" and "loves to see beautiful things". 

Lynch says his purpose is to give people the chance to meet people. Like most of Mr. Lynch's work, there is something deeply affecting about these interviews and its hard to figure out what that it is. "It's something thats human and you cant stay away from it." Heres the link... INTERVIEW PROJECT... and a trailer for good measure. 

Tim Burton at MOMA

I continue to appreciate the creativity of Tim Burton no matter how many times he disappoints me. Not counting the two awesome animated films, the Burton flicks that impress me are few and far between. But i continue follow his work because he such a stylish film-maker. Part of the problem is that i have too high hopes when he announces he is going to remake classics like "Sleepy Hollow" or "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I didnt care for either of these adaptations. Personally, i think he does too many remakes and i now realize that its Burton's original material that ive come to enjoy so much.

As a kid, "PeeWee's Big Adventure" and "BeetleJuice" were among my favorites. The childish themes were of course a part of the reason,  but there was also something so weird and unique about them. Their dark humor and creative visual aesthetic makes the films one of a kind. And they really hold up 20 years later. I rewatched both these films recently and both surprised me with how strange and funny they really are. I love "BeetleJuice" but PeeWee is just so surreal and bizarre. It's kinda unfortunate that Burton only creates original projects every 5 or 6 years because "ScissorHands" "Mars Attacks" (exploitation not remake) and "BigFish" were all fun and creative films. Burton's next project is apparently an adaptation of "Alice in Wonderland" with Johnny Depp involved as usual. He is supposedly cast as the Mad Hatter. Once again i have unrealistically high hopes for this one, but if Burton sticks closely to  Lewis Carroll's book and brings his usual cinematic flair to the table, this thing might be pretty good. We shall see. 

Now to the point... what sparked this post was the announcement of a Tim Burton art exhibition that will be shown at MOMA starting in November. The career retrospective will consist of a gallery exhibition and film series that will "follow the current of his visual imagination from his earliest childhood drawing through his mature work, presenting artwork generated during the conception and production of his films, and highlight a number of unrealized projects and never-before-seen pieces, as well as student art, early films, and examples of his work as a storyteller and graphic artist". Seeing these drawings, paintings, storyboards, costumes, puppets, and films is a must for any fan of Burton, or of film in general. I hope to make it down to NYC this fall to check it out. I've been wanting to take a stroll through MOMA for a few yeas now and this seems like a good enough reason to go. 

Food Inc.

A few years back i began working at a local Hudson Valley restaurant. After only a few months of working with the chefs/owners, i realized that it was truly that: a local restaurant. A kitchen that took advantage of the delicious local seasonal vegetables and proteins that were of the finest, freshest quality. They showed me what real food was and taught me how to appreciate it. My new interest in the food that i eat steered me to read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. I knew i had to end my love affair with those delicious little golden-bunned clown-blessed cheeseburgers and i figured this book would help fuel the fire. It certainly did and I have not looked at food the same since. I recommend FFN and Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food to anyone interested in the topic. Both books are as approachable as they are informative. 

The biggest lesson i have learned is that most of the food we eat comes from factories not farms. The business of food is actually quite disturbing. Nearly everything we buy in a grocery store comes from a mega-corporation that is only interested in making money. The quality of their products and the consumers health are unfortunately not on their list of concerns. The beef industry is by far the worst in my opinion. The meat-packing facilities are filthy and almost completely unregulated. The government officials in charge of quality control are not working in our interest. They are owners or former owners of cattle farms and meat-packing mills looking out for their own well-being. They continue to create and change laws to allow the disgusting facilities and inhumane treatment of employees (mostly immigrants) to remain unchecked. The horrific treatment of cows, pigs, and chickens is not only cruel but the reason why we have diseases like e-coli, mad cow, and the dreaded Swine Flu. 

Now I'm not saying we should stop eating these delicious animals. I enjoy a vegetarian meal on a regular basis but i am not a vegetarian. I will channel my inner caveman and simply say, "MEAT GOOD!" Especially bacon. Is it just me, or does everything taste better with bacon? I do, however, think there is a happy medium where we could consume much less meat and treat the animals better. It's a win/win situation. Well maybe not for the cows, but it is better for our own health and our environment to eat less of them. 

But i digress, this post started as a discussion about the business of food not vegetarianism. Linked yes, but not my point. As i was saying, the conditions in which the animals are kept is absolutely disgusting. 100's of thousands of cattle packed tightly together in corporate feedlots wallowing in their own shit and being fed food that they are not supposed to eat. Cows eat grass. That's it! But they don't grow big enough or fast enough when eating grass alone so people feed them corn and grain. Even more disturbing, cows and pigs and chickens are often fed chickens and pigs and cows and horses and dogs and rodents and whatever other "proteins" that the company can get for cheap. That fact alone is enough for me to rethink my diet. I can't even begin to write about what goes on inside the meat-packing facilities. But if any of us were to go on a tour of one, i promise you would come out with a whole new perspective. 

The unnatural business of food does not end with meat. Fruits and vegetables are also being altered for the sake of making money. They are pumped with hormones and chemicals to grow bigger, look better, and last longer.  Seasons no longer exist. We are now able to eat plastic tomatoes and bland avocados all year long. But what are we sacrificing? Besides taste, our health is most definitely adversely affected.

The creation of this post was spurred by a new documentary that will be released this summer entitled Food Inc. It looks pretty promising. As the trailer below states, our government has tried to make it ILLEGAL to have a discussion about this topic. This alone should make you want to see it.  Yes, there is some good ol' fashioned muckraking involved, but i think people need to see this stuff to really get the picture. What i like about the it is the positive spin that the film has to it. Food Inc. looks like it could be the jump start that this grassroots movement really needs. Im excited to see it and learn more horrifying details about the business of food and, more importantly, learn how to fight against it. 

I am passionate about the topic of food for the same reasons that i have adopted a greener lifestyle. These choices make a difference and can help us live a better and healthier life. In fact, food issues are essentially environmental issues.  The food that we choose to eat effects the environment we live in. It's not about right or wrong, it's about what is better for you and what is better for our planet. And when it comes to food, it's about TASTE. Have you ever tasted an all-natural grass-fed burger? Or some free-range chicken wings? Or a locally and naturally grown tomato? The difference in deliciousness is ridiculous.  Yes, they are a little more expensive but if we demand quality it will become more readily available and therefor cheaper. Besides, im happy to spend a few extra dollars for a product that is better tasting, better for me, and supports my community. 

A Collective Disappointment

                                                                   (photo via theBrooklynVegan)

Last night i drove down to NYC to catch Animal Collective's hotly discussed live show at Terminal 5. Underneath a glowing globe and shrouded in darkness, the band took the stage behind illuminated tables of electronic equipment and began their brilliant sound collage. They quickly went into their stellar single "MyGirls" without any anticipatory build-up. Almost like they wanted to get it out of the way. Their set was mostly comprised of songs from their latest psychedelic freak-out MerriweatherPostPavillion and they unfortunately played nothing from StrawberryJam or Feels. Highlights of the night included "LeafHouse", "Fireworks" and the 3 song encore of "Bleed" (new), "LionInAComa" and "BrotherSport". 

Sonically, the "band" was extraordinary. Their vocals were equally incredible. Some serious harmonies mixed with their signature hoots and growls. Before i go on i want to repeat, Animal Collective sounded GREAT.  I spent half the show with eyes closed enjoying the intricately weaved soundscape. But part of the reason my eyes were closed was because there wasn't anything to see. That exciting element of live music creation was seriously lacking. They sounded great, sang great but all they did was turn knobs, adjust faders, and tap on an MPC drum pad. In fact, the best parts of the show were the few times when AveyTare played guitar and PandaBear drummed a little on a snare and floor tom. 

What the AC show really needed was live drums. If there was a tight drummer playing on top of the electronics all would have been forgiven. Some interesting visuals might have also served their trippy sound. Honestly, i enjoyed the music but was kinda bored. I would liken it to most hiphop shows i've been to. No matter how good the rhymer/singer is, your still just listening to prerecorded beats. But even that is more exciting when there is a good DJ cleverly mixing records (
A' la DJ Shadow or MixMasterMike). I'm sure their is a lot of skill and precision involved in creating the sound, but they just werent exciting to watch. I haven't been lucky enough to see Radiohead yet, but from the recordings i've heard they have perfected the artful balance of  live electronic rock that Animal Collective is clearly missing.

I have been lucky enough to see some pretty good live music lately and Animal Collective's anticipated performance takes a back seat. Last spring Battles masterfully pulled off that quirky electronic live sampling but mixed it with the raw and energetic punk sound stemming from their ridiculously tight drumming and precise guitars and keys. They have a similar sound to AC but definitely put on a more exciting show because they are more "live music" and guitar oriented. I got to see ofMontreal twice in the past 6 months. For their live show, Kevin Barnes & Co. sacrifice some of the albums crisper elements to allow for fun and unique brand of performance art. Their blend of prerecorded tracks and live musicianship still sounds great and is then taken over the top by the added visual elements. Personally, i'd rather pay to hear/see a dynamic live interpretation of a song than an uninspired electronic re-creation of the album version.

With all that said, im glad i got to hear Animal Collective in person. Unfortunately, seeing them left me wanting more. They certainly have a sound all their own and i will continue to buy and listen to their albums. However, I probably wont go out of my way to see them again. Below are some vids of what i consider to be exciting live performance that successfully add electronics into the mix. The sound is a little blown out as one might expect from amateur video, but i think you can catch my drift. 

Here's oM performing "NonPareil of Favor". The real goodness begins at 5.10. A Truly Psychedelic Performance.

And here's Battles. The Insanity takes off at 2.18.

Time Machine Dreams

Ok, I'm really into youtube tonight. But the semester is over and i have headphones and some free time. More importantly, does anyone have serious blueprints for a time machine??? Cause i gotta hit 88mphs and get back to 1980. Just came across some serious funk footage of Talking Heads during the Remain in Light tour. This stuff might take precedent over some of my other time machine dreams. But i still wanna create a shift in the time/space continuum to travel back and see Chili Peppers in LA in '91 for the beginning of the BSSM tour, the Clash and Beatles at their Shea shows, Primus in '89 Berkley where they recorded Suck On This, and the CBGB shows when Talking Heads, The Ramones, Blondie, & Television used to play the same night. And if alternate universes are involved, i wanna go back to the 2001 show in Kansas (it was held at the center of US to avoid Coastal Issues) where Tupac and Biggie finally ended their feud and agree that if they combine their rhymes & research they can cure AIDS and Cancer and come up with a realistic solution to stop Global Warming.

Hit me up with some of your own time machine destinations..  

A SUNY Peer

What do flourescent lightbulbs, double dutch, roller skating, wierd photos of children, balloons filled with sparkles, rowboats, firecrackers, and colors all have in common? Why they are all featured in this video for Ponytail's single "Celebrate the Body Electric" thats what.  I recently heard the album and it's ok. Some spazzy, jagged noise punk. Nothing to write home about. The live show might be worth checking out if they can pull it off with some tightness. This is by far the best song on the album. 

The video, on the other hand, is fantastic. A montage of randomness that is perfectly edited to suit the songs spasticity. Repititious images set in front of psychedelic backgrounds. Simple and sweet. It's directed by Sophia Peer, a native NewYorker and a product of SUNY Purchase. (Holler atcha SUNYs!!!). She went on to get her MFA at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and has had several video/photography exhibitions in the area. Most of the stuff i have seen are just really wierd shorts. I love THIS!!! It is so strange and pointless. Anyway, I dig her style and will be on the look out for her future endeavors. 

This is also very clever. 

Rated ARRRRRRRR!!!

With all this talk about pirates lately, heres a loose and interesting look into the realities of piracy.

Me and Mr. Jonze

From the first moment i was introduced to Spike Jonze i knew he was awesome. We met back in '94 through my old friends the Beastie Boys. The Sabotage video was so ridiculously great. Turning the hardcore/rap anthem into a 70's cop movie was so brilliantly and blatantly obvious after it was executed with perfection . Jonze cast his flick with precision. Nathan Wind portrayed Cochese with a delicate passion.  Vik Colfari was a clear choice for Bobby the Rookie. The Chiefs big heart and tough guy exterior was amazingly acted by Alasandro Alegre'. Sir Stewart Wallace obviously played himself because no one else could do him justice. All topped off with Fred Kelly's Oscar Award nominated performance as Bunny. 

Jonze just kept cranking out the creative craftiness in videos for Daft Punk's "Da Funk",  Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet", the Breeders "Cannonball",  Wax's "Souther California", Weezer's "Buddy Holly",and the  YeahYeahYeah's "Y Control". He directed and starred in the "guerrilla style" video for Fat Boy Slim's  "Praise You", which could almost be a precursor to JackAss (BTW, he had an integral part in creating that too). Among like 20 others that i havent seen, Jonze also directed the FBSlim video with the dancing Chris Walken and i just found out he did the video for Ween's "Freedom of '76" too.

Besides film making, it is apparent in his body of work that Mr. Jonze also has a passion for skateboarding. He artfully and creatively films and produces skate videos for previously established companies like World Industries, GIRL,  and Laika. Alot of people might be familiar with the invisible skateboard scene which i think was part of his "Yeah Right" video. This is a must see if you havent already. (Note. if  you haven't seen any of these clips and your into cool shit you really should check em out. I only linked the best of the best.)

As ive mentioned before, i think music videos and short films are much more difficult to pull off. It takes a precise degree of creative concision and visual vivacity in order to make an impressive short. After Jonze mastered that medium, it was time to turn to full length feature. Adapting Charlie Kaufman's off-the-wall screenplay "Being John Malkovich" into an enjoyable viewing experience was a feat all its own, but to choose this for your first feature film and pull it off so masterfully was remarkable. To follow it up with the equally eccentric "Adaptation" was further proof that, not only is Spike Jonze an incredible director, but is always looking for a challenge. 

When i heard Spike's next project was an adaptation of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" i was surprised. An animated feature? Interesting. Especially so considering i knew that Wes Anderson's (another favorite) next project is an animated version of "The Fantastic Mr. Fox". Then i found out Jonze was doing the "Wild Thing" live action style. I wondered how he would pull it off, but figured he'd be up to the challenge. WOW! After seeing this newly released trailer i am impressed. It looks fun, dramatic, stylish, and visually stunning. A great cast is in place including Katherine Keener, Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose, and Catherine O'Hara. The fact that Karen O (of theYYY's) is a co-music director and Tom Hanks and Maurice Sendak are given production credit doesn't hurt either. This has gotta be entertaining.

Happy Stupid Valentine's Day

Current's Vanguard reports on the diamond and rose industries.

Funny (For Now)

WARNING: My idea of good comedy is something that will make me laugh due to its sheer stupidity. If it doesn't make sense or is so idiotic that it should never have been created, i will most likely find it hilarious. Absurdist comedy troupe's like UprightCitizensBrigade, the State, and Kids in the Hall are my idea of comedic brilliance. With that said, i present to you this blog...

Besides Tina Fey, the funniest thing that SNL has produced in the past few years has been the Digital Shorts. The concepts of these shorts are usually better developed and still completely ridiculous. You can also tell that they are the ideas of a specific comedian. From Lettuce, to the Mirrror, to Extreme Challange, 90% of the funny comes from Andy Samberg. This is pretty intriguing considering that he is not that funny on the show. "The Chronic (les of Narnia)" was one of the first real youTube sensations, but it was "Dick in a Box" that made me really laugh at this idiot. 

I think i like Andy because most of  his comedy comes in the form of music. Apparently he and his two long time friends have been making music and shorts together for quite a while and have recently been taking advantage of NBC to produce their own material. The collective known as Lonely Island have just released their debut album entitled "Incridibad", and it certainly is. The album includes greatest hits like "Natelie (Portman's) Rap", "Dick in a Box", and its follow up "Jizz in my Pants", as well as plenty of new tracks that are just so stupid they're funny. The real genius behind the album is that its a true satire of hiphop radio. The message being that hiphop today is void of any real depth or meaning. Any one of these songs can be a hit as long as it follows the right formula, it doesnt matter what they're rapping about. Whether it's being on a boat in "I'm on a Boat" or about Carlos Santana's new DVX champagne. "He makes his guitar weep but his champagne cry".

"Boombox" features one of the better hooks of recent hip hop, sung by Julian Casablancas of Strokes fame. The song is basically a cautionary tale about the use of a powerful boombox with the ability to bring about world peace. More laughable then this concept are the idiotic lyrics that they rap. "DreamGirl" is a song about, well, their dream girl. The song somehow makes a left turn and transforms into a commercial for chex mix, "the number one snack food in all the land with the cereal taste that you eat with your hand." Other highlights include "Ras Trent" the reggae jam sung by a middle class college student and the wonderfully deadpan "We Like Sportz". However, the show is stolen by the king of musical comedy, the golden voice of Tenacious D, Mr. Jack Black. I could describe "Sax Man" but it would ruin the joke. Listen for yourself and laugh.

The thing about comic music is that once the joke is over it becomes unlistenable. The people that transcend this theory are the ones who create music that is as good or better than then comedy (ie Tenacious D). I'm fairly certain that most of these songs will fade into obscurity after a while, but at the moment they are making me laugh. I will end this post with echoes of how it began. I enjoy stupidity. I am not promising you comic gold here. If you use BitTorrents and want a few laughs, check out the album. Or just follow the links for a quick listen. I, for one, enjoyed these 3 idiots and their dumb songs. But thats just me.

Defining Thought & Language

This video is an extraordinary look into the mind of one person with autism. It is not a representation of the inner workings of autism because almost every case is different. My lady has been working with children with autism for a few years now and i believe she is on the forefront of support and therapy. Needless to say, Autism is often a topic of conversation in our little apartment. I am by no means a scholar on the subject, just someone with a particular insight into one aspect of the "disorder". I think it is important to realize that not every person with autism is like Amanda. It is a vast spectrum. Some may be more capable of specific social or motor skills but will never be able to match her intellect or comprehension of language, environment and their relationship with each other. In my opinion, her ability to express herself surpasses most "typical" humans and it is a pleasure to hear her perspective. However, as she said, her video is not a statement about autism but "a statement about what gets considered thought, intelligence, personhood, language, and communication, and what does not." These are all topics that i've been studying and reflecting on as a future teacher. 

In class we've been discussing the theory of primitive language. Basically it's the myth that one language is better than another because it is used by more people, or its able to express specific ideas, or is just considered to be more proper. This is obviously false because a language is created to suit the needs of its speakers. As long as it does that properly than it is no better or worse. I think its important to understand this as a teacher, but especially as an English teacher. Proper language and proper writing are as much of a lie as the idea of primitive language. Embracing linguistic difference is as important as embracing cultural difference. What i need to be able to do properly is convey the importance of learning to write and speak "Standard English" while encouraging he use of their home or peer language. Language is a tool. Students need to know when and how to use "appropriate" language in order to get ahead in life because unfortunately people and employers will instantly judge someone's intelligence by their language and accent. 

I think i can really relate with Amanda. i sometimes feel very much out of touch with "normal" society. What is considered acceptable and proper is not usually how i feel. Like amanda, i often tap and bang on my environment and listen closely to how they respond. And i sometimes smell objects that most people would think strange. At times i honestly wish i could experience the world the way Amanda does. She is more honest with herself and more in tune with her environment than 99% of "normal" people.

I Brake For Zombies

I first saw this photo of a roadside construction sign and assumed it was clever computer trickery. Once i found out this was real i began to panic about the ensuing Zombiepocalypse. "How long till said zombies arrive and where is the closest shotgun store?", i worried. Needless to say, a cool relief rushed over me when i discovered that it was all a ruse. Some cheeky troublemaker in Austin, Texas hacked into one of these road signs and reprogrammed it to warn motorists of oncoming undead. I applaud their anonymous awesomeness. 

Welcome Back Blogger

It's been a while since my last post. I guess the winter break was more than just an intellectual interlude. The holidays, my birthday, more hours at work, laziness and Fable 2 all kinda got in the way of me sharing my thoughts with the masses. Of course by "masses" i mean the three people that read this. Aaaaaaaanyway... 2009 promises to be filled with lots and lots of activity. This semester i'm taking a film class, a graphic novel class, and my first 3 courses in the Education program. The Spring and Summer are always exciting. And in the Fall i will be logging a bunch of observation hours at the Jr. and High school levels. Then student teaching begins next January. CRAZINESS!!! All topped off with a new President that can hopefully turn this country around. So this year should be interesting and will no doubt fly by. 

Let's start the year off with some eye candy. I just came across this music video and i think its pretty rad. The song is nothing but a decent soundtrack to some amazing cinematography. It's a video for the band FeverRay directed by Andreas Nilsson. It looks likes he's done mostly music videos which, let us not forget, is where greats like Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, and Rob Zombie got their start. A music video is almost more challenging because it has to be so much more visually impressive to get and keep your attention for three minutes. Film directors usually have the luxuries of time, money, and the patience of the audience. This video is beautifully creepy and Mr. Nilsson is now on my radar. Check it...