these days
"We are young despite the years, we are concern.
We are hope despite the times.
All of a sudden, these days
Happy throngs: take this joy wherever, wherever you go..."
January 20, 2009
January 19, 2009
in the name of love
"Early morning, April four
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky.
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride."
December 8, 2008
Proposition 8: the musical
I'm starting to feel like a clearinghouse for other media, but hey - this is for a good cause.
December 5, 2008
welcome to jurassic park
You know, there are very few moments in cinematic history that actually pull a truly emotional reaction from me. Stephen Spielberg's Jurassic Park is one of them. You know the moment. It's the one where you meet your first live dinosaur for the first time. John Williams' score begins to swell, and the brachiosaur comes over the rise, trumpeting mournfully.
I've probably been waiting for that particular moment my whole life.
I really am in the wrong field.
October 9, 2008
wandering free, part I: train et diversité
And now I am lost in Paris proper.
Charles De Gaulle International Airport connects directly to the local metro rail. It was here that I first experienced a difficulty that I would advise all future travelers to Paris to be aware of: many of the metro rail stations accept only coins at the ticket-vending machines, and if you have only paper currency, your life may be made difficult and entertaining.
It was also here that I experienced a small bit of cognitive dissonance as I walked into the station. The first music to come on the radio was "Eye of the Tiger", and it was rapidly followed by Madonna's "Material Girl". I was uncertain whether perhaps when I had travelled in space, if I had not also perhaps travelled in time. Fortunately the train arrived in time to prevent a complete flashback to a prior era.
It was there on the train that Paris began to present its face as a major cosmopolitan city, and showed itself to be culturally diverse as well as relatively friendly. As I sat reviewing my maps, a nice old Algerian lady asked me if I was American (is it really that obvious?), and offered to help me find my way to my destination. I thanked her for her help, and immediately realized how terrible my French was. My obvious spanish ("you speak like an Italian!") accent and linguistic reference frame would throw me mentally off course and bedevil me throughout my journey. As we travelled from the airport into the city proper, the city woke up and the morning commuters on their way to work and school filled the train. I marveled as all the nations of the world began to board and babble in their native tongues. France was once an imperial power, with colonies scattered the world over - and it is still an important player in matters of world policy and finance. That broad international reach was well reflected as color and diversity filled the train and my soul.
In an odd way, I find being alone in a sea of foreigners vaguely comforting. Not only does it remind me of my youth, but I suspect that we are all islands wandering alone together. I like to believe that it is only through an appreciation for the polyglot that we will find successful answers in a globalizing world. Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses, and all of them have a different approach and outlook on the way we process life.
I find such novel and different approaches refreshing and exciting, even when I disagree with them. If nothing else, it certainly provides many opportunities for feasting well at a number of different ethnic restaurants. I have also always believed in world peace through superior dining.
July 21, 2008
closing titles
Behold the closing titles of quirky cinema auteur Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, performed to the tune of David Bowie's racous ballad, "Queen Bitch":
Of course, all of this is an acknowledged homage to an earlier zany adventure-comedy and undeniable cult-classic:
February 10, 2008
a few things
So... I remembered a few things about myself this weekend. I have been housesitting for one of the folks related to the research station, and it reminded me of what I liked about living and working around a real home.
The first is that I really like stereo sound, and I have missed it terribly. I plugged my host's speakers to my laptop, and the improvement in my movie-watching capability was dramatic. Headphones are okay, but nothing beats the freedom a pair of cheap speakers and a small subwoofer can provide. I can only imagine how much better my surround sound system will appear to me when I finally return to civilization and a television that provides more than monaural output.
The second thing I have rediscovered is that I focus better with less white noise. I am okay with music blazing clear, or random nature rustling in the background, but the steady whine of machinery like the incubator beside my desk can be incredibly distracting. It gets inside my head and it grinds against my brain - and it drives me crazy. It makes me want to plug my ears up and go to sleep.
So I just need to find good clear sound for my brain to function right.
Muses, are you listening?
December 12, 2007
more music from NPR
Another band and another concert from NPR's live summer concert series: the increasingly popular sounds of "the Arcade Fire". While the concert was actually back in February as part of their Neon Bible tour, NPR has been kind enough to archive all of this classic goodness for you. Their upbeat indie pop has a driving beat, and it certainly is something to listen to while you count endless armies of chili thrips under the microscope.
Feel free to subscribe to the podcast and hunt through their archives for other gems, or just download the MP3 from me right here.
December 5, 2007
keeping a positive attitude
(but only for now...)
September 28, 2007
there is life outside your [trailer]
Brian: Princeton?Princeton: Yeah?
Brian: Listen buddy, nobody has seen you for two weeks! What is up with that?
Princeton: I went to work for a temp agency, and they fired me for being too depressing on the phone. I maxxed out my cards, I am two months behind in rent, I totally messed up my personal life... Oh - and Brian? I still haven't found my purpose.
Brian: All right. Get off your ass and stop worrying!
September 17, 2007
the exciting conclusion
And like that, it was over. Three days of music, friends, and excellent food. Later this afternoon, I will get on a plane and fly back to Florida, leaving all of these good things behind.
I will remember, and someday:
I will return.
I mean that. Austin is and will probably always remain my town.
September 16, 2007
the Decemberists
The Decemberists were the single band I had most hoped to see at ACL, and they did provide fun for all in attendance. In spite of misplacing the majority of my good friends, I did manage to arrive in time to negotiate my way to a place center-stage, but fifteen feet from all the action. The set felt a little short, and they were deluged by an excessively large number of chrysopids drawn to the red stage lights, but it was a fun and exuberant show. It was a good way to finish out the weekend, and I am glad I attended.
Regina Spektor
Ms. Spektor turned out to be one of the most pleasant surprises of the concert series. She could be compared favorably to other female vocalists who perform a significant portion of their work on piano, such as Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, or even Norah Jones. However, just as they maintain a distinctive voice, so can Ms. Spektor be distinguished from her peers. Her music is haunted by traditional jewish folk-music, and influenced by jazz and the American independent sound... but she still gives it her own particular spin. I had heard her before briefly on NPR, and several of my friends were enthusiastic about her work, but I remained unsold.
Then I saw her live. While she sounds great prerecorded and on disc, her performance live is nothing less than amazing. Her most recent album feels overproduced, with unnecessary accompaniment - and on stage you have only her and her instrument and her voice. Her audience was exceptionally supportive, and stood transfixed in appreciation. This was not a concert to yell in excitement at, but one to absorb in admiration. One of my companions commented that she would have been better to see in a concert hall, for that was the ambience that we drew off the crowd.
She also fed off of the energy of that crowd. She was as delighted to be there as her audience was to listen. This was a woman who loved her job, and she poured that enthusiasm and appreciation right back into the audience who wanted to be there to hear her in a warm and fuzzy feedback loop of happiness.
It didn't hurt that she is the kind of cute that you just want to reach out and pet on the head like a puppy...
September 14, 2007
starts with a bang
Yes, ACL is under way, and it is that smokin' hot!
June 19, 2007
death cab for you and me
A month or so ago, Ben Gibbard, frontman for Death Cab for Cutie, played unplugged and solo at the 9:30 club in Washington DC. Normally I would have had no opportunity to listen to such a thing, but fortunately NPR's Bob Boilen was there for All Songs Considered to cover and record it.
If you're already a fan, or just happen to be interested in finding out more about a band named Death Cab, you can find the real-audio version at the NPR link above... or you can just download the MP3 formatted version from me here. Last but not least, feel free to subscribe to the All Songs Considered podcast, and experience a weekly sampling of the latest in new music and the occasional live concert.