Drivelisten.

Last week I was getting up and heading to Charlottesville, full of expectation for a good time, good drive, good friends, good music. Anticipation of small, solo roadtrips to wanted destinations always bring me to a very specific and active place.

Woke up and went straight to the iPod to play "Lucky" by Radiohead. Because, if I'm feeling it, I can have Thom Yorke reinforce "it's gonna be a glorious day." And, their new album The King of Limbs had just debuted a couple of days prior and that was most definitely gonna be on the day's playlist.

I put the mp3's to random for a while after that, and then relistened to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs (top winner at both the recent Grammy's and NME's.) I like this album a lot.

As soon as it ended, Jeff Buckley's "Parchman Farm Blues" came on. Heck yes.

Hit the road, radio was on. Pink Floyd-into-Florence & the Machine-into-Springsteen. (Tramps like us!) I think that's one of the best rock songs ever written.

Put on Monster by REM. It's the 1994 CD I've had for sixteen years, and its lived in my rarely used CD changer for about two. I like it there, a familiar, grungey surprise when I need to change things up. (Other CD's who live in that purgatory include The Moon and Antarctica (can you believe it's eleven years old ?!?), a Grateful Dead greatest hits compilation, and Tom Petty's greatest.)

Monster, though, lives with me like a cousin. I know a lot about it, remember a lot about it, visit it a couple times a year, and either reminisce or learn something new (good if both). I know, for instance, that the first track, "What's the Frequency Kenneth?" skips if I just play the CD. Instead I have to push play, skip forward about fifteen seconds, and hit play. It works fine that way. If I just let it skip through the first fifteen seconds, though, it continues to skip through the whole song. There's a weird intimacy in that. I never bought a new CD. Never burned it, put it on iTunes, nothing. Just leave it in the charger in my trunk for years at a time and finangle when the need hits me.

It's a damn good album. "I don't sleep, I dream." True.

And don't even get me started on "Strange Currencies." One of the most beautiful, anthemic songs ever.

Speaking of Radiohead & REM, here's a copy of them duetting on "Lucky," which makes me feel like I'm on a cloud.

Coulda Been

I took this randomly a couple of weeks ago when our gas went out and we were reduced to living off of our circa 1918 fireplace.  What I like about it: you can't really tell when it was taken. Certain subjects and certain shades of sepia are timeless, just like fire will always keep you warm and cook your food.

Adonis Foo

pic: MTV

Godlike Genius Award: Dave Grohl

The best mainstream music source for as long as I can remember held its awards show last night. The complete list of winners is that the bottom. 

Um, yessssss. Foo's walk an interesting line. Maybe too mainstream for all the hip#*$'s out there. Maybe to hardcore for our parents. I like a lot of their stuff, but not all. But Grohl's so much more than a Foo. He's been in more than 30 bands! And not garage bands. Bands like Queens of the Stone Age and Nirvana. When Tom Petty's longtime drummer quit in the mid-nineties, The Heartbreakers tried to woo the Foo, to no avail (though he did briefly tour with them.)

In 2002, he set a world record for having been on 10 top recordings in a single year (I forget if this was Billboard or something else) due to Foo Fighters, QOTSA, and the newly released "I Know You're Right" from Nirvana's box set. 

Here's some of what I've said about him lately.

Punk, Grunge, Pop, Ballad, Metal, Goof. 

Genius.

Godlike Genius: Dave Grohl

Philip Hall Radar Award: The Naked And Famous

Teenage Cancer Trust Outstanding Contribution To Music: PJ Harvey

John Peel award for Innovation: Crystal Castles

Best British Band: Muse

Best International Band: My Chemical Romance

Best Solo Artist: Laura Marling

Best New Band: Hurts

Best Live Band: Biffy Clyro

Best Album: Arcade Fire, ‘The Suburbs’

Best Track: Foals, ‘Spanish Sahara’

Best Video: My Chemical Romance, ‘Na Na Na’

Best Festival: Glastonbury

Best Dancefloor Filler: Professor Green, 'Jungle'

Best TV Show: Skins

Best Film: Inception

Hero Of The Year: Lady Gaga

Villain Of The Year: David Cameron

Most Stylish: Brandon Flowers

Least Stylish: Justin Bieber

Worst Album: Justin Bieber, 'My World'

Worst Band: Jonas Brothers

Best Band Blog or Twitter: Hayley Williams

Best Book: John Lydon – 'Mr Rotten’s Scrapbook'

Best Small Festival (50,000 capacity or lower): RockNess

Best Album Artwork: Klaxons – 'Surfing The Void'

Hottest Woman: Alison Mosshart

Hottest Man: Matt Bellamy

Nomi-kneed

I few weeks ago, I wrote a review/commentary on Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop. It's up for an Academy Award. Here's an addition: Banksy asked the organizers of the Oscars if he could go in disguise and they turned him down.

While his art isn't dependent on his anonymity, it sure as heck doesn't hurt him (them) does it? Would the Oscars be an acceptable place to debut?

Side note: one article I read on this called him the Batman of the art world. Now it finally makes sense why I dig him so much.

Another year's sky

I did this once before with an iPhone camera and more time. Little country house chockfull of tchotchke and dog and music. 

Simple grows.

Royal Flush. Magic Carpet 

ridewalkstumble.

Some tunes we dug: 

Clash

Bauhaus

Roebuck

Velvets

Anais

Us.

Inside.

Outside.

Times.

(all pics taken in Charlottesville, President's Day Weekend 2011)

Take Two

I was just turned onto photographer Irina Werning via my favorite blogger Sandra Beijerland of niotillfem. She does a variety of stuff. Her 2010 Back to the Future project, though, is insane. She takes childhood photos and recreates them with you in the same pose, clothes, etc. decades later. Here are a few of my favorites.

The most amazing details don't hit you until after you've looked a few times. On the surface, yeah, it's a cool idea and neat to look at. Then you think about the sheer amount of attention to specifics needed for this. The lighting has to be exactly the same in the two shots. Finding similar props for shots in places long gone (like the curtains and bed post in the third picture) is part of the job. 

What an awesome gift idea. Alas, I'm sure its expensive to fly her from Buenos Aires.

Not a Genius

A few months ago I was in a junk shop in Berwick, PA. For two dollars, there was a framed, textured painting of the above and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. A little boy has a bird on a leash. Other birds are caged. Three cats want to eat the birds. Will he let them? Is he evil? Is he protective? 

I bought it. I showed it to other art friends. I hung it in my dining room.

The other night I finally got around to researching it. It's a freakin' Goya replica. How did no one know?

Goya (and Dali and Warhol and more) are currently at PFAC through March 27 for all you Norfolk readers. I'm gonna go this weekend at some point. 

Grams

Big Winners.

Uh. Not sure where my brain went. I wrote this a week ago and didn't hit publish. Better late than never?

Everyone knows the awards-specific portion of the Grammy's is sometimes a little off. The judges sometimes don't even have to listen to the songs ahead of time to vote on them. There's a seniority old-boys club type thing.

That said, I'm stoked to hear Arcade Fire took away the top award last night. Especially when it was up against drivel like Katy Perry. I would have been okay with Eminem winning this too.

Speaking of Katy Perry, if any of you were watching the live show, you noticed how unbelievably saccharine her performance was. She was wearing a Candyland-meets-disco outfit, swinging (well, holding on for dear life) from something that looked straight out of Mrs. Havisham' garden, and her backdrop was her own freakin' wedding video. Seriously?

I felt embarassed for everyone who enjoyed it, and when the camera flashed on Nicole Kidman happily singing along like she was in her own "Teenage Dream," I sorta cringed and reconsidered watching her next film. It was kind of like when your mom used to lick her hand and wipe your face with it. Icky.

And what was up with John Mayer? Alcohol, for sure. But he seemed physically slowed down so I'm gonna say something stronger was also at play. How obvious was he when singing the Dolly Parton tribute with Norah Jones (great choice!) and Keith Urban? Dude, you have to use the teleprompter to sing "Jolene"? Why didn't you just turn down the gig? Jack White's already got a killer version, and he does your look better than you, anyway.

I'm lately writing a column called "Groove Advisory" for AltDaily. You can read more of my Grammy thoughts here.


List of Winners:
Record of the Year: "The Suburbs," Arcade Fire
Album of the Year: Need You Now Lady Antebellum
Song of the Year: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
New Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Pop Vocal Album: The Fame Monster Lady Gaga
Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: "Hey Soul Sister," Train
Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Bad Romance," Lady Gaga
Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Just The Way You Are," Bruno Mars
Rock Song: "Angry World," Neil Young
Rock Album: The Resistance Muse
R&B Song: "Shine," John Legend & The Roots
R&B Album: Wake up! John Legend & The Roots
Rap Solo Performance: "Not Afraid," Eminem
Rap Song: "Empire State of Mind," Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
Rap Album: Recovery Eminem
Female Country Vocal Performance: "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
Male Country Vocal Performance: "'Til Summer Comes Around," Keith Urban
Country Performance by a Duo or Group: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum
Country Album: Need You Now Lady Antebellum
Latin Pop Album: Paraiso Express Alejandro Sanz
Contemporary Jazz Album: The Stanley Clarke Band The Stanley Clarke Band
Classical Album: Verdi: Requiem Riccardo Muti, conductor
Traditional Gospel Album: Downtown Church Patty Griffin
Dance Recording: "Only Girl (In The World)," Rihanna
Electronic Dance Album: La Roux La Roux
Alternative Music Album: Brothers The Black Keys
Spoken Word Album: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) Jon Stewart

Stones. Diaries.

I made this the other night. I'm not sure if it's finished yet...I'd like to print it and get 3d with something the texture of berries smeared around a bit.

21 Jump Ship

pic: audiomuffin

Adele 21

I've been reading about this album for over a week and decided to stream it, which you can also do by clicking here. I've read comparisons to everything from Etta James to Amy Winehouse. Didn't remind me of either. Her voice just isn't as good as those ladies. It (sadly) reminded me of the chick from Evanescence. She can sing too, but it's dramatic and adolescent in many ways. Even her cover of The Cure's "Lovesong" is dumbed down. If you want to sing ballads over pianos, you shouldn't remind your listener of a mediocre Fiona Apple. They'll just turn you off and listen to Fiona instead (which is what I contemplated).

I'm going to listen to it a few more times before banning it to the permanent mediocracy pile. Sometimes records grow on me.

REgreSS

ode to beatown

slowey schmoozey 

with that rare red wine friday

slow

but not

lonely

skype (in poetry!)

but those 

berwick accents

bring back memories

young me

headphones 

unplugged in new york

incense

now

still music

still words

less people i love

more people i know though

JKRface

Halloween Idea #12

My February pick in the Halloween game is the Joker in drag from The Dark Knight. Batman is my favorite superhero and one of my favorite characters of all time and I've somehow never incorporated this into a costume.

I love how creepy and sad Heath Ledger played the Joker in this version and especially love some of the kooky stuff that came out of his portrayal. It felt more artistic than a lot of superhero films...more like a character versus a caricature.

Pros: I already own a nurse's costume and clipboard, so it would be inexpensive. I love all things Bat.

Cons: It's been done. A-lot.

Only nine months to go!

It Takes Two To

One of the most controversial films ever made, starring one of the kings of his craft, Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris recently took me further into my journey with French filmmaking (I'm a newbie.)

I'd heard of the film before, and vaguely remembered that it was infamous and once had an X rating. Some further research led me to learn that

1. It was banned in certain parts of the world for 30+ years

2. It changed public perception of its cast forever

3. It was considered pornographic at the time

I wasn't sure what to expect upon turning it on. I know, now days later, that I cannot stop mentally going back to that sparse apartment and those graying Parisian streets every few minutes. From an artistic perspective, it gets high marks from me. From the opening scene, with the wide angles of Brando in his brown overcoat stumbling like a zombie behind ingenue Maria Schneider, dressed like she just stepped from the pages of 2009 Modcloth.

Her top hat with flowers, minidress, and leather butterscotched boots are appealing and serve more of a purpose than simply clothing the (often nude) Schneider in her opening scene. They provide information about what her character, Joanne, represents. The hat? Whimsy and willingness to take one step over the line, calling it rebellion, when its really called being twenty. The mini? Sex. Youth. Nubility. The boots? In the immortal words of Nancy Sinatra "Made for walking...all over you." She's heading somewhere with elan, yet practicality (they aren't heels, after all. She can run fast and up stairs in them with great ease.)

The two meet. They barely exchange words, and definitely not names or personal information, before he hoists her against a wall and they knock boots (literally.) As the days go by, we see their respective lives away from the bare apartment they tryst in juxtaposed with their intense, erotic-yet-disturbing-yet-fascinating interactions.

I suppose today, almost forty years later, one could still view Tango without getting all the nuance director Bernardo Bertolucci intended. There's an experimentation his actors allowed him that I've rarely seen elsewhere (Kubrick comes to mind.) Paul, whose loose, erratic behavior holds a power over Jeanne for 3/4 of the film. Then the tables turn. This is more than a Lolita situation, and more than an obsession or a role-play thing.

Paul is American in his interactions with Jeanne--something he couldn't be with his parents (if you believe the story about his childhood he tells Jeanne) or his recently deceased spouse. Jeanne's anonymity, and his, and their age differences allow him to fulfill a need to be some preconceived notion of masculine, macho-Americano--a trait he doesn't come by naturally and doesn't need to keep at after a few days.

Jeanne is twenty and headed for her first marriage. She spends much of the movie referencing her childhood, including trips to her mother's house and experiences in the rooms and gardens she pounced and daydreamed through. She allows everything Paul commands to happen. She doesn't fight. Even in the most infamous and disturbing scene, she cries but she does not protest. In the end, we see her power and her ultimate decision. She isn't helpless, she's saying goodbye to youth through her relationship with Paul.

If you haven't seen this film, I recommend it for a thousand different reasons. Interestingly enough, the one that brought me to it, its infamy, is the last thing I would think of now.

i need an..

MONA LISA ANDROG!!

You may have read today that a historian/scientist hybrid has come out with evidence that the Mona Lisa (one of the, if not THE world's most famous work of art) was really a man. Rumors have been swirling for most of modern times that the painting was more than meets the eye (from the figure being a hybrid of many people in Da Vinci's life, to his young boy-lover, to--remember Da Vinci Code?--the Virgin Mary and God combined.)

I'm neutral on this one. However, in recognition of the painting's importance and longevity, and in the spirit of all the beauty of androgyny, some of my favorite androgynous photos and variations on Mona Lisa are below. 

pic: spookmag.com

pic: graphistolage.fr

In my research, I discovered some more time killers online. First, Fuck Yeah Androgyny, which is a user-content driven site where fans upload pics of themselves or their inspiration and we can guess whether the person is male or female. This may sound tasteless (and it can be, at times) but it's overall very positive. Androgyny, to me, is the most basic form of human, bordering on otherworldly.

Above, model Andrej Pejic shows more about what we perceive about body and image than any traditional model (or PSA), but in the photo below you'd be hard pressed to determine what he is, except, obviously, beautiful.

pic: dudleymua.com

My Own Bloody Valentine

Time to throw another party. This one's great because it involves good music and creepiness (like a Halloween event in February, which is really the best thing I could ever get myself involved in.)

I'm stoked to start on all the particulars. I'm making a playlist with my friend Will, and am trying to find the time to think of creepy love songs. "Don't Fear the Reaper" comes to mind. "I'll Follow You to the Dark"...But I need some upbeat ones too...More to follow as I get more inspired (or less busy, which is unlikely.)

I'm stoked to see what people wear. The more inappropriate, the better, in my opinion. Sid & Nancy, Ike & Tina, etc. Blood is much appreciated.k

Bonus: I made the above flier. I'm novice-face at this kind of thing, but really enjoy it, so figured I'd share :)

Sunk

I was recently introduced to the work of Jason de Caires Taylor and am fascinated. Marine scientists have been manufacturing artificial reefs in our sea beds to supplement the lacking occurance of natural reefs in recent years (due to a number of human-induced behaviors.) Taylor uses materials that will suffice as artificial reefs but creates sculptures out of them.

His work is a mix of art and science, and provides art lovers a unique gallery experience (or snorkelers an artistic experience?).

A snorkeler goes to the art show.

There's something almost couture about these ladies.

Aging. Amazing.

I think he'll get there.

eromh surt nuom



I'm going to continue exploring this guy and try to write a real profile on him in the future. It's the most unique experience, even via the photographs, to watch these pieces age, deteriorate, and begin to meld into their new netherworld. It humanizes the sea and forces the natural order to be acknowledged.

Brilliant.