The Rebirth of the Music Video

But seriously.  Is it just me or are music videos becoming more interesting again?  Are there any others I should see?

Sick City

Read Sick City.  Felt sick.  Tony O'Neill took me places I'd rather not go.  Junkies.  Television celebrities.  Glistening rooms.  Sickening rooms.  Bumbling plans of drug addicts.  Filth, filth, filth.



The novel was effective in that it conveyed addiction quite well and indeed it used addiction as its M.O.: I could hardly put the book down - I read the first 146 pages straight, then I went into rehab and left the book alone for a couple of days, before binge-reading it all the way to the end.  But like an ex-addict, I look back at the novel and wonder what I was doing, exactly.  Reading about drugs makes my stomach turn.  O'Neill probably wanted this.  He got what he wanted then.  Good form.  But all the calculating buildup and cliches got to me.  the sexuallyabusedasachildprostituesearchingforadaddy.  the blacksheepofabigtimehollywoodfamilyendinguponskidrow.  the crazymethheadwhohasnoremorse.  the situations, the 'twists.'  the moralizing (under)tone.

Imaginary dialogue between an American Assessment Agent and a Grocery Store Clerk:

: America is sick.
: Yes.
: Those who don't seem to be sick are often the most sick.
: You got that right.
: Those who seem to be sick are sick too.
: Yes.  But maybe they like living that way?
: Like not knowing what's coming next?
: Does anyone?
:  I don't get it.
: Maybe they just don't buy into the whole American Dream thing?
: Maybe.  But it's my job to insure it, to tell it like it is.
: Everyone's got a job to do, money to make.
: Who do these cockroaches think they are?
: Cockroaches, if they're honest.
: Filthy fucks.
: Resilient little bastards, cockroaches.  They can live without heads forever.
: That's disgusting.
: Maybe.  That'll be $40.  Paper or plastic?
: Plastic's fine, thanks.
: Have a nice day.
: You too.

All and all, a decent novel.  Well written, well 'researched.'  Not what I want to see as per the future of the novel, but what can you do?  Write and let write, read and read and read.

[The cockroach metaphor is borrowed from O'Neill, fyi]

when we're in this room, rehearsal

Teeth Grind

Busy weekend.

Watched Trash Humpers in awe.

Read The Dead Father and wanted more.

Started working at my favorite bookstore in the whole world (besides Powell's).

Worked on the novel again.  In short bursts.

Danced and danced.  And will dance some more.

The premiere of the dance piece went really well.  People laughed and seemed to be enjoying themselves.  They 'got it.'  Last night, only one person laughed.  The crowd was much different (mostly 50 year old folks, parents from Switzerland - the parents of the other residents, etc.) and I wondered: did we lose them somewhere?  At the end of the piece, I read a text and then there's silence.  You can gauge the commitment of an audience, their being there with you, by their willingness to sit silent at the end of a piece, to let the piece resonate and breathe.  Last night, the audience sat for over a minute in complete silence.  We listened to the rain together.  Afterwards, someone told me the piece really touched her.  It was a very tender moment.  She understood the delicacy of the piece, didn't let the wackiness take over.  This is no one trick pony.

This week, I have some writing up at abjective.  This one's about, well, I'll let you decide.

I've been waking up every day at 7 and my jaw hurts.  Maybe I should eat less chocolate?

when we're in this room

!!!

Another Day, Another Dollar

The Guardian rules right now.  Theys all gots a sense of humor.  Yuck, yuck.

Home Alone

  SUNSHRINE MIX by HOLY OTHER

Listen to Holy Other, especially the Boyz II Men remix.  Check out Liam Tickner's "My First Collector."  And ponder the wonders of LIES/ISLE with me.  Then it will almost be like we're together.

Hip Hop Hooray

I finally got a copy of Barthelme's NOT KNOWING.  Hooray!  I feel so stupid for never having read it. Hooray!



Today we showed the dance piece in the studio to the people responsible for the residency.  I think they got it.  That's a good feeling.  I mean, it's a nice feeling to know you're not totally crazy, that jokes are not inside jokes only, that something is being communicated and not just 'boring.'  Hooray!

If you're in Berlin for those days, I would love for you to be there.  If you're not, then I'll post some video here or on youtube thereafter.



I want to go dancing this weekend and see bubsy John Roberts' record release party.  Will I?  Maybe!  Hooray!



I don't want all of my friends to leave Berlin.  Why is everyone leaving?  Will they ever come back?

Hooray?

"Get a life." "Lady, I'm trying."

If you see anything today, let it be this

or maybe a forgotten member of NWA?



And if that still doesn't fit yr fancy, maybe you'll want to listen to this



Or my favorite Drum n Bass song ever:



I used to play a mix of it with Bad Company's "The Nine" and my mix would last 4/5 of the record.  It was heavenly.

I miss my turntables.  Another 'career' I gave up on.  I've decided SALEM is everything musically I've ever loved (at least in 'pop').  I feel like the album was made for me.  I feel like a teenager again.

I'm starting with the Flann O'Brien novels.  They sound scrumptious.

Otherwise, I've finished a text and I have another out to a journal that says they liked it well enough but they're not sure whether or where it will fit - it sounds as if they've been deliberating for some time (they've had the text for 3 months).  It's a nice place to be actually.  The text is really weird and I think it's going to have a hard time finding a home, and it's home for sure won't be online (way too long and METAL).  I think it'd be cool to see someone take a risk with it, but I also know it's risky.

Things in the studio are going well.  Our dance piece will be a dance piece and I will be dancing.  This is interesting to me but also a little strange.  Definitely outside my comfort range but maybe I can learn from this.

I think it's important to look at other art forms and to have amazing friends doing stuff in these art forms. You can really learn a lot.

My family and I have been communicating more.  I think this is a good thing.

Back to the Future

This summer I did things.

I read these:

And they were all really good, especially the Higgs and the Perec.  I read some other stuff too, but these (and Benjamin's One Way Street, which is just a freaking great text) really kept me going.

I reviewed a play for Thalia Theater in Hamburg (note: the video isn't working for the time being) and looked at the soon to be finished Elbe Philharmonie

which was pretty freaking cool.  I like these architects a lot, but you probably already knew that.  You.

Then I went to Ireland.

That was really nice.  I hiked a lot, kayaked, played a lot of basketball, drank some nice whiskeys.  I wrote something there that will be published very soon.  Pretty happy about that.

Then I went to Bavaria.  Not pictured.  Not so happy about that.  Kids done painted ponies.  Redonkeykongulous.

Now I'm back in Berlin and I think feelings are stupid and rooms for the arts are constricting.  I hate making transitions.  Summer work work work to Fall chill chill chill has never been very easy for me.  There's a lot of work going on still but I can't tell you about that just yet.

What should I be reading?  I'm in the middle of "The Ask" and not really finding it to my liking.  The sentences are all so neat, so plastic wrapped.  The plot isn't really my thing either.

What else should I be listening to besides the new SALEM?

Does anyone in Berlin know anything about mushrooms?  Want to go hunt for some?  I would like to fry up some Steinpilz or Pfifferlinge but I'm afraid of dying.

Sometimes I wonder about blogging and if it even makes sense anymore.

I am one grumpy motherfucker.