Feeling a bit hit over the head with a 'WooHoo let's party' message
Black Eyed Peas- opening for U2 in Las Vegas 10-23-2009
First song: "Let's Get It Started" Hahaha I get it, it's a little winky winky joke to the listeners.
6 or 8 more songs, most of which were forgettable.
Last song: The latest hit single "I Gotta Feeling"
'That tonight's gonna be a good night...'
Repeat 'good night' over and over until we can't even see anymore due to the bruises on our heads.
Their set could have been summarized as follows:
"Started"
Fergie is a skank
Will has bad shades
Dancing boom-boxes
40 minutes of cotton candy pseudo-soul
"Good Night"
Goodnight.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Vampyr
So. There's a bumload of talk these days about 'Sexiest Vampires' and 'Best Vampires' of all time and other such nonsense.
I'm jumping on the vampire rating bandwagon and offering my own list. You'll find nobody named Edward, Buffy, Lestat or Angel here, I've stuck to the hardcore, not-quite-so-pretty vamps.
Well, there's some pretty boys, but not pretty like Angel.
Top 10 Vampires of all time:
#10: Max Shreck- Shadow of the Vampire. Willem Defoe. Awesome treatment of 'Nosferatu.'
#9: David- The Lost Boys. Before he became Jack Bauer, Keifer was a sweet vampyr.
#8: Count von Count- Sesame Street. Scary and educational at the same time. Beat that!
#7: Count Orlok- Nosferatu. Pretty much started the genre. And is still a good watch.
#6: Count Dracula- Nosferatu the Vampyre. A lesser known but finely done flick. Check it out.
#5: Count Dracula- Horror of Dracula. Saruman as Dracula. Woohoo!
#4: Count Dracula- Bram Stoker's Dracula. Gary Oldman kicking daywalker butt. Awesome.
#3: Count Dracula as portrayed by Bela Lugosi. Holy crap. I saw this one when I was a youngster, and it scarred (scared?) me for life.
#2: John- The Hunger. David Bowie. Bauhaus. Susan Sarandon. A life-changing movie.
And the #1 vampire of all time:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Count Chocula.
Don't argue. You know it's true.
I'm jumping on the vampire rating bandwagon and offering my own list. You'll find nobody named Edward, Buffy, Lestat or Angel here, I've stuck to the hardcore, not-quite-so-pretty vamps.
Well, there's some pretty boys, but not pretty like Angel.
Top 10 Vampires of all time:
#10: Max Shreck- Shadow of the Vampire. Willem Defoe. Awesome treatment of 'Nosferatu.'
#9: David- The Lost Boys. Before he became Jack Bauer, Keifer was a sweet vampyr.
#8: Count von Count- Sesame Street. Scary and educational at the same time. Beat that!
#7: Count Orlok- Nosferatu. Pretty much started the genre. And is still a good watch.
#6: Count Dracula- Nosferatu the Vampyre. A lesser known but finely done flick. Check it out.
#5: Count Dracula- Horror of Dracula. Saruman as Dracula. Woohoo!
#4: Count Dracula- Bram Stoker's Dracula. Gary Oldman kicking daywalker butt. Awesome.
#3: Count Dracula as portrayed by Bela Lugosi. Holy crap. I saw this one when I was a youngster, and it scarred (scared?) me for life.
#2: John- The Hunger. David Bowie. Bauhaus. Susan Sarandon. A life-changing movie.
And the #1 vampire of all time:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Count Chocula.
Don't argue. You know it's true.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Art Nerves
I've spent a lifetime backstage at events: sporting events, concerts, plays, festivals, etc
The environment behind the scenes of any event can be very tense. 'Is anybody going to show up?' 'Will I remember the words?' 'I hope that horse doesn't buck me off during the gun battle again' and such. Musicians are usually very calm about their experiences. Actors are less mellow- they often explode in furies of emotional chaos that could make an insane asylum look normal. Nevertheless every performer is unique, so my generalizations are weak at best. Just observations.
The one thing that I've always cherished about the experience of doing live performances is the 'house open' half hour, where you've finished all the preparations, all the elements are in place, people are getting into their costumes/performance clothes and the audience is filing in.
This is also usually when the food is provided and the paychecks are handed out.
I've seen musicians with pretty crazy pre-show rituals, everything from substance abuse to yoga. From vocal exercises to jogging.
Actors also have rituals and routines. Bonding exercises with fellow performers, stretching, meditation and medication.
Technicians usually use the time to make out with each other or have farting contests (in the case of amateurs/beginners) or balance their checkbooks, check email, call home and talk to the kids, do some auto maintenance, etc. (professionals/more experienced.)
My own ritual is simple. I find a way to detach from the chaos of life and get into a zone where nothing exists but the show. Sometimes I do this by watching the sunset. Sometimes I go into a dark room and do breathing exercises. Occasionally I listen to some music or watch a video. Usually though, I self-hypnotize as I walk to my work position. In an amphitheater I finish my onstage checks and head up to the control position. By the time I'm in position, I am tranced out to the point of being able to focus singly on the performance at hand. I've seen pictures and video of me working in which I was not behaving as I do in real life, nor did I remember having the pictures taken. Very strange at best.
OK. The catalyst for this rambling rubbish was this:
I've dealt with performing artists forever, but not traditional artists. You know- painters, sculptors, visual artists. The other day I was lucky enough to work on a project with a couple of very talented visual artists. We did the installation and things were going well. As I cleaned up, I felt a very familiar sensation. That old feeling that the 'house is going to open in 15 minutes' and I needed to clean up, get out of the way, eat some food and prepare for the performance. The funny thing is, the artists had nervousness and rituals very similar to the things I have seen countless times before.
Art is art, regardless of the medium.
The environment behind the scenes of any event can be very tense. 'Is anybody going to show up?' 'Will I remember the words?' 'I hope that horse doesn't buck me off during the gun battle again' and such. Musicians are usually very calm about their experiences. Actors are less mellow- they often explode in furies of emotional chaos that could make an insane asylum look normal. Nevertheless every performer is unique, so my generalizations are weak at best. Just observations.
The one thing that I've always cherished about the experience of doing live performances is the 'house open' half hour, where you've finished all the preparations, all the elements are in place, people are getting into their costumes/performance clothes and the audience is filing in.
This is also usually when the food is provided and the paychecks are handed out.
I've seen musicians with pretty crazy pre-show rituals, everything from substance abuse to yoga. From vocal exercises to jogging.
Actors also have rituals and routines. Bonding exercises with fellow performers, stretching, meditation and medication.
Technicians usually use the time to make out with each other or have farting contests (in the case of amateurs/beginners) or balance their checkbooks, check email, call home and talk to the kids, do some auto maintenance, etc. (professionals/more experienced.)
My own ritual is simple. I find a way to detach from the chaos of life and get into a zone where nothing exists but the show. Sometimes I do this by watching the sunset. Sometimes I go into a dark room and do breathing exercises. Occasionally I listen to some music or watch a video. Usually though, I self-hypnotize as I walk to my work position. In an amphitheater I finish my onstage checks and head up to the control position. By the time I'm in position, I am tranced out to the point of being able to focus singly on the performance at hand. I've seen pictures and video of me working in which I was not behaving as I do in real life, nor did I remember having the pictures taken. Very strange at best.
OK. The catalyst for this rambling rubbish was this:
I've dealt with performing artists forever, but not traditional artists. You know- painters, sculptors, visual artists. The other day I was lucky enough to work on a project with a couple of very talented visual artists. We did the installation and things were going well. As I cleaned up, I felt a very familiar sensation. That old feeling that the 'house is going to open in 15 minutes' and I needed to clean up, get out of the way, eat some food and prepare for the performance. The funny thing is, the artists had nervousness and rituals very similar to the things I have seen countless times before.
Art is art, regardless of the medium.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Black and White
It's not a matter of true or false.
It's not a decision between right and wrong.
It's not good vs. evil.
It's simply a matter of integrity.
Painting anything as something it is not is a deliberate act of deception.
Passively allowing millions of people to believe something that you know isn't true is lying.
Even worse, encouraging those people to defend you from attackers is so incredibly twisted.
When everything you stand for is inflated, and incorrect. And you know it, yet you continue to perpetuate the old story. I guess you don't want to jeopardize your income and that of so many of your friends and family members.
How do you sleep at night?
Eventually it will all be exposed.
It's not a decision between right and wrong.
It's not good vs. evil.
It's simply a matter of integrity.
Painting anything as something it is not is a deliberate act of deception.
Passively allowing millions of people to believe something that you know isn't true is lying.
Even worse, encouraging those people to defend you from attackers is so incredibly twisted.
When everything you stand for is inflated, and incorrect. And you know it, yet you continue to perpetuate the old story. I guess you don't want to jeopardize your income and that of so many of your friends and family members.
How do you sleep at night?
Eventually it will all be exposed.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
10 months
Just what are they so miffed about?
That 40 million Americans with zero health insurance will now have a doctor like a normal 1st world nation?
Are they pissed that their insurance companies can't deny them coverage for a pre-existing condition anymore?
Or are they just mad because their party lost the battle?
They can't be mad at the 900 billion dollar price tag over 10 years...considering these teabaggers didn't say a peep when Bush invaded the wrong damn country and cost us twice that amount, right?
Naw, I think their guy lost last November, and they're just a bunch of sore losers.
And it obviously chaps their hide to see the graceful winners get right to work and pass, in 10 months, against substantial resistance, a piece of legislation that most Americans find themselves favoring.
I have avoided gloating for exactly one year now. That time has ended. My guy won, and he was a good choice. The American way of life will be better for the strong, bold movements and actions taken by President Obama and the 111th Congress.
That 40 million Americans with zero health insurance will now have a doctor like a normal 1st world nation?
Are they pissed that their insurance companies can't deny them coverage for a pre-existing condition anymore?
Or are they just mad because their party lost the battle?
They can't be mad at the 900 billion dollar price tag over 10 years...considering these teabaggers didn't say a peep when Bush invaded the wrong damn country and cost us twice that amount, right?
Naw, I think their guy lost last November, and they're just a bunch of sore losers.
And it obviously chaps their hide to see the graceful winners get right to work and pass, in 10 months, against substantial resistance, a piece of legislation that most Americans find themselves favoring.
I have avoided gloating for exactly one year now. That time has ended. My guy won, and he was a good choice. The American way of life will be better for the strong, bold movements and actions taken by President Obama and the 111th Congress.
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