On My Stereo X, On My Bookshelf I

Stereo:



Bookshelf:

I just finished Mordecai Richler's The Street. It was wonderful.

I recently ran across this excerpt from Richler's Joshua Then and Now:

His father, pulling another marker free of his Bible, told him about Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his only son, Isaac, to God, which apparently pleased Jehovah enormously. “Quote, for because thou hast not withheld thy son, That in blessing I will bless thee, in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, blah blah blah, unquote. Now we’ve got this covenant with God, time-honoured, and going on forever and ever. But if I had to sign on the dotted line today, I don’t know that I would. God’s always needling, testing, his wrath waxing hot. He’s a real blowhard.

Back in Egypt, for instance, when we were in Bondage, he could have got the Hebes paroled with only one plague, but no, after each one he hardened the Pharaoh’s heart so he could display his whole bag of tricks. And afterwards, once we were sprung, he never once talks to Moses that he doesn’t remind him - “I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt”. Now in your life if hard times come and you have to borrow money, never take it from anybody like that, they drive you crazy reminding you every day what they did for you. I don’t care for such types.

What's on yours?

On My Stereo IX: Dirty Songs

Here you go Dave:
My Favourite Dirty Songs,
although "favourite" isn't quite the word. Nor do they play on my stereo very often.

Sex Boy - Free Kitten
Moist Vagina - Nirvana
Puerto Rican Ghosts - MARS
and this (especially with the introduction):


And yours?

Secret of Levitation

Wes Anderson

Reflections on an 11-Minute Shot

I never thought I'd make a dance film. Except maybe as a perverted old man. Maybe then.

But now I have.

In collaboration with the filmmakers Emilie Serri and Sylvain Chaussée.

At the end of the shooting day, walking out of Sylvain's apartment, exhausted from carrying lights and cables, he asked me, "How many people in the world have made an 11-minute, one-shot film, on 16mm?"

"Yeah." And how many want to?

It went like this: Two disorganized months of planning over whiskey, beer, mushrooms, and perogies; then suddenly I'm on the 4th floor of Montreal's dance academy Agora (pictured), my body strapped into a rolling chair with camera gear hanging from my shoulders and a bolex pressed against my eye. Sylvain is pushing me around on the chair as 3 dancers circle us in 11 minutes of choreographed movement, their hands and feet occasionally inflicting minor, accidental violence on us. I'm the designated camera operator mainly because I don't get nauseous after 10 minutes of spinning. Mirrors and lights -pushed, twirled, and pulled by technicians- obscure the studio background and cast moving shadows, while Emilie hollers out instructions from her position near one of the lights.

"8 minutes left," she announces. Then five. Then two.

"Listen to that film ending," I say as the final frames slide past the shutter. We only had one chance to get it right.

And who knows; it might be a half-decent film. Or it might not. It's at Kodak, getting developed. Regardless, I felt like a film-maker in a way I never had before.

this II

I am haunted by thisPhoto by Reid Rosefelt.

and this

With every viewing I grow less impressed by this

what's with all the dissolves?

But I'll leave you with this:

On My Stereo VIII: Skip Spence

I've agreed to drum for a friend's band. He sent me a bunch of mp3s of songs he wants us to sound like. Among them, a couple songs by Skip Spence. Incredible.

Also,

The New Family.

What's on yours?

Pictures

I got these from a neighbourhood rooftop. I love Mile End.

I'm realizing that my art benefits from a struggle, like climbing. If I work casually, my work looks casual. Which is not to say I can't work joyfully.

On My Stereo VII: Sian Alice Group

Saw Sian Alice Group last night. I'm listening to them a lot lately, and the show was exceptional.

Myspace.

Exile

'Friedrichshain.' Click that link. Look at the price. That's like 700$ Canadian.

Full of poor young students from all over the European Union. Huge neighbourhoods with cheap rent and good art.

wikipedia

Leah's been mentioning Waterford, Ireland. "No one ever does anything there," she told me. "No seriously. They get paid enough so they hardly ever work, and everyone just sits around." Something like that. It sorta sounds incredible.



No one drives; everyone walks. It sounds a lot like St. John's. Or here in Mile End.

Where else?

St. John's.

Sodermalm. Someday.

With people, I don't know what to say. But I want to write down every story I'm told.

I press 'Publish Post.'