The grey saturdday is more Dylancholia: Jason Yarmosky's take on Orpheus as Dylan. I have always been fascinated by the Orpheus myth, simply because it's probably the first tale of a rock-n-roll romance with the complete existential ending that only the greeks could think up: it doesn't always work out, no matter how hard you try. I love this series that Yarmosky does - incorporating Warsaw Jewish ghetto's with a smoky, lost quality. The idea that you can't escape history and in the end, you're like smoke. Relatedly - I am also digging this video here from Department of Eagles' music video "No One Does It Like You" as part of the MOMA's ongoing PopRally series:
Sad, sad Tomorrow is the last issue of the P.I. I can't tell if this is one of those moments when something in America truly dies, or if it just means the end of dominance of a media form. I'm sure this is like theater, or the novel - something that will persist, but probably has to move beyond the cuniform written in stone and in animal blood. Again, I opt for the online presence. Maybe the model of pulp and ink is like theater - meant for a small, select few willing to pay top price for admission/copies. Sigh. Oh well, in brighter news, I guess it's a good thing i never pursued j-school.
So - the video of Jamie and I at Saturday's protest march made Towleroad, which is kinda funny b/c I hadn't really intended to have it broadcast on the national blogosphere... And had I known, I certainly would have made an attempt to edit it better. (However, I love that another protest-goer comments: That is the worst footage ever. It makes it seem like a big jumbled mess instead of the well organized and powerful statement that it actually was.. Yeah, uhh - how about a big cup of STFU? There's more to this march than my crappy video obviously, and the fact you probably wanted some sweeping epic makes me wonder which march you attended? But - not to dwell... The march was good, not great. It probably could have used 200 more people to be honest and the video actually makes it look like there were more people than actually were there. Also - while I was happy to be part of this protest, I think the audience (Capitol Hill) is in agreement - Homophobia has no place. It's the hidden bigots and barbarians at the gate (read - people from out of town, other places) that have a problem with gays.
In any case - the video is here for any who are interested.
PS - yes, the jar-lamps are very easy to make and you bang 'em out in under 1/2 hour. Just need medium squarish mason-jars, coat hangers, a good pair a pliers (that can also cut wire)...
Did a refresh to see what Ryan Trecartin was up to of late (*mostly b/c there's no facebook fan page for him), and saw this article. Looks like he's leaked to NYT. Thought it was a good profile - but again, they approach it with high-brow theory, something that is not as organic as his overall work. I met him at Fruitfarm this past summer, but sitting across from him at dinner - was too bashful to admit I was a huge fan. Besides, the questions i would have asked, NYT did and unsuccessfully. Like all good artists - you really don't know what journey you're own - you just know it while you work on it. So - all i'm gonna do is hopefully add another google hit to build a much deserved web presence (afterall, that's the landscape where it lives online)... In the meantime - enjoy AFFE in it's entirety on Ubuweb.
Another casualty, another dollar (less) - media is going down the tubes, hard and fast. It's hard to imagine because in former recessions, we used to lay around all day and read newspapers and magazines about things we could never afford and profiles of people we could never be. Now, however, with digital goods and services, we've instant news and gratification (TMZ) and less spin and more critical thinking... Forward thinkers argue that NYT should invest heavily in Kindle-readership, and abandon print for good (*and supply math to justify it). This to me is awesome, but it's also a utopian kind of dream that doesn't take into account the huge infrastructure to pull off. Still - when you look at the whole waste issue, it does seem inevitable that they'll have to go to this model sooner or later. However - one argument in all of this that isn't surfaced is how much sales space has taken over media in the last 20 years and it's deafening impact on true content. I've seen actual "bias" in the media - and it's not conservative or liberal, it's "revenue". We've sold out actual information space to people who need to sell you cruise-ship packages, sectional-sofa sets and anxiety medication. Some rags are worse than others (the 'free magazines' I manage to get are circling the drain and getting thinner and thinner, ads getting larger and larger). If and when NYT goes this route - they'll have to switch to a pay-per article and probably abandon revenue-based advertising. Just my 02.
I stumbled on a rather interesting youtube site where one of them steampunkers constructs moog-like electronica with a 1900's flair. Some of the controls are awesome and have a sci-fi look to them (they wouldn't be out of place in any of the retro or newer Doctor Who episodes).
Generally, I kinda lumped them in w/either the Goth's or the Burning Man crowd. I tended to be wary of people who engage in what i term as "unnecessary romanticism" (where the mere act of mining a narrative that's not clearly yours takes precedence over the present reality). However, I think maybe with looking for alternative energies and simplifying, going back to "steam" might be the most punk rock thing ever...
I was in a training class yesterday when the instructor (who is European) made a remark that American's have bigger houses and spaces (than elsewhere in the world), and in those spaces they have garages and it's more common than usual to have their car parked outside of those spaces, hiding the years of hoarding that have rendered their garages large filing cabinets of waste and memories. I suddenly realized my own spare bedroom serves this purpose, and that I hoard a ton of useless half-started projects and attempts that are going into landfill at some point. Usually when I dwell on the crap I've accumulated, I have a shudder and think of a few deceased shut-in relatives who collected newspapers and tin cans. However, rather than feel like the dirty, trapped-under-my-own-weight Grey Gardens-like horror (that my life could become) - I started to think objectively and take stock: Single, Childless, No pets, No major intent to remodel. Hmm - even though it's a crappy time, maybe I should sell? I've often thought about it - and I've entertained the idea that renting during these troubling times gives one some flexibility in terms of moving, living, etc. I am not necessarily committed one way or another, but a relief kinda came my way with all my recent mortgage anxiety (yes, the rates are going up - sigh)... Where am I going with this? Oh yeah - paring down. Simplifying. Getting the fuck out of my particle-board 'faux-yuppie' spray-on life and having some forward (not upward) mobility...
