Further Up And Further In
Now Playing: The Cocteau Twins--"Persephone"
I've been to see two wide-release movies in the past year (both, curiously enough, with my brother): March of the Penguins, which was great, and Alien vs. Predator, which... wasn't. This cinematic monasticism (which only really applies to the googolplex--I still rent plenty of movies and see several small-scale indies at the Michigan and State) may see a number of exceptions in the coming month: probably King Kong (even my fervent hatred for remakes can relent sometimes, particularly when Peter Jackson's involved), definitely Syriana, and perhaps The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Even in the throes of Tolkien-worship, which, for me, peaked when I was around twelve, I always preferred C.S. Lewis' Narnia to Middle-Earth. I put this down to Lewis' superiority as a stylist and the inclusion of talking animals, and I loved the chapter illustrations by Pauline Baynes (in my late elementary and middle-school days, I always found Jill Pole of The Silver Chair disturbingly hot). The Christian allegory stuff, if I recognized it at all, went in one ear and out the other, and had very little to do with my feelings toward the books. Even as a cardcarrying agnostic, I think obsessing over the Christian symbolism's ominous import is a mistake, as seen here. Does this mean we should ban references to Michelangelo in high school art classes because he painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling? Besides, how Christian is Narnia, really? Adam Gopnik has a terrific New Yorker article on both Narnia and Lewis in general in which he makes the critically important observation that Lewis' Aslan myth isn't Christian but Mithraic. After all, the New Testament doesn't portray Jesus returning to Earth and immediately wiping the floor with his former persecutors like Clint in High Plains Drifter (1973--another possible religious allegory). I think Philip Pullman went a little overboard in some of his criticisms of Lewis (and suffered from the same didactic overreach on behalf of atheism in His Dark Materials, much of which I liked anyway), but the whole Aslan thing is definitely bizarre (and a little creepy). That said, I'll probably go see the movie anyway. Here's some more.

January 2006 is National Oatmeal Month. People, get ready.

My Inner Hoser
Now Playing: The New Pornographers--"My Slow Descent Into Alcoholism"
December is here. Whee.

"Bush apparently believes he was sent by God, but I got a feeling his origins, if they be supernatural, lie elsewhere." --Eric Alterman, 28 November 2005. I'd never thought of that, being an agnostic and all, but it's definitely something on which to gnash.

Speaking of politics, Monday night I was reminded once more of how little I really know about our eminently pleasant and well-behaved neighbor to the north. I know a little of the history, some of the literature, and some television. As for the last, how is it that Canadian comedy seems to be in such a sorry state? "The Rick Mercer Report" is moderately amusing, and "The Royal Canadian Air Farce" has a chuckle once in a blue moon (I usually catch these on the fly, so it's probably my fault), but "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" is just appalling, an unbelievable descent for the nation that gave us "Kids in the Hall."

Anyway, one of the two or three shows I watch regularly on TV is "Coronation Street," which comes on at 7:30 p.m. on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Imagine my dismay and then fascination when I tuned in Monday night and found charismatically stodgy anchorman Peter Mansbridge commenting on live coverage of the Canadian Parliament, where Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin was about to go down on a vote of no confidence (apparently the first time this has ever happened in Canadian history), organized by Conservative leader Steven Harper and abetted by New Democratic leader Jack Layton and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe. Fun stuff, surprisingly enough. I found myself unable to take my eyes away from what was going on, and if nothing else, it's all made me determined to find out more about Canada. There's more here if anyone's interested. Apparently there'll be another election in January 2006, so I'll be actually watching for that one.

I apologize if all that was too exciting.

Our Spoons Are Generally Very Clean
Now Playing: The Buzzcocks--"Everybody's Happy Nowadays"
Saturday, 26 November 2005, approx. 9:30 p.m.

"Listen, I don't have much time. The parking structure's programmed to fold inward, like a fan, as soon as the foreign dignitaries arrive for the unveiling. Nobody'll escape. Once they're out of the way, the country'll have no choice to declare war, and the Covenant's plan to plunge the world into a biochemical holocaust will come true. Honestly, Therese, once that's over with and they come out of the compound, the whole fucking planet'll look like the second half of A Boy and His Dog. I love you, but I can't let them get away with this. I've been chased around long enough, and I'm gonna get even. I know you're pissed at me, but... can I kiss you goodbye?" At her nod, I took her in my arms and RINGRINGRINGRING!!! My boss called my cellphone to iron out the details for baking on Sunday and I realized I had dozed off. If she hadn't called, I would have missed the Dabenport show at the Blind Pig. My dream, sadly, was nowhere near that detailed (I wish I remembered saying things like that in dreams, let alone actually saying them), but it definitely involved a folding parking structure, a race against time, interminable car chases through bucolic country lanes, and a couple of rather delectable former flames in seductive attire. It was like a cross between Arbor Update and "The Avengers."

I managed to stumble over with little injury. A raft of familiar faces were there, and it was exciting to see Dabenport play once more. I've previously described their sound as sort of "ambient country," but it's a little misleading. There's definitely a wall-of-sound effect going on, but they're harder rocking than my description implies. The crowd was a little small compared to some of the previous shows I'd seen recently at the Pig, but that was actually preferable in many ways--there was plenty of room to shake one's... what-have-you, and although I'd heard Matt play solo guitar and drums plenty (and not enough) over the past few months, I had actually forgotten how good these guys were.* Misty's a great vocalist, and manages to make herself heard over the drums and guitars, something of an accomplishment for this crowd. After the show, I met lead guitarist Aaron and ended up in a bear hug with Matt and Misty, which was a pleasantly surreal finish to the evening. Rogue Wave was supposed to headline, but I decided to leave before they played, as I was incredibly sleepy (as you can probably imagine), and I had a strange vibe that they wouldn't be very good. Running into Sara at the Fleetwood Sunday morning, I learned that my suspicions were correct. Maybe I should have stayed--this blog could do with a few negative music reviews. The in-betweener was Margot and the Nuclear So-and-Sos, an eclectic gang from Indianapolis and a tremendously pleasant surprise, rocking me hard with a variety of different approaches--guitar, keyboard, drums, trumpet--very well done (I think the trumpet might afford a similar baseline of cool to the accordion, but I need to collect more data). I was a little shaken as well to notice that the lead singer looked like an alarming cross between Jimmy Fallon and former Don Carlos cook Nick Cianciarulo. All good fun, or I guess it must have been, as I had a hangover the next morning. I didn't drink that much--honest.

Thanksgiving weekend was fairly pleasant, all told. I talked to my brother and my parents, and it was good to do so. More chicken and caesar salad (what can I say? I love the stuff). I watched all of "Elizabeth R" (1971) for my birthday, which was much like watching a nine-hour-long movie. I'm always a sucker for the divine Glenda, and it's hard to think of anyone else who could have played the title role with such verve. Watching the recent "Virgin Queen" on "Masterpiece Theatre," I came to the conclusion that it, the most recent cinematic treatment of Elizabethan England, drew/copied equally from the TV series and the Shekhar Kapur/Cate Blanchett Elizabeth (1997)--the plot lines seem pasted together from both the TV show and the movie, and it was amusing to compare and contrast. Great fun, especially the usually irritating Michael Williams as the Duc d'Alencon. It was also a jar to see John Shrapnel (Sussex) and Michael Culver (Drake second-in-command John Tregannon) with hair. I'm also pretty sure that John Woodvine is maybe twice the size of the actual Francis Drake. But these are obvious quibbles.

Sunday I baked an assload of cookies for seven hours at work. While doing so, I got to hear the local "Homegrown" music show on 107.1 FM, a station usually devoted to Dave Matthews and the like. Finally exposed to Porchsleeper, I thought it rather good, even if the song was a little downbeat and mournful--not what I need to hear while blowing the end of Thanksgiving weekend on making cookies for work (although no one else was there, which was nice). They played Sari Brown's "Travel With You," which was a treat to hear, and I've learned not to be interested in Brad's Dead Fish and to be interested in CityGoat.

"We can't give our customers spoons with dried cheese on them."

"You think? I thought we might push the envelope, give it a whirl."

My boss gave us the first sentence today--I nearly delivered the second two in reply. I should be used to treatment like that--the first minute, a combination of a Stakhanovite worker and prodigy, the next, a drooling, lobotomized four-year-old--but I'm not.

*Matt's response to this idiotic statement? "Next time, don't." Or something like that.

Lazaro's Sense of Snow
Now Playing: Matt Jones--"Vampires"
I turn thirty-one today, and will actually turn thirty-one today while watching Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth R (Liberty Street apparently has the whole series, and 5:49 will hopefully arrive as I'm watching her chew the scenery while knocking back a Molson). Yesterday, I stayed indoors while drinking, watching the Lions get their clocks cleaned, and starting Dumas' The Black Tulip (1850), an interesting little curio centered around the 1672 assassination of Dutch Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt. I fixed a couple of chicken breasts and put together a caesar salad, which I enjoy more than the traditional Thanksgiving spread, to be honest (although I could have done with some stuffing).

It began snowing for keeps a couple of days ago, and so it's been a lot less hard staying indoors than I thought. For someone like myself, the product of a fervently subtropical upbringing, snow used to be something exotic and cool, but now, more than often, I hate it. As I trudged home Wednesday evening, I thought it looked gorgeous, especially as it managed to muffle the hateful noise of moving cars, but coupled with wind and cold, it's a recipe for misery and a transportation hazard for everyone. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, but snow should have thought of that before... you know.

Last Saturday night I got to see the Dumb and Ugly Club at Arborvitae, along with a solo performance by bandmember Emily Bate, and a fun little set by Breathe Owl Breathe. The first was very enjoyable, with some decidedly offbeat melodies; I've been seeing so many different acoustic jobs over the past few months that I should probably be a little more specific about how they all differ from each other. Next time, perhaps. Breathe Owl Breathe, which included occasional Sari Brown collaborator Andrea Moreno Beals on cello, gave us a disarmingly happy collection of tunes that could have been all neo-hippie crap, but which transcended my prejudices and got me to tapping my toes, as these things will. The headliner I can really only describe as "space-folk." They had Matt Jones, Chris Bathgate and Jansen Swy backing them on drums, guitar, and keyboard, but the melodies were all their own--there were two particularly magnificent numbers delivered towards the end, and I wish I'd posted about it sooner, since my memory might have been more up to the task. I spent much of the evening watching from the upper loft, almost like sitting in an indoor ampitheatre. The big screen was down, with video projections of various 1950s and 1960s space-age diagrams and/or propaganda photos, which fit well with the general tone of the evening. It's fun to have something to do every weekend, I realize.

A moment of silence, please, for the British Horror Films board, which has gone down and which may not be up again (if it returns, then this surely won't do any harm anyway). I joined about two years ago, if I remember, after reading some truly funny reviews of old Brit horror movies like The Wicker Man (1973) and Craze (1974)--to give the two poles of quality. Tentatively posting on the forum, I found a great many terrific people there who were never too attached to their opinions to be rude about them (well, not that rude, anyway), something I've heard is all too rare on internet message boards. Webmaster Chris and everyone else involved, you have my heartfelt thanks for so many wonderful conversations and discussions over the months, and I hope we don't go too long without another venue to chat. I wish you all the best, guys.

Phantom Turkeys
Now Playing: Georges Bizet--"Les Dragons de Alcala" from Carmen
I've been veering dangerously close to being a jackass at work and it has to stop. I love my work but the "job" really sucks at times--I wish they could both be equally enjoyable (in a good way).

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

On the Disposal of Great Empires
Now Playing: Muszikas--"I Have Come From Gyula"
From "Fugitives," by Laura Secor, in the Nov. 21 issue of The New Yorker:

"I asked Belashabadi what he thought should be done about the satellite channels on which Iranians watch illicit fare such as music videos, Western movies, and political commentary from Iranian exlies abroad. 'The majority of the population is young,' he said. 'Young people by nature are horny. Because they are horny, they like to watch satellite channels where there are films or programs they can jerk off to.' The regime could filter the channels, he suggested, or it could try to educate the people to tune in to more wholesome programming. He concluded, 'We have to do something about satellite television to keep society free from this horny jerk-off situation.'

"My translator implored me, in a jaw-clenched monotone, 'Please do not laugh right now. This is a very sensitive moment.'"

The article's only available in print, but there's also an interview here.

The Mystical Dream City of... Buford Pusser???
Now Playing: Hooverphonic--"Out of Sight"
The "dream city" arose once more, in markedly different circumstances than before. I recently read Jan Morris' 1984 Last Letters From Hav, her own journalistic account of a city very much like mine, with an ambience at once both Eastern European and Mediterranean, and an out-of-time, out-of-place atmosphere. Of course, Morris' city, again like mine, never existed--she wrote the book as a personal exercise in imaginary travel writing, a series of articles for Esquire. During her time in "Hav," Morris talked to local citizens and drank in the local culture with her own indomitable elan. How did I spend my time in "whatever the fuck it's called?" Well, I started my visit locked in the fortified villa of a notoriously insane local countess and her prolific, "by the claw divided" would-be progeny of cats and dogs. I was nuzzled quite ferociously. I must have pissed someone off, because the next thing I knew, I was bound to a lock in the local dam system (don't ask, because I don't know why there was a dam system), and the thing was filling with water. I must have fainted from terror or having to pee, and woke up in a local sanitarium, waiting to see one of the doctors. I was shocked to find that one of my fellow patients was none other than Joe Don Baker. I wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed his performances in Charley Varrick (1973) and Edge of Darkness (1985), but then grew fearful that one of the others would tell him (accurately) of how hard I laughed during the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode of "Mitchell" (during which poor Joe Don was mercilessly skewered--apparently much to his displeasure), and ran away. I think I woke up afterward, and it was probably for the best.

Sunday night I waddled over to the UMMA to hear Frank Pahl and "The Little Bang Theory," a show inspired by the principles of improvisational music and featuring a wondrous array of toy-band instruments. I won't even try to describe what was present, although I recognized the kazoo and keyboard. The art museum didn't seem to me the likeliest place for such a show, but it seemed alright as soon as I saw the atrium packed with people in chairs, with more above lining the second floor gallery in front of the ancient Hindu statuary. I sat near the back, eventually drifting up along the sidelines. The show was sponsored by WCBN along with the museum, and the whole crowd, in sum, definitely seemed a little more well-heeled than my usual fellow audience members. Nick Schillace came first with some elegant, quasi-classical guitar work; he'd played the New West Fest at the Madison, and I couldn't remember if I'd actually heard him or not, but he was pretty good. The Little Bang Theory gave us "Toy Suites" and something called "The Magnificent Seven Samurai". The latter was a medley of the theme music from The Magnificent Seven (1960) and The Seven Samurai (1954), with "Cheyenne's Theme" from Morricone's score for Once Upon A Time In The West (1969) tacked on at the end. I know it was supposed to be all quirky and whimsical, but I found my leg shaking and my foot tapping in a deadly serious manner. Wondering if a mood was coming on, and having to work early in the morning, I left after that, the tinkling of God-knew-what still ringing in my ears.

Pot-Bellied Pigs and Levitating Cigarettes
Now Playing: The Jam--"That's Entertainment"
I've had trouble writing fiction for a few weeks, trouble I hope doesn't become permanent. I wonder if it's due to the blog, or maybe if I've reached some saturation point with my obsessive reading. I can't really calm down intellectually--if I'm not reading or writing something, or not talking to someone or looking at artwork or listening to music or cooking or watching some (preferably obscure) movie, I get really antsy and morose at the same time. Maybe there need to be more silences, on my own or spent in the company of others. Maybe it's not something about which to worry.

"We feel so close to you--all eight of you."

Saturday night found me at Natural Canvas Studios on North Main Street, a popular venue for local acts to which I'd never been. From what I can tell, it's an all-purpose community arts space, specializing in music, visual and body art. I arrived excruciatingly early--the time was right but two of the bands had cancelled, so I spent a great deal of time simply milling about the place. It was a simple old house with a strong "rooming" feel, full of paintings and miniatures, metal jewelry, and electronic gadgetry. Natural Canvas is deceptively small from the outside, but takes in the adjoining house as well--it's hard to figure out where one ends and the other begins, not that it really mattered.

First, I met Ian, alias "MC Trashpedal", who had earlier contacted me over myspace, one of the reasons that intrigued me enough to check out this particular show. Half of the electronic group Drafted By Minotaurs, he performed with his bassoonist chum as Pedal Ophelia (I thought it was cute), followed by Seahorse Napkin Force. The latter's title alone had long excited my curiosity, and it was fun to finally see them play. Pedal Ophelia was unexpectedly fascinating to watch. Electronic music runs hot and cold with me. Much of it is enjoyable, but sometimes it can be too "samey". I found myself wondering whether I'd have to clear the palate with some Doug Sahm when I got home. Fortunately, this turned out not to be the case. Their music reminded me alternately of the Gyorgy Ligeti stuff from the stargate scene in 2001, and of the musical communication with the aliens at the end of Close Encounters. It was great fun, believe it or not, and I don't think I was able to avert my gaze for more than a few seconds at a time, so fascinated was I by all the knob-fiddling and thingy-working.

Seahorse Napkin Force followed with some old-fashioned, straight-up guitar-based indie rock, something I actually hadn't heard in a long time. Most of the live music I've recently heard has been really avant-garde, heavily folk- or country-influenced, neo-garage, or the kind of retro magic worked by Saturday Looks Good To Me. These guys were simply a little bit punk, a little bit rock and roll, and that worked for me and everyone else. The last two songs were particularly fine, with some excellent guitar and drum work, respectively. It got pleasantly weirder since the Natural Canvas guy was busy projecting the 1971 erotic vampire classic Daughters of Darkness on the wall behind the band (and I still need to see it properly). It's a lot more fun listening to live music when you're also watching a larger-than-life Delphine Seyrig diabolically knitting an innocent couple into a world of carnal terror.

The show was one of the most enjoyably low-key I've seen in Ann Arbor, possibly anywhere. It probably helped that there were all of eight or nine people in the audience. Brian from Black Elk was there, as was Tim, veteran of a few Madison and Arborvitae shows. Andrew showed up with some friends for about a minute, but then decided to split. We were also treated to an impromptu birthday celebration (the guy's cake said "FUCKER!"), the appearance of an adorable pot-bellied pig, the first I'd ever seen in real life (the pet of a woman who lived next door), and someone levitating a cigarette (I would have asked how, but the world's seen enough magic laid waste, yes?).

I left after Seahorse, content with what I'd seen and strangely rested. Here's hoping I feel the same way in another couple of days.

Concussions, Cuts, They Came And Went
Now Playing: Super Furry Animals--"Y Gwyneb Iau"
Yesterday afternoon saw some of the nicest weather I've seen in Ann Arbor for a while--cold but not too cold, cloudy but not too cloudy. My malady, whatever it is, seems to recede by the day. There was a balefulness to my walk home, though, that made me wonder about the future. Some jackass driving one of the Michigan campus buses nearly ran me over at South University and Washtenaw, soon after a lump of flannelled hippie offal accosted me on Liberty, asking me something belligerently unintelligible. He yelled some more shit after me, but I didn't stop to hear.

Tuesday saw elections held all across southeast Michigan. The big one, of course, was the Detroit mayoral contest between Freman Hendrix and incumbent Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroit, by my own account and others', is a much more interesting and enjoyable city than many people credit, but it could be a lot better, and it was nice to think that the metro area in general would be in more responsible hands than Kilpatrick's. Sadly, that didn't turn out to be the case--Kilpatrick won with 53%, last I checked.

Closer to home, we had city council elections in Ann Arbor. I haven't written a great deal about local politics, mainly because it's done so much better here, here, here, here, and here. For those unfamiliar with the local situation, Ann Arbor politics hinge on the rich ruling the poor. Mind you, this situation essentially prevails throughout the world, but in a country like the United States, and especially in a city with Ann Arbor's ostensibly liberal reputation, it's intolerable. How does the old tale play out here? Middle- and upper-class homeowners (in general) attempt to limit development (and usually succeed) in the seemingly progressive interests of environmental responsibility and historical preservation. Unfortunately, they do this at the expense of lower-income residents, primarily students and renters, through insisting on nonsensical, purely superficial "improvements" such as a "greenway" running through the city center, and preventing building downtown above a ridiculously low set height, which limits density, thereby raising grocery and retail prioces, as well as commercial and domestic rents. I voted for Democrat Stephen Rapundalo in the 2nd Ward, as he's gone more often on record in supporting lower-income interests. That's all I really have to go on, but it'll do for now, I suppose. He won with 52%. Dale Winling ran as a write-in for the 5th Ward on an outstanding platform, and I wish I could have voted for him.

Why do I go on about all this stuff? I take voting very seriously; like an hourly wage and overtime, it's something directly related to my welfare and society's that was bought with the lives of fellow Americans. Of course, one can make the choice not to care at all, but that's a choice I've never made and hopefully never will.

I will take the GRE on December 15 at 3:00 p.m. Since the statute of limitations ran out on my first test four years ago, I've been constantly talking about retaking the thing, and actually making the commitment feels like overcoming an obstacle in itself.

I also finished Uncle Silas, but I can't talk about it until December, only to say that it was much, much better the second time around.

The Simplest Song For A Corpse To Sing
Now Playing: The Sir Douglas Quintet--"Catch the Man on the Rise"
There's nothing that's made me look forward to death so much as going to work sick.

The days are actually starting to look like autumn--leaves visibly turning and everything.

I've started reading Sheridan Le Fanu's Uncle Silas (1864) again for an ad hoc internet "book club." Without giving anything away for any readers, Madame de la Rougiere is one of the coolest characters in British literature, certainly the "Gothic" variety.

I got a packet from the University of South Florida library school in the mail--a friend of my dad's says it's supposed to be really good, so that's a definite possibility. I'll be scheduling my GRE this weekend, something I should have scrimped for a long time ago.

Last night, against my better judgment (because I was still somewhat ill, you see), I went to a show at the "Half-Ass," a student "music hall", featuring Chris Bathgate and Matt Jones. It was pretty close to home, so I didn't have to make much of an effort. There's not much I can really say--it was awesome, but I didn't feel well enough to stick around for Fred Thomas' set. Nice and intimate, with most people sitting on the floor. I re-met (meeting someone after a long time without remembering for absolutely certain who they were) Erin, a urban planning classmate of Brandon's (who was wearing a stunning outfit on which I forgot to compliment her and which briefly made me wish I was female so I could bring off something like that), and Matt concurs that I look vaguely like Lincoln assassination conspirator David Herold. I drank much grape juice.

I have a new housemate, a guy named Alex. We hardly see each other. He rises at about four-thirty in the morning and goes straight to his room after returning, usually around seven in the evening. I don't know what he does or what his deal is, mainly because he knows one word and one phrase in English--"Hello" and "I speak no English." I know five words or phrases in Russian, but they're not going to be much use, especially since one of them isn't "I speak no Russian."* It'll be interesting to see how this vaguely sitcommy situation pans out.

If you're approached by a guy who looks like Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots, walk away.

*I actually know about twenty others, including (but not limited to) zemstvo, apparatchik, oprichnina, starets, soyuz, and vremya, but I strongly suspect they won't be of much use.