Goodbye

This blog will no longer be updated. It has been fun.

Playlist 7/1/5 - Happy Birthday America (see New Yorker Cover)

Aviator on the screen here, his wife leaving him. Ms Hepburn. He is a little hurt. Yeah, right. Twist the knife, begin the downward slide. On to the playlist!
Ms Kittin: Professional Distortion (remix) A terrific opener...
Prince: "My Name is Prince" first album by the Artist formerly known as..
Curtis Mayfield: "Pusherman" from the funkiest soundtrack ever.
Treat Her Right: "I Think She Likes Me" Mark Sandman's first band.
X Lover: "Strip Down" another cool track...
Patti Smith: "When Doves Cry" if Sinead can...Patti can too.
Queen Adreena: "Hotel Aftershow" why can't I find this CD for under 20.00?!!!
Hed Kandi: "Sunshine of Your Love" classic Cream cover.
Brigitte Bijoux: "Desintoxication" no idea how to make the accent agu in html..
Harris: "Path of the Blazing Sarong"
Robbie and Negro: "We Got the Fu_k" from the best Jazz album of 2004.
Sophie Rimheden: "Flow" (Hasslehim) finally got the damn CD. Thanks David from PBE.
Cat Stevens: "Peace Train" we don't even know where the station is anymore.
Nacho: "Aquatic Form" this CD was a thoughtful chrsitmas gift from years ago..
Kobol: "Terror Pig"
M.I.A.: "Sunshowers" (Diplo Mix) another CD impossible to find.
M.I.A.: "China Girl" (Diplo Mix)
Queen Adreena: "Sleeping Pill" the calm before the storm!
INTERMISSION
Nacho: "Dreaming I"
Apendics Shuffle: "Infected Drink Funk" a truly cool glitch adventure.
Martina Topley Bird: "Anything" singer from Tricky's band makes good.
Bola: "Effaninor" I don't get this band, but it is great electronica.
Tom Waits: "Time"
Raw: "Morning Song"
Martina Topley Bird: "I Still Feel"
Tom Waits: "Gun Street Girl" ..was the cause of it all...
Sophie Rimheden: "Pavik Panik Mix"
Sussan Deyhim: "Bade Saba" Bill Laswell remix version.
Sussan Deyhim: Navai (Savage Bird)
Jaqueline Taieb: "7 Heures" I hope I'm getting extra credit for these foreign language tracks!
Police: "One World (not three)" best track from the Police. Well, except maybe.."Hungry for You".
Public Image LTD: "Bad Life" a fine band from "back in the day".
Numan: "Crazier" gotta have Numan in the mix :)
The Isley Brothers: "It's Your Thing" no. it's my thing.
I hope you enjoyed the show.

Prepping 4 Serenity

"Serenity" is the name of the ship...
"Firefly" is the now cancelled series...
"Joss Whedon" is the writer/director..
And I am watching the series today back to back on my 9 hour marathon shift this holiday weekend. I suppose my mental state may be important to judgement, so here it is: vaguely irritated, melancholic, excited and looking forward to tonight's festivities.
Looking at the Serenity website I am pleased to see that the cast from the TV show made it to the big screen, including Ron Glass. Yes, from Barney Miller. That was good TV!
Just finished the pilot, 2 hours. Throw us in, get bearings from the edges. Nice, thoughtful. Guns, horses, spaceships in a world gone mad. World is too small. Galaxy..more apropos. Never mind the mysterious telepathic stowaway/sister/hottie/savant. She is for the big story arc of course. I of course have no idea why this cool show failed..oh wait, I just heard it, "God ain't welcome on this ship.."
Adam Baldwin plays a muscled bonehead named Jane, and of course there is a "Companion" on board so we get malecentric feminism about the world's oldest profession. The aforementioned Ron Glass plays a Preacher. I know, I know "..ain't we seen this thing before?"
Special effects are subtle, I like that. Some truly cool in atmosphere spaceship stuff, with some thought as to how it might actually look. Politics are interesting, a lot less the the last week in the news stuff that has been "infecting" the current movie crop.
I'm ok with politics, they certainly affect us every damn day, but most "media" treatments are kneejerk, and extend understanding little. The other problem with current events in movies/tv is longrevity. Out of daily context nothing dates a movie faster than a calendar shot than "presentday" poorly represented.
Ok, I'm 4-5 episodes into the very short series and I'm hooked. Dammit.

Playlist 6/17/5 12 Inches of Pleasure

12" as in vinyl!Yep, record night in the KAOS studio...
Umm...I've said this before: records are heavy. Records have nice covers. Records are a PITA when you are holding a mic. To that end I switched back and forth from the archive between discs, as we have only 1 turntable. A few gems in this show, enjoy what I can piece together from memory, as the list of what I played is right there, on the mixing desk at the studio where I left it!
Ella Fitzgerald: Too Darn Hot she mentions Kinsey in this song
Ella Fitzgerald: Mac the Knife the version where she forgets the words
Michael Jackson: Scream Remix yep, celebrity has been dogging him for a long time..
Shriekback: My Spine is the Bassline
Shantel: Move Your Hands -- the only 10inch!
Cat Power: Satisfaction the best version of this ROlling Stones classic.
Tim Curry: Sweet Transvestite by request
Thomas Dolby: One of Our Submarines Remix a terrific remix by Akufen.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer: Knife Edge some organ music to celebrate my new
Lounge Lizards: Conquest of Rar the only full on jazz cut of the night.
GoldenPalominos: I'm Not Sorry (note the Anton Fier connection)
Ventures: Tequila classic stuff from Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
Eardrum Last Light Remixes: Low Order
Mikkel Metal: Lowfour RMX
Eurythmics: I Love To..(listen to Beethoven)
Schorf: Asyt
Bob Dylan: Subterranean Homesick Blues
Thomas Brinkmann: It Never Was You probably my favorite of the night.
Apparat Duplex Remixes: Schallstrom
Aural Exciters: Emile Nightrate I miss poppers...
Massive Attack: Special Cases Akufen Remix

movies@work(tm) the Village

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
What is it about those Howards? Both Bryce and her father Ron have a knack for squeezing the heart until tears flow. I remember my mother kidding with my father and brother during "Apollo 13" when she saw them getting emotional. Thank goodness there was no one in the store when Ivy was pulled off of Lucius' body.
M. Night took a lot of undeserved heat for this film. Apparently viewers felt betrayed by marketing...Well, get over it. Like every other M. Night movie so far this is an offbeat film uncovering interesting truths in apparently fantastic stories. There is a point in this film when William Hurt makes the "speech" before the viewer has context--that nails his story.
That speech is unlike the James Wood speech in "Salvador" that nearly derails that superb film.
"the Village" has a terrific cast, including the aforementioned William Hurt, Adrien Brody, and Joaquin Phoenix. Camera work is, as usual for Shyamalan, all about angles and color tied closely to the score. His camera is nearly retro..no hecticam, no in your face saturations or other foibles of the post modern film world. Let the story tell the story apparently...what a novel concept. Here I was thinking Walker Woods was a jerk sauce!

Batman Begins (again)

Midnight Opening, sparsely attended. Such is the legacy the last couple Batman "epics" has left..This movie will revive the franchise, if the various gods that hold sway over our fickle culture let this gem slip through...
Christian Bale, fresh off of "the Machinist", used this opportunity to put the weight back on in the correct places. His is a fierce Batman. Michael Caine plays the "younger" Alfred, Morgan Freeman and Rutger Hauer both make appearances. The Scarecrow is played by the guy from "28 Days Later", Cilian Murphy. Disregard the still photos of the Scarecrow costume you may have seen, like "Sin City" the stills do not do it justice.
As you know I will reveal nothing of the plot, so let's take a sidetrack down memory lane looking at some of the other comic to big screen movies:
Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin
Blade, Blade 2, Blade Trinity
Blueberry (Renegade)
Catwoman
Constantine
the Crow, City of Angels
Daredevil
Deathlok (coming soon)My favorite comic as a "yute"
Elektra
Fantastic Four (coming soon)
Flash Gordon
Ghost Rider (coming soon)
Hellboy
Hulk
Judge Dredd
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Luke Cage (coming soon)
Mirrormask (coming soon) This looks really interesting.
Phantom
Punisher (Dolph Lundgren)
Punisher (Tom Jane)
Spawn
Spiderman, Spiderman 2
Superman, Superman 2,3,4 and coming soon 5
Ultraviolet
V for Vendetta
Van Helsing
X-men, X Men 1.5, X2 United

movies@work(tm) Zero Day

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
Zero Day is the "Blair Witch Project" about Columbine. It is director/writer/producer Ben Coccio's first feature length film. It is the preparation for the assault on the high school through the eyes of the two perps...
I am looking forward to Gus Van Sant's Elephant, but man, this was terrific. Track it down and watch it! The kids are utterly believable as disaffected youths. No mention of Doom or the other mediated "causes" of their isolation and homicidal tendencies, which is refreshing.

Playlist 6/10/5 Funk 101 + Guest

Well, listening to this over and over has allowed me to draw the conclusion that my title for the show is a misnomer. 101 implies either basic or the room of your worst fear..this mix is neither...
The intent was to go back a ways and show some of the paths funk has taken, and its crosspollination across genres..in 80 minutes. What was I thinking? Anyway, here is the list for your researching pleasure..
Staple Singers- I'll Take You There a nice beginning...
Betty Davis- They Say I'm Different a truly Nasty Girl.
Skruvmejsel- Spacebaselap an internet release...
the Isley Brothers- It's Your Thing
T. Raumschmiere- the Great Rock n' Roll Swindle
En Vogue- Free Your Mind
Tina Turner- Whole Lotta Love
Hashim- Rocking the Planet
Wild Cherry- Play that Funky Music
the Funky Filter- the Porn King
Desmond Dekker- the Iraelite
Prince- Musicology
Optimo- Night
Reuben Bell- Leave My Kitten Alone
Dusty Springfield- Son of a Preacher Man
Mark Ribot- Mon Petit Punk
the Ohio Players- Fire
Tina Turner- Come Together
Soul Coughing- Super Bon Bon (desperado remix)Soul Coughing is gone...new band coming!
Moby- Make Love Fuck WarMoby gets the freshest samples...
Jay-Z- 99 Problems Rick Rubin adds his magic...
END PART 1
Jay-Z 99 Problems (remixed)
No track listing for the second half of the show.

Stormy Weather(tm) 

Kim's Mondo Video

the picture of in-store performance was grabbed from here.
This link grabbed from Boing-Boing.
In case you didn't click the link: FBI raided this ultra-hip, independent video/music emporium and made arrests and seizures and so forth. So click the link then come back, okay? This is one of my stops every time I go to NYC. My experience: a clerk on the music side knew about the electronica I was trying to find and was very helpful. No sneer like Boston clerks sometimes give when synthesizers are mentioned.
The video side was eclectic, with tons of titles I had never heard of, all displayed for browsing and recognition. I hope they recover from the raid...and that this case brings some light to the chokehold major distributors have on what we can watch and purchase.

Mr and Mrs Smith

Elegant Distraction in an assimilated Hollywood suburban tale..
You know who it stars. The trailer tells the story. What is left? Gleaning enjoyment in the sly asides, the camera angles, the visual shorthand. Sure, the costumes, the tweaked bodysculpting, the spy homage(s) and snappy soundtrack. Maybe these delightful parts will add up for you.
maybe I shouldn't feel insulted, maybe most of America will swallow this middle class representation like a darker Sopranos set. I don't care, I was too busy watching Brad Pitt wrestle with prime rib. "Action Comedy". We can talk about that after you see it.

Lords of Dogtown

Starring: John Robinson, Emile Hirsch, and Victor Rasuk. Rebecca de Mornay shines as a washed out surfer mom..
Also starring the perfect soundtrack snapshot of an era that will never be repeated. This movie was written by the Stacy Peralta, one of the skaters. It was directed by Catherine Hardwicke who directed the terrific "Thirteen". It is shocking to me the tunnelvision I have had over these last 30 years of my own life.
I wasn't allowed to have a skateboard, and that is where that ended.
Ray Charles was just some old blind singer...not the complex genius I met in the "fiction" "Ray".
"Lords of Dogtown" is a similar fiction, this one about the friendship of several skaters over the hyperbolic arc of their early lives.
Media, money, music, mentors, marketing, stir. Extract connections and meaning, reserve pulp. Pleasant and shocking the threads of light and contemplation that this movie gave me. I hope that the documentary proves as fruitful!

movies@work(tm) To Die For

Gus Van Sant. Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon. Joaquin Phoenix. Assembled together to make a quietly outrageous black comedy. "To Die For"may have been a trifle risque for in-store viewing, but my backup excuse was the Golden Globe Kidman got for best actress. I have been on a Kidman bender since "the Interpreter" and went back to this movie with delight. This film is a painless dollar rental, with fairly high re-viewing appeal. Tons of in the margin stuff that come out on second viewing, as the first go round has temporal jump cuts. Many of the reviews of this film talk about the movie's lack of teeth. Little did they know the wasteland of acute popular culture criticism the paranoid '00s would become.

movies@work(tm) the Machinist

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
Starring the new Batman as "Trent Reznick" and Jennifer Jason Leigh as the "hooker with a heart of gold". Colonel Kurtz channeled by John Sharian. I ended up starting, restarting, backing up over and over. Damn customers. Oh wait. They are the reason I'm there. Hmm. Anyway, dark film we've seen before--but what haven't we? More a spectacular display of an actor's committment than the haunting psycho-drama it wanted to be, the film nevertheless demands viewing. The other bleak film that comes to mind is "Requiem for a Dream", though that film exceeded this one in many ways. Tone and camera reminded me of Cronenberg...right down to the viscera fascination. A better than average ride in the Funhouse called life..

Playlist 6/3/5 <-- 2 prime numbers!

Friday night's show was the next attempt to get vocal levels consistent and correct. Apparently a failure! Mic calibration before I start next week...
Norma Fraser: First Cut is the Deepest A terrific Cat Stevens cover.
Oasis: Force of Nature I heard this first on the soundtrack to "Love, Honour and Obey".
Chicks on Speed: Warm Leatherette first of 2 versions tonight, neither the original!
Pavan: Panik Mix I cannot wait for this CD to arrive...
Le Tigre: Well, Well, Well No relation to the Well, Well, Well of last week.
Billy Murray: Down in the U-17 Das Boot she was not!
Primitive Radio Gods: Standing Outside of a Broken Phonebooth the seque between U-17 and this was audibly perfect.
Rogue Traders vs INXS: One of My Kind
Diplo MIA: China Girl
the Crystal Method: You Know It
Louis XIV: Paper Doll
Superpitcher: I Walk (Schaffel Mix)
Timo Maas: To Get Down
Prince: Head (remix)
Folie: Flow (Hasslehim)
Suba: Felicidade (Buscemi Remix)
Cameo: Word Up (remix)
the Moaners: Elizabeth Cotten's Song
END PART ONE:
Razorlight: In the City
Queen Adreena: Pretty Like Drugs
Chemical Brothers: Loops of Fury
Andy Hunter: Go
Grace Jones: Walking in the Rain
Queen Adreena: Are the Songs My Disease?
DJ Rupture: Taqsim Distorsionada
Mofro: Gal Youngin
Courtney Love: Life Despite God
Bill Frisell: 1968
Iron and Wine: Red Dust
Grace Jones: Warm Leatherette
the Libertines: Vertigo
Betty Boo: Doin' the DO If this doesn't make you smile, nothing will.
Gary Numan: Pure
Betty Davis: Funk Next week's show will be all funk, all the time, stay tuned!
the Bad Boys: Black Olives Thank you internet!
Betty Davis: Nasty Gal
A Girl Called Eddy: Golden I'll be buying this one!
Julia Ruin: I Wanna Know What Love Is this song is a beautiful mess to end the set with!
The astute reader with way too much time on their hands will recognize that the second half far exceeds the 80 minute limit.

movies@work(tm) 21 Grams

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
This movie is too heavy for watching at work. 21 grams my butt.
Stars: Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Naomi Watts. The fourth star is the director, Alejandro Inarritu--who's name does not appear on the front cover, btw. What is on the cover is Focus Features, which is the "independent" side of Universal Pictures. They are releasing (hopefully) "the Constant Gardner" later this summer.
This film has arbitrary temporal linearity. Which is to say, it does not have different versions/parallel universes or little date time stamps in the corner. I believe they strung the movie together from a coherent script and then used the shooting schedule as display order. The time slips keep one off balance, and provide a framework for the disconnection the leads feel. Redemption, loss and spirituality are all addressed in this quiet(except for the cool feedback drones), powerful film.

movies@work(tm) Dummy

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
Dummy stars Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, and Vera Farmiga. Here is my favorite Klezmer band. Here is my favorite Milla movie. She makes some interesting role choices. So does Adrien Brody, who really shines in this small picture. Similar in scope/budget/feel to "Garden State" without the inertial drag of a disconnected main. A clever, small enjoyable film with a nuanced performance by Brody. Oh yeah, he did all his own ventriloquism.

MudJackin' 

movies@work(tm) House of Flying Daggers

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
I could watch this movie a dozen times. Oh wait, I have. Asian superstars Zhang Ziyi, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro bring heart and commitment to the dazzling martial arts opera. Wire, CGI and physical committment to the role(s) raise this epic to levels rarely attained in American films. Their are great exceptions to this of course, Bale, Deniro, and Theron come to mind as actors willing to attack roles beyond pure thespianism and costumes. Enough about training. This DVD does not play on the company DVD player. We had to bring in a second player just to watch it. Now that is user friendly. "Ray" suffers a similar fate at the design/pressing stage. I have already mentioned the "oops" in the "Ghost In the Shell: Innocence" DVD.
Profit uber alles, apparently. First to market and all that.
See this film. A terrific love story entwined with a stunning action film and costumes nearly as cool as "Brotherhood of the Wolf".

Abstracted Shapes in a Steel Garden 

What?!!! 

Biker, Concrete, Police 

Happy Birthday

Steve, Steve, Doug, Ross and I celebrate in 4 states a spring birth way too long ago. One Steve, his family and I celebrated this weekend. This cutaway view is from his son's plate.
Here's the Menu
Filet Mignon in Red Wine reduction
Asparagus Risotto
Grilled Vegetables
Sauteed Portabella
Cham Torte (not pictured)
"delicious"

Playlist 5/27/5 Baile Funk Crossover Mix

Let it be known that the Valis Cafe is not about dance music. It is not about trends, or fashion- umm, whatever. It is what I'm listening to, groomed to please the listener rather than abuse. DJ Biddy Thomas claims they have a name for my non-beat, non-style matched mixing: "crossover".
I don't know.
last time I heard "crossover" applied to anything but loudspeakers it was used to describe Los Lobos redoing La Bamba.
Much of the cover art of these tracks is missing, and links are sparse. Globalization has tightened our borders--Wal-Mart has limited our choices and Piracy Funds Terrorism. Wasn't it so much easier when we bought Hash to support the Afghani rebels against their russian oppressors? Life sure has gotten complicated. On to the music. It is, of course, not all Booty Bass nor even all South American.
Stir the damn pot.
DJ Rupture--Overture: Watermelon City What a terrific vocal!!!
Peaches--Set It Off first of two Peaches tracks, longtime favorites here at the Cafe.
Sarah McLaughlin--Possession (remix) A little faster, a litter more spare..
Kelis--Milkshake (remix) Yes, everyone has remixed this track. Haven't found any I don't like either!
Kinky--Mas Like Los Lobos a latino band in need of a crossover because they are so darn good.
Princess Superstar--Dichotomy fast talking rap electro queen with a new record I need to get. This track can hardly be described as suffering.
Mia Doi Todd--88 Ways Ok ok, I found this trolling for MIA remixes...and bought the record. This is fantastic stuff!
Tok Tok Vs Soffy O--Missy Queen (remix) there are a bunch of remixes of this track, this is not the vocal heavy one the Cafe normally plays...
Peaches--Fuck the Pain Away doesn't work as therapy, but worth a try.
Crystal Method--More what does any of this have to do with Baile Funk?
Chicks On Speed--We Don't Play Guitars well, Peaches does in a nice cameo..
Buzz Fiend--One 4 Da Head electronica with the same title as an MIA song who makes America look monochromatic with her blending/blurring..
Diplo + MIA--One for the Head yes, her english is better. I could teach you, but I'd have to charge.
Patty Labelle--Lady Marmalade I dare you to not sing along.
Saldo--Secondo ..another track I stumbled upon looking for something else. I can only thank the lazy original ripper who could not be bothered with an id3 tag. Why give me a clue so I can buy the record?
(a)pendics.shuffle--Boobies Bounce microsliced funkified misogyny. Good luck finding this disc. Thank you PBE!
Three tracks from Favela Booty Beats follow:
Cavalo De Pau
Popozuda Rock n'Roll
Jonathan II
Halftime--
Louis XIV--Illegal Tender Start the second half off with a playful percolating ultra new throwback to simpler times..nastier than James, catchier than the Strokes.
XLover--Darling Nikki Prince himself would dig this. Why no airplay? Oh-Wait..we live in the time of the Wardrobe Malfunction. Filibuster this FCC.
Sophie Rimheden--M under two minutes of microsliced moanin' over a fat bass track. On the Mitek label.
MIA--10 Dollar "What can I get for ten dollars? Everything you want!"
Konono--Paradiso Overdriven trance feedback played through a megaphone. Pure. Genius.
Diplo--Baile Funk One warm up.
(a)pendics.shuffle--Prefusely Mine more electronimagicality.
Inge Heiz--Call Me truly decadent club reworking of the Blondie phrase, if not the song itself..Yep. Another CD you won't be able to find.
Martin H and Oliver Klein--Club Game the 2 of the the clubbing 1-2 punch.
Diplo--Baile Funk Two stretch to prevent injury.
Diplo--Favela Blast--31 minutes of blender action, mixed languages, beats, genres. Bass heavy driven uptempo bitter celebration.
Kidneythieves--Black Bullet Cleanse the palate with blood.
Goodnight.

movies@work(tm) the Sea Inside

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
the Sea Inside stars Javier Bardem, who I know from Perdita Durango. Apparently that was many years ago! This film was directed by Alejandro Amenabar. I know him from one of my favorite spanish films, Abre Los Ojos.
This picture won the 2004 Best Foreign Language Film award.
"the Sea Inside" deserves this award. "Million Dollar Baby" caught a ton of heat from the religious press for dealing with similar issues. Thank goodness this film was in Spanish and thus went unseen here in America.

movies@work(tm) Get Carter

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
"Still pretty?" Rourke
"Yeah...like cat piss in the snow." Stallone
Yep, another remake of a superior Michael Caine movie. Why am I watching it? See Disadvantage(s) 1. So let's look on the "bright side of life". Great to see Stallone as a hypermuscled sharp-dressed man. After watching the revival of Rourke (Mickey, not Cardinal) in Sin City it was a pleasure to watch him chew screen without prosthetics.
I think he took the role to beat up Rocky just once.
Stallone looked great throughout, but the screenwriter's just weren't up to updating the script. So let's review: Alfie, Michael Caine is better. Get Carter, Michael Caine is better. I have seen the new "Italian Job", but not the original. Jury still out, as Charlize Theron was very good in the "Italian Job" version 2. Time to make a request to the man for a copy of the original for the store...

movies@work(tm) the Human Stain

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
"the Human Stain" stars Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris and Gary Sinise.
The novel was written by one of my favorites, Philip Roth. True to form I will reveal little about the plot. Anthony Hopkins plays a black man who has passed for white his entire life. "Coleman" his first name, i suspect is a play on "coal man" but maybe I'm reaching. This movie took a difficult path with touchy subject matter written by a master at the top of his form.
This cast is up to it, regardless of the reviews of jaded reviewers. There is a lot to like about this movie's grim portrayal of the American underbelly (and I don't mean Nicole's). I found myself rewinding after customers left to catch the dialogue, always a good sign.
If you can't bring yourself to see "Crash" in the theatre, see this. "the Human Stain" does not have racism as it's target but as a condition.

Return to Kaos mark 6

This is the playlist and linkage to the show broadcast 5/13/05. Better late than never, I suppose!
Seatbelts: Tank! The opening title song from the terrific anime, "Cowboy Bebop".
Graeme Revell & Robert Rodriguez: MarvFrom the "Sin City" soundtrack!
The Clash: Clampdown Go watch their movie "Rude Boy".
The Billy Nayer Show: The American Astronaut Another Soundtrack Cut, from another MUST SEE
Saigon Show Band: Superstition From the "bootleg" album GI Funk.
Kidneythieves: Glitter Girl "Pretty Hate Machine" with a prettier face.
Depeche Mode: I Feel You (Renegade Soundwave Mix) A terrific remix, as expected.
Manu Dibango: New Bell (1973) Soul Makossa ruled my world for a time..right about 1986 I think!
The Crystal Method: the Doors Roadhouse Remix A terrific cut, from an all remix CD.
Prefuse 73: Gratis_Pedro vs Prefuse the electronica you deserve...
Madonna: Candy Perfume Girl from the film "the Corruptor". The massage scene...
Tully: Well, Well, Well (FFM) Shameless self promotion. This was the unremixed version..
Ike + Tina Turner: Come Together Great song.
Diplo + Tripledouble: track one
Tosca: Damentag
Bootyshaker: Rippin'Cars 'n Kittens
Sweet Exorcist: Test Four (Black Strobe Remix)
Foxy Brown: Candy (featuring Kelis)
break
The Billy Nayer Show: Hey Boy
The Kills: Fuck the People
Gary Numan: Are Friends Electric
Massive Attack: U2 Mysterious Ways (remix)
MU: Paris Hilton
Vincent Gallo: I Wrote this Song for the Girl Paris Hilton
Atom TM: I Mix
George Thorogood: Treat Her Right
Le Tigre: Nanny Nanny Boo Boo
Queens of the Stone Age: You've Got A Killer Scene Man
The Dramatics: Shake It Well
Konono Nr. 1: Paradiso
Treat her Right: I Think She Likes Me
Louis XIV: Paper Doll
Patti Smith: Dancing Barefoot
Queen Adreena: Fuck My Doll
Black Sabbath: Fairies Wear Boots
Ben Harper: Well, Well, Well

movies@work(tm) Alfie VS Alfie

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
Alfie 1966 Michael Caine
Alfie 2004 Jude Law
1966 London
2004 New York
Please watch the first 5 minutes of each of these films. You will know which one to return to the videostore unwatched.
The original Alfie has teeth, and will bite you. To see Jude Law play someone with nearly as much depth, rent Closer.

movies@work(tm) Napoleon Dynamite

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
This was my second viewing of "Napoleon Dynamite" at work. I am getting a little long in the tooth for "High School Traumaedies", but not too old to enjoy this. I am also a sucker for dance numbers. Teen movies without fart jokes get extra points too. Low budget, no stars(yet) and one badass suit. Ligers do exist. Maybe not as goods as "Rushmore", but certainly more twisted and inclusive.
There is nothing wrong with smiling once in awhile. Very nice to see real characters with a decidely midwestern outlook.
Rumour around town is that this film was written by a local boy here in Manhattan. Rumour Control: Jared Hess, writer/director, is from Idaho. Jon Heder is Napoleon Dynamite!

movies@work(tm) Raising Helen

Disadvantage(s) of working(2) at a video store:
1. Watching movies one would not pick out
2. Forgetting the movie one just watched because you are working
3. Judging a movie poorly because one is distracted by work
So this is the first in the series of "minute reviews" to fix problem 2 above.
Remember please, these review(s) are done through filter 3. First review is a movie that hits problem 1 on the head: "Raising Helen".
"Raising Helen" stars Kate Hudson, John Corbett, Joan Cusack, and Helen Mirren. Paris Hilton has a bit part. Devo and Liz Phair are on the soundtrack. This romantic comedy lost me when the lead brought 3 underage children into a fashion show. Hollywood once again reminds us work and family don't mix and jobs have to sacrificed on the parental altar.. Jobs and anything resembling life, apparently.
Read the back of the box. You can then close your eyes and see the whole movie.
Yes, Kate Hudson is charming. I'm glad Lutherans can date. I can only tell you that Hollywood/morals/family philosophy is neither romantic nor funny.

Radio Kaos 5/20/5 Playlist

Here is the playlist and links for 5/20/5 show. I am, apparently, too stupid to figure out podcasting, for now. Maybe by next week. Until then, and without further ado ...
"They" tell me I am the "senior", "tenured" DJ at the station, here in it's 6th iteration, so my lead off song is, naturally:
William Shatner: Has Been Don't Know Jack. Never Done Shit.
Tully Family Singers: Well, Well, Well (Fuck Folk Mix) I produced this recording, in case there was any damn doubt that I still have the juice..Thanks to Jason for his terrific attitude and open mind on the fierce, literate, drum track.
MIA: 10 Dollar Everything You Want.
Louis XIV: Illegal Tender ummm, no, I'm not going to explain the segue!
Queen Adreena: Pretty Like Drugs Thank goodness this damn record isn't available in the USA! we must protect the children
Sleater-Kinney: Sympathy probably my favorite song for the last 2 months. Punk Rock. Who'd a' thunk it?
PM Dawn: You Got Me Floatin' Jimi. Jimi. Jimi Hendrix.
Mofro: Dirtfloorcracker As we move into the groove section of our show...
Les Negresses Vertes: Abuela (remix) Not a Negresse in the lot...
Superpitcher: I Walk (remix) Yes, I heard this song on Biddy Thomas' show. Dammit.
Laurie Anderson: Speak My Language in an abandoned train station somewhere Michelle Reis is writhing under the lens of Wong Kar-Wai.
Lyn Collins: the Female Preacher: Think About It ...yanks my mind out of the gutter!
Yeah Yeah Yeah's: Bang ..and now I'm down in it. "Take a swallow as I spit, baby".
Ben Harper: Take My Hand yes, I am a Gemini. What?
Mike Doughty: Where Have You Gone? frontman for rock faves Soul Coughing.
Kidneythieves: Arsenal These cats are on the soundtrack to the videogame I am nearly finished with, Deus Ex: Invisble War. Yes, I get to live out my fantasy as a bio-modded nano-enhanced female killing machine.
Tricky: Black Steel I do miss the PE version piano hook..
Martina Topley Bird: Need One (remix) yes, she was the best part of the Tricky show at the Paradise. Besides the hottie with the whistle. Don't ask.
Billy Nayer Show: Everyone Got Laid --except the DJ.
What you can't know is that was the last song of the first half of the show. 12:30am rolled around and I opened the second half with:
Depeche Mode: Dead of Night We're twilight's parasites..
Waldeck: Wake Up Just breaking you out of Microsleeping at the wheel.
Courtney Love: Plague forget the tabloids. Listen to the song!
Sleater-Kinney: Sympathy (again) for contrast :)
Macy Gray: Walk This Way featured delicious cheese of the evening. Cheaper than a glass of Fussy Pussy at the 4 Olives..
Brazilian Girls: Sirenes De La Fete the Christina of the '00's..
Nightmares On Wax: Mind Elevation
Gary Numan: Crazier Gary Numan makes nearly every playlist, this is a terrific Steve Osborne remix.
Bill Withers: Who Is He? ..for the cuckolds out there. No, you don't know who you are...
Los Lobos: Mas Y Mas right up there with Soul Coughing on the best rock bands list.
Xerox Soundsystem: Connect Da SPlices/sampling/chopping and spindling in the name of music..
Queen Adreena: Madraykin spiralling down for the night
Yeah Yeah Yeah's: Modern Romance ..could almost be Reich or Glass with that coda!
MIA: Galang and the hidden track more ideas mashed into 7 minutes...
Staple Singers: Respect Yourself Live from Wattstax back in 71
That concluded my live show, switched on the magic Valis Cafe shuffler and launched the archive until dawn powered us down..

Inferno Opens

Inferno Help Desk 

Plug In, Turn On... 

Let the Music Play 

Original Sin

Go see it right now.
"Frank Miller's Sin City", of course..the latest greenscreener at your (not my) local megaplex. This will be a spoiler free review. Sin City opened wide April 1st everywhere but here, where "the Pacifier" has been playing for a month. Is the sarcasm self-evident or do I have to bring "Miss Congeniality 2" into the picture?
Greenscreen, CGI + live actors a la "Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow" and "Casshern", has not be so fully realized yet. The director, Robert Rodriguez, made deliberate stylistic choices to bring Frank Miller's noir vision to life.
The first Frank Miller book I picked up was "the Big Fat Kill" back in the mid 90's. No, not the compilation volume but the individual Dark Horse issues. I had some time to kill before a conference and needed something to read. I was bowled over.
The stark black and white with no gray fit the black and white universe contained within. I became a fan with one issue.
Let me recommend tracking the books down rather than the thick spined compilations, they are markedly superior in print quality. The story (and the rest of the Sin City books I would purchase, was a direct, brutal tale of moral absolutes set in a compromised world of corruption and decay.
Rodriguez understands Miller's work, and has brought it to life, with a little help from his friends. I'll let others talk about Tarantino's contribution, but I will mention this collaboration worked much better than their previous, "From Dusk 'til Dawn"!
Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Clive Owen are Marv, Hartigan and Dwight respectively, the protagonists of three Sin City tales. All three do terrific jobs, inhabiting their roles/costumes/prosthetics with every ounce of conviction necessary to keep the audience sucked in to this surreal landscape.
I have spent hours nitpicking fine details of this epic (partial courtesy of the 1 hour drive to the theatre) and am looking forward to the Dvd, which I am certain will be packed full of cutting room floor bits.
Once again, hats off to Rodriguez, Miller and the entire cast!

Tully Project

GuitarWerks 

Steve is past the halfway point on his guitar. He build this from wood up, and it is his own design. That is his garage shop in the background. I hope to put together a few more shots of details as he gets closer to completion.
Proof is in the pudding, and neither of us can wait to hear how it sounds. It will be finished in time to record with at the end of April, in Jason's (more info to come) studio.

Software/Chimps/Jazz

3 subjects, not related, alright?
Spent the better part of the weekend working on an "Impress" presentation. Impress is the Open Office version of Powerpoint. As an aside, Powerpoint has achieved market penetration like "Xerox" or "Scotch tape". Let's leave scotch out of this though! On to the user rant about software..
This presentation involved a readable font "Tahoma" in 48 point for most headings, resized occasionally for long titles. I used another font, "Mistral" to label details in the graphic of the slide. I built the presentation on the company laptop, so no mouse. I cannot tell you how many times during the font switching I had to resize because the "24" didn't stick in the dropdown.
The answer of course would have been to learn how to set up a template, set the template up, and rock on, instead of (for example) cutting and pasting the logo in the right hand corner of every slide. Yes, I missed a few. (corrected during morning review). My template would have had most used fonts and sizes as choices etc. It does seem to me however that a little code could be inserted that picked up on the fact that I selected the exact same font combos on or around the 50th slide, saving me the keypounding frustration of hitting a text block, clicking font, typing "mi tab 24 tab" over and over and still ending up with Mistral 48 instead of 24 and having to select the text and resize...
Man do I like to whine! (see above) I could be changing an oil filter directly over the oil pan drainhole and having hot oil drip on my fingers (thank you Mazda, Honda and all the rest of the so-called engineers out there!)instead of getting CTS for some dull, but consistent, presentation.
Ms Jena(for another 2 months)sent me an article about Chimpanzees in entertainment. What is up with humans not getting the whole primate thing? How hard is it to recognize and respect the intelligence innate to the species? Is PEPSI so unknown we need these ads? When will we stop and think about the cost to our humanity of advertising? Or is "humanity" synonymous with unthinking cruelty? No, I don't belong to PETA.
I was once again flabbergasted that "buy 1 CD get 2 free" costs $27! I will say that the Dexter Gordon record "Doin' Allright" on Bluenote was worth the price of admission. Just the ticket after a grueling job 1 and 2 day...makes me want to see "Round Midnight" again. The in-movie band included Dexter Gordon, John McLaughlin and Herbie Hancock...
Linkage for the last 3 posts to be added later today.

Busy Is As Busy Does

Wow. 1 day after talking about updating daily and I am so not ready! Ok, here goes:
On the plate for tonight is finishing Open Office Impress document. Got about 4 more hours work. I would love to add linkage to yesterday's post, that will have to wait until tomorrow!
The Academy Awards. Didn't watch, working on the Impress, of course.. Happy about Hilary, happy about Jamie, good for them. Mainstream movies should be that good!
Nice mix from Nate yesterday, he calls it "Modern Pop". Here are the tracks:
Pile: PerilPop
Closer Musik: Mir
Eight Ears: Slack Society (feat Alice Russell)
Amon Tobin: Verbal (prefuse 73 rmx)
Tweak: Freakin Weirdo (benfield rmx)
Gary Numan: Airlane (numanoid vbr)
Lamb: Trans Fatty Acid rmx
Afrika Bambaata: Metal (feat numan, MC Chatterbox rmx)
My Robot Friend: Way Down
Depeche Mode: Personal Jesus (Francois Kevorkian 1989 rmx)

Links to be added as time permits!

Amon Tobin: Proper Hodidge
Morcheeba: Tape Loop
Full Moon Scientist: We Demand A Shrubbery
Cinematic Orchestra: the Magician
FSOL: Rural Green

Been Such a Long Time

Ray = Inspiration 
Wow, 2 months to the day since my last update. Aren't Blogs supposed to be daily? Hmm, I will work on that! A little catch up and then some beef:
I am not alone. Click here.4 those of you unwilling to click, it is the story of a smart, rich man who thinks "2 forms of ID please" is a little much here in the land of the "free" and the scared. The story dovetails nicely with last nights first viewing of "Bowling for Columbine".
Radio broadcast on hiatus for a few months. Taking a trip out to the east coast in late May, hopefully some new music will arrange itself in my head. I am listening to plenty, but having trouble getting my mind around it.
Movies? More than a few. Stay tuned for thoughts on "Million Dollar Baby", "Wattstax", the high price of Criterion, and some new Korean films I have to look up to get the spelling right.
I am going to buy the house I have been renting for the last 4 years. Apparently it makes fiscal sense, and I am willing to commit to the ever-changing town of Manhappiness. I want to be here to point and say I told you so to the vast group of citizens that think somehow Super Wal-Mart and Best Buy are improvements to our quality of life...
Tsunami relief. Out of the headline news, but the work will continue for years. I have committed to an every payday contribution, for the forseeable future. Wish I could be there to lift heavy things--about my only useful talent.
Politics, media, information thirst, are making me crazy. Every act, every work of fiction, soundbite, download CD purchase, region coded (or un) Dvd purchase sets me off. Taking the commercial skipping capabilities of Tivo off? Stop the madness!
Resolution I won't be able to stick to: calm.
Ok, enough for now, the pic at the top is (apparently) my best shot to date. It is the piano I play since seeing "Ray".

Casshern

Casshern arrived Friday Afternoon in a plain brown wrapper. This was the region free, 3 disc "Ultimate" edition. Japanese with subtitles, but of course there are no subs on the 2 bonus discs!
This is live action manga. Recognized as such, and reviewed from that position, it is at the top of it's admittedly small class. Ok, ok, the other films:Avalon, Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow, and the forthcoming Sin City all have been largely cult audience movies. Darren disagrees with me as to the brilliance of Avalon, Skycaptain was a frenetic, hollow mess...and even the Sin City trailer makes me a little nervous, and I have all the comics!
So we have Casshern, based on a 70's manga, greenscreened for 10% of the budget of "Skycaptain", leading the pack. Like the newer Star Wars films the frame is full of invention and surprise. The setting is a Steampunk alternate future..giant robots and gears and ozone fill the landscape. Stormtroopers right out of Jin Roh are brought to life..
Biggest complaint reviewers have had is the trite "War is Hell" and patriotism is naive message. That stuff never goes out of style for me, and the whole eco-disaster wrapped in 1984 mainlines right to my brain.
Most movies can use more swordplay, and Casshern is no exception. What combat there is here is terrific, blending CG, wire, hecti-cam and cool costumes. Battle scenes range from man to man to man against army...and of course father against son.
Casshern is a visually arresting provocative piece of cinema worth tracking down. Apparently Dreamworks has picked up distribution rights, so it is only a matter of years before it is released here. Why wait? Hero has been available to buy for over a year, without Tarantino's name being bigger than the director's on the box..

Valis Stream Opens

I have opened a second site that will be a gateway to streaming audio from my weekly radio show. This show can be heard live Friday nights, 11pm-3am. The Shoutcast should be available playing archived shows once I figure out the firewall thing. Once this post is buried, you can snag the link from the left column.
About last night's show..taken from my SG Log:
A good show last night at 96.7fm.. Most of the college crowd was out of town so I could actually park close to the "studio".
Looks like the Heavy Metal show donated a turntable...which means wax next week, instead of CD mixes..
Best riff in the set: the original Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky" to Elastica covering "Da Da Da" to the SG anthem, Coldcut's "Noah's Toilet"...

Once I figure out firewall/router/ISP crap the show will be shoutcast...
--UPDATE-- Stream is Live. Go to shoutcast and search "Valis Cafe" CDrs available on request.

Charles Kaufman

Triptych-(or how a screenwriter trumps the medium)
Charles Kaufman is obsessed with the nature of perception and existence. His crowning achievement, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" finally gets it right after 2 inspired, but flawed, attempts. Those other 2 attempts are "Being John Malkevich" and "Adaptation". Both of those movies fall apart in the last act, with characters stepping out of character or coincidence marring the resolution and blurring the point.
Kaufman's scripts for these three movies get us right into the heads --literally in "Being John Malkovich" of the affected characters. Kaufman's scripts dance on the fourth wall, to the extent that he writes himself into "Adaptation". Portions of that movie take place on the movie set of the first! "Etenal Sunshine" brings Jim Carrey and a new director to the table. Carrey once again is able to get past being "Jim Carrey" in a way Jack Nicholson hasn't been able to do for 20 years.
"Eternal Sunshine" also features Kirsten Dunst, Spidey's flame. Yep, she melts scenery.
This is a movie for pretty much anyone, and I can't imagine why it got an R rating. I would suggest that it might not be as entertaining for the teen set, target audience would appear to be thoughtful adults. There is a leap of faith required, and this one has some cautionary elements regarding the effects of technology on our lives. Please rent this one, and keep an eye out for films penned by Charles Kaufman.

The Incredibles

The Incredibles-
Another November movie treat! This movie had all the invention and satire that I was hoping for from "Team America". Every frame is packed full of ideas. It is easy to forgive the conventional family stereotypes in a movie about the real life of superheroes, much more so than say...the historical accuracy of Disney's" Pocahontas". See this movie without shame, it talks down to neither us nor the children, and does not hide behind sly winks to the adults.

Ray

Ray-
A really well done biopic. The movie stayed engaging from the opening bus scene until the very last note of "Unchain my Heart" at the end of the credit roll. Here at the 'Cafe we have a saying: "I don't lead a PG13 life", well, neither did Ray. I am not sure, but am glad, they were able to slip this tale of adultery and drug use by the censors. It is a must see movie for everyone, and could be potentially inspirational to kids coming up. This movie takes "just do it" to all new levels.

The core of this great story is the man, and his music. The times, bad as they were, could not stop the force of will that was Ray Charles. The Friday ValisCafe radio broadcast was devoted to Ray. It opened with "What'd I Say", and aped the movies final track, "Unchain My Heart". The rest of the music was other artists recording in the spirit, if not the genre, that Ray did. That spirit is a Lust for Life that could not be quenched or extinguished. Even when Ray is singing the blues his power and constitution come through. All the drugs and discrimination could not dull the shine of this musical genius. See the movie. Buy a CD.

Aspirations of Fiscal Freedom

I sent the following letter this morning along with my ontime payment. I had lost this bill in the sea of paperwork in the "action" pile. Certainly no excuse! I had found the bill 10 days after it was due, and paid it. My next statement reflected a $35.00 late fee. That would be 35.00 on a minimum payment of $57.00.
Draw your own conclusions. The only editing I have done on this letter is adding the links and removing my account number for all the phishermen out there.

11/1/04
from: Mark Desmet acct ****-****-****-3570

to: Whom It May Concern,

I would like to bring two things to your attention. First, I am sure you are well aware of how completely out of touch with the current market 28.49% is with regard to APR. I realize that I have closed my account--in part because of this amazingly high rate--3 times the rate of my current, active card, so you have no vested interest in customer satisfaction.

The other item is your Draconian 35.00 late fee. I know you apply it "because you can". Well, not for much longer. When I have finished paying down this account I can assure you of 2 things: I will NEVER consider another Aspire product. Which means you will not see my IRA, pension, or investments as I return to the land of people with their heads above water.

It goes without saying that my business is meaningless to you, hence the rapacious fee and APR, but what you have purchased with those items is bad word of mouth. I have nothing bad to say about anybody, but your policies? I will trumpet them. I can only hope my weblog, radio broadcast and water cooler chatter has some negative impact on you.

You should be ashamed.

Mark Desmet

PS: I have no good excuse for being about 10 days late on my payment last month.

Terror Tractor

poor, white thrash 
Terror Tractor commanded the night at the Halloween Metalfest. The house was full of the usuals..and the unusuals. The pierced, costumed and inebriated future leaders of the free world thrashed in the moshpit as one, banging the heads they eat and smoke with to the pounding beat of Jason<--what number? and the snarl of Clint. The boys were on the "successful recording" high other bands dream about. Guitar volume was appropriately tamed, hardly self indulgent, and ripped through/across a really tight rhythm section. Between songs Clint tossed promo copies of the new EP into the crowd. The summer of touring has paid off, and repeat gigs at PJ's meant that eventually even the house soundkids would get it right.
Of course the battle has just begun. CD art, polish and pressing...website design and mailing list..the usual band dues that need to be paid for Terror Tractor to reap the harvest they have sown lie ahead.