What a great time we had today! Both my mom and dad made the scene, and we even had first time Seder-ers Jay and Carolyn. Wojtek got to have some of his beloved Gefilte fish and Oscar insisted on reading the Four Questions – in Hebrew!
Please note that it’s in reverse chronological order – thus, I started with ‘Over The Hill’ and arrived back home with ‘Watcher’. All such brilliant stuff. And the new additions to the library from Van Der Graaf and Peter Hammill are really playing nicely with the old favorites.
I’ve been waiting for this. it feels like it’s been a long time. With the simplified protocols and integration, I can start jamming with iPad, use that as master clock, synch a DAW on the MacBook, and play along with guitar. Check out the video integrating two iOS devices:
I found out about the video and the tech via Synthtopia and the leading aps are being made by Finger, although Synthetic Bits‘ Funkbox is definitely in the mix.
The good folks at QuietEarth describe this as looking like a cross between ‘No Country For Old Men’ and ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ In other words, just watch the trailer!
And, I’ll watch pretty much anything with Brad Dourif – one of the most underrated actors ever.
Don’t fuck with this guy.
Just finished Philip K. Dick’s “The Three Stigmata of Palmer Edritch”. If you think this dude looks scary, just wait till you meet him. Everywhere.
I became acquainted with this artist by means of a Synthopia post that featured Ms. King trying out the new Moog guitar. I was impressed with the instrument and the artist’s unique approach – fingerpicking, percussive hits and ethereal phrasing and composition. A little research revealed that Ms. King had a prior YouTube hit with “Playing With Pink Noise“. This showed off her Michael Hedges-esque chops. Having seen Hedges open up for Leo Kottke in the late 80’s and being rather surprised at his unorthodox approach, I found Pink Noise to be nothing too special.
But then I got to know King’s then (and still) current release, Junior. This features electric compositions and full band treatment for King’s unique talents. It’s a stupendous record and the first track even features audio samples from The Prisoner television series. If you want to get me weak in the knees real fast, that’s a good strategy.
So, I was thrilled to have an opportunity to finally see Ms. King in concert last night at the World Cafe Live. The opening act was Joe Robinson, who, at the tender age of 18, has achieved a prodigious mastery of the 6-string acoustic guitar. Again, we were treated to a lot of the classic Michael Hedges approach. This was a bit incongruous, since Robinson was merely six years of age when Hedges died in a car accident. And, of course, Mr. Robinson was not even alive when I saw Hedges open for Kottke. While Robinson’s haircut and tender good looks can’t help but make one think of Justin Bieber, his utter domination of his instrument was extraordinary to watch, but also off-putting. So much of it was saying “look at mee!! Look at all the amazing things I can do on guitar!” The effect was generally intolerable.
Which brings us to the evening’s feature presentation. I noted with disappointment that Ms. King would not be accompanied by a band for this concert. After the grating annoyance of the opening act, I steeled myself for an additional let-down. Fortunately, I could not have been more wrong.
What followed was one of the most introspective and heartfelt performances this side of a Frippertronics exhibition. King, despite her monumental talent and commitment to her craft, did not echo her opening act’s bombastic dominion. In fact, the only similarity between the two was that they both played a stringed, acoustic instrument.
By contrast, King interacted with her numerous guitars, seeming to search and find her compositions lurking within. I was reminded (I swear to god) of the incomplete sculptures of Michelangelo, beautiful human forms emerging from jagged marble. She sang only two songs for the entire performance and focused the remainder the evening on her searching and delicate compositions. This is not an experience that could be approximated with a bootleg or a live album. It was absolutely essential to be in the performance space to hear every scrape of the strings and to see the artist move silently into the trance of the moment. King channeled her audience’s excitement and attentiveness into a very raw energy that was focused completely on her interaction with the instrument. There was no dancing about, no clever asides or quotes contained within the music (an appalling strategy employed by too many virtuosos, including the opening act and, sadly, Mr. Hedges himself).
I felt honored to be part of King’s process last night. In addition to her beloved Ovation Adamas, she showcased a variety of bizarre variations, including a miniature 12-string, a dobro/banjo combination, a harp guitar for her version of Hedges “Because It’s There” and a 7-string nylon with fanned frets, among others. Between songs King claimed to be still familiarizing herself with the techniques required to manage these musical monstrosities.
So there we all were, in one space of quite contemplation and musical ecstasy where, as Fripp likes to say, the music begins to play the musician and life becomes most real. It was an enormously effective and moving experience for me.
Untitled from Grizzly Peak Films on Vimeo.
I’m not sure if I would say that Tim Thomerson is a national treasure, but for someone my age (39), who grew up with cheap, straight-to-cable movies that showed after hours on Cinemax and Showtime, before the era of Sharktopus and Mad Men, there were certain performers who, despite the schlock they were working on, elevated the material with their talent and professionalism. And we saw them again and again, in b-movie after b-movie. They worked cheap, they worked hard, and they were pretty damn good actors.
A little research reveals that the two I saw most often, working in ten or more films a year during the late 80’s and early 90’s, (not to mention EVERY TV show in the 80’s, from Dukes of Hazzard to Matlock) were actually partners in crime off the set. As much as I saw Thomerson’s tough-guy, leading man stuff, I probably saw Brion James‘ signature bad-guy even more. And it turns out they were cooks together in a tank company of the national guard.
James went on to become an icon for his performance as Leon in Blade Runner. If he had never done anything else, he would always be remembered for that role. But there is no doubt in my mind that what makes Leon so special is the extra quality that James brought to the part. Without his artistry the richness of that portrayal would not exist. James didn’t really become a “big time movie star” after that (certainly not like Harrison Ford), but he enjoyed a new level of respect as he continued in his usual modus operandi until his untimely death in 1999.
Thomerson has never had that “one role” for which he will forever be remembered, perhaps until now. “Bring Me The Head of Lance Henriksen” is a mockumentary in the style of Spinal Tap that uses comedy to highlight the ageism that extremely talented performers like Thomerson now face as they move into their 60’s and 70’s. The premise is that all those leading man roles are going to Lance Henriksen and Thomerson can’t get any work as a result. The indie project now appears to be fully funded, and, based on the trailer, looks delightful.
As very young viewer, I was really drawn to these quirky, low budget movies, featuring Brion James, Tim Thomerson, and yes, even Lance Henriksen. It is only now that I realize why – the craft and talent of intensely committed professionals. I am looking forward to a film that celebrates their legacy.
There are those who are jaded who will say that, “Of course, this thing happens all the time.” And there are those who will say that Philadelphia and corruption go together like a bagel and cream cheese, but the practiced described herein is not illegal. And now that I see some of my peers (Emily’s peers, actually) running for Judge, well, I just don’t know. But, in the meantime, here’s some facts for you from today’s Inquirer:
“It’s ‘the process,’ ” said Ladov, among 45 candidates for 10 spots on Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court. The 10-year term comes with a $164,602 salary.
Eleven candidates are vying for one slot on Municipal Court, a job that lasts six years and pays $160,793.
“Either you fold your arms across your chest and say you don’t like the process and, therefore, ‘I am not going to be involved and not going to serve the people,’ ” Ladov said, “or you say, ‘This is the process. If I get elected, I can do good, and I can make a meaningful contribution.’ “
She chose the latter, and she is paying thousands of dollars to hire two “consultants,” including still-influential former U.S. Rep. Michael “Ozzie” Myers, jailed in 1981 in the Abscam scandal, and a 30-year ward leader, John Sabatina, who works to persuade other ward leaders to back his judicial candidates.
“I’m working 24 hours a day trying to make sure these people get covered all over, from wards to churches to wherever there can be an asset to their candidacy,” said Sabatina, who also is helping three other would-be judges this year. For his work, they pay him $20,000 to $35,000 apiece.
