I was hitting a wall with how much more tax preparation I could handle, and the accounting gods throw me a curveball and send me on an financial statement audit in Hollywood. This job has gone on the last two weeks and I absolutely love it.
I just can't help but feel more at home around here in Hollywood & Los Feliz than in Marina del Rey. I can't stand living in a part of town so settled, so comfortable, so overly content and without any social interaction or youth. When I'm consistently going to bed on time and having little else to do but videogames (as great as Nintendo Wii is don't get me wrong) obviously something isn't right. I want something to tempt me to stay up too late, I demand a sense of community and things consistently going on. I expect to be able to go out and socialize and see some live entertainment or concerts without having to drive and sit in traffic over an hour at this point in my life, and that is what this audit has opened my eyes to.
I've had something to do almost every single day after work on this audit. Whether it is a screening of RocknRolla @ the WB's on-lot theatre, Comedy Death Ray at Upright Citizen's Brigade, or just chilling out to some legit decaf coffee while in a daze of shoegaze at the Bourgeois Pig or maybe downing a bottle of cheap Shiraz with good company at Fred 62... oh wait there's more I could go on and on.
Why would I just whine and not change something in my life and just move? Stupid knee injury and the ongoing physical therapy kept me entrapped where I didn't want to be... but I'm over that and able to run and play sports again or whatever else.
Ideal place for me to live in LA, disregarding how bad my commute could be, would be Franklin Village or Los Feliz. Its somewhat affordable and seems to be completely lacking in young yuppie MBA types like me - I just don't identify with my own kind. Most all my friends work in entertainment and outside of the awesome CPA firm I work out, I'd rather spend my free time with people not in my line of work.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Now What?
I finally exhausted that massive pile of tickets for concerts. It was a long, exhausting, and satisfying ride and although I was showing up to many concerts completely out of energy, the experience was far more than worth it.
9-22-08 Raconteurs, Greek Theatre
I loved the Greek, the feeling of being out in the middle of the wilderness even though you're right by Los Feliz and not far from LA. Being surrounded by trees and showing up to a concert right as the sun is setting made me nostalgic for all those bowl concerts. Every seat is pretty decent and the sound was just perfect. I also loved making the long walk up the hill to the venue all the way from Los Feliz Blvd.
As for the show, the Raconteurs were very entertaining. Jack White is a freaking giant. Between the wilderness-feeling setting of the Greek and the Raconteurs heartlandish songs, I felt so far from home and I was loving it.
10-2-08 My Bloody Valentine, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
The venue in itself just screamed that it was something out of the late 50's that would begrudingly continue to exist and stubbornly refuse to age well. It has quite a history to it and some legendary concerts have existed there, but my god does it look old. But hey at least it was very close to home. The shoegaze that was about to take place transcended this old place anyway.
The security at the doors was very insistant in making sure everyone had a pair of free earplugs. I thought it was a nice gesture but later on I'd learn why they did this.
I was very excited to see Spacemen 3 open up. I'd seen Spiritualized perform before Nick Cave several weeks ago, which is nearly the same band. I was not expecting to hear Transparent Radiation, I absolutely love that song and its spacey, simplistic, distorted riffs and I hadn't given it a listen in years.
When My Bloody Valentine hit the stage they blew us all away with I Only Said from Loveless, with the volume cranked waaaay up and a great light show and massive art-house projection to accompany the music. It was quite an amazing spectacle, everyone's seats were shaking from the sound nearly the entire time, and the massive crowd on the floor below just stood below in a tranquil stupor, entranced by the distortion pedals and effects switches and peaceful dissonance being thrown their way.
The huge projector really added to the whole experience, it was a great finishing touch on this masterpiece of a concert. When they finally were wrapping up their set, there was a 15 to 20 minute pause before the finale where the audience was just blasted with a tsunami of sound. I'd read some reports that it hit nearly 128 decibels, it sounded like several jetfighters ready to take off. Without the earplugs so insistently handed out on the way in, I wonder if this really could have been the end of my concertgoing and music listening?
The entire time, the huge screen in the front was playing some beautiful projection that made this whole thing seem like the journey beyond the infinite from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and by the time we reached the end the band just played about 30 seconds more of the end of the song as if nothing happened.
9-22-08 Raconteurs, Greek Theatre
I loved the Greek, the feeling of being out in the middle of the wilderness even though you're right by Los Feliz and not far from LA. Being surrounded by trees and showing up to a concert right as the sun is setting made me nostalgic for all those bowl concerts. Every seat is pretty decent and the sound was just perfect. I also loved making the long walk up the hill to the venue all the way from Los Feliz Blvd. As for the show, the Raconteurs were very entertaining. Jack White is a freaking giant. Between the wilderness-feeling setting of the Greek and the Raconteurs heartlandish songs, I felt so far from home and I was loving it.
10-2-08 My Bloody Valentine, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
The venue in itself just screamed that it was something out of the late 50's that would begrudingly continue to exist and stubbornly refuse to age well. It has quite a history to it and some legendary concerts have existed there, but my god does it look old. But hey at least it was very close to home. The shoegaze that was about to take place transcended this old place anyway.
The security at the doors was very insistant in making sure everyone had a pair of free earplugs. I thought it was a nice gesture but later on I'd learn why they did this.
I was very excited to see Spacemen 3 open up. I'd seen Spiritualized perform before Nick Cave several weeks ago, which is nearly the same band. I was not expecting to hear Transparent Radiation, I absolutely love that song and its spacey, simplistic, distorted riffs and I hadn't given it a listen in years.
When My Bloody Valentine hit the stage they blew us all away with I Only Said from Loveless, with the volume cranked waaaay up and a great light show and massive art-house projection to accompany the music. It was quite an amazing spectacle, everyone's seats were shaking from the sound nearly the entire time, and the massive crowd on the floor below just stood below in a tranquil stupor, entranced by the distortion pedals and effects switches and peaceful dissonance being thrown their way.
The huge projector really added to the whole experience, it was a great finishing touch on this masterpiece of a concert. When they finally were wrapping up their set, there was a 15 to 20 minute pause before the finale where the audience was just blasted with a tsunami of sound. I'd read some reports that it hit nearly 128 decibels, it sounded like several jetfighters ready to take off. Without the earplugs so insistently handed out on the way in, I wonder if this really could have been the end of my concertgoing and music listening?
The entire time, the huge screen in the front was playing some beautiful projection that made this whole thing seem like the journey beyond the infinite from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and by the time we reached the end the band just played about 30 seconds more of the end of the song as if nothing happened.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Crank Mob Anniversary
I’d been on a freakin’ exercise bike almost every single day since my physical therapy for the torn ACL got started, along with all of this intensive muscle-rebuilding and now find myself in this odd place where I am in better shape that I’ve been in my entire life by far, but unable to play sports of any kind.
This doesn’t stop me from riding my bike! And I was waaaaaaaaaaaay overdue for a Crank Mob. I was expecting the usual biking around with about 200 cyclists in festive costumes and hilariously decorated bikes and so forth, stopping at various liquor stores and parking lots, having LAPD nervously watch us. I got that, except apparently this was the 1 year anniversary of the Crank Mob and this meant there were about 3 times as many cyclists as usual, a HUGE decorated RV blasting tons of electronic beats and dance music, a projector set up in the middle of the starting point to commemerate the occasion, and so much more that was to happen…
As I met my crew at Sawtell & La Grange, the medical plaza and sidewalks and streets were completely overflowed with the masses of cyclists, all with our blinking red and white lights. Then out of nowhere the massive RV appears to have just dropped from the sky blaring Justice.
Most of the action happened in the parking lot of the Costco right by my place. The jousting was back in full force and I was ready to play with my new camera. I scored the most amazing photo right at the moment of impact.
As fun as the jousting was, it sort of fell into the realm of what I expected for Crank Mob. What was completely out of the realm of what I expected, and what even seemed possible or realistic, was the live punk show with a full drum set, two guitars, singer, and plenty of sound power that fueled a massive mosh-pit right in the lot.
I also can’t say I expected a bike-car to join in on the fun.
Nor a Happy Birthday cake arriving on a Costco kart.
Or a bunch of stunt-jumps off a ramp in toddler bikes with training wheels.
Joining a group of several hundred festive bikers at night and riding and partying as if it is the end of times is one hell of an escape from the life of a young professional working out of various corporate cement beehives.
It was the most social, easy-going Crank Mob crowd of all the rides I’d been on and the whole experience makes me want to drop down several g’s for an awesome road-bike and ditch my car forever.
How was this coordinated? Who fronted all the money to buy all those kids bikes to share with the crowd? Where did the live band come from? This is the kind of event where you don't ask those questions and just have F.U.N.
Hollywood Bowl swan song
Never before had I experienced box seats before at the Hollywood Bowl, and now I am not sure I can accept anything less. When the ushers showed me to my seat I could have sworn at first I was mistakenly shown a seat far more expensive than I could ever afford and that certainly some angry dude with way more money than me would push me out of his seat when he arrived later, but no I was definitely in the right place.
Cat Power kicked it off with some of its now familiar intimate, brooding alto voice. Since seeing her at the Wiltern last February I've been a fan. Staying true to her habit of random covers in the middle of her set she broke into a slow version of CCC's Fortunate Son.
Spiritualized followed it up with its spacey and slightly psychodelic and genre-defying sounds. As they eventually got into their faster and faster songs, the audience was pretty psyched and warmed up to get us revved up for:
He might be losing his hair but he sure as hell is not losing his touch. His gospel infused, bluesy diatribes tell mysterious stories across a rugged landscape. His imagery may be bleak, the rhythm sometimes tepid, but Nick Cave himself was furiously animated and alive. With about twenty albums to pick a setlist from I was quite happy with what was played.
This was a great concert to save for my last Bowl event of the summer. Easily worthy of the ticket price, the great bottle of wine my friends and I went through, and the high level of expectations I set. I'm left with the bittersweet feeling of being proud to have have experienced a summer full Bowl concerts, and sadness in wondering why I didn't do this years before and that the summer season is over with.
I'm ready to stick to more intimate venues and smaller artists now that I can say I've tried out so many large venues this summer..
Cat Power kicked it off with some of its now familiar intimate, brooding alto voice. Since seeing her at the Wiltern last February I've been a fan. Staying true to her habit of random covers in the middle of her set she broke into a slow version of CCC's Fortunate Son.
Spiritualized followed it up with its spacey and slightly psychodelic and genre-defying sounds. As they eventually got into their faster and faster songs, the audience was pretty psyched and warmed up to get us revved up for:He might be losing his hair but he sure as hell is not losing his touch. His gospel infused, bluesy diatribes tell mysterious stories across a rugged landscape. His imagery may be bleak, the rhythm sometimes tepid, but Nick Cave himself was furiously animated and alive. With about twenty albums to pick a setlist from I was quite happy with what was played.
This was a great concert to save for my last Bowl event of the summer. Easily worthy of the ticket price, the great bottle of wine my friends and I went through, and the high level of expectations I set. I'm left with the bittersweet feeling of being proud to have have experienced a summer full Bowl concerts, and sadness in wondering why I didn't do this years before and that the summer season is over with.
I'm ready to stick to more intimate venues and smaller artists now that I can say I've tried out so many large venues this summer..
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Back to the real world
I've finally woken up from the social coma that the unfortunate events of early July confined me to. It's a bit like waking up while deeply underwater, and re-learning how to do everything. I finally learned to walk again and have been trying to pick up where I left off.
7/27/07
I came around too late for the Coldplay concert, and the Feist concert, but thank goodness I was at least able to stumble over to Gnarls Barkley at the bowl for my first real adventure outside of Marina del Rey, alone, without my faithful parents to save me from falling over or collapsing in pain. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but it paid off as I had one of the first moments where I could just causually meet up with friends and forget that my leg was barely held together.
At this point I'd felt I'd done indie music to death and this delivered the very changeup I needed. Finally something I have little context for and almost no familiarity with, some trippy funk infused jam sessions with Cee-Lo's voicebox blaring over the frantic thunder of Danger Mouse's furious multi-instrumentals and backups. Sort of like a funk version of Penn and Teller, one does more than enough talking for two people while the other never speaks.
I was a bit dissapointed in the lack of energy of the crowd. Yes it was Sunday night, yes we mostly have work the next day, but come on slackers, you gotta reciropcate the energy of the peformers!
August 8, 2008
I've never been that into watching sports on TV, so I couldn't be bothered to watch the Olympics opening ceremony. Instead, it was a good day for a field trip to the La Brea tarpits for the 88Boadrum spectacle. 88 drummers, 88 minutes, starting at 8:08 on 8/8/8. Lead by the noise-rock band straight from Osaka, Japan, The Boredoms.
I was having enough fun just sitting back against the hill watching hipster after hipster jam their way into the park upon the canvas of a beautiful Los Angeles summer sunset in the middle of Miracle Mile. As the sun quickly dropped, the masses of drummers saddled up on the the army of empty drum thrones and before I knew it, a painful cry signalled the start of the festival.
At a concert I usually focus mostly on the drummer, I find them the most interesting to watch as they must dedicate all four limbs into their sound. Here, there were 88 of them, synchronized, flailing limbs all over the place to craft so many experimental beats.
As a bonus, I randomly spotted an Eric Wareheim in the middle of the crowd.
August 14, 2008
What better way to celebrate being able to walk thank the Downtown Art Walk? The second Thursday of the month couldn't have arrived quickly enough. I love it whenever you can comfortably stroll around downtown, late at night, safe within the masses of like-minded artgoers all out socializing and exploring the various open musuems. For a moment it will feel like downtown Los Angeles is a nearly normal, metropolitan, pedestrian-friendly city, so full of life.
Unfortunately I got a bit of a late start on this one, a reminder that some of the best fun is had early, before most people have gotten of work. There were quite a bit of crowds to content with, which meant that a lot of free wine had run dry and many people packed in small museums caused super-high humidity. But when you're among so many friends, and causually bumping into so many familiar faces along the way, you really can't complain.
Every downtown art walk is an experience in an alternative, fantasy downtown that you wish would happen more regularly. The massive sprawl of the city and reliance on a car and other common LA grievances can be left behind while you just stroll around, having a good time.
7/27/07
I came around too late for the Coldplay concert, and the Feist concert, but thank goodness I was at least able to stumble over to Gnarls Barkley at the bowl for my first real adventure outside of Marina del Rey, alone, without my faithful parents to save me from falling over or collapsing in pain. It was a bit of a leap of faith, but it paid off as I had one of the first moments where I could just causually meet up with friends and forget that my leg was barely held together.
At this point I'd felt I'd done indie music to death and this delivered the very changeup I needed. Finally something I have little context for and almost no familiarity with, some trippy funk infused jam sessions with Cee-Lo's voicebox blaring over the frantic thunder of Danger Mouse's furious multi-instrumentals and backups. Sort of like a funk version of Penn and Teller, one does more than enough talking for two people while the other never speaks.
I was a bit dissapointed in the lack of energy of the crowd. Yes it was Sunday night, yes we mostly have work the next day, but come on slackers, you gotta reciropcate the energy of the peformers!
August 8, 2008
I've never been that into watching sports on TV, so I couldn't be bothered to watch the Olympics opening ceremony. Instead, it was a good day for a field trip to the La Brea tarpits for the 88Boadrum spectacle. 88 drummers, 88 minutes, starting at 8:08 on 8/8/8. Lead by the noise-rock band straight from Osaka, Japan, The Boredoms.
I was having enough fun just sitting back against the hill watching hipster after hipster jam their way into the park upon the canvas of a beautiful Los Angeles summer sunset in the middle of Miracle Mile. As the sun quickly dropped, the masses of drummers saddled up on the the army of empty drum thrones and before I knew it, a painful cry signalled the start of the festival.
At a concert I usually focus mostly on the drummer, I find them the most interesting to watch as they must dedicate all four limbs into their sound. Here, there were 88 of them, synchronized, flailing limbs all over the place to craft so many experimental beats.
As a bonus, I randomly spotted an Eric Wareheim in the middle of the crowd.
August 14, 2008
What better way to celebrate being able to walk thank the Downtown Art Walk? The second Thursday of the month couldn't have arrived quickly enough. I love it whenever you can comfortably stroll around downtown, late at night, safe within the masses of like-minded artgoers all out socializing and exploring the various open musuems. For a moment it will feel like downtown Los Angeles is a nearly normal, metropolitan, pedestrian-friendly city, so full of life.
Unfortunately I got a bit of a late start on this one, a reminder that some of the best fun is had early, before most people have gotten of work. There were quite a bit of crowds to content with, which meant that a lot of free wine had run dry and many people packed in small museums caused super-high humidity. But when you're among so many friends, and causually bumping into so many familiar faces along the way, you really can't complain.
Every downtown art walk is an experience in an alternative, fantasy downtown that you wish would happen more regularly. The massive sprawl of the city and reliance on a car and other common LA grievances can be left behind while you just stroll around, having a good time.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A View from the Couch
As I returned home from surgery last Tuesday to reconstruct my torn ACL, I've been held captive to my couch, using the internet occasionally with a long-corded keyboard on my lap with a wireless mouse on to the side and the hdtv as a computer monitor, while my horrifically sore left leg takes an eternity in healing itself to the point where I am barely able to get up and down without assistance.
After experiencing more pain that I'd ever wish upon anyone else (except a few jerks out there), I've been thinking a lot about the physical therapy I'm going through now and all that is ahead. It is better to think of that than dwell on the fact I missed the Coldplay concert and will be missing Feist as well. One thing that will help a lot down the road will be balance exercises, which I've always been neglectful of. This is where I think Wii Fit is going to help.
With too much time on my hands I finally think I got a successful online order of this hard-to-find product and when I'm able to stand without crutches I'll finally have something to motivate me to do proper balance and stability exercises, and hopefully other things useful to re-developing the very degenerated lower body strength.
Until then, I am painfully awaiting the day that I can at least walk normally again, which hopefully is less than a week away. This forced, temporary, painful sedentary lifestyle is killing me.
After experiencing more pain that I'd ever wish upon anyone else (except a few jerks out there), I've been thinking a lot about the physical therapy I'm going through now and all that is ahead. It is better to think of that than dwell on the fact I missed the Coldplay concert and will be missing Feist as well. One thing that will help a lot down the road will be balance exercises, which I've always been neglectful of. This is where I think Wii Fit is going to help.
With too much time on my hands I finally think I got a successful online order of this hard-to-find product and when I'm able to stand without crutches I'll finally have something to motivate me to do proper balance and stability exercises, and hopefully other things useful to re-developing the very degenerated lower body strength.
Until then, I am painfully awaiting the day that I can at least walk normally again, which hopefully is less than a week away. This forced, temporary, painful sedentary lifestyle is killing me.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Thievery Corp, Death Cab for Cutie
Staying out late on school/work nights is what separates the cool from the not. If you just wait until Friday night, Saturday night, or a night before some random holiday to do anything fun, you're lame.
To show you how cool I am, I went out on both Sunday night and Monday night! It also helps if you have random bouts of insomnia, and the alternative is staying up late praying that sleep comes your way.
It started Sunday with Thievery Corp with Los Amigos Invisibles at the Hollywood bowl. I can't even pretend that I really know anything about either of those bands, other than the fact that my stoner friends love it and the air had a bit of the smell of a joint being passed around, but to say you had to be stoned to enjoy it would be a lie, the music from both the openers and headliner are good enough to be enjoyed without any such illicit substances.
Los Amigos Invisibles did a great job of warming up the crowd with its highly energetic, otherworldly funk/jazz/disco sounds that I'll incompetently try to explain with this short paragraph that is actually a big run on sentence. Their sound was so lively and fun that it felt like no time until the sun was finally set on this luxuriously overlong summer daylight, and then the stage literally spun around and up was Thievery Corp.
It started out with just two dj's up there, and before we knew it there was random guest star after random guest star an suddenly a vocalist, drummer, and full band all nuanced by the outstanding stage lights and welcome addition of a competent sound engineer that must have been truant from REM's show the month before.
I started out knowing nothing more about Thievery Corp other than that one of my friends at work is a huge fan and they had a popular song on the Garden State soundtrack, but obviously that is half the point I'm going to all these concerts - to learn about random bands outside my level of comfort. What I saw was an eclectic performance of what felt like an electronica band that had ventured around the world several times, finding a comfortable home at many points all over the globe, and then deciding to share all of its outerworldly wisdom with us through their sound. The whole night left me feeling excited, relaxed, and somehow more cultured and I went home very happy, but still excited for the following night.
Next up on Monday was Death Cab for Cutie, opened by Rogue Wave at the Nokia Live in downtown. What really struck me first was this new venue I hadn't experienced. Right next to the Staples Center, the building had an almost exciting street-prescence with all of its decorative lights out in front that would almost deceive you to the fact that the building is 100% utilitarian. There is not an ounce of excitement or anything of interest to the architecture of this venue, it is about as drab and stale and corporate feeling as you can get, right down to its lame display of cell phones that not a single concert goer has any interest in looking at while out to see a show.
This isn't really all a bad thing, because when I said it was utilitarian, it pulls that off quite well - the seats were of serviceable comfort and every seat out there seemed to have a decent view of the stage, and the acoustic engineering was quite well done.
Hearing Rogue Wave and then Death Cab was a great experience too, and as with the previous night I hardly knew anything about either band before. One thing was for sure, as the almost surfer-looking type walking in I was badly out of uniform by not being pale, anemic, skinny, and with pair of jeans more than 2 sizes too small and some sort of ironic t-shirt. I was almost afraid of not being hipster enough to be even allowed into the venue based on the crowd I was a part of. Somehow I still made it in and loved the show. I may not look the part, but I now love both of these bands. Both were great, Rogue Wave had their gentle, accessible indie sound that was a bit more familiar to me. Then Death Cab for Cutie won me over with its intimately melancholy sound that cries of some sort of bittersweet reflection that begged me to go and get all their albums and give it a more thorough chance.
It is surprising that I'd gone so long without really giving them a shot as my music library is full of Death Cab's neighboring-sounding bands such as The Shins, the opening band Rogue Wave, Built to Spill, Dntel... and many others that I felt were quite similar and liked by me - but that is obviously the whole point I'm going to shows like this. Death Cab might not have been the most animated up on stage, but they sounded so clean and the singer's voice was so lofty and smooth to listen too that they didn't need to rely on any such antics.
And now I'm giving Los Angeles a break, I'll be out of civilization for about two weeks. I'll pretend that there are actually people that read this and say goodbye for now.
When I'm back, if my knee allows me to I'll be at Coldplay's show at The Forum on 7/14 - or if not expect a lengthy and bitchy post complaining about me and my poor torn ACL that prevented me from experiencing another concert and chance to hang out with fun people.
To show you how cool I am, I went out on both Sunday night and Monday night! It also helps if you have random bouts of insomnia, and the alternative is staying up late praying that sleep comes your way.
It started Sunday with Thievery Corp with Los Amigos Invisibles at the Hollywood bowl. I can't even pretend that I really know anything about either of those bands, other than the fact that my stoner friends love it and the air had a bit of the smell of a joint being passed around, but to say you had to be stoned to enjoy it would be a lie, the music from both the openers and headliner are good enough to be enjoyed without any such illicit substances.
Los Amigos Invisibles did a great job of warming up the crowd with its highly energetic, otherworldly funk/jazz/disco sounds that I'll incompetently try to explain with this short paragraph that is actually a big run on sentence. Their sound was so lively and fun that it felt like no time until the sun was finally set on this luxuriously overlong summer daylight, and then the stage literally spun around and up was Thievery Corp.
It started out with just two dj's up there, and before we knew it there was random guest star after random guest star an suddenly a vocalist, drummer, and full band all nuanced by the outstanding stage lights and welcome addition of a competent sound engineer that must have been truant from REM's show the month before.
I started out knowing nothing more about Thievery Corp other than that one of my friends at work is a huge fan and they had a popular song on the Garden State soundtrack, but obviously that is half the point I'm going to all these concerts - to learn about random bands outside my level of comfort. What I saw was an eclectic performance of what felt like an electronica band that had ventured around the world several times, finding a comfortable home at many points all over the globe, and then deciding to share all of its outerworldly wisdom with us through their sound. The whole night left me feeling excited, relaxed, and somehow more cultured and I went home very happy, but still excited for the following night.
Next up on Monday was Death Cab for Cutie, opened by Rogue Wave at the Nokia Live in downtown. What really struck me first was this new venue I hadn't experienced. Right next to the Staples Center, the building had an almost exciting street-prescence with all of its decorative lights out in front that would almost deceive you to the fact that the building is 100% utilitarian. There is not an ounce of excitement or anything of interest to the architecture of this venue, it is about as drab and stale and corporate feeling as you can get, right down to its lame display of cell phones that not a single concert goer has any interest in looking at while out to see a show.
This isn't really all a bad thing, because when I said it was utilitarian, it pulls that off quite well - the seats were of serviceable comfort and every seat out there seemed to have a decent view of the stage, and the acoustic engineering was quite well done.
Hearing Rogue Wave and then Death Cab was a great experience too, and as with the previous night I hardly knew anything about either band before. One thing was for sure, as the almost surfer-looking type walking in I was badly out of uniform by not being pale, anemic, skinny, and with pair of jeans more than 2 sizes too small and some sort of ironic t-shirt. I was almost afraid of not being hipster enough to be even allowed into the venue based on the crowd I was a part of. Somehow I still made it in and loved the show. I may not look the part, but I now love both of these bands. Both were great, Rogue Wave had their gentle, accessible indie sound that was a bit more familiar to me. Then Death Cab for Cutie won me over with its intimately melancholy sound that cries of some sort of bittersweet reflection that begged me to go and get all their albums and give it a more thorough chance.
It is surprising that I'd gone so long without really giving them a shot as my music library is full of Death Cab's neighboring-sounding bands such as The Shins, the opening band Rogue Wave, Built to Spill, Dntel... and many others that I felt were quite similar and liked by me - but that is obviously the whole point I'm going to shows like this. Death Cab might not have been the most animated up on stage, but they sounded so clean and the singer's voice was so lofty and smooth to listen too that they didn't need to rely on any such antics.
And now I'm giving Los Angeles a break, I'll be out of civilization for about two weeks. I'll pretend that there are actually people that read this and say goodbye for now.
When I'm back, if my knee allows me to I'll be at Coldplay's show at The Forum on 7/14 - or if not expect a lengthy and bitchy post complaining about me and my poor torn ACL that prevented me from experiencing another concert and chance to hang out with fun people.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Zombie Joe
On a late Friday evening, right as I crossed some imaginary borderline a little bit north of the 10 freeway along the 405, I crossed between west LA and the valley and felt the incredible difference in heat. Why was I diving headfirst into this heat wave, straight into the heart of the valley when Marina del Rey was a relatively comfortable 75-79 degrees? It was partly because of the promise of Mariokart with my friends up north, but mostly to check out Zombie Joe Underground's theatre and see Micah Cover's magic show.
I'd never heard of Zombie Joe Underground or really ventured in North Hollywood before but the trip was very worthwhile. I knew I'd like the place alone when I felt the air conditioning hit me as soon as I entered. Next thing I know, the very friendly Zombie Joe himself greeted every single person entering, and the lobby was as lovingly decorated with interesting props and posters.
Any fool with great dexterity and practice can put on a magic show for mild amusement, but the theatrics and performance aspect are key. Micah Cover had all of this, topped off with a very charismatic and approachable personality that invited audience participation. He mixed his tricks with a narrative of two lost lovers, reunited in some ethereal realm while overlaying it all with some Edgar Allan Poe and kitsch 20's to 40's era music and props. He wrapped up all of these elements into a very enjoyable show, full of random audience members pulled up to assist with various parts of the performance. I even had the opportunity to help him tighten up the straitjacket which he would later free himself from while furiously reciting The Raven as a part of the narrative.
As a surprise bonus upon the conclusion of the show, every single member of the audience was granted an invitation to attend The Magic Castle.
I'd never heard of Zombie Joe Underground or really ventured in North Hollywood before but the trip was very worthwhile. I knew I'd like the place alone when I felt the air conditioning hit me as soon as I entered. Next thing I know, the very friendly Zombie Joe himself greeted every single person entering, and the lobby was as lovingly decorated with interesting props and posters.
Any fool with great dexterity and practice can put on a magic show for mild amusement, but the theatrics and performance aspect are key. Micah Cover had all of this, topped off with a very charismatic and approachable personality that invited audience participation. He mixed his tricks with a narrative of two lost lovers, reunited in some ethereal realm while overlaying it all with some Edgar Allan Poe and kitsch 20's to 40's era music and props. He wrapped up all of these elements into a very enjoyable show, full of random audience members pulled up to assist with various parts of the performance. I even had the opportunity to help him tighten up the straitjacket which he would later free himself from while furiously reciting The Raven as a part of the narrative.
As a surprise bonus upon the conclusion of the show, every single member of the audience was granted an invitation to attend The Magic Castle.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A vegan evening of comedy and fro-yo.
Mondays can be lame and depressing. However, we can control our destinies and overcome this.
I'd been told by many that I'm one of the more annoyingly health-conscious people out there. Now that I got a knee surgery around the corner and can not exercise as much as I'd like to, this is even more true. I'd been eyeing Real Food Daily for some time and looking forward to trying it out.
I'm no vegan but if all vegetarian food was this incredible I would turn in a second. I started out with some lovely miso soup. I've grown too accustomed to soup in general being over salted, especially miso, but with this one I could not find much to complain about. It was full of vegetables, none of which were overcooked as is too often the case. All of its flavor came from fresh herbs and so forth and no corners were cut here. Next came some magnificently gigantic burrito. It was ready to explode into a fury of delicious seasoned Spanish rice, avocado, red pepper, sauteed onions, something that I could have sworn was delicious bacon but obviously couldn't have been, and probably far more varieties of vegetables and herbs than I could ever possibly hope to identify. It was sort of comical that this entirely vegetable-based burrito would have the nerve to arrive with a salad on the same plate, but it was delicious enough to not be unwelcome.
It was the kind of burrito that by sight alone you'd know that you shouldn't eat it because it will akwardly park in your stomach and never move like your neighbors ugly, hippy-looking, oversized RV on your suburban street where you grew up. But the trick is, there are no refried beans or meat or grease of any kind so it ends up being more like that sleek party bus that rolls up by your place and efficiently leaves so quickly that you wish you could have had a glimpse of it a little while longer and joined in on the fun some more. If anything, it was a tragedy to lose this meal to the process of digestion (as a character on King of the Hill once said of his neighbors cooking).
As this was the La Cienega location, we were a short walk to the new Largo where our seats were awaiting us for Sarah Silverman & Friends. There's a part of me that misses the overstuffed, as claustrophobic as it was intimate setting of the old location by Fairfax, but its spirit remains in the grander-yet-still homely La Cienega venue. As you enter the tucked away entrance after being greeted by the friendly staff at the door, you find that you've stepped into a beautiful, open-aired atrium flanked by the entrance to the Coronet up ahead and the lounge area on the other. You still have the dramatically archaic piano and lounge area, coated by the beautiful cranberry raid drapes and paint, and dramatically low, diffused lighting that invites you to slow down and chat with your company that makes it still date-friendly (as if I have any of that on my calendar!). It is in this room that the spirit of the old Largo is most strong. What is new is the theatre styled Coronet room, with its cinema style chairs and high-ceiling and grander stage and subtly placed art-deco prop lighting off to the side that takes you back an era of long past.
Don't Stop or We'll Die was up first, performing lovingly light-hearted songs with an underlying anxiousness and silliness. I didn't understand why parts of the audience were laughing right away at the start of the show but it became obvious why as I finally observed that their live performance and energy was just as playful and humorous as their lyrics.
2006 Stoner of the Year Doug Benson, who will delightfully interrupt various films over at UCB hosted the whole show and brought out lots of guest that I'd seen several times before but have yet to get tired of seeing live: Tig Notaro, Steve Agee, Sarah Silverman, and then concluding with Todd Glass (the one I hadn't seen before). I can definitely respect Todd Glass for having sharing my first name and first letter of my last name, but it also helps that he was extremely hilarious. His incredible intensity and rapid-fire humor made it seem like he was just bouncing off the walls, in stark contrast to the more mellow, reaction-based, storytelling type of comedy the first three comedians were setting the pace with. Given that I appreciate both types of comedy, I enjoyed the unexpected change of pace at the tail-end of the show and hilarious extended epilouge as Doug Benson and Todd Glass concluded the show.
As we made our trek back to west LA to call it a night, someone had to suggest some fro-yo and I had no intention of refusing. I dislike Pinkberry and their imbecilic no-photography policy that they proudly boast on the outside window of their storefronts. I get the idea that their frozen yogurt is supposed to taste a bit tart which I like in concept, but it tastes too bland for me. The alternative suggested to me was Red Mango and I was pleasantly surprised. It was like Pinkberry without all the things that annoyed me. We came late enough that there was no overly-trendy crowd of addicted attention-whores, the clerk working their patiently offered us ample samplage, there was no such "no photography" policy I observed anywhere, and the yogurt itself was in the same style of, yet superior to pinkberry. Here it just tasted more like yogurt to me, and with a better balance of tartness, texture, and flavor. Even its cute little upscale Ikea looking furniture inside looked more really inviting but with the store about to close it had to be enjoyed inside a lovely 2003 Jetta. There is no other way to end the evening.
I'd been told by many that I'm one of the more annoyingly health-conscious people out there. Now that I got a knee surgery around the corner and can not exercise as much as I'd like to, this is even more true. I'd been eyeing Real Food Daily for some time and looking forward to trying it out.
I'm no vegan but if all vegetarian food was this incredible I would turn in a second. I started out with some lovely miso soup. I've grown too accustomed to soup in general being over salted, especially miso, but with this one I could not find much to complain about. It was full of vegetables, none of which were overcooked as is too often the case. All of its flavor came from fresh herbs and so forth and no corners were cut here. Next came some magnificently gigantic burrito. It was ready to explode into a fury of delicious seasoned Spanish rice, avocado, red pepper, sauteed onions, something that I could have sworn was delicious bacon but obviously couldn't have been, and probably far more varieties of vegetables and herbs than I could ever possibly hope to identify. It was sort of comical that this entirely vegetable-based burrito would have the nerve to arrive with a salad on the same plate, but it was delicious enough to not be unwelcome.
It was the kind of burrito that by sight alone you'd know that you shouldn't eat it because it will akwardly park in your stomach and never move like your neighbors ugly, hippy-looking, oversized RV on your suburban street where you grew up. But the trick is, there are no refried beans or meat or grease of any kind so it ends up being more like that sleek party bus that rolls up by your place and efficiently leaves so quickly that you wish you could have had a glimpse of it a little while longer and joined in on the fun some more. If anything, it was a tragedy to lose this meal to the process of digestion (as a character on King of the Hill once said of his neighbors cooking).
As this was the La Cienega location, we were a short walk to the new Largo where our seats were awaiting us for Sarah Silverman & Friends. There's a part of me that misses the overstuffed, as claustrophobic as it was intimate setting of the old location by Fairfax, but its spirit remains in the grander-yet-still homely La Cienega venue. As you enter the tucked away entrance after being greeted by the friendly staff at the door, you find that you've stepped into a beautiful, open-aired atrium flanked by the entrance to the Coronet up ahead and the lounge area on the other. You still have the dramatically archaic piano and lounge area, coated by the beautiful cranberry raid drapes and paint, and dramatically low, diffused lighting that invites you to slow down and chat with your company that makes it still date-friendly (as if I have any of that on my calendar!). It is in this room that the spirit of the old Largo is most strong. What is new is the theatre styled Coronet room, with its cinema style chairs and high-ceiling and grander stage and subtly placed art-deco prop lighting off to the side that takes you back an era of long past.
Don't Stop or We'll Die was up first, performing lovingly light-hearted songs with an underlying anxiousness and silliness. I didn't understand why parts of the audience were laughing right away at the start of the show but it became obvious why as I finally observed that their live performance and energy was just as playful and humorous as their lyrics.
2006 Stoner of the Year Doug Benson, who will delightfully interrupt various films over at UCB hosted the whole show and brought out lots of guest that I'd seen several times before but have yet to get tired of seeing live: Tig Notaro, Steve Agee, Sarah Silverman, and then concluding with Todd Glass (the one I hadn't seen before). I can definitely respect Todd Glass for having sharing my first name and first letter of my last name, but it also helps that he was extremely hilarious. His incredible intensity and rapid-fire humor made it seem like he was just bouncing off the walls, in stark contrast to the more mellow, reaction-based, storytelling type of comedy the first three comedians were setting the pace with. Given that I appreciate both types of comedy, I enjoyed the unexpected change of pace at the tail-end of the show and hilarious extended epilouge as Doug Benson and Todd Glass concluded the show.
As we made our trek back to west LA to call it a night, someone had to suggest some fro-yo and I had no intention of refusing. I dislike Pinkberry and their imbecilic no-photography policy that they proudly boast on the outside window of their storefronts. I get the idea that their frozen yogurt is supposed to taste a bit tart which I like in concept, but it tastes too bland for me. The alternative suggested to me was Red Mango and I was pleasantly surprised. It was like Pinkberry without all the things that annoyed me. We came late enough that there was no overly-trendy crowd of addicted attention-whores, the clerk working their patiently offered us ample samplage, there was no such "no photography" policy I observed anywhere, and the yogurt itself was in the same style of, yet superior to pinkberry. Here it just tasted more like yogurt to me, and with a better balance of tartness, texture, and flavor. Even its cute little upscale Ikea looking furniture inside looked more really inviting but with the store about to close it had to be enjoyed inside a lovely 2003 Jetta. There is no other way to end the evening.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Concerts, Concerts...
So this year I dove off the deep end with concerts. Before I'd go to maybe three a year, but for this summer it is more like three a month. It seems that I constantly have a backlog of 9 concerts I got tickets for, and and with finding more colleagues at work who suffer the same temptation and lack of restraint the situation is only getting more and more out of hand. But I do not regret any of it, I'll be looking back at this whole experience and remember how it helped me refine my tastes in music and helped me discover which venues and types of shows I like best. Along the way, I'll have a lot of fun and get to know my new friends more.
5/29/08 was REM at the bowl. The National And Modest Mouse opened up for them and played to a barely populated crowd as people slowly shuffled in the closer it got to REM. Finally as the sun set, on came the headliner. It was a fun first experience at the bowl but the biggest complaint was the ridiculous lack of volume. It was far too quiet. A secondary complaint is that much of REM's set list seemed to be from Accelerate, the latest REM album and also far from my favorite. I suppose that was to be expected but oh well, still an enjoyable show and I am looking forward to the other 5 bowl concerts I have lined up.
6/7/08 was Los Campesinos at the Troubador. My third trip to the Troub in a row! The place is really starting to feel like home.
For whatever reason we scored some VIP stickers and I got to check out the previously unexplored bar and lounge upstairs and feel all important. The VIP room turned out to be quite critical as the Troubador quickly became far, far too crowded. Compared to the last two times I'd been there, it looked like they way oversold the show and if it weren't for the barely-inhabited VIP room, I think we would have been suffocated or something.
As for the show itself, it was quite surprising to me how young this band appeared to be. I guess the youthfulness is pretty much on par with the very energetic, bouncy, poppy album they put out but it looked like a couple of young college kids up there. Los Camp didn't quite come off as polished as some other bands I'd seen, but I gotta forgive it somewhat as they are a 7 member group with very limited stage-room to work with. In the end I was won over by the light-hearted, fast-moving, catchy lyrics that come so fast you can barely begin to digest what is being said before the song is about finished.
So what else do I got coming up? Here's the roster:
6/22/08 - Thievery Corp @ Hollywood Bowl
6/23/08 - Death Cab for Cutie @ Nokia in downtown
7/14/08 - Coldplay @ The Forum
7/20/08 - Feist & Sharon Jones @ Hollywood Bowl
7/27/08 - Gnarles Barkely @ Hollywood Bowl
9/13/08 - Brian Wilson @ Hollywood Bowl
9/17/08 - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds @ Hollywood Bowl
9/20/08 - Beck/Spoon/MGMT @ Hollywood Bowl
9/22/08 - Raconteurs @ The Greek
10/2/08 - My Bloody Valentine @ Santa Monica Civic Center
I've been giving thought to venues too.
Venues I got tickets for I haven’t been to yet:SM Civic Center
Greek Theater
The Forum
Orpheum
El Rey
Spaceland
Echo
Viper Room
Music Box @ Fonda
Roxy
Key ClubVenues I’ve been to:
Wiltern
Echoplex
Troubador
Whiskey A Go Go
5/29/08 was REM at the bowl. The National And Modest Mouse opened up for them and played to a barely populated crowd as people slowly shuffled in the closer it got to REM. Finally as the sun set, on came the headliner. It was a fun first experience at the bowl but the biggest complaint was the ridiculous lack of volume. It was far too quiet. A secondary complaint is that much of REM's set list seemed to be from Accelerate, the latest REM album and also far from my favorite. I suppose that was to be expected but oh well, still an enjoyable show and I am looking forward to the other 5 bowl concerts I have lined up.
6/7/08 was Los Campesinos at the Troubador. My third trip to the Troub in a row! The place is really starting to feel like home.For whatever reason we scored some VIP stickers and I got to check out the previously unexplored bar and lounge upstairs and feel all important. The VIP room turned out to be quite critical as the Troubador quickly became far, far too crowded. Compared to the last two times I'd been there, it looked like they way oversold the show and if it weren't for the barely-inhabited VIP room, I think we would have been suffocated or something.
As for the show itself, it was quite surprising to me how young this band appeared to be. I guess the youthfulness is pretty much on par with the very energetic, bouncy, poppy album they put out but it looked like a couple of young college kids up there. Los Camp didn't quite come off as polished as some other bands I'd seen, but I gotta forgive it somewhat as they are a 7 member group with very limited stage-room to work with. In the end I was won over by the light-hearted, fast-moving, catchy lyrics that come so fast you can barely begin to digest what is being said before the song is about finished.
So what else do I got coming up? Here's the roster:
6/22/08 - Thievery Corp @ Hollywood Bowl
6/23/08 - Death Cab for Cutie @ Nokia in downtown
7/14/08 - Coldplay @ The Forum
7/20/08 - Feist & Sharon Jones @ Hollywood Bowl
7/27/08 - Gnarles Barkely @ Hollywood Bowl
9/13/08 - Brian Wilson @ Hollywood Bowl
9/17/08 - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds @ Hollywood Bowl
9/20/08 - Beck/Spoon/MGMT @ Hollywood Bowl
9/22/08 - Raconteurs @ The Greek
10/2/08 - My Bloody Valentine @ Santa Monica Civic Center
I've been giving thought to venues too.
Venues I got tickets for I haven’t been to yet:SM Civic Center
Greek Theater
The Forum
Orpheum
El Rey
Spaceland
Echo
Viper Room
Music Box @ Fonda
Roxy
Key ClubVenues I’ve been to:
Wiltern
Echoplex
Troubador
Whiskey A Go Go
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
D'oh
A torn ACL has completely obliterated my summer sports plans, so now I have to work extra hard to find more to do. Goodbye West Hollywood Stay Puft League, I hardly knew you. Planetsocialsports touch football and kickball? So long. All the friends I would have made and girls I would have hit on? Oh well! I'll return after I recover in 3-4 months, and I'll do my best stop complaining but no promises.
There are a few things on the horizon:
6/14/2008
6/20/2008
Thanks to my friend on the dodgeball team I had to quit who told me about this. I was promised an evening of haunting, magic, live performance, and drama. This would be a nice counterbalance to the millions of concerts I have tickets for.
6/21/2008:
The crew of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 will be live, in person to riff some classicly horrible movies. Now this I simply must see, however:
The only problem is it falls the same night as the June Crank Mob (biking is still ok on a torn ACL).
There are a few things on the horizon:
6/14/2008
Sure this is a typical weekly performance but I haven't been back to Asscat at the UCB theatre in ages. I'm a huge fan of Matt Besser and Matt Walsh and the rest of the crew, and Asscat was the first performance I saw at this theatre.
Or maybe Meatballs at Angel City Drive-In theatre.
I've never been before, nor have I seen this cult classic.
Or maybe Meatballs at Angel City Drive-In theatre.
I've never been before, nor have I seen this cult classic.
6/20/2008
Thanks to my friend on the dodgeball team I had to quit who told me about this. I was promised an evening of haunting, magic, live performance, and drama. This would be a nice counterbalance to the millions of concerts I have tickets for.6/21/2008:
The crew of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 will be live, in person to riff some classicly horrible movies. Now this I simply must see, however:
The only problem is it falls the same night as the June Crank Mob (biking is still ok on a torn ACL).
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Dodgeball
Everyone's favorite sport in junior high was dodgeball, unless you were the awkward, un-athetlic type that cowered in the corner that was forced to absorb the psychological torment that apparently was so intolerable that our cowardly public schools felt the need to abolish this sport.
This long-lost relic of P.E. classes is apparently going strongly for the 20-30 year old crowd that may or may not work hard during the day but still has a desire to live like they are young. I gave the Los Angeles Dodgeball Society Stay Puft League shot and I'm sold.
Social sports can be a tricky thing, some of us want formally arranged teams and matches, but we're otherwise informal and non-competitive and simply want to socialize. With that attitude, one can find themselves either stuck in an overly Fisher Price environment with a little too much of an everyone-can-win mentality, or you end up on the other end of the pendulum amongst the serious douche bags that want to WIN WIN WIN. I've been in both environments and they equally suck.
Michael Costanza must have felt the same way when he organized the Stay Puft league. There is a mixture of the athletes and newbies that simply want to go and socialize, but while athleticism certainly helps, it simply makes the difference of dodging a few more shots or hitting a few more people and the lack of that trait does not undermine the game. Also, for the most part, people appeared not take the sport seriously enough to become all competitive. Michael has stated many times that he hates "Dodgeball dicks".
All of this is played under the backdrop of a alternative universe where today's 20-30 year olds are trapped somewhere between the 70's, 80's, as evidenced by the apparel, hair styles, choice of sport, and soundtrack blared over the soundsystem.
I would have stayed later for the obligatory post-game trip to the Happy Ending bar on Sunset Blvd if it weren't for the fact I need to save my energy for the REM concert today. I think I stumbled on to a really good thing here and I can't wait for future games. I'll always be on the lookout for more recurring fun events like this that force to to not take life so seriously.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Sarah Silverman @ Largo 6/16
Sarah Silverman will be at Largo on 6/16. I wouldn't tell just anyone this, because I know that shows at Largo always sell out very quickly... but I already got my tickets so I don't have to keep it a secret anymore.
I'd seen her once before, and I've seen almost every single cast member of The Sarah Silverman Program, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her again.
Largo recently moved from its Fairfax location and I'm excited about seeing the location on La Cienega.
I'm hoping that my hero Bob Odenkirk will crash the party. There's not necessarily a logical reason to suspect he'll be there but come on they were on Mr. Show together it can happen!
I'd seen her once before, and I've seen almost every single cast member of The Sarah Silverman Program, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing her again.
Largo recently moved from its Fairfax location and I'm excited about seeing the location on La Cienega.
I'm hoping that my hero Bob Odenkirk will crash the party. There's not necessarily a logical reason to suspect he'll be there but come on they were on Mr. Show together it can happen!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Beyond the Infinite
I was lucky enough to notice one of my all-time favorite films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, was playing at the Aero in Santa Monica tonight.
The film is very difficult to describe, and even more challenging to view.
Mankind in its apelike form shows our earliest impulses of humanity: fear, curiosity, wonder, and the discovery of tools. A primate discovers a bone, finds its uses for hunting for food, and eventually for bludgeoning a fellow primate to death over a territorial battle. This tool is triumphantly thrown into the air as we cut to the spaceship millions of years later where mankind has reached the limits of its evolution and outer limits of space.
The entire story is told with absolutely beautiful sound and immaculate visual engineering, Bruce Logan who had worked on the film with Kubrick gave an extensive talk about his work before the start of the movie. The special effects were so far ahead of their time it is very difficult to believe that the film is about 40 years old and was in production before the first images of outer space and the moon had even reached Earth.
The film reel was an apparently-rare 70mm print, with 6 channels of sound. This meant that despite the obvious effect of aging and scratches, the picture was in the absolute highest resolution that ever existed for the film. For nearly any other film I wouldn't be so picky, but for anyone who has seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, you would understand just how important this is.
I hadn't seen the film in almost a decade, but it hit me just as hard as it did the first time I saw it. From the painful silence and breathing as the HAL9000 murders one of the scientists to blaring orchestral score that preceded and concluded the film, it was truly a journey beyond the infinite. As I left the theater, it was very disorienting to be back in Santa Monica, California after it had felt as if you'd been taken to the far limits of space.
The film is very difficult to describe, and even more challenging to view.
Mankind in its apelike form shows our earliest impulses of humanity: fear, curiosity, wonder, and the discovery of tools. A primate discovers a bone, finds its uses for hunting for food, and eventually for bludgeoning a fellow primate to death over a territorial battle. This tool is triumphantly thrown into the air as we cut to the spaceship millions of years later where mankind has reached the limits of its evolution and outer limits of space.
The entire story is told with absolutely beautiful sound and immaculate visual engineering, Bruce Logan who had worked on the film with Kubrick gave an extensive talk about his work before the start of the movie. The special effects were so far ahead of their time it is very difficult to believe that the film is about 40 years old and was in production before the first images of outer space and the moon had even reached Earth.
The film reel was an apparently-rare 70mm print, with 6 channels of sound. This meant that despite the obvious effect of aging and scratches, the picture was in the absolute highest resolution that ever existed for the film. For nearly any other film I wouldn't be so picky, but for anyone who has seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, you would understand just how important this is.
I hadn't seen the film in almost a decade, but it hit me just as hard as it did the first time I saw it. From the painful silence and breathing as the HAL9000 murders one of the scientists to blaring orchestral score that preceded and concluded the film, it was truly a journey beyond the infinite. As I left the theater, it was very disorienting to be back in Santa Monica, California after it had felt as if you'd been taken to the far limits of space.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
C.R.A.N.K. mob
Last Saturday, on 5/17/08, I had the most surreal, lucid dream. I took a magical bicycle ride for many miles, all the way from the northern tip of Marina del Rey to a strip-mall-like Japanese area known as the Sawtelle and LaGrange intersection where I waited for the true beginning of my adventure.
I played hackeysack with a man on fire, a bumble-bee lady and devil-girl chatted, open-container alcoholic beverages were apparently legal, and impromptu jump-roping matches sprung up all over. This was the start of an encore of madness all with the backdrop of an army of 200 people in their 20's-30's on their bicycles, night lights blinking furiously all over.
Before I knew it, a man in a tuxedo on a retro-street bicycle pulled up, towing a baby carriage that held a massive speaker pumping 80's trance tunes. This would have held my attention, if it weren't for the fact I was immediately distracted by the pretend-fight that broke out between the cross-dressed man and the other man dressed as a gigantic pile of poo. Spongebob Squarepants then biked over and looked as confused as I was.
And we were off, terrorizing parking lots all over Westwood, heckling the automobiles that tried to cut us off, giggling at the confused-looking police officers that randomly passed by, occupying a valet-lot with bicycles held triumphantly above us, complete with fat 80's beats reigning down all over from the strange spirit in corperal form dressed in a tuxedo.
Maybe it was because I was listening to Joy Division the other day that I dreamt up this part where the tuxedo-clad bicycle DJ pumps up some New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle as we descend upon this poor Westwood 7-11:
Yeah my camera works in dream-land, sometimes (this was one of the last things to ever come out of my now-dead camera).
The insanity would reach levels as high as the sky where the fireworks we launched blew up to the terror of us and everyone. I woke up the next day a changed person, never to look at west Los Angeles the same way.
Last February I experienced this same dream, now I remember. My brother was there...so were other friends. I want to have this dream every third Saturday of every month, but sometimes life gets in the way. When things that get in the way are of equal awesomeness, it is hard to complain: I missed it in March I was busy showing a beautiful Australian girl some of the best, obscure, overlooked parts of Los Angeles shortly before she had to leave the country. I missed it again in April because another awesome girl and I were out to witness Sarah Silverman, Bob Odenkirk, Tim and Eric, the band Foreign Born, and other awesome people. But if my only complaint is that there was too much awesome stuff going on I think I have it prettaaaay prettaaaaay good.
Hello
Hercules: The Legendary Journey was a decent show, and then in one episode they announce this off-the-wall Xena character. She was kind of annoying at first, but she grows on you, after she appears on-and-off in random episodes. Then, before you know it, Xena has her own spin-off show and completely seperate plots, but the two are always friends and sometimes have adventures together.
So I've made a few post over at my friend's blog, Retox:
Tim and Eric Awesome Tour, May 5, 2008
The Duke Spirit, May 10 2008
And now with my own spin-off blog, as with Xena this is certain to quickly become more popular, and with more sex appeal than the blog it originated from...
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