tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23809962784307252632024-03-13T12:08:56.947-07:00Critical ThinkingBradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-6929142235484823282011-10-01T14:42:00.000-07:002011-10-01T14:47:37.837-07:00Follow me on TumblrI recently opened a Tumblr account, and am now regularly blogging there, albeit with briefer posts and commentary. So please <a href="http://bradleysroka.tumblr.com">follow me</a> if you wish. I’m also on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bradleysroka">Facebook</a>, of course, and I have a Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/bjsroka">account</a>. Thanks for reading!Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-81932446065837841672011-03-08T15:13:00.001-08:002011-03-08T15:20:09.449-08:00Doris Lessing tells it like it isThis is from the remarks at the beginning of Doris Lessing's collected <span style="font-style:italic;">Canopus in Argos: Archives</span>:<br /><br />"I was in the States, giving a talk, and the professor who was acting as chairwoman, and whose only fault was that perhaps she had fed too long on the pieties of academia, interrupted me with: 'If I had you in my class you'd never get away with that!' (Of course it is not everyone who finds this funny.) I had been saying that space fiction, with science fiction, makes up the most original branch of literature now; it is inventive and witty; it has already enlivened all kinds of writing; and that literary academics and pundits are much to blame for patronizing or ignoring it—while of course by their nature they can be expected to do no other. This view shows signs of becoming the stuff of orthodoxy." <br /><br />In my life, space fiction equals popular music. Discuss.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-81590045216885656082011-01-03T20:17:00.001-08:002011-01-08T20:53:24.241-08:00My Afternoon with Robert Christgau<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEzx23I5_DpVLk6qJLH9y4Uj8J0b4Zxpe8zRrzqYPnqpBCugKBVxI67Ad0-iG2VfTzK4JJr9HSgXn5ieLT1Snut8N8ktjx7N30mLCJ51ysLTZPgw3Uyc_vWmOMgNp_u2ype6Li9OSOFZI/s1600/Me+and+Christgau.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIEzx23I5_DpVLk6qJLH9y4Uj8J0b4Zxpe8zRrzqYPnqpBCugKBVxI67Ad0-iG2VfTzK4JJr9HSgXn5ieLT1Snut8N8ktjx7N30mLCJ51ysLTZPgw3Uyc_vWmOMgNp_u2ype6Li9OSOFZI/s320/Me+and+Christgau.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560044678995170210" /></a><br /><br />As many of you know, I met music critic Robert Christgau last Wednesday at his home in NYC. I interviewed him for about 3 hours, after which we sat with his wife, spoke more casually, and drank whiskey for another 30-60 minutes. Swoon! Again, as many of you know, this man’s work means the world to me, and I’m writing my PhD dissertation about his work and its applications to academia and other kinds of life on earth. Heavy. Anyway, the entire experience was some kind of adventure. Here’s what happened:<br /><br />A snowstorm happened. Monday night. Maryland was not hit too hard, but everywhere to the north and south of us was buried in snow. We had reservations on a Greyhound bus, but apparently they are a first come, first served operation, which isn’t a problem unless other forms of transportation are canceled due to snow. The bus arrived and they had seats for only 4 passengers. Thirty to forty of us were in line, of course. After a mild panic, my in-laws offered to drive us up to NYC. Unfortunately, by the time we would have driven back home, prepared for the trip, and gotten back on the road, we probably wouldn’t have made it in time for my interview with Mr. Christgau. So I called to cancel or postpone.<br /><br />I hate phones. (Ring.) I have trouble understanding just about everyone on a cell phone, and I always notice those uncomfortable pauses and delays that seem to be inherent in this otherwise convenient technology. (Ring.) What if I misunderstand him, or it’s awkward? (Click.) <br /><br />“Hello?” <br /><br />“Hello, is this Mr. Christgau?” <br /><br />“Yes.” <br /><br />“This is Bradley Sroka, I’m interviewing you this afternoon. But I don’t think I can make it. Can we postpone, or do the interview over the phone?” <br /><br />(Pause.) (Longer pause.) <br /><br />“No, I don’t think so…” (My world is ending…) “We can’t do it over the phone…” (Okay, maybe only crumbling…) “This kind of thing needs to be done in person.” (Plane tickets are expensive, but I can do this…) “How about tomorrow at 3?” (Oh, sweet Jesus, thank you!) <br /><br />We talked about the blizzard in New York. He gave me directions from my sister-in-law’s apartment to his apartment so that I could stick to the sidewalks that are plowed. He relieved all of my fears, because he came across as a nice and helpful man. We hung up, the family jumped in the car, and we made it to NYC by Tuesday evening.<br /><br />When I arrived at Christgau’s apartment on Wednesday afternoon, he was listening to Big Boi’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Sir Lucious Left Foot</span> one more time, and we talked about Eminem’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Recovery</span> for a few minutes, which I’d figured for a dud, but he graded A- after waking up with “Love the Way You Lie” in his head (both reviews were posted at his Expert Witness blog Friday morning). He asked if I wanted coffee, I said yes because I never turn down coffee, and he sat me down in his dining room for the interview, much of the content of which will end up in my dissertation. <br /><br />So, what was he like? I expected him to be… I don’t know, hard to impress? And perhaps he can be. But in our interview he was charming, forthcoming, kind, candid, and thoughtful, just like his writing. When he answered my questions, he was far more animated than I expected, and throughout our conversation he was enthusiastic, attentive, and serious yet always playful. He was unpretentious. I’m also pleased to report that based on this interview my theories concerning his work are correct, or at least on the right track. <br /><br />After the bulk of the interview, he let me poke around his office, and check out his running lists of as-yet-unpublished raves and pans. I pulled out my new CD of Louis Armstrong’s first recording sessions (in 1923 with King Oliver), and he eagerly put it on the stereo. We talked a little, ate crackers, olives and cheese, and he asked me questions about myself. His wonderful wife Carola and I spoke a little about favorite TV shows, which was great except my mind was burned out given the last three hours, so I owe her a better, more extensive list of faves. <br /><br />After a while, I decided not to overstay my welcome, though both hosts were gracious. I said my goodbyes, and met Becky across the street where she waited for me drinking ginger ale with free refills at an empty bar. I waited until now to write this little travelogue, because from that moment until this morning, it was all too much to compute. Christgau’s writing made me who I am—he provided me a way to see the world that is smart and critical, yet fun and pleasurable. That’s big, and it’s made me a much better and happier person. I hope to explain this in my dissertation. In the meantime, I feel satisfied, and I’m eager to get to work. This essay was a nice first step. Thanks for reading!<br /><br />Bradley Sroka<br />1/3/11Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-82638878936191177942010-10-20T12:09:00.000-07:002010-10-20T12:11:10.264-07:00A Priori PanicI wrote a poem! WTF?! First of many? We'll see.<br /><br />A Priori Panic<br /><br />We heard an alarming sound in the attic<br />What is it?<br />It sounds like a raccoon<br />No, the sound was very loud<br />I think it’s a fallen branch<br />Or it could be a downed power line! I said<br />What do we do?<br />Let’s theorize<br /><br />It could be catastrophic<br />What if there’s a fire?<br />I’m worried about that power line<br />Maybe I should find gloves to insulate my hands<br />A fire extinguisher<br />Something to protect my face<br /><br />If lightning struck the house<br />It would electrocute us all!<br />The alarm may not sound<br />And the neighbors are away for the weekend<br />We could be trapped in here!<br /><br />Wait.<br /><br />We should just look in the attic, empirically.<br /><br />It was a raccoon.<br />We called pest control<br /><br />Bradley Sroka<br />10/20/10Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-11894076827393733652010-03-28T09:58:00.001-07:002011-01-01T12:53:00.469-08:00Mad Max Marathon!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweTuJeQeGP6ddy-wA5wlVYRMoFoWUXUnUMaxqDM3m6atMgJzLZJ0rvu-gswVBxu2dWdOaDNCqH8Uk3CYH3yhYYbQ6xYiOBpuPKbso7Hgg_I4hnr9Pl_IqevhRRr5M7ecsW8t8FLKTZoRA/s1600/Mad_max_beyond_thunderdome.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjweTuJeQeGP6ddy-wA5wlVYRMoFoWUXUnUMaxqDM3m6atMgJzLZJ0rvu-gswVBxu2dWdOaDNCqH8Uk3CYH3yhYYbQ6xYiOBpuPKbso7Hgg_I4hnr9Pl_IqevhRRr5M7ecsW8t8FLKTZoRA/s320/Mad_max_beyond_thunderdome.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557323080114283954" /></a><br />Today is the day. I've been in love with Tina Turner's "We Don't Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)" for weeks now, so, to celebrate the end of my exam week, we are watching all three Mad Max films starting at 11 am. This will require discipline, perseverance, and, perhaps, a bucket. But we will succeed. Do we "live under the fear, until nothing else remains"? Perhaps. Maybe "all we want is life beyond the Thunderdome." If so, thankfully it only takes about 6 hours, given that each movie is around 90 minutes. However, we could also read the line as a metaphor for the dream of a life outside of the influence of the military-industrial complex, or beyond our post-9/11 surveillance culture. But that may drag our task out a lot longer. Who wants popcorn?<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330017&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330017&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object>Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-1930195955885184522010-02-11T08:13:00.001-08:002010-11-21T10:14:18.005-08:00M.I.A.'s Paper Planes Revealed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR2a16Wr90-B2TC6fe5PFo2vZ6Q0CaC9BwLi9HvAkbRm_ZUpZfkkGWazi2j2PpXmqDeoAA0ja2Cp2TTyhjtC39B3BuO341bD78fd1l2aA6GzzwN74-E9Yf4uN0vnukAyASH38K8HwFWKe/s1600/miaboyz.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPR2a16Wr90-B2TC6fe5PFo2vZ6Q0CaC9BwLi9HvAkbRm_ZUpZfkkGWazi2j2PpXmqDeoAA0ja2Cp2TTyhjtC39B3BuO341bD78fd1l2aA6GzzwN74-E9Yf4uN0vnukAyASH38K8HwFWKe/s320/miaboyz.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542067966775820114" /></a><br /><br />I gave a presentation about M.I.A.'s song "Paper Planes" today for Mina Yang's "Theorizing Popular Music" class. Students are giving presentations over the next few weeks where they need to use their new tools of analysis to pick apart a pop song. As the T.A., I volunteered to give an example presentation to help them out. I think it turned out really well, so I thought I'd post it here. Enjoy!<br /><br />M.I.A. ends her hit “Paper Planes” with two brief but significant statements: “M.I.A. Third World democracy. I got more records than the KGB. So no funny business!” and “Some some some I murder, Some some I let go.” Catchy, right? Let’s see: “Third World democracy.” In the hook we get gunshots and cash registers. In the third verse, “Skulls and bones/Sticks and stones and weed and bongs.” We get images of an underground meritocracy driven by violence, drugs, and money. In the first verse, the narrator sells counterfeit Visas:<br /><br />I’ll fly like paper, get high like planes<br />If you catch me at the border I got Visas in my name<br />If you come around here I’ll make ‘em all day<br />I’ll get one done in a second if you wait<br /><br />In the second verse, “every step [she] gets to [she’s] clocking that game”; a “bonafide hustler making [her] name.”<br /><br />From the lyrics, “Paper Planes” could either be sad and grim realism or a hard glorification of the street, either of which would be familiar. Except we also get the novelty sound effects of gun shots and cash registers, set up by a quote from Wrecks-n-Effects’ “Rump Shaker,” which goes “All I wanna do is room a zoom a zoom zoom and a boom boom/Just shake your rump,” or, for M.I.A., “take your money.” Does she mean to tell us that stealing money at gunpoint is some kind of party? Later she says “we pack and deliver like UPS trucks.” So is it okay to be clever when boasting about shipping stolen goods and/or drugs? Is it really boasting? If this is grim realism, why is the song so much fun? Does that sense of fun add meaning to the grim realism, or confuse that meaning? Why is it charming and funny rather than chilling when she says “no funny business”? Especially preceding the chant “Some I murder, some I let go.” What codes and meanings are taking place here?<br /><br />These are not easy questions to answer. I’ll begin with some context. Like the children in Slumdog Millionaire, which featured this song after it was a hit in the summer of 2008, M.I.A. grew up in a violent country. She is a refugee of Sri Lanka, which is governed by the majority Sinhalese Buddhists, though her family is of the oppressed minority Tamil Hindus. The civil war in Sri Lanka began in 1983, when the Tamil Tigers began a series of terrorists’ acts against the Sinhalese, including early examples of terrorist suicide bombings. In fact, these Tamil Tigers invented the “jacket” worn by suicide bombers, which we may be more familiar with from conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians. M.I.A.’s father is a Tamil Tiger, though she does not communicate with him and does not condone terrorist actions. Her mother left Sri Lanka with M.I.A. and her sister when M.I.A. was ten, and M.I.A. was raised and educated in London, England, with her mother and away from her father. Much of her music takes place in Third World communities like the one she grew up in where violence and terrorism are a continuous threat to everyday life.<br /><br />Now, listen to “Paper Planes” with this in mind. Also listen to the beautiful sample that opens the piece, and the novelty sound effects in the chorus or hook. Then we’ll talk.<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283450&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283450&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br />The music underneath most of “Paper Planes” comes from a passage in “Straight to Hell” by the Clash, a song from their 1982 album Combat Rock. <br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283443&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283443&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br />I believe the Clash’s song is about Third World people whose economies and cultures are displaced by war and imperialism, but it’s hard to say. I do know that Americans and Brits are the ones telling the victims that they are going Straight to Hell, like salt in an already painful wound. And it’s precisely this mentality that I believe our criminals in M.I.A.’s song are reacting against.<br /><br />I believe this is the concept behind one of two major components to this song: both M.I.A.’s lyrics and the meaning attached to the Clash sample tell us that M.I.A.’s song is about the underprivileged getting there’s in a world that does not want them. Or, as critic Robert Christgau puts it, “Paper Planes” “imagine[s] and recreate[s] an unbowed international underclass that proves how smart it is just by stating its business, which includes taking your money.” All of which is interesting and meaningful, but may not actually capture what is truly magical and transcendent about “Paper Planes,” or M.I.A. as an artist. Our responses to beautiful art are rarely that rational.<br /><br />Consider the gunshot and cash register sound effects in the refrain of this song. They do share a meaning with the lyrics, but they also share coding with the sound effects used in novelty songs. I’m thinking of “Leader of the Pack” by the Shangri-Las, with the motorcycle sounds that punctuate the hook “that when I fell for/the Leader of the Pack.” Or the seagulls in the refrain of their “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” <br /><br />However, these sound effects are more dramatic than musical. Consider instead something like Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang,” where the sounds of the hammers and grunts of a prison work crew contribute to the texture and rhythm of an otherwise conventional R&B song.<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283434&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283434&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br />Though this is topical, more contemporary examples are less so. Missy Elliott inspired M.I.A. to rap, and she originally wanted to write her second album, Kala, which features “Paper Planes,” with Elliott’s former songwriting partner, Timbaland. (Unfortunately, M.I.A. was not allowed to stay in America at the time due to her father’s activities with the Tamil Tigers.) In Elliott’s “Work It,” sound effects stand in for words, though the content is more sexual than political. And other sound effects, like her backwards rhyming, are meaningful as music more than as text.<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283440&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283440&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br />I believe “Paper Planes” also signifies with this kind of musical coding, so that, even though the lyrics depict a rather grim social crisis, the music contradicts that crisis with novelty sound effects, so that the greater meaning presented by the music and the lyrics together is more complex. Though the Clash lyric is similar to M.I.A’s lyric, I’m not sure we are expected to know the Clash sample independent of “Paper Planes.” And yet, if the music contradicts the lyrics, why do they seem to go together so well? Why is “more records than the KGB” funny rather than terrifying?<br /><br />This is going way out of the parameters of this class, but I can’t help myself. I believe this is an example of Theodor Adorno’s theory of Negative Dialectics. In his writing concerning Negative Dialectics, Adorno was trying to make sense of why very dissonant, ugly music was so meaningful, and why consonant, beautiful music seemed to ring so false. He postulated that, after the tragedies of WWI and WWII, “beauty” could no longer be trusted; that beauty was easily corruptible, and could be used to manipulate people by provoking them to react with canned emotions. However, dissonant music, especially atonal music, did not produce canned emotions or reactions, and was therefore less corruptible, and more truthful. <br /><br />Taken a step further, I believe that meaning in music in the late twentieth century is only possible when something expressive is cut with something inexpressive, or dissonant, or contradictory. So that something like “Paper Planes” would be less meaningful if it only expressed a grim reality—if it didn’t include novelty sounds and humor. Think about it: M.I.A.’s street hustlers aren’t selling counterfeit Visas, then crying about their lost childhoods. They’re boasting about their swagger. And this is truthful, too. It’s easy to set tales of whoa to sad music, and then to wallow in pity. But it’s not always entirely truthful. I’m glad M.I.A. writes about street life in “Third World democracies,” which in itself is funny and contradictory because these democracies are not about every citizen having a vote so much as every citizen fighting to get what’s there’s. I’m glad that reality has a voice. But I’m also glad M.I.A. is a musician as well as a storyteller, so that the messy, complex, contradictory, irrational, disturbing, and exhilarating reality of life can be expressed in all of its beauty. The world may be sad, but it’s also happy, often in the same instant. It’s something to think about. And in art, it’s something to treasure.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-16686682045847026182009-12-19T11:01:00.000-08:002011-01-01T13:09:05.295-08:00Looking for the Crest of a New Wave<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IxDTn4NKjenTls03juQDJcBBsxgUKrtCHlJzQ1hcDtaapR2t2OwsneHxTl1RkvQL7VNpp0jAMAbKfIWQt7m5hWA6eOPfDIg4QkJlG9Tf7Nvq3elJurD4Cg79WxM-xm0IePWz5ZdeLr0t/s1600/againstme_08.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9IxDTn4NKjenTls03juQDJcBBsxgUKrtCHlJzQ1hcDtaapR2t2OwsneHxTl1RkvQL7VNpp0jAMAbKfIWQt7m5hWA6eOPfDIg4QkJlG9Tf7Nvq3elJurD4Cg79WxM-xm0IePWz5ZdeLr0t/s320/againstme_08.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542067792051390130" /></a><br /><br />Over the last week of my hectic semester I found that I had three listening trends that I’m trying to make some sense of now that the semester is over. First, I can credit an interest in period instrument performances to Dr. Bruce Brown at USC; as I was studying for my final exam, I fell in love with the Beethoven and Mozart performances required as listening. Several of these recordings feature a pianoforte, which brings attention to each composers’ considerations of the range and texture of this new (at the time) instrument. What a difference! Subsequently, I borrowed the Trevor Pinnock collection of Mozart symphonies, and the John Eliot Gardiner collection of Mozart piano concertos, both on Archiv, from the library. Recommended.<br /><br />Second, I can’t stop buying metal albums off of Decibel’s Best Metal of the Decade list. If you remember from a previous post, my metal phase started with Ian Christe’s book this summer, which led me to several albums I’ve come to like, but albums from the Decibel list that I’d never ever heard of are really stretching my personal aesthetic. I listen to a lot of metal out of interest, but now I’m listening because I’m sincerely addicted to it. Opeth’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Blackwater Park</span>, which I bought a year or so ago, is now at the top of my personal playlist, despite serious reservations about Mikael Akerfeldt’s occasional crooning (I prefer it when he sounds like the cookie monster). Two things keep bringing me back: <br /><br />1. Typically the songs will alternate between soft and loud passages, without referring to conventional song form. This is done so poorly so often that I’m enjoying how successfully this band can pull it off. The album comes across like a Romantic nineteenth-century symphony, as problematic as that can be for my personal aesthetic. The New Grove encyclopedia defines Romanticism as wild and unruly compared to classicism, which is a challenge for me because, as a Christgau-ian pop music scholar, I’m a classicist. But Opeth create rewarding peaks with these waves of action and emotion tempered by somber moments that still remain consistent within a larger metal aesthetic (which, I theorize, is essential for the genre). So rather than soak in each moment as a moment, I find the album gains power when you can hear each part within the larger composition, which happens as the album becomes more familiar.<br /><br />2. Also, though I’m not a big fan of metal’s obsession with suspended chords and the lot, Akerfeldt finds some sweet notes within the harmony when he writes melodies, and the lead guitar parts pick up on them as well. I haven’t completed any kind of analysis, but to my ears it’s like when a jazz performer nails a flat 7th or another non-diatonic note within a chord—it’s unexpected and yet so perfect. And this happens on <span style="font-style:italic;">Blackwater Park</span> quite often. Yummy.<br /><br />Other than <span style="font-style:italic;">Blackwater Park</span>, I’m listening to Cave In’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Jupiter</span>, Isis’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Oceanic</span>, and Mastodon’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Remission</span>, and a few others, though I like these four the best so far.<br /><br />The third listening trend is my addiction to Against Me!’s <span style="font-style:italic;">New Wave</span> three years late. I finally picked it up at Rockaway records a couple weeks ago, and this week I’ve had it in steady rotation. For the record, 2007 is my favorite year for music. I get all tingly inside when I think about the first time I heard M.I.A.’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Kala</span>, Arcade Fire’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Neon Bible</span>, Lily Allen’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Alright, Still</span>, and Rilo Kiley’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Under the Blacklight</span>. I listened to Burial’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Untrue</span> when I walked around Los Angeles at night during my first trip to California to interview with USC in January 2008. <span style="font-style:italic;">Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</span> made me a huge Miranda Lambert fan. And 2007 was the year I taught my first music classes, so all of the music of this time is special to me. Anyway, that said, it took me a while to figure out <span style="font-style:italic;">New Wave</span>.<br /><br />In his Consumer Guide review, Robert Christgau writes that <span style="font-style:italic;">New Wave</span> is produced by “Butch Vig (of Garbage, not Nirvana).” This doesn’t make a lot of sense after only a couple listens to the album; the compositions are terse and the production abrasive, which is unlike both Vig’s production for Garbage and Nirvana. But, again, with familiarity, the sound of each song opens up: you hear the layers of guitar overdubs, the backwards tape effect on “Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart,” and the background vocals on “Up the Cuts,” all of which are more typical of Garbage than Nirvana. And then you also hear the sublime moves outside of punk harmony in just about every song, and you hear the lyrics. <br /><br />Ah, those lyrics! “Thrash Unreal” and “Borne on the FM Waves” have so much clear-eyed, unsentimental empathy, and so much love. And the calls for change in “New Wave” and “Up the Cuts” are so universal and full of hope. I just love it. In fact, I love it so much that I still haven’t absorbed the album past “Borne on the FM Waves”; after that song, I can’t help but go back to the beginning and listen to all six songs again. <br /><br />Okay, that’s all for now. Below are links to <span style="font-style:italic;">Blackwater Park</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">New Wave</span> over at Grooveshark. Thanks for reading!<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330043&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330043&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283481&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23283481&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object>Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-87627355071552998732009-12-09T12:23:00.000-08:002009-12-09T13:12:42.101-08:00Classical Stocking Stuffer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOzbdkIvWLc8UzC8O8GEi5fagHzTL4jzFMu-MniG4eiQGYN45l4yPh0Qj7zqG-qSS0_NXAE-Ej6MVmvDWEdXwsSJdNPpC02h_6rudLn98FJSCT2mkqlYwbgusM2MkjjJ_lFI3hU6JBpZr/s1600-h/61BpBWysl+L._SS500_.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXOzbdkIvWLc8UzC8O8GEi5fagHzTL4jzFMu-MniG4eiQGYN45l4yPh0Qj7zqG-qSS0_NXAE-Ej6MVmvDWEdXwsSJdNPpC02h_6rudLn98FJSCT2mkqlYwbgusM2MkjjJ_lFI3hU6JBpZr/s320/61BpBWysl+L._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413342669117774914" /></a><br />I love procrastinating! While I'm supposed to be studying for exams today, I decided instead to make an album mix DVD for Steven of my favorite classical music. This was tricky because I don't follow any particular classical canon or critic, but rather rely on recommendations from a few sources, including Alex Ross and the Gramophone, and the hit or miss of borrowing and purchasing at random. As my friends know, I purchase and borrow popular music based on the criticism of Robert Christgau, to the point where its kind of a religious fanaticism. For classical, however, I've had a falling out with Alex Ross (nothing personal), and don't know where else to turn. So I just get whatever, listen to whatever, and try to find my way.<br /><br />So, here are 22 recordings I adore. I am not an expert by any means, so these are not the "best" of anything except, perhaps, my personal collection. But I love them, and recommend them. Also note that there are very few adventurous recordings here--I'm not sure Steven would be into those. Merry Christmas!<br /><br />C.P.E. Bach, Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (Andrew Manze)<br />J.S. Bach, Bach Cantatas (Lorraine Hunt Lieberson)<br />J.S. Bach, The Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould/1955)<br />Béla Bartók, The Piano Concertos (Anda/DG Originals)<br />L.V. Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 "Choral" (Osmo Vänskä)<br />David Behrman, On the Other Ocean/Figure in a Clearing (Lovely)<br />Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (John Eliot Gardiner/1991)<br />Crystal Tears (Andreas Scholl)<br />Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 1 (Kubelik/DG Originals)<br />Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 6 (Claudio Abbado/2005)<br />Olivier Messiaen, Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Walter Boeykens)<br />W.A. Mozart, Clarinet Concerto/Clarinet Quintet (Martin Fröst)<br />Arvo Pärt, Tabula Rasa (ECM)<br />Prokofiev/Ravel, Piano Concertos (Argerich/DG Originals)<br />Terry Riley, In C (Bang on a Can)<br />Franz Schubert, Goethe Lieder (Fischer-Dieskau/DG Originals)<br />Franz Schubert, String Quintet D.956 (Alban Berg Quartett)<br />Robert Schumann, Dichterliebe (Wunderlich/DG Originals)<br />Jean Sibelius, Symphonies Nos. 4-7 (Karajan/DG Originals)<br />Song of Songs (Stile Antico)<br />Igor Stravinsky, Pétrouchka/Le Sacre du printemps (Boulez/Sony)<br />Toru Takemitsu, Chamber Works (Naxos)Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-47155429117128422902009-10-04T15:24:00.000-07:002011-01-01T13:01:18.921-08:00Where My Veterans At?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/9600555/New+York+Dolls+new_york_dolls_l.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/_/9600555/New+York+Dolls+new_york_dolls_l.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Pitchfork published their list of the <a href="http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7706-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-200-151/">top 200 albums of the 2000s</a> last week, and the net has a bunch of opinions about the matter, but none as interesting as this one: the <a href="http://winkscollectibles.blogspot.com/2009/10/best-of-decade-pitchforks-top-200.html">lack of veteran performers</a>. As you can see, this link is to a website dedicated to musicians who have performed for 25 or more years. Pitchfork gives up only 4 out of 200 to veterans, and surprisingly does not include either of Bob Dylan's masterpieces of the decade, <span style="font-style:italic;">Modern Times</span> or <span style="font-style:italic;">Love and Theft</span>, or Brian Wilson's <span style="font-style:italic;">Smile</span>. Weird. <br /><br />Everyone has a list of omissions, and mine includes: the Go-Betweens' <span style="font-style:italic;">The Friends of Rachel Worth</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Oceans Apart</span>, Mekons' <span style="font-style:italic;">OOOH!</span> and Jon Langford's A<span style="font-style:italic;">ll the Fame of Lofty Deeds</span>, Orchestre Baobab's <span style="font-style:italic;">Made in Dakar</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Specialist in All Styles</span>, Lou Reed's <span style="font-style:italic;">Ecstasy</span>, Steely Dan's <span style="font-style:italic;">Two Against Nature</span>, Tom Waits's <span style="font-style:italic;">Orphans</span>, Madonna's <span style="font-style:italic;">Music</span>, Tom Ze's <span style="font-style:italic;">Jogos de Armar</span>, Maria Muldaur's <span style="font-style:italic;">Heart of Mine: The Love Songs of Bob Dylan</span>, New York Dolls' <span style="font-style:italic;">One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This</span>, Randy Newman's <span style="font-style:italic;">Harps and Angels</span>, Orlando Cachaito Lopez's <span style="font-style:italic;">Cachaito</span>, Marianne Faithfull's new <span style="font-style:italic;">Easy Come Easy Go</span>, and Willie Nelson's new <span style="font-style:italic;">Willie and the Wheel</span>. <br /><br />Perhaps the most surprising offenses, beyond the above Dylan and Wilson omissions, are the absence of Youssou N'Dour, who released three near-perfect albums over the last 10 years (<span style="font-style:italic;">Nothing's in Vain</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">Egypt</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Rokku Mi Rokka</span>), and the inclusion of <span style="font-style:italic;">Murray Street</span> by Sonic Youth (their weakest in 25 years?) and the exclusion of two of their finest, <span style="font-style:italic;">NYC Ghosts and Flowers</span>, and <span style="font-style:italic;">Rather Ripped</span>. Of course, there's also the omission of Ornette Coleman's Pulitzer Prize winning <span style="font-style:italic;">Sound Grammar</span>.<br /><br />That said, Pitchfork's top 50 is pretty good, and though I'd replace most of them with my own favorites (like anyone), I enjoy contemplating their choices. Given their aesthetic, nothing in <a href="http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7710-the-top-200-albums-of-the-2000s-20-1/">their top 20</a> seems ridiculous, which is kind of new for them. But really, people, you didn't hear a better album than Kid A this decade? I'm sorry to hear that. Let me recommend...<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330032&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330032&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330036&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330036&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330038&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330038&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object><br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330039&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330039&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object>Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-40805694456201958592009-10-03T19:00:00.000-07:002011-01-01T13:07:50.468-08:00I Heart Weekends<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20090805/425.community.jacobs.mchale.lc.080509.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 425px; height: 315px;" src="http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/20090805/425.community.jacobs.mchale.lc.080509.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />What a week! I made it through hours of grading, reading, and tutoring, so I've taken the last couple days off, more or less. I was pulling 10-12 hours days there for a while, so naturally I got a cold. This is happening more and more it seems. Anyway, sneezing and coughing aside, I've had a good couple days off. After my long haul of classes on Thursday, I watched a couple episodes of Battlestar Gallactica on DVD (I'm up to season 3), then the NBC Parks and Recreation, Office, and Community trifecta. <br /><br />Am I the only one who loves these shows? Sure, everyone loves the Office, but I need to stand up for Parks and Recreation, and Community. I didn't like Parks and Recreation at first either, but the last episode of the first season pulled me in, and now I'm hooked. Yes, I expect Amy Poehler to be funnier too, but she's up to something with this character: she plays an ambitious woman with a huge heart who doesn't know herself or how the world works, and she ends up looking foolish again and again because she just can't conceive of a world that is inherently hurtful. She believes in perseverance and a fair meritocracy; that if she continues to build this park with good will in her heart, she will one day be president. Rather than laugh at her optimism, though, Poehler's character gets you to believe in a just society and a better tomorrow because to believe in them is essential to living, that we need to believe in these things to stay sane and happy; to remain pure at heart in a maelstrom of modernity. Also, it's still kind of funny. We laugh at these characters make asses of themselves, because at our best--at our most earnest--we make asses of ourselves as well. And we're better people for it. Like Christgau says, we all need a little corn in our lives. It helps you shake some of that cynicism out of your head. Poehler's character does that.<br /><br />As for Community, well, what can I say? I love college (obviously), and this show sums up that strange emotional and temporal space that is college and the college campus. Bake sales and candlelight vigils for victims of government oppression? Check. Dead Poets Society professor who climbs trees and makes his students stand on their desks to feel liberated? Check. Lonely, socially awkward students looking to redefine themselves within a new social environment and failing miserably? Check. All of these are played for laughs, and yet, like Parks and Recreation, its a heartfelt show: we're not laughing at these characters, we're laughing with them. I also think the dialogue is sharp, and Joel McHale, here and on The Soup, is a treasure.<br /><br />My Friday was also wonderful: Kit made us soup for dinner, which was great for my cold, and her baby Logan sat in his jumper for the first time. We watched him learn to use his legs to jump for about 20 minutes. It was so beautiful. I can't imagine what it's like for Logan right now, learning so much so fast. Then we sat down to watch Dollhouse, which aired its first bad episode. Good premise, but a bad script led to some bad acting. I guess you can't win all the time.<br /><br />I also discovered Lala for myself. Lala is basically the best music store on the internet. The MP3s are reasonably priced, and you can listen to entire albums at CD quality before you purchase them. You can also buy "web albums" which are very cheap, but you can only listen to them streaming from the website; you cannot download them. But, you can listen to them from any computer anywhere. And even better, there is a program that matches the music on your hard drive to music on Lala, and let's you listen to that music streaming from their website on any computer. Did you catch that? You can stream your entire collection from Lala for free anywhere! Anything they don't own can be uploaded for free as well. It's really amazing, and very forward thinking. They also have a sale going on now for albums listed in Pitchfork's Top 200 albums of the 2000s. A bunch of them are only $2-3, and many are as low as $6. Brilliant. Here's a sample from Lala: [update: Lala closed. Below is a link to Grooveshark.]<br /><br /><object width="250" height="40"> <param name="movie" value="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /> <param name="wmode" value="window" /> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /> <param name="flashvars" value="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330045&style=grass&p=0" /> <embed src="http://listen.grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="250" height="40" flashvars="hostname=cowbell.grooveshark.com&widgetID=23330045&style=grass&p=0" allowScriptAccess="always" wmode="window" /></object>Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-39317710642658284962009-08-08T11:02:00.000-07:002009-12-19T12:32:20.776-08:0040 Alternatives to Pitchfork's Top 100 Albums of the 1980s<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LpCUo7PUORoad6PIwmws_22jydeNFvpjxYFxtuvyl2uTFD7TooADNM9hHDz15ddEP3p3PUP0RNfLMMYoEnrnEF6HhKWIHRrX8qA6JEFhT-izabDroVevwjCGU5BArvKPHsGHyto1gk10/s1600-h/1Bruce-Springsteen-Born-In-The-USA-64774.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 307px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LpCUo7PUORoad6PIwmws_22jydeNFvpjxYFxtuvyl2uTFD7TooADNM9hHDz15ddEP3p3PUP0RNfLMMYoEnrnEF6HhKWIHRrX8qA6JEFhT-izabDroVevwjCGU5BArvKPHsGHyto1gk10/s320/1Bruce-Springsteen-Born-In-The-USA-64774.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367662487959524258" /></a><br /><br />I love lists. Even lists as strange as Pitchfork’s <a href="http://www.listology.com/nick-vane/list/unoriginal-lists-pitchfork-medias-top-100-albums-80s">Top 100 Albums of the 1980s</a>. Like everyone else I know, Pitchfork’s aesthetic agenda rubs me the wrong way. But I find that their rewriting of the '70s, '80s and '90s rock canons does offer readers a good context for their otherwise absurd and contrarian opinions and recommendations; better than any of their reviews, that’s for sure. However, I have to add that I’m not convinced there’s much truth, meaning or even entertainment value in some of the choices that create Pitchfork’s critical context, which is a shame. Isn’t that why we're in this business? So I thought I’d be an ass and put together my own alternative Top 40 Albums of the 1980s NOT listed in Pitchfork's list, in which I offer albums that I believe are far more reliable and meaningful choices than many of the ones compiled by Pitchfork. <br /><br />I tried for 100, then 50, but 40 hit it just about right. Of course, I would include many of the albums in Pitchfork’s list; who wouldn’t? Who doesn’t love <span style="font-style:italic;">Thriller</span>? Or <span style="font-style:italic;">Trust</span>? <span style="font-style:italic;">Daydream Nation</span>? <span style="font-style:italic;">Sign o’ the Times</span>? So, take some of their list, maybe take some of mine, and you’ll get a pretty good take on the 1980s. As noted above, I can’t recommend some of the Pitchfork choices, but I recommend each of my selections below without reservation. And don’t just take my word for it: all of my choices are cribbed from lists by <a href="http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/spin100.html#top">Spin Magazine</a>, <a href="http://robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-cg80/a-1980.php">Robert Christgau</a>, <a href="http://robertchristgau.com/xg/pnj/index.php">Pazz & Jop</a> and various other similar critical institutions on the web. <br /><br />And now, the rules: As with Pitchfork, I only consider classical and jazz albums with some kind of pop caché, and I include no single-artist compilations, though, for the record, I love compilations. Pitchfork <a href="http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5932-top-100-albums-of-the-1970s/2/">includes Fela Kuti in their ‘70s list</a>, so I figure Afro-pop is fair game. I was going to list my favorites alphabetically (it’s easier for shopping), but listing them in order of preference is really fun to write, and I find, fun to read. So, enjoy! Comments are encouraged.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgB_2WG82RWQE-alL0iSjDfW3nUvyNLZI-DE0QoPBBhMEKZ6a9DvJdEnH9Hm2CZ4LFrqCC8dfj-G567OSm7dGspqvTCf38VintdvARBdd95AzFJIbxGrgOs7CE3wA8-d6dYcS-6n2nJbm/s1600-h/sun.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgB_2WG82RWQE-alL0iSjDfW3nUvyNLZI-DE0QoPBBhMEKZ6a9DvJdEnH9Hm2CZ4LFrqCC8dfj-G567OSm7dGspqvTCf38VintdvARBdd95AzFJIbxGrgOs7CE3wA8-d6dYcS-6n2nJbm/s320/sun.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367662645548177138" /></a><br /><br />1. X, <span style="font-style:italic;">Wild Gift</span> (1981)<br />2. Marshall Crenshaw, <span style="font-style:italic;">Field Day</span> (1983)<br />3. Bruce Springsteen, <span style="font-style:italic;">Born in the U.S.A.</span> (1984)<br />4. Robert Cray, <span style="font-style:italic;">Strong Persuader</span> (1986)<br />5. Franco & Rochereau, <span style="font-style:italic;">Omona Wapi</span> (1983)<br />6. Lucinda Williams, <span style="font-style:italic;">Lucinda Williams</span> (1988)<br />7. Marshall Crenshaw, <span style="font-style:italic;">Marshall Crenshaw</span> (1982)<br />8. James Blood Ulmer, <span style="font-style:italic;">Odyssey</span> (1983)<br />9. DeBarge, <span style="font-style:italic;">In a Special Way</span> (1983)<br />10. Bruce Springsteen, <span style="font-style:italic;">Tunnel of Love</span> (1987)<br /><br />11. Los Lobos, <span style="font-style:italic;">How Will the Wolf Survive?</span> (1984)<br />12. Lou Reed, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Blue Mask</span> (1982)<br />13. <span style="font-style:italic;">The Indestructible Beat of Soweto</span> (1986)<br />14. George Clinton, <span style="font-style:italic;">Computer Games</span> (1982)<br />15. New Order, <span style="font-style:italic;">Brotherhood</span> (1986)<br />16. The Blasters, <span style="font-style:italic;">Non Fiction</span> (1983)<br />17. John Lennon & Yoko Ono, <span style="font-style:italic;">Double Fantasy</span> (1980)<br />18. Professor Longhair, <span style="font-style:italic;">Crawfish Fiesta</span> (1980)<br />19. Cyndi Lauper, <span style="font-style:italic;">She’s So Unusual</span> (1983)<br />20. Lou Reed, <span style="font-style:italic;">Legendary Hearts</span> (1983)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2huZA5LqLFMrQx5UdSZfG75ubQ8fKCa9F5xMCVAqXk0060eHUiK_Xmhymmx7ImPWa73y-VREOe5_GMtiskF3ew0s-kDjZqdqFmr73dZjKyarChXAMV7Qfe21oQFZNToD15Qo61o1N9ztM/s1600-h/King-Sunny-Ade-rps04.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 217px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2huZA5LqLFMrQx5UdSZfG75ubQ8fKCa9F5xMCVAqXk0060eHUiK_Xmhymmx7ImPWa73y-VREOe5_GMtiskF3ew0s-kDjZqdqFmr73dZjKyarChXAMV7Qfe21oQFZNToD15Qo61o1N9ztM/s320/King-Sunny-Ade-rps04.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367664612446845458" /></a><br /><br />21. Flipper, <span style="font-style:italic;">Album—Generic Flipper</span> (1982)<br />22. Lou Reed, <span style="font-style:italic;">New Sensations</span> (1984)<br />23. Ornette Coleman, <span style="font-style:italic;">Of Human Feelings</span> (1982)<br />24. Sonny Sharrock, <span style="font-style:italic;">Guitar</span> (1986)<br />25. Richard & Linda Thompson, <span style="font-style:italic;">Shoot Out the Lights</span> (1982)<br />26. Laurie Anderson, <span style="font-style:italic;">United States Live</span> (1984)<br />27. The Blasters, <span style="font-style:italic;">Hard Line</span> (1985)<br />28. Remmy Ongala, <span style="font-style:italic;">Songs for the Poor Man</span> (1989)<br />29. Chic, <span style="font-style:italic;">Real People</span> (1980)<br />30. Go-Betweens, <span style="font-style:italic;">Tallulah</span> (1987)<br /><br />31. Papa Wemba, <span style="font-style:italic;">L’Esclave</span> (1988)<br />32. Ornette Coleman, <span style="font-style:italic;">Virgin Beauty</span> (1988)<br />33. Alberta Hunter, <span style="font-style:italic;">Amtrak Blues</span> (1980)<br />34. Neil Young, <span style="font-style:italic;">Freedom</span> (1989)<br />35. King Sunny Ade, <span style="font-style:italic;">Aura</span> (1984)<br />36. Aretha Franklin, <span style="font-style:italic;">Who’s Zoomin’ Who?</span> (1985)<br />37. Hüsker Dü, <span style="font-style:italic;">Candy Apple Grey</span> (1986)<br />38. Psychedelic Furs, <span style="font-style:italic;">Talk Talk Talk</span> (1981)<br />39. Donald Fagen, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Nightfly</span> (1982)<br />40. Angry Samoans, <span style="font-style:italic;">Back from Samoa</span> (1982)Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-46154627063664970792009-06-26T16:22:00.019-07:002009-06-26T17:40:41.705-07:00Long Time Gone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXz2snfXIrRBRgDt9DCffTeDcn1ySOcfAwt3XfFoE0aPe5VGGsytCzwmmxYqVKVVpfy_MWMNtJeoPw662ojvJZEhvKogRPBDaIIQtR8QY2aLi2spQBXiz1WxNqB8Rvmq1Kv0Oet648731K/s1600-h/IMG_0053.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXz2snfXIrRBRgDt9DCffTeDcn1ySOcfAwt3XfFoE0aPe5VGGsytCzwmmxYqVKVVpfy_MWMNtJeoPw662ojvJZEhvKogRPBDaIIQtR8QY2aLi2spQBXiz1WxNqB8Rvmq1Kv0Oet648731K/s320/IMG_0053.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351793161557397330" /></a><br />My last post was in January?! F***! Well, friends, I'm back. I completed my first year of Ph.D. school: So far so good. I was hoping to work this summer and stack some dollars, but the recession has kept me at home. I'm usually studying my record collection, or taking naps, but I have knocked back a few books, listened to a lot of music that I wouldn't ordinarily hear, and wrote a song(!). It's my first in several years; boredom is a magical thing. <br /><br />I had a big metal phase a few weeks ago. Lest you think that means I simply listened to Def Leppard or something (though I did), let me explain in more detail: First, I browsed through Ian Christe's <span style="font-style:italic;">Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal</span>, and, despite the lackluster prose and sketchy research, I firmly recommend his handy list of best metal albums in the back. Though he lists recommendations throughout the book for major subgenres of metal, he gives the mother of all lists in the very, very back: The 25 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. Trust me, it's not for sissies. Personally, I love Carcass's <span style="font-style:italic;">Heartwork</span> and Emperor's <span style="font-style:italic;">In the Nightside Eclipse</span>, and totally agree that <span style="font-style:italic;">Ride the Lightning</span> is Metallica's best. Who knew Rainbow's <span style="font-style:italic;">Rising</span> was better than Dio's solo <span style="font-style:italic;">Holy Diver</span>? Seems impossible, but it's oh so right. Anyway, this led to other lists and other albums, but nothing could match Christe's choices. So here they are:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.soundofthebeast.com/images/book.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 264px;" src="http://www.soundofthebeast.com/images/book.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The Best 25 Heavy Metal Albums of All Time<br />from <span style="font-style:italic;">Sound of the Beast</span> by Ian Christe<br /><br />AC/DC, Back in Black<br />Angel Witch, Angel Witch<br />Bathory, Under the Sign of the Black Mark<br />Black Sabbath, Black Sabbath<br />Carcass, Heartwork<br />Celtic Frost, To Mega Therion<br />Destruction, Infernal Overkill<br />Dream Death, Journey Into Mystery<br />Emperor, In the Nightside Eclipse<br />Exodus, Bonded by Blood<br />Holy Terror, Terror and Submission<br />Immortal, Battles in the North<br />Iron Maiden, Killers<br />Judas Priest, Unleashed in the East<br />Kreator, Terrible Certainty<br />Mercyful Fate, Melissa<br />Metallica, Ride the Lightning<br />Morbid Angel, Formulas Fatal to the Flesh<br />Mötley Crüe, Shout at the Devil<br />Motörhead, Overkill<br />Napalm Death, Fear, Emptiness, Despair<br />Rainbow, Rising<br />Saxon, The Eagle Has Landed<br />Slayer, Hell Awaits<br />Voivod, Dimension Hatröss<br /><br />Since my metal phase, I started reading some rock history, like Peter Guralnick's <span style="font-style:italic;">Sweet Soul Music</span> and Jim Curtis's criminally undervalued <span style="font-style:italic;">Rock Eras 1954-1984</span>. Both are excellent, though I eventually cooled off on both of them. It's not a loss of quality or anything, it's just that, as you know, my real jones is rock criticism. When I dug up <span style="font-style:italic;">Pop Music and the Press</span>, edited by Steve Jones, I had to put the other books down. This, my friends, is the mother lode. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1511_reg.gif"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/1511_reg.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Some of the essays are kind of juvenile: for instance, in his essay "Critical Senility vs. Overcomprehension," Robert B. Ray claims that critical darlings like Lou Reed, PJ Harvey, De La Soul and solo John Lennon are victims of overcomprehension (76). According to Ray, critics believe each of these artists must be valuable for their lyrics, because good (or "political") lyrics (according to Ray) make critics overpraise otherwise musically lackluster albums. This is, of course, total bullshit: the entire known history of music is intertwined with the musical expression of lyrics and poetry (all the way back to the Middle Ages; look it up), and there is a lot of nuance there to pick apart and discuss. Unfortunately, Ray more or less discredits that whole business of setting text to music, and that's really his loss. I agree that many critics are terrible at discussing this relationship, and that critics can rely too heavily on their interpretation of song lyrics in their reviews, but the relationship itself is a beautiful thing. I'm disappointed that Ray isn't willing to consider it.<br /><br />On the bright side, several authors turn in essential discussions on criticism and rock writing in general: Steve Jones and Kevin Featherly on Hentoff, Gleason, Bangs and Christgau; Gudmundsson, Lindberg, Michelsen and Weisethaunet on the British rock press; Jeff Chang on hip hop; and the legendary Simon Frith on professional rock criticism within the larger field of arts criticism. Anyone interested must dive in.<br /><br />Finally, I've also kept busy making mix CDs. My only great one so far concerns Max Martin. For those who don't know, Max Martin is a Swedish songwriter and producer who cowrote and coproduced dozens of hits for Backstreet Boys, Britney, Kelly Clarkson, etc. This mix includes all of my favorites, laid end to end in mostly chronological order. It's really exciting to hear how his style begins as slick Europop (1-3), then mutates into this kind of minor-keyed apocalyptic/millennial dance music (4-14, ending with two strange and undervalued Britney tracks), then changes again into a bombastic rock-influenced sound that gets closer and closer to disco as it reaches the present (15-21). Nearly every track is perfect, and as a whole, it totally flows. Below is the track list with relevant release dates. I call it "My Life Would Suck Without Max Martin." Because it would. Duh.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/assets_c/2009/01/kellyclarkson-thumb-500x349.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 349px;" src="http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/assets_c/2009/01/kellyclarkson-thumb-500x349.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />1. Backstreet Boys, “Quite Playing Games (With My Heart),” June 10, 1997<br />2. Robyn, “Show Me Love,” October 28, 1997<br />3. Backstreet Boys, “As Long As You Love Me,” October 21, 1997<br />4. ‘N Sync, “I Want You Back,” January 20, 1998<br />5. Backstreet Boys, “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” March 31, 1998<br />6. Britney Spears, “…Baby One More Time,” October 23, 1998<br />7. Backstreet Boys, “I Want It That Way,” April 27, 1999<br />8. Backstreet Boys, “Larger Than Life,” August 24, 1999<br />9. Britney Spears, “(You Drive Me) Crazy (The Stop Remix!),” September 28, 1999<br />10. Céline Dion, “That’s the Way It Is,” November 1, 1999<br />11. Britney Spears, “Oops!...I Did It Again,” March 27, 2000<br />12. ‘N Sync, “It’s Gonna Be Me,” June 13, 2000<br />13. Britney Spears, “Overprotected,” March 12, 2002<br />14. Britney Spears, “Cinderella,” from Britney, November 6, 2001<br />15. Kelly Clarkson, “Since U Been Gone,” December 14, 2004<br />16. Pink, “Who Knew,” May 8, 2006<br />17. Pink, “U and Ur Hand,” October 31, 2006<br />18. Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl,” May 6, 2008<br />19. Pink, “So What,” August 15, 2008<br />20. Katy Perry, “Hot N Cold,” September 30, 2008<br />21. Kelly Clarkson, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” January 13, 2009<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Katy-Perry-c02.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 445px; height: 297px;" src="http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/Previews/Katy-Perry-c02.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Yeah, Angel Witch to Katy Perry. Don't worry, it confuses my wife as well. Being a musicologist isn't all fun and games.<br /><br />Okay, that's it. RIP Michael Jackson. Lemon out.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-14818920293477819572009-01-22T09:47:00.012-08:002009-01-22T10:20:38.633-08:00Post-'69 Jazz Record Poll<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CxvXxBsoY75MKROjo3aMpKRxMmb9_p_MypwJapVRaf8OcJxz_Hbxc0OI0q_dR7CR2LmGIxDfg9Nop_7B4OwFm9GmUvaA9BucqUz__RpJIxy32HJEMuq0HUZMUa0qeSuMbFmKuS_vOu92/s1600-h/Post+69+Jazz+Poll+Pg+1.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CxvXxBsoY75MKROjo3aMpKRxMmb9_p_MypwJapVRaf8OcJxz_Hbxc0OI0q_dR7CR2LmGIxDfg9Nop_7B4OwFm9GmUvaA9BucqUz__RpJIxy32HJEMuq0HUZMUa0qeSuMbFmKuS_vOu92/s200/Post+69+Jazz+Poll+Pg+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294183410062016498" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTch7L813mfWFw8b-mfiSby9uhnrE3J6eUurfKEvmG0ZSoC7vNoEu0xY4FoVcm9cDuv3KlTAWk-MMrpU8RG_fPfWHFMzaaTS7ETWgC7UgfiFBjOosMP2AmMgT0GBsR_hfcwBtoVObxb5Mc/s1600-h/Post+69+Jazz+Poll+Pg+2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 154px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTch7L813mfWFw8b-mfiSby9uhnrE3J6eUurfKEvmG0ZSoC7vNoEu0xY4FoVcm9cDuv3KlTAWk-MMrpU8RG_fPfWHFMzaaTS7ETWgC7UgfiFBjOosMP2AmMgT0GBsR_hfcwBtoVObxb5Mc/s200/Post+69+Jazz+Poll+Pg+2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294183407424709570" /></a><br /><br />As requested, here are PDFs of the Village Voice's "Post-'69 Jazz Record Poll," originally published for their "Miles Davis at 60" jazz supplement from August 1986. Note the number of recordings selected from the 1980s, despite the poll allowing for any recording released in the 1970s. And I thought the '80s was supposed to be a dry spot? Or is it just that many of these recordings are out of print? Hmm... Also note that many of these choices end up on the best of the 1980s poll republished at Destination: Out. To all of my jazz obsessives and record poll nuts: enjoy!Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-78440937515613482262009-01-12T08:48:00.002-08:002009-01-12T08:50:29.066-08:00Best Jazz Albums of the 1980s at D:OToday, Destination: Out posted the Village Voice's <a href="http://destination-out.com/?p=227">Best Jazz Albums of the 1980s</a>, originally published in 1990. And to think I was just about to do the same! Anyway, perhaps if they don't post the Best Jazz Albums since 1969 (published in 1986), I'll have to post it. We shall see. Enjoy!Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-72907307215564441972009-01-09T07:51:00.009-08:002009-01-09T17:32:05.365-08:00Reprint: Broken Flowers Reviewed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIv-zrD7LQyeKzh33zwAMP5QZjEypftTKSAaj3z2AUuxZSjjwSLNaOWDtV1lBSzEiL60RBIEvvJ9wBMbyc_iPcSrQwleFsHjvBdRNV8yUuzvQrlZJQUY2z_XL6LfhrK54l0VGXCxdtU7a/s1600-h/broken-flowers-0.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFIv-zrD7LQyeKzh33zwAMP5QZjEypftTKSAaj3z2AUuxZSjjwSLNaOWDtV1lBSzEiL60RBIEvvJ9wBMbyc_iPcSrQwleFsHjvBdRNV8yUuzvQrlZJQUY2z_XL6LfhrK54l0VGXCxdtU7a/s320/broken-flowers-0.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289325219940052034" /></a><br /><br />Ah yes, another find as I clean out my hard drives. This one was written for the <a href="http://www.bayweekly.com/year05/issuexiii33/directxiii33.html"><span style="font-style:italic;">Bay Weekly </span></a>back when I was one of their occasional film reviewers. This review shares similar themes with the Bresson critique, but I think the language is better. You decide.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Broken Flowers </span> by Jim Jarmusch<br />August 17, 2005<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Broken Flowers</span> stars Bill Murray as Don Johnston, a successful, retired computer entrepreneur and aging Don Juan who receives an anonymous letter claiming he has a 20-year-old son he’s never met. Coaxed by his sleuthing Ethiopian neighbor Winston (Jeffrey Wright), Johnston revisits five of his former flames on an extensive road trip to solicit clues and find the author of this mysterious letter.<br /><br />Each of his five stops—to a widowed personal closet organizer (Sharon Stone), a married prefab luxury home salesperson (Frances Conroy), an animal communicator (Jessica Lange), the angry wife of a rough backwoods mechanic (an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton), and a gravesite—is lush with eccentric characters, period details, cultural juxtapositions and deadpan humor. Like his first feature, <span style="font-style:italic;">Stranger Than Paradise</span>, director Jim Jarmusch finds humor as much in what’s said as what isn’t said, so that awkward silences and physical comedy carry the bulk of the laughs. He uses plot to intermingle his characters, then enriches them with personal idiosyncrasies, gestures, props and sets.<br /><br />Unlike Alexander Payne’s <span style="font-style:italic;">About Schmidt</span>, another comedy about being middle-aged and dissatisfied, the emptiness in the lives of these characters is presented empathetically. Dora, the luxury home salesperson, was a flower child when she met Johnston, but now lives in a treeless suburb and cooks precut frozen carrots for dinner. This may be humiliating for you or me, but she’s not desperate—life requires compromise, and she seems to appreciate her stability and the love of her schmaltzy, doting husband.<br /><br />Even at a young 28, I see how freewill, perseverance and pulling myself up by my bootstraps still doesn’t cancel out fate and circumstance. Jarmusch seems to embrace this as a worldview and find solace in it—his characters in this film and<span style="font-style:italic;"> Down By Law</span>, for example, find love and joy in unanticipated, and often unseemly, situations. Laura, Sharon Stone’s character, did not ask to lose her husband in a fiery wreck on a racetrack, but she did. Ingmar Bergman would film her life as a tragedy. But she’s half asleep next to Don Johnston the day after his visit, affectionately and awkwardly pasting her hand on his nose and cheek. She’s warm and funny, and grateful for what she has. Jarmusch understands that. So should we.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Dead Man</span> is more poetic and <span style="font-style:italic;">Ghost Dog </span>is a tighter and more satisfying narrative, but Broken Flowers is still the work of a master filmmaker in his prime. If you’ve never seen a Jim Jarmusch film, what are you waiting for?Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-82849417042123843082009-01-07T12:02:00.010-08:002009-01-07T12:30:36.836-08:00Reprint: 2 or 3 Things I Know About Robert Bresson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgzxXxROJfUOB0wnnBj0xxZMVPZkox-eYOHX71hEqsZr2MgY10fUBkCzzyQ1G2AewOVwHSIPCsKy0TQyYpAUDl6FtoYwiP2w71aSUUQd-Um2HXx6zSFVPoXUvPtB3G4EDbPdBj7AVviZa/s1600-h/webAu+hasard2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 227px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgzxXxROJfUOB0wnnBj0xxZMVPZkox-eYOHX71hEqsZr2MgY10fUBkCzzyQ1G2AewOVwHSIPCsKy0TQyYpAUDl6FtoYwiP2w71aSUUQd-Um2HXx6zSFVPoXUvPtB3G4EDbPdBj7AVviZa/s320/webAu+hasard2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288649531013188098" /></a><br /><br />Since I'm a media nerd <span style="font-style:italic;">and</span> a neat freak, I chose to spend one of my few remaining days off sorting through and cleaning out my hard drives. I guess that's just how I roll. Anyway, I discovered a file of articles I wrote for a previous weblog, and damned if this one isn't interesting. I have not seen a Bresson film since I wrote this, so I can't say whether I still agree with my argument; besides, you know how polemical youthful arguments can be. Regardless, however, it is a window into the development of my current aesthetic perspective, as well as being a nifty, if derivative, piece of writing (the tone and structure is loosely based on Robert Christgau's <a href="http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/bk-aow/eagles.php">famous critique</a> of the Eagles). I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did revisiting it!<br /><br />2 or 3 Things I Know About Robert Bresson<br />February 14, 2004<br /><br />Today I caught Robert Bresson’s <span style="font-style:italic;">Au Hasard, Balthazar</span> at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring. This is a “supreme masterpiece,” according to J. Hoberman, and “one of the 50 Great Films” according to the latest prestigious BFI Sight and Sound Poll. Jonathan Rosenbaum lists it in his <span style="font-style:italic;">Placing Movies</span> collection as one of his dozen or so favorites, alongside <span style="font-style:italic;">Playtime</span>, <span style="font-style:italic;">City Lights</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">The Tiger of Eschnapur</span>, which are all favorites of mine that I discovered through Mr. Rosenbaum’s criticism. Besides being the brunt of a Christgau joke, I challenge you to find a critic or cinephile that doesn’t praise his work.<br /><br />Like <span style="font-style:italic;">Diary of a Country Priest</span>, which I saw last week by way of the gorgeous Criterion DVD, <span style="font-style:italic;">Au Hasard, Balthazar</span> is presented simply—every scene is clear and narratively focused, and his themes are only just below the surface. I deeply respect how attractive his composition is without bringing attention to itself (though I found <span style="font-style:italic;">Diary of a Country Priest </span>more attractive). And the editing is brisk, so that even when the themes are heavy, the filmmaking is not. And the acting (by non-actors supposedly) is beautiful. <br /><br />I loved a scene near the end where the donkey, Balthazar, is employed by a circus, and Mr. Bresson cuts between one-shots of animals in cages and Balthazar being led to his trainer. We obviously never know exactly what Balthazar is thinking, but this scene is very moving—the proud and ferocious tiger and the energetic monkey are both kept from being themselves by these cages, and we sympathize through the eyes of this donkey who understands the pain of being held down. To top it off, the scene illuminates just how much we personify animals and objects around us, and how this is a very human and, given the creative liberties we allow our sympathy, a somewhat humorous thing for us to do.<br /><br />That said, I now add that, like with the Eagles, what I find most interesting about these films is how much I dislike them. In a nutshell, and obviously over-simplified, <span style="font-style:italic;">Au Hasard Balthazar</span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Diary of a Country Priest</span> are about the cruelty of the world and how that affects people. Mr. Bresson has very rich observations on the subject, and apparently they resonate with an audience. I admit that the endings of both films are movingly gentle, like D<span style="font-style:italic;">iary of a Country Priest</span>’s “all is grace” finale. And I agree with Mr. Rosenbaum that they are accessible—except for the fact that I think they’re boring.<br /><br />I’m paraphrasing from my notoriously faulty memory, but Godard supposedly proclaimed this film “reality in an hour and a half.” I don’t know about your life, but in mine, when life’s got you by the balls, you crack a joke. You smile to the cashier even when you’ve had a rough day, and miraculously, they smile back. You make terrible decisions then laugh about them over a beer with your friends or over the telephone. Unless I’m missing something in the translation, these films are humorless. <br /><br />I didn’t like D<span style="font-style:italic;">iary of a Country Priest</span>, but gave <span style="font-style:italic;">Au Hasard, Balthazar</span> a chance (and an hour’s drive) because it has a donkey, and even if this donkey isn’t cute, at least he’ll be sweet—or maybe, I thought, since his role as a metaphor is blatant, Mr. Bresson will be blessedly obvious and maybe even playful. As a Charlie Chaplin and Alfred Hitchcock fan, as a Joss Whedon fan, as a Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman fan, I prefer the obvious and playful, and usually sneer at taste—not because subtlety is bad, but because it’s less interesting. Mr. Bresson is oozing with taste—to the point where it feels antithetical to reality and actual human experience. And he’s a real bummer.<br /><br />Who knows, maybe I’ll like <span style="font-style:italic;">A Man Escaped</span>. Regardless, at least one good thing about not being a film critic is that I don’t have to like Robert Bresson. I’m not crazy about Ingmar Bergman either.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-73984823772580552042008-12-18T10:59:00.002-08:002008-12-18T11:12:29.533-08:00Best Albums of 2008As if to save us all from Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, Robert Christgau posted his <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2206848/entry/2207060/">preliminary top 20 albums</a> at Slate this morning. His final list is usually published in February, but, until then, this will do. Similarly, Alex Ross posted a list of <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/tny/2008/12/alex-rosss-ten-best-recordings.html">favorite Classical recordings</a> of the year at the New Yorker's online blog, and Tom Hull posted his <a href="http://www.tomhull.com/blog/archives/1033-Jazz-Ballot.html?PHPSESSID=b5834d8555c087df5ad5d4181fc94d1c">top 10 jazz albums</a> for the Village Voice on his personal blog. <br /><br />Christgau and Ross are my eyes and ears for music every year, and Hull is always interesting: upon first listen, the William Parker album that claims his top spot is something to treasure. So what are you waiting for? I'm going shopping just this afternoon! God I love this time of year.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-36028918546850602602008-12-09T08:29:00.011-08:002009-01-22T10:38:37.245-08:00Xmas Mixtapes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MN4yi97u4E3aE6qcuWyz-RY_tQavxwE-eu9v6PuAIyWOrfYYhaS5XmA8jKFHCJ4vNSQlij5mufWO-WQI-PtFML82vgyRsRnMzn5ykYO1nvS6dIsZj6yTNEpQXJzv2SO9dt07wxWenZ_5/s1600-h/christmas-gifts.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 296px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2MN4yi97u4E3aE6qcuWyz-RY_tQavxwE-eu9v6PuAIyWOrfYYhaS5XmA8jKFHCJ4vNSQlij5mufWO-WQI-PtFML82vgyRsRnMzn5ykYO1nvS6dIsZj6yTNEpQXJzv2SO9dt07wxWenZ_5/s320/christmas-gifts.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277839906585069282" /></a><br /><br />I love music lists. Love 'em. I recently dug up the Village Voice's post '69 jazz album poll, as well as their 1980s list (I'll post them both soon), and compiled huge iTunes playlists to try to come to terms with some kind of canon for jazz after 1970, AKA the jazz nether-world. A revisionist history of the seventies is already underway, but it turns out there was tons of fabulous music recorded in the eighties as well, and some of it is slowly coming back into print, most significantly with eMusic's exclusive American distribution of the Black Saint/Soul Note catalog. <br /><br />In the spirit of canonization, inexpensive holiday gift-giving, and scholastic procrastination, I rekindled my obsessive love of making mix CDs, and gave myself two enormous tasks: compile single CD compilations, one for the history of hip hop, and one for the entire history of jazz. Projects like these are nothing but omissions. However, I meet people everyday, even fellow musicologists, who are like, "oh, yeah, jazz, I want to learn about that. Can you recommend anything?" I can, and I do, but I end up overwhelming them with dozens of CDs to listen to first, which they promptly forget about, even given the best intentions. It's just too overwhelming for those who simply need a way in. The same can be said for hip hop, which even now doesn't get the ear of most academics, even considering the wealth of scholarship on its meaning as a genre and cultural phenomenon. But as music, it often gets a condescending shrug.<br /><br />So, here are the two lists. I think they work miracles as learning tools, and I made sure they flow like a good album should. Each is in chronological order. If I had more time, I'd go into why I picked this or that, or omitted this or that, but that's really pretty boring for most people. Briefly: I tried to represent every "major" artist with a fabulous song. It may not be their most famous performance, but I promise it's a good one. I also tried to cover every major "development" in the history of each genre with these major artists, though I don't believe quality or value needs to be based on an performance's place in that aesthetic development. However, despite my reservations about the typical, modernist presentation of the history of jazz or any music, these CDs do give shape to the modernist, aesthetic developments of each genre. So, anyway, here they are. For some readers, perhaps you'll find this in your stockings this year.<br /><br />[I've revised some of the jazz selections since giving these away at Christmas. If you would like the new mixtape, just let me know!]<br /><br />A Chronological Survey of Jazz<br /><br />1. Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five, "Hotter Than That" (1927)<br />2. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, "Rockin' in Rhythm" (1931)<br />3. Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra, "Queer Notions" (1933)<br />4. Billie Holiday & Her Orchestra, "A Sailboat in the Moonlight" (1937)<br />5. Charlie Parker Septet, "Moose the Mooche" (1946)<br />6. Thelonious Monk, "Epistrophy" (1948)<br />7. Ella Fitzgerald, "Night and Day" (1956)<br />8. Sonny Rollins, "I'm an Old Cowhand" (1957)<br />9. John Coltrane, "Naima" (1959)<br />10. Ornette Coleman, "Ramblin'" (1959)<br />11. Charles Mingus, "Original Faubus Fables" (1960)<br />12. Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd, "Desafinado" (1962)<br />13. Miles Davis Quintet, "Footprints" (1966)<br />14. Keith Jarrett, "Silence" (1977)<br />15. Dave Douglas' Tiny Bell Trio, "The Gig" (1995)<br />16. David S. Ware Quartet, "The Freedom Suite: I." (2002)<br /><br />The Hip Hop Starter Kit<br /><br />1. Sugarhill Gang, "Rapper's Delight" (1979)<br />2. Funky 4 + 1, "That's the Joint" (1981)<br />3. Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (feat. Melle Mel & Duke Bootee), "The Message" (1982)<br />4. Run-D.M.C., "Rock Box" (1984)<br />5. Beastie Boys, "Rhymin and Stealin" (1986)<br />6. Eric B. & Rakim, "I Know You Got Soul" (1987)<br />7. Public Enemy, "Bring the Noise" (1988)<br />8. LL Cool J, "Around the Way Girl" (1990)<br />9. A Tribe Called Quest, "Check the Rhime" (1991)<br />10. Ice Cube, "It Was a Good Day" (1992)<br />11. The Notorious B.I.G., "Gimme the Loot" (1994)<br />12. Fugees, "How Many Mics" (1996)<br />13. Eminem, "My Name Is" (1999)<br />14. Atmosphere, "Party for the Fight to Write" (2000)<br />15. Panjabi MC feat. Jay-Z, "Beware (Jay-Z Remix)" (2003)<br />16. Kanye West, "All Falls Down" (2004)Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-12102282427276830762008-11-15T23:40:00.005-08:002008-11-15T23:51:45.011-08:00Saturday Night<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4gcnshI9D1vmVYNImzlslrsn15P5AzRV00CnYWemuY1VUVfbA-pTcfDR9xwhfVP_wAZDRxnnLzPNeHyMWzP1PraqoxQzck0pHou65TQhwKhz0OPumjfaoVpaNBFuqAWh_X0ohUs1t2Sj/s1600-h/Photo+61.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE4gcnshI9D1vmVYNImzlslrsn15P5AzRV00CnYWemuY1VUVfbA-pTcfDR9xwhfVP_wAZDRxnnLzPNeHyMWzP1PraqoxQzck0pHou65TQhwKhz0OPumjfaoVpaNBFuqAWh_X0ohUs1t2Sj/s320/Photo+61.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269159591005386770" /></a><br />There is a raging fire to the northwest, but we are all thankfully safe here in our area of Los Angeles. Earlier this evening Becky and I packed up a few essential pictures and documents in case there is an emergency, but there's likely no need for us to evacuate. So Becky and our kitten Linus are sleeping peacefully while I work on my term paper.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-10465500653424879792008-10-24T10:10:00.003-07:002008-10-24T10:16:49.894-07:00Prog Rock in the New MillenniumRobert Christgau made a <a href="http://www.najp.org/articles/2008/10/call-for-papers.html">call for papers</a> over at the <a href="http://www.najp.org/articles/">National Arts Journalism Program</a> blog concerning Euro-centric musical ideas in music of the new millennium. I couldn't think of anything to recommend, but I did add my two cents in the comments section. Since I haven't contributed to my blog in a while, I thought I'd repost it here:<br /><br />Dean Christgau,<br /><br />I wish I had an article to recommend to you; I'll have to keep looking. In the meantime, I certainly have a lot of ideas about this style of music. I read a recent article unpacking Theodor Adorno's analysis of form and narrative cohesiveness in Webern's Op. 11 that is extremely relevant to bands like Battles and the Mars Volta (the article is: Julian Johnson, "The Nature of Abstraction: Analysis and the Webern Myth"). Basically, like Webern in his Op. 11, these bands rely on our understanding of traditional song form (or in Webern's case, sonata form, which is a lot like contemporary song form) to "surprise" us with their tricky song structures and avoidance of conventional (musical) thematic material. I worry that without these culturally-shared musical expectations, and the surprise factor of avoiding them, that their songs don't make a whole lot of sense (esp. the Mars Volta).<br /><br />In contrast, I feel that most seventies prog rock aimed to lengthen or expand traditional song structure, either with solos or just by adding more themes or sections that are related to how ideas are expressed in traditional song form (for example, Yes or Genesis). These newer prog bands, however, sound to me like they want to disfigure traditional song form, so that their commentary on traditional song forms and themes is recognizable, but the aural result is a grotesque alteration of these traditions. I guess this is meant to prove how clever they are. In Adorno's terms, they are forcing structural ideas onto their music, rather than letting the material grow out of the music itself to produce a more satisfying "truth content." (He uses Stravinsky and Schoenberg, respectively, as his examples in Philosophy of the New Music.) That's vague, I know, but there are plenty of books explaining Adorno: I'm glad I don't have to write one. (Have you read Adorno? Though he's a classical music guy through and through, you have a lot in common with him Mr. Christgau.)<br /><br />Perhaps Radiohead's use of form and thematic content relates to both the seventies and the new millennial categories of prog rock, perhaps with OK Computer and In Rainbows, respectively. (I would argue that Kid A uses song form that comes out of the musical material, and is thus more successful.) I'd have to listen back to all of this to see if I'm on to something, but at least this may start a conversation somewhere. In the meantime, I'll listen to the new Randy Newman or maybe Los Campesinos! instead, who actually create new song forms to organize their original thematic material that doesn't sound forced or exhibitionist. (Oh, and Jaguar Love--thanks for that one Dean.) I have to add that Newman's alteration of blues form in the song "Harps and Angels" is just completely masterful.<br /><br />As for the Arcade Fire, at least on Neon Bible, they use extremely simple song form and traditional thematic material underneath their orchestral arrangements. The orchestral textures may sound complex, but they are just decoration over a thoroughly conventional harmonic and melodic framework. Perhaps that's why it's so cohesive and powerful. I can't sit through Funeral, so I can only vouch for Neon Bible. I hope this throws some ideas out there for someone who is not procrastinating their school work due this afternoon, and can take up the baton and run with it. Any takers?Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-83275353027580452432008-09-10T09:02:00.006-07:002008-09-10T09:26:40.754-07:00More Records Than the KGB<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqI9U_upTjbP0fXWreVWFZmYnpUYP4WRksnJgsTEUEFF52SHGxY-bNRnQzIWboMajW_9TSy8iOqZKiwZBkPY5RvD7Mj_bzaxRoo3wY6nS13PfpmllTkUYc-P8g190k6KZ0Tml4dVsaAlU/s1600-h/mia-2.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqI9U_upTjbP0fXWreVWFZmYnpUYP4WRksnJgsTEUEFF52SHGxY-bNRnQzIWboMajW_9TSy8iOqZKiwZBkPY5RvD7Mj_bzaxRoo3wY6nS13PfpmllTkUYc-P8g190k6KZ0Tml4dVsaAlU/s320/mia-2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244429518966177474" /></a><br />Ladies and gentleman, we are approaching a utopia. First, we get Barack Obama, and now this: 21st century genius M.I.A. has a <a href="http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Singles&f=The+Billboard+Hot+100">top 5 single</a>. I'm not kidding. "Paper Planes" is the fifth biggest song in the country according to Billboard. My mind is officially blown. Note for newbies: <span style="font-style:italic;">Kala</span> is a masterpiece. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kala-M-I/dp/B000TJ6CM2/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1221063282&sr=8-1">Buy it now</a>. <br /><br />P.S.: M.I.A. is <a href="http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/145373-mia-blogs-about-terrorism">not a terrorist</a>. Don't be an idiot.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-16405384106161921802008-08-04T10:02:00.008-07:002008-08-04T16:53:11.800-07:00Jesus' SonI just finished <span style="font-style:italic;">Jesus' Son</span>, a collection of short stories by Denis Johnson published in 1992. The book reminds me of singer-songwriter Todd Snider when he offers sublime observations from characters most would call complete fuck-ups: alcoholics or drug addicts drifting between happy hours, scheming and homeless, opportunistic. Funny how these same characters can speak so clearly about the world around them. <br /><br />Below are a few passages from <span style="font-style:italic;">Jesus' Son</span> that hit me pretty hard, either for their writing or for their startling honesty. Notice how Johnson's characters find catharsis in someone else's tragedy, and infer that this expression of emotion is what they're looking for most of all in life. In the case of Johnson's characters, that catharsis is often sought through drugs or alcohol, and is rarely if ever achieved. Finding catharsis through pain or catastrophe: how 1990s! (And 21st century? God help us all.) Anyway:<br /><br />"Down the hall came the wife. She was glorious, burning. She didn't know yet that her husband was dead. We knew. That's what gave her such power over us. The doctor took her into a room with a desk at the end of the hall, and from under the closed door a slab of brilliance radiated as if, by some stupendous process, diamonds were being incinerated in there. What a pair of lungs! She shrieked as I imagined an eagle would shriek. It felt wonderful to be alive to hear it! I've gone looking for that feeling everywhere." (11)<br /><br />"And here we were, this afternoon, with nearly thirty dollars each, and our favorite, our very favorite, person tending bar. I wish I could remember her name, but I remember only her grace and her generosity. All the really good times happened when Wayne was around. But this afternoon, somehow, was the best of all those times. We had money. We were grimy and tired. Usually we felt guilty and frightened, because there was something wrong with us, and we didn't know what it was; but today we had the feeling of men who had worked. The Vine had no jukebox, but a real stereo continually playing tunes of alcoholic self-pity and sentimental divorce. 'Nurse,' I sobbed. She poured doubles like an angel, right up to the lip of a cocktail glass, no measuring. . . You had to go down to them like a hummingbird over a blossom." (65-6)<br /><br />"Her sofabed was two steps from the kitchen. We'd take those steps and lie down. Ghosts and sunshine hovered around us. Memories, loved ones, everyone was watching. She'd had one boyfriend who was killed by a train--stalled on the tracks and thinking he could get his motor firing before the engine caught him, but he was wrong. Another fell through a thousand evergreen boughs in the north Arizona mountains, a tree surgeon or someone along those lines, and crushed his head. Two died in the Marines, one in Vietnam and the other, a younger boy, in an unexplained one-car accident just after basic training. Two black men: one died of too many drugs and another was shanked in prison--that means stabbed with a weapon from the wood-working shop. Most of these people, by the time they were dead, had long since left her to travel down their lonely paths. People just like us, but unluckier. I was full of a sweet pity for them as we lay in the sunny little room, sad that they would never live again, drunk with sadness, I couldn't get enough of it." (159)<br /><br />It's an excellent book. Next up is <span style="font-style:italic;">Madame Bovary</span>.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-28669689550316325712008-07-23T13:34:00.004-07:002008-07-23T13:51:48.548-07:00You Have Arrived at Your DestinationBecky and I made it to sunny California. If paradise is full of traffic, this is paradise. Right now, we are staying with a couple that works at USC until we get to know the area and move into our own place. I already found two record stores that beat anything I found in NYC: Amoeba Music in Hollywood and Rockaway Records in Silverlake. Nothing makes me smile like a rack of quality $2 CDs. For the next month, I'll be studying for my entrance exams while Becky steadfastly looks for work. Los Angeles is surprisingly beautiful and inviting. So far, so good.<br /><br />That's all for now. Pictures from our travels are forthcoming. Could hard times be over? I'll keep you posted.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-34999044025890715672008-04-27T10:54:00.007-07:002008-12-09T22:07:46.360-08:00An Unmarried Woman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFD5vZbuoBl2i_VAi6-bqVNUQQK6vhrBBqXU0EJroFUeASvBkVcFLCMucCU3IRNd0fscq5yDEEQ1vapKW-M1_ruSUqLiMh6qNQnfX6GyUGO4p2-FaUnFR4fn_0gXoOHIjnr2xci7Shn1p/s1600-h/Unmarried_woman.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFD5vZbuoBl2i_VAi6-bqVNUQQK6vhrBBqXU0EJroFUeASvBkVcFLCMucCU3IRNd0fscq5yDEEQ1vapKW-M1_ruSUqLiMh6qNQnfX6GyUGO4p2-FaUnFR4fn_0gXoOHIjnr2xci7Shn1p/s320/Unmarried_woman.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193988730094657938" /></a><br />Film critic David Edelstein recommended this movie in a recent <span style="font-style:italic;">New York Magazine</span>. He was listing his favorite New York movies for a fortieth anniversary special issue. Anyway, Jill Clayburgh's character looks at herself in the mirror and says, <br /><br />"'Balls,' said the Queen. 'If I had 'em, I'd be King.'" <br /><br />Becky and I just about died laughing.<br /><br />The movie was really good. Quite a time capsule of New York circa 1978.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2380996278430725263.post-70390151981317633742008-04-24T09:57:00.004-07:002008-12-09T22:07:46.540-08:00Dogon A.D.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRkVMYJeMGYH8f4jDi2a2UIfPPQzVQMYxAh7cxOUPrltdZ0x0gCKBMy23iHFPpuYhi2pPEb4NkhniaB9y2YCoXefInyxv9rW-Zi8tFLf-l4mkvJakUZksjm4RNngZTiurrxWDFwVUSo3B/s1600-h/DogonADcover.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRkVMYJeMGYH8f4jDi2a2UIfPPQzVQMYxAh7cxOUPrltdZ0x0gCKBMy23iHFPpuYhi2pPEb4NkhniaB9y2YCoXefInyxv9rW-Zi8tFLf-l4mkvJakUZksjm4RNngZTiurrxWDFwVUSo3B/s320/DogonADcover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192858453616140674" /></a><br />I finally found a copy of Julius Hemphill's legendary <span style="font-style:italic;">Dogon A.D.</span> First time through, and I believe the hype. After a little research, I found this interview with Tim Berne about Hemphill as a mentor. Berne gives this beautiful quote:<br /><br />"When I get too caught up in all the business shit, I try to remember the most important thing is the music and not worry about all that other stuff. He was just a great role model in terms of creativity. In order to grow you have to fail. You have to have a bad concert, or write something that doesn't work, so you can find out why. I realized that that's why you make records. It's not so you can sell them. It's really just so you can develop. He really embodied that. That's why he did it—to express himself."<br /><br />Of course, we all want these albums to sell, too, but I agree that failing can be just as valuable as succeeding, if not more so. I found Hemphill's masterpiece after a simple Google search. I recommend you do the same.Bradley Srokahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06549203106765777350noreply@blogger.com0