“Write absolute music and let go of music for film because it can cause enormous delusions: if a film composer, who wants to do film, a real composer, is not called by anyone, the composer doesn’t exist. That is a very serious and sad situation.”
An interesting observation and probably excellent advice, although difficult to follow.
I went to see Nickel Creek with Fiona Apple in Central Park yesterday. I was generally impressed with the way the whole thing was set up other than the fact that, as a non-extremely tall person, it was very hard to see the performers. That killed me. I spent almost the whole time standing on my tip toes. I’ve wanted to see Fiona Apple perform ever since I got Tidal and part of the fun of seeing her perform is seeing her dance on stage - flailing about wildly, periodically hitting herself and pouring herself into the music.
Before going, I didn’t know the gist of the tour was that Nickel Creek and Fiona were performing together. When I first found this out, the idea seemed disappointing to me because I assumed it would minimize the amount of Fiona I got to see. Until last night, I also had never listened to Nickel Creek, despite being both a country and bluegrass fan.
This was one of the most entertaining and memorable shows I have ever been to. Nickel Creek is a warm, congenial band in which every member is a high caliber performer. There’s a sister/brother fiddler/guitar picker combination (Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, respectively), the Mandolin player Chris Thile, and the current bassist Mark Schatz. Sara, Chris, and Sean all sing lead on different songs. I love bluegrass music and that love is amplified when the band on stage loves playing bluegrass music. They played their instruments expressively, they harmonized beautifully, and their whole show had the tone of a freewheeling, open experience while still having the edge of an incredibly professional performance. They played for 2 1/2 hours. I can now easily be considered an official Nickel Creek fan. They were great. There is no doubt in my mind that if the band members separate for good, each member will individually produce great music.
The way the show functioned in relation to Fiona Apple was like a special treat for avid Fiona Apple fans. Nickel Creek performed for about 45 minutes and then Fiona came out to join them. They performed a few of her songs before taking a short 20-minute intermission. Hearing Fiona Apple songs interpreted in a Bluegrass style - hearing the performers transfer each song to their string instruments from her standard piano - was fascinating and uniquely satisfying. Their last song before intermission was Limp from When the Pawn…. It may have been my favorite song of hers that they performed that evening. One of the aspects of that song that I always loved is that it’s so unapologetically angry. She sang it with significant anger and verve. I adore her.
Some of the other really popular Fiona songs they performed last night were Extraordinary Machine, Paper Bag, Waltz (Better Than Fine), Not About Love, Criminal, and Fast As You Can. She was, I can only assume, at the top of her game because every performance was treasurable. The covers were amazing. They closed the show with a priceless rendition of the 1926 song “Tonight You Belong to Me”. Favorite moment of the whole evening. Apparently you can see her sing this song with other people on the Extraordinary Machine dvd. You can also see it here.
Not only would I highly recommend every music fan buy tickets to this show, I would go so far as to say it’s one of those rare moments in music history when two bands come together to create a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon that transcends the normal quality of what fans get to see on a tour. I’m extremely glad I had the opportunity to see it. Go if you can.
Here’s another worthwhile cover from the club where they all hob-knob and play in L.A. Enjoy.
Fiona Apple performs “River, Stay Away From My Door”
Photos from their tour are available at the official Nickel Creek website.
The guy who took a lot of those photographs has an interesting website too: Acoustic Images Online
I don’t really enjoy Feministe, but there is an excellent post on their blog titled, “Criticizing the things you love”. As a pop-culture junkie and someone who doesn’t like ignoring the “minor” things that degrade something wonderful, I can really identify with the author’s feelings.
It’s an eternal struggle - when is it o.k. to overlook something that stands out as sexist, racist, stupid, or objectionable? How guilty should I feel for liking Speedy Gonzalez? Everyone has a different answer and not all of them are right. I liked her explanation; you don’t keep quiet about it. You point out what you like and you point out what you don’t like. There is precious little in this world that can be loved unconditionally.
“And you think Rockford Files is cool - But there are some things that you would change - If it were up to you”
Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums being among my favorite movies and Wes Anderson among my favorite directors, here is the trailer link for his upcoming film The Darjeeling Limited.
The Darjeeling Limited, in theatres September 29
It’s about three brothers traveling through India. As one would expect, I’m ardently looking forward to its release.
There are few people in the world that I would pay an exorbitant (or even a moderate) amount of money to see. Jack White is one of them.
I have seen the White Stripes in Orlando, Florida.
I have seen the White Stripes at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan.
Now I have seen the White Stripes at Madison Square Garden.
I hope to see them again many times in the future.
It’s difficult to articulate what I both expect and extract from a White Stripes concert, or why my devotion to them is so unquestionably fervent.
Most of the time, when people use the word “electric” to describe someone, the person in question does not live up to the images and feelings that word evokes.
In this case, that sentiment is not true. Jack White is electric; truly electric, in all the wild, beautiful, and vibrantly evocative glory of the word. It’s the best adjective to describe him; to describe the way he performs; to describe the way he makes the audience respond; to describe the way it feels to watch him and know that you’re that close to such a profoundly commanding personality.
I love Meg in a completely different way. The persona she adopts for the band is quiet, soft, and deliberately mysterious, so sometimes it’s difficult to see beyond her manufactured aura of fascination. Everyone makes a big deal about her being a mediocre drummer. Aside from that being untrue, I don’t feel the minimalist percussion themes in most of the White Stripes’ sets provide any valid basis to demean her contributions to the band. She strikes me as someone who would probably be wildly interesting if you were ever given the chance to know her. Of course I don’t actually know anything substantial about her, other than: it’s fun to watch her drum, she obviously motivates/inspires Jack, and the public/private relationship between her and Jack is fraught with intrigue.
I remember when I first discovered the White Stripes. It was late at night and I was watching M2. I was drawn to M2 originally because I was excited by the prospect of a music video channel that actually showed music videos. The Fell In Love With A Girl video came on; it was labeled a ‘breakthrough video’. It happened so fast. I was hypnotized. The combination of the music and the strange stop-action animation made a great, lasting impression on me. When the video was over, I heard the song over and over in my head, progressively becoming more attached to it with each passing repetition. I bought the album within the next few days. What I anticipate to be a lifelong romance bloomed within the first few seconds of aural exposure. Love at first sound.
I am irrevocably glad every time I get to see them perform. Some shows are better than others. At tonight’s performance, Jack played Little Ghost on an electric mandolin. Little Ghost is one of my favorite songs off the newer albums. I love bluegrass music and I love that Jack White loves bluegrass music as much as he does.
One day I would love to meet them, if only to make my life a little more magical. Until then I’ll keep going to their shows, thriving on the energy of the experience and cherishing the lingering aftereffects; especially once I’m forced to go home and live amongst those who have never felt the way I feel at a White Stripes concert.
NOTE: Title changed because I misquoted the song lyric I was referencing. How depressing.
… according to Duchovny.
I’m so sorry to have to link to E!Online, but there’s some wonderfully titillating information in this article.
X Marks Spot for Files Sequel
- Production will likely ramp up after that, with Duchovny anticipating getting in front of the cameras as early as this fall.
“I think it’s November for a summer [2008] release,” he said.
- “All Chris says is that he wants to make a really scary horror, like a stand-alone episode,” said Anderson, who has kept busy with film work, including last year’s The Last King of Scotland. “I don’t think they’re interested in touching on any of the conspiracy stuff.”
Everything I would want to hear. Makes me nervous.
Dare I say more and fate it to be untrue?
I dare not.
“This gift that you gave me for my birthday. You never got to tell me why you gave it to me or what it means… but I think I know. I think that you appreciate that there are extraordinary men and women and… extraordinary moments when history leaps forward on the backs of these individuals… that what can be imagined can be achieved… that you must dare to dream… but that there’s no substitute for perseverance and hard work… and teamwork… because no one gets there alone… and that, while we commemorate the… the greatness of these events and the individuals who achieve them, we cannot forget the sacrifice of those who make these achievements and leaps possible.”
Just wanted to post to say Sexuality In Art is back. If you haven’t been there, you should undoubtedly give it a look. It’s an excellent, thought-provoking, beautiful blog. I haven’t gotten the chance to look at much of the new stuff yet but I fully intend to.
The recent post on Abstinence Posters is worth a look alone. Fascinating, truly fascinating. I’ve got a lot to say about a poster that says “You can’t be unwrapped twice”, but not right now.
I really really do. Summer is one of the best times to have it, too.
I wish I could just buy the one station instead of the whole ridiculously fluffed cable package. Pfft.
Tuesday, at the Roseland Ballroom. The opening act was periodically acceptable while being mostly obnoxious.
I love Lily Allen’s new cd. The songs that she remembered the words to were great. My favorite performances were definitely Everything’s Just Wonderful and Knock ‘Em Out. Hearing the latter song was particularly amusing because some sketchy guy was hitting on me towards the beginning of the show. I was really looking forward to Alfie, and she performed it for the encore, but it wasn’t a high point. Her cover of Heart of Glass is better than Blondie’s original version.
Oh Jesus Christ almighty,
Do I feel alright? No, not slightly,
I wanna get a flat. I know I can’t afford it,
It’s just the bureaucrats who won’t give me a mortgage,
Well it’s very funny ’cause I got your fucking money,
And I’m never gonna get it just because of my bad credit
Oh well I guess I mustn’t grumble,
I suppose that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
No fucking kidding, Lily. :(
I found this while browsing Google, looking for Annie Leibovitz photographs. It’s selections for Leibovitz’s book, Women, hosted by the New York Times, along with a written accompaniment by Susan Sontag and an interview with Ms. Leibovitz herself.
I was thinking about this because of the attention Annie Leibovitz’s recent photo of Queen Elizabeth of England is getting, which can be seen in pretty large detail here.
It’s a provocative photograph, even without nudity or anyone “bathing in asses’ milk”, as one of the articles quoted critics as fearing. Some of the British are disappointed with it, lamenting that it’s a reflection of Helen Mirren’s recent portrayal of the Queen rather than the Queen herself.
I like the photograph, more for its artistic goals than its value as a portrait. It’s thought-provoking, the dark clouds looming outside the palace; the Queen enshrined within, turning her face to the world and the faint light that falls on her while selectively remaining in her gilded retreat. I agree that the photograph is a distinct reflection of the issues brought about by the film, and that probably plays a role in why the British people feel uneasy about it. It’s important to note that Leibovitz is an American photographer. I think that any perceived criticism would be taken defensively as a result since it’s not coming from the Queen’s own people but from the outside world.
Regardless, the photographs in the Women exhibit are wonderful. They showcase the wild distinctive essence of each individual woman while collectively highlighting strength and cosmic beauty. Take a look. It’s inspiring.
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