Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Sunday, February 1, 2009

In Bloom

acknowledge, but signaling to producer, vulnerable
too much
the scream like an old man
the wash out
clean
dancy

Novoselic (Milosevic) long legs
stoner expressions
benevolence
tinkerbell twirling

horror-like flash betweens
everything

attention caught, how did it go
motion
experiential motion
e-motion

i like the part at the end where he goes to punch something and hurts his hand, and stumbles to the mic with his hands between his legs like an early-pubescent girl with cramps


Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Ladri di biciclette (the bicycle thief)

My friend Kat invited me to see Vittorio De Sica's post-WWII masterpiece Ladri Di Biciclette last week at the Working Centre. The more I think about this movie, the more I realize how relevant it is, and how timely for them to show it at the Working Centre in the midst of a recession.

Its depiction of a society recovering from war and in particular one family's struggle to make money and achieve some level of material well-being strikes me as kind of a knell for consumerism.  (Of course, anyone who knows me knows I see pretty much EVERYTHING as a death knell for consumerism, or at least for consumptionism.) But Ladri Di Biciclette is perhaps even more relevant today than it was during the post-war boom. The father character, Antonio, is motivated by fantasies of opulence, celebrating when he lands a well-paying "city job", and exclaiming to his wife "you will have money to throw away!"
Later, when unable to retrieve a stolen bicycle that is his only apparent link to employment, he treats his son to an expensive restaurant meal, teaching him the ethic of "working to consume" by giving him a taste of consumption-based hedonism, couched in family values. What a toxic mix!

OK, so I'm taking a pretty hard counter-cultural interpretation of what might otherwise be a pathos-inducing human story. I actually do have a great deal of empathy with Antonio and his desire to treat his family well, make a decent living wage, and live well, but... I think the movie also gets to the heart of my difficulties with the approach many advocates for social justice (of which I am one) currently practice. It's reasonable to assume that social justice is only possible in a society that values it. When social programs aim to equip lower-income people with the means to become consumers, there will continue to be hoarding, violence and unhappiness.
One time Kat pointed out over a cup of tea that there is a link between social equality and environmental protection, that is, both are impossible as long as people at all levels of society share the same consumerist aspirations.

Alternatively, we as a society could aspire to different goals, such as a deep understanding the nature of things around us, or something like that--something that everyone can strive for without necessarily depriving others of the opportunity to pursue the same dream. A goal like this gives us the same power and stability we instinctually seek through wealth accumulation, but again, it doesn't come at anyone else's expense. If anything, that knowledge can be shared to allow societies to understand their respective environments, leaving everyone better off.

The path towards peace requires a substitution of knowledge for consumption. There's little doubt in my mind about this.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Why FOTC is just OK

People have told me they think Flight of the Conchords is the best comedy act/show going these days. Well I can't think of a better one (LMOTP comes close), but FOTC is still really just OK. They do a good job of humanizing marginalized parts of urban society (muggers, druggies, etc.) but they're also perpetuating problematic stereotypes in a way that evokes nervous laughter from at least a few female and minority viewers. Here we have another couple of slick "white" guys, singing songs about how and how not to get laid, about racial equality, the triumphs and tragedies of inner city life, etc. But let's take a closer look at one of these issues: racial equality. Their "black paper white paper..stick it together with the tape of love" song champions love's ability to overcome racial antagonism. And yet, when you look at the "hottest" women according to Brett and Jemain's characters, they're all tall, thin, blonde, symmetrical "beauties"...no sterotype being challenged here.
In fact, the show is generally dealing with stereotypes, which I guess is normal for comedy shows. The trouble is, FOTC stereotypes aren't all that insightful and in my view serve to entrench negative stereotypes as often as they deconstruct or parody them.

So there's a little rant on last year's New Kids On The Block comedy troupe. Go Monty Python! http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2008/09/monty_pythons_guide_to_the_mud.html

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Brain, Muscle, Fat - In That Order

Following recent coverage of the US and Canadian elections, I feel moved to write a brief dialectic. A major shift in our collective priorities seems called for if are to free ourselves from the economic malaise and brutal militarism that is the natural outcome of certain aspects of the North American way of life. Our culture is rooted in a shallow, and often meaningless, form of hedonistic consumerism, which offers little promise of real fulfillment or concern for greater goals.
I was lucky enough to find myself seated across from Jack Layton a month ago in an airport lounge. After five minutes of trying to think of a question worth asking him, we ended up having a pleasant and meaningful conversation about a variety of things related to sustainability, including his former involvements with the Toronto Cycling Committee through which he knows my dad. He also gave a good answer to my question about the NDP's strategies for growing environmental awareness across Canada by funding community-level advocacy. It was a good ten minute conversation, by the end of which I had renewed confidence that despite being a political animal, Mr. Layton has a genuine passion for the environment and sustainability...and space exploration! Hahaha :) (He said as he was taking his seat on the plane, quite out of the blue, that he's reading a book about the Apollo project.)
So, here's my dialectic on the shift in priorities that I see helping us kick the habit of exploiting the wealth of nations less powerful than ourselves. This is part of addressing "security issues" that are of such importance to our US counterparts, and restoring Canada's good name in international circles as a peacemaker, leader on the environment (and now sustainability), and a country that not only contains enormous wealth, but generates prosperity beyond its borders.
------
Canada needs to maintain its sovereignty. How do we do this? With economic and military power? Perhaps. Certainly this is the strategy pursued by those nations with the highest degree of sovereignty around the world, i.e. the G-8. How then do we increase economic and military power? We increase economic power by improving productivity while reducing consumption. This gives a net benefit to our country, while benefiting our trading partners and countries in which we're involved in humanitarian work and peacekeeping as well. It's no good to be highly productive if we then go and consume an equivalent amount of resources to the income we've generated. By doing so, we increase global inequity and miss opportunities to direct surpluses into investments for the good of society.
Instead, we should focus on funneling those resources into wealth creating enterprise -- investments in knowledge creation (education), culture, technology, particularly information technologies that give people access to the information needed to improve their own lives and make better decisions. We should dwarf the significant value of our natural resources with a culture of wealth creation that will garner the respect of powerful nations and individuals around the world.
We should have access to, control over, and actively be developing technologies and intelligence that allow us to carry out effective warfare, not the sloppy "death from above" tactics being increasingly relied on in Afghanistan. When you deprive civilians of their human rights, you harden their culture against you. The reality is that there are people, subcultures, in this world whose ideas do not deserve a voice. I am referring to organizations or structures that promulgate hate, such as terrorist organizations, or to borrow a historical example, Apartheid. For good reasons, these are always in the minority, and so we should not be forced into dialogue with them because we're incapable of overpowering or outsmarting them. Overpowering a terrorist subculture can often be done more effectively through diplomacy and appealing to the better judgment of moderates than through firepower. Improving the the quality of life of people in foreign nations is a much better way to secure our county than living a lifestyle that necessitates their exploitation. Power is a measure of knowledge. If we lack the knowledge to achieve our aims, we have only ourselves to hold responsible.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

AAAAAHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/global_business.shtml

Global Business updates weekly. The original broadcast is available here.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

What makes The Diableros so great (for a Scot/Brit descended twenty-something who grew up in Scarborough/Ajax/Whitby/Oshawa)

Like an old leather boot stepping on the rusty gas pedal of an Oshawa-built jalopy, The Diableros roar out of the stable with balls a-blazin' ...for peace.

Is there a contradiction in this music? Of course...it's a rock show.  It's not supposed to make sense. It reflects reality but it's not real. It's art. Yes my few and faithful blog readers, this is art.

So why do I like this band so much...

The Lyrics
They've got a message that rust-belt industrialists need to hear, condensed into "cause it's not home, just miles of road"
"You got held up, I got the afternoon."
"...just miiiiiiiiiles...." awesome hold over.
They're honest.

Broken Barns
the crooning. oooooooh the crooning.
"far...ooo, three days drive in a car and he's still what he used to be"

The Feel
S.O.L.I.D. yet organic and collaborative.

Song construction
The way it takes so long to get it...you have to listen to the whole song, i.e. it's not soundbite music. It takes time to say something important.
Non-cyclical: it goes somewhere. It's progress baby, like a good child of industry.
Subtle but uncontrived time changes: long 6/4 signatures inserted over 4/4 ([song])

Instrumentation
Pete Carmichael: voice, twelve-string guitar
Ian Jackson: guitar
Phoebe Lee: drums
Matt Rubba: organ, tambourine
Ian Worang: bass



But the number one reason I like The Diableros is that they create identity for me as a kid who grew up in the eastern GTA at the end of the 20th Century.

Here's a song by song break down of why I like this band so much I'd (almost) trade in my degree to be playing at this level in my late twenties.

Up In The Mountain Range
This song is a beautifully vivid, hard-hitting criticism of Canada's military involvement in Afghanistan. I'm not sure whether the political caricature is Harper or Bush; it's equally applicable.

Ever Changing

Nothing Down in Hogtown
strut keyboards
thick rock
drum thing sounds like Beetles Twist and Shout

Lyrics
"not ready for the country, high up above"
what is this, heaven? retirement? living having given up a dream?

"I've been pouring out energy into a vat and sipping it down"

"So I'll take this liberty, I'll wear an axe if you take a vow
And I don't want to sing that song, sounding hard core"

"to fuel the strong"

Any Other Time
stars, looking at the stars song
Torontoness
sentimentality
colours, yellows and oranges,

Lyrics
"Any other time I make like I've been a fool...
(pause) I've played a fool.
a fooooooooo.....00000000lllllll

I got the crush, that gives me that sanctity (so perseptive)
Is it enough when I'm left in solitude
sweeeping the dust, paying the propper dues

fool... [driving, bass drops and...] foooooooooooooooooooooooooooo,0000 oool

You got held up I go tthe afternoon
Is it enough to really give up on you.

Now we are lost"

patterns with chords changing underneath...signature NY

"we should take the time we get and give out
when it's gone and we're apart, i'll try to work without regret and carry a charge
work without regret and carry a chaaaaaaaarrrgge..."

guitar changes
rhythm guitar harmonic interference
added two beats and...lead goes up the 8ve, amazing

Turning Backwards


country feel, swagger
rolling triplets

such a story teller

Lyrics

"Regret the
trouble grasping good sounds
I find it hard to get by only once in a while
when I'm leaving my silence behind

Well you have gone insane and I see it in your eyes
well it's only dark in corners of your mind
rivers in your veins can carry thoughts downstream to valleys where branches can grow again"

restored nature, life! lifelike imagery

nature allusions...so beautiful

"Through hazy skies come golden rays of light, that can only take my mind
(it all plays out so slowly...drama!)
where trails of smoke unwind

I can hear the clocktowers
turning backwards
chiming to a time I was waiting there outdoors"
I dwelled out there (dwelled as the wrong emphasis... too Handelian)

bass sounds like its revving

crash...lead... crash
through the ashes emerges the plaintive guitar smoking through
keys, so much pathos
band bass fives
oh the soaring Ian's holds steady over, switches and band harmonies follow

crashes fall on the one


Mist

oh mist...
sweeps in guitar, perfect twang
thwang...

"The party died" (what is this style)
bass
"and then so did you"
change
"didn't say much together white mist overdue" (over dew?)
sexy...
"I remember your honey, and ice pickles too
I remember your jewelery and merry cackles you made"
Guitar pulls us out of it...like a winch
thwangk, thwank

"So here's our goodbye. It's long overdue" (falters)
"Can't speak for forever. And I can't blame what's true. Just say that I'm sorry, for the pains that broke you.
And I'll just say I'm happy for all the things (emphasis amazing) that you gave.

Ian pulls us up...
Merry cackles you made...

swing, grhh

Telepathic Love
overtone hangs over....
"Would you send a message via a telepathic vibe
sen dit now because I'm feeling so deprived

Could you send a...

Telepathic affair.
Send a message via telepathic vibe

Give me something without giving a thing"

So this song is a cover.  Shows respect for our collective musical heritage.

Kicking Rocks

Awesome.

in. tro.

bam boodu bam boodu bo....

"I've my bastion. You've got your shell.
You're always pushing ...on what you dwell"? what?
"So I've been thinkin, what's up with that

You say you're silent well get used to that
you open building doors for working class"
...somthing about cadillacs

"You're only kicking rocks from the East.
I see you hanging like a scarecrow when your fields are dry.

I get up and fill my hamo in the morning.

I hear the ..

I've got a move on and cut the slack
2.5 million won't hold me back"

...rocks forin

"and you aim to high" (2nd time slightly different, such sublty!)

"When will you light my soul?!!

When the nights are cold!

When will you light my soul.

dee dee dee dee dee dee dee

I don't care how punk rock you want to be. It just doesn't mean anything ..."

drumm... da datata. da datata. sets up

Incredible feel. OMGosh


Left From The Movies

"All of my friends are gone and I'm fire fighting
As I stand on your lawn, I remember slightly. How the sparks surprised me.

And it made a wonderful sound. I couldn't believe how loud. It felt like I had just left from the movies...
so I recorded..." (the sentence just goes on adding a piece to the story with each line)
"but not anymore"(so honest release)
"Now it's all coming through me."

music mirrors the process
then it comes
And I was led astray, far from your way
said a fool
don't think he's on holidays

beautiful story.

No One Wants To Drive

Oh man...this song is so amazing.

magical sonorous
Bass.

Do do do do "...the night we took the car without tellin your dad
thoughts of not comign back the best dreams we ever had
houses and amber spaced out like a waitresses teeth who served us coffee on the way to a useless speach

kids in the parking lot just barely gettin by

I want to leave this town, but no one wants to drive.
'cause it's not home. I'm goin back, not goin home.

Sometimes your looks at me remind me of your mom
back in my high..." etc. sugary sentimentality. a bit much

guitar...Ian that pattern fits

"Kids in the parking lot just barely gettin by

I want to leave this town, but no one wants to drive."

wtf is happening in the guitar. Ian we love you.

Broken Barns

Why The Diableros are so amazing cont.

sonically

narrative

song structure

More on Up in the Mountain Range

Lyrics
"when the daylight gets drowned under the shadow of your second home

you're lost in the
what you've done wrong

our blood won't drip down if we don't get up
our position stays soft up in the mountain range
you can have a think about"

blaring sirenesque guitar clash, beauty

"when you're over making sense and the rhetoric's on your back
when the fire's buring smolders following another attack

we wait for the day that you fall down
our blood won't drip down, if don't get up

our position stays soft up in the mountain range"

lyrics work together so wonderfully

working class work ethic, like a father's authoritative advice, "you can have a think about it"

Ever-changing

squeeking distorted guitar,

"I got the minions" ... Pete exposes his views, slowly for those who care to listen or pay attention

"it's time we got along...(a long) way out...the connotation changes"  brilliant

"it only takes hours, but we've been gone for days"
meaning one: friends who take longer than necessary to resolve their disputes
meaning two: creative process facilitated by a retreat

weather, West, East allusions, beauty

guitar singing with Pete (Ian and Pete)
to the west, the frontier's ever changing... like the sentiment. ever-changing

Work where I can be proud
but I am bound to the windbags

whiny organ...perfect

strutting sound

honest comments on the state of things. "it's not home, just miles of road" "nothing down in hogtown"

guitar solo at the end of Any Other Time


Up In The Mountain Range

Slow lyrical delivery gives listener options...to listen to words, or just the music
psychedelic sonorities (overtones)


Ever-Changing


Nothing Down in Hogtown

well they're wrong about that