“In 65, I was 17 and running up one by one…”

The soundtrack at Barnes and Noble was surprisingly good.

Not only was there was a cool cover (non-Nouvelle Vague) of “Dancing with Myself” but there was also some Fine Young Cannibals, Devo and Donna Summers’ “Hot Stuff”, which was partially an inspiration for a one-act play that ranks among the favorite things I’ve written.

I took out my phone to send out a multi-text, a common occurrence for me, distinguished from a mass-text message (“Hay guyz new phon numba! Just tlln u 4 kiks!”) by that it usually contains selective information, as in “Hey you want to see a movie?” to people I usually see movies with, “Brother/Sister plays tomorrow” to potential play-goers and “If it wasn’t Oswald, then who gave Ted that brain cancer and who’s next, you?” to Ro-shaved-off-his-fucking-beardo Malone and Jason Lee simultaneously.

This time it was a simple askance that came out before its recipients:

“Opinions on Devo?”

As a youth, I’m sure I had heard the song “Whip It” around, unexplained, but I didn’t gain full consciousness of it until, like several other musical discoveries, I found them through parody, with a licorice-whipping Smithers on The Simpsons singing some lyrics in a brief aside during a performance of “I Want Candy” by “The Simpson Family Smile Time Variety Hour”. It was a good episode. Looking back on that show, I credit it for much of my good familial experiences and interests (similar to Animaniacs in that respect) but still resent the writers for being Harvard grads.

The people who went to Harvard from my school were douches.

I don’t remember who they were but yeah, I’m sure of it.

Except for that one kid who got a scholarship and whose single mom raised three kids.

And that other one from the projects who got to go to Italy as a result.

Fuck.

Anyway, the obvious recipients were taken care of first. Consider, this was an extremely esoteric text coming out of nowhere on a random subject that could possibly disrupt the day of somebody doing something important. So of course, I had to send it to Rob and Jason Lee, since the only thing Jason was probably fucking with Photoshop and Rob’s idea of “something important” was playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

Next were spacial considerations. I had found out from an article or somewhere while trolling about movies that Devo was from Ohio. Thus I was probably obligated to text-message the two Ohioans I knew most prominently: Chadd Harbold and Mike Sweeny. There were problems with both of these recipients. I had just ditched out on Mike after a good 4-hour of chunk of waiting with him at his job selling Christmas trees on Hudson St and playing pool at the off-duty policeman’s bar nearby. It’d be a little strange to send him a text, 15 minutes after leaving him to fend for himself at Filene’s Basement (no thanks).

As for Chadd, the last time I had tried to do something Ohio-y for him it was singing Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Ohio” at a Karaoke night, with a dedication to “Chadd from Ohio”.

It turned out you can listen to a song with a funky beat and some good guitar solos and never realize how depressing it is.

Shit, man. That song’s about people getting gunned down who are like 20. That it happens in Ohio is like a fucking travesty.

The point being it can be hard to figure this out until you are face-to-face with the lyrics on a blinking electronic-blue screen, highlighted for your following convenience.

It turned out to be kind of a downer.

I didn’t text an old not-girlfriend of mine who I knew was a fan because I already knew her opinion and I thought I had drummed up a solid group.

Jason never answered.

Rob said “They’re fantastic. Now what the fuck do you want from me?”

Mike said “They’re from Ohio, thus awesome.”

and Chadd said “what’s that?”

“Chadd’s from Ohio and he doesn’t know ‘em.” I told Mike.

“We sure he’s from Ohio?” Mike replied.

“Well he’s actually in Ohio right now. So where’s your cred?” I texted.

“I AM Ohio.” He proclaimed.

And there was nothing really I could say to that.

I went back to reading “The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide” in the auditorium section of the fourth floor of Barnes and Noble, trying to learn what I could and excited to read the book and steal the serial code from the back of it so I could sign up for the author’s “member-only one-hundred-percent film-festival resource-guide”.

I signed up using the same phone I’d sent all the texts with.

Hours earlier, when Mike Sweeny and I had been walking to Barnes and Noble, he almost ditched out because I was replying to a text while walking.

“Don’t you think you’re missing out on a certain degree of reality when you do that? Stare down like that?” Mike asked.

“What? I’m trying to reply to a text message, jesus Mike.”

“That’s the problem.” Mike said. “You’re always in it, you’re not experiencing life.”

“I think this is how people experience life nowadays, or how they will.” I posited, putting forth some questionable phiosophical futurism.

“Well, that’s a sad world then.” Mike replied.

“What?” I asked. “Sorry, another text.”

***

Normally a vacation might inspire relief, but free time only makes me anxious and waiting, all the more.

It was a dark week at my work this week and so I was given dispensation to stay at home, see movies, do whatever I do. I only have two more weeks left at my job though and I’m not getting paid, so I feel like somehow I’d rather be at work. Instead. I took time out to see plays, watch a movie or two, spend time with my girlfriend and go completely ape-shit insane about Sundance acceptances, a call that was supposed to be made on Wednesday.

How insane you might ask? How bat-shit-bonkers have I gone over waiting?

I joined Twitter.

It’s very, very depressing.

The story goes something like this.

I spent the week, as I’ve spent the past two virtually, refreshing the Withoutabox “Submission Status” website, checking it periodically throughout the day to make sure that there were no message from festivals, no rejections or missing DVDs, no requests for press kits or other crazy things. To be honest, I didn’t know what I should expect: I had never seen anything but tranquil information from my Withoutabox home page. But in the startling event that there was, that there WAS something. Well, damnit. I would be there.

As the week and then the day of phone calls arrived, I took it to another level, coordinating via text-message on a tri-hourly basis with my friends who had concurrent submissions to Sundance, combing the web for information and reporting back.

It’s unclear why this Sundance mania had taken me. I had bearish about my chances there to everyone, including myself. I had been much more enthusiastic about Nashville, where one of my lead actors had been asked to speak last year, or Cannes Cinefondation who, presented with my endorsement from the filmmaker Antonio Campos, literally “cooed” at me over the phone from France.

But perhaps it was the club-ishness, the secret notification-before-a-notification of it all that had me wild, that there was a supposed “day” in which your fate would be decided and that all of us, the whole film’s-cool-crew–we would all know at once, like a bolt of lightning at the pearly gates (that I’d believe in if I wasn’t a Jew).

It was struck by this mania that I joined Twitter.

First, I just searched without joining, figuring that short filmmakers were probably in to that whole “new media” thing. If senator could do, then why the fuck not them? It was instant, I didn’t have to know the people, like on Facebook. Like my Google Voice account, I could search “Sundance” and people’s voices, their conversations would appear.

But then when someone said they were accepted, I wanted to know more, wanted to see more, wanted to hear what that meant. As Wednesday passed and none of us heard, I took the leap and joined.

It’s Friday now and the offices at Sundance are closed for the weekend, the same break that anyone at any other job would get, including my parents.

My friends and co-conspirators have concluded that notifications will be given next week, a sentiment echoed by a sage teacher of mine, who I talked to on Wednesday, Sharon Badal.

For now, the “Twitterverse” is quiet, with my search results only turning up feature news (which Sundance releases in spurts) and deals on spas and sofas.

Next week will come and go and what may happen will.

But the mortgage on my virtual soul that has been made.

That is something much more troublesome.

All epically great music videos should contain at least eight of the following:

- Political incorrectness

- Weird juxtapositions

- Obscure and symbolic (NOT direct) references to at least one taboo sexual perversion or drug

- Mythical archetypes turned into high camp

- At least one prominently sparkly thing, even if it’s a B&W video (remember those Flock of Seagulls videos? That, but maybe less).

- Sunglasses. Or some type of interesting spectacles.

- Some tie-in with the lyrics, but not so much it becomes over-literal and fussy.

- Creative storyline (think Common and Mary J. Blige’s “Come Close to Me,” where Common proposes marriage to his deaf girlfriend he’s just had a fight with, by standing on her lawn drawing a cue-card rebus to go with the song lyrics)

- At least one tastefully tongue-in-cheek phallic or sexual symbol (my favorite: Devo’s “That’s Good”… that repeated cartoon of a french fry going into a doughnut)

- Twisted, campy references to classic films, novels, comics or anything that permeates our cultural consciousness

- At least one caricatured angry authority figure (parent, teacher, cop etc) (The Kinks, “Come Dancing”… Beastie Boyz, “Fight for your Right (to Party)”… this was more popular in the 80’s I think…)

- Exaggerated gestures and facial expressions (think anything Van Halen), or, conversely… studiously understated “cool” gestures (think Digable Planets, Snoop Dogg)

- Art that comes to life (optional)

- Food that comes to life (optional)

- Musical instruments that come to life (optional)

- Musical instruments that combust (please, just one is enough per video)

- At least one child, often cast into an ambiguously appropriate and ironic adult role (I love Jill Scott’s video for “Gimme,” where she’s a sexy nurse followed by sick children who suddenly can get up and dance)

- Awesome choreography (ALL MJ videos)

- References to insanity (Bjork “Violently Happy,” David Bowie “Look Back in Anger”)

- Irony, even unwitting irony

- Big hair, no hair, long hair, blue hair… some kind of hair extreme going on

- Disturbing visual imagery (optional, depending on song)

- Humor (less optional)

- Both of the above at once

- Dreamlike, smooth transitions between scenes

- Special effects only to fit the mood/narrative.

What is NOT necessary for a good music video:

- Booty close-ups

- Gratuitous sexuality

- Gratuitous and overdone special effects

- Maudlin, heavyhanded political memes and themes

- References to drugs and top-shelf sexual perversions without the slightest trace of irony

- Excessive instrument/hand close-ups

- Anything where the band plays on a beach, on top of a tall building, a mountain, a boat… (yawn… cliché alert… although I did love U2’s “Gloria” and Duran Duran’s “Rio” videos back in the 80’s)

- Choppy, jarring transitions

- Zooming in and out repeatedly (excuse me, some of us are epileptic)

- Words superimposed unnecessarily on footage, as if to provide visual Cliff’s Notes to the action (you’ll see a lot of this in French and African videos…)

- Excessive food references (I am still haunted, to this day, of that horrible Wall of Voodoo video from the 80’s where everyone is drowning in baked beans… not to mention INXS’s “The One Thing”)

- Any, any, any form of pixelized or other cheesy image fades… except when done to create a mock 80’s effect.

- Too many women in one video… destroys the narrative effect

- Humans morphing into ferocious wild animals… biggest video cliché on the planet (think Sade)

- Sentimentality or over-seriousness about romance… unless you’re making karaoke videos (think Alicia Keys)

- Any form of leopard-skin print clothing, Greek columns (unless used ironically, as in Soft Cell’s magnificent, insanely perfect video for “Tainted Love” which contains just about every video “DO” listed above)

- Any visual imagery so completely disgusting or disturbing that people can’t even watch it. That differs for everyone… for example, I think Aphex Twin’s “Rubber Johnny” and “Come to Daddy” videos are fantastic, but they disturb me too much to watch them. I get nightmares.

- Over-selfconsciousness, narcissistic imagery (most rap videos…)

- Over-fixation on the symbols of luxury and wealth (ditto, although many 80’s videos were guilty of this distraction from good-video content as well)

- Over-repeated samples

- Distasteful focus on death or body functions

- Meaningless, weird or random stock photo footage that doesn’t fit the mood of the song

- Footage that is very obviously stock footage

- Special effects that can quickly be named by anyone who knows the editing software

- Destroying more than two cars, three guitars, or one building… kids are starving in Africa, man. Do you really need to blow up four guitars??

- Obviously underage girls (or boys) in sexually compromising situations

- Cheesy metaphors for sexual body parts (think Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back”)

Anyone want to add to this list?

“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”John 3:30 (NLT)

It’s not about me! It never has been about me and it never will be about me.

I have to be honest, this is something that is easy for me to read, and even say, but in the depths of my heart, I am still very selfish! It’s easy for me to say, “It wasn’t me!” or “It wasn’t my fault!” when things go bad, but when things go good, something changes.  All of a sudden I want the recognition, the praise, the hi fives, and what ever-else you want to give me … I want it all.

But this word surrender is so deep, honestly way to deep to write about in a blog, but if God is stirring on the inside of me, there has to be an act of surrender that happens also, and it has to happen in these 4 areas for sure:

• A SURRENDERED HEART!
  

This is the first step.  Without a surrendered heart you will remain focused on yourself and miss out on the things that have Eternal value.  If you have never trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have never really surrendered your heart.  A surrendered heart breaks for the things that break the heart of God, and stirs within us the desire to be transformed and used by God for His Kingdom.

• A SURRENDERED WILL!

This is the outward expression of a surrendered heart.  This is where our actions meet up with our beliefs and our words.  I believe this is what James is going after when he says,

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 (NLT)

Jesus knew this well also.  We see this in the garden when he is talking with God asking if there is any other way to redeem man from sin.  Look at what he prays,

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42 (NLT)

A surrendered will is where follow-through happens.  It’s what allows others to see Christ in us.

• A SURRENDERED PLAN!

It’s easy for us to claim this verse in Jeremiah,

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”’ Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

We like this verse because it makes us feel good to know that we have a purpose.  But it says that God knows the plan for us … what if His plan is different than the plan we thought it would be?  What if his plan is different than the plan we have seen in some of our mentors? This is where I have to remember, that God made me to be me, not a carbon copy of someone else.  Therefore, God’s plan for me may be different than the plan He has for someone else.

Please don’t hear what I am not saying, I feel many times we do something, believe something, and act a certain way based on what we have seen and learned from someone else.  We look at what God is doing in them, how he is using them, and think to ourselves, I have to believe, say, or do, this or that, to have God use me effectively. Don’t get me wrong,  you need Mentors and Godly role models, but remember, God uses these people to help point you to what HE wants to do in you, and through you, not for you to be a mini me of them.  God’s plan may be radically different than the plan that he has/had for the influences in your life. This doesn’t mean that there is a conflict or contradiction. It simply means that God has used someone to influence and encourage you to be who God created you to be and now its time to step up and surrender to the plan God has for YOU!  God may be doing something different in you, don’t be afraid of that, but seek the Lord in that.  Remember what He says in Isaiah,

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?” Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

• A SURRENDERED LIFE!

This is the ultimate goal, that every aspect of our life is surrendered to God.  I believe we live out Romans 12 1-2 when we surrender to these 4 areas.  Let this be our goal today,

“And so, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.^{[b] 2} Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

Today, who will you surrender to?  The fact is you will surrender to something or someone.  For me, I am working on these 4 things, will you join me?

I have put off writing this blog for a couple of weeks now.  Time to get it down so that the Lord can stop stirring it up in my mind and soul….

I attended a funeral a few weeks back where something was said that just hasn’t left my mind, heart or soul and continues to play over and over again in my head.  Don’t get me wrong, the service was lovely … the deceased – who was gravely ill – is now with the Lord and celebrating a new life.  Nonetheless… something was said that I felt was misleading….

During the message, it was said that this lovely person had placed their faith in God… in a box… to protect it.  The gest of the message was that a good life was lived and that faith had been protected via safe-keeping… with the finale being handing the box to back to God when they meet in Heaven.

It took me most of the day to figure out what was bothering me and finally my husband and I had a chance to debrief and I shared my thoughts.  This part of the message had escaped him, but had been a significant stumbling block for me.  It reminded me of the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30.

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.

19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’

21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![b]’

22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’

23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’

26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that the speaker NEVER intended this to be the meaning of his comments, but I couldn’t help but wonder how many people actually do treat their faith like this.  Something to protect and hideaway for safekeeping until the day they meet their Lord.  It occurs to me that our faith is something to be multiplied and shared… it is given to us with the expectation that we will invest it wisely and be able to show gain… fruit.  Otherwise, why receive it in the first place.  Remember, our life on this earth is not about us… it’s all about God.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! 

Be Blessed!

Don’t box up ANYTHING that the Lord grants to you….

SHOP at www.ChristianGiftsPlace.com

866.834.0356

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Psalm 46:10 (NLT)

Let’s face it, life is busy.  But I will never forget the words my Youth Pastor told me when I was 18 and giving him the excuse that I was too busy to read my Bible and spend time with God.  He simply looked me in the eye and said, “If you are too busy for God then you are too busy.” Ouch, I’ll never forget that statement.

Let’s be honest, it’s not that we are to busy, it’s simply we haven’t made that time with God a priority.  I still find this a challenge today.  The older I get the more demands on my time I seem to have.  If I don’t prioritize my time with God, sadly it will be overlooked.  But that’s true for you also.

Here is the Bottom Line, if we are going to get to know God, be transformed by His love, and impact others for His kingdom, we are going to have to begin to prioritize time with Him to listen, pray, and meditate on Him.

Here is what it looks like for me in the morning, a cup of coffee (i am getting older), my Bible with 2 highlighters, my laptop and headphones for music.  This has been my routine for sometime now.  It has become a priority and a habit.  However,  it doesn’t stop in the morning.  All day long I listen for God’s voice.  Sometimes it’s loud and obvious and other times it’s a whisper.  But I am learning to listen with my heart, ears and eyes.  I have come to the understanding that God is speaking, but sadly, many times I don’t hear Him because I’m not really listening.

If God is going to use us as an influence, we have to learn to be still so we can hear Him.  We have to prioritize this time with God because if we don’t, our time will be taken by other things.  These could even be good things, but our time with God is where we get strength, clarity, and confidence.  Jesus knew this well! Many times he left crowds and sent disciples ahead so he could spend time with God.  He knew His time was short, He was busy and always had a crowd, but He knew His greatest impact would only come out of his time of fellowship with God.

We see this in a big way in his last hours. Jesus could have spent time with others, He could have held a healing service, or taught large groups of people.  But in His last hours as a free man, Jesus spent time with God praying and listening.

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” Matthew 26:36 (NLT)

You see God was preparing Him for his greatest impact, his greatest rejection, and his greatest beating which ultimately lead to His greatest act of kindness and greatest miracle … His Death and Resurrection.

Jesus knew how important it was to spend time with God!  He knew that without this time his impact and influence could be jeopardized.  He knew how to listen with his ears, eyes, and heart and set an example for us to follow. The question is, do we hear God when He is trying to speak to us?  Have we prioritized our time with Him so we can hear and recognize His voice when He speaks? Do we really believe that it makes a difference?

Today, let’s ask God to give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart that is open and soft for the things He wants to say.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Have you ever had this feeling that God was about to blow you away?  I’m not talking about striking you down or writing you off.  I’m talking about blowing you away by something He does in you, around you, and possibly even through you.  Has it happened before?  Could it happen again?

Every time I see this verse I am blown away by Gods ability to use a person like me to advance His Kingdom. I mean, he knows all my failures, the things I wrestle with, and despite all these things, he uses me.  This in itself is a miracle.  However, I believe it is the desire of Gods heart to move through his people and do what we think is impossible.

Luckily for me I have had some great people in my life that have challenged me, loved me, encouraged me, and held me accountable.  God has used these people in huge ways.  But just like God has used these people in my life, He wants to use me in another persons life.  This is where the stirring begins to happen.

Being aware that the creator of the universe, loves me, has a purpose for me, and  desires to use me, is the stating point for you and I to see God do the impossible.  It’s the starting point to see Him do infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Have you come to this awareness?  If so, how are you responding?

I feel that God is on the verge of doing something big in my life, I have no idea what that might be, I just know that He is stirring my heart and my thoughts.  Yes there are times it’s scary.  Sometimes it’s going to be scary because I (we) have to rely on His voice, His power, His wisdom, and His provision.  Peter was scared to step out of the boat, but when he did, he walked on water. Here’s the lesson, if I (we) want to see God sized results, it must not be about me (us) it has to be about Him, and I (we) must keep my (our) eyes on Jesus.

Over the next couple of days I want to break down some of my thoughts and desires on what God is stirring on the inside of me.  If it can be an encouragement to you, great!  But to be honest, this may be more for me than for you, but you are welcome to join me in this journey … who knows, maybe God is stirring you in the same way He is stirring me.  If that’s the case lets take serious this verse and ask God to prepare us for to be blown away by what He Chooses to do!

Today, lets ask God to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.

No, it is not a joke. DEVO is actually alive and well…and touring.  Having a 2-year old I have been entertained by Mark Mothersbaugh’s (lead singer of DEVO) cameo’s on Nickelodeon’s Yo Gabba Gabba kids show, but never thought that DEVO was still alive and well.  Appearently DEVO is playing in New York City’s Irving Plaza tonight 11/21 and in Toronto on Monday and Tuesday, cool! 

DEVO has been playing the same city two nights in a row intentionally in order play both albums Are We Not Men?  and Freedom Of Choice each night in their entirety, what a killer idea!  Brace yourself Toronto, I’m sure it will be a great show.

11/23 & 11/24 Toronto, Canada – Pheonix Concert Center

Why don’t more bands do this?  Could you imagine if Rush played Hemispheres and 2112 night one and Moving Pictures and Counterparts night 2? Or Metallica playing Kill em’ All night and Black night night one, perhaps Justice for All and Ride The Lightning night two?  I think that DEVO might be on to something…eh?

I’m  happy to hear that DEVO still has a following since they were definitely a defining sound of the 1980’s when I was growing up.

1. Want to learn to taunt your enemies like a reclusive megalomaniac dictactor with bad hair? It’s the North Korea insult generator.

2. What kind of political system is suitable for colonists on an interstellar journey? Sci-fi author Charles Stross flags some interesting issues.

3. Think movie acting can be bad? Try the 50 Worst Video Game Voice Acting clips.

4.  ”Sometimes his loose-limbed shuffle and sibilant drawl suggest Jimmy Stewart as a crackhead.” That’s The New York Times reviewing Nicholas Cage in his new movie, “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans”.

5. Crack that whip! Pearl Jam does Devo.

Putting aside Devo’s eccentricities for the moment, the gents from Akron, Ohio, chart a pretty good arc into New Wave music for an American band.

Seized with anger over typical punk themes ranging from broken politics to broken promises to broken hearts, Devo struck out in the traditionally blue-collar state of Ohio as a punk band for the art set, putting philosophical meanderings and literary allusions into a jumpy, frenetic repertoire dominated by guitars.

But as Devo’s range grew, they so fully embraced synthesizers so that by the time of their third album Freedom of Choice, they were creating some great American New Wave music. Devo came around to the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, for two nights in a row Sunday and Monday. Sunday, they performed their first album in its entirety plus encores and the like. Monday, they performed their amazingly catchy third album in its entirety.

The concert performance was tremendous and fully demonstrated why these songs withstand the test of time so well. Devo kicked off the concert with “Girl U Want,” following the album’s tracklist, and the crowd was already in a very good mood, dancing up a storm, and singing along by the time of the trademark “Whip It” as the third song.

The show, in my opinion, reached a crescendo with “Freedom of Choice” and “Gates of Steel”-two quintessential Devo songs that make for terrific dance numbers. Hearing those numbers live really brought home the dynamic and the energy and the message for me and really made the show.

My only real complaint is that a self-indulgent encore of “Beautiful World” went on for way too long due in part to a meandering and oddly backhanded tribute to Michael Jackson, of all things.

They made up for it in part by closing with a very Devoesque cover of Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man.”

As an aside, we here at Secret Circuits always will continue to differentiate between American New Wave and, in particular, UK New Wave as separate subgenres of New Wave music. American New Wave, although surely pop music, reaches for rock sensibilities a lot more than UK New Wave, which tilted heavily toward synthpop.

I’ve been thinking about a little concept called living for today. Not tomorrow.

Paul told the church at Corinth “Today is the day of salvation.” II Corinthians 6:2

The psalmist says “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Jesus said, “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” Matthew 6:34

Sometimes I carry too much weight and pressure in my mind and subconscious about the future. I worry about tomorrow. I dwell on the unknowns. I am a planner. I am a control freak. I am a perfectionist.

But it’s really all about TODAY. God made this day good.

And it’s all about HIM. And what He’s already done and what He’s already made good.

This is one of my “tweets” from today:

“Live  for Christ TODAY because TODAY turns into TOMORROW and TOMORROW turns into the NEXT DAY. Live one day at a time!”

(photo credit: Kyle Gustafson / www.photokyle.com)

You may not know this but while the rest of us are making dumb jokes and giving mediocre reviews our very own Matt Siblo is a real life writer, which is to say his writing can be found on websites that don’t have “WordPress” in the URL. Over at the DCist, Matt waxes critical on Devo’s performance of their album Freedom of Choice.

The introduction raises an interesting question: is one band playing an entire album live boring? Or is there some kind of excitement to seeing a band play their “seminal” albums from start to finish? Check out the link, and weigh in here with your opinion.

 a) Mac Gyver

 b) Beck

 c) Stephen Hawking

 d) Flaming Lips

 e) Devo

 f) Megan Gale

La

risposta

è

sul

rolling blog.

(Insonnia)

Here’s my 2nd show, which was also Part 2 of my look at the life and work of Brian Eno

The show is called “From the Other Side of the Mirror” and will be broadcast every Monday at 3pm. You can find KOOP radio at 91.7 Fm in the Austin area, or stream it online at www.koop.org

The idea behind the show is pretty simple. Each week the show will focus on a song, producer, label, musician(s), venue, etc. that has a major influence on music, their fingerprints are everywhere, but are forgotten or under most people’s radar. I will help listeners connect the musical dots. Like a documentary for your ears if you will. I will tell their story and showcase the various music they have created or been involved with.

Subject was again the inimitable Brian Eno. Playlist is below;

1. Sloppy – Devo
2. i-Zimbra – Talking Heads
3. Cross-Eyed & Painless” – Talking Heads
4. America is Waiting – David Byrne & Brian Eno
5. The Puppet Motel – Laurie Anderson
6. Miss Sarajevo – Passengers
7. Life is Long – David Byrne & Brian Eno

Quick note to say that Devo celebrated their 1980 release “Freedom of Choice” by playing it all to a packed house on November 7, 2009 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. We attended this show rather than that of the prior evening when they played “Q: Are We Not Men A: We Are Devo“. We picked the second show given that “Freedom” was a more popular work, including hits “Whip It”, “Girl U Want” and the title track, all of which would be more familiar to my companions. The show was brief but very tight. The show began a bit oddly as three videos from the album were projected before the band took the stage. This did serve the purpose of reminding many of us about the original days of music video and MTV – I wondered how many of the younger members of the audience had spent any time seeking out videos by their favorite bands these days. After the final track, the band did a quick encore consisting of a few more tracks ending with “Beautiful World.” At this stage you can’t blame the band for losing a bit of it’s edge live in terms of the tight synchronized movements of the past, particularly since the music and vocals are still spot on. Given the number of folky-emo bands out these days, the chance to catch a classic act blasting through three minute power-pop was a welcome respite!  Recommended.

Today I messed around with trying to make my own photography backdrops.  I bought a big piece of muslin material which is a natural colored cloth, made of 100% cotton, and a package of Rit dye (navy blue).  I poured hot water in a bucket, heated the dye in water on the stove to a simmer and then poured it into the bucket.  Prior to I had washed the muslin and then clumped it all together holding together with rubber bands, and then I proceeded to dunk it into the dark blue dyed water and left it for about 20 minutes, punching and stirring it with a dow rod … all outside.  The cloth came out in a darkened navy colored tie dye effect, no longer the natural colored muslin.  I have washed it and dried it, and am now ready to use it as a backdrop for portrait photography.

There is a reason I am telling you this.  As I washing watching the fabric turn a rich shade of blue I realized the significance of being baptized into Christ.  It is more than just a ritual or something we do (baptism is not part of your salvation … grace alone!) as there is rich meaning in its origin.  The Greek word for baptize is “baptizo” (baptism is “baptisma”) which has a root of “bapto” which means to be “covered wholly with fluid” … and to “stain as with dye”.  The idea is that we are baptized, immersed completely into Christ … much like the cloth I dyed today was stained completely by the blue dye … it took on the color of that which it was was being immersed into … it will never again be the same color of cloth as it began.  Being baptized into Christ as an act of obedience suggests that the very fabric of Christ life becomes mine … it plunges me and stains me as that of Christ.  Oh God, let me be dyed into the color of Christ, stained by the blood and never to be the same, plunged into the depths of Christ coming up a changed person.  Amen!

Romans 6:4 (NKJV)  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

 Peace & Glorify~

Jesse Le Doux custom Busy Beaver Button-O-matic with 35 designs

Wondering how to follow up the magic of Devo playing the Vic last night?

Start off Friday the 13th with an exhibition of video, painting, and sculpture by Aline Cautis, Josh Mannis, and Andy Roche at the former Busy Beaver Palmer Square location.  Join curators and button-maker team Old Gold to transform the former button shop into a newly inaugurated gallery space.

Hop on the Blue Line to the designer toy store Rotofugi on Division where you can check out the Jesse Le Doux “Exit Strategy” art show and custom Busy Beaver Button-O-matic.  It’s filled with 35 different buttons, including original, hand-drawn button art.  You might recognize Jesse’s work from the Shins “Chutes Too Narrow” album art,  rock posters, and even a slime-filled Target gift card.  Click here for more info.

Click here to hangout with Busy Beaver.

]]> http://borderstan.com/2009/11/12/borderstan-weekend-november-1415/ Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:00:58 +0000 lgomez66 http://borderstan.com/2009/11/12/borderstan-weekend-november-1415/ http://30characters.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/7-decibelle/ Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:58:01 +0000 atombat http://30characters.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/7-decibelle/

#7

Decibelle the Tattoo Gal is always turned up to 11 she is always 1 louder, with Dec meaning ten in Latinish or some such language. Dec’s power of antagonisation is always at full power, causing fights and general mayhem wherever she goes, this punk rocker chick doesn’t have flowers in her hair, but she can kick many men’s arses, one on one or all at once. But as DEVO put it, She’s the Girl, the girl you want.

Wow, what a weekend.  I was thinking of going to Twang Sunday at Thee Parkside on Sunday, but felt like I needed to come home and rest up and finish watching my True Blood and Mad Men DVDs from Netflix.  I’m not sure why I rushed through True Blood because now I have to wait for Season 2 to come out.  Sigh.

So Friday night was the Devo concert at The Regency Center.  I saw them at the Bill Graham Civic in October 2006 when they were the headliner and the opening bands were Animotion, When In Rome, Bow Wow Wow, and A Flock of Seagulls!  It was quite a lineup, but Devo blew them all out of the water (naturally).  In the interim years I’ve had to entertain myself with Devo DVDs like “Land of the Rising Sun” and another live one from the early ’80s where they actually played in Petaluma.  (For those of you who aren’t from around these parts, Petaluma is just North of SF about 40 miles.)

On Friday night they were playing “Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!” and on Saturday they were playing “Freedom of Choice.”  I probably could have gone both nights, but I knew we’d be having a family dinner for my Mom’s birthday on Saturday, so my friend and I decided on the Friday show.

My friend was going to drive over from Oakland and meet me at 9PM, so I decided to bus it there a little early and hit Hemlock Tavern for a pre-show adult libation.  The Hemlock is one of my favorite bars, but for some reason I hadn’t been there in a while. The back room is really small, but I’ve seen some great shows in there (The A-Frames, Country Teasers, Jay Reatard).  Jad Fair from Half Japanese is going to be there on Wednesday night, so I’m contemplating going to that  if I make enough headway on my big work project.  (Grr.)

Anyway, I had a gin and tonic and was happy in my little space at the bar.  I looked around and saw that almost everybody was drinking beer and a large portion of those beer drinkers were swigging Pabst Blue Ribbon out of a can.  PBR must be the new rage, so I felt like an old fogey drinking my cocktail!  Did PBR replace Fernet as the new hipster drink of choice?

I also met a nice Irish fellow named Bart.  He had just arrived in San Francisco from Australia that morning and was telling me he was going to take an RV trip around the Southwest with a friend, but they had a falling out the week prior.  That seemed kind of sad to me, but he seemed cool with taking the trip on his own.  He also told me that he was going to a 49er game on Sunday.  Who knew that Irish lads followed the 49ers?

But I digress…

My friend texted me a little after 9 that she had just parked, so I had to leave Bart behind and head up to the massive line that was moving really slowly.  It was such a different experience from the luxury of The Fox Theater in Oakland.  The Regency employees were nice and all, but it was the usual ritual where my bag was searched and I had to show an ID for alcohol and wear a wristband.  I didn’t want another drink, but I also didn’t want a huge “X” drawn on the back of my hand in permanent marker!

So the Devo show was amazing!  My only criticism was that the show wasn’t as long as I would have liked.  (I have criticisms about the venue, but that’s a whole different story.  They seriously need a “fresh air door.”  It was roasting in there!)  The show started promptly at 10PM with a 5-10 minute video and it was over by 11:10!  Oh, and the opening video included the videos for “Secret Agent Man” and “Jocko Homo.”  It got the audience all excited, but it was a little odd since they were going to play it later.  They played all of “Are We Not Men? We Are Devo!” and then 2 encore songs and they were gone.  (You can scroll down to my prior posting of the setlist.)  There were so many other songs that I wanted to hear.  They didn’t even pull out “Whip It”!

I think my friend and I were expecting the show to be like the Echo & the Bunnymen show a couple of weeks ago when they played all of “Ocean Rain” with the orchestra and then came back and played a whole second set.  At the very least, we were expecting the Devo show to last at least 90 minutes.

Oh well, they still have a sense of humor and a ton of energy and the audience was SO into it, so it was a fun night…regardless of the length!  I’d rather see 70 awesome minutes than 120 “meh” minutes, so I really can’t complain.  You can also read the SF Weekly review here.

Ta ta for now!

Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Devo
(Warner); Originally released 1978

Devo probably did as much as any band to bring art to pop music. Of course, art is inherently in pop music, whatever the classical types like to say, but as with all art-rock, in this case we’re talking about extra-musical ideas. For Mark Mothersbaugh and his merry band of sarcastic college grads, those ideas were about the devolution of humanity, and their debut album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! is littered with instances direct and oblique of humans being stupid.

As you could maybe guess from the yellow radiation suits and ziggurat hats, the members of Devo don’t exactly take this idea as some kind of bleak, end-of-the-world stuff, although it’s pretty hard to deny that they’re at least unrepentant cynics. Though they’re pretty undeniably funny ones, if you’re on their wavelength: they once infamously opened for Sun Ra with a 30-minute rendition of their unofficial theme song, “Jocko Homo,” that involved 25 minutes of chanting the eponymous “Are we not men? We are Devo!” chorus until quite literally the audience was threatening violence. That stunt was probably decidedly less funny to those in attendance, but at least with the distance of history, it’s a pretty bold and hilarious move for an opening act.

And it’s that kind of practised stupidity, embodied by either the band or whoever they’re aiming at, that infuses a lot of We Are Devo!. “Praying Hands,” for instance, is a shot at the hypocrisy and docility of religion, although through a filter of twangy guitar, squealy synths and a kind of tossed-off pissyness that make it seem far more benign. And then it’s followed by “Space Junk,” which doesn’t have a much more coherent point than giving Mothersbaugh a chance to rhyme and say ‘Texas’ funny.

Not that there aren’t plenty of more blunt, and more intelligent, shots across the bow. “Too Much Paranoia” starts off thumping, chanting pop culture references and stealing a McDonald’s slogan, slows down into some screwy guitar noodling, and then picks it right back up again. Or there’s the notorious cover of “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” which strips the easy hookiness of the original and infuses the dissatisfaction right into the music, slowed down into a snarky groove number with Mothersbaugh’s vocal tricks screwing with any kind of easy appreciation. Half of what’s going on here seems to be mocking you for liking something as dumb as pop, you devolved human you, but it’s undertaken with such a sly, trickster’s spirit, you’re willing to embrace the mocking.

That’s especially true on the stand-out tracks, “Mongoloid” and “Gut Feeling/Slap Your Mammy.” The first is a fairly straightforward rock tune that’s nevertheless about how easy it is for a mentally retarded person to blend seamlessly into society, and the latter is a tentative love tune that devolves into a punk burst imploring you to slap your mom and dad. In both cases, just when you think you might be getting some kind of sensitivity or sincerity, they flip it on you, and even if you can’t appreciate the actual music, you have to appreciate just how smart the guys making it are, because they’re certainly not afraid to let you know.

A Place to Bury Strangers keeps getting called “the loudest band in Brooklyn” by various reliable sources. I think they’re fantastic and am going to see them next week at Le Maroquinerie. Stream this playlist, including the APTBS track “Exploding Head” and lots of other little delightful morceaux, found on the Brooklyn Radio show I Love My Wife, playlist Catch Me If You Can. Huzzah!

A Place to Bury Strangers keeps getting called “the loudest band in Brooklyn” by various reliable sources. I think they’re fantastic and am going to see them next week at Le Maroquinerie. Stream this playlist, including the APTBS track “Exploding Head” and lots of other little delightful morceaux, found on the Brooklyn Radio show I Love My Wife. Huzzah!