Jareth the Goblin King had one blue eye and one brown. We would waltz in my dreams. I would be as beautiful as Jennifer Connelly but would not wake up to find it was a drugged nightmare… Like when as Bowie he found a lime green suit and I couldn’t look at him for some years after.

When I was 10 the only band that meant anything to anybody  was Take That. I was shocked by their bottoms, jelly and what my friends would do to them. We had constant robbiemarkgaryhowardorjason debates. Everyone (who was anyone) knew Robbie was the funniest, Mark the cutest, Gary wrote the songs and either Jason or Howard was the best dancer. They were the soundtrack to my very first kisses – and rejections. It took about 15 years to go see them – by which point I needed glasses and was so high up they looked like giant ants.

I was taking the piss out of Take That and the Manic Street Preachers when From Despair to Where hit me over the head. The band quietly showed me brains, beauty, confidence, a ton of eyeliner and cleavage (with 4-real or some nihilistic mantra scrawled over it). They had the audacity to remain timeless, naive, grow old, fail and triumph with me. They did, and still do, make it ok to fuck up and ok to try again, over and over if needs be. They are a safety net of jumbled up culture and art for when I fall off of my logic tight rope. I still put them on if I can’t make myself study but an unexpected blast can ruin my mood for days on end. Sometimes I find them the most appalling thing that could have possibly happened to me and at others, they are my saviours. I felt their words, I remembered them all. I saw beauty in nothingness, suffering and scratchy abstract lines. The fire that caught me remains smoldering under the logs of work, study, relationships, periodically flaring – a lifeblood whether I like it or not.

I was into a lot of ‘indie but not really’ bands. I read the NME and MM cover to cover and plastered sheets of paper with stickers, cut out pics and dodgy bits of print to fanzine. Everyone died at 27, I played guitar and wore my hair long with floweres like a hippie chick. For a short while I didn’t understand how Courtney could have shown her knickers to everyone. Until Dad died and I had to admit, finally laughing, that I couldn’t tell one James Taylor track from the next so we would have to have Layla.

There used to be a Swedish radio station really worth listening to. I grew up listening to tracks like these until the golden days of this radio station were put to an end sometime in 1996. The station is apparently still around namewise but i bet by now it’ll sound like every other commercial radio station out there. I really miss the DJ:s on Bandit 105.5.

The torch appears to have been passed though, to another nice little radio station called Rocket 95.3fM, but i’d still like to take this opportunity to revive the magic of the years leading up to 1996, before the end of Bandit 105.5

I’ve compiled this playlist of as many songs i can remember being played on that station, let me know if I’ve missed a song that really should be in here.

#20091211 – time capsule: 1993-1996 (Bandit 105.5) (82 tracks in total)

(get your player at www.spotify.com)

because they’re one of the best bands that you will ever find yourself hearing, I’ve made a top ten sort of list. ‘cept for that it has eleven songs. but that’s okay, they’re all worth listening to. this was inspired by my rediscovery of circular trend, which of course, deserves to top the list just for that.

 one – circular trend (iv)
two – earthcrosser (eight arms to hold you)
three – spiderman 79 (american thighs)
four – only you know (resolver)
five – stoneface (eight arms to hold you)
six – hellraiser (resolver)
seven – so weird (iv)
eight – sound of the bell (eight arms to hold you)
nine - with david bowie (eight arms to hold you)
ten – celebrate you (american thighs)
eleven – yeah man (resolver)

only reason this whole list isn’t a grooveshark playlist is because gs is lame and doesn’t have half of the tracks on it. sighness.

currently listening – yeah man – veruca salt.

As I was listening to the wonderful classic album American Thighs by Veruca Salt the other day, I pondered upon the lyrics to a song called Number One Blind. I figured that name wasn’t making any sense at all with the lyrics I was hearing:

Veruca Salt – Number One Blind

Be my blind.
Be it all the time.
Be it night or day.
Take my sun away.
Away… Levolor, which of us is blind?
Levolor left me in the dark
Levolor, I can’t see a thing but you.
Is it morning? It is time.
It is time, Oh, oh.
Blind me, please.
I am on my hands and knees.
I can only pray.
Take my sun away.
Away… Levolor, which of us is blind?
Levolor left me in the dark
Levolor, I can’t see a thing but you.
Is it morning?
Away… Levolor, which of us is blind?
Levolor left me in the dark
Levolor, I can’t see a thing but you.
Is it morning?
Levolor. [x4]

LEVOLOR. WHAT OR WHO IS LEVOLOR? I actually thought she was singing Dumbledore or Level Door. So I googled Levolor. It turns out that Levolor is a brand of window blinds in America. INTERESTING!

Now the title made sense. Number One Blind. So they are saying Levolor is the number one blind brand (probably their marketing slogan at the time), and twisting it into a dark love song about these Levolor blinds cutting out the sun, or this guy’s love or attitude blocking out the singers emotional sun. It’s good. I like it a lot. LINK TO YOUTUBE

It got me thinking about other songs that mention brands in them.

• The Kinks – Lola (Coke)
• The Beach Boys – All Summer Long (Coke)
• The Beatles – Come Together (Coke)
• Death Cab For Cutie – Soul Meets Body (Greyhound Buses)
• Aqua – Barbie Girl (Barbie)
• The Moffatts – Love (Websters – Dictionary)
• Regina Spektor – That Time (Parliament, Marlboro and Camel brands of cigarettes)
• Wesley Willis – Rock and Roll McDonalds (McDonalds)… I had to add him in. Love it!

As you can see, Coke gets mentioned a lot of times. Is this because it is so deep in our psyche? Is their branding that good? Or is it their distribution? I’d say all of those combined. It is seen as a “groovy” drink and so it’s ok to sing a song about that apparently. Coca Cola also has a cute ring to it.

If there is a positive pop culture brand reference in a song I wonder if it drives sales subconsciously. I also wonder if any musicians have “sold out” and been paid to add in a brand into their song. That would be interesting to know. Nobody likes to be marketing to, but if people think a reference or recommendation is truthful they will eat it up from my experience.

Note to self: Write a song and include ‘Cadbury’ so I can be paid in chocolate!

Esta es la primera vez que integro mi voz a un podcast. Disculpen el micrófono de bajo presupuesto, espero que les guste.

with french wikipedia. even though I’m sort of incapable of actually speaking french, I can understand a good deal of it. all it took was about thirty seconds staring down the ‘grunge’ article to be totally and completely awe-inspired. why am I not a french person?! why has no one ever shown me french wikipedia?! my whole life… nothing. nothing until now.

well, really, it’s cool. way cool.

this is a horrid transition, but know what else is cool? eight arms to hold you. best veruca salt album by far. this band doesn’t get enough love from the world at large, and worse, everyone thinks of american thighs as the masterpiece. which is wrong, because it’s this album. my cassette came today, at last. listening to it made me sort of stumble upon the startling conclusion that I’ve never actually had a real veruca salt phase. there are times when I frequently listen to them, but never an all out, obsessive phase.

think this needs to change, don’t you? any band that can scream, ‘where’s my lipgloss’ and make it compelling and meaningful deserves my affections.

currently listening – stoneface – veruca salt.

Poster for Tank Girl; image courtesy of 24hourstomidnight.files.wordpress.com

So I was originally gonna roll up all cavalier-like and blurt out my opinions on Tank Girl, which I watched for the first time a few nights ago. I had some pre-conceived notions about the movie and what I’d think of it, as the film adaption of the beloved Jamie Hewlett comic is widely regarded as a commercial and critical flop.

Now I’m not entirely sure how to approach the subject matter, because a) I’m not sure how to read this movie, as it is disjointed and oftentimes inscrutable, b) I didn’t realize going into my viewing that several friends were fans of both the movie and the comic, and c) . . . I haven’t gotten around to reading the comic. I’m more than willing to read it, especially since I’m a fan of Hewlett’s work with Damon Albarn on Gorillaz and am interested in their ongoing professional relationship. I simply haven’t had the chance yet, as I just finished Truman Capote’s super-dense In Cold Blood and started Margaret Atwood’s promising The Blind Assassin. If anyone has a copy they’d like to push into my hands, my palms are flat and open.  

I'll gladly read this; image courtesy of hero-trailers.blogspot.com

But I still wanted to see the movie and write about it because:

1. Lori Petty stars as Rebecca Buck and I wish her career had taken off instead of stalling around the time of this movie’s 1995 release. While she’s recently run into some legal troubles and I still haven’t seen Point Break or Prey for Rock’N'Roll, I’ve long had a soft spot for this tough, mouthy, gender-queer tomboy ever since her turn as Kit Keller in A League of Their Own. It’s too bad that she was replaced by Sandra Bullock in Demolition Man and that Gwen Stefani sounds just like her, with both women having more visible, financially successful careers.

2. Speaking of Stefani, did she rip off Tank Girl’s style to cultivate her own look, because oh my damn do they look alike. 

But maybe I’m being unfair in pitting Petty/Tank Girl against Stefani against one another and instead should remember the cultural context from which they were formed. I’m reminded of my thesis adviser Mary Kearney, whose dissertation focused on contemporary discourses around girlhood and youth culture. Joy Van Fuqua draws on Kearney’s work in her essay ”‘What Are Those Little Girls Made Of?’ The Powerpuff Girls and Consumer Culture.” In her discussion of the show’s popularity, Van Fuqua borrows from Kearney to suggest that, like many other girl characters during the 1990s, Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom had to embody both genders in order to succeed in athletics and other male-dominated activities.

Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles are gonna fuck yr shit up; image courtesy of msdn.com

3. Speaking of promising actresses, Naomi Watts plays her sidekick and was a total nobody in the states when the movie was originally released. She’s also rockin’ a brunette bob haircut, which I appreciate.

4. Speaking of wacky ladies, Ann Magnuson makes an appearance as a madame who runs a state-of-the-art brothel where folks like Iggy Pop run around in drag and the talent break out into Busby Berkeley-esque routines to Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It.”

5. Speaking of musicians, the soundtrack is an alternative rock behemoth. Hard to imagine many of the artists represented here got radio play in 1995. Alternative was commercially successful, allowing rock music to splinter off in various, musically diverse directions. Hootie was of course a major player, but Pulp could get a hit single. Beck was at this point a one-hit wonder, but was working on an era-defining record that would come out the following year. The bubble hadn’t burst yet. Man, 1995 was a strange and amazing time. Bush, Björk, Veruca Salt, L7, Belly, Portishead, Hole. They were all on commercial radio playlists and they’re also on this soundtrack.

6. Speaking of Hole, note that Courtney Love was the movie’s music consultant. Now, I’m not entirely sure what her title means here. Titles like “music consultant” and “music supervisor” tend to be flexible. The latter term is usually held by people who work closely with the director, the editor, and multiple representatives from various record labels, as well as help tend to legal matters like acquiring publishing rights, and clearing songs to be used in the movie and often the accompanying soundtrack. 

Courtney Love, 1995's burgeoning hyphenate; image courtesy of rollingstone.com (Ouderkirk/WireImage.com)

My hunch is that Love’s duties were picking what songs she liked and would work with the movie, but had little involvement in the production. After all, she was a busy lady who was trying to heal from the death of her husband, raise her daughter, become a respected actress, and headline Lollapalooza with her band Hole. I don’t think she had time to field phone calls with label execs, although I’d like to imagine what those conversations might be like.     

7. Oh, and since the first six points all involved women, let’s add the cherry on top. Tank Girl was directed by a woman named Rachel Talalay.

But as far as reading this movie . . . hummina. I don’t know what I saw. I know it takes place in what is now a not-too-distant, dystopian future and involves our fearless heroine leading a rag-tag group of girls and mutant kangaroo boys against a corrupt faction that control the earth’s water supply. Still with me? Here’s the trailer.

So, things I enjoyed or found interesting about the movie.

1. Naomi Watts kicks ass as Jet Girl. At first shy and fretful, she learns to embrace her intellect and technological savvy and develops the confidence to take charge of the crew and help beat the cast of baddies.

Jet Girl holding it down; image courtesy of kideternal.com

2. Tank Girl has strong relationships with Jet Girl and Rebecca, Tank Girl’s boyfriend’s young daughter. Homosocial bonding and female mentorship, holla!

3. OMG, the costumes. They could be a chapter in a dissertation on third-wave feminism’s fragmentive, performative, and self-reflexive relationship with fashion (note: if such a chapter exists, I want to read it). Tank Girl never wears the same outfit or hair color twice, and her wardrobe toys with historical periods, film genres, youth culture movements, often playing with age, gender, and race as well.

What are you wearing, Tank Girl?, image courtesy of theage.com.au

4. I can’t tell if Ann Magnuson’s Madame, who briefly kidnaps and attempts to employ Rebecca, is a sex-positive feminist, a critique against the then-timely rise of media’s interest in d0-me feminism, or just morally bankrupt.

And then there were things I hated.

1. While Tank Girl’s costuming is fascinating, that’s really the extent of her characterization. Much of this seems to be the fault of the writing. Petty is engaging enough, but Tank Girl is written as less a complex action heroine and more of a buzzword-and-slogan dispenser. Thus, she brings to mind characters like Itchy and Scratchy’s Poochie, who was created to make fun of corporate-friendly extreme, in-your-face, subcultural cash cows. Perhaps her perceived lack of depth speaks to the awkward process of adapting a comic book into a movie, but her cinematic flatness betrays the torpedo bras.

Torpedo bras don't always provide dimension; image courtesy of mermaidligan.blogspot.com

2. Tank Girl also kicks a disappointing lack of ass here and has questionable methods. I can’t speak to her defense strategies in the comic, but the movie repeatedly has her lure disgusting men with her feminine wiles. Sometimes they get kicked in the balls, but she still shows them her bra or promises sexual favors beforehand.

3. Man, how did Malcolm MacDowell fool people into thinking he could act? He’s the villainous Kesslee here and is making himself quite the ham sandwich. Some may want to bring up Al Pacino and note that some actors deliver progressively broader performances as they age, but I think MacDowell’s accent played a role in snowing audiences as well. I think his Britishness even convinced people he was better in If . . . and A Clockwork Orange than he actually was. Charismatic and handsome? Yes. Once a great actor? I don’t think so.

4. I feel like there’s something racially problematic about the mutant kangaroo soldiers who take up with Tank Girl’s crew. Thoughts?

In short, Tank Girl makes for a maddening but interesting spectatorial experience. Now to get a hold of the source material . . .

En esta ocasión, la recopilación no empezó por una canción, sino por la portada. Estaba repasando las fotos que hice los últimos meses y me topé con la que he utilizado para este disco. La retoqué un poco, elegí un nombre y, de ahí, surgió Prince y su Sign ‘O’ The Times.

Después, todo fue ir encadenando canciones, hasta que con el Mr. Suit de Wire se cerró la enésima recopilación que os dejo en el blog: una selección de temas más indie de lo habitual (con toques pop, punk, new wave, etc.) y muy entretenida desde mi punto de vista.

Haz clic en la portada para descargar Modern Times

Prince, Young Marble Giants, The XX, Giant Sand, Pavement, Stephen Malkmus, Iggy Pop, The Wave Pictures, Papas Fritas, Violent Femmes, Patti Smith, The Pastels, Nick Lowe, The Stranglers, Kashmir, Sebadoh, Wolf Parade, The Undertones, The Polyphonic Spree, The Raveonettes, Tegan & Sara, The Breeders, Veruca Salt, The Manhattan Love Suicides, Frank Black y Wire son los cantantes y grupos que he incluido en Modern Times, que, como siempre, os la podéis descargar pinchando en la imagen de la portada.

AQUÍ tenéis el listado de canciones. Espero que os guste.

P.D.: La foto es de una tienda de juguetes y objetos antiguos que está en el barrio de Chueca.

Join Veruca Salt and GO Green Management for our “Try Something On” Event!

Have a glass of bubbly, a sandwich from Steve’s Deli, and show your friends how great you look in the hottest boutique women’s clothing store Chicago has to offer. Try on designers like Frenzii, Susana Monaco, and Rachel Pally and purchase any item you like at 20% off!

RSVP: sgreen@gogreenmanagement.com – Subject: Veruca Salt Event

“Veruca Salt is a Boutique, not a Department Store”

Why we are different:
There are some pretty large websites out there that carry just about every designer and every piece of clothing under the sun. We don’t. We only offer what we feel is the best of breed. Those items that we truly love and love to wear. At Veruca Salt, we like to keep it nice and simple. So instead of browsing through page after page of clothes on other sites, you can get right to the good stuff here at Veruca Salt.

Thanks to our customers!
Our customers are everything to us. We have developed a wonderful following of customers that look to us to find the best new styles for each season. We hope you always find that perfect item just for you.

http://www.shopverucasalt.com

Oh no, I knew it. I’m a neglectful blogger. This hearkens back to my youth, in which I would constantly plead for diaries (usually adorned with sparkles and/or cats). Time and time again, I would neatly and masterfully craft my first entry. I would bedazzle the cover with stickers and sign my name on its inside. Then, I would forget about it for a few days and totally lose interest– until I saw a new diary, and I would insist that I needed it. “But dad-dy,” I would whimper, with exactly that Veruca Saltish inflection, “I’m a writer. And I messed up the other one.”

Now that I’m older, this foot-stamping and hand-wringing is done over hard liquor and/or wine, but that deadly gap still exists between idea and execution, between brainstorm and follow-through. In my better moments, this makes me a good leader: I tend to think big; I have infinite (irrational) faith in my own possibilities; I delegate well. In my worse moments, this makes me a total waste of space. Sheesh, I’m going to a freakin’ NYU MFA info session tomorrow and I haven’t written a poem in weeks! I seriously need a life coach. Or Mark Jarman.

Sidenote about MJ… he’s the best professor, ever. And a ridiculously good poet. If you’re still at Vandy, bust your ass and get into one of his classes. I think that’s what’s bugging me about writing, post-college. I’ve been so used to feedback about my poetry that I was spurred to revision, rewrites, and exploration either by pride or indignation. Now, it kinda drifts off into a folder of my computer to sit sulkily for months, like a forlorn dust bunny. See, even my analogies are suffering from my laziness. That’s a terrible analogy. And it’s probably been used before, which is especially embarassing.

Tamra Davis; image courtesy of hulu.com

I keep meaning to shine a light on director Tamra Davis, so let’s do it. Having worked on clips like Depeche Mode’s “But Not Tonight,” she made a name for herself by working with talent on the seminal Delicious Vinyl label, directing clips like Young MC’s “Bust a Move” and Tone Lōc’s “Wild Thing.”

Soon after, she started working with folks like Sonic Youth and The Beastie Boys, and also built a family with Beastie Mike D. She’s also responsible for discovering Spike Jonze, with whom she co-directed the music video for Sonic Youth’s “100%.”

Davis would later go on to direct features like CB4, Guncrazy, Billy Madison, and Half Baked, a personal favorite. She also directed Crossroads, the cheesy but kinda enjoyably ridiculous Britney Spears vehicle. In addition, she helmed some memorable videos, including Veruca Salt’s “All Hail Me,” Hanson’s “MMMBop,” and Luscious Jackson’s “Ladyfingers.” She still works today, primarily in television, and has her own Web-based cooking show. But let’s reflect on some selected works of her grrrlriffic music video filmography.  

Cher and Beavis and Butthead
“I Got You Babe”

Sonic Youth
“Bull In the Heather”
Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star

Luscious Jackson
“Citysong”
Natural Ingredients

Tatyana Ali
“Boy You Knock Me Out”
Kiss the Sky

I can’t recall whether I’ve mentioned this to you guys or not, but my older daughter – Sweet Pea – plays electric guitar.  She’s been at it for less than a year, but already she’s going to be performing with her band through the Paul Green School of Rock (are any of your really surprised that I’d send my kids there?). 

Actually, she’s performing tonight and tomorrow night at Ned Devine’s Irish Village Pub in Northern Virginia, so come on by if you want to see the birth of a rock legend

Even though the shows’ rock sub-genre/theme is Southern Rock, I decided to dedicate this post to the Women of Rock-n-Roll.  For without them, there would be no stars in the heavens to light the way for my girl and others like her.

Side A:  The Masters

10.  “Do You Want to Touch Me (Oh Yeah),”  (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts)  Fit to Be Tied.

09.  “Black Leather,” (The Runaways)  And Now…The Runaways.

08.  “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,”  (Pat Benatar) Crimes of Passion.

07.  “Magic Man,”  (Heart)  Dreamboat Annie.

06.  “Dancing Barefoot,” (Patti Smith) Waves.

05.  “Edge of Seventeen,” (Stevie Nicks)  Bella Donna.

04.  “Kool Thing,”  (Sonic Youth)  Goo.

03.  “Pretend We’re Dead,” (L7) Bricks are Heavy.

02.  “One Way or Another,” (Blondie)  Parallel Lines.

01.  “Bad Boys Get Spanked,”  (The Pretenders)  Prentenders II.

Side B: The Disciples

10.  “Modern Girl,”  (Sleater-Kinney) The Woods.

09.  “Violet,”  (Hole) Live Through This.

08.  “Rebel Girl,”  (Bikini Kill) Pussy Whipped.

07. “Seether,”  (Veruca Salt) American Thighs.

06. “Whip Smart,” (Liz Phair) Whip Smart.

05. “Naked Eye,” (Luscious Jackson) Fever In Fever Out.

04. “Gold Lion,” (Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs) Show Your Bones.

03. “Conflake Girl,” (Tori Amos) Under the Pink.

02. ”We Float,” (PJ Harvey) Stories from the City – Stories from the Sea.

01. “Sour Times,” (Portishead)  Dummy.

Shonen Knife, Deer Biscuits
Dot Allison, In Winter Still
Anjulie, Boom
The Aislers Set, Catherine Says
The Do, Tammie
A Girl Called Eddy, The Long Goodbye
Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson, Relator
A Camp, The Weed Had Got There First
Sarah Fimm, How Does It Feel
Adele, Chasing Pavements
Saskia Crescentia, Free Me
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Date With the Night
Thee Headliners, Double Dutch
Yenn, Belle Gunness
The Dry Spells, The Crow
X-Ray Spex, Germfree Adolescents
Vandaveer, Turpentine
Jen Wood, Recharge
Lhasa, Love Came Here
Elizabeth Willis, Thoughts
Taken by Trees, Watch the Waves
Wire Daisies, Rocket Girl
The Beatings, Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
Winterbrief, Chick Flick
Tiny Animals, Is This the Last Time?
Von Iva, Birds of Prey
Divisible, A Girl You Can’t Love
Martha Wainwright, Far Away
Park Avenue Music, Piet
Anna Waronker, Beautiful
The Watson Twins, Map to Where You Are
The Verbs, Fooled by Rock n Roll
Visqueen, Look Alive
Veruca Salt, Disinherit

“The candy man can because he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good.” – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (old school version)

If you don’t love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – and for the record, I love both the Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp versions – then I’m not sure why you’ve been reading my blog so long because everything I like is in this movie. I am literally obsessed with this movie.

(I obsess easily, it seems. I’m learning this the more I blog.)

I remember being really offended that all of the only-children characters in this movie were so vile (except Charlie, but honestly, he wasn’t entirely endearing in my eyes) because I, myself, am an only child… and I’m just delightful.

This marks the end of my series of crazy, remixed videos. I hope they didn’t irritate you too much.

SOUNDTRACK: GREAT NORTHERN-Trading Twilight for Daylight (2007).

A patron donated this disc to our library.  I had never heard of Great Northern, but I gave it a listen, in part because I hoped that the band name came from Twin Peaks (no idea if it does). And wow, I was blown away by this disc.

This is like the great unheralded indie rocker band (although having looked them up apparently the are quite heralded).  Their songs sound like an inviting combination of The Anniversary (the GN song “The Middle” always puts me in mind of The Anniversary’s “The Siren Sings”), Veruca Salt, Nada Surf and any number of supremely catchy bands.  The vocals are split between a make and female voice which makes the diversity even more appealing.

There’s not a bad song on the disc, and I find myself playing it quite often. The music is first rate, with great textural setups and drop offs, and the choruses, oh the choruses.  It’s hard to even pick a favorite song.

I’m somewhat surprised I’d never heard of this band before (they have a new album out this year that I haven’t heard), but then they are on a label I’ve never heard of either (Eenie Meenie).  I will totally get their new disc, as well as their Sleepy Eepie EP.  I’m really that impressed.

[READ: January 2007] Sacco & Vanzetti Must Die

I read this book over two years ago (I’m cleaning up the final books that I haven’t posted about), and I’m afraid I’m a little shaky on the details.  But I just remembered that I read about it in The Believer.

The premise of the book is that Sacco & Vanzetti are actually a comedy team, not anarchists.  Well, they are anarchic, but in the realm of comedy, not bombs.  They are a sort of Laurel & Hardy with Sacco as the fat troublemaker (and yes the name fits) and Vanzetti as the straight man, the ideologue.  As they progress from slapstick routines to film, their comedy gets more specific, and their schtick concerns “knife grinders/throwers.”  The knife angle is explained as a family trademark or maybe it’s a stolen gimmick.

Inevitably, their careers begin to wain, and their lives take a turn for the worst.  And when things get bad, they get really bad, leading them to trial, with possible execution.

There are a lot of undercurrents about the role of immigrants, specifically Italian immigrants, in America (and the scapegoating that was often done to them).  For example, one of their films is called A Couple of Wops in a Jam. Other Italian stereotypes are also employed in the book, all of which lends to criticism of the way the real Sacco & Vanzetti were treated in their trial(s).  For an overview of the real case, including the suspected Italian prejudices, see here.

The main conceit of the book, however, is that Sacco & Vanzetti are inevitably doomed.  It is their nature to be found guilty, whether as comedians or as anarchists.  And so the book plays out as something of an alternate history of the 20th century, yet with a similar outcome.

If memory serves, the end of the book gets a little confusing.

Well, I just flipped through the copy and I’d forgotten that there are “supplemental materials” and “historical interludes” and as the book nears the end, the confluence of art and history gets very tricky.  It turns out to be a rather intellectual exercise (which is not surprising coming from Dalkey Press).  It deals with grand themes, but also revels in pie fights.

I remember there being a lot of scenes that I enjoyed (especially the film excerpts).  And of course, I love surreal/metafictional concepts.  As I said, I think it got a little tricky at times, but overall it was a really good read.  In fact, writing all this makes me want to read it again.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Theatrical Poster

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2009)

Warner Bros.

Director: Tim Burton

Genre: Fantasy and Adventure

Running Time: 115 min.

Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle , James Fox, Deep Roy and Danny Elfman, Christopher Lee, Adam Godley, Franziska Troegner, AnnaSophia Robb, Julia Winter, Jordan Fry, Philip Wiegratz, Liz Smith, Eileen Essel and David Morris

Story: Charlie Bucket is a poor boy who lives near the Wonka Candy Company. The company’s owner, Willy Wonka, has for long closed access to his factory due to problems concerning industrial espionage that led him to fire all his employees, among them Charlie’s Grandpa Joe. One day, Wonka informs of a contest, in which Golden Tickets have been placed in five random Wonka Bars worldwide, and the winners will be given a full tour of the factory as well as a lifetime supply of chocolate, while one ticketholder will be given a special prize at the end of the tour.

“Willy Wonka Is semi-sweet and nuts”

This is why I like Tim Burton as the most coolest and greatest director of all time. And also Johnny Depp for being a good actor. I like Johnny Depp, I like all his movies and one my favorite is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, wherein there’ll be many sweet candies and wild oompa-loompas. In this movie, originally made by Roald Dahl (Thanks to his huge imagination) who is one of the eccentric authors I’ve ever seen.

This movie will be a delicious treat for your family, and the most sweetest adventure you’ve been experiencing. The movie itself was fantastic. Tim Burton deliver us some fun and experience. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is way more cooler and way more “fun” than the original movie. Although it was in late 70’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory brought us some fun too. But in this film adaption Charlie and the Chocolate Factory brought us more fun.

Starring, Freddie Highmore as Charlie and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka was a good combination. They brought us the deliciously treat that Tim Burton had directed. Although they added a twist and renamed the movie as “Charlie” wherein “Charlie” is now the new owner of the factory. He’s a poor boy who has a grandpa who worked on the factory years ago.

Charlie Bucket

Freddie Highmore did a great job in this movie. as the main character himself, his role was a little poor boy who got lucky, and the fifth to find the last and final ticket. His journey was awesome, why? He became the new owner of the factory that Willy Wonka had been working for so long. He was so lucky he was there, and he was so lucky that Willy Wonka gave the factory to him.

Violet Beauregarde

The good thing is, AnnaSophia Robb is the one who gave an awesome shot to Violet. The second one who found the Golden ticket on this movie. Violet is describe as loud and noisy in the movie. Where she is a gum-chewing kiddo who is bratty at the same time. She ate that bubble gum that’s changing it’s flavor to different meals and dessert. She didn’t listen to what Willy Wonka has said. She turned into a giant blueberry and she got a flexible body but violet. I like Violet Beauregarde, one of the most coolest fantasy characters by Dahl.

Mike Teavee

Played by Jordan Fry, his role in this movie was a television fanatic and loves video games. He is the fourth one to find the Golden Ticket. He didn’t care about the tour at factory. He didn’t care at all. All he want is to be in front of the computer and play video games. However in the movie, he was teleported to a small television that Willy Wonka had invented. and he was turned into a thin giant person. Poor little Mike.

Veruca Salt

Veruca, who is a spoiled brat by a rich company owner. Played by Julia Winter, Veruca demands what she wants. She have a extreme behavior, bratty of course. His father, who is always ready to give Veruca what she wants. She was the third kid who find the Golden ticket. In the tour, She demands a squirrel. and then by her extreme behavior she was beaten by a battalion of squirrel and trashed her down into the garbage chute.

Augustus Gloop

They said Augustus was a “gluttonous overeater”. Besides, that is true. He’s a fat kid who loves to eat, he seems to be healthy though. He was the first kid who found the golden ticket. However in the movie, he is also the first one who got kicked out from the factory. He was sucked up by a giant pipeline on a chocolate river. Poor Augustus.

A must see movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Kids will totally enjoy this movie, even I enjoyed the movie myself. It was awesome and it was delicious. The movie is unpredictable, it’s originality.. and the unique ideas.

So, this movie was a worth it. Good for all ages, and for your family too. This movie is full of surprises, candies and sweets. Even squirrels and oompa loompas. Roald Dahl brought us some wild imagination. and that’s Willy Wonka.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 9/10 & Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 5.5/10

]]> http://aperfectversionofmyself.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/awesome/ Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:25:57 +0000 aperfectversionofmyself http://aperfectversionofmyself.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/awesome/

Do you know what I did today?  DO YOU?!  HUH?!

Today was the day I went to Weight Watchers and lost over 100 lbs.  101.6 to be exact.  I mean, sure, I didn’t do all of that work TODAY, but I felt the weight (ha!) of all of my hard work when I stepped on the scale this afternoon and saw the results.  I lost 4.6 lbs this week and bounced myself over the 100 lb mark.

At my meeting, Jill (the best WW leader in history – argue with me all you like about how yours is good, mine is GREAT) kept asking me how it felt to have lost 100 lbs and I couldn’t describe it.  I still can’t.  I think maybe it’s a bit like giving birth.  You do all this hard work, push and push and push and then all of a sudden, BOOM.  All those tears, all that effort and all that SWEAT has given you something really awesome.  Something to be proud of and something to point at and say, “I did that”.  Giving birth and losing weight are also similar in that your body is never the same and you have a lot of stretch marks. 

For fun, I figured I’d tell you all about how great and crazy Jill is.  Someone else was weighing me in and Jill came over to watch – she knew I was close to a big landmark and even suggested I go pee before they weighed me.  I laughed and then the number came up.  For the first time, I craned my neck to see over the counter.  I saw the first three digits were 226 and knew I had done it.  Jill came busting around the counter and grabbed me by my shoulders.  She started screaming and jumping and before I knew it, the two of us were hugging, leaping in circles, screaming, laughing and crying, all at once.  It lasted about a minute and every person in that building was staring at us.  She stood there and hugged me while I sobbed.  That’s why she’s the greatest WW leader in history.

This weight loss thing has been very emotional for me.  I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve confessed to crying on this blog.  GAINING all this weight was like losing myself a piece at a time and every pound I take off feels like one more piece of myself I’m taking BACK.

Tonight was awesome.  I went to an extra Zumba class and sweated with a grin on my face.  Nothing can stop me from taking back my life.  Nothing at all.

Little Miss Stella…..and Veruca Salt have something in common…..from one of my favorite movies…..

Miss Stella wants a squirrel of her very own in the worst way.  She doesn’t want a trained squirrel….she wants one of the squirrels that frolicks in our backyard….and torments her daily.

"Psst...hey...Stella...I'm in your yard...I'm in your yard...and you can't catch me!!!!"

Slowly...so slowly...the Schnoodle creeps to the back of the yard....stalking the squirrels

"I want one Mama....I want it now."

"Just let me off this leash for 1 little minute Mama...that's all I need."

She dances on her hind legs......

She tries to climb the trees....

A quick break to tinkle.....

And it's back to the business of hunting squirrels...

"Come on down little squirrel....I want to be friends......"

She just as badly wants to catch the groundhog that digs this hole under the fence to get to the pear trees in our neighbors yard.

Papa says I encourage this behavior by buying her toys like this.....

Poor Little Stella.

by April Lawson

Get over “hump” day tonight with a little bubbly and a fresh pair of jeans.  Join Veruca Salt and GO Green Management for The Try Something On cocktail party showcasing clothes from Veruca Salt on 520 N. Kingsbury. Veruca Salt is a great boutique that has everything from Primp, Susana Monaco, funky t-shirts and unique belts to Vincent Longo cosmetics. And for yoga enthusiasts like myself, they also carry Hard Tail workout clothes!

Steve’s Deli will be catering the event and Veruca Salt will be providing champagne for you to enjoy from 5:30pm-8:00pm. Guys, The Try Something On event is not just for women, men can attend too. But this cocktail party is all about the woman! So let’s make our ladies happy!

After working in the garden today, I’m chillaxing in front of the boob toob with a glass of my favorite iced tea watching Johnny Depp in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

He’s weird, odd, strange, freaky and totally wackdoodle.  I love him so much.  This performance is so amazingly hilarious.  The Oompa Loompas are really good, much better than the older version.  But more than anything, it’s Johnny Depp’s Willie Wonka that makes me totally happy to watch this movie.  I adore the madness so apparent in his eyes through the entire movie.

This is my favorite song of all, the Veruca Salt song: