Programmation

Je pense me rendre à la nuit Lynch pour les aficionados, où seront notamment diffusés Twin Peaks, Fire Walks With Me, et Mulholland Drive. Lost Highway sera également projeté, mais je vais quand même essayer de découvrir des films que je n'ai pas encore vu (ne pas rester sur ses acquis même si c'est agréable).

David Lynch entouré de Laura Harring (gauche) et Naomi Watts, les héroïnes de Mulholland Drive.

NB : ce soir, Denis Hopper est l'invité du Grand Journal sur Canal + ; retrouvez-le dans Blue Velvet de D. Lynch pendant le festival.

I'm lucky: I can forget for long stretches how much some people suffer. I'm healthier when I do. Otherwise I take too much in; I can lose perspective.

Exotica reminded me of Twin Peaks at times. Inland Empire left me longing for more -- more Lynch; more in general; more Mulholland Dr., no doubt -- and I did enjoy reminiscing over Blue Velvet and Lost Highway at the Mayfair a few months ago, but now I'm thinking that Egoyan's work could also sate some of that; the only other one I've seen to date is The Sweet Hereafter (which I also enjoyed, although not as much as Exotica).

I've seen Bruce Greenwood many times (including Nowhere Man), and, frankly, I didn't know he had this performance in him. He was second only to Elias Koteas, in my opinion, who absolutely shone as Eric.

And, speaking of amazing performances, Rinko Kikuchi as Chieko in Babel was heartbreaking: there was so much suffering in that movie, but her silent anguish will stay with me for a long time, I know.

After washing with Dodo Juice Born to be Mild and drying the car with a waffle weave drying cloth the Blue Velvet seemed the one for the job. It's a hard wax so applying it by hand helps as it warms and softens the wax. Just a thin coat was used.  After a quick cup of tea it was time to buff the Dodo (all puns intended). Meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfibre made short work of it.

Shine-tastic results! Wash, dry, wax, wheel dubbing in less than 45 mins.

And, of course:

Epic.

1. Kate Moss mit Velvet Hour. Dazu mal ein kurzes Statement von der Stilikone: "Velvet Hour beschwört diesen besonderen Augenblick herauf, in dem die Nacht hereinbricht und uns samtig umhüllt. Ich liebe diesen Augenblick. Er ist so sexy, sinnlich, voller Verlangen und Versprechen."  

Eau de Toilette ab 17,50 Euro, ab jetzt im Handel

2. Die Beckhams mit Signature Men und Signature Woman. Das Statement: "Wir möchten mit Signature die Leidenschaften und Passionen zeigen, die in jeder erfolgreichen Partnerschaft existieren. Das Duft-Duo zelebriert unsere Individualität und spiegelt gleichzeitig die Stärke unserer Partnerschaft wider.” 

Eau de Toilette ab 18 Euro, jetzt im Handel

3. Kylie Minogue mit Sexy Darling. Das Statement: "Ich bin überzeugt, dass eine sexy Ausstrahlung viel mit unserem Seelenzustand zu tun hat. Manche Menschen strahlen eine unwiderstehliche Schönheit und ein starkes Selbstbewusstsein aus. Mit Sexy darling wollte ich genau diese innere Haltung einfangen und habe so einen Duft für die moderne, sexy, selbstbewusste Frau kreiert, die leidenschaftlich und verspielt ist... eine Frau, die verführerisch und sinnlich ist. Ich bin begeistert, dass Sexy darling durch seinen blumig-holzigen Mix in intensiver und raffinierter Duft geworden ist, der hält, was sein Name verspricht." 

Eau de Toilette ab 14 Euro, jetzt im Handel. 

So, und nun würde ich gerne mal wissen, ob ihr Euch damit einsprühen würdet? Also ich nicht. Denn ich will einfach nicht nach der Partnerschaft der Beckhams riechen.

Foto: Coty Beauty

Melissa Shoes for Vivienne Westwood - Blue Suede/Gold Orb. £69.

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Available now, in stores and online.

Ms. Judy Pink.

Making your way down the dark desolate street, you find the shoddy apartment building on the left. The dingy alleys and the too quiet street makes you think you were given the wrong directions. After spotting the valet and walking around the building to the back, through the parking structure, you spot Blue Velvet. Suddenly, things change. The glass doors are clean and spotless. The good looking staff bustles around the flawless restaurant. On the pristine deck, the immaculate pool overlooks the sparking city lights. Looking suddenly like South Beach, Blue Velvet is high end Los Angeles dining at its best. The décor is both warm and comfortable and sleek and modern at the same time. You have never seen a drink list as delectable; featuring the blue velvet margarita and a soft, mellow peach martini. The bar menu features a thin, light flatbread with choice of toppings. The dinner menu is eclectic and creative, thanks to an inventive chef. Try the falafel or lamb for a Mediterranean spread, or attempt the very reasonable three course prix fix menu. If the restaurant doesn’t suit you, don’t worry…at least you can score a green card or crack fix around the block.

Farewell, David Foster Wallace

WORTH IT above - Wallace on Charlie Rose. Let it load and go to the 23 minute mark or read the transcript here. Wallace speaks on the conflict between teaching and the department's demand for publishing, his philosopher father (James Donald Wallace), being on set with and his love for David Lynch, in "The English Patience" the "desert looks like a body", his pleasure with Michael Ondaatje's poetry, the construction of "Shine" and "The Unforgiven," on essay writing, on the footnotes in "Infinite Jest," the ego in interview on television, on Paul Cezanne, back to Blue Velvet, on being suicidal, and loads of other topics.

Students and teachers and anyone with some smarts may want to take a peek at a post I did on Wallace back in 2006, "…Worship power, you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. But the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they’re evil or sinful, it’s that they’re unconscious. They are default settings.

…The really important kind of freedom involves attention and awareness and discipline, and being able truly to care about other people and to sacrifice for them over and over in myriad petty, unsexy ways every day. […]" [from 2005 Kenyon Commencement Address].

--Salon Interview

--Excerpt from Consider the Lobster read by D.F.W.

--On boiling alive and eating meat

--David Foster Wallace on John McCain

~~~~~

The way he has a shower. Does he starts by washing his hair, or does he takes the soap and washes his body?

The way he gets home. Does he arrives home and leaves his backpack on the sofa? or he leaves it by the table?

The way she might think about him with his wife.

The way she walks home, in despair.

The way he walks home, in despair.

The way he smiles ironically.

The way his wife looks at him when he snores in the middle of a Sunday afternoon after having lunch.

The way she sings while driving her bicycle.

The way the singer makes the music sound just perfect.

The morning she discovered she was no longer a child.

The way the cat jumps to her lap while she's knitting a long sweater.

All those small and silly details....

...all those you can't never be sure about

This film makes me want to dress up both as my own noir femme fatale and American girl next door and stroll around urban suburbia.

pictures: lynchnet.com

El actor Pierre Batcheff observa intrigado la palma de su mano derecha. La cámara realiza, entonces, un primer plano y observamos un agujero negro del cual surgen hormigas. Dicen que David Lynch se inspiró en esta conocidísima escena de “Un perro andaluz” (1929) para, 57 años después, utilizar una oreja cercenada y cubierta de hormigas en “Terciopelo azul” (1986).

Dicen, además, que el director estadounidense admiraba el cine de Luis Buñuel y es cierto que su utilización de elementos oníricos, cierto humor negro y un estilo muy personal, diferente y claramente identificable (incluso se habla del “universo David Lynch”) son características que también poseía el de Calanda.

Y es que adentrarse en todas y cada una de las películas de Lynch es penetrar en un universo paralelo al nuestro donde la belleza convive con la fealdad, donde tras el “bien” se esconde un terrorífico “mal”, un lugar plagado de hermosos sueños y aplastantes pesadillas, un dulce espejismo que oculta la cruda realidad: dos caras de una misma moneda.

“Terciopelo azul” sitúa su acción en la idílica localidad maderera de Lumberton donde todo el mundo sonríe y es feliz mientras se deslizan las notas de “Blue Velvet”. Sin embargo, bajo esa especie de locus amoenus, Lynch nos abofetea pronto con una imagen caracterizada por su gran carga metafórica: bajo la resplandeciente hierba que tapiza los jardines de las casas, aparece un enjambre de insectos repugnantes. En Lumberton no es oro todo lo que reluce porque en ella hallaremos los dos universos antes descritos. De ahí que, en las películas de Lynch, las escenas que presentan una realidad demasiado endulzada puedan causar cierto malestar por el hecho de saber (a ciencia cierta) que tras ellas irrumpirá un espeluznante, con permiso del Sr. Lucas, “reverso tenebroso”.

En ese escenario de “luz y color”, el Sr. Beaumont es hospitalizado y su hijo Jeffrey deberá abandonar la universidad donde estudia para hacerse cargo del negocio familiar. Será el propio Jeffrey el “elegido” que se topará con esa oreja cercenada que actuará a modo de puerta de acceso al tenebroso universo que subyace bajo la bucólica Lumberton. Algo similar ocurría en “Mulholland Drive” (2001) en la que la apertura de una pequeña caja nos adentraba en el particular infierno de Betty/Diane.

El joven acudirá, entonces, al detective Williams para entregarle el macabro hallazgo. La curiosidad morbosa que le despierta ese apéndice se avivará tras conocer a la cándida Sandy (hija del detective) que le revela algunos detalles de la investigación en la que el nombre de la cantante de nightclub Dorothy Vallens aparece con insistencia. Jeffrey, incapaz de reprimir su interés por el caso, decide colarse en el apartamento de Dorothy adentrándose en un mundo depravado y malsano muy alejado de su anestesiada vida.

En las antípodas de la virginal y “rosada” Sandy, el joven entrará en contacto con una mujer (envuelta en terciopelo azul) atormentada y supeditada al neurótico criminal Frank Booth que la extorsiona, pues tiene secuestrados a su marido e hijo, y humilla pertrechado con una mascarilla de oxígeno.

Jeffrey salta de un universo a otro descubriendo la oscuridad, el sexo lujurioso y la violencia (impagable una de las escenas finales en las que Jeffrey descubre los cadáveres del policía corrupto y del marido de Dorothy –con una oreja menos- en el apartamento de ésta). Sin embargo, el joven no huye de dicho universo sino que, como si de una droga se tratase, va involucrándose paulatinamente sin querer dar marcha atrás.

Si ya de por sí sufrimos con la arriesgada elección del joven, Lynch intensifica nuestra angustia a través de una serie de recursos que serán, en mayor o menor medida, una constante en sus películas. Cabe señalar, a modo de ejemplo, cómo el director recrea el apartamento de Dorothy: penumbra, ambientación minimalista, fría y de asfixiante atmósfera (recordemos, también, la habitación de los conejos en “Inland Empire” -2007- o la casa de Fred y Renné en “Carretera perdida” -1997-) o esos sonidos desasosegantes (utilizados desde “Cabeza borradora” -1977-) que inundan algunas escenas. No hay que olvidar tampoco la habitual presencia de los sueños (o más bien, pesadillas como ocurría, entre otras, en “El hombre elefante” -1980-), de las carreteras que se adentran en la oscuridad (presentes en casi todas sus películas) o de esos surrealistas personajes que aún nos desestabilizan más (como Bobby Peru en “Corazón salvaje” -1990-): el personaje de Ben y todos sus extravagantes acompañantes son buena prueba de ello. Encontraríamos múltiples ejemplos de estas características si analizáramos cada una de las películas de David Lynch.

La resolución del misterio devolverá a Jeffrey a la “normalidad”, a la aburrida armonía de Lumberton y a los brazos de Sandy, mientras que Dorothy ha recuperado a su hijo. El final de la película así nos lo parece indicar, pero Lynch esconde un as en la manga para recordarnos lo que se encuentra oculto: el “precioso” jilguero que aparece junto a la ventana, y que Sandy contempla con emoción, ha atrapado con su pico a un insecto. De nuevo los universos paralelos.

Para realizar la película, David Lynch se rodeó de algunos de sus habituales colaboradores y así junto a la hipnótica música de Angelo Badalamenti (que comparte BSO con temas clásicos como “Blue Velvet” de Bobby Vinton o “In Dreams” de Roy Orbison), aparecen los estupendos Kyle MacLachaln (que fue Paul Atreides en “Dune” –1984- y el agente del FBI Dale Cooper en “Twin Peaks”) como Jeffrey, Isabella Rossellini (la Perdita Durango de “Corazón salvaje” y, por aquella época, unida sentimentalmente al director) como Dorothy Vallens o Laura Dern (Lula en “Corazón Salvaje” y Nikki en “Inland Empire”) como Sandy. Junto a ellos Dennis Hopper que compone un perfecto y peligroso psicópata.

“Terciopelo azul” supuso la nominación de David Lynch al Oscar como mejor director y marcó un punto de inflexión en su carrera pues, tras ella, inició toda una serie de películas basadas en la resolución de angustiosos misterios (tal vez “Una historia verdadera” -1999- sería la excepción), cada vez más difíciles de aprehender por el espectador, que alcanzarán la cima de lo críptico con “Inland Empire”.

Cortinas rojas y sueños aterradores, enanos poseedores de secretos, una bruja y el terciopelo azul, carreteras sin fin, sangre y monstruos, los celos enfermizos, una cortadora de césped y el perfil amenazante de una fábrica, Axxon N. y la amnesia, Dick Laurant y Marietta. El cine de David Lynch es como subirse a una sugerente, alucinante, magistral y sorprendente montaña rusa. ¿Quién se atreve?

-

Para ver la ficha de la película, pincha aquí

Briony   

David Lynch’s Blue Velvet is a film about that which is hidden, that which lurks beneath the fair and exciting surfaces of our lives. When the layers are peeled back and the raw material of humanity is revealed, the combination of beauty and ugliness is distressing. By using film noir elements and a standard hero mystery set-up, Lynch’s 1986 movie explores the substance of humankind in what the director and writer considers his most personal piece.

Blue Velvet began to plant itself in Lynch’s mind as early as 1973, with formations of the basic sense gathering in his consciousness. He spent two years writing two drafts, but wasn’t overly impressed with either one. Lynch has said that the two drafts had all of the spitefulness of the film, but nothing else. The final piece, therefore, contains an appropriate and alluring combination of ugliness and amiability, formulating a marvelous tone that would grow to become a David Lynch trademark.

Kyle MacLachlan stars as Jeffrey Beaumont, a young man who returns home from college after his father suffers a stroke. After visiting him in the hospital, Jeffrey comes across a human ear in a vacant lot and, being the good ol’ boy he is, takes it to the police.

Detective John Williams (George Dickerson) takes on the case and, after talking the case over at Detective Williams’ house, Jeffrey meets Sandy Williams (Laura Dern). Sensing Jeffrey’s curiosity, Sandy tells him what she has heard about the ear and a suspicious woman, Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), who may be connected to the strange situation.

Not content to simply wonder about the ear and Dorothy Vallens, Jeffrey concocts a plan to sneak into her apartment and observe her. Sandy wonders if Jeffrey is simply being a pervert or if he has other motivations, but she assists him nevertheless. In the apartment, Jeffrey is caught by Dorothy, who becomes aroused by the young man’s voyeurism. Before their encounter can go any further, they are interrupted by Frank Booth (Dennis Hopper) and Jeffrey hides in the closet.

Lynch operates things brilliantly, constantly upping the ante and increasing the amount of anxiety. The arrival of Booth notches up the sexual tension and turns things suddenly brutal, as he inflicts cruelty on Dorothy. Jeffrey soon discovers that things are much more complicated than he ever thought possible and is thrust into the world of crime, drugs, and sociopathic behaviour. For a host of reasons, Jeffrey becomes drawn to Dorothy and is eager to save her. At the same time, he falls in love with Sandy.

There are countless approaches to take in regards to the material. Some view the triangle as evidence of a sort of Oedipal family, with Frank’s aggression and violence as an expression of the abuse within several families. Jeffrey’s inclination towards Dorothy is, consequently, a slight inference as to how a son might feel about his mother experiencing such ill-treatment. Perhaps the light tones that sandwich the picture serve to betray our trust, almost like a father’s regret after a particularly fierce cycle of brutality.

Another possibility is to put more of the “blame” on the character of Jeffrey. He is the voyeur; he is the unsolicited caller in the dominion of this circle of criminals. While it is true that Dorothy appears to be held captive by these men on the surface, we only have Jeffrey’s view to trust. He is in almost every scene and his angle is the only one Lynch grants us. It is possible, hence, that Jeffrey betrays us. And, with his perfidy, it is probable that Jeffrey wants Dorothy for himself and is enticed by the sense of jeopardy and sadomasochism in which she exists.

The other approach is the rational approach. With Lynch admitting to Jeffrey being somewhat autobiographical, perhaps it is accurate to suppose Jeffrey is telling us the truth. In other words, the narrative is proper, Frank Booth is immoral, and Dorothy is the Damsel in Distress. Sandy is the associate on the side, the “true love,” and Dorothy is the sense of danger that imposes itself in the middle of Jeffrey’s faultless cosmos. Of course, we have Jeffrey’s nosiness to contend with. He could have simply left things alone. Myself, I think I would have walked straight past that fucking ear…

The performances here are all excellent. Isabella Rossellini’s devotion to Dorothy Vallens is so soul-emptying that Roger Ebert found himself unable to stomach it, going so far as to reprimand Lynch for forcing the poor woman to go through the shit she did for the role. She is gloom personified, a broken and trampled woman whose soul has long since left this earth. In the hands of Frank Booth, she finds existence and death, ache and bliss, shock and ease. Rossellini’s incarnation of these principles is stellar.

Dennis Hopper’s Frank Booth is petrifying in his psychosis, his abruptness, and his frenzied temperament. He visibly has a host of mental issues (or does he?) and imbibes a substance through a mask and an oxygen tank (the drug was, according to Hopper, supposed to be amyl nitrate, although Lynch’s script called for helium). As the central figure in Lumberton’s criminal underworld, Booth’s confused characteristics guide him through his existence. He switches back and forth between a “daddy” and “baby” facade in a night with Dorothy, forcing her at moments and warmly engaging her at others. But Booth’s entire existence is based on misuse and ignominy, as he repeats his line “Don’t you fucking look at me” as if to time a divine getaway.

Kyle MacLachlan is the third component to the triangle. His character is the most compelling simply because we are never quite sure as to his pure motives. Is he really a Saviour or is he really, as Sandy initially suspects, some kind of pervert? Jeffrey’s voyeuristic nature exposes a world that, like the bugs crawling underneath his father’s sod, is unsightly and upsetting. But he almost longs for it, as MacLachlan guides his character with a sense of ailing curiosity. He makes no attempts at getting away, instead regularly knocking on Dorothy’s door. The kicker is when he slaps her.

The music of Blue Velvet is in on the infidelity. Lynch uses Bobby Vinton’s cut of “Blue Velvet” as a guide post, setting up the virtue on the surface with the sweet notes of the tune. Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” makes an appearance as well, once again betraying the audience with its sweet sounds as appalling incidents lurk beneath the surfaces. Perhaps to remind us that nothing is all that blameless, the soundtrack exists not only to guide the events of the movie or set the tone. It exists on a whole other level, playing a character in and of itself.

Lynch’s Blue Velvet is a masterpiece and stands as one of my favourite films of all time. The performances go beyond the boundaries of ordinary acting and mine the depths for something truly exceptional and extraordinary. Lynch asserts himself persistently, forming a sense of blackness and murkiness over the film as its chasm of incongruity ever widens. Blue Velvet is, then, the decisive betrayal.

10/10

Trailer:

The first thing I look for in music is edge: it must have rough asperities; it must bite and sting; it cannot be complacent, neutral, unobjectionable; it must be, in other words, transgressive. It is the difference between late (e.g. Große Fuge) and early Beethoven. It is also, almost always, music at the fringe, which connotes not just obscurity/opacity, but, more so, denotes being right at the periphery, hence, of breaching boundaries, which is also what it means to transgress.

Back in the 1980s it was post-punk (Joy Division, New Order, Echo and the Bunnymen) and goth rock (The Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees). In the 1990s it was indie/alt rock--back when it was truly independent and alternative--(REM, Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam), until, that is, what was at the margins became mainstream--appropriated as mouthpiece of suburban bellyaching.

It was thus refreshing to be re-introduced to fringe music in industrial rock, through one of my co-workers in the lab. It is a genre that fuses industrial music and punk rock, and spawned industrial metal, with which it is often confused. It exploded into the American scene in the early to mid-1990s with bands like Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, and labels such as Metropolis and Wax Trax!, which defined the genre, but since then declined in popularity. Artists generally employ the basic rock instrumentation (electric guitars, drum, bass) and pair these with electronic music gear (synthesizers, sequencers, samplers, drum machines), thus incorporating the sounds of machinery and industry. (Source: Wikipedia)

Aesthetically it is aligned with the cyberpunk science fiction genre that couples advanced technology with societal entropy--glitter with grime, utopia with dystopia--as represented by films such as Blade Runner and the Matrix trilogy, and anime such as Akira, Ghost in a Shell, and Aeon Flux. Along with the morbidity of industrial refuse, of plastic and metal, is a fetish for leather. The gothic horror of vampires (Batman) and zombies (The Crow), and sadomasochistic role-playing (Blue Velvet, Fight Club), also inform the dark tempers and tempo of industrial rock.

Gravity Kills Love, Sex and Money (from Superstarved, 2002) The song [Guilty], a bone-crunching assemblage of industrial-strength guitar overkill and spastic noise, appeared on a local radio station compilation album and became an immediate alternative radio staple around the country. Gravity Kills were born.      --Kevin Raub (Rolling Stone, 22 Jul 1998)

Official Gravity Kills Website
Fan Videos:

• Enough (featuring footage from Akira)
• Blame (featuring footage from Final Fantasy VII)
• Gulity (featuring footage from Dragon Ball Z)

Sister Machine Gun Hole in the Ground (from Burn, 1995) Combining the aggression of industrial with the pop-savvy of techno sounds, Sister Machine Gun's sound sits close to Nine Inch Nails'... though the band injects more menace into its sound...      --Matt Schild (Aversion, 17 May 1999)

Official Sister Machine Gun Website
Other Videos:

• Overload (Live)
• Not My God
• Wired

Nine Inch Nails Closer (from The Downward Spiral, 1994) [Trent] Reznor rented the infamous Hollywood Hills house at 10050 Cielo Drive to record The Downward Spiral in 1993; he took the door with him before the owners razed the place.      --Anthony Bozza (Rolling Stone, 5 Oct 1999)

Official Nine Inch Nails Website
Other Videos:

• Sin (Live)
• We're In This Together
• March of the Pigs
• Wish
• The Line Begins To Blur (Live)

KMFDM Juke Joint Jezebel (from Nihil, 1995) Juke Joint Jezebel... was the closest the German industrial-metal outfit came to a hit in the [US]. The song, which features hard-edged guitars and relentless programming, followed the mold set by KMFDM's previous (and later) releases, with vocals shined up to add a touch of pop charm.      --(Aversion, 25 Apr 2008)

Official KMFDM Website
Other Videos:

• Megalomaniac
• Vogue
• Rabblerouser (by spin-off MDFMK, Live)
• Now (by spin-off MDFMK, Live)

now its dark

now dark is

now

now is not now

who knows when now is now

not now

_____now

"Quisiera añadir algo más sobre la enfermedad. Nos negamos a hablar de ella y el silencio mata. Sabemos que el condón protege, pero nosotros, los grandes hombres negros potentes, vamos por la vida como si fuésemos inmortales. Élise, mi amiga, llama a ese comportamiento el pensamiento mágico. Nosotros nos decimos que la enfermedad es cosa de los demás, y nosotros follamos y follamos como ciegos. Pero yo os digo, y por eso quiero hablaros antes de morir, que como yo van a morir millones. De sida, por supuesto, de enfermedad también, pero sobre todo de una enfermedad pero, contra la cual no hay condón ni vacuna. Esa enfermedad es el odio. En este país hay gente que esta sembrando odio como los hombres inconscientes siembran con su esperma la muerte en el vientre de las mujeres que luego lo dispersan en otros hombres y en los hijos que conciben (...) Me muero de sida, pero muero por accidente. No lo he elegido, esto es un error. Creía que era una enfermedad de blancos o de homosexuales o de monos o de drogadictos."

Gil Courtemanche (2003), Un domingo en la piscina en Kigali, Barcelona, Emecé, p.56.

I GOT A LOVE LETTER, BITCHES! NOW I CAN TELL HER TO COME FROM SOVIET GEORGIA AND RIGHT INTO MY ARMS. IF SHE DOES NOT THEN I WILL BE QUITE SAD. PERHAPS QUITE ANGRY. THEN SOMEONE WILL GET HURT.

HERE'S MY LOVE LETTER:

How do you do

Where are you, the King of my Heart? Where is your True Love to Me?
I wait for you into the big castle of Loneliness and I want you to break its strong walls. I am impatient, because I have been waiting for you for many years, for many thousand lonely years.
I am young and pretty, but I am old inside without love and tenderness.
My heart is crying every minute, every second without your love.
I can't find it here, and everything I meet is lonely echo of my crying heart.
I wrote this romantic letter to you, because I think that such romantic person like you will understand my wishes and desires and will get the reply to me very soon http://l ovewomenofworld.net/6131/ I hope that you will write to me about your life,  that you will share with me your feelings.

Looking forward to hear from you soon
Svetik S.

ALSO, THE DOCTOR TOLD ME MY TAGS WERE INAPPROPRIATE. I'M GIVING SERIOUS CONSIDERATION TO USING HIS BLOOD TO WRITE MY NEXT BLOG.

Apa i per que no us queixeu us reagalo by the face algunes fotos que he pogut fer en el transcurs de la primera setmana del meu agitadíssim estiu! Ens llegim el finde vinent! Be evil!

Blue Velvet

.

Allà on vaig sempre em trobo una Gàrgola!

.

Nena jugant en un sorral

.

Ora et labora

.

Però mira que ets gòtica!

]]> http://dientesdeplata.wordpress.com/?p=571 Thu, 07 Aug 2008 20:31:56 +0000 bichito http://dientesdeplata.pl.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/blue/

You stay alive, baby. Do it for Van Gogh
Frank Booth

It’s already a long time, since we know we are living in a country, Italy, on the road to the third world, from an economical, life quality and public services point of view. Going to London or Berlin today (maybe in the past it had been different) means being amazed and to blush, comparing what these city offer and what is offered by Rome, Milan or other “belpaese” cities.
Now, even the newspaper’s summer quizzes are forcing us to a reflection: last week I’ve been in London for work, and there I bought “The Guardian”, which published on its music and cinema supplement a summer test of 110 questions, proving the reader’s pop music knowledge… I correctly answer (without help from internet, of course) to 10 questions at the most. Now, the fact that one of the main English newspapers published something like this and not the usual test à l’italienne about whom Briatore’s fucking or how many pruriginous movies Edwige Fenech shot in the seventies, is clearly revealing us the situation… and don’t tell me that in Italy nobody listen to popo-rock music, cause it’s not true, and even if it was there would be a lot of matters about arts, cinema, architecture, in which we could perfectly compete with English people. The truth is that we became a Drive-in (famous and rough TV show from the eighties) country, whatever does it mean…

In any case, now you can try answer to the really hard Guardian’s questions, which I splitted in two parts and translated in italian

Get your pencils ready, music fans, and prepare for the grilling of your lives — from question-master Dorian Lynskey

LITERATURE

1) The title of Joy Division’s Interzone, the lyrics of Bomb the Bass’s Bug Powder Dust and the name of the band Steely Dan were all inspired by which cult novel?

2) The title of the Klaxons album Myths of the Near Future comes from a short story collection by which Chinese-born British writer?

3) Dominion by the Sisters of Mercy quotes the final line from which sonnet of 1818?

4) In Streams of Whiskey by the Pogues, Shane MacGowan is encouraged to drink by the spirit of which Irish poet, novelist and dramatist?

5) Rock star Bucky Wunderlick is the protagonist and narrator of which 1973 novel?

6) “ I am a sick man … I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man. I believe my liver is diseased. However, I know nothing at all about my disease, and do not know for certain what ails me.”

The opening lines of which post-punk song were inspired by the above passage from Notes From the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky?

7) Which authors have recorded with the following musicians:

[a] Bomb the Bass?

[b] Chris Coco?

[c] Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy?

8) Which US band based their name on the subtitle of Irvine Welsh’s short story collection Ecstasy?

9) What is the name of Bob Dylan’s only novel, published in 1971?

10) When Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were convicted of drug possession in 1967, Times editor William Rees-Mogg penned an editorial asking, “Who breaks a butterfl y on a wheel?” Which 18^th century poet originally wrote those words?

GEOGRAPHY

1) Nick Drake was born in which southeast Asian country?

2) At exactly which Harlem junction does Lou Reed attempt to score drugs in I’m Waiting for the Man?

3) In Charlene’s only hit single, she claims to have been to “Nice and the isle of Greece”, among other places, but where, according to the title, has she not been?

4) Which 1973 album contains songs named after Paris, France, Wales, Antarctica and Andalucia?

5) The famous Hansa studios used by such artists as U2, Depeche Mode and Iggy Pop are in which European capital?

6) Which Frank Sinatra song refers to Peru as “llama land”?

7) In which US states would you find the following:

[a] REM’s Cuyahoga River?

[b] Ike & Tina Turner’s Nutbush?

[c] Patti Page’s Old Cape Cod?

[d] Jimmy Webb’s lineman?

8) Alphaville and Tom Waits both claimed to be big in which country?

9) Damon Albarn recorded an album with musicians including Toumani Diabaté and Afel Bocoum in which African country?

10) Complete the following series:

Oklahoma City, __ , Gallup, Flagstaff , __ , Kingman, Barstow, __

HISTORY

1) Abba’s 1975 hit Fernando refers to a revolution in which country?

2) Which Brit award-winning band comes from the Sussex town of Battle, the site of William, Duke of Normandy’s victory in 1066?

3) The first three verses of Eric Bogle’s anti-war song And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda take place during which first world war battle?

4) According to the Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil, who killed the Kennedys?

5) House of Dolls, a Holocaust memoir by Ka-Tzetnik 135633, inspired the name of which band?

6) U2’s account of Martin Luther King Jr’s murder in Pride (in the Name of Love) contains a major factual error. What is it?

7) The 2004 song All For You Sophia describes the assassination of a 20thcentury ruler, after whom the band was named. Who was he?

8) Which REM song features the words of US Army attorney Joseph Welch appearing in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations in 1954?

9) According to Neil Young, this historical figure:

“came dancing across the water With his galleons and guns Looking for the new world In that palace in the sun”

Who is he?

10) War! Huh! Good God y’all! What is it good for?

LANGUAGES

1) Which No 1 single from 1987 ends with a Latin passage beginning “Confi teor Deo omnipotenti”?

2) Blur recorded a French version of their 1994 hit To the End with which French singer and actress?

3) Which Madonna song features lines in 10 diff erent languages, including Lithuanian, Hindi and Hebrew?

4) Which 2001 hip-hop single opens with lines spoken in Japanese, which roughly translate as: “From this point, everyone’s going to be dancing recklessly/Let’s make some noise, let’s make some noise”?

5) The opening words of Portishead’s album Third are spoken in which European language?

6) Translated into English, Kraftwerk’s name is shared by which 80s supergroup?

7) Which British record label is named after the informal Japanese word for hello?

8) Which French band has recorded songs with titles that translate as The Sun Is Near Me, I Slept Under the Water and Silver Woman?

9) How many diff erent languages does Ian Dury use in Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick?

10) Puis-je le donner un coup de pied?

FILM STUDIES

1) [a] Nick Cave was commissioned to write the sequel (the screenplay was subsequently rejected) to which Ridley Scott movie?

[b] Cave wrote successful screenplays for which two Australian films, released in 1988 and 2005?

2) The soundtrack to which 1971 film was drawn from Leonard Cohen’s album The Songs of Leonard Cohen?

3) [a] Randy Newman won his only Oscar to date for a song in which movie?

[b] He is the nephew of which celebrated Hollywood composer, who received 45 Oscar nominations?

4) [a] According to this character in Garden State, played by Natalie Portman, which band will change your life?

[b] Will they really?

5) Which actor mouths the words of Roy Orbison’s In Dreams in the film Blue Velvet?

6) Name the songs sung during the karaoke scene in Lost in Translation by:

[a] Scarlett Johansson

[b] Bill Murray (2 songs)

7) The Clash make a cameo appearance as “Street Scum” in which Martin Scorsese film?

8) Which composer links Midnight Express, Scarface and American Gigolo?

9) At the end of their track Burn Hollywood Burn, which Oscar-winning film do Public Enemy walk out of?

10) Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about?

Da tempo sappiamo di vivere in un paese, l’Italia, sulla via del terzo mondo, dal punto di vista economico, della qualità della vita e dei servizi. Andare a Londra o Berlino ormai (se mai un tempo è stato diverso) significa stupirsi e arrossire nel fare il paragone tra quello che offrono e quello che c’è a Roma, Milano o nelle altre città del “belpaese”. Ora anche i quiz estivi dei giornali ci inducono a qualche riflessione: nei giorni scorsi sono stato a Londra per un viaggio di lavoro e ho comprato “The Guardian”, che pubblicava sul suo inserto di musica e cinema un test estivo in 110 domande sulla conoscenza della musica pop… io ho saputo rispondere (senza internet, ovvio) al massimo a dieci. Ora, il fatto che in Inghilterra uno dei principali quotidiani pubblichi una cosa del genere e non il solito test à l’italienne su chi si scopa Briatore o quanti film pruriginosi ha fatto negli anni ’70 Edwige Fenech, la dice lunga sullo stato delle cose… e non venitemi a dire che in Italia non si ascolta musica rock - pop, perché non è vero e anche se fosse ci sarebbero tanti argomenti d’arte, letteratura, cinema, architettura su cui potremmo competere benissimo con gli inglesi. La verità è che siamo un paese drive-inizzato, qualsiasi cosa questo significhi…

In ogni caso, provateci anche voi a rispondere alle tostissime domande del Guardian, che ho diviso in due puntate e tradotto in italiano

Preparate le vostre matite, appassionati di musica, e state pronti al peggior terzo grado della vostra vita – preparato dall’esperto Dorian Lynskey

LETTERATURA

1)Il titolo del pezzo dei Joy Division “Interzone”, il testo di quello di Bomb the Bass, “Bug Powder Dust”, e il nome della band degli “Steely Dan”, sono tutti ispirati a un romanzo di culto. Quale?

2) Il titolo dell’album dei Klaxons “Myths of the Near Future” viene da una collezione di racconti di uno scrittore britannico nato in Cina. Quale?

3) Di quale sonetto del 1818 viene citata la riga finale nel pezzo “Dominion” dei Sisters of Mercy?

4) Nel pezzo “Streams of Whiskey” dei Pogues, dallo spirito di quale poeta, romanziere e drammaturgo irlandese Shane MacGowan viene incoraggiato a bere?

5) di quale romanzo del 1973 è protagonista e voce narrante la rock star Bucky Wunderlick?

6) “sono un uomo malato… sono un uomo perfido. Sono un uomo poco attraente. Credo di avere il fegato malato. In ogni caso, non so niente della mia malattia, e non so con certezza cosa mi affligge”.
Qual è la canzone post-punk il cui inizio è stato ispirato dal passaggio precedente, tratto da “Memorie dal sottosuolo” di Fyodor Dostoevsky?

7) Quali autori hanno registrato coi seguenti musicisti:

[a] Bomb the Bass?

[b] Chris Coco?

[c] Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy?

8) Quale band Americana basa il proprio nome sul sottotitolo della raccolta di racconti di Irvine Welsh, “Ecstasy”?

9) Qual è il titolo dell’unico romanzo di Bob Dylan, pubblicato nel 1971?

10) Quando Mick Jagger e Keith Richards furono condannati per possesso di droga, nel 1967, l’editorialista del Times Rees-Mogg scrisse un articolo chiedendo “Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?” Quale poeta del 18esimo secolo scrisse originariamente queste parole?

GEOGRAFIA

1) In quale paese del sud est asiatico è nato Nick Drake?

2) A quale incrocio di Harem, esattamente, Lou Reed cerca di comprare droghe in “I’m Waiting for the Man”?

3) Nell’unico singolo di successo di Charlene lei afferma di essere stata “a Nizza e nell’isola di Grecia”, tra gli altri posti; ma dove, secondo il titolo, non sarebbe mai stata?

4) Che album del 1973 contiene canzoni che prendono il nome da Parigi, Francia, Galles, Antartide e Andalusia?

5) In quale capitale europea si trova il famoso studio Hansa, dove hanno lavorato artisti come U2, Depeche Mode e Iggy Pop?

6) Quale canzone di Frank Sinatra si riferisca al Perù come “la trerra dei lama”?

7) In quali stati degli USA potere trovare i luoghi seguenti:

[a] Il fiume Cuyahoga dei REM?

[b] Il Nutbush di Ike & Tina Turner?

[c] L’Old Cape Cod di Patti Page?

[d] il Lineman di Jimmy Webb?

8) Alphaville e Tom Waits affermano entrambi di essere “Big” in quale paese?

9) In quale paese africano Damon Albarn ha registrato un album con musicisti tra cui Toumani Diabaté and Afel Bocoum?

10) Completate le serie seguenti:

Oklahoma City, __ , Gallup, Flagstaff , __ , Kingman, Barstow, __

STORIA

1) Alla rivoluzione in quale paese si riferisce la hit degli Abba del 1975, “Fernando”?

2) Quale band vincitrice del Brit-award viene da Sussex town of Battle, il luogo dove William, il Duca di Normandia, vinse una battaglia nel 1066?

3) I primi tre versi della canzone contro la guerra di Eric Bogle, “And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, sono ambientati durante una battaglia della prima guerra mondiale. Quale?

4) Secondo “Sympathy for the Devil” dei Rolling Stones, chi ha ucciso I Kennedy?

5) “La casa delle bambole”, ricordo dell’olocausto scritto da Ka-Tzetnik 135633, ha ispirato il nome di una band. Quale?

6) Il resconto dell’assassino di Martin Luther King Jr fatto dagli U2 in “Pride (in the Name of Love)”, contiene un grosso errore di fatto. Quale?

7) La canzone del 2004 “All For You Sophia” descrive l’assassinio di un sovrano del 20esimo secolo, su cui si basa il nome della band. Chi era?

8) Quale canzone dei REM cita la parole del procuratore dell’esercito USA Jospeh Welch, durante la sua apparizione del 1954 davanti alla sottocommissione investigativa permanente del Senato?

9) Secondo Neil Young questa figura storica:

“came dancing across the water With his galleons and guns Looking for the new world In that palace in the sun”

Chi è?

10) War! Huh! Good God y’all! Per che cosa va bene?

LINGUE

1) Quale singolo numero 1 nel 1987 si conclude con un passaggio in latino che inizia “Confi teor Deo omnipotenti”?

2) I Blur hanno registrato una versione in francese della loro hit del 1994 “To the End”. Quale cantante e attrice francese li ha accompagnati?

3) Quale canzone di Madonna cita frasi in 10 lingue diverse, tra cui lituano, Hindi e ebraico?

4) Quale singolo hip-hop del 2001 si apre con delle frasi pronunciate in giapponese, rozzamente tradotte come: “From this point, everyone’s going to be dancing recklessly/Let’s make some noise, let’s make some noise”?

5) In quale lingua europea sono pronunciate le parole d’apertura dell’album dei Portishead “Third”?

6) Qual è il supergruppo degli anni ’80 che ha preso il nome dalla traduzione in inglese di “Kraftwerk”?

7) Quale etichetta discografica britannica prendere il nome dal modo colloquiale di dire ciao in giapponese?

8) Quale band francese ha registrato canzoni con titoli tradotti in The Sun Is Near Me, I Slept Under the Water e Silver Woman?

9) Quante lingue diverse usa Ian Dury in “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”?

10) Puis-je le donner un coup de pied?

CINEMA

1) [a] Di quale film di Ridley Scott fu incaricato di scrivere il sequel Nick Cave (la cui sceneggiatura fu successivamente rifiutata)?

[b] Per quali film australiani del 1988 e del 2005 Cave ha invece scritto sceneggiature di successo?

2) Per quale film del 1971 la colonna sonora è stata tratta dall’album di Leonard Cohen, “The Songs of Leonard Cohen”?

3) [a] Randy Newman ha vinto il suo unico Oscar per una canzone in quale film?

[b] Di quale celebrato compositore hollywoodiano, che ha ricevuto 45 nomination all’Oscar, è nipote?

4) [a] Secondo il personaggio di “Garden State” interpretato da Natalie Portman, quale band cambierà la vostra vita?

[b] Lo faranno davvero?

5) Quale attore muove le labbra seguendo le parole di “in Dreams” di Roy Orbison, nel film “Velluto blu”?

6) Nominate la canzoni cantate durante la scena del karaoke in “Lost in Translation” da:

[a] Scarlett Johansson

[b] Bill Murray (2 songs)

7) I Clash recitano un cameo come “feccia di strada” in quale film di Martin Scorsese?

8) Quale compositore accomuna i film Midnight Express, Scarface e American Gigolo?

9) Alla fine della sua traccia “Burn Hollywood Burn”, da quale film vincitore di Oscar vanno via i Public Enemy?

10) Chi è il gatto che non vorrà mai sottrarsi al pericolo?

Observaciones de múltiple índole efectuadas durante mis tiempos de ocio y no tanto ocio en el D.F.:

1. Todas las azoteas que podía ver desde la habitación del hostal tenían viejísimos tinacos de asbesto y tanques de gas con manchas de óxido.

2. Durante la semana vi más drogos que los que he visto toda mi vida.

3. Realmente me gusta andar por las viejas calles de la ciudad de México.

4. Cruzar la avenida Reforma fue toda una aventura para mis compañeros (cruzaban corriendo, provincianamente, con el semáforo en verde)

5. Los lagos del bosque de Chapultepec tienen agua color verde radioactivo.

6. Me gusta subirme al metro.

7. Los policías del D.F. no son la mejor opción a elegir cuando hay problemas.

8. Pocas personas comprenden y aprecian el trabajo de los voluntarios en eventos internacionales.

9. Viajar en situaciones precarias y con algunas incertidumbres es más divertido que hospedarse en un hotel con jacuzzi y camas tamaño king size.

. Viaje iniciático.

]]> http://al3xa.wordpress.com/?p=182 Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:20:16 +0000 Alexa http://al3xa.pl.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/blue-velvet/ Atunci când viaţa te azvârle încă o dată în ştioalna-i în care mizeria emoţională, promiscuitatea şi violarea principiilor colcăie ca la ele acasă, atunci când eşti pe punctul de-a renunţa la tot ce-ai construit o viaţă-ntreagă doar pentru că aşteptările ţi-au fost înşelate, atunci când te vezi singur şi horopsit cu atâtea măşti care ţi-au devenit indispensabile, cerul îţi trimite atingerea sa delicată: a Blue Velvet. Exact cum mi-a trimis mie azi.

Este vorba despre filmul ăsta pe care l-am revăzut dupa 3 ani şi pe care pot spune că abia azi l-am înţeles. N-o să fac acum critica cu care am obişnuit ochii cititorului, n-o să vorbesc despre clişee regizorale, nici despre gratitudinea actorilor. N-o să-l apoteotizez pe maestrul David Lynch, deşi ar merita-o cu vârf şi îndesat. N-o să vorbesc nici despre tensiunea şi misterul pe care thriller-ul le îmbină într-o manieră perfectă aşa încât să mulţumească orice împătimit (sau nu) al filmului. N-o să fac nici comparaţia cu celelalte producţii ale lui Lynch deşi ar fi interesantă o astfel de analiză generală. În sfârşit, n-o să disec personajul malefic al acestui film care ar fi un studiu de caz excelent pentru un psiholog în devenire. O să vorbesc despre povestea în sine şi atât. O să vorbesc despre atingerea aceea suavă a cerului de care spuneam la început.

Este bine ştiut că Lynch abordează problema răului într-unul dintre cele mai grozave moduri întâlnite în istoria cinematografiei. Aş îndrăzni să afirm, contrar majorităţii criticilor de film, că problema pe care regizorul o explorează şi o disecă în faţa camerelor de filmat, nu e nicidecum una malefică, ci dimpotrivă, cred că binele este cel care este pus în lumină în fiecare producţie. Nu e nevoie să vă amintesc de <