Happy Late Night, Sweet Baby,
Tonight was movie night at CSUN, and we saw Tarkovsky's first feature : "Ivan's Childhood", made in 1962 when he was 30 years old. I have this film on dvd (Criterion), and I had watched it about two years ago. Just seeing it on a TV set, I thought it was a great work, but tonight after seeing it on a movie screen, I think it's one of the greatest films ever made. Certainly, it has got to be the greatest black and white film ever shot, or maybe tied with "Eraserhead" by Lynch. The setting is a nightmare-scape war zone in WW2, next to a lake. Most of the film is set at night, and the tones he gets in the b&w grey scale are off the charts. The camera movement is phenomenal as well, and his use of camera tells the story as much or even more so than the minimal dialogue.
I was blown away, and would now put it in my all-time Top 20 movies, maybe even higher. The subject matter is grim - a young boy whose family has been killed by the Germans works now as a scout for the Russian army - but it is not a "war film" per se. It's actually an art film about the effect of war on children, and it incorporates all kinds of dream imagery and use of nature, including some amazing shots of white trees inside a birch forest. Just an incredible film all the way around.
I hope you had a nice day. I saw your post of James singing the Bieber song, and - despite the source material, haha - I must say that he has a very good voice, which seems suited for pop stylings. He has all the phrasings down for that kind of style, even though I am guessing he normally sings in a heavier way.
Still and all, you knew you'd get me with the Bieber angle. And you did.
ICP are still the Champions Of Obnoxiousness, however, with Bieber and Fred Durst running neck and neck for second place. You'd have to get up early every day and practice to be worse than Limp Bizkit, and I'm not sure any band is that dedicated. With the Beeb it seems to come naturally; he doesn't have to work at it, and Insane Clown Posse are The Beatles of Bad. No one else is on their level, nor will anyone ever be.
Your friends, though, certainly have good senses of humor, from James to Sarah and her boyfriend, to Justin and many more.
Way back when, I always thought nothing could be worse than Elvis Costello or The Clash, but then records are made to be broken, so they say....... :)
Keep documenting all the bands and "characters" in bands in your area. That is what happened in New York with the punk movement and clubs like CBGBs, and also in LA with the whole punk/New Wave/avant garde scene in the 70s and into the Hair Metal scene in the 80s.
A music scene needs Stars, and Stars are made just by somebody taking the reins and declaring themselves to Be A Star.
Alice Cooper, whose birthday is today, was just some dude from Phoenix who ran track at his high school in the early 60s. In school, he met Dennis Dunaway, another track athlete, and in their teens they plotted to form a rock band......but not just any band. They wanted to be Stars.
Stars need Local Characters to become them. And they need photographers and filmmakers and writers to document them. That is how a Scene is created, simply just by Declaring Itself.
And a Music Scene can happen anywhere. It isn't limited to LA or New York. Those are just gathering places, where the music business used to operate, and of course our structures (clubs, fan bases, etc) are still in place, but a Scene can happen anywhere.
It takes assertion, and characters (who also are talented, like James) who are willing to become tomorrows Rock Stars and Artists. And it takes someone to document the whole thing, to say, This Scene Is Happening.
Just keep documenting all the local stuff, along with your regular work. Look for personalities and characters to make a Scene.
That's all I know for tonight. I will see you in the morning. I Love You. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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