Pining for the fjords as usual...

[thesoviette]

But ‘art’ is not anything serious or exclusive: it is the smell of oil paint, Henri Murger’s Vie de Boheme, corduroy trousers, the operatic Italian model: but the poetry, above all, of linseed oil and turpentine.

Wyndham Lewis, Tarr (via thesoviette)

[clunktown]

Queremos Mais Metro

Meu irmao escreveu um texto e me inspirou, faz tempo que eu falo que a construcao de metro é a mais importante questao politica em SP. Eu to escrevendo isso tudo aqui de longe, mas li muita noticia, gringa e brasileira, e as vezes esse distanciamento nos traz insights interessantes principalmente sobre os meios de comunicacao que divulgam os acontecimentos. É pouco querer que o foco das manifestações em sao paulo seja a proposta da construcao de mais metro? Nao sei, nao estou em Sao Paulo, voce que me diga. Tudo que sei me dizem através da ferramenta de informação (supóstamente revolucionaria) que é a internet. Leio pelas redes sociais, nao o que meus amigos me mandam, mas o que mandam para todo mundo. Nessas horas voce aprende muita coisa sobre seus amigos porque, graças a deus, opiniões divergem porem a divulgação de outras opiniões sao bastante genéricas. Por mais criativo que seja o processo de qualquer manifestacao, lembre-se que queira ou nao queira, certas pessoas que tem a sua pre-disposicao uma plataforma influente é quem escreve a recente historia. Pelo o que eu tenho lido, as pessoas presente nas manifestacoes (com razao) concentram suas energias em revelar ao mundo as previsiveis medidas tomadas pela policia. As vitimas da policia estao agora via-web criando uma comunidade de pessoas que buscam debater a questao policia militar. Ta certo, nao concordo com o jeito que a policia agiu, mas voces achavam que seria melhor ou pior que isso? A resposta certa dessa pergunta seria foda-se, pois foi como esta sendo, e nao ta certo entao tem que mudar. Ok, concordo. O debate policia militar é entao vitalizado como efeito de um protesto que, vale falar, trouxe muitos outros efeitos. Mas e a causa de tudo isso? O Jabor diz que a causa é a ausencia de causas, um eco das opinioes criticas sobre o movimento occupy. Mas e o transporte publico de Sao Paulo, o proposito desses novos protestos nao é primeiramente a discussao dessa questao? Nao é essa a causa?  É de um obviedade imensa que qualquer aumento a tarifa de onibus simboliza uma nao-solucao de um governo arrogante que precisa, em algum momento, tomar medidas para que o transito de sua cidade nao continue engulindo vinte oito horas da semana de um trabalhador. É tao obvio que ta errado o aumento da tarifa que o pessoal foi pra rua mesmo sem necessariamente se atribuindo a qualquer partido politico. Os protestos sao uma reacao visceral de um povo que reconhece a necessidade de mudancas extremas na estrutura do transporte publico brasileiro. Isso é pra mim a faceta mais poderosa que a manifestacao nos proporcionou, a unanime idea de que o transito ta uma merda e a recente medida do governo nao vai resolver. Por isso que ate no programa do Datena agora tao apoiando as manifestacoes, ate reacionario ta concordando com os protestos. Atribuir o acontecimento a orgãos politicos especificos ou a qualquer outra questao que nao seja transporte vai enfraquecer um movimento que tem o potencial de mudar o sistema atraves de uma proposta amplamente simpatica. A solucao pra mim é tao simples quanto a construcao de mais metro, que na verdade nao é nada simples, mas podemos ser ingenuos nos nossos gritos de guerra, que bem que podia ser, "O POVO ACORDOU! QUEREMOS MAIS METRO!"

[clunktown]

The Abyss

The Abyss

by JAC

Our faults must be celebrated in life, they should be laughed at and demoralized, we must be cold and analytic, romantic and bold. Our faults should come to be cautious of the past, enthralled in the present and unpredictable in the future. Descriptions will do. Reveal to the world the observations to be contested. Remember there is an abyss off of which people have fallen laughing by choice. Most who saw them go neither followed behind nor ignored it. Some never forgave the laughter.

The abyss will be there after the ice caps have melted, only no one will fall from it and no one will laugh. The long term disillusionment serves to show the abyss as our privilege and as we avoid walking off it we watch from a distance as our heroes do so. If the ones who laughed are unforgivable then why do we remember them the most? How could we not?

Beware of solemnity it is a tool for satire as it is for tragedy. Our faults must be celebrated, they should be laughed at and demoralized, we must be romantic and bold and cold and analytic.

[clunktown]

Modern Civilisation's Day Out

So out of touch

retrospective longevity remains

and doubtful as you may be

of the good and ease,

no one would expect you to be lazy

whats more your time is up

there is so much you can do

----

for all the tracers were right

einstein and hyde

respecting the pencil

more so the rubber

creating the errands

fearfully welcoming the hype

and praying to whats right

-----

think about the mound

considerate takers of towns

now here, now out

the survivors around

chatting about

looking at shelved ground

still worried about the birds

still sorry about the cow

[clunktown]

[clunktown]

Predictability

if i cant peck immortality,

peak mountains,

inspire my faith,

what am i?

a man, a chimp, a tree?

something in between?

the air that I breathe?

a fossil.

sedimentary gold,

elementary bold,

and gracious,

free from brine

denying the curiously denied

from pain of precision,

allowing them to die

happy as the rain we couldn't predict

[clunktown]

one of my favourite songs:

Leaving Has Hurt by The Three Doctors Band

Last night i got wound up tight again I started a fight with my best friend woke up with my clothes still on and my head still hurts and my money is all gone baby look what youre leaving done to me aint been to work in a week or two my boss called and he said thats not like you everything is wrong which once was right i sleep all day and i walk all night baby look what youre leaving done to me look what youre leaving done to me there's no resemblance to the man I used to be hey baby wont ya come on home tonight i need your loving arms to hold me tight oh without your love im half a man going nowhere, got no plan baby look what youre leaving done to me look what youre leaving done to me theres no resemblance to the man i used to be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWZ8XJ_I3os

[clunktown]

A Time Traveler Speaks

Hi, I am from the future. Thirty years from now brilliant young scientist Lars O. Brownsword will invent a virtual reality system that can potentially simulate what its like to experience any other place on Earth. Brownsword created a contraption similar to the ones in the movies the Matrix; however, it works more like a photograph of a place that you can see, smell, touch and even taste, albeit to a limited extent. It all depends on how its depicted by the "Feelmatographer" who goes to a place and records his senses with machines that record his brainwaves and other things like the blow of the wind. Of course these feelmatographers take certain creative liberties at what he chooses to draw your attention to… When you are experiencing the places you are limited by what they captured; hence, the place auteur.

Nowadays all sorts of feelmakers release hundreds of Virtual Reality Places (or VRP's) every year and any middle class individual can easily own the contraption needed for the experience. The first release was Brownsword's own hut in the Scottish highlands where he created the whole thing- a truly beautiful place. The thing went global and all over the world people were releasing all sorts of exotic locations on demand. The first feelmaker to create controversy was Elvis Tarantino on his 'period-piece' VPR on Jerusalem during the 2010's. Arab and Jewish communities were infuriated by the experience- the smell of gunpowder, the location of the shoot, the actors shown running around, the violence… Everything, both communities hated everything. The Australian government who was renting the contested land at the time of the release issued no official statement on the VPR…

[clunktown]

That Randy Newman Person...

Wikipedia will tell ya, Randy Newman is a russian-jewish descendant (ascendant too!) born and raised in america. His hair is curly when he lets it grow and his eyes need these huge glasses that he's always wearing. He sounds real cool, like a guy who's music was said to be influenced by the 'n'orleans sound'. Which is what they say... I heard he doesn't breathe right so he can't really hold a note for too long, but at least it's in tune. 

As you may have gathered he would never be an American Idol and that's a good thing...

He is also that guy who sings the Toy Story theme song, you know, "you got a friend in me. doot doo da, you got a friend in me." Even more recently he received an oscar for the last Pixar movie of the franchise.

His career began with a less known 1962 single entitled "Golden Gridiron Boy". Its a song about a small boy who can't get the girl of his dreams because she is more interested in a football player guy. The song is adolescent, quirky, pre-beatles, humorous and unusual; only a small taste of things to come. Following the absolute failure of this single to sell, he turned his focus into writing and arranging songs for other people like Cilla Black.

He wrote a couple of hits like the whimsical "Simon Smith And the Dancing Bear"  sung by Alan Price (formerly from the Animals). The song is written from the perspective of Simon, a coatless boy who owns a dancing bear and performs some sort of entertainment for "well-fed faces" who accept and feed them. Newman ironizes, "It's just amazing how fair people can be… Who needs money when you're funny?" Personally I prefer Harry Nilsson's version of it than Alan Price but who cares? Everybody's got youtube now and can decide for themselves!

In 1968 Newman returned to his original intention of being a performer and thanks to hits like "Simon Smith" he was able to record his first solo album.

The key to understanding Newman's music is to understand that he creates characters. He is interested in expressing points of view which literally aren't his own but which nonetheless exposes him to delight, disdain or misunderstanding from the general public. But Randy Newman respects his audience; he trusts that you will understand his irony without having to tell you its anything but the truth.

Here's an example;

"They say that money

Can't buy love in this world

But it'll get you a half-pound of cocaine

And a sixteen-year old girl

And a great big long limousine

On a hot September night

Now that may not be love

But it is all right"

The song 'short people' was a surprise hit for him in the seventies. Perhaps younger listeners that first hear his voice in the Toy Story cartoon will be quick at getting the 'joke', the humour. But when it came out, Randy Newman was a pretty serious guy; Barbara Streisand chose one of his songs for her album during her contemporary composers period, real serious stuff… Etta James sang his God song, also very serious… Of course Nina Simone recorded I Think It's Going to Rain Today which is as serious as it gets really;

"Human kindness is overflowing, and I think it's going to rain today."

You should hear Nina do that tune sometime.

But off pounded Randy Newman on the piano, on T.V, with a poker face singing; 'don't want no short people around me!'. Some serious irony...

Anyways, the song created controversy and was pulled off radio stations because of the complaints. Perhaps Newman thought his audience was smarter than it was or perhaps that's just the way smart people operate… (It's not) Anyhow, the song was a catchy surprise hit so we ask; were americans taking irony seriously in the seventies? was the world? I dunno, but Randy Newman seemed to be.

Randy, who is still alive and well, has an office where he works from 9 to 5. He has those office hours where he puts himself in a little room and makes himself produce music. At five he goes home and life goes on… You can feel this in the work too, he has distanced himself from the work in a way that allows him to express ideas through a voice that isn't necessarily his because it makes sense to do so. After all, he is a working songwriter, he doesn't have time to repress himself with notions of some sort of stage persona. In this sense you might say that Randy Newman's work is truthful.

My favourite album: Sail Away. Brian Wilson agrees...