STORIES STILL SELL SILVER SCREEN STYLE: As usual, when times are tough I end up behind the air-conditioned closed doors of some second-run comfy haven - and these two weeks have proven pretty good for all that’s fit to print in motion pictures, literally! As such I visited my favorite neighborhood triple-screen, The Academy, to see both State of Play and The Soloist. They have “Monday Movie Madness” (see two consecutive films for a total of $6!!!) and “Twofer Tuesdays” (admits 2 people for a total of $4!). That’s the absolute best deal in town people! Plus they offer good eats from their amazing neighbors, the BiPartisan Cafe and Flying Pie Pizza - not to mention sensible prices on all other goodies as well.
DEADLINES: Both films gave a sensitive inside look into the drama of an everyday newsroom. One in the east (DC) and one out here (LA). State of Play was a bit of an action packed political thriller with secret twists, all slowly unknotted. The well plucked cast, including a fuller-bodied Russell Crowe and the always stunning/amazing Helen Mirren were great characters. The supporting cast includes the whipsmart Rachel McAdams as Crowe’s sidekick saavy blogger, a carboardy Ben Affleck (though necessary for this role) and bit parts by great actresses like Viola Davis and Robin Wright Penn. Cast as Rep. George Fergus is Jeff Daniels who I’m usually mezza-mezza about - but if this were a more meaty role he would have stole the screen, I like him as a subtle badass.
EXTRA EXTRA: The movie sort of traces a story and relationship between a reporter (Crowe) and his college roommate (now state Rep, played by Affleck). There’s a love tryst outside his marriage and the intrigue begins with a mysterious murder on a subway platform. Governmental agencies and big power/$$$ relationships are at stake and it takes the news crew to retrofit the facts before the police, who they p-o in the process. There’s a lot going on here, so you have to pay heed to the action. What makes this movie pop is the exploration of how important and impactful the front page is, and its weighty struggle against the change of the guards (ie: recycling vs. the pixel).
IN BLACK/WHITE: Both of these stories certainly romance the power and passion of the poison pen. Well, its not all poison, it’s what they do - report first hand accounts, even getting directly involved in the action. Of course I write this wondering, hoping, wishing that arts writing were as full of such passion - but if it were all simply drama that could drive one to delusions and/or martinis. But further explored in The Soloist is a true story of an LA Times writer’s penchant for getting close to his subject in the streets of the big city. Whoa Nelly! Robert Downey Jr. as journalist Steve Lopez and Jamie Foxx as the homeless virtuoso Nathaniel Ayers are perfect foils for each other, their acting is exquisite in a riveting, moving story. Aside from Sunshine Cleaning (which I think is the flick of the year thusfar) this comes close and is one of the best I’ve seen about a difficult relationship built on the basis of respect for defining/understanding human difference (and its core struggles). This more defines a look at humanity outside the basic human interest story.
Talk about double features!
IT’S A TRIPLE….To escape the heat of the night one evening recently it was to the Laurelhurst to see Alan J. Pakula’s The Parallax View (1974) w/Warren Beatty. This one gets closer to home as Beatty plays Joe Frady, a local correspondent for a Portland OR newspaper. He’s following up on a story in which he was present when a Presidential candidate is assassinated during a fundraiser speech at Seattle’s Space Needle. Many scenes with a tint of Kubrick and a wholesome dollop of 70’s color, hair and paced cinematic timing ensue as Frady learns of the mysterious Parallax Corp. While rummaging through a sherriff’s domestic belongings he comes across a sorta mail-order intelligence/hitman agency after being nearly shot during an undercover investigation of another related murder. He enrolls in said corporation and things start to become a series of scearios of ‘who dunnit’, where implicating said reporter might not be outta range (especially after his editor/boss, played by Hume Cronyn, is mysteriously murdered after a late night snack in his office). The intriguing paranoia and shifting plot turns the viewer’s head in the direction of misguided fingers to the left and right. It’s most definitely an odd film, though I enjoyed the (drug) trippy interogation Frady withstands with its montage/brainwashing of images (good vs. evil) that is something ala Willy Wonka meets Clockwork Orange (two of my all-time favorite flicks).
FINAL ENROLLMENT DAYS: I’m slated to teach a second round of Deconstructing Criticism this Summer at Newspace Center for Photography. Last time out we had an incredible group of students. Some of the premise will remain unchanged, though the material will differ and the class will be more hands-on for photographers who are ready to meet their critics head-on. There is still room in this class for a maximum of twelve. Five consecutive Mondays starting Next Week!
As part of his North American Tour, Greek sound artist Novi_sad (aka Thanasis Kaproulias) will play a single show at Someday Lounge on Monday at 9PM (June 29). If you are interested in the overall deep listening experience this will be a very rare show to catch. If you miss it don’t tell me I didn’t say so. He makes an incredible blend of layered drones with a touch of dark ambience. $6 @ the door.
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Here’s what I had to say about one of his former releases: “a siege of encrusted razor tones builds to a drone that obliterates most anything in its path. It’s noisy, yet resilient, and Kaproulias smartly knows when enough is enough, and as such mediates his own table of elements.”
MEAN GREEN GENES: Green Oregon, organized by Justin Bland and Mia Nolting is the only show in a five mile radius of PDX that could have rivaled Town & Country (through July 11) for the attentive spotlight this month, applying the quirky cerebral aesthetics around all that is rootsy green and then some. It’s closing tomorrow. Over its due course not a single critic (or blogger) has yet to compare|contrast these two shows - and why pray tell? One wonders if the eco-art aficionados of The Bear Deluxe even trundled the path over to PNCA to see it. To the gallery baring the name of Spanish octogenarian sculptor Manuel Izquierdo that is. For such a place on earth that prides itself on all that it is in its many subtle and sublime shades I’m miffed that this show, in particular, was overlooked critically. This has been the third intelligent show attempting to address the environment in the past few years in these parts. Remember Rhoda London’s The Other Portland: Art & Ecology in the 5th Quadrant? That never made it into black n’ white. Why is media so shy, the inkwell dry, about delving into the crux of this land as our land (and ‘other’) through the eyes of contemporary art? It would seem disingenuous to overlook a vision of that which draws people here in the first place: our backyards, big old trees, waterways and other natural phenomena. The many roads travelled and diversions via our landscape and its changing horizonline. Talk about urban growth boundaries! Yeah, talk. The oats hath been sown and this is Last Call!
ORIGINAL ANGEL: Yeah, even I had the poster. She may be the epitome in my generation’s vision of timeless beauty. I took her seriously because she commanded attention through her looks somehow as the quintessential California blonde bombshell, femme fatale - even in our age of post-feminism (whatever that is). In the day she was known as FFM and married to the Six Million Dollar Man. Her visage was indelible in the days of yore until she suddenly dropped out of the big picture almost entirely. That was until her ferocious stint as Fancine Hughes in the completely horrifying Burning Bed, remember? Who can forget the iconic feathered mane! Well, over and above, as far as I am concerned besides for having the most awesome name in show business, Farrah Fawcett also had a bit role in one of the best retro cult flicks of all time, Logan’s Run which was released in the spirit of ‘76 (the NY Times obit oddly left this fact on their cutting room floor). On some level you might say Aaron Spelling did for Fawcett what Andy Warhol did for Marilyn Monroe, encapsulate a sense of deer-in-the-headlights sex symbolism. Her collectable (and fluoro-carbon enriched) Faberge hairspray aside, condolences to the love of her life, Mr. Ryan O’Neal, her family and many fans.
Coagula (”the lowdown on high art™”) has always been out there just where we can’t exactly reach it. That’s why we love ‘em. They are just this next month going ‘Print-on-Demand’ and to celebrate its publisher, Mat Gleason, is giving away his personal copy of this very neat poster. Check it out - especially if you are unfamiliar with this LA so-cool publication, now serving issue #97!
For this call I received 50 entries from five countries and eight states. Details on my selections will be forthcoming by mid July at the latest. Show opens at Milepost 5 on August 19th….
Selling this entire set from my personal collection to cover my studio expenses. It’s an extremely rare and collectable (+ long defunct) publication from Alluvial (circa 1995-96). My job search carries on through mid July, then it’s on to a haplessly reluctant ‘plan b’. Hey - let me know if you are interested as this did not sell old skool on eBay!
OK, I know, I should know better - as Hollywood churns out a load of crap come every Summer, well, heck - year ’round! And, yes, my ltd entertainment dollar must be stretched these days too. That said - when I’m feeling a lil’ piqued and dull I like spicing it up with a complete farse. Over the past few weeks I’ve done just that with two rather ‘frat’ movies to varying ends. The first was the latest Seth Rogen (meow) vehicle Observe and Report. Far from what the critics have said - it is absolutely NOT “Hilarious” (Peter Travers), nor is it “Outrageous” (darkhorizons.com) or “Rogen’s Best Work” (NY Daily News). Did these flunkies actually see the film or FF through the trailer? If I were to give it a quick tagline I might say “Absolute Miss” - crediting it only with being a bit mean-spirited fest of mall cops gone bad nearly 95% predictable formula. I suppose the best thing about the whole trite flick is that you get to see the so far flung from typical stud Rogen traipsing around in loose fitting sweats. Otherwise you can watch Ray Liotta, in his pre-fashioned bad boy role, just parody himself as a ruddy detective through a mega-mall while the rest of the cast sorta plays into awkward racial and other stereotypes with added nuisance violence thrown in. I highly recommend sitting this one out (but wait for Michel Gondry’s Green Hornet instead).
On the other side of the universe (though also from Warner Bros.) was the hysterically funny, much slapstick, and extremely well edited The Hangover. It follows four guys on their way to Vegas for a bachelor party of sorts. The cool thing is that they have to unfurl the story piece by piece because it’s a virtual blackout. Many funny twists and turns, some belly laughs, some guilty cover-your-mouth guffaws, some knee-slappers. It also seems that every so-called comedy these days has the token overweight guy, but here Zach Galifianakis is dead on as Alan, a bit of a weirdo who can’t seem to keep his pants on. There’s just enough adventure and intrigue in this one to make any gross-outs make sense and flow through (unlike the other flick I mentioned earlier). It’s playing at the funky (and I mean it in all its colloquial) Cinemagic on Hawthorne as well as the centuries and the regals.
IN STORE: OK, I am just in love with the Store for a Month. And after the initial fizz, with any love affair, things shimmy slowly into a soft spot of less exuberance. Not so here, in fact, the idea of bringing pie bakers into the shop was a stroke of genius…and it’s delicious, served up hot n’ fresh from the oven, free and with a heaping dollop o’ fresh whipped cream - with no strings attached. Just come in, eat, enjoy with a cup of fresh French press. It’s a no brainer to meet my two passions smack dab at the midpoint (proprietor John Brodie’s own key lime w/ginger crust and Kay Hutchinson’s strawberry rhubarb - yum!).
Anyhow, it was very cool to see that the usually sleepy Portland Tribune picked up on the place and included it in a story on local pies. In the lead picture one of my altered art cards is depicted alongside the guitarist/chanteuse and above the baked goods. There will be yet more interesting events before month’s end, along with a deep lecture on: The Strategy of Sur-Distinction: building a cathedral inside the megastore, as well as more pies (check out their events calendar). My belly’s happy.
Photo: Anni Tracy/Portland Tribune
PS: The Oregonian’s Chas Bowie also had a piece (and even mentioned Soundvision!!!)
Vital Weekly says: “Maybe this a bit of German humor, but Telepherique are asked by the US label Diophantine Discs and they think about US overweight and unhealthy food. It seems that ‘Zivilisatose‘ is a concept album by the band about this, including voice samples of people ordering cheese burgers, super size (maybe from the movie with the same name, more or less? - I saw that movie, but don’t remember this particular quote). The funny thing is that the music that Telepherique adds to this is kinda light, certainly in the somewhat darkened world of Telepherique, and bouncing. Sequencers and rhythms always have played a bit role in their music, but it seems it does more here. Or perhaps this is their ‘work out music’, music to move too, to loose that extra weight? Don’t expect a full techno or house record, that’s at least three bridges away from what they do here, but I was tapping feet along with this. If this comes close to anything I’d say ambient house, say at times Pete Namlook in his very early days. Ambient house with a strong political motivation, which is perhaps an odd combination, but if Herbert can do it, why not Telepherique? Very nice work here, very light yet well-thought out.” (Frans de Waard)
After a few weeks of travel I’ve returned to Portland where my work is being featured in three different projects opening this week…..
The Froelick Gallery presents the juried Town & Country: Oregon at 150. They selected 30 artists from 250 applications. My photographs Yellowline and Tabula Rasa are included as are works by Jim Lommasson, Stephen Hayes, Laura Ross-Paul and Craig Hickman among others.
Organizers Mia Nolting and Justin Bland have put together Green Oregon, what looks to be an intelligent survey (perhaps even a counter-point to the above). Held at PNCA’s Manuel Izquierdo Gallery, they’ve included my piece missing|space. Here’s a related story from The Oregonian.
The 10th Anniversary of Mutek kicked off Wednesday with A/Visions I, a full-on tonal ambient listening set by Gas (Wolfgang Voigt). The visual component was a bit of pastiche of the past, a contextualization of his album art and recent monographics - deep lush forests, saturated in bold darkened colors. Then we were presented with multidisciplinarian Herman Kolgen’s world premiere of IN/JECT, an HD video work for the big screen (w/multichannel audio). I could use nearly every euphemism from eye-popping to jaw-dropping to describe the way he transcribed nearly every contemporary a/v motif from the coy absurdity of Bjork and Matthew Barney to the visceral chaos of Chris Cunningham with nods to the flair of Magritte, it was a whopping melange for the senses. He retrofit and owned the room in a way rarely experienced by incorporating hydro imagery of bodies suspended in space, sharply cut-up both visually and rhythmically. At the curve of the unknown, seeping with the suspense of potential horror, stopping short to take point blank 180 degree turns to keep your eyes fastened on the screen. This alone would have made the trip of 3K+ miles worth every kilometer.
Later in the evening I donned a yellow hazmat bodysuit alongside many others who spun the wheel to participate in a show where I caught parts of sets by French acts Turzi and Zombie Zombie (a collaboration with Club Transmediale). Funky + fresh + French.
Liebezeit (left), Friedman (right)
As the fest progressed at multiple venues I missed a handful of performances, some in unlikely spots, in between socializing with friends made over the years, dining and general sight-seeing (people watching). In the process I sorely missed a branch of the fest which was nested in the back of the beautiful (and oldest French theater in North America) Monument National (where all of the A/Visions programming was held upstairs) curated by Eric Mattson which I am sure was brilliant given his hand in many of the related events over the years. It was good to see him, however. I only realized after I spoke with Nicolas of Minibloc that I had been aside the venue without knowing it - I’ll watch for reports. Thursday I caught A/Visions II with The Fun Years, Jaki Liebezeit & Burnt Friedman as well as a portion of Martin Tétreault & Michel Langevin. Tight overall, filled with abstract percussion, broken beats ala world rhythms. Tétreault dazzled with a multi-bank of turntables while Liebezeit and Friedman have honed a balanced blend between their disparate world of Krautrock meets dub/jazz.
Clinker (Gary James Joynes)
Later in the evening I spent a majority of my deep listening time dedicated to the goings-on at the Savoy (within the Metropolis complex where it was a blend of dub and dance music for party people). I managed to eavesdrop on a touch of both Moderat (a loud crowd-pleaser of techno ala rave pairing Apparat and Modeselektor) and DJ Mala whose intriguing rhythmic flow could have had the crowd on its feet ’til the wee hours. I focused on the more dense and diverse smaller room, however its proximity to the larger had caused for an aural spillover that was distracting at times when the artists performing were headed for deeper bass lows. That said, all were in top form including Anticipate’s Ezekiel Honig whose funky set had a wash of minimal, calculated harmonies layered together like a treasure map. Clinker of Alberta was the evening’s biggest risk-taker, evolving a commissioned Leonard Cohen piece with voice (digital and live), smoke machines and video. He crossed austere religious references with passionate sexuality in an emotional set that was imbued with a certain sense of longing. i8u along with video artist Chika (doing double duty w/Honig earlier) performed a pert 40-minute long set that was simply perfection. The unique culmination between the most minimal acoustics with beats that teased but never fully prompted a pop sensibility. There was something sensual yet very cryptic in this stand-out set of the showcase. Grecian artist Novi_sad’s part of the evening began off the main stage and behind the audience (”chill out” floor area) sans visuals. It was darkly experimental, full with lush drones and lost voices, sound effects and strange field recordings. His set ran longer, but I could’ve gone all night with him. Finally Montreal’s Aun took the stage, making for a continuation of the previous set, but perhaps a touch more ambient…though sleep beckoned and I left about half-way through all was well into the night.
On Friday my friend Kevin and I witnessed Robert Henke and Christopher Bauder’s North American Exclusive opening performance of ATOM. This work was presented upon the stage at Place des Arts, in which the audience also circled. 60+ mechanically synchronized and illuminated helium balloons danced into shapes to a phenomenal new composition by Henke. The kinetic piece moved up and down on wires as each balloon was lit from within, forming cascading, undulating shapes in mid air. The good thing about the hour long run-time is that it’s about as long as folk can take sitting cross legged in the 360 formation of the space. An absolute breathtaking experience.
SND kicked off A/Visions III with broken abstraction that oscillated into a whir of tranquil circuitry putting me into a state of slumber, and not at all from a case of boredom. Their sound was pure power, with only one or two dramatic turns, mostly encompassing a thick bass pulse that was relentless, yet tonally somewhat a pure aural massage. Afterwards I only caught a small portion of NSI with Jimmy Lakatos‘ accompaniment on mirror shards and sparse lighting techniques. What I heard and saw was a fusion of old school synths, electro-acoustics and some minimal techno thrown into the mix, however I had to leave early to let loose for an hour or two in the midst of Montreal nightlife in Le Village, where I met my good friend Francis at Woof. They had blocked off the streets making for a more festive street atmosphere than normal. Though the weather was on and off rainy, the attitude about was very warm indeed.
Chika (left), i8u (right)
Saturday was the marathon day so I started with France (i8u) for a lovely brunch at Lola Rosa Cafe. There we indulged in wonderful conversation, catching up a bit and incredible cuisine from a chef team out of Marseilles. I had this pain dore with a banana puree to die for, but I am glad I lived to tell. We parted with her kindly offering me a copy of her latest collaborative release with Tomas Phillips on Atak which Kevin and I listened to the entire trip from Montreal to the US border on our way out of town by the way. Absolutely stunning, and an exclusive at Mutek, released later in the month out of Japan.
Then it was back to the hotel to freshen up for the Piknikelectronik which is always a good time on Jean-Drapeau Park under Calder’sMan, Three Disks. This year unlike in years past, the air was a bit crisper on the water, and though the sun broke many had light windbreakers and such, but the dancing kept everything communally warm. I caught a portion of Brendon Moeller’s set which was delightful and made way for Thomas Fehlmann’s immersive combo of dance rhythms atop what you would expect, the unexpected. I could have danced til dawn, but it was broad daylight, making the beautiful and diverse people flailing around even more beautiful in the broken rays of light. It was also nice to see many a familiar face from my five visits to this important festival in the crowd. Leaving shortly after the vibe from Trus’Me’s set was a great departure track that echoed all the way back to the Metro. Surely something I could have gotten my groove on to, but knowing the night would be lengthy I opted to return to the hotel for a wonderful Asian veggie dinner with Kevin on Sherbrooke.
Byetone
It was then to SAT for the Raster-Noton showcase for which I knew I would be immersed for at least four hours of incredible minimalism and entrancing visuals, and the evening did not disappoint starting with Cyclo. This merge of minds between Ryoji Ikeda and Carsten Nicolai fused darker white noise and sonics with slow-built cacaphonic, riveting beats. Next up was Atom™ whose set broke into vignettes between early digital mechanics, some video with programmed voice and a fusion of latin flair encrusted with truncated techno. Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) took to the stage owning it like the multidisciplinary pro he’s become over these many years in the scene. What makes his work so incredible is the pure mix of hard mathematics and precise a/v rhythms, synched to perfection. His visuals were a macro unto themselves, panning in and out of a masterplan of video architecture live on screen. Though nothing would have prepared me, or most of the crowd, for what became most definitely the highlight of the entire festival, Byetone. Olaf Bender, as one of the founders of Raster-Noton has been more of a behind-the-scenes guy, much more deliberate and the lesser prolific of this roster. However, his work is probably the most accessible for a dancefloor, while maintaining a sensibility falling just micro-millimeters from something that might be considered pop. Though if there were such a thing within the construct of minimalism, this is it. As he worked his bank of computers and mixers with verve there was a unstoppable crescendo that required an encore amidst the meeting of dead-on electronics, the mesmerized dancing throngs coming to the fest from the world over, and overlapping video calisthenics.
Dandy Jack (left), Mathew Jonson (right)
Though my senses were already on overload I dared step out into the evening to complete my entire monumental anniversaire in Montreal at the Metropolis. Upstairs at Savoy there was a packed SRO showcase dedicated to Seattle’s Decibel Festival (w/Lusine and others). Downstairs I lost myself with the crowd (and friends) on the dancefloor to a partial set by dOP (the singer was funny), but the highlight here was Dandy Jack + Mathew Jonson with whom I was embraced for nearly an additional hour and a half. Individually these players are dynamic, but together they complete a story, with several chapters composed in tandem. They keep techno alive and well and into the present. The vivid multipanel lightshow drew from eras post-dated back to the 70’s and well into the future projecting pyramids, body parts and flashy lipstick shades all over the room. My feet held out until nearly 2:30am, however this party was going all night and I left on an already high note.
All in all this was by far the best Mutek I’ve attended since 2002. It combined the experimental with the popular and catered to audiences of all cultural mishigas. Though as you might figure me to be more the ‘deep listening’ type I can still dance past dawn with the best of them, yet I was more conservative this time out, and still left fully satisfied. Being a distinctive anniversary for the founders I felt it was necessary to be part of the event though due to all the economic digits served in this time I may not be able to get back for years to come. I can say I been there and done that (w/pride)!
PS: For a spot of video see Soma and for more photos check out Brooklyn Vegan. Serial Consign seemed to be right with me (its really like two festivals in one). And for another point of view try Rhizome. Surely not leastly, A.V. Club also weighed in with comments and even a few clips.
