Sweeping US financial reform passed by Senate (via BBC News)
…yet…
Goldman Sachs agrees record $550m fine (via BBC News)
…plus…
BP says oil has stopped leaking from Gulf well (via BBC News)
16 July 2010
22 June 2010
Monsanto's Chicken or Egg
Hell in a Handbasket, Part 20,215,486,657 Dept.: Monsanto is allowed to sell their GM alfalfa before all safety tests have been completed. Monsanto's GM alfalfa is resistant to Monsanto's own herbicide, which makes me wonder why the hell did they even develop it? And seven of the nine Supreme Court judges found it unconstitutional that Monsanto was barred from selling the genetically modified seeds before all safety tests were completed...??? What? Aren't these things supposed to be completely tested before sale? Isn't that what the FDA is for?
Book corner: two more down for 2010. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall: i found it a bit smug but ultimately liked it. And one of the Never Read It In School books, the gateway to becoming a serial killer (according to Joey), The Catcher In The Rye. I liked it. I really did. I also understand why Nine never finished reading it as you do want to slap Holden (or Salinger) around for being so annoying. But whereas i found him entertainingly annoying, Nine obviously found him smackworthy.
Book corner: two more down for 2010. The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall: i found it a bit smug but ultimately liked it. And one of the Never Read It In School books, the gateway to becoming a serial killer (according to Joey), The Catcher In The Rye. I liked it. I really did. I also understand why Nine never finished reading it as you do want to slap Holden (or Salinger) around for being so annoying. But whereas i found him entertainingly annoying, Nine obviously found him smackworthy.
29 May 2010
Dennis Hopper 1936-2010
Fuck!
Here's to your fuck, Frank!
Now it's dark...
I can't believe it. Prostate cancer ate his bones. Dennis fucking Hopper.
This blog is becoming a obitorio.
Here's to your fuck, Frank!
Now it's dark...
I can't believe it. Prostate cancer ate his bones. Dennis fucking Hopper.
This blog is becoming a obitorio.
28 April 2010
Feeling a little bulletproof today
...maybe it's because of all the Link Wray i've been listening to lately, a real bent.
19 April 2010
He played it left hand...
...but strung right-handed!!! Thick-ass .016-gauges on that gold-sparkle Strat, strung right-handed!
Dick Dale! Let's Go Trippin'! Riders in The Sky! Banzai Washout! Shake-N-Stomp! The Wedge! Taco Wagon (exceptional rendition)! Dick-fucking-Dale!
House of the Rising Sun! Hey, Bo Diddley! Pipeline! Folsom Prison Blues/Ring of Fire! California Sun! Fever! Smoke On The Water! And...wait for it...Link Wray’s Rumble!
“Where am I?” And the crowd responded “Rome,” to which Dick replied, “No, I’m in Heaven!” Dick, you sly dog!
Actually, with the packed house at Locanda Atlantide and no air conditioning to speak of (a few ceiling fans, turned on about mid-show), it felt like Hell!
Problems with his mike tonight. His vocal was almost buried in the mix. At one point he gave the sound man a lesson on using the mixer's EQ. He then says to the sound man “More high end...make me sound like a special guy.” To which I had to respond, audibly, “But you are a special guy!”, which got a smile out of him and the band (who were right behind him all the way, Brian and Richie, if i remember correctly).
And of course his most-recognized hit here in Italy, thanks to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Misirlou. He even introduced it: “Hey, what's this song?” doing an impression of John Travolta dancing the Watusi! It was at this point i left my spot at near-front-center for the bar for the tourists and met up with my friends Paolo, Francesca...and Jack.
Of course there was more. I can only remember so much. I believed he played for about three songs more.
Dick Dale. Eyein’ and dealin’ the ladies at age 72! Dick Dale, doin’ the sonic version of Hitchcock’s Rope: it seemed like four or five songs the whole night because one thing just segued into another! Played for an hour and a half, maybe more, he was relaxed as hell, California laid-back, and did what the hell he wanted the whole time. He played the Strat, the trumpet and even duoed on the drums. He even took the sticks to his bassist’s bass! Dick Dale!
What? Of course there’re pictures (forgive my cameraphone)!
Dick Dale! Let's Go Trippin'! Riders in The Sky! Banzai Washout! Shake-N-Stomp! The Wedge! Taco Wagon (exceptional rendition)! Dick-fucking-Dale!
House of the Rising Sun! Hey, Bo Diddley! Pipeline! Folsom Prison Blues/Ring of Fire! California Sun! Fever! Smoke On The Water! And...wait for it...Link Wray’s Rumble!
“Where am I?” And the crowd responded “Rome,” to which Dick replied, “No, I’m in Heaven!” Dick, you sly dog!
Actually, with the packed house at Locanda Atlantide and no air conditioning to speak of (a few ceiling fans, turned on about mid-show), it felt like Hell!
Problems with his mike tonight. His vocal was almost buried in the mix. At one point he gave the sound man a lesson on using the mixer's EQ. He then says to the sound man “More high end...make me sound like a special guy.” To which I had to respond, audibly, “But you are a special guy!”, which got a smile out of him and the band (who were right behind him all the way, Brian and Richie, if i remember correctly).
And of course his most-recognized hit here in Italy, thanks to Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, Misirlou. He even introduced it: “Hey, what's this song?” doing an impression of John Travolta dancing the Watusi! It was at this point i left my spot at near-front-center for the bar for the tourists and met up with my friends Paolo, Francesca...and Jack.
Of course there was more. I can only remember so much. I believed he played for about three songs more.
Dick Dale. Eyein’ and dealin’ the ladies at age 72! Dick Dale, doin’ the sonic version of Hitchcock’s Rope: it seemed like four or five songs the whole night because one thing just segued into another! Played for an hour and a half, maybe more, he was relaxed as hell, California laid-back, and did what the hell he wanted the whole time. He played the Strat, the trumpet and even duoed on the drums. He even took the sticks to his bassist’s bass! Dick Dale!
What? Of course there’re pictures (forgive my cameraphone)!
18 April 2010
Insomnia - late as usual
Just finished High Fidelity by Nick Hornby (no, i hadn't read it before nor seen the film: real life got in the way) and liked it in a light, Saturday-matinée-type way. I liked it lots actually. So what is that, four books so far this year? Not quite there on my quest to becoming as smart as Rory Gilmore.
Tonight i'm going to see the living legend, The Master of the Stratocaster, The King of The Surf Guitar, the reason Leo Fender created the Fender Showman 100W amplifier...the bulletproof Dick Dale! Jesus! Still snapping super-heavies on a European tour at 72! Grow up, man!
Feex is doing make-up videos on YouTube.
As if enough wasn't already written about Lady Gaga (no external link as it's impossible not to know who she is), i've repeatedly expressed my generally-favorable opinion towards her, repeatedly saying she's the new Marilyn Manson. Not the new David Bowie. After just watching her Poker Face video, i can now put a finger on why: Bowie was sexy, Manson never was. And for all of Gaga's truly fantastic art direction and oil-slick music production, she isn't either. She’s Quentin Tarantino, not Martin Scorsese.
Tonight i'm going to see the living legend, The Master of the Stratocaster, The King of The Surf Guitar, the reason Leo Fender created the Fender Showman 100W amplifier...the bulletproof Dick Dale! Jesus! Still snapping super-heavies on a European tour at 72! Grow up, man!
Feex is doing make-up videos on YouTube.
As if enough wasn't already written about Lady Gaga (no external link as it's impossible not to know who she is), i've repeatedly expressed my generally-favorable opinion towards her, repeatedly saying she's the new Marilyn Manson. Not the new David Bowie. After just watching her Poker Face video, i can now put a finger on why: Bowie was sexy, Manson never was. And for all of Gaga's truly fantastic art direction and oil-slick music production, she isn't either. She’s Quentin Tarantino, not Martin Scorsese.
09 April 2010
Malcolm McLaren
Joey just told me that Malcolm McLaren passed away. Full story, of course, from the BBC website.
As i wrote to Joey, culturally speaking, what would our lives have been like without Malcolm McLaren?
Thanks, Malcolm.
As i wrote to Joey, culturally speaking, what would our lives have been like without Malcolm McLaren?
Thanks, Malcolm.
04 April 2010
De-evolution in action
In 2009 when i switched on a light...it came on. Instantly. All my life in the 20th and 21st centuries, that's the way a light bulb worked.
In 2010 i switch on a light...and it takes seconds, many seconds, before i have the equivalent of 75W of lumen.
In 2009, when i turned on the hot water, after a brief wait, i would scald my soapy hands under the hot water, turning on and mixing in some cold water (i had two-valve faucets in the bathroom sink, bidet and shower). If i took a shower longer than 15 minutes, my 50L electric boiler would exhaust its supply of hot water. It would take roughly an hour or more before the boiler would reheat another 50 liters. Not to mention the toll on my electricity bill.
In 2010, when i turn on the hot water, i have to waste two liters of water before my new gas-powered water heater, with a mighty whoosh of ignition, spits out hot water. And when i scald my soapy hands i turn the mono-valve to near-center position where there is an near-imperceptible drop in temperature. If i put the mono-valve position to less than center, the water heater shuts off and i'm left within seconds with cold water. If i shut the hot water off, wait a moment and turn it back on, another two liters of cold water run by before the entire process repeats.
I've yet to see the electric bill.
In 2009 when i wanted to watch television, i switched it on...and it came on. Pretty much instantly. Audio was immediate, the cathode-ray tube warmed up and in 3-5 seconds i was seeing an image. I changed channels, be it network TV or satellite, and they changed...instantly. It would take roughly a half a second, a perceptible but brief moment. When i watched television i watched it in a 4:3 format. Some programs had a horizontal stripe running across the top and bottom of the screen (known as letterboxing, usually when a cinematographic film is being broadcast). But this was a mere PAL analog signal, only 720x576 pixels.
In 2010 when i watch television, with the new 21st century High Definition digital signal, i switch it on...and i wait. Sometimes nearly a minute. Ok, maybe not a minute but an incredibly long time for a television to display a broadcast image. Oh, i'm seeing an image almost immediately, two lines of white text in the upper left corner of a black screen telling me i'm (going to be) watching an HDMI signal either in 1080i or 576i...when the decoder in the flat-screen LCD TV finally decides to decipher the digital signal it's receiving. And when it finally does decode an image to the screen, it's usually distorted. More often than not, my intelligent digital television can't differentiate between a 4:3 PAL signal and a 16:9 PAL signal. And thanks to the love between the italian government and Sky Italia, i can't watch HD DTTV while watching satellite. And thanks to the fact that the italian Prime Minister, ergo the head of the RAI, is also the co-founder and largest shareholder of the largest italian private broadcast network, the RAI still doesn't broadcast normally in HD, while all three Mediaset channels broadcast regularly in HD DTTV.
All this is when you can actually receive a DTT signal...
When i was a kid, videophones were the stuff of science fiction. The Jetsons had them. The crew of the Starship Enterprise had them, but only onboard, come to think of it.
In 2009, cellular telephony had already achieved the ubiquity and reliability (or unreliability) of landlines. But VoIP, now that was finally becoming commonplace. “Jane, stop this crazy thing!!”
In 2010, the conversations via Skype between my wife and her mother are usually along the lines of...
Is this all a "get off my lawn" rant?
In 2010 i switch on a light...and it takes seconds, many seconds, before i have the equivalent of 75W of lumen.
In 2009, when i turned on the hot water, after a brief wait, i would scald my soapy hands under the hot water, turning on and mixing in some cold water (i had two-valve faucets in the bathroom sink, bidet and shower). If i took a shower longer than 15 minutes, my 50L electric boiler would exhaust its supply of hot water. It would take roughly an hour or more before the boiler would reheat another 50 liters. Not to mention the toll on my electricity bill.
In 2010, when i turn on the hot water, i have to waste two liters of water before my new gas-powered water heater, with a mighty whoosh of ignition, spits out hot water. And when i scald my soapy hands i turn the mono-valve to near-center position where there is an near-imperceptible drop in temperature. If i put the mono-valve position to less than center, the water heater shuts off and i'm left within seconds with cold water. If i shut the hot water off, wait a moment and turn it back on, another two liters of cold water run by before the entire process repeats.
I've yet to see the electric bill.
In 2009 when i wanted to watch television, i switched it on...and it came on. Pretty much instantly. Audio was immediate, the cathode-ray tube warmed up and in 3-5 seconds i was seeing an image. I changed channels, be it network TV or satellite, and they changed...instantly. It would take roughly a half a second, a perceptible but brief moment. When i watched television i watched it in a 4:3 format. Some programs had a horizontal stripe running across the top and bottom of the screen (known as letterboxing, usually when a cinematographic film is being broadcast). But this was a mere PAL analog signal, only 720x576 pixels.
In 2010 when i watch television, with the new 21st century High Definition digital signal, i switch it on...and i wait. Sometimes nearly a minute. Ok, maybe not a minute but an incredibly long time for a television to display a broadcast image. Oh, i'm seeing an image almost immediately, two lines of white text in the upper left corner of a black screen telling me i'm (going to be) watching an HDMI signal either in 1080i or 576i...when the decoder in the flat-screen LCD TV finally decides to decipher the digital signal it's receiving. And when it finally does decode an image to the screen, it's usually distorted. More often than not, my intelligent digital television can't differentiate between a 4:3 PAL signal and a 16:9 PAL signal. And thanks to the love between the italian government and Sky Italia, i can't watch HD DTTV while watching satellite. And thanks to the fact that the italian Prime Minister, ergo the head of the RAI, is also the co-founder and largest shareholder of the largest italian private broadcast network, the RAI still doesn't broadcast normally in HD, while all three Mediaset channels broadcast regularly in HD DTTV.
All this is when you can actually receive a DTT signal...
When i was a kid, videophones were the stuff of science fiction. The Jetsons had them. The crew of the Starship Enterprise had them, but only onboard, come to think of it.
In 2009, cellular telephony had already achieved the ubiquity and reliability (or unreliability) of landlines. But VoIP, now that was finally becoming commonplace. “Jane, stop this crazy thing!!”
In 2010, the conversations via Skype between my wife and her mother are usually along the lines of...
“I can't hear you...”...and so forth. My niece and i via iChat are often reduced to pixel art, when iChat actually allows us to video chat instead of throwing an error. My brother knows when i can't hear him on Skype because a wave of amplified ambient noise floods his speakers.
“What?”
“I can't hear you...”
“Is the webcam plugged in correctly?”
“I can't hear you...”
“Grey, what's wrong here?!”
Is this all a "get off my lawn" rant?
28 March 2010
Book Report
Just checking in, listing a few things:
Finished reading…
Workwise, i just delivered four episodes of Studio Universal’s Timeline interstitials: Belinda Lee, Il Padrino, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. This project may possibly be my baby for the remainder of the year. We'll see. After Easter, i’m scheduled to do the opener/closer and other motion graphics for a Boing project.
Finished reading…
- L’amore del bandito, Massimo Carlotto
- Other Voices, Other Rooms, Truman Capote
Workwise, i just delivered four episodes of Studio Universal’s Timeline interstitials: Belinda Lee, Il Padrino, Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino. This project may possibly be my baby for the remainder of the year. We'll see. After Easter, i’m scheduled to do the opener/closer and other motion graphics for a Boing project.
28 February 2010
Photos
self-explanatory...well, in italian anyway...
*****
*****
There are these...ads(?) in the Metro stations...
...that aren't actually ads for anything...
...they're just serene photos of places far, far away,180° from where you're at while yr looking at them.
Whose idea is this'? I can't just dismiss them as unsold advertising space placeholders, because i can't believe that these prime ad spots are going unleased, first off. Oh, actually i hope i never discover the story behind it.
*****
*****
15 February 2010
Doug Fieger
Last night, my friend since childhood Dave wrote my to tell me that Doug Fieger, lead singer and co-founder of The Knack died. Hmmm. 57 years old. From cancer (unspecified).
I still have the ticket stubs from their concert in 1979 at Masonic Temple in Detroit.
Edit (2010.02.28): Fieger was afflicted with and ultimately died from lung cancer.
I still have the ticket stubs from their concert in 1979 at Masonic Temple in Detroit.
Edit (2010.02.28): Fieger was afflicted with and ultimately died from lung cancer.
08 February 2010
26 January 2010
Book Club 2009
Last year i resolved to start reading the books that i probably should have years ago but, for one reason or another, didn't.
2009’s Book List (in no particular order):
Why only five and a half books in a year? I usually read in bed and, well, on a good night i make it through five to ten pages before sleep takes over.
But, already devoured in 2010 was Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Next up, Massimo Carlotto’s latest (i love Carlotto): L’amore del bandito.
Edit (2010.02.07): I just remembered i'd also read Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. So that’s a whole six-and-a-half books for 2009! Nyaaahh!
2009’s Book List (in no particular order):
- Asimov, Isaac; Foundation and Empire
- Austen, Jane; Pride and Prejudice
- Gibson, William; Mona Lisa Overdrive
- Lee, Harper; To Kill A Mockingbird
- Melville, Herman; Moby Dick*
- Clarke, Arthur C.; 2001: A Space Odyssey
Why only five and a half books in a year? I usually read in bed and, well, on a good night i make it through five to ten pages before sleep takes over.
But, already devoured in 2010 was Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Next up, Massimo Carlotto’s latest (i love Carlotto): L’amore del bandito.
Edit (2010.02.07): I just remembered i'd also read Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. So that’s a whole six-and-a-half books for 2009! Nyaaahh!
08 January 2010
Back In The UE/IT
Lufthansa LH 3841
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) - Frankfurt International (FRA)
Partenza: 10:10 lun 21 dic 2009 / Arrivo: 12:10 lun 21 dic 2009
Was informed i would be issued my seat for the second part of my journey at the gate in Frankfurt. Hmmm.
Lufthansa LH 0442
Frankfurt International (FRA) - Detroit Wayne County (DTW)
Partenza: 13:40 lun 21 dic 2009 / Arrivo: 17:00 lun 21 dic 2009
Departure delayed
Landed in Frankfurt to discover a near-riot scene at the Lufthansa gate. Apparently the flight from the day before was cancelled (apparently after waiting six hours on the runway) and a lot of people were looking to be reassigned seating. After asking if this was the line for the Detroit flight, i let slip “all these people actually want to go to Detroit?” Whilst watching a situation between some Turkish passengers and a Lufthansa representative, i was issued my seat by another agent. I don’t recall how long the departure was delayed but with the tailwind we arrived in Detroit with only a 20-30 minute delay.
Luggage lost (i forget their euphemism).
At my insistence for some assumption of responsibilty on their part (“Where are all my Christmas gifts? What am i going to wear tomorrow?”) i was issued a US$100 travellers’ check for clothes/expenses.
Heard about the “death or glory” Nigerian who set inadvertantly himself on fire on the Amsterdam-Detroit (i guess he wanted to go to Detroit too). The US embassy was alerted weeks before by the man’s father. US Intelligence’s reaction: too vague a warning. And now the elephant is again frightened by a mouse.
Luggage recovered and delivered on 23 December at circa 5:30am EST.
Lufthansa LH 0443
Detroit Wayne County (DTW) - Frankfurt International (FRA)
Partenza: 18:59 mar 5 gen 2010 / Arrivo: 09:05 mer 6 gen 2010 (il giorno successivo)
Flight cancelled due to “computer problems”
What does that mean, “computer problems?” At 22:00 we were informed that the flight was cancelled, we were issued vouchers for hotel and/or taxis and instructed to call the Lufthansa 800 number for information the following morning.
The following morning, i did as instructed and called the 800 number. I gave the representative my name and flight number and asked what my situation was. She shortly afterward informed me that my itinerary for tomorrow would be Detroit-Zurich-Frankfort-Rome. I said calmly but firmly that was unacceptable. I would not take a tour of Europe to accomodate them. After a longer wait on hold the woman, obviously flustered (i seriously have no idea why) told me that my itinerary was to be Detroit-Frankfort-Rome, basically the same except with a 24-hour delay. I even asked the woman why she was angry when it should be me the angry one, to which she replied in a frigid tone, teeth clenched i swear, “I'm not angry, sir.”
Just to verify this was so, i called again a few hours later and found my flight was confirmed as stated. By another representative.
Lufthansa LH 0443
Detroit Wayne County (DTW) - Frankfurt International (FRA)
Partenza: 18:59 mer 6 gen 2010 / Arrivo: 09:05 gio 7 gen 2010 (il giorno successivo)
Departure delayed circa one hour
The delayed take-off made my connecting flight impossible to catch. Does Lufthansa care? This has become just sloppy. A second-rate airline. The Lufthansa rep at the gate just couldn’t care less.
Lufthansa LH 3844
Frankfurt International (FRA) - Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
Partenza: 12:25 gio 7 gen 2010 / Arrivo: ? gio 7 gen 2010
Departure delayed circa 45 minutes
The gentleman at the new gate couldn't tell me when the flight would arrive, hence the question mark.
Lufthansa, never again.
Rome Fiumicino (FCO) - Frankfurt International (FRA)
Partenza: 10:10 lun 21 dic 2009 / Arrivo: 12:10 lun 21 dic 2009
Was informed i would be issued my seat for the second part of my journey at the gate in Frankfurt. Hmmm.
Lufthansa LH 0442
Frankfurt International (FRA) - Detroit Wayne County (DTW)
Partenza: 13:40 lun 21 dic 2009 / Arrivo: 17:00 lun 21 dic 2009
Departure delayed
Landed in Frankfurt to discover a near-riot scene at the Lufthansa gate. Apparently the flight from the day before was cancelled (apparently after waiting six hours on the runway) and a lot of people were looking to be reassigned seating. After asking if this was the line for the Detroit flight, i let slip “all these people actually want to go to Detroit?” Whilst watching a situation between some Turkish passengers and a Lufthansa representative, i was issued my seat by another agent. I don’t recall how long the departure was delayed but with the tailwind we arrived in Detroit with only a 20-30 minute delay.
Luggage lost (i forget their euphemism).
At my insistence for some assumption of responsibilty on their part (“Where are all my Christmas gifts? What am i going to wear tomorrow?”) i was issued a US$100 travellers’ check for clothes/expenses.
Heard about the “death or glory” Nigerian who set inadvertantly himself on fire on the Amsterdam-Detroit (i guess he wanted to go to Detroit too). The US embassy was alerted weeks before by the man’s father. US Intelligence’s reaction: too vague a warning. And now the elephant is again frightened by a mouse.
Luggage recovered and delivered on 23 December at circa 5:30am EST.
Lufthansa LH 0443
Detroit Wayne County (DTW) - Frankfurt International (FRA)
Partenza: 18:59 mar 5 gen 2010 / Arrivo: 09:05 mer 6 gen 2010 (il giorno successivo)
Flight cancelled due to “computer problems”
What does that mean, “computer problems?” At 22:00 we were informed that the flight was cancelled, we were issued vouchers for hotel and/or taxis and instructed to call the Lufthansa 800 number for information the following morning.
The following morning, i did as instructed and called the 800 number. I gave the representative my name and flight number and asked what my situation was. She shortly afterward informed me that my itinerary for tomorrow would be Detroit-Zurich-Frankfort-Rome. I said calmly but firmly that was unacceptable. I would not take a tour of Europe to accomodate them. After a longer wait on hold the woman, obviously flustered (i seriously have no idea why) told me that my itinerary was to be Detroit-Frankfort-Rome, basically the same except with a 24-hour delay. I even asked the woman why she was angry when it should be me the angry one, to which she replied in a frigid tone, teeth clenched i swear, “I'm not angry, sir.”
Just to verify this was so, i called again a few hours later and found my flight was confirmed as stated. By another representative.
Lufthansa LH 0443
Detroit Wayne County (DTW) - Frankfurt International (FRA)
Partenza: 18:59 mer 6 gen 2010 / Arrivo: 09:05 gio 7 gen 2010 (il giorno successivo)
Departure delayed circa one hour
The delayed take-off made my connecting flight impossible to catch. Does Lufthansa care? This has become just sloppy. A second-rate airline. The Lufthansa rep at the gate just couldn’t care less.
Lufthansa LH 3844
Frankfurt International (FRA) - Rome Fiumicino (FCO)
Partenza: 12:25 gio 7 gen 2010 / Arrivo: ? gio 7 gen 2010
Departure delayed circa 45 minutes
The gentleman at the new gate couldn't tell me when the flight would arrive, hence the question mark.
Lufthansa, never again.
18 December 2009
Reversal of fortune
I was not watching the TV, as usual, when a promo came on for Reversal of fortune...with Yello’s Liquid Lies as the background music...!
Who's responsible for that? Is it the same person who did the “Buone Feste” promo: three love story movies with Janis Joplin’s Piece of my heart?
Who's responsible for that? Is it the same person who did the “Buone Feste” promo: three love story movies with Janis Joplin’s Piece of my heart?
14 December 2009
Meanwhile in Milano…
Last night in Milan, the italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi was hit in the face with a souvenir of Milan’s Duomo (irony of ironies), suffering lesions to the face and a broken nose, by a man with a history of psychological problems.
In english (BBC)…
In italian (La Repubblica)
...and pictures too!
Yesterday afternoon (almost anticipating that evening’s events) on Sky Cinema X they ran The Boondock Saints. For those of you not familiar with the film, it’s about two brothers, deeply devout catholics, out to rid Boston (you gotta start somewhere) of all evil, evildoers included. In the end, it’s a philosophical question of “the ends justifying the means” and vigilantism.
My point is regardless of where you stand politically, or what your opinion is of Mr. Berlusconi, violence is never the solution.
I repeat: violence is never the solution.
That said…it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
In english (BBC)…
In italian (La Repubblica)
...and pictures too!
Yesterday afternoon (almost anticipating that evening’s events) on Sky Cinema X they ran The Boondock Saints. For those of you not familiar with the film, it’s about two brothers, deeply devout catholics, out to rid Boston (you gotta start somewhere) of all evil, evildoers included. In the end, it’s a philosophical question of “the ends justifying the means” and vigilantism.
My point is regardless of where you stand politically, or what your opinion is of Mr. Berlusconi, violence is never the solution.
I repeat: violence is never the solution.
That said…it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
08 December 2009
Subvertising
I just heard from the other room the latest TV spot from Calvé (no link, find it yrselves). It ends with the tagline…
Che Natale è senza Calvé?
(What kind of Christmas is it without Calvé?)
…because, God knows, the first thing i think of when i think of Christmas is mayonnaise.
Che Natale è senza Calvé?
(What kind of Christmas is it without Calvé?)
…because, God knows, the first thing i think of when i think of Christmas is mayonnaise.
07 December 2009
Happy Birthday, Louie!
You'da been ninety-eight wild years old today!
(Edit 2010.08.24: The original YouTube video was removed.)
31 October 2009
Baby Parking?
Subway ad for the upcoming MoaCasa interior design show...
Yeah, yeah, nothing really to see here. It's just...well, let's take a closer look at the information block at the bottom left...
Baby parking??? What's that all about? With activities (con animazione)?! Okay, so it's basically a "kids' area" where parents can leave their children to play while they peruse the furniture. It's just the choice of wording that is so...blunt. No euphemisms here. And in english too. Or maybe that's just enough to make "parcheggio bambini" sound euphemistic. It's just that i'd imagined hundreds of toddlers with bits subsituting pacifiers tethered like horses all aligned like so many cars in the Ikea parking lot.
Yeah, yeah, nothing really to see here. It's just...well, let's take a closer look at the information block at the bottom left...
Baby parking??? What's that all about? With activities (con animazione)?! Okay, so it's basically a "kids' area" where parents can leave their children to play while they peruse the furniture. It's just the choice of wording that is so...blunt. No euphemisms here. And in english too. Or maybe that's just enough to make "parcheggio bambini" sound euphemistic. It's just that i'd imagined hundreds of toddlers with bits subsituting pacifiers tethered like horses all aligned like so many cars in the Ikea parking lot.
29 October 2009
Girls, girls, girls
I'm been on assignment in Trastevere and during lunch i like to walk around the area. The sun's out, it's still not cold out and i've always liked that neighborhood.
Two days ago, i ran into an former AE student of mine, Marta. She was walking her dog (i'm assuming it was her German Shepard). She's a very pretty girl and seems to have become even prettier since i'd last seen her last year. The girl told me on the last day of classes last year she thought i didn't like her, that i have something against her. Which is completely untrue. In fact i was taken aback by her comment and to this day i have no idea why she thinks/thought that. I even remember complimenting her on her work. She actually showed a bit of talent.
She says she and Ilaria (another former student of mine) are taking a regione-sponsored class in "open-source graphics." "Open source? Like GIMP and Blender," i asked. I asked because italians are famous for adopting english words or phrases and tacking on a different definition. But she confirmed it was exactly what i thought. I asked how she was getting along with The GIMP and she politely answered just fine. I confessed i've never gotten along with The GIMP (for production purposes). We then said our goodbyes, quite stiffly.
Yesterday, while taking my lunchtime stroll, i ran into Marianna, a girl i'd met last year while she was working for the same Trasteverian production house i'm freelancing for these days. She used to speak english with me and spoke very well, sometimes not even revealing an italian accent. And she didn't speak to show off, which is a common defect here. She was always very sweet and was just as same yesterday. So, that was very pleasant! She was with two colleagues of hers; she's working at an advertising agency somewhere around there. Of course i didn't think to ask the name or where exactly it was. Typical of me.
Today on the bus, i saw Mo Tucker. No, it wasn't actually her, it was the girlfriend of a friend i haven't seen in a few years. In fact, the girlfriend's the reason i haven't seen this person in years. I'd just had enough. From then on it seemed as if the day was filled with unmade-up women with undyed hair wearing flat comfortable shoes (thank you, Annalisa: sometimes i am just blind to certain things). No familiar faces during my lunchtime stroll -- a nigerian selling socks accosted me following me around for meters -- but later that day, who should show up at the office but Franci and Laura with their new puppy.
I go back tomorrow to finish the assignment.
Two days ago, i ran into an former AE student of mine, Marta. She was walking her dog (i'm assuming it was her German Shepard). She's a very pretty girl and seems to have become even prettier since i'd last seen her last year. The girl told me on the last day of classes last year she thought i didn't like her, that i have something against her. Which is completely untrue. In fact i was taken aback by her comment and to this day i have no idea why she thinks/thought that. I even remember complimenting her on her work. She actually showed a bit of talent.
She says she and Ilaria (another former student of mine) are taking a regione-sponsored class in "open-source graphics." "Open source? Like GIMP and Blender," i asked. I asked because italians are famous for adopting english words or phrases and tacking on a different definition. But she confirmed it was exactly what i thought. I asked how she was getting along with The GIMP and she politely answered just fine. I confessed i've never gotten along with The GIMP (for production purposes). We then said our goodbyes, quite stiffly.
Yesterday, while taking my lunchtime stroll, i ran into Marianna, a girl i'd met last year while she was working for the same Trasteverian production house i'm freelancing for these days. She used to speak english with me and spoke very well, sometimes not even revealing an italian accent. And she didn't speak to show off, which is a common defect here. She was always very sweet and was just as same yesterday. So, that was very pleasant! She was with two colleagues of hers; she's working at an advertising agency somewhere around there. Of course i didn't think to ask the name or where exactly it was. Typical of me.
Today on the bus, i saw Mo Tucker. No, it wasn't actually her, it was the girlfriend of a friend i haven't seen in a few years. In fact, the girlfriend's the reason i haven't seen this person in years. I'd just had enough. From then on it seemed as if the day was filled with unmade-up women with undyed hair wearing flat comfortable shoes (thank you, Annalisa: sometimes i am just blind to certain things). No familiar faces during my lunchtime stroll -- a nigerian selling socks accosted me following me around for meters -- but later that day, who should show up at the office but Franci and Laura with their new puppy.
I go back tomorrow to finish the assignment.
19 October 2009
Flatwounds are for pussies
I was stinkin' about some of my favorite guitar sounds...
Well, there's Ronnie Wood's Dan Armstrong through his Ampeg 4x10 (what is that, a Rat pedal?)...
Then, there's always John armed with his Casino through a Fender Twin...
Peace.
Well, there's Ronnie Wood's Dan Armstrong through his Ampeg 4x10 (what is that, a Rat pedal?)...
Then, there's always John armed with his Casino through a Fender Twin...
Peace.
17 October 2009
Where is my mind?
Jesus, it's been a while! What's been happening since i last reported in? Well, not much!
I played bartender for about a month. No, wait...that was in July....
Feex came and went. No, that was July/August...hmmmm.
Ah! I did The Perfect Bun's website.
I'm thinking of opening something. Something not graphic/design-related.
I worked on video for RAI Sport, BNL, Caccia e pesca, and Studio Universal.
And now i'm cleaning up and out my font collection of over ten years. And what timing, as i read that OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard is having major problems (as of this writing) with legacy PS Type1 fonts. That, plus the fact that the rewritten-from-scratch QuickTime X is as of yet little more than a movie player, guarantees that this time around i'll let the others be the penguins closest to the water.
And in more Macintosh news, i (certainly one of thousands) am trying to learn all there is about the iTunes LP format (.itlp). Effectively, it's just a HTML4 and javascript bundle, but it's heavy-duty javascript with calls to the iTunes app itself. Interesting. Hope it's not too out of my league.
Next week, i'll be working on Boing!
And now i'll leave you all with a photograph by Phoenix Sky Di Mauro...
I played bartender for about a month. No, wait...that was in July....
Feex came and went. No, that was July/August...hmmmm.
Ah! I did The Perfect Bun's website.
I'm thinking of opening something. Something not graphic/design-related.
I worked on video for RAI Sport, BNL, Caccia e pesca, and Studio Universal.
And now i'm cleaning up and out my font collection of over ten years. And what timing, as i read that OSX 10.6 Snow Leopard is having major problems (as of this writing) with legacy PS Type1 fonts. That, plus the fact that the rewritten-from-scratch QuickTime X is as of yet little more than a movie player, guarantees that this time around i'll let the others be the penguins closest to the water.
And in more Macintosh news, i (certainly one of thousands) am trying to learn all there is about the iTunes LP format (.itlp). Effectively, it's just a HTML4 and javascript bundle, but it's heavy-duty javascript with calls to the iTunes app itself. Interesting. Hope it's not too out of my league.
Next week, i'll be working on Boing!
And now i'll leave you all with a photograph by Phoenix Sky Di Mauro...
16 August 2009
Creative usage of fat
500 lb (226,8 Kg) inmate hides a gun between his rolls of fat.
Yes, it was on the AP wire. Has the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas ever heard of metal detectors? Have the guards there ever conducted a frisk before? You have to wonder.
And just to press the point about the intelligence level in that part of the world, what the hell kind of title is Obese Texas inmate hides gun in his flabs of fat?
What are flabs anyway? Maybe not only are metal detectors unknown in Texas but also copy editors?
Thanks, Feex!
Yes, it was on the AP wire. Has the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas ever heard of metal detectors? Have the guards there ever conducted a frisk before? You have to wonder.
And just to press the point about the intelligence level in that part of the world, what the hell kind of title is Obese Texas inmate hides gun in his flabs of fat?
What are flabs anyway? Maybe not only are metal detectors unknown in Texas but also copy editors?
Thanks, Feex!
14 August 2009
15 July 2009
Still here
After missing opportunities these past weeks on various polemics on The Beatles' Rock Band game, how the late Farrah Fawcett is the Groucho Marx of her time, and others topics, i'm finally back. Didja miss me? Let's go with a Reuters link today...
Ex-GM CEO Wagoner retires with only US$8.6 million.
See previous post on the subject here.
That's all...for today. Feex minus 13 days.
Ex-GM CEO Wagoner retires with only US$8.6 million.
See previous post on the subject here.
That's all...for today. Feex minus 13 days.
07 May 2009
Happy Birthday, Feex!
Oh my God...it's Feex's birthday!
Happy Birthday, beautiful...now go and do great things! XOXOXOXOXOX
(It's still her birthday in her time zone so this post still counts! :^P )
23 April 2009
Delusions of persecution
21 april 2009: Giovanni told us that earlier that morning he'd seen a RAI mobile unit outside with the beloved "farfalla" logo decal mounted in such a way that he couldn't even describe. All he knew was that it was wrong.
Later that day, heading back to the office, on via Alessandro Farnese at viale Giulio Cesare, right there...
No...take a good look...
It's...er, upside-down! An Italian state television mobile unit van tooling around with an upside-down logo.
But, wait!
23 april 2009: i'm in the "Rome office" and (like all creatives and windows) i'm looking out the window, and what do i see parked out front across the street...?
GAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! It can't be! Zoom in!
It's the RAI upside-down logo mobile unit van! What do they want from me???
Okay, paranoid fit over. Actually the more observant of you will notice that we're looking at (what's considered in Italy) the driver's side of the van. The van shot on the 21st is taken from the passenger side. In fact, this van is larger than the van photographed on the 21st.
This means that the RAI has more than one MU with RAI butterflies mounted upside-down.
Later that day, heading back to the office, on via Alessandro Farnese at viale Giulio Cesare, right there...
No...take a good look...
It's...er, upside-down! An Italian state television mobile unit van tooling around with an upside-down logo.But, wait!
23 april 2009: i'm in the "Rome office" and (like all creatives and windows) i'm looking out the window, and what do i see parked out front across the street...?
GAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! It can't be! Zoom in!
It's the RAI upside-down logo mobile unit van! What do they want from me???
Okay, paranoid fit over. Actually the more observant of you will notice that we're looking at (what's considered in Italy) the driver's side of the van. The van shot on the 21st is taken from the passenger side. In fact, this van is larger than the van photographed on the 21st.
This means that the RAI has more than one MU with RAI butterflies mounted upside-down.
22 April 2009
20 April 2009
Waterboarding
Waterboarding.
Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheik Mohammed "waterboarded" by CIA interrogators 183 times (Reuters).
As of 25 January 2009, the United States of America has classified "waterboarding" as torture. Because, you know, before...well, it wasn't.
And regarding whom it was performed, i can hear some of you rationalizing.
Sept. 11 planner Khalid Sheik Mohammed "waterboarded" by CIA interrogators 183 times (Reuters).
As of 25 January 2009, the United States of America has classified "waterboarding" as torture. Because, you know, before...well, it wasn't.
And regarding whom it was performed, i can hear some of you rationalizing.
06 April 2009
EARTHQUAKE!
At 3:30 am today, the cat, her ears standing up and her tail puffed out, woke up Roberta who in turn woke me up to discover the entire apartment swaying! I'd say roughly an oscillation per second judging by the one sliding door banging against the hanging brass oriental bowl. Ro immediately led us under the apartment's main archway and we stood there embraced for what seemed minutes but probably only lasted 30 seconds or so, certainly under a minute.
Afterwards, Ro insisted on seeing if the news was saying anything about it, and about five to ten minutes later the scroll on Sky TG24 was carrying news about the quake in L'Aquila, reaching 6.7 on the Richter scale.
L'Aquila is roughly 100Km from the center of Rome and the entire building shook. Frightening. Serious damage has been done there, with as of this writing more than 90 dead. My condolensces.
It took me an hour or so before i could fall back asleep, reading To Kill A Mockingbird. Today i'm perceiving other small tremors but they could be psychosomatic.
Afterwards, Ro insisted on seeing if the news was saying anything about it, and about five to ten minutes later the scroll on Sky TG24 was carrying news about the quake in L'Aquila, reaching 6.7 on the Richter scale.
L'Aquila is roughly 100Km from the center of Rome and the entire building shook. Frightening. Serious damage has been done there, with as of this writing more than 90 dead. My condolensces.
It took me an hour or so before i could fall back asleep, reading To Kill A Mockingbird. Today i'm perceiving other small tremors but they could be psychosomatic.
02 April 2009
(Some of) The Men Who Sold (Out) The World, Post Scriptum
Now that i think about it, isn't a broker's fee around 20%, possibly more. Then Mr Cassano's $300,000,000 seems awfully low, somewhere around 5%...?
Venezuela's GuantanaMANIA
Yesterday's Venezuelan love affair with Guantanamo Bay. This was #8 in the BBC's round-up "10 stories that could be April Fools' jokes but aren't."
Today, Venezuela's amour for the Guantanamo detainees.
Today, Venezuela's amour for the Guantanamo detainees.
31 March 2009
(Some of) The Men Who Sold (Out) The World
Ex General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner goes home with a $20,000,000 pension package. High Five! But if GM does go under, he may only see $1,000,000. Tough break, Rick.
From the same ABC website, AIG executive Joseph Cassano "made more than $300,000,000 at the insurance firm he virtually bankrupted." Way to go, Joe!
Just wanted to remember these names.
From the same ABC website, AIG executive Joseph Cassano "made more than $300,000,000 at the insurance firm he virtually bankrupted." Way to go, Joe!
Just wanted to remember these names.
27 March 2009
Cheapy "vintage" guitars
My brother's first guitar was a Gibson ES-125TDC.
My first bass guitar was a used Danelectro-made Sears Silvertone. $20.
This is the same model as mine, found on eBay.
Many thanks to the original photographer and BCR.
It had a neck that only Paul Bunyan could love. I can't even say i liked its lipstick pickups so beloved by Danelectro fans, but i believe this was an isolated case as i do generally like lipstick pickups. It was a crap guitar.
I later found at the flea market a Vox Bill Wyman bass with its original body replaced with a Phantom-esque slab of clear lucite. $10. No photo, sorry. Now this bass i fell in love with. Short scale neck, crappy Italian single-coils, exposed wiring, Bill Wyman's name on the teardrop headstock (apparently Bill had next to nothing to do this model! HA!). But i'm the first to admit that it was also a crap guitar.
Many years later, i found this exact Teisco Del Rey EV2T at the defunct Guitar and Drum Center in St Clair Shores. $200 (i probably paid $150 too much for it).
This is the same model as mine, found on the Squinternet.
Many thanks to the original photographer.
I just loved it for its body, not its mind. I can be so superficial. Cheap Japanese single-coils, Vox Phantom rip-off design, knobs, switches and a whammy bar...what's not to love? I've even recorded with it! Eventually i had replaced the tuners, bridge saddles and had the pickups potted (they made Rema-Rema or Sonic Youth sound controlled). Say what you will, but yet another crap guitar.
Which brings me to this recent eBay auction...
Buy It Now: US$890?!? Are they kidding??? Nostalgia and "vintage" aside, it's a crap guitar!!! We're not talking non-uniform Quality Control; all these Teiscos, strangely enough, were uniformly crappy! Let's call it for what it is: a knockoff guitar just this side of a toy that because of demand created by the 1960s "British Invasion" were mass-produced very cheaply in Japan, then today's equivalent of the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut, because they couldn't produce them fast enough or cheaply enough in Italy (the original source for cheap imported guitars into the American market).
A conversation between me and my brother about this very guitar up for auction had me wagering that the highest bid for that guitar would be around $300, $350 max but that's because the seller had found his patsy. Well, ever optimistic, i never thought that someone would offer almost half of the Buy It Now price.
Believe me, i understand that whole "look" thang, hence my ongoing infatuation with 1960s "fetish" guitars. But for my money, that same $405 could get you a MIM Telecaster or Stratocaster or maybe a Gretsch 5235 Pro Jet. Cheap guitars but with a whole other level of quality.
My first bass guitar was a used Danelectro-made Sears Silvertone. $20.
This is the same model as mine, found on eBay.Many thanks to the original photographer and BCR.
It had a neck that only Paul Bunyan could love. I can't even say i liked its lipstick pickups so beloved by Danelectro fans, but i believe this was an isolated case as i do generally like lipstick pickups. It was a crap guitar.
I later found at the flea market a Vox Bill Wyman bass with its original body replaced with a Phantom-esque slab of clear lucite. $10. No photo, sorry. Now this bass i fell in love with. Short scale neck, crappy Italian single-coils, exposed wiring, Bill Wyman's name on the teardrop headstock (apparently Bill had next to nothing to do this model! HA!). But i'm the first to admit that it was also a crap guitar.
Many years later, i found this exact Teisco Del Rey EV2T at the defunct Guitar and Drum Center in St Clair Shores. $200 (i probably paid $150 too much for it).
This is the same model as mine, found on the Squinternet.Many thanks to the original photographer.
I just loved it for its body, not its mind. I can be so superficial. Cheap Japanese single-coils, Vox Phantom rip-off design, knobs, switches and a whammy bar...what's not to love? I've even recorded with it! Eventually i had replaced the tuners, bridge saddles and had the pickups potted (they made Rema-Rema or Sonic Youth sound controlled). Say what you will, but yet another crap guitar.
Which brings me to this recent eBay auction...
Buy It Now: US$890?!? Are they kidding??? Nostalgia and "vintage" aside, it's a crap guitar!!! We're not talking non-uniform Quality Control; all these Teiscos, strangely enough, were uniformly crappy! Let's call it for what it is: a knockoff guitar just this side of a toy that because of demand created by the 1960s "British Invasion" were mass-produced very cheaply in Japan, then today's equivalent of the Chinese manufacturing juggernaut, because they couldn't produce them fast enough or cheaply enough in Italy (the original source for cheap imported guitars into the American market).
A conversation between me and my brother about this very guitar up for auction had me wagering that the highest bid for that guitar would be around $300, $350 max but that's because the seller had found his patsy. Well, ever optimistic, i never thought that someone would offer almost half of the Buy It Now price.
Believe me, i understand that whole "look" thang, hence my ongoing infatuation with 1960s "fetish" guitars. But for my money, that same $405 could get you a MIM Telecaster or Stratocaster or maybe a Gretsch 5235 Pro Jet. Cheap guitars but with a whole other level of quality.
18 March 2009
Peanuts
$165,000,000 in contractual bonuses is to be subtracted from the $30,000,000,000 of a total $180,000,000,000 to be loaned to AIG by the U.S. Federal Government.
Let's lose some zeroes, shall we?
In the big picture, that's chump change. Peanuts, really. It's more about the perception of rewarding the people who put, not only the United States, but the entire world in the economic climate we're in now.
You can add the zeroes back now, for that added sting. Owwch...
Let's lose some zeroes, shall we?
$300.00
- $1.65
_________
$298.35
In the big picture, that's chump change. Peanuts, really. It's more about the perception of rewarding the people who put, not only the United States, but the entire world in the economic climate we're in now.
You can add the zeroes back now, for that added sting. Owwch...
09 March 2009
But, but, but
Last post i'd said that Watchmen was the graphic novel that'd made me stop reading comic books. That's not exactly true. Let's say "made me stop reading contemporary American comic books," from 1987 onward. But much as i love them, i can no longer read those beloved golden- and silver-age classics in the same light or with that same innocence anymore. Alan Moore's work is always a pleasure, though. And i'm still reading italian comics, but except pretty much for Carlo Ambrosini's work, that's purely to pass the time on the bus, per se. Ambrosini's Napoleone was the absolute best Italian mainstream fumetto and his newest, Jan Dix, is high quality as well.
08 March 2009
Watchmen
Saw the Watchmen movie on opening day (something i haven't done in time immemorable) with Marina. Being how she'd read it semi-recently (within a year or so, i believe), we spent most of the movie congratulating Zack Snyder on how many details he'd gotten right with quick glances and knowing smiles at each other the entire film.
Yeah, i'd say that i liked the film. I'd say i liked it lots. But i'm biased: i loved the comic book.
I'm almost wondering if Snyder wasn't pandering to the book's hardcore following, myself being one of them. I mean, Watchmen was the comic book...ermm, graphic novel, that made me stop reading comic books. Afterwards, everything else just seemed so...silly. Snyder, in my opinion, translated quite successfully the densely detailed comic book into film. No mean feat: how many times have you heard the old chestnut, "the film wasn't as good as the book"? Hard to say, in this case. Yes, one of the things that the film has going for it, from a fan's point of view, is that it almost uses the book as its storyboard as well as, to a slightly lesser degree, its script. Nevertheless, the chasm between media has been traversed.
Even so, i can't help but wonder if the impact or level of success would be the same for someone who hadn't read the book before going to see the movie. For all i know, as i'd said later that night at dinner with friends, it could just have been close to three hours of self-congratulatory pippa-fest.
My only other lament is that i went into the cinema already knowing the joke and that's sad for me. Most of my favorite movies are those that trick you: Fight Club or Psycho, for example. Watchmen falls into this category but the joke was already ruined for me.
If anything, i can finally say there's a movie based on a work written by the great Alan Moore that...well, doesn't suck!
Yeah, i'd say that i liked the film. I'd say i liked it lots. But i'm biased: i loved the comic book.
I'm almost wondering if Snyder wasn't pandering to the book's hardcore following, myself being one of them. I mean, Watchmen was the comic book...ermm, graphic novel, that made me stop reading comic books. Afterwards, everything else just seemed so...silly. Snyder, in my opinion, translated quite successfully the densely detailed comic book into film. No mean feat: how many times have you heard the old chestnut, "the film wasn't as good as the book"? Hard to say, in this case. Yes, one of the things that the film has going for it, from a fan's point of view, is that it almost uses the book as its storyboard as well as, to a slightly lesser degree, its script. Nevertheless, the chasm between media has been traversed.
Even so, i can't help but wonder if the impact or level of success would be the same for someone who hadn't read the book before going to see the movie. For all i know, as i'd said later that night at dinner with friends, it could just have been close to three hours of self-congratulatory pippa-fest.
My only other lament is that i went into the cinema already knowing the joke and that's sad for me. Most of my favorite movies are those that trick you: Fight Club or Psycho, for example. Watchmen falls into this category but the joke was already ruined for me.
If anything, i can finally say there's a movie based on a work written by the great Alan Moore that...well, doesn't suck!
09 February 2009
Hair on fire?
Accuse me of being polemic, but i just read this headline and article on the Reuters RSS feed...
SEC chief says agency to act like "hair is on fire"
I ask you: what is that supposed to mean?! Is the SEC is now going to run around aimlessly, shrieking in a blind panic?! “Somebody put it out! SOMEBODY PUT IT OUT!”
SEC chief says agency to act like "hair is on fire"
I ask you: what is that supposed to mean?! Is the SEC is now going to run around aimlessly, shrieking in a blind panic?! “Somebody put it out! SOMEBODY PUT IT OUT!”
08 February 2009
eBay.it Eko
I have a...“thing” for eBay. Guitars, specifically. I like to watch 'em come and go on eBay. I don't actually buy them (well, just once i did). Does that make me an eBay voyeur?
Never buy a guitar you can't touch first.
I also have a thing for “guitar boom” guitars: guitars produced during the 1960s, when American guitar makers couldn't keep up with demand created by the Beatles after the first Ed Sullivan appearance. I've always had (much to Joey's chagrin) a thing for cheesy guitars. I personally was too young to experience that first wave of British Invasion (i grew up during Kiss', Alice Cooper's and Donny Osmond's respective musical reigns and the beginning of punk) so i'm not sure where this fetish came from. Everyone was pretty much playing (not unlike today) Stratocasters and sunburst Les Pauls. Maybe it's just the aesthetic? Or as i discovered later on, that unmistakable single-coil sound? Probably the aesthetic.
During my daily eBay hunts for old...errm, vintage Ekos, Hagströms and Kliras, i come across this...
Chitarra EKO Ancient Vintage Guitar |No Hofner - Framus
...and i mark it to be “watched”. And i'm lookin’ at it...and lookin’ at it. And my fifth-and-a-half sense is itching. It doesn't look like any Eko i've ever seen, not like i'm some great expert. Look at these other photos...
I've never seen a logo nor pickups like that on an Eko. And if i'm not mistaken, Eko didn't offer a natural finish at that point in time (1960s). And isn't that a Hagström vibrato? Again, i'm no expert.
So let's go to the experts, www.fetishguitars.it! What a site! I always have to have a roll of paper towels with me when i visit...just kidding. Anyway, after a much-shorter-than-expected search of this vast site, i found this page. The page's title says it all.
So, there's one born every minute, so the saying goes. As the above graphic shows, it sold for €200,05. Maybe the new owner just liked it, actual pedigree be damned...?
Remember, kids: never buy a guitar you can't touch first!
Never buy a guitar you can't touch first.
I also have a thing for “guitar boom” guitars: guitars produced during the 1960s, when American guitar makers couldn't keep up with demand created by the Beatles after the first Ed Sullivan appearance. I've always had (much to Joey's chagrin) a thing for cheesy guitars. I personally was too young to experience that first wave of British Invasion (i grew up during Kiss', Alice Cooper's and Donny Osmond's respective musical reigns and the beginning of punk) so i'm not sure where this fetish came from. Everyone was pretty much playing (not unlike today) Stratocasters and sunburst Les Pauls. Maybe it's just the aesthetic? Or as i discovered later on, that unmistakable single-coil sound? Probably the aesthetic.
During my daily eBay hunts for old...errm, vintage Ekos, Hagströms and Kliras, i come across this...
Chitarra EKO Ancient Vintage Guitar |No Hofner - Framus
...and i mark it to be “watched”. And i'm lookin’ at it...and lookin’ at it. And my fifth-and-a-half sense is itching. It doesn't look like any Eko i've ever seen, not like i'm some great expert. Look at these other photos...
The above photos link to the Auctiva-hosted large size photos, and may not be available in the near future.
I've never seen a logo nor pickups like that on an Eko. And if i'm not mistaken, Eko didn't offer a natural finish at that point in time (1960s). And isn't that a Hagström vibrato? Again, i'm no expert.
So let's go to the experts, www.fetishguitars.it! What a site! I always have to have a roll of paper towels with me when i visit...just kidding. Anyway, after a much-shorter-than-expected search of this vast site, i found this page. The page's title says it all.
So, there's one born every minute, so the saying goes. As the above graphic shows, it sold for €200,05. Maybe the new owner just liked it, actual pedigree be damned...?
Remember, kids: never buy a guitar you can't touch first!
07 February 2009
Lux Interior, R.I.P.
Most every day i peruse the BBC and Reuters RSS feeds (to assure my day doesn't start out too brightly) and amidst all the usual signs pointing to the end of the world (i jest), nowhere was there anything pointing to Lux Interior passing away last Wednesday, which i inadvertently discovered from Allmusic.com. After a search of the both sites, i found their articles...
Lux obituary from Reuters
Lux obituary from BBC
Call me exaggerated but how was this not “first page” material? Seriously! Or did i simply miss it?
My condolences to the surviving family. Thanks, Lux, for all the madness and laughs.
Lux obituary from Reuters
Lux obituary from BBC
Call me exaggerated but how was this not “first page” material? Seriously! Or did i simply miss it?
My condolences to the surviving family. Thanks, Lux, for all the madness and laughs.
24 January 2009
Ogni maledetto sabato...
Since i'm writing about my students (i've been teaching a class in After Effects at Cine-TV for a couple of years now), i'm going to have to write this entry in italian, them being a paranoid lot...hee hee!
Allora, ogni sabato, invece di dormire fin tardi, devo svegliarmi presto e andare a scuola a fingere "professore" per una ventina di studenti dell'Istituto Roberto Rossellini/Cine-TV, insegnando un corso di Terza Area di After Effects. Lo faccio ormai da due anni. Quest'anno però, mi sa che la scuola ce l'ha con me perché mi hanno passato proprio il top...del bottom! E da come si comportano, la maggior parte dei miei studenti correnti la pensano come me: pure loro vorrebbero starsene al letto. La loro canzone preferita? Quella lagna di andare via una mezz'ora in anticipo. Quest'anno è come gestire una mandria di gatti! Permettete di presentarveli...
Giada: simpaticona, no? È di bassa manutensione...seeee. Se non le faccio dei complimenti ogni minuto, piange! Povero futuro marito.
Silvia: l'altra meta del cervello della prima postazione. Soffre di insonnia durante l'anno scolastico perché studia sempre (così dicono). Leggermente più simpatica della sua compagnia di banco, ma solo perché parla meno di Giada.
Alessandro: un ragazzo tranquillo con talento. Disegna e suona anche la chitarra.
È sorridente e simpatico...c'è ovviamente qualcosa che non va, povero ragazzo!
Ed ecco per voi...Alessia...no, anzi...
Ecco per voi, Alessia (qui in versione il topolino della morte)! I suoi hobby preferiti sono di nascondere qualsiasi cosa che metto giù e suonare il suo basso elettrico color salmone.
Robertina: è così dolce, potete metterla nel vostro caffè. Però ammetto che anche lei ha dei momenti di surrealismo.
Le altre scimmie mie: le ragazze sono (da sinistra) Emanuela, Ilaria e Giulia. I ragazzi sono (da sinistra) Federico, Mirco e Ilario. Strano...alcune di queste facce non mi sono nuove...?
Allora, ogni sabato, invece di dormire fin tardi, devo svegliarmi presto e andare a scuola a fingere "professore" per una ventina di studenti dell'Istituto Roberto Rossellini/Cine-TV, insegnando un corso di Terza Area di After Effects. Lo faccio ormai da due anni. Quest'anno però, mi sa che la scuola ce l'ha con me perché mi hanno passato proprio il top...del bottom! E da come si comportano, la maggior parte dei miei studenti correnti la pensano come me: pure loro vorrebbero starsene al letto. La loro canzone preferita? Quella lagna di andare via una mezz'ora in anticipo. Quest'anno è come gestire una mandria di gatti! Permettete di presentarveli...
Giada: simpaticona, no? È di bassa manutensione...seeee. Se non le faccio dei complimenti ogni minuto, piange! Povero futuro marito.
Silvia: l'altra meta del cervello della prima postazione. Soffre di insonnia durante l'anno scolastico perché studia sempre (così dicono). Leggermente più simpatica della sua compagnia di banco, ma solo perché parla meno di Giada.
Alessandro: un ragazzo tranquillo con talento. Disegna e suona anche la chitarra.È sorridente e simpatico...c'è ovviamente qualcosa che non va, povero ragazzo!
Ed ecco per voi...Alessia...no, anzi...
Ecco per voi, Alessia (qui in versione il topolino della morte)! I suoi hobby preferiti sono di nascondere qualsiasi cosa che metto giù e suonare il suo basso elettrico color salmone.
Robertina: è così dolce, potete metterla nel vostro caffè. Però ammetto che anche lei ha dei momenti di surrealismo.
Le altre scimmie mie: le ragazze sono (da sinistra) Emanuela, Ilaria e Giulia. I ragazzi sono (da sinistra) Federico, Mirco e Ilario. Strano...alcune di queste facce non mi sono nuove...?Manca qualche scimm...ermm, studente dall'appello e spero di documentarli in un futuro momento, come fanno nella National Geographic.
Scherzo, naturalmente. Per ora, basta.
And Happy Birthday Edie and Nine! I love you both! XOXOXOXOXOXO
Scherzo, naturalmente. Per ora, basta.
And Happy Birthday Edie and Nine! I love you both! XOXOXOXOXOXO
20 January 2009
07 January 2009
New Year
Ron Asheton is dead?!? And i was there, just scant miles away when it happened (i was in Saline, MI, a suburb of Ann Arbor)...as thousands of other people were, i suppose. Still, it creeps me out a little.
My return to the Rome office from the fatherland was as always traumatic. Unlike last year, when TSA marked me as suspicious (i was stopped twice before embarking), this year it was the staff of Northwest Airlines who considered me a threat. Fuck you, Northwest Airlines. Never again will i fly with Northwest Airlines, by choice or otherwise.
My return to the Rome office from the fatherland was as always traumatic. Unlike last year, when TSA marked me as suspicious (i was stopped twice before embarking), this year it was the staff of Northwest Airlines who considered me a threat. Fuck you, Northwest Airlines. Never again will i fly with Northwest Airlines, by choice or otherwise.
19 December 2008
Hairy Kiss Miss
Been workin' lots, ecco my excuse for not posting for a while. Not "showreel" work, "paying the bills" work.
Flying out to the motherland tomorrow to kiss the nieces.
Mr Barack Obama has won the US presidential election (maybe you've heard?) since i'd last posted. Everyone asks me "are you happy [about that]?" My reply is, "Ask me in three to six months." The elaborated answer is, "After eight years of literally running the nation into the ground, not only in financial debt but in spirit as well, just to line the already-deep pockets of 1% of the world population, yes, i'm very happy that that frontline madness has ended. I'm also glad that Mr Obama seems to have the power to inspire and hope that he at least continues such." Congratulations, Mr Obama. Please, give me a reason not to be so jaded in 2009.
More Mac bitching: so far, i've compained about OS X spawning new windows under the Dock when placed on the left side of the screen. It also seems that Finder temporarily forgets window placement on the initial opening of a folder on the Desktop. There are folders on my Desktop that when i open them via the standard double-click they launch not only under the Dock (at the left) but also at the (i suppose) default Finder-window geometry, that is shorter in width than how i have them placed. The invisible .DS_Store files are not instantly updating as they should.
Now let's talk OS X audio. Since its inception, all Macs power on with the Macintosh chime. Previously, if you'd left your headphones or external speakers plugged in but switched off, you would hear no chime, which is nice when you need to power up your Mac at 3 am. Not so with the new iMac! The only way to kill that chime is to power down with volume set at zero.
And speaking of volume at zero, in its previous incarnation, a password-locked screensaver would allow you to control the volume, convenient for someone whose colleague left iTunes plugging away while they went for a coffee. Not so with the new iMac! If it's password-protected and the screensaver has kicked in, you're fucked! Or for those who use the Mac as a stereo. If you have to lower the volume, you have to unlock the screen first.
More bitching to come! Ciao!
Flying out to the motherland tomorrow to kiss the nieces.
Mr Barack Obama has won the US presidential election (maybe you've heard?) since i'd last posted. Everyone asks me "are you happy [about that]?" My reply is, "Ask me in three to six months." The elaborated answer is, "After eight years of literally running the nation into the ground, not only in financial debt but in spirit as well, just to line the already-deep pockets of 1% of the world population, yes, i'm very happy that that frontline madness has ended. I'm also glad that Mr Obama seems to have the power to inspire and hope that he at least continues such." Congratulations, Mr Obama. Please, give me a reason not to be so jaded in 2009.
More Mac bitching: so far, i've compained about OS X spawning new windows under the Dock when placed on the left side of the screen. It also seems that Finder temporarily forgets window placement on the initial opening of a folder on the Desktop. There are folders on my Desktop that when i open them via the standard double-click they launch not only under the Dock (at the left) but also at the (i suppose) default Finder-window geometry, that is shorter in width than how i have them placed. The invisible .DS_Store files are not instantly updating as they should.
Now let's talk OS X audio. Since its inception, all Macs power on with the Macintosh chime. Previously, if you'd left your headphones or external speakers plugged in but switched off, you would hear no chime, which is nice when you need to power up your Mac at 3 am. Not so with the new iMac! The only way to kill that chime is to power down with volume set at zero.
And speaking of volume at zero, in its previous incarnation, a password-locked screensaver would allow you to control the volume, convenient for someone whose colleague left iTunes plugging away while they went for a coffee. Not so with the new iMac! If it's password-protected and the screensaver has kicked in, you're fucked! Or for those who use the Mac as a stereo. If you have to lower the volume, you have to unlock the screen first.
More bitching to come! Ciao!
26 October 2008
Finder Vs. The Dock
Pictures speak a thousand words...
...OSX Finder (10.5.5) spawns windows under the Dock. The above examples are two random examples.
...OSX Finder (10.5.5) spawns windows under the Dock. The above examples are two random examples.
05 October 2008
Masochism, X11-style
The installation of The GIMP (2.4.5-1) and Inkscape went allright, strangely enough. But alas Scribus is the problem du jour, immediately puking on not having the correct version of cmake installed...a version that doesn't exist (latest version being 2.4.6 according to Fink), despite having the latest X11 and Fink installations. And so far, "Google is not my friend."
All this, just to use a few programs that i personally don't really even like (The GIMP, in particular).
All this, just to use a few programs that i personally don't really even like (The GIMP, in particular).
04 October 2008
X11 and Leopard
I'm trying to install X11 on Leopard (OSX.5.5) and gosh is it finicky this time around! I don't remember installing X11 being so hard on previous systems. I've already encountered the following roadblocks so far:
And at this point my terminal is scrolling data just like in the movies. Every now and then i'll glance over at it and see some non-fatal error wing by.
Let's leave it at this: if there're no more posts about this grisly subject, it means that all's well that ends well.
- inability to install update the packages (neither Gimp2 nor Inkscape were on the list!). Resolved by switching from configure-rsync to configure-cvs;
- having to mv /usr/local to /usr/local.moved, installing a lib that wouldn't install and then mv /usr/local.moved /usr/local (see here);
- having to symlink libXrandr.2.0.0.dylib...i'm not even going to pretend to understand that one (see here)
And at this point my terminal is scrolling data just like in the movies. Every now and then i'll glance over at it and see some non-fatal error wing by.
Let's leave it at this: if there're no more posts about this grisly subject, it means that all's well that ends well.
15 September 2008
The War on Hurricanes
Just checking in to see if my blog is still standing.
This morning on Uno Mattina i heard that US President George W Bush was saying something about the hurricane that hit Texas these last few days and i half expected to hear him declare war on hurricanes. After the last eight years, it doesn't sound that far-fetched, does it? And it will probably be just as successful. Alas there's no money to be made in it. On a less absurd note (when speaking of Bush and his brethren and cohorts, is there a less absurd note?), i'm seriously curious how fast and efficient aid will be for Texas, as opposed to Louisiana.
Today Richard Wright died at 65 from what's reported as a short but fatal bout with cancer. I'm left with only one thought: no matter how much cash you've got, it won't necessarily save you. My condolences to the surviving family.
And speaking of family, and signing off on a positive note, Happy Birthday, Pop!!! You're my hero!
This morning on Uno Mattina i heard that US President George W Bush was saying something about the hurricane that hit Texas these last few days and i half expected to hear him declare war on hurricanes. After the last eight years, it doesn't sound that far-fetched, does it? And it will probably be just as successful. Alas there's no money to be made in it. On a less absurd note (when speaking of Bush and his brethren and cohorts, is there a less absurd note?), i'm seriously curious how fast and efficient aid will be for Texas, as opposed to Louisiana.
Today Richard Wright died at 65 from what's reported as a short but fatal bout with cancer. I'm left with only one thought: no matter how much cash you've got, it won't necessarily save you. My condolences to the surviving family.
And speaking of family, and signing off on a positive note, Happy Birthday, Pop!!! You're my hero!
09 September 2008
Raising the bar of horror
I've just had the "pleasure" of reading this story about a Dayton, Ohio woman sentenced to life in prison for...wait for it...microwaving her one-month-old baby daughter to death. I believe for all the countless times i've sarcastically used the phrase i've just had the pleasure of..., this is the most sarcastic occurrence to date.
I'm still reeling. Her baby. In a microwave. And she, Ms. China Arnold, and her lawyers are still pleading her innocence. Yet from what i understand from that lone article i've read, she was in her home when it happened (the article claims that Ms. Arnold and her boyfriend Terrell Talley were quarreling). She was in the same room when it happened. From what i understand, she was there.
Oh, the horror. The desensitization bar has just been raised. No, i take that back. It'll take a lot more before i dismiss occurrences like that as mundane. I mean, i can understand heat-of-the-moment crimes of passion (and anyone who says they can't is a liar). I can understand (but not condone) murder with your bare hands or with the nearest instrument unfortunately within reach during that moment. Anything where an idea to execute violence has to be realized ("I've got a gun in the other room...I'll go and get it, come back and use it.") is already very suspect as far as i'm concerned. As they say, "your mileage may vary."
But the very idea, however convoluted the path of your arrival to the idea, of putting your one-month-old baby daughter in a microwave oven to cook her alive... How does a person even think of doing something like that, if not only in a nightmare? How does a person even consider putting their infant child in a microwave oven, much less turning the oven on? Much less closing the oven door?
This is the first i'm hearing of this ghastly story (the crime occurred in 2005) so i'm not entirely informed on the trial and its history. But nowhere in the article does it mention Mr. Terrell's hand in it. Either Ms. Arnold actually placed/tossed/threw the infant in the microwave oven and switched it on and Terrell did nothing, or a similar situation happened with the roles reversed. I'd even give Arnold the benefit of the doubt, that she couldn't remove her child from danger because Terrell impeded her. But alas, it is Arnold who has been sentenced and not Terrell. So...did Terrell even try to save his disputed daughter? No, i meant to say, did Terrell even try to save a human being from being internally boiled alive? Did Arnold impede his doing so? Or was that just not his problem?
I wonder: how long does it take to microwave to death a one-month-old infant? Seriously. 60 seconds? 90? I imagine (but do not know nor do i care to investigate the matter) at 30 seconds there is already irreparable damage. Maybe even less? Is that not enough time to react to this abominable situation and at least try to stop the microwave oven?
I'm currently reading Jared Diamond's Collapse (highly recommended) and am at the chapter regarding the recent Rwandan and Burundi genocides. Thousands of people massacred by guns and/or machetes. Thousands. We've also all heard the horror stories about (usually) teenage mothers leaving their newborns in garbage dumpsters, not always alive. Both of these unfortunately human stories are acts of violent desperation, from one end of the spectrum to the other.
But to put one's own infant daughter in a microwave oven and cook her alive...?
I'm done for today. This story has obviously shaken me.
I'm still reeling. Her baby. In a microwave. And she, Ms. China Arnold, and her lawyers are still pleading her innocence. Yet from what i understand from that lone article i've read, she was in her home when it happened (the article claims that Ms. Arnold and her boyfriend Terrell Talley were quarreling). She was in the same room when it happened. From what i understand, she was there.
Oh, the horror. The desensitization bar has just been raised. No, i take that back. It'll take a lot more before i dismiss occurrences like that as mundane. I mean, i can understand heat-of-the-moment crimes of passion (and anyone who says they can't is a liar). I can understand (but not condone) murder with your bare hands or with the nearest instrument unfortunately within reach during that moment. Anything where an idea to execute violence has to be realized ("I've got a gun in the other room...I'll go and get it, come back and use it.") is already very suspect as far as i'm concerned. As they say, "your mileage may vary."
But the very idea, however convoluted the path of your arrival to the idea, of putting your one-month-old baby daughter in a microwave oven to cook her alive... How does a person even think of doing something like that, if not only in a nightmare? How does a person even consider putting their infant child in a microwave oven, much less turning the oven on? Much less closing the oven door?
This is the first i'm hearing of this ghastly story (the crime occurred in 2005) so i'm not entirely informed on the trial and its history. But nowhere in the article does it mention Mr. Terrell's hand in it. Either Ms. Arnold actually placed/tossed/threw the infant in the microwave oven and switched it on and Terrell did nothing, or a similar situation happened with the roles reversed. I'd even give Arnold the benefit of the doubt, that she couldn't remove her child from danger because Terrell impeded her. But alas, it is Arnold who has been sentenced and not Terrell. So...did Terrell even try to save his disputed daughter? No, i meant to say, did Terrell even try to save a human being from being internally boiled alive? Did Arnold impede his doing so? Or was that just not his problem?
I wonder: how long does it take to microwave to death a one-month-old infant? Seriously. 60 seconds? 90? I imagine (but do not know nor do i care to investigate the matter) at 30 seconds there is already irreparable damage. Maybe even less? Is that not enough time to react to this abominable situation and at least try to stop the microwave oven?
I'm currently reading Jared Diamond's Collapse (highly recommended) and am at the chapter regarding the recent Rwandan and Burundi genocides. Thousands of people massacred by guns and/or machetes. Thousands. We've also all heard the horror stories about (usually) teenage mothers leaving their newborns in garbage dumpsters, not always alive. Both of these unfortunately human stories are acts of violent desperation, from one end of the spectrum to the other.
But to put one's own infant daughter in a microwave oven and cook her alive...?
I'm done for today. This story has obviously shaken me.
30 August 2008
Happy Birthday, Nina!
Today's the 30th of August, so Happy Birthday, Nina! She's getting a punk-rock birthday gift from me...i can say no more!
Other than this momentous occasion, nothing new to report. Everyone's been on holiday here so my professional life's been a little slow, although i did do some bill-paying work. Thinking i'd like to be in a band again, if only to rediscipline my guitar-playing, but this time as a bowling league/hobby and nothing more.
I'll be back when i actually have something to say. Ciao.
Other than this momentous occasion, nothing new to report. Everyone's been on holiday here so my professional life's been a little slow, although i did do some bill-paying work. Thinking i'd like to be in a band again, if only to rediscipline my guitar-playing, but this time as a bowling league/hobby and nothing more.
I'll be back when i actually have something to say. Ciao.
30 June 2008
Keep them dogies rollin'
Ciao a tutti!
Nothing new to report other than making up for lost time these last few weeks, work-wise. Some of it bill-paying work and some of it showreel-ish, luckily most of it relatively stress-free...as much as television work can be. Got to see and work with old friends and colleagues, so all in all, life's good.
The uke's on hold, unfortunately. A casualty of working (aww, that's too bad!). But, arms akimbo, i will finish it!
Been listening to lots of Gang of Four lately. Gang of Four is one of those groups that are one of your favorite "forgotten" groups. That is, you forget how much you love them until you put something on of theirs. Hell, i'd seen Gang of Four twice, once in Ann Arbor in 1982 and once in Ypsilanti in 1983, both gigs not exactly near to me at the time. My god, a truly original band. John King and his melodica shrieking life-as-politics polemic for the dancefloor. Guernica rhythm section courtesy of Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums). And i'd go as far as to say that Andy Gill is as important to modern rock guitar as, say, Jimi Hendrix or Robert Fripp or Link Wray: like the aforementioned guitarists, his is an instantly and unmistakably recognizable style and no one plays (or doesn't play!) like Andy Gill, try as some may.
But, unlike the aforementioned guitarists, i'm afraid that despite how many past, present and future rockstars cite the band as a major influence, in the long run Gang of Four may end up an underrated footnote in rock and roll history exactly because they are "your forgotten favorite group."
Gang of Four (all four original members: King, Gill, Allen and Burnham) had reformed in 2005 to release Return The Gift, a re-recording of their first album Entertainment with other select songs from the discography. As of recent, Gill and King have returned to touring and have released new material, a new single called Second Life. I like it...lots. It's not rehash. It's not lame. It's Gang of Four (or Gang of Two plus two) reenergized. It's sonic Jackson Pollock. "Who's gonna save you with your house on fire?"
I may even go to see them in Pescara...but being how i'd already seen them twice, i think they'll forgive me if don't make it. Rome-Pescara is a bit farther than Detroit-Ann Arbor.
Nothing new to report other than making up for lost time these last few weeks, work-wise. Some of it bill-paying work and some of it showreel-ish, luckily most of it relatively stress-free...as much as television work can be. Got to see and work with old friends and colleagues, so all in all, life's good.
The uke's on hold, unfortunately. A casualty of working (aww, that's too bad!). But, arms akimbo, i will finish it!
Been listening to lots of Gang of Four lately. Gang of Four is one of those groups that are one of your favorite "forgotten" groups. That is, you forget how much you love them until you put something on of theirs. Hell, i'd seen Gang of Four twice, once in Ann Arbor in 1982 and once in Ypsilanti in 1983, both gigs not exactly near to me at the time. My god, a truly original band. John King and his melodica shrieking life-as-politics polemic for the dancefloor. Guernica rhythm section courtesy of Dave Allen (bass) and Hugo Burnham (drums). And i'd go as far as to say that Andy Gill is as important to modern rock guitar as, say, Jimi Hendrix or Robert Fripp or Link Wray: like the aforementioned guitarists, his is an instantly and unmistakably recognizable style and no one plays (or doesn't play!) like Andy Gill, try as some may.
But, unlike the aforementioned guitarists, i'm afraid that despite how many past, present and future rockstars cite the band as a major influence, in the long run Gang of Four may end up an underrated footnote in rock and roll history exactly because they are "your forgotten favorite group."
Gang of Four (all four original members: King, Gill, Allen and Burnham) had reformed in 2005 to release Return The Gift, a re-recording of their first album Entertainment with other select songs from the discography. As of recent, Gill and King have returned to touring and have released new material, a new single called Second Life. I like it...lots. It's not rehash. It's not lame. It's Gang of Four (or Gang of Two plus two) reenergized. It's sonic Jackson Pollock. "Who's gonna save you with your house on fire?"
I may even go to see them in Pescara...but being how i'd already seen them twice, i think they'll forgive me if don't make it. Rome-Pescara is a bit farther than Detroit-Ann Arbor.
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