I get excited when I play... shhhhhhhhhhh

Happy Birthday Brett

today is brett anderson's birthday. with suede, he single-handedly created the britpop/neoglam movement in the UK in the early 90s, becoming a sensation and a sex symbol in different parts of the world. after disbanding suede, he reteamed with the group's original guitarist bernard butler under the name the tears. their debut album is highly recommended. right now he's finishing his first solo album, which will be released sometime next year. here's to you, brett. cheers.

PS. ed, hope you feel better. so i guess you're not going to the beach this weekend, are ya? :( x 1000

here' s a beautiful suede song about the sea...



BY THE SEA (Anderson)

She can walk out anytime, anytime she wants to walk out, that's fine,
She can walk out anytime, anytime she feels that life has passed her by,
And when I start my new life I won't touch the ground,
I'm gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground.

He can walk out anytime, anytime he wants to walk out, that's fine,
He can walk out anytime, across the sand, into the sea, into the brine,
And when I start my new life I won't touch the ground,
I'm gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground.

So we sold the car and quit the job
and shook some hands and wiped the make-up right off,
And we said our good-byes to the bank
left Seven Sisters for a room in a seaside shack,
And when I start my new life I won't touch the ground,
I'm gonna try hard this time not to touch the ground......

it's by the sea we'll breed
it's by the sea we'll breed
into the sea we'll bleed
into the sea we'll bleed...

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.
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happy friday/weekend everybody.

hugs, kisses and handshakes :)

"I'd love to" by Morrissey

this IS my favourite morrissey song of all times. it was released in 1994 as the b-side to his top 40 single "the more you ignore me, the closer i get". it's a little different from the sound of the album which is taken from, vauxhall and i, which is pretty acoustic driven. this song has more of an ambient feeling, with slight electronic drums on the background. the bass guitar is the instrument that takes the song along the watery path made by the synthesizers and the delay drenched guitars. beautiful vocals and simple lyrics make this a song filled with desire and hope. what else must we ask for?


I'D LOVE TO (Morrissey/Boorer)

Again
I lay awake
and I cried because of waste

I'd love to
(But only with you
Only with you)
Oh, time is gonna wipe us out

There, I've said it loud and clear
So that you will hear
There's no one in view
Just you
Just you
And time will never wipe you out

Now I've had enough
I've had more than could be
My rightful share
Of nights I can't bear
How can it be fair?
Time must wipe them out

So, again, I lay awake
In a trance
Oh, I just want my chance
But only with you
Only with you
That's all
That's all

Alarm Clock

i keep turning off the alarm instead of pressing the snooze button. i keep getting in trouble because of what my subconscious really wants. hey, it's a lot like life... and that's what's a pity...

i guess it's perfectly clear how i decide to just press the snooze button of my life, just try to 'cheat' on myself, feel a small ill wind of fresh air, and without noticing it, some time later i realize that i've completely turned off the alarm. that alarm is important. it reminds me when to stop dreaming, when to put my feet back on the ground. some might say it's nice to always dream. i really don't think it's healthy...

... but it sure is beautiful!

Pretty in Pink

is it the 80s nostalgia fixed to our hearts? is it the wonderful soundtrack with songs by the smiths, new order, echo and the bunnymen and of course, the psychedelic furs? is it marvellous performances by jon cryer (the one and only duckie), the lovely annie potts, harry dean stanton, james spader (the truly standout of the film), andrew mccarthy and molly ringwald (actually andrew and molly didn't move me, ssshhhh)? is it that john hughes teen flick virus he seems to spread without mercy? don't know what's the answer, but this is truly a great movie. but i'm not here to put it in a pedestal. i want to bury it and cast a horrible voodoo spell on it... just for one reason...

ANDIE... YOU SHOULD HAVE PICKED DUCKIE, YOU STUPID HUMAN BEING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i'm sorry. he was there. he was always there in front of her. he took piles of poop for her. he suffered and suffered and nothing. it's just not fair.

in john hughes' original story, duckie and andie ended up together, like it should have been. but the audience didn't like the ending. she had to stay with the "cute" guy... with the "cool" one, with the "obvious"one. so, after he had finished shooting the whole movie, he called everyone back and filmed the last scene where duckie tells her to go with blane (andrew's character). you see? you see, andie, what duckie did for you? did you care? no, you just went with the preppie boy and thought "oh, duckie is so nice, now i can be happy". well no. i've seen pretty in pink 2 in my mind, and you're not happy. anyway...

so john hughes goes back and pleases everyone and that's how we ended up with that so pathetic ending. but hey... john hughes wasn't really happy with the new ending either, that's why the next year, he decided to do another movie, SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL.

here we have the same story. poor little boy (eric stoltz, as opposed to molly) falls in love with rich girl (lea thompson, as opposed to andrew), but has a very close friend who is secretly in love with him (the gorgeous mary stewart masteron.. short hair, anyone? anyone? anyone?)... of course, we have our rich bad kid (craig sheffer, our james spader). the same story, with the gender roles inverted, of course. but john hughes said... "f u to everyone, i'm gonna have MY ending". and YES, eric and mary stewart end up together, like IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

what else? some kind of wonderful is full of rolling stones trivia. eric is keith (richards, hello?), mary stewart is watts (charlie watts, OMG :o), and lea thompson is amanda jones (miss amanda jones, beautiful rocking song from 1967). what can go wrong? NOTHING.

so, pretty in pink? yes, it's cool. duckie is lovely. it was a box office hit. some kind of wonderful? it's superior, it has a great ending, but it isn't as known and beloved as its previous year counterpart. but, what can we learn from here? what's THE lesson to be learned?

well, i can actually think of two things. one, when it's right in front of your stupid eyes and you just can't see it... well, that goes to show how little you know. let's not be blind. it's sad but it's true... the things that are closer to us, are the ones we don't see. and TWO... hell, if we f%$*ed up our first "movie" and we realize there's no turning back... what's done is done... then, hey... let's make a new movie ;) and pretend the first one never happened :D

like i said to a friend earlier today "i love like i've never been hurt... that's how stupid i am".

good night and thank you.

Gene Pitney

gene pitney cries when he sings. at least that's part of the emotional charm that he expresses when he pours 105% of his soul into his songs. "only love can break your heart", "twenty four hours from tulsa", "something's gotten hold of my heart", "the man who shot liberty valance", "town without pity", "every breath i take", etc. each and every single one of them absolutely stunning. i remember reading that one critic called him rock's caruso. i believe that's about right.

he passed away this year on april 5, but this saturday morning once again he filled the air with his voice and strength, just as if he were rehearsing in my bedroom.

when things are this real, there's no denying them.

have a zip-a-dee-doo-dah day, everyone. kisses, hugs and handshakes.

Freaky Friday

ok, if you could be a person from the opposite sex for just one day, who would it be?

please, i don't want to see that everybody picks brad pitt :-P

my choice? hmmm, i guess it had to be PJ HARVEY :)

oh, and today is nick cave's birthday... he and pj harvey were romantically involved around 1996 when his album murder ballads, which includes their duet "henry lee", was released. it is said that some songs on his next album the boatman's call are about her. happy b-day, nick!

Happy Birthday Leonard Cohen

leonard cohen sings the truth. it's sad, it's dark, it's funny, it's shocking and it's lovely.

he started as a folk singer, in the vein of bob dylan and joan baez, but instead of focusing on social aspects, he just decided to write about basically love and hate, which is why i guess he clicked in my heart more than other folk singers. throughout the 60s and 70s his folk music changed into its own, incorporating different styles and instruments, and in the 80s he released a wonderful album called i'm your man, which had enough modern production to make it sound in times with the era, but still retained his musical charisma. in the 90s he was discovered by a new generation of young listeners that heard two of his new songs in the film natural born killers. these songs were very angry and almost apocalyptic, showing that his crude vision of the world hadn't disappeared and was sharper than ever. his albums 10 new songs and dear heather just show that in the twenty first millenium, leonard cohen is still vital in our hearts and minds.

personally, my favorite cohen song is "famous blue raincoat". a folk ballad from his 1971 album songs of love and hate. i had heard the song lots of times but it was just one more song in his repertoire. when my life took a turn, i found myself being included in its lyrics, and then the song became a part of me. i knew then that he was singing the song to me, and everytime i listen to it... it still raises the hairs on my arms.

FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT (Leonard Cohen)

It's four in the morning, the end of December
I'm writing you now just to see if you're better
New York is cold, but I like where I'm living
There's music on Clinton Street all through the evening.

I hear that you're building your little house deep in the desert
You' re living for nothing now, I hope you're keeping some kind of record.

Yes, and Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear
Did you ever go clear?

Ah, the last time we saw you, you looked so much older
Your famous blue raincoat was torn at the shoulder
You'd been to the station to meet every train
And you came home without Lili Marlene

And you treated my woman to a flake of your life
And when she came back she was nobody's wife.

Well I see you there with the rose in your teeth
One more thin gypsy thief
Well I see Jane's awake

-- She sends her regards.

And what can I tell you my brother, my killer
What can I possibly say?
I guess that I miss you, I guess I forgive you
I'm glad you stood in my way.

If you ever come by here, for Jane or for me
Your enemy is sleeping, and his woman is free.

Yes, and thanks, for the trouble you took from her eyes
I thought it was there for good so I never tried.

And Jane came by with a lock of your hair
She said that you gave it to her
That night that you planned to go clear

-- sincerely, l. cohen

David Lynch and Isabella Rossellini by Helmut Newton

lynch and rossellini: blue velvet, wild at heart, zelly and me and this lovely helmut newton photograph.

Happy Birthday Jarvis!!!

today is jarvis cocker's birthday.

when i'm drunk, i pretend i'm him.

(L)

I woke up this Sunday and found myself at a Slayer's concert: The Director's Cut

ok, here's my story about what happened on sunday afternoon/night, when edilma and i went to the slayer concert. sorry for the length of this blog. i got carried away. AGAIN. stop it.
...
"wanna go to slayer? i can get you half-priced tickets". when a friend of mine said these words, i really wasn't sure if i wanted to go. i started analyzing my school days when i wore all black clothes (i still do, shut up), a black monster t-shirt with some unreadable logo from a band that growls because i guess they were angry at the world, and i was prettry pissed at everybody. first instinct was to say "no way, why would i wanna go there?", but then i thought, it could be fun. i'm old enough not to take it as seriously as i did back then and, let's be honest, in their thrash/speed metal genre, slayer are gods... they are important. so... sure, let's go. but... who with?

of course, i wans't going to go alone. i'm scared of being alone in the middle of the typical (venezuelan) metal fans. so i started asking everyone if they'd give it a go, just for the heck of it. but nobody. everyone told me i was crazy. and then... i accidentally found a perfect concert-mate... our own beloved edilma. when i mentioned that i was looking for someone to go to slayer with, the word "interesting" flipped from her mouth (or rather her fingers). this shocked and surprised me, and then of course i asked her if she'd be willing to go, and she agreed.
we decided to meet at a mall, right next to the donut seller. it was inevitable that we sealed our concert day with a donut each, chocolate frosting with colored chips for her, just frosting chocolate for me. what's more metal than donuts? beats me. we took a taxi to the venue, and were a little excited/scared of the experience. well no, we weren't scared, but we were curious of how it would all be. when we arrived, a sea (ok, a river) of black long haired, angry looking people were arriving at the place, and edilma and i felt a little out of place, especially since our t-shirts were red and burgundy, respectively. my friend hadn't arrived, so we just had to stand there and wait. suddenly, it started to rain and we had to go under the umbrella of a snack seller. edilma bought some gum and we just waited for the rain to stop. one of the most bizarre moments of the day happened when one of the seller's friend told her "but are you f*cking that guy? you're f*cking him, ain't cha?"... ed and i just looked at each other and tried to act as if we hadn't heard anything. "so, you ARE fucking him, aren't you?"... and the seller answered "no, i'm not". "swear it... swear it on your seven children." "i swear it on my TEN children". ed and i just had to turn around and look at some building, trying to hide the laugh and trying to move our minds away from that awkward moment. just beautiful. after the rain stopped, we got out of there, and just talked and talked about the most bizarre things you could talk about in a metal concert (like my science thesis .... duh!)

ok, night fell upon us, and my friend still hadn't arrived, but then i received that call. he was there. thank g-d. we met with him, and he gave us the tickets. we were happy. i think. no, just kidding. we were. we had tickets to see the concert from afar, but then our friend told us he had tickets for the arena. i asked him if there were seats in the arena zone, because we didn't feel like standing up in the moshpit. he told me there were. great. we got cheap arena tickets. everything looked sweet. we go in, and the venezuelan opening act was finishing its set, and there were no lines to get in. perfect. when we get inside. the arena zone didn't have seats. shoot. we had to stand in the posh pit. not great. the place was full of metalheads and there we were, stading almost with our backs to the wall. just in case the violent fans started to get... well, violent.

slayer's backdrop was funny. a badly drawn jesus christ with no arms, wounded, with the band members' severed head lying on the floor (next to mother theresa's head, nice touch, guys ;) and what looked like the capitol building in the back. it was funny. we enjoyed it. then, the lights went out... it was show time. before the band played the first note, a fan from the second floor, jumps to the arena, and the security people get him out quickly. nice one, no slayer for you, big guy. then another one falls, and he injured his ankle, he can't walk. security guys take him out. beautiful. this is like watching a vin diesel movie, but somehow i'm enjoying it. slayer start spitting out their music... really loud, really violent, i get those highschool gumps in my belly, starting to remember why i liked them. edilma's face had this weird smile, i still felt a little guilty for "dragging" her into that place. but hey, she dragged herself, no, no worries for me :P
ok, so we buy two beers, keep enjoying the show. the fans are really feeling the music. that makes us happy. they're enjoying it, they deserve to be there. not us, we're just at an amusement ride, trying to have a different sunday (oh, yes it was). but these guys are really feeling everything, singing the words to the songs, and it's just lovely. i liked that. we see a guy who was asking for money outside to buy a ticket, and yes, he's in... even better, he recognizes us, and thanks us with a big smile on his face for the money we gave him. yes, we're going to heaven.

ok, i admit it, i recognized some of the songs from my highschool days. i tried to give little useless trivia about the band and the songs so that little edilma would get soaked (even more) in the world of metal. also, not being super slayer fans, the chit chat between and during songs was necessary, so that we wouldn't get tired among all the monotony you can experience in this type of concerts.

among the songs the band played (and i recognized) were "war ensemble", "blood red", "dead skin mask" (about ed gein, hi uta :P), "south of heaven", "die by the sword", "raining blood" and "angel of death", all with their gloriously cheesy metal titles.
the concert finished, we walked out and tried to find a taxi. our ears had club disease, and we were yelling a lot, trying to understand what we were saying. it took around an hour and a half to find a taxi (ed tried to move her connections, and we were very close to being saved by some of her co-workers, but sadly, it didn't work). afterwards we went to grab a bite to eat at burger king. we were the last people to get in before they closed. when we finished we were going to get a taxi, but just decided to walk home, it was only like four blocks (big ones). we talked about david lynch on the way and .... i can't remember what else :P . we got to edilma's street, said good bye, and edilma told me to send her a message when i got home. cute. i walked one more big block to the mall, grabbed yet another taxi to my house in the hills. i arrived, took a shower and fell asleep... listening to PULP. enough metal for one day :)

i don't think bono is thinking about a slayer concert when he says it's a beautiful day.... but for me, it was.

PS: oh, and sorry again edilma, for leaving your umbrella in the taxi :$ sssshhhhh
PSS: ed, any other weird experience that i might have left out, please spank me and share it with everyone.

The records that changed your birth

completely and unashamedly stealing the idea from my dear friend edilma, i started wondering what were the records that were released the year i was born. here are the most important ones (for me) that were blazing out of speakers in different places in the world during 1979:

"bela lugosi's dead" (single) - bauhaus
"aux armes et cætera" - serge gainsbourg
"fear of music" - talking heads
"horas de amor" - camilo sesto
"lodger" - david bowie
"manifesto" - roxy music
"recent songs" - leonard cohen
"setting sons" - the jam
"specials" - specials
"three imaginary boys" - the cure
"unknown pleasure" - joy division
"voulez-vous" - abba
"the wall" - pink floyd

have a merry weekend. kisses, hugs and handshakes to everyone.

I just called to say...

you're in some party, some get-together with friends, you start to drink, you get into that emotional hazy state and then you begin talking about that person that's been in your head for some time. you get some really useless feedback from your other drunk friends... "that person is no good for you", "that person is not interested", "how dare you to think about that", "when are you going to get over that person", and of course, those things come in through one ear, and come out the other, and be careful, this specific passing through of advices is not to be blamed on the alcohol, that happens 24/7 when you're thinking about someone.

but yes, there suddenly comes a moment when you find yourself thinking that you want to see that person, but maybe the little sane part of your brain that's still not drenched in alcohol tells you that 1) your current state is not the best to be seen in, 2) you'll chicken out when you have that person in front of you, or 3) you're gonna make a fool out of yourself (which always applies, actually). but you still want to see that person, you want to feel that person near you. somehow, you want to let that person know what you're thinking and feeling in this precise moment. but no, you can't see that person.

and it takes some time to actually be honest with yourself and decide to call that person. it's perfect, a call is not so personal, it's not face to face, but the voices can be entwined together, and there's a feeling of togetherness that only comes second to face-to-face conversation. you want to hear that person's voice, and maybe, most importantly, you want that person to listen to yours. there's so little to be said, but so much to be meant.

so suddenly you disconnect from your friends conversation, you can't hear them, your ears, brain and heart are busy thinking about this decision you've just made. you slowly walk out of the place where your friens are, you find somewhere where the music isn't too loud, or where your friend's voices can't ruin the moment, you take your cell phone and think for 5 seconds if you're doing the right thing. you quickly know that you aren't, and you proceed to call that person. the person answers, probably in his/her sleep and you say those magic words that you've been whispering in your head all night...

"I LOOOOOOOOVE YOOOOUUUUUUUU"

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.
.

(fade to black)

.
.
.

next morning, you wake up and after swearing you'll never drink again, you remember what you did last night... and you're terribly ashamed. you need to take all your clothes off, go to the shower, turn on the hot water, sit on the floor, and cry and realize something meaningful... even stevie wonder didn't know better.

The L-O-V-E- Pic

hello, i'm still ill. so here come the lyrics from this beautiful Smiths song... oh, and "the love pic". ssshhhhhh, don't mess with me today :-P


STILL ILL (Morrissey/Marr)

I decree today that life
Is simply taking and not giving
England is mine - it owes me a living
But ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye
Oh, ask me why, and I'll spit in your eye

But we cannot cling to the old dreams anymore
No, we cannot cling to those dreams

Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body ?
I don´t know....
Under the iron bridge we kissed
And although I ended up with sore lips
It just wasn't like the old days anymore
No, it wasn't like those days
Am I still ill ?
Oh ...
Am I still ill ?
Oh ...

Does the body rule the mind
Or does the mind rule the body ?
I don´t know...

Ask me why, and I'll die
Oh, ask me why, and I'll die
And if you must, go to work - tomorrow
Well, if I were you I really wouldn't bother
For there are brighter sides to life
And I should know, because I've seen them
But not very often ...

Under the iron bridge we kissed
And although I ended up with sore lips
It just wasn't like the old days anymore
No, it wasn't like those days
Am I still ill ?
Oh ...
Oh, am I still ill ?
Oh ...

"I'd like to thank the Academy... "

lies lies lies. yes, they're useful. they can get you out of a lot of trouble, and of course they can hurt, both the person you're lying to and yourself. but there are some lies that deserve a round of applause, some lies that are meant to stay written down in the pages of history. some lies that are worth an oscar.

from my personal experience, the lies that pop up unexpectedly into your mind when you're in the middle of a problem, do not always work. maybe it's because i get too nervous in the heat of the moment, and i just end up looking like a fool (ok, one too many times... next sentence). but those lies that are planned, that are rehearsed, that are lived inside your head, those are the ones that count. it's like that scene in reservoir dogs, where tim roth's undercover police character has to tell his "partners in crime" about a situation that occured to him in the past that actually never happened, just so they can trust him more and really feel he's one of them. just like that scene, where he has to "smell" the poop in the toilets of the bathroom he's in (his story is in, he was never there), just like that scene... we have to feel everything around us in our little lie. was i at my friends house? well, what was i watching on tv, what were we cooking? who was there, who wasn't? every little detail.

sometimes these lies are so well planned, so well done, that after some time you really have to remind yourself that it didn't happen. it's like that one dream that you've dreamt so much, you actually think it was real. but no, your commitment to the situation, to getting out of this trouble, to walking right through the minefield unharmed, was so beautiful and so amazing that you really deserve an oscar.

"i'd like to thank the academy... "

thank away, beautiful actors and actresses of everyday life (K)

Five Years

"five years" is the first song on david bowie's 1972 glam-rock masterpiece the rise and fall of ziggy stardust and the spiders from mars.


FIVE YEARS (David Bowie)

Pushing thru the market square, so many mothers sighing
News had just come over, we had five years left to cry in
News guy wept and told us, earth was really dying
Cried so much his face was wet, then I knew he was not lying
I heard telephones, opera house, favourite melodies
I saw boys, toys, electric irons and TVs
My brain hurt like a warehouse, it had no room to spare
I had to cram so many things to store everything in there
And all the fat-skinny people, and all the tall-short people
And all the nobody people, and all the somebody people
I never thought Id need so many people

A girl my age went off her head, hit some tiny children
If the black hadnt a-pulled her off, I think she would have killed them
A soldier with a broken arm, fixed his stare to the wheels of a cadillac
A cop knelt and kissed the feet of a priest, and a queer threw up at the sight of that
I think I saw you in an ice-cream parlour, drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and waving and looking so fine
Don't think you knew you were in this song
And it was cold and it rained so I felt like an actor
And I thought of ma and I wanted to get back there
Your face, your race, the way that you talk
I kiss you, you're beautiful, I want you to walk

We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
We've got five years, stuck on my eyes
Five years, what a surprise
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
Five years
Five years
Five years
Five years...

Julee Cruise's Floating Into The Night

in 1986, david lynch's blue velvet was released and it featured a lovely love theme called "mysteries of love", with lyrics by lynch, music by his then new partner angelo badalamenti, and sung by a newcomer named julee cruise. and this magic team actually got together out of necessity.

lynch wanted to use a song from this mortal coil's gothic album it'll end in tears called "song to the siren" (originally written by tim buckley but performed in this supergroup by cocteau's twins' robin guthrie and the lovely elizabeth fraser - one day i'll write about the cocteaus... charming scottish band). but this mortal coil's ivo watts-russell didn't want to give permission to use that song because he considered it to beautiful to be used in a film (he didn't know who lynch was at that time, 8 years later he would give him permission to use the song in lost highway, but that's another story). so lynch had to come up with a song that "sounded" like "song to the siren", thus ending with the dreamlike sounding "mysteries of love".

this collaboration continued until 1990 when david lynch made twin peaks for TV, he needed songs (and a singer) for his surreal picket fence town and its cryptic lounge, and he decided to use julee cruise again. while recording several songs with her and badalamenti, they decided they could extend the partnership and record a complete album and a performance to be released on video.

the live performance was recorded and released as industrial symphony no. 1 - the dream of the broken hearted and yes, it's a surreal presentation that includes julee cruise floating in the air, a 20-foot two-legged skinned deer, topless dancers crawling around a car, a midget and beautiful music. this was the first time i had heard of julee cruise. i was 15 years old, starting to get into the world of david lynch, and this was THE only video of his that we had in our archaic blockbuster in those days. apart from being kind of scared with the whole visual approach, which was new for me, the music didn't let me escape. after seeing the credits and reading julee cruise's name... it just made me realized that her album had been in my brother's collection for almost two years. it happened that a friend of his film studying girlfriend lent it to him and forgot about it. after the film ended, i didn't waste a minute. i searched my brother's collection and yes, there it was.

the album is called floating into the night, and it's devided in two parts (side a and side b we may say). side a begins with the song "floating", and the rest of that side is devoted to the joy, the beauty and that lovely feeling that love will last forever. side b starts with the song "into the night", where love comes crashing down and we realize its downside.

listening to the album's first side is like being in a 50s school dance, slow dancing with the one you think you love and just letting yourself get carried away by the moment, not caring what's going to happen the next week, the next day, even the next five minutes. of course, all this drenched in a cloth made of dreams. you know that feeling when you wake up late at night and you're between sleep and complete consciousness...well, go right there to that 50s dance and that's the music you'll hear. now, side 2's lyrical darkness is gorgeously displayed in the music as well. here dancing is no longer required (or desired) and lying in a bed gripping a pillow is a more likely situation that brings to mind the despair felt when these songs swirl into your head. love and dreams come shattering down. yes, the end result could be a little downer, but it's just part of the theme of the whole album.

if you're feeling happy or feeling deppressed, this album has it all. but the most astonishing thing is that brilliant team work. angelo badalamenti's fever-dream cool jazz-pop, david lynch's incredibly simple love words and julee cruise's angelic voice. each life has a soundtrack, and this is surely sounding most of the time in my head and in my heart. it IS my favourite album of all times. if i ever get imprisoned and i have to take one CD... this one's the one.
have a happy week, everyone (K)

(yes, edilma, i owe you a copy, sssshhhhh ;)

PS: sorry for the length, i got carried away. it's like when you love... ok, just kidding... or not? :o DOUBLE SSSHHHH

To Sir... with Love?

Got home around 3am. Woke up at 6:30am. Had to be at work at 7:00am to give a panel (oral evaluation). Had a hangover.

Do you think the students noticed?

Bad, bad teacher!!!!!

Shame on me.

I don't take Fridays very seriously :P sssshhhhhh x 1000

In Pursuit of Happiness

the last few days i've been listening to the divine comedy's a short album about love, which has 7 gorgeous songs about the most magical feeling in the world, from all points of view... good love, bad love, sick love, wanted love, unreachable love... keep on counting... so, it seems appropiate that i use a song from this album as the soundtrack to my jolly good morning.

the very first song on the album is "in pursuit of happiness", and although it's the song i least enjoy listening to, it's still great and its happy theme is just perfect to describe the way i feel right now.

good morning, and thank you all.

(K)

(i'm in one of those moods where i thank everybody ;) ssshhhhh)


In Pursuit of Happiness (Neil Hannon)

Hey, I'm not the type
To say one thing and do another
And if it's all right I'd kind
Of like to be your lover
'Cos when you're with me I can't help but be
So desperately
Uncontrollably Happy!

And hey, I'm not the kind
To fall in love without good reason
And if that's a crime
Then baby I'm committing high treason
'Cos when you're with me
I'm absolutely
And totally
Quite uncontrollably Happy!

And hey, I'm not so blind
That I can't see where we're all going
And it's no fault of mine
If humankind reaps what it is sowing
Just as long as we are together
Forever
I'll never be anything other than Happy!

Hey, don't be suprised, if millions die in plague and murder
True happiness lies beyond your fries and happy burger

Amor... Amar

amor... amar is a song by camilo sesto. he wrote the music, and in this particular case, he used a poem by lucía bosé as the lyrics. one specific line tells us:

"si tu dolor fuera mío... y el mío tuyo
qué bonito sería... amor... amar"

which translates to:

"if your pain were mine... and mine yours
how beautiful it would be... love... to love"

ever since i heard that song, i've always linked pain to love. i guess i've always known it, but finally i can put words to that feeling. and to describe love like that, to feel each other's pain, is just lovely. it's not about happiness, it's not about being together forever, it's not about gifts, dinners or letters. no... if i cry when you cry... and you cry when i cry... then it's meant to be.

love and pain... inseparable.

let's get hurt.
.
.
.
have a happy (painful?) thursday.

PS: i wrote this wednesday night... i prefer to talk about love under the moon's silhouette. it just makes more sense. ssshhhh ;)

Lost in Translation: Karaoke Scene

films and music, inseparable like childhood friends, feed of each other to develop a certain mood, feeling and meaning to a specific scene, and in general to the whole movie. in this specific film, lost in translation, music is an integral part of the complete experience. the kevin shields songs that construct the score, peaches in the i'd-rather-not-be-here bar scene, the jesus and mary chain at the closing credits and, in one of the loveliest scenes in the movie, the roxy music song more than this, sung in a karaoke version by bill murray himself.

of course, by this moment in the film, there's already a tension between our characters played by scarlett johansson and murray, there exists a need that's been fulfilled in their own mysterious feeling of disappearance/unacceptance from the rest of the world, but a single thing like experiencing this "horrible" singing, clicks inside the heart of johansson's character like the right key in the right door at the right time.

i say "horrible" because obviously, it was offkey, but if by that moment one got touched by the film, maybe one can look through johansson's character's eyes/heart, and really feel it. by no means i think that it was terrible, it was actually beautiful, and i have a friend that went as far as to say that it was even better that bryan ferry's own singing in the roxy music song. that shows how strong the situation can be.

what i'm trying to say is that when hearts are starting to click, one is always trying to do the right thing to impress the other, and that's a terrible mistake. it's the little things, the embarrassing things, the cute little things that we think don't have any impact, that will seal hearts, and hopefully make that last sounding click in the door of love that only tells us one thing... it has been open.

oh, let us not try to so hard.

Murder in Hell's Kitchen by Weegee

arthur fellig, best known as weegee, was known for capturing the raw, crude emotion of people on the streets. and it was just that... people... from different backgrounds, including the poor, the extremely rich, their contrast, the mobs, the living, the dead, the happy and the sad ones.

one of his specialties were pictures of the recently killed, most commonly by the big city mafia. he used to have a police radio in his car, and as soon as he heard some news about a newly found body, he would rush to the scene of the crime, arriving a few minutes after the police, or in some cases, before them. this "supernatural" power of him made people think he had some kind of sixth sense, and that's how he gained his nickname, weegee, a rewritten version of the word "ouija".

in murder in hell's kitchen we can see death as powerful as it can be. is it a documentary photograph of a gruesome deal gone wrong? is it payback in the flesh? was weegee one of the first paparazzis, robbing privacy from this recently killed human being? is it just art? but maybe we should just look at the picture's name... maybe weegee just wanted to show us murder in the big city. maybe that's as real as it can get.

Time

in 1985 tom waits released his album rain dogs, and among its odd rhythms and unusual instrumentation, one can find time, one of his most lovely and simple ballads. when he released a compilation album a few years ago, he decided to close the collection with this song, and a very recent rare live performance of his, did the same thing when he said goodbye to the crowd with time, one of his best works of art.

with a simple line-up of acoustic guitar, double bass and accordion, tom waits and his scruffy old voice sing in a poetic way about different situations where people are in need of love. the odd list of characters is very unique in his songs, and without hesitating, he includes them here. it's not a linear story, it works like different short stories pushed together in a desolate room, waiting for the writer to give each one a happy ending.

for those scattered characters, the end seems like a dream, you just can't imagine what's going to happen, IF something's going to happen... one might just think that things are going to stay the way they are, no matter how hard one tries. finally, in every chorus, tom waits, like a wanderer passing by, observes the situations and just makes a special note to them. "it's time that you love".

it's time indeed.

Time (Tom Waits)

Well the smart money's on harlow and the moon is in the street
And the shadow boys are breaking all the laws
And you're east of east saint louis and the wind is making speeches
And the rain sounds like a round of applause

And napoleon is weeping in a carnival saloon
His invisible fiancee's in the mirror
And the band is going home, it's raining hammers, it's raining nails
And it's true there's nothing left for him down here

And it's time time time,
and it's time time time
And it's time time time that you love
And it's time time time

And they all pretend they're orphans and their memory's like a train
You can see it getting smaller as it pulls away
And the things you can't remember tell the things you can't forget
That history puts a saint in every dream

Well she said she'd stick around until the bandages came off
But these mama's boys just don't know when to quit
And mathilda asks the sailors are those dreams or are those prayers?
So close your eyes, son, and this won't hurt a bit

Oh it's time time time,
and it's time time time
And it's time time time that you love
And it's time time time

Well things are pretty lousy for a calendar girl
The boys just dive right off the cars and splash into the street
And when they're on a roll she pulls a razor from her boot
And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet

So put a candle in the window and a kiss upon his lips
As the dish outside the window fills with rain
Just like a stranger with the weeds in your heart
And pay the fiddler off 'til I come back again

Oh it's time time time,
and it's time time time
And it's time time time that you love
And it's time time time

Leng Tch'e

leng tch'e, also known as "death by a thousand cuts" in western culture, was a method of torture and execution practiced in China before the modern era. people who committed acts of treason and murderers were punished with this slow and humiliating method. it was banned in 1905.

the method consisted in the following steps. the offender was mounted and tied to some sort of cross. then he would be cut in different parts of the body, including the face, chest and at last its legs and arms where cut off. sometimes the chest was cut open and finally, the person was decapitated or killed with a stake through the heart. this form of execution was done in public, so everybody would witness the criminal's slow death. an important factor that has been documented was that the person was given large doses of opium, putting him in a sort of trance, decreasing the pain considerably, or at least, confusing his pain and not letting the offender be completely aware of what was being done... and consequently, prolonging the execution.

luckily, this cruel form of execution was witnessed by some french soldiers in 1905 in beijing and the pictures survive to this day, being one of the few images in the world documenting this method. the french writer georges bataille wrote in his book the tears of eros about the "pleasure" found in the victim's face, due to the opium in his body and his delight with the tourture that was being inflicted upon him. pleasure and pain, two words that have been together for a long time were possibly experienced during leng tch'e... and that terrifies me.

the only time when pain and pleasure have been together in my life is probably when i'm taking off a bandaid. oh, just marvellous.

have a nice weekend everybody. cheers.