Monday, November 25th, 2002
Finished Paul Auster’s The Music Of Chance last night. Full impressions to come. This morning I started on Iain Banks’ Dead Air – quite a contrast, going from one author who favours a slow, introspective pace to one whose works move at a much more frenetic pace. Auster’s stories tend to exist out of time and place, as self-enclosed dramas unfolding independent of setting (though it’s usually in New York). Banks’ stories are very much the products of their time and place. For example, Dead Air kicks off in the afternoon of September 11, 2001…
Here’s a link to a Paul Auster interview at Salon.com.
My heretofore travel bug is starting to stir. It’s been a bloody long time since I’ve been anywhere interesting. The pics from NYC on Thrown Askew don’t help matters. I really hope that the lineup for next year’s All Tomorrow’s Parties doesn’t disappoint, my current plan is to head down to NJ/NYC next Spring for that.
In case I haven’t mentioned it recently, I really really hate working in Cold Fusion.
np – Velvet Crush / A Single Odessey
Sunday, November 24th, 2002
A bit of happy news – according to Chart, the / Wilco project, aptly titled Down With Wilco is getting a February 25 release date after being delayed indefinitely from it’s initial scheduled release this Fall. It’s coming out on Yep Roc instead of Mammoth. 2003 is shaping up to be another good Wilco year. We’ve got this release, the Jim O’Rourke / Jeff Tweedy / Glenn Kotche project Loose Fur out in January, and that new Wilco record that’s been in the can for Lord knows how long, Decibels Per Minute, should be out in the calender year as well. Huzzah.
Other bit of interest to Torontonians – On December 11, the Bloor Cinema is presenting a free-to-members showing of the classic Bob Dylan documentary, Don’t Look Back at 9:30. I’m planning on going, I expect I’ll have to be there early.
np – Mogwai / 4 Satin
Sunday, November 24th, 2002
Liked : Celebrity camoes by David Bowie, David Duchovney, Jon Voight. The monkey scene. Gasoline fight. Christine Taylor, who’s all kinds of hot. Break dance duel. Walk-Off. Owen Wilson.
Disliked : Moments that were probably supposed to be funny but just weren’t. Owen Wilson’s nose (what is up with that thing?!?). Weird sherpa sex. Milla Jovovich.
It was okay, not a bad way to while away a Sunday evening.
np – Starflyer 59 / Leave Here A Stranger
Sunday, November 24th, 2002
This is why I like Flash N Crash Music up on Bloor… I finally got around to selling my CDs and as they say ‘Up To $8 A Disc’ and target a certain music audience (people like me), I figured it’d be my best bet for a one stop unload of all my stuff. As I’m pulling the stuff out of my bag, the guy’s eyes bug out when he sees I’m ditching all my Galaxie 500 and Velvet Underground stuff. Before he reaches over the counter to beat me over the head (he said he was going to) I tell him that it’s okay, I’ve got the box sets now. This appeases his sense of good taste and music snobbery… I should have told him I needed the money for a Christina Aguilera DVD or something. He would have gone apoplectic. But I did indeed get top dollar for my stuff, more than I expected, and he took it all. Easy peasy. As a bonus, when I walked by the outside of the store later, they had the melodious strains of G500 coming out the speakers. It’s always nice to bring a little joy to the world.
You’d think with all that scratch burning a hole in my pocket I’d have gone buck-nutty and blown it all on cheap whores and booze, right? Close, I did score Superdrag’s Last Call For Vitriol and Starflyer 59’s Leave Here A Stranger at Sonic Boom. Been looking for the Superdrag for a while and I’ve meant to investigate SF59, so a good haul.
At Sonic Boom I asked Brad to snag the poster promoting Bea Arthur’s 2-week stand at the Elgin Winter Garden Theatre for our rehearsal space – because nothing is more inspiring than the head Golden Girl – but he said someone had already come in and begged them for the poster whenever it came down. Seriously.
np – Superdrag / Last Call For Vitriol
Saturday, November 23rd, 2002
Mission accomplished. Rented The Negotiator, had Burger King for dinner.
I enjoyed The Negotiator and am glad I didn’t bother with the TBS Readers Digest version any longer. I am amazed that they managed to take a 2h20m movie, cut out so much content and yet stretch it out to a 3h broadcast time.
Samuel L Jackson plays the same character he almost always seems to be cast as – the intense inherently good but pushed to the edge of breaking man. Kevin Spacey is inscrutable as the negotiator called in when Jackson, framed for his partner’s murder and about to be sent away, takes hostages in a federal building.
The script itself is fairly standard fare and the direction, while capable, isn’t outstanding. The twists and turns are effective enough to keep the viewer interested enough to keep the viewer paying attention throughout the course of the unusually long running time.
The real strength of the film comes from the principal actors and their execution of the material. Both Jackson and Spacey are doing what they do best. No awards for breaking new ground but kudos for not phoning it in. I enjoyed this one, not a bad way at all to spend a Saturday night. I suppose I should thank TBS just a little for that.
I also rented Zoolander despite my general disdain for Ben Stiller… This one has been recommended to me by enough people and has the Chris Large seal of approval. I’m assured that it’s surprisingly good, which shouldn’t be hard since I have fairly low expectations. But one never knows.
The Leafs whipped the Flyers 6-0! I am having a kick-ass night in the hockey pool. Cue rejoicing. I am also 45 minutes away from winning Velvet Crush’s Free Expression on eBay. Wouldn’t that just make my evening. Fingers crossed.
np – Dot Allison / Afterglow
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