Wonderful music video directed by Pierre et Gilles for Marc Almond’s A Lover Spurned single. They also shot the cover (above). Playing opposite Marc in the video is the glamourous Marie France, transsexual style icon and pop singer.
Scenes from the Animal Collective
Photos via Pitchfork.
This is an episode of Post Mortem, a series that examined the “pathologies” of certain seemingly doomed artists who were touched equally by genius and madness. Other subjects included Beethoven, Virginia Woolf, Francis Bacon, and Nijinsky. This episode, about Montgomery Clift features interviewees like Kenneth Anger, Clift biographer Patricia Bosworth. Kevin McCarthy, and Barney Hoskyns.
The company who made this, Blackwatch Media, also produced the excellent Carry On Darkly documentary about the troubled personalities behind the iconic British Carry On film series of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Carry on Darkly is well worth looking for on the torrent trackers. I enjoyed it immensely.
Thank you Paul Gallagher!
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the cinema… there’s Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which I maliciously tricked Jason Louv into seeing last night. But what I didn’t know—why would anyone know this?—is that James Nguyen, “The Master of the Romantic Thriller”™ who, uh, created Birdemic, actually directed an earlier movie in 2003 called Julie & Jack.
I haven’t seen it—and seriously doubt that I ever will—but apparently, Julie is actually dead and her brain and personality are stored in a computer. This is what Jack is all upset about. Apparently. (Note that actress Tippi Hedren is in both of Nguyen’s movies).
From Youtube user Kamoni:
Tectonic creates music and maps in real time by earthquakes as they occur across the globe. A system using Max/MSP, Google Earth and Ableton Live processes a stream of real-time data that is translated into and audio ’sculpture’.
When an earthquake occurs, seismic data is relayed to the system, sound is produced and Google Earth immediately flies to the coordinates of the latest earthquake giving us a visual representation of the newest developments. As multiple earthquakes occur daily, the sculpture builds, enmeshing itself in a complex soundscape of textures and tones that constantly changes and evolves.
(via Das Kraftfuttermischwerk)
Vintage Granada documentary from the ‘70s about Northern Soul and the Wigan Casino nightclub.
Read a personal account of what it was like at the Wigan Casino—by someone who went weekly during 1977—here.
Thank you Declan O’Gallagher!
USA Today has a Top 10 list of places where vacationers can “go through the looking glass” in honor of the theatrical release of Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland.” All of these way-off-the-beaten-track attractions are pretty interesting—like the underwater music festival entry—but there is one that’s simply off the hook… “Carhenge.”
“Carhenge” in Alliance, Neb., draws over 80,000 tourists a year. It’s a full-scale replication of Stonehenge… made from cars. From the official “Friends of Carhenge” website:
The artist of this unique car sculpture, Jim Reinders, experimented with unusual and interesting artistic creations throughout his life. While living in England, he had the opportunity to study the design and purpose of Stonehenge. His desire to copy Stonehenge in physical size and placement came to fruition in the summer of 1987 with the help of many family members.
Thirty-eight automobiles were placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge with the circle measuring approximately 96 feet in diameter. Some autos are held upright in pits five feet deep, trunk end down, while those cars which are placed to form the arches have been welded in place. All are covered with gray spray paint. The honor of depicting the heel stone goes to a 1962 Caddy.
Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders’ father who once lived on the farm where Carhenge now stands. While relatives were gathered following the death of Reinders’ father in 1982, the discussion turned to a memorial and the idea of a Stonehenge replica was developed. The family agreed to gather in five years and build it. The clan, about 35 strong, gathered in June 1987 and went to work. They held the dedication on the Summer Solstice in 1987, with champagne, poetry, songs and a play written by the family.
“Carhenge” was named the second “wackiest” tourist location in America, and deservedly so. Some see it as “art” others see it as… junk.
Like Fox News, we’ll let you decide.
Cross posting this from Brand X
There is nothing quite as satisfying as the schadenfreude of watching a hypocritical politician “hoist with his own petard” to quote from Shakespeare. It’s a special subset of shame and disapprobation that seems, well, entirely appropriate, when considering the case of State Sen. Roy Ashburn, a Republican from the 18th district. Ashburn, a Roman Catholic father of four daughters, who has a reputation for being anti-gay—he’s voted against every gay rights proposal since his 2002 election and was a supporter of Prop 8—was arrested for suspicion of DUI and having a blood-alcohol level of .14%.
But that’s not the worst of it for the “family values” GOP Senator: Ashburn, a Roman Catholic divorced father of four daughters, had just left a popular Sacramento gay club called Faces, when the arrest was made. From The San Francisco Examiner:
A police report also indicates Ashburn, a fierce competitor of gay rights who stands staunchly against gay marriage, was stopped with an unidentified man in the passenger seat of his state-issued car. While some of the details of the arrest are not known, Ashburn did release a statement after a host of reporters gained access Wednesday’s arrest report.
“I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment,” Ashburn said. “I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me - my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate.”
Sources say Wednesday was not the first time Ashburn has been at the nightclub.
Note that the disgraced Senator’s apology neglected to include gay and lesbian voters. Ashburn is barred from seeking another term due to term limitations.
More from around the blogsphere on the Ashburn scandal:
Talking Points Memo’s Roy Ashburn coverage (TPM)
Ashburn dodges gay question (Bakersfield Californian)
