They're not just for decorating

I opened up a box full of books last night. I had put them away for not having any space for them in my previous apartment. So boxed up they spent all these years not seeing the light of day. They've all been read before but, I'm a re-reader.

My first choice was Vidal's "The Smithsonian Institution" - Now in light of the lecture I went to last Wednesday, what are the odds that this would be the book I'd choose to read? I can't remember much about the book. Only that a bunch of historical figures come to life after the Smithsonian closes down. It's typical Vidal fashion like in his masterpiece "Myron." Which I've read many times.

Here's the scoop from the inside jacket for The Smithsonian Institution:

"questions about political responsibility and personal sacrifice are deftly woven into a surreal narrative of quantum physics, string theory, clones, the sexual habits of Eskimos, and the domestic arrangements of various U.S presidents"

Blah, blah "4Th dimension", blah blah "Space-time continuum," - "Einstein" and "atomic bomb."

I don't remember all that when I first read it, so it should be more interesting to read this now as it was the first time.

Have I just crossed the line to utterly boring, yet?

Reflections on Werther

"There is the story of an Englishman who hanged himself because he didn't want to dress and undress himself any more. I knew a gardener, a stalwart fellow in charge of a big park, who in his bleakness cried out one day, "Am I to spend my whole life watching the rain clouds move from eve to morn?" And then I have heard tell of one of our best men that he hates to see the greening of springtime and wishes that, for a change, everything would come up red! All these are symptoms of a weakness of life that quite often culminates in suicide and is more prevalent among thoughtful introverts than one would care to believe."

From "Reflections On Werther" by Goethe

Good thing you're not a thoughtful introvert. Ey?

Are we living in The Matrix?

I had the pleasure of attending a lecture last night. The speaker was Brian Greene. Author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric Of The Cosmos.

The lecture was mostly about the Multiverse. There is a possibility that because there are an infinite number of universes, there's one universe where there is a world just like this one and you in that world are doing the same things you are doing right now over here. Or that there is another universe with a world in which you exist but there are variable differences. Like maybe the color of your eyes are different or you're wearing the same shirt but in a different color.

So what if it's "out there" stuff. I loved listening to him talk about all these possibilities. Though Brian Greene will have you believe that there is no such thing as free will. That it's a very nice illusion. But that it doesn't exist. Something the audience probably found hard to swallow.

The Multiverse was compared to that of Swiss cheese. Coincidentally, I had a packet of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese in my bag (you know the ones with the wedges). I have a friend who likes to reward me in cheese. I'll explain some other time.

By the way Brian Greene is a vegan.

To the point, I had him sign my packet of cheese. Actually, I got my friend to do it. I was too shy and embarrassed to do so. But it was my idea. And I only said it as a joke that we should get him sign the cheese. Well, Greene thought it was funny.

The question came up by the moderator if maybe we are the result of one universe in which the inhabitants are so super intelligent that they came up with this computer that was able to create an entire universe and that creation was us. Brian says it's possible. But that he's fine with it.

Are you fine with it?

Greene seems like a super nice guy when even after his lecture, didn't mind a bit hanging around a crowd of people still wanting to answers to their questions. Mostly, I was happy to see a lot of very young people out there who I envy very much. The fact that they get the opportunity to feed their growing minds in this way is wonderful. Greene is only about four years older than I am. He's also a professor of physics at Columbia University.

Missing shows

Found out way too late in the game that Fronline Assembly is performing tonight. I won't be going. But that's OK.

I also know that Skinny Puppy will be performing in June. At the moment, I'm not so sure I'm going to that either.

Thompson Twins Live 1984

Now at Concert Vault is a full Thompson Twins concert for you to hear recorded at the Allentown State Fair (PA) in 1984.

Just add water and stir

MOZ

Well, I've managed to get a good floor seating to the Moz concert despite the fact that I missed out on the pre-sales. I don't really feel that "Ringleader" is all that great but I'll go just to hear some of the old classics and Smiths stuff done live. It's was a great feeling the last time I saw him when he belted out those tunes. First time I went to see Moz was during his Kill Uncle tour in the early 90s. It wasn't until 97 that I saw him again. Moz somehow knew about me moving to New York and decided to do a Central Park summer concert for me during the Maladjusted tour. I saw him once more after that when he had nothing new going on but packed up the venue nonetheless and I think it was one of the best shows that I've been to. It was at the Roseland Ballroom so the place was small.

Planets

So we've discovered a new planet and this one is different than all the other 200 hundred or so planets we've been finding. I say "we" as if I had something to do with it when in fact I mean "we" as in the collective human species. It's a rocky planet orbiting a star in its habitable zone. It has an atmosphere which could mean that there might be water and where there's water, there's some kind of life. I think this is a great find and we need to find more of these planets. Because pretty soon, we're going to have to move and find another place to live.

People

Sometimes I just want to say to people: "You know, I didn't just come into being when you first met me. I've existed before. I've had eyes, ears and all other senses just as you in my younger years and I know what I see and hear.

But there's really nothing you can do about what people think about you. It sucks that they start painting this picture of you and when there's a real live contradiction, they start to rebel against what they have painted. They get angry because it wasn't what they thought about you, so you're at false or something.

One person once told me: "I can't see you ever being angry at anyone." He said this as if it was some sort of novelty. I mean what kind of a thing is that to say to someone? That they are incapable of displaying one of the most common of emotions.

Light Bulbs

I have to change my lights again in the living room. It's really starting to piss me off.

Siddhartha

Just finished reading this amazing book. Did you know there's a movie? I need to get it. Why don't you read it, if you haven't done so? You don't have to buy it, you can download for free and and print it out (60 pages) here!

Immortal Beloved

Just saw this movie yesterday. A friend lent me the DVD. It's an amazing film about the life of Beethoven. By the way, Alan Wilder does a wonderful Moonlight Sonata on the b-side of "Little 15" I've always loved that piece and is one of the most loved of Beethoven compositions.

To those guys

Thank you for smiling today!

Contact Intro

One of my favorite scenes from the movie Contact, besides the part where Ellie is in the machine is the intro. The zooming out from earth, the planets and galaxies.

"They're alive"

Monday's Paperbacks

No shortage of what I want to read as I'm finding it in great number of volumes these days. Those authors of long ago whom I feel are much deserved reading than today's trendy 20 something writing about what? Today's insanities and the people I won't relate to. They're not so brilliant, I feel.

Today's finding are more of Hesse and one of Goethe. Both of whom I should have read a long time ago but I find that it's more fitting to read about the stories they write today. I don't think it would have fit in well at the time of my 20s. I was more contempt mostly with the supermarket novels of Anne Rice during those old times. Well, I'll still read Rice. So sue me.

The books are in old paperbacks rather than the over sized ones where you have to shell out more money for. I remember the days before the over sized paperbacks. Though most science fiction paperbacks are still mostly produced in the smaller sizes, it's hard to find the smaller ones in the fiction category. So for the price of one over sized paperback, I was able to buy two of the smaller ones.

Reading commences tonight at around midnight.

R.I.P. Kurt A.K.A. Kilgore Trout

Though I have not the complete library of books written by Mr. Vonnegut (19), I have enjoyed all those that I have read so far. My first book being Breakfast of Champions followed by a number of others. The last book I had enjoyed reading was Galapagos and have been looking forward for more readings from this fine author. He died yesterday of head injuries in which was the result of a fall he took at his home. He was 84. R.I.P.

“Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It’s round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you’ve got about a hundred years here. There’s only one rule that I know of, babies — ‘God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.’ ” - God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.

When the last living thing
has died on account of us,
how poetical it would be
if Earth could say,
in a voice floating up
perhaps
from the floor
of the Grand Canyon,
“It is done.”
People did not like it here.

- Requiem (closing lines)

Blessed are the cheesemakers.

What really went on during Jesus' Sermon On The Mount.

So sleep and dream of love...because it's the closest you will get to love

It's been one of those weeks. So this is what I'm listening to now. I figured a Moz/Smiths playlist was appropriate. Let the music speak for itself.

Moz on tour

Morrissey to play here in NYC on June 30 at Madison Square Garden. I'm hoping it's at the Theatre at MSG and not the main arena. But I have a feeling it will be in the arena. In any case, I'm glad it's on a Saturday!

Check the True To You website for dates in your area. There are lots of dates.

Class of 1984

TGIF! TGIF! And it's a three-day weekend for me. I'm so excited I can just spit!

Who remembers this movie? Did you see it? I went to see this twice when it came out. I had a "crush" on that wild chick. Every Male Mo in the world loves a bad girl with an attitude. I'm sure if I see it today, I might be a little embarrased that I loved this flick so much that I drew that bad-ass punk chicky a thousand times over in class. I guess I just loved that outfit she had on. I had a pretty big punk fascination at the time though the only band I was listening to was Blondie.

I may have to rent this movie this weekend to refresh my memory of it. The reason why I thought of this movie is because every time I pass by my old school on the way to work, these memories keep flooding in and each day I pass by, I get a "remember this?" thought into my brain.

Next stop - Videodrome starring Debbie Harry herself.

Vinyl Mania

Another one bites the dust. VinylMania closed it's doors on March 18. Off course we are not surprised as every record shop takes its turn to close down. I mean, I guess it had to happen. And why should I be upset at all this when I haven't bought a vinyl record since the early 90s. But it's not even just the record shops but also shops that sell CDs. If Tower Recods could not keep up, how will the small shops do? It was sad to see Tower Records go though because I had special memories connected to that place as do most music maniacs. When I was 17 that would be around 1984, I abandoned the local records stores in Queens to that of Manhattan's Village shops. My first stop on my big venture out in the Village was Tower Records. On my first ever trip to Tower Records, I bought Depeche Mode's Speak & Spell. And when WLIR (The Station That Dares To Be Different 92.7) announced the release of The Smith's Hatfull of Hollow, I dropped everything ran over to Tower Records and dashed my way over to the import section to buy my most treasured and most beloved Smiths record. It began a love affair that is still strong. But soon I would even abandon Tower Records to those of smaller spaces. Those little shops where you walk in and hear the door make chiming noises. One in particular is located still at St. Marks place. SOUNDS was where I went to buy just about all my records. This is where you will find slightly used LPs, promos and imports at half the price as well as bootlegs. I would always find what I was looking for and there was so much music for me to catch up on and SOUNDS had it all. I remember buying Talk Talk, Alphaville, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cure, Soft Cell and a bunch of others and not spend any more than $20. And these albums got played plenty. And I always made sure to by blank tapes (chrome off course) whenever I finished my records shopping so that I can make a mix of all the music I had just bought for the walkman or the portable stereo. Imagine if we could blog then.

There was so much warmth in all that. Hunting for your records from store to store and getting home all excited and making those tapes. Now in the digital age, things have gotten so cold and sterile. But I'm mostly reminiscing and romanticizing the exciting days of my youth. I just wish it had the same hold on me now as it did back then so that I cold enjoy life more. Ah well....

St. Marks is losing its charm and I just know that it won't be long before SOUNDS closes its doors too.

Please watch

Perhaps if more people realized that we are not the center of the universe and that we reside on just a mote of dust in this vast universe with a thin layering of life, we might like each other more. Or even me for that matter.

Lunar Eclipse

There was a Lunar Eclipse last Saturday. And what was I doing? I don't even remember, but I had not the slightest hint of this going on. I guess I need one of those calendars.

So, if you're into this and you missed it or if you didn't miss it, watched it and want to see more of it, then head over to this site where there are some fantastic photos of the eclipse from certain parts of the world. There's one link that will show you a movie of the whole eclipse which looked very dramatic.

From APOD website:

"Completely immersed in Earth's cone-shaped shadow during the total eclipse phase, the lunar surface is still illuminated by sunlight, reddened and refracted into the dark shadow region by a dusty atmosphere."

I Satellite - Cover Songs

Sometime ago I posted about a Chicago based synth artist by the name of I SATELLITE. I was checking out his website recently and noticed he's got page with cover versions of some cool stuff out there. You can download them from his site. The mp3s are towards the bottom of the page.

Songs include:

• Alphaville - Into The Dark
• Alphaville - A Victory of Love
• ABBA - I Am The City
• New Order - Your Silent Face
• Japan - Life In Tokyo (two versions)

I was very impressed with his version of Alphaville's A Victory of Love and New Order's Your Silent Face (a favorite NO song!) He sounds like Marian Gold as well as Bernard Sumner.

Good stuff. You should check it out.

Skinny Puppy - Mythmaker

Over the weekend I got the new Skinny Puppy CD - Mythmaker. I've been listening to it since.

The album begins with signature Ogre's vocoded voice titled "Magnifishit" a great opening track.

The whole album is a great deal of Skinny Puppy coming back in full force. My opinion is that The Greater Wrong of Right though a good release does not have that "we're back" feeling. Whereas Mythmaker is saying "We're really back!" Just hearing that opening track with Ogre's signature vocoder voice put a near smile on my face. I thought "finally" a kick-ass beginning. No slow build-up or anything. At each level, the opening track builds to a good dose of synth sounds echoing in stereophonic pleasure. I started thinking to myself that maybe this is as good as it gets, the next song might disappoint me. But it didn't and I enjoy listening to the entire album. I think Puppy's release Last Rights was the first time they began incorporating more melodic elements into their song and you'll find some of that in Mythmaker as well. I like the melodic beginnings and angry harsh choruses in some of their songs.

I have yet to venture out to all the side projects that Ogre and the rest have been involved with. To date, I have some old releases. One from Download, Cyberaktif, and the single Doubting Thomas.

Grey Gardens - Final

Walter Kerr Theatre - 3/2/07

Some reviewers state the women of Grey Gardens are mentally ill and probably didn't even know that they were being exposed through the Maysles' documentary.

I just think these were two beautiful and talented people who did not get the chance they deserved and lived a secluded life outside of the world. Where inside Grey Gardens, time seemed to have stood still. Where little Edie still sees herself as a little girl who dreams of taking off to her New York career after the age of 56 and big Edie who believes she's never strained her voice and how she should get it back to the way it was when she was in her 40s.


I don't care much for musicals. I can't stand all that singing and dancing "Broadway" style. The lyrics they use are so silly as in this musical, the song "Jerry Likes My Corn" proved to me that I may never see a musical again. The first act killed me with all the exhausting Broadway routine of song and dance. For most people, the first act was a necessary as we had to see just where these women were coming from. How they ended up the way they did. It was interesting only a little bit to me. You first realize how important music is to big Edie. Well, you'd have to be if you had your own live in pianist. A gay one at that, complete with those neck scarves they they all wore at the time. Total poofster, and one that no rich bitch in East Hampton can do without.

Anyway, it was during the second act that shook me to attention. Everything was familiar and I was amazed at how closely the characters resembled both big and little Edie. This is where little Edie becomes the lovable innocent looking after her mother after all these years and never getting the chance to get out and live. It's a little heartbreaking towards the end when she's all packed up to leave Grey Gardens but hears her mother crying for her because she's starving and can't open up the can. She puts everything down and gets back to tend to her mother.

Morning Rain

There are other rain songs out there. But today I thought of this one only because on the way to work, I pass by my JHS and my HS. They were just a few blocks away from each other. So this classic by the Eurythmics is the obvious choice for me.

The video makes me want to take the plane and head on over to Scotland. Great scenery.

Happy Friday, all!!