Update

The links have been update. In addition to the Alfred Hitchcok links, I've added a link to Textism and Philsophy. Both are blogs of sorts. I haven't really explored the latter, but it seems interesting. I came across the former last night while not doing my paper that was due today. The reason I've posted a link to it is because it has a very nice overview of the 20 excellent type faces/fonts.

Life is good. School is nearing its end for the year. Two more weeks, then exams and then I'm done.

Dyl is heading to Oman, and then perhaps to Madagascar.

Hope all of you are doing well.

A Contrast

I had a most wonderful film class this afternoon. We began with a very animated discussion of an article by Arlette Farge about the relationshp between History, film, the subject, and history. From there we moved onto a general discussion of the New Wave. We'd all read an article by Antoine deBaeque that situates the New Wave in a very specific historical context, 1957-1962. As part of this dicussion we watched a few excerpts from some classic new wave films. Most notably, we watched a wonderful scene from Godard's "Band of Outsiders". The scene begins with the three main characteris seated at a table in a brasserie. They are having a conversation that is at once mundane and profoundly philosopical. At some point, the conversation moves into a discussion of silence and then, whoopp!, all of the sudden the sound dissapears, and we the viewers enjoy a 'minute' (actually around 40 seconds I think) of silence. Dialogue, and sound, then return with an invitation by one of the three to dance. A very cheerful, upbeat, dance routine then begins. At some point however, all the onscreen sound stops, and we hear Godard's (off-screen) voice narrating what's going on between the characters. It then returns to dancing, then to Godard, then dancing, till the scene ends. I couldn't stop tapping my fingers and humming for quite a while after we'd stopped watching. The song the dance to is great (I'll have to look it up). The reason this post is titled contrast is because after this jovial movie watching experience, we quickly finished the discussion and the prof screened Alain Renais' "Nuit et Brouillard" (Night and Fog) for us. I don't want to hasard a description of this film. It is a very well done documentary of the Holocaust. Very painful. Very sad.

Maynard Loves his Wine

It's not often that I find my different interests crossing paths in this way. A recent article on the Winespectator website details Tool singer, Maynard James Keenan's passion for wine. I can't say that the article is particularly interesting (though you should check it out for the picture of Maynard), either from a musical perspective, or a wine perspective. It's one of those human interest stories that doesn't really say much of anything, at least in and of itself. There is perhaps something interesting in watching the counter-cultural become not quite so counter. But I don't think it's really that big a surprise. We all remember Zack and his Ford explorer don't we. Well, Maynard is the proud owner of near complete verticals of Grange, and in his own words, "A page and half of Sassicaia [very good, very well known, Italian Cab Sauv with a little Cab Franc] on one wine list is enough to make my heart stop." Now I quite agree with his sentiment, and I would be most delighted to have verticals of Grange in my cellar. But it just goes to show you how rare trully revolutionary discourse really is. I guess I should add that I don't think Tool has ever really sold themself on more than their particular aesthetic (unlike RATM). So I don't begrudge Maynard his wine. It's just funny to see how he and Tool get presented to the public and, in turn, how the public chooses to receive them.

Friday Night

It's Friday night down here in the United States of the Americas. What the hell is that? Isn't Canada a part of the Americas? How 'bout all those South American countries? God damn american hegemony!

I'm too tipsy to be talking about politics. Spearhead is currently playing. I'm in the middle of a radio show. I'd like to say the crowd is bumpin' in front of me, but alas, that is not the case. It has been, but not tonight. There seems to be something going on in the SU that is more enticing than my music. What has this world come to. We're now moving to the "Seed 2.0"; just a little soundtrack update.

This week has been good. Uneventful, but interesting. My lit theory class has moved on to Marxism. Thus far, we've been looking more at it as cultural theory/critical theory, though I guess the two are in many ways inseperable from lit theory. Marxism seems to make the point, or at least maintain the hope, that there could be something better. Modern day capitalism on the other hand, views us humans as inherently self-interested; sadly, it seems to have proven a more accurate description of reality, but perhaps that is just because it has dominated the discussion. Aha, the Marxist conceit. Ahhhh! somehow my not so sober mind made it back to politics, and I haven't even been very eloquent.

I'm drinking bourbon. That's about the extent of my life at this present moment. Ohh, I'm also listening to MC Solaire.

But I think this is enough for now. I hope all of you are having as much fun as I am.