James Baldwin: Celebrating the 90th Anniversary of his Birth!

2014 marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of the great American writer James Baldwin (1924-1987), a major figure whose works spanned novels, essays, poems, and plays. He conveyed a sense of finely tuned rage at the ubiquitous racism in America in his essays (The Fire Next Time), wrote a memorable novel about the experiences of a gay expatriate in Paris (Giovanni’s Room), another about 1950s Greenwich Village hipsters (Another Country), and was a renowned public intellectual and spokesperson for the Civil Rights Movement. Reading his work for me I remember as a kind of rite of passage as his work particularly speaks to the anger, confusion, and questions of identity so characteristic of youth, but I believe his poetic resonance crosses time as well. He was a major influence on other writers, including Toni Morrison, and was a friend of such seemingly disparate figures as Miles Davis and Marlon Brando. Perhaps the fact that he lived most of his later years in France has diffused his legacy and status in America, but I was very pleased to read that several New York cultural institutions are celebrating his work with events throughout the course of the year. You can read an article covering this in The Brooklyn Rail, 7 life lessons from Baldwin’s Paris Review interview at BreakingBrown.com, and for a fascinating full-length documentary screened on US public television a number of years ago you can watch James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket.

Reposted from Hyperallergic: The Last Gasps of Rizzoli Bookstore

I found reading the following post from the site Hyperallergic: Sensitive to Art and its Discontents really both frustrating because of the plight of bookshops in recent years, but reassuring in that the folk who staff, shop in, and even just hang around in such important repositories of cultural lore are protesting, and also writing such lively responses, even though it seems (not even) a pyrrhic victory for the staff to swill champagne bought by the corporate beast on the final night of Rizzoli books' existence and toast their malfeasance, as Samuel Cooper writes here: "Cathartic. But ineffective. Evil wins again."

Jarvis Cocker's "Journeys Into the Outside" TV series

Musician Jarvis Cocker (most famous as the frontman for the British band Pulp) conducted some mightily enjoyable road trips through some major sites of self-taught so-called "outsider art" for UK television in 1998. The three-part series was originally broadcast on Channel 4 (where I originally saw it), but then it wasn't subsequently widely distributed. It's filled with tons of magical mosaic gardens and roadside religious propaganda as you might expect but it's very charming to see Cocker attempt to befriend and discover more about all manner of eccentric and visionary folk, whose works defy most generally accepted aesthetic norms and get down to the business of being totally weird.

Big Congratulations to the Loomio Team!!!

Big congratulations to the Loomio team, who have met their Crowdfunding target goal + now being 106% funded hours in advance of the end of their campaign! And big thanks to their many generous supporters! If you're reading this now, and still want to participate in this worthy venture, some great things available for donors including obtaining the software early, limited edition artworks, technical support, etc. You can still contribute at https://love.loomio.org/real-democracy-needs-to-include-everyone and find out more about Loomio at https://www.loomio.org/

Two more days to crowdfund Loomio 1.0!!!

I often get way too disenchanted and glum about the potential of social action to effect actual positive change, even though there are countless historic and recent examples in which this has been very much the case. Most often this has involved some form of generative collective dialogue, whether virtual or face to face, or some mixture of both. And there is a vital instance close to home here in Wellington of a collective attempt to address the notion of facilitating social action and related decision-making processes via the ongoing development of a free open source software program called Loomio. The team behind Loomio is a highly engaged and ambitious bunch currently nearing the end of a crowdfunding campaign prior to the launch of Loomio 1.0. The Beta version of the software has already been in use successfully across the globe by a variety of different types of organizations. Thereby, the technological capabilities of a versatile social networking-style interface meet the idealistic, spirited ethos reminiscent of the Occupy movement. Here are a few videos from Loomio’s informative website: a TEDx talk by Loomio founding member Ben Knight, a short overview on how it works, and a clip discussing the crowdfunding campaign, which is has only TWO MORE DAYS to go and is getting very close to achieving their $100,000 goal but may not without your help! Again, for more info and to support their efforts check out: https://www.loomio.org/

Two Lou Reed Documentaries

“If you play the albums chronologically they cover the growth of us as people from here to there, and in there is a tale for everybody in case they want to know what they can do to survive the scenes. If you line the songs up and play them, you should be able to relate and not feel alone - I think it’s important that people don’t feel alone.”

Lou Reed on the Velvet Underground

It keeps floating in and out of the interwebs but the 1998 documentary on Lou Reed entitled Rock and Roll Heart is well worth watching if you haven't (or have!) already. Informative, rich in archival footage, and comparatively concise given the breadth and general eclectic weirdness of old Lou's career. And late last year, in commemoration of Reed's death, the BBC screened a new documentary Lou Reed Remembered largely comprising a montage of clips featuring many of the musician's former collaborators, friends, and those he influenced, including: Paul Auster, Lenny Kaye, Moe Tucker, Boy George, Holly Woodlawn, Mick Rock, Bob Ezrin, and Thurston Moore.

The National: Mistaken for Strangers documentary

I've never been a huge fan of the indie band The National. That said, I purchased their critically acclaimed CD The Boxer some years back and was fortunate to see them play at NY's Radio City Music Hall in 2010. They are a hardworking, well-oiled band that has paid their dues but their now-patented sound becomes a tad predictable. I prefer my middle aged white melancholia from folks like Will Oldham, Wilco, or Mark Lanegan. Notwithstanding the above, I was utterly fascinated by the 2013 documentary Mistaken for Strangers directed by National frontman/singer Matt Berninger's brother Tom, who followed the band on tour for several months, having been hired for an ill-fated stint as one of their roadies. During that time, Berninger, described by his brother Matt as "a metalhead who thinks that indie rock is pretentious bullshit" collected a brilliant amalgam of footage from his handheld video camera. Although the ostensible subject of the documentary is the National, Tom Berninger takes center stage, a bumbling and loveably unprofessional charmer who leads us through the backstage worlds of medium level pop stardom while remaining grounded in reality with his absentmindedness, drunkenness, and amiable commentary. Family tensions and interpersonal relations are highlighted in due course rather than any glimpses of rock and roll debauchery. The National are no Led Zeppelin or Rolling Stones on that end, largely seeming pretty well-balanced, calm, and yeah, kind of boring! Given that, this film is a terrific small indie and a must watch. You can watch the trailer above, an interview with Matt and Tom Berninger here, and if in NZ a big shout out to AroVideo good stockists of fringey cinematic surprises like this one.

Lux and Ivy of The Cramps interviewed c. 1990

Here's a vintage, and utterly wonderful interview from the 1990s with Lux Interior and Ivy Rorschach of The Cramps. Dig Lux's beautiful outfit and pearl necklace! The lovely rock and roll duo charm their way through some typical chat show questions, riddled with a bit of Letterman-esque irony. You figure this was buried in local late night tv (Lux mentions fans masturbating in the front row in Europe, while in the US critics scribble away--entirely different modes of response!) Lux and Ivy seemed always gracious and calm in interview settings, leaving all the pathos and angst for the proscenium. Thanks so much for bringing this one to light, Conrad Holt!

Art of Punk: The Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, and Crass

The Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles posted three nice short documentaries on "The Art of Punk" on their YouTube channel awhile back. Here i"m reposting them, as they are pretty informative and great fun, especially if you have interest in the graphic wherewithal that often helps propel high octane noise. "Winston Smith" the extraordinary collagist who designed both the Dead Kennedys simple but memorable logo and their fantastic album covers discusses his work (along with input from Jello Biafra and others). Black Flag's close association with Raymond Pettibon, who drew the flyers and album cover art (for SST, one-time house label for so many US punk bands) that helped set them apart from their contemporaries is elucidated. And lastly, the collages, graphics, and prankish interventions of Dave King and Gee Vaucher for the band/collective Crass are given pride of place.

The Returned/Les Revenants

From watching the first four episodes of the French television series Les Revenants ("The Returned") I would recommend it as a must see if you are seeking creepy atmospheric tele-candy. Premise being that a number of deceased members of a small mountain community return, for all intents and purposes in pretty good shape, ie not zombified, a few years after their exit from this mortal coil. Of course all kinds of terrible crap unfolds from there. The town in question is jarringly contemporary, seemingly with surveillance cameras everywhere, and no one out in the streets very often excepting (wouldn't you know it?) a serial killer. And the water in the local reservoir keeps going down, down, down. Eerie music, strong performances, beautiful cinematography, and weirdo dialogue make for a very intriguing viewing experience. If in NZ you can hire the first series from the friendly folks down at AroVideo. (Trailer below)