Comments might work now.

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Coffee on the CounterLet the spam begin.

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Laurie’s Homeland

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Haybales 6 & 75I just discovered that Laurie Anderson has a new CD out, Homeland .

It sounds a lot like a Laurie Anderson album, but with some Tuvan throat singing. There’s been throat singing on Prairie Home Companion, Battlestar Galactica, Xena Warrior Princess, and I’m told The Passion of the Christ. It’s all about the harmonics, which is what Laurie Anderson has often been about. So it’s almost metaphoric.

Oddly, I’ve only just now realized that many of her works are patriotic in nature: United States, Home of the Brave, and now Homeland.

Generally, I prefer her earlier, funny films. By that I mean that while I almost daily quote “O, Superman” or “Let X=X”, later stuff not so much. The Ugly One With The Jewels And Other Stories is awesome, however. She keeps talking about travelling and putting on shows. It’s repetivie and self-referential, kind of like how Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, or If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler keeps starting over in a different place.

There was a DVD included. I was expecting some avante garde film that I wouldn’t understand. Instead, it’s an interview with everyone associated with the recording. I’ve never seen Laurie just sitting there talking before. There always seems to be a smile on her face. But all these other expressions play through too.

I got to feeling like I really knew and understood these people on the video. They seemed reasonable. I could see where they’re coming from. And then I wondered: Is she really talking to me, or is she practicing one of her performance art pieces?

Fair warning, if you voted for President Bush’s reelection, there’s at least one song that may rub you the wrong way. But you’d expect that from someone who actually chooses to live in NYC.

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1 More Reason

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Mushroom RockFirst there was The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Then many years passed. Just recently its sequel was released: The Lost Skeleton Returns Again.

They had practice on their side. This one is even better than the first! Once again, it’s about a rock scientist. And monsters. Unlike the first movie, there are special effects that will actually make you think “I wonder how they did that?” And you’ll be RIGHT!

The original was based on sci-fi movies of the 50s. This one has a wider gamut, to match its bigger budget. There’s a Roger Cormanesque feeling right about the time that the special effects show up.

There’s plenty of character development beyond the last movie, if you don’t mind a swamp full of bitterness biting at you like a bagpipe bag full of mosquitoes with the fan cranked to high. Really. But better than what I’m saying.

These movies are made by a fellow named Larry Blamire. He directs and plays the rock scientist. His real-life wife costars. Her name is Jennifer Blair.  And here’s why you must buy multiple copies of these movies, and pass them out at office parties and baby showers and whatnot. Larry and Jen just had a baby. Specifically Jen did. It’s a boy named Griffin, and he was born 3 weeks early and spent his first days in ICU.

Think of the bills they have to pay! And the saving up for college! Think of all the shoes they must buy for the tyke!!! Do it for the child’s shoes. I beg you.

And then maybe they’ll be able to afford another sequel. Or maybe even a different kind of movie entirely.

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3-Day Weekends

Posted on September 23, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Zoo UngulatesRecently in America, we celebrated Labor Day. Whoa, I hear you say, why don’t you celebrate Labor Day on May 1st, like most everybody else in the world?! It’s because of our 3-day weekends.

Firstly, we Americans don’t celebrate any holiday on the first day of a month as a general rule. Except for New Years Day, which is also the first day of the year, so it gets an exception.

Secondly, May Day is a Communist holiday. Americans don’t celebrate Communist holidays. Moreover, our Labor Day is not celebrating Laborers (which might encourage Communism), but the act of Labor itself. It’s the effort that we commemorate. Work will set us free. Labor is the Truth. That’s why they call it Puritanical.

We used to talk about the “working man” in America. But men aren’t politically correct, and “working person” sounds too impersonal. Instead we talk about American Consumers. Somebody has to get rid of everything our work is producing. We don’t even talk about American Citizens any more. But that’s OK because we do talk about US Stockholders. Sometimes.

So Labor Day celebrates work.  In fact, most US holidays do that. Good old American Ingenuity has placed most holidays on a Monday. Instead of celebrating Martin Luther King’s birthday on his birthday, we celebrate on the 3rd Monday in January. His birthday will actually occur there every 7 years or so.

The ingenious part is that we don’t get holidays on Friday. That would be too much like leaving work early for the week. Instead, we take off Monday, and end up coming in late for work. This encourages us make up our lost time by working extra hard on Tuesday and Wednesday. By Thursday we’re as tired as we usually are on Friday. The Friday after a 3-day weekend is like working overtime on Saturday, except you’re not getting time-and-a-half.

But here is the kicker, the final twist of the knife. On a  normal work-week, it’s 1/2 over at noon on Wednesday. On a holiday week,  the work-week isn’t 1/2 over till the end of business on Wednesday, 1/2 a day later than usual. The week after a holiday seems longer on purpose.

It’s psychological warfare against the communists!

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Buy the Lost Skeleton, he commands you.

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Flutterbyes are Flea to FryI beg of you: buy The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. Get one for yourself. Buy a dozen more. Give them as gifts for the holidays, birthdays, random “I was just thinking of you” times.

It’s a fun movie. It pretends to be a sci-fi B movie from the 1950s. It was made on a shoestring budget. You might not recognize any of the actors. The dialog is fantastic, and incredibly quotable: “I’m a scientist. I don’t believe in anything.” If your grandma walks in while you’re watching it, neither one of you will end up embarrassed.

Since it’s an independent movie, it needs all the help that you can give it. Buy buy buy! You want to see a sequel, don’t you? Well, actually, yes you will want to, once you’ve seen the first one. Don’t argue this with me!

I’m going to bring this up again. You have been warned.

So what movies would you beg someone to buy?

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First Official Post

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Path to FollowHowdy!

This is harder than I’d thought.

I had it all planned out. But everything that I type sounds so pompous.

Maybe over time, it’ll seem less pompous and more trivial!

So, in order to set the precedent of triviality, this post is done. The next trivial one will suggest a movie for your enjoyment.

And there we go.

Lyle

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I Am This Typing

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Lyle Verbilion

Bowl-o-RadishesAnd it goes on forever after that. Or so I’ve been told.

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