Are You Gonna Pay Your Citibank Bill This Month?

Are you gonna pay your Citibank bill this month?

A. Yes. I never miss a payment. Every month I send in my check, making sure to dab a small blot of my own fecal matter in the memo line.

B. Yes, it's perfectly justified that I'm being charged a 33% APR while they get $20 billion in free money.

C. I don't have any food, clothing or shelter. So no, I might go with the late charge this month.

D. Why start now? Oh my God, did I cause this?!

E. Since Citigroup laid me off last week, no, I don't think I'll be able to get them their monthly minimum just now. But congrats on the $20B guys!


POLL COURTESY OF 236.COM

(Of Course, Citi is not the bank giving me hassles, but hey, if it can happen to THEM, there is hope that it will happen to Capital One... may they all burn in hell. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.)

A Masterpiece?

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is not the movie the trailers would have you believe. Described by some marketing department somewhere as a cowboy tale of obsession, revenge and betrayal, this film has those elements of course, but is so much more beautiful and poetic and deeply serious and thoughtful than any trailer could possibly try to encapsulate.

The cinematography is unbelievable (the bizzare lensing that gives the distorted depth of field and rainbow-like visual artifacts is a beautiful, artistic sight to behold) the acting pitch perfect, the narration intelligent and thoughtful as it is sparse and poetic, the score (by Nick Cave!) haunting, piercing and deeply resonant, I simply could not look away from this movie. It is LONG. It is ponderous. it is morally ambiguous. It is documentary. It is drama. It is the movie I would like to think I would make if I made a movie on my own.*

Every year I keep my eyes peeled for one film that defies my preconcieved expectations... I think Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" was the last time I have been so wrong about a film before actually seeing it. No Country For Old Men (although I had issues with it immediately after my first viewing) haunted my thoughts and dreams obsessively for the 3 months following. And I think I have this year's winner (although the year isn't over yet!).

This movie is definitely NOT for everyone. Hell, it's probably not even for MOST people. (Alicia fell asleep before the opening title sequence, and didn't even blink her eyes open until the closing credits) but my imagination was completely absorbed.

I cannot possibly reccomend this movie more for those cinefiles out there (you know who you are!) It's NOT Deadwood. It's NOT the Unforgiven. It's NOT Tombstone. It MIGHT be a masterpiece.





* (funny enough, it was given to me by a client/friend who is starting work on a new doc about Wyatt Earp, and wants to involve me not only in the design of the doc, but on visual/art direction for principal photography as well, and she told me to check this out and we'll have lots to talk about... fingers crossed if they want to go down such a creative route as this for OUR doc! talk about an opportunity!)

Like Reviewing a Unicorn...

Chuck Klosterman Reviews "Chinese Democracy"

An amazingly good read for such a monumentously long-awaited album opus 15 years in the making.

It's an intelligent and thoughtful review that is blisteringly funny and smart and empathetic and told from a true rock fan (and GnR fan's) point of view...

some particulary good lines:

"A song like "Shackler's Revenge" is initially average, until you get to the solo—then it becomes the sonic equivalent of a Russian robot wrestling a reticulating python. "

"What finally made him decide, "You know, I've weighed all my options and all their potential consequences, and I'm going with the Mexican vampire accent. This is the vision I will embrace. But only on that one line! The rest of it will just be sung like a non-dead human." Often, I don't even care if his choices work or if they fail. I just want to know what Rose hoped they would do."

"Sometimes listening to this album feels like watching the final five minutes of the Sopranos finale. There's no acceptable answer to these types of hypotheticals."

read his whole review, and see what he gave it (I completely agree, by the way!)

Cooper (re)Union

This Saturday was my 10 year college reunion of the little school in the Village nobody's heard of. All in all it was a good time. Turnout was just about as low as I expected it to be (after all, Cooper Students are not really known for their common courtesies, much less actual friendship or bonding.) It was a solitary school experience, so having maybe 5 of the art students show up is I guess par for the course.

Any chance to see Theo is always fun (although I see him all the time... no need for a reunion) and of course I was excited to see Heather and Catherine and Eric and Shaun, as well as some engineer friends (Felicia, Sanjeevanee) and was disappointed that Grace (whom I spoke to last year) and Rob and Mark were MIA. Oh well, I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

First there was a non-tour of the new academic building being erected in the footprint of the old Hewitt Building. I say non-tour because it was ludicrously uneventful. We walked inside the construction about 10 feet... stood there while the guy told us nothing, then asked if we had any QUESTIONS about the nothing he just told us, then we walked outside to the street and around the building... I could have just done that on my own (as a matter of fact, I DID do that entirely on my own a few months ago!!!)

Then we stood around (outside in the frigid element, no less) for about 2.5 hours while we waited for the actual reunion to sart, down the street at a little bar called Sophe's. Most people who WERE there just grumbled and left.

Once we hit Sophe's the atmospphere picked up alot. More people showed up for the evening event, and once the beer was flowing it all loosened up alot. Most people didn't recognize me at first (a fact I braced myself for a few moths ago) but Catherine didn't reconize me at ALL, actually ignoring me a bit while I tried to say "hi" to her 3 times, then doing a double take, freaked out and laughed and jumped on me with a giant hug (nearly knocked me over) when she realized who I was!!!

Heather walking in, and across the room, didn't recognize me, but saw me standing at the bar rapidly shaking my leg in the nervous way I always have, and she came over cautiously until she saw it was in fact me, then just lit up like a Christmas Tree with smiles and hugs.

We all mingled for a while, then as the evening wore on we broke out for dinner with Theo, Heather and Patrick, and Alicia. It was nice to actually sit and talk and catch up (although I feel like I drank too much to actually talk clearly)...

After dinner, it was back to Upstate NY for Heather and Patrick, back to Park Slope for Theo, and back home for Alicia and I. I regret not keeping more in touch over the past 10 years, but it sure was nice to actually see these folks and I am glad to hear how well most of them are doing in their respective careers and lives.

And to all of those who DIDN'T show? That's ok... we just talked shit about you anyway...

Well, see you in 10 more years I guess!

Download: Beach Boys: Be True To Your School

Download: Foo Fighters: (How good it is to) See You

Download: The Hold Steady: Certain Songs

Download: John Mellencamp: Jack and Diane

Download: Hole: Rock Star

Download: Mike Ness: Don't Think Twice (Dylan)

enjoy.

Spiders! Spiders!

Download: Wilco: TheSpiders (Kidsmoke)

This Wilco song has one of my favorite guitars of all time, bar none. It's a long one, and takes some time to build, but once it does, it sure does burn! I hope you enjoy!

Analog to Digital Television Conversion PSA

As you all may (or may not) know, come Feb. 2009, all older, analog televisions need to be upgraded to digital in order to continue to receive picture. Here is a video guide to help you with the transition.

Enjoy. (I just about cried!)

We went to bed early last night... what did we miss?

We went to bed early last night... what did we miss?


(joke courtesy of 23/6)

a righteous wind

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come senators, congressmen
Please heed the call
Don't stand in the doorway
Don't block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There's a battle outside
And it is ragin'
It'll soon shake your windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'.

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'.


Download: Eddie Vedder: The Times (They are A Changin')(B.Dylan)

Download: Edddie Vedder: I Am A Patriot (Little Steven)

Download: Edddie Vedder: I Won't back Down (T.Petty)

enough said.