PHIL/GEEK/PHIL

Almost 4 years after discovering his drawings on Aimee Mann’s Lost in space cover art, I stumbled upon a Seth graphic novel at Drawn& Quarterly bookstore in Montreal. I was stunned to find it, as I was looking for that artist for a while, never finding anything in other bookstores. Luckily Drawn is his publisher and never run out of copies And he’s Canadian (from ontario) ! I was not expecting that at all.

All that to say that I discovered what may very well be my favorite comic artist since Daniel Clowes. They both have this down-to-earth, pessimistic approach to everyday life, with jolts of tiny happy moments. I totally relate to that way of thought and these comics really speak to me.

I would strongly recommend the one I’m reading now, before even finishing it. It’s called “It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken”. Find it, buy it and thank me later.

So I heard today that George Carlin died.

I had no idea who he was but saw a video of his and I found it pretty funny. So there you go… On my side, I will definetly check out more about this guy. He seems witty and articulate, which is rare in comedy these days.

9 years ago, I was shopping at a virgin megastore and I did my yearly routine of randomly selecting one dvd and one cd from a bin and buying them. That year, I picked the Fiona Apple CD (now one of my favorite artists) and the magnolia dvd (arguably my favorite film ever). I guess, as magnolia points out fabulously :  “This cannot be a matter of chance : strange things happen all the time”.

Note : how I managed to pick  up these two and adore them is already quite coincidental. But what do you say about the fact that Fiona Apple and Paul Thomas Anderson (the director) were dating at that time. Freaky !!!

What a masterpiece of cinema that film. First of all, the script is smart, witty and so layered it would make your head spin. And I’m not talking about the obvious layering of the parallel stories. It goes way beyond this and avoids the stupid “lives colliding” cliché by making the stories connected on deeper levels than crossing each other on the street. The pace is a monster of a success and goes from intense, high-paced segments to moving monologues without ever failing to generate some strong, genuine emotion in you.

The acting is top notch, from everyone involved. I’d have to give a special nod to Tom Cruise whose performance in this is so good it almost makes you forget about all the stupidity surrounding that guy. Also notable are, well, everyone else in this film !

The cinematography  is consistently georgous, the camera work is complex and grandiose. The camera follows the feelings and reaches down in your gut like a sharp knife. It plays a big part in why this film is so good and if the treatment was any different, the film would fail.

And lastly, the songs ! Ahhh, the songs ! Aimee Mann has long been one of my favorite songwriters because she just nails the human condition so well. She just knows how to describe the lives of people who are in constant sorrow but have peaks of ephemerous happiness that make life so perfectly liveable. The fact that magnolia is written based on her songs (and not the other way around) is a testimony to a wonderful artist. Oh, and did I mention the fabulous score by Jon Brion ?

All around, the film is perfectly crafted but doesn’t lack its faults. But who care about faults when the whole is so enjoyable.

I’m going to go ahead and say it :  Paul Thomas Anderson is the best director on the contemporary scene. Don’t agree with me ? write your own blog!

Philip glass is a major inflence of mine and I thought I would share a few pieces of his that I love.

Note : These next few ones are all written for strings. not that I don’t enjoy his piano work, but I didn’t want to post pieces from all over his catalog.

1. String Quartet No. 5 – third movement (performed by Kronos Quartet)

2. Symphony #3, movement 2 (performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra)

3. Symphony #3, movement 3 (performed by the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra)

Ok, so somewhere in this world, someone had a lot of time on his hands and created one of the best covers I’ve heard in a while.

This guys took a bunch of electronics and recreated the music of Radiohead’s “Nude” and created something catchy, interesting, and beyond weird.

Check it out for yourself

I’ve been an aimee fan since 1998 and she has a lot to do with me actually listening to music beyond radio pop. So I will eternally be greatful to her. I guess it sounds like I’m getting ready to bash her latest album, @#%&*! Smilers. but I’m not !

I absolutely loved it ! It’s so quintessentially Mann and so surprising at the same time. What a great balance of expectedness and freshness. Not to mention that these are her best, most intelligent lyrics in a long while. In this outing, she really abandons the electric guitar for a more acoustic-meets-synths approach, which she started to explore on Lost in Space. But it’s all so subtle, so well-dosed that the whole album feels light, and smart.

I have to say the 2nd part of the album is by far the best and most interesting so you may want to stick around coz the album builds momentum in the most peculiar ways.

Standout tracks on the album are :The great Beyond (written for Artic Tale, the penguin movie hehe), Little Tornado, Ballantines (a duet with Sean Hayes — Jack of Will and Grace) and the awesomly catchy single Freeway

Note : I have to mention how delightful the artwork for the album is. It’s truly the best I’ve seen in a long while.

Here’s Little Tornado

Radiohead covering Portishead. Am I in heaven ?

This is supposedly a true story.
I don’t believe it, but I thought I would post it because I liked it.

A White woman, about 50 years old, was seated next to a Black man. Obviously disturbed by this, she called the air Hostess. “Madam, what is the matter,” the Hostess asked. “You obviously do not see it then?” she responded. “You placed me next to a Black man. I do not agree to sit next to someone from such a repugnant group. Give me an alternative seat.” “Be calm please, the Hostess replied. “Almost all the seats on this flight are taken. I will go to see if another seat is available.” The Hostess went away and came back a few minutes later. “Madam, just as I thought, there are no other available seats in Economy class. I spoke to the Captain and he informed me that there are also no seats in the Business class. All the same, we still have one seat in First class.” Before the woman could reply, the Hostess continued: “It is unusual for our company to permit someone from Economy class to sit in First class. However, given the circumstances, the Captain feels that it would be scandalous to make someone sit next to someone so disgusting.” She turned to the Black man and said, “Therefore, Sir, if you would like to, please collect your hand luggage, a seat awaits you in First class.” At that moment, the other passengers who were shocked by what they had just witnessed stood up and applauded…

A little nod to Obama for his nomination (and this sexy baywatch shot)

Why do I care ? I’m not American.
Do I really have to be American to care ? I don’t think so!
Most americans don’t care. But since Obama came along, more of them pay attention and are pro-active about politics. And for that only, I salute his campaign efforts. It’s about time the American people stand up and take some control.

Watching his speach last night gave me hope for the future of international relations. Yes, I know, these are campain speeches, but it was really a relief to see that the potential future president of the world’s foremost superpower has the charisma to convince me. That’s really something important. His nation will be able to look up to him and be conforted.

Congrats Mr Obama.

Now, tell us, are you a closet muslim terrorist like the republicans paint you? hahaha American politics are fascinating in that they are as interesting as they are ridiculous ?