Old Brazen Face invokes the Lady of Stars

Old Brazen Face invokes the Lady of Stars.
invokes the Lady of Stars.
Lady of Stars.
oo

Saturday, February 20, 2010

My Favorite 100 Films at 32

Heres my list. There's many good films left off and some I've merely forgotten. But this is a good list for my favorite films at 32 years of age. Please comment with recommendations.

100. Wild At Heart-Lynch
99. What's Eating Gilbert Grape-Hallstrom
98. The Beales of Grey Gardens-Maysles Brothers
97. Burden of Dreams-Blanks
96. Danton-Wajda
95. Don't Look Back-Pennebaker
94. Simon of the Desert-Bunuel
93. Harakiri-Kobayashi
92. Werchmeister Harmonies-Tarr
91. Howl's Moving Castle-Miyazaki
90. School of Rock-Linklater
89. Raising Arizona-Cohen
88. Blow Up-Antonioni
87. Mademoiselle-Richardson
86. How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman-dos Santos
85. Lucifer Rising-Anger
84. Cleo from 5 to 7-Varda
83. Fando y Lis-Jodorowski
82. Heartworn Highways-Szalapski
81. Raging Bull-Scorsese
80. Before Night Falls-Schnabel
79. The General-Keaton
78. 8 1/2-Felini
77. Rushmore-Anderson
76. Blue Velvet-Lynch
75. There Will Be Blood-Anderson
74. Paris Texas-Wenders
73. Masculine Feminine-Godard
72. Hiroshima Mon Amour-Resnais
71. Mala Noche-Van Sant
70. The Elephant Man-Lynch
69. Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia-Peckinpah
68. Dr. Strangelove-Kubrick
67. The Thin Red Line-Malick
66. Band of Outsiders-Godard
65. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas-Gilliam
64. Aguire Wrath of God-Herzog
63. Persona-Bergman
62. Down By Law-Jarmusch
61. Jesus' Son-Maclean
60. La Strada-Felini
59. Seven Samurai-Kirusawa
58. L'Age D'Or-Bunuel
57. The Gleaners and I-Varda
56. The Last Wave-Wier
55. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou-Anderson
54. Empire of Passion-Oshima
53. Gummo-Korine
52. Blood Wedding-Suara
51. Edward Sissorhands-Burton
50. Veronica Voss-Fassbinder
49. Brand Upon the Brain-Maddin
48. Brazil-Gilliam
47. Haxan-Christenson
46. McCabe and Mrs. Miller-Altman
45. This is Spinal Tap-Reiner
44. My Own Private Idaho-Van Sant
43. Stalker-Tarkovsky
42. Alphaville-Godard
41. Pat Garret and Billy the Kid-Peckinpah
40. Breathless-Godard
39. F is for Fake-Welles
38. Satantango-Tarr
37. 3 Women-Altman
36. Sweet Movie-Makavejev
35. Dead Man-Jarmusch
34. Quest for Fire-Annaud
33. The Marriage of Maria Bruan-Fassbinder
32. The Big Lebowski-Cohen
31. Spirit of the Beehive-Erice
30. The Exterminating Angel-Bunuel
29. The Mirror-Tarkovsky
28. General Idi Amin Dada-Schroeder
27. Fitzcarraldo-Herzog
26. The Limits of Control-Jarmusch
25. Passion of Joan of Arc-Dryer
24. La Vallee-Schroeder
23. Eraserhead-Lynch
22. Le Jetee-Marker
21. Solaris-Tarkovsky
20. Ali Fear Eats the Soul-Fassbinder
19. Andre Rublev-Tarkovsky
18. The Badlands-Malick
17. Weekend-Godard
16. Bottlerocket-Anderson
15. The Sacrifice-Tarkovsky
14. Synechdoche New York-Kaufman
13. Stroszek-Herzog
12. The Double Life of Veronique-Kieslowski
11. El Topo-Jodorowski
10. Shoot the Piano Player-Truffaut
9. My Life to Live-Godard
8. Jules and Jim-Truffaut
7. Holy Mountain-Jodorowky
6. The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner-Herzog
5. Pierrot Le Fou-Godard
4. Vagabond-Varda
3. 400 Blows-Truffaut
2. San Soleil-Marker
1. Inland Empire-Lynch




DEATH
LOVE
LYNCH

Friday, February 12, 2010

Psychedelic Mix----"Pyramid Texts"



I've been making mix cds for my wife for years. While listening to The Velvet Underground song "Ocean," I thought to myself, "well this would sure make a good first song on a psychedelic mix for Heather!" This is the mix I made her, with notes on each song.

1. OCEAN-The Velvet Underground
The whole song is great but it is one of the best vocal tracks ever by one of the most powerful vocalists ever. Lou Reed knows when to talk, when to sing and when to shout. I love when he chants "Here come the waves!" toward the end of the track. That song must be about heroin. Right?

2. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE BEFORE-Roky Erickson
My new favorite musician. He's from Austin and was the singer for The 13th Floor Elevators (great band name) that was popular in the 60's. Their tune "You are gonna miss me," begins the movie High Fidelity which we re-watched recently. There's a good documentary about Roky you can get from Netflix too.

3. MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON-The Grateful Dead
I love the Grateful Dead. I would bet that most of my friends do not. This is a great acoustic psychedelic song . Hi Ho the Carrion Crow Folderolderiddle!

4. THE RED TELEPHONE-Love
I first heard this song in the film Taking Woodstock. Its cute and weird.

5. LITTLE WHEEL SPIN AND SPIN-Buffy Saint-Marie
Another folky one. I almost put her cover of Leonard Cohen's "God is Alive."

6. THE RED QUEEN-Pink Floyd
I liked the Alice in Wonderland (one of my favorite books) theme to this song and that its from the film Zabriski Point by Antonioni. I still haven't seen that movie.

7. SEMI GREY CHORUS-Pregnant
By one of my good friends Daniel. A very psychedelic guy. He has a very psychedelic partner too in Jocelyn of Alak. Most psychedelic couple?

8. BIG EYED BEANS FROM VENUS-Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band
Heather doesn't really like the Captain but I put it on there anyway. I did recently find her enjoying his song My Head is My Only House Unless it Rains. Anyhow, I love this song and thought she would like its humor. "Men let your wallets flog out/ and women open up your purses/Because a man or a woman without a big eyed bean from venus/Is sufferin' from the worstes' of curses. I also like the line "Earth people around the circle."

9. I'M SET FREE-The Velvet Underground
I beautiful song that's not very psychedelic but I know Heather loves it.

10. WITCH MOUNTAIN BRIDGE-Stephen Malkamus and the Jicks

11. 1983 (A MERMAN I SHALL TURN TO BE)-Jimi Hendrix
Great guitar riff and merman lyrics.


12. KINGS CROSSING-Elliot Smith
Intense song.


13. SANTA FE-Bob Dylan and the Band
Old Weird era Dylan from the Basement Tapes out-takes. I think he's making this song up on the spot.


14. HOMECOMING QUEEN-Sparklehorse
This song gives a little shout-out to Andre Breton and the Surrealists via the "Ramblin on magnetic fields" line. The French Surrealist movement being some kind of precursor to the whole psychedelic movement in Rock n Roll. Interestingly, the Surrealists hated Rock n Roll. But they hated a lot of things.


15. RIDE INTO THE SUN-The Velvet Underground
It's hard to live in the city. So true.

Roky Erickson flyer.

A painting by Don Van Vliet.


I'm already planning another similar mix cd for Heather that should feature music by Alak, David Lynch, 13th Floor Elevators, the Beatles, Hexlove and others. Heather says there's a resurgence in psychedelia around our household. We got a nice Paul Klee print and sometimes things get a little strange around here. I recently watched a documentary about the history of the movement. They had famous rock stars trying to define the word psychedelic. I won't try. Also, the Pyramid Texts are hieroglyphics found on ancient tombs in Egypt. They are the oldest known sacred writings.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Maelstrom's Heart-Cutups and Rorschachs





BREATH THE VERY BREATH By Ernest Hemingway

From time to time
Since the Beginning of time
more and more.

Three things, without which man could not live
WATER-WATER-WATER
Yes! yes!


Untitled

He points to a sky
Bolbous, golden flowers
"Things were out of whack,"
spiders-everywhere spiders
like seashells on black sand.
The ground was black and the woods were
magical to the Apache who used to drink here.


All dreams are Triggered by radar Joan
John completed this dream in his diary as followed:
Prince Phillip, pretend you're doing the Twist!
It was wonderful watching her impersonate a hooker.

The desert starts to bloom.

Pussycats and fascinating women
and Jean Harlow end up together in Hell.

Do you folks realize you're on a milk train?


THE HOUNDS OF HELL
High in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming in a cloud of bad. A low-slung pistol more truly sexy to the tip of the wing. Hostile cities with monster battering rams mounted on wheels we need for our health. You killed yourself with a heart attack, it was the "right" whale to kill.

The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves...

The batlike manta ray is one of the most frightening-looking of the bottom of the sea, powerful fins for swimming. Our way to Magic Mountain the ocean is also home.



Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Band History-Pt 1-Seabirds Castaway Heart



This band started in summer of 2005 when Scott Sowa asked Darin Spring (then Darin Coelho) to form an opening band for a show at the Cozmic Cafe. Labeled as Loomfixer and Friends, it featured Justin Haney on drums and bass, Jacob Mingle on guitar and vocals, Scott Sowa on vocals, guitar and drums, Ruebi Lynn Freya on banjo, guitar and vocals, Adie Beatty on keyboards and vocals and Darin Coelho on guitar, banjo and vocals.
We had a lot of fun rehearsing at Scott's old house by the American River. We drank Miller Highlife mostly and recorded one practice that I still listen too from time to time. Justin's drumbeat on Adie's song "Ghost Town" is truly amazing.
That first show at the Cozmic we opened for Scott's other band San Similar. Our second or third show we ended up opening for one of my favorite musicians ever, Karl Blau. I think we played twice at the Cozmic, once at Luna's Cafe, once at the N St house and our final show was again at the Cozmic but only Scott, Jacob and I made that one.

































The band's name came from a word game that Jacob, Adie and I were playing. Some of us liked that name a lot. Others, not so much.

Songs I remember playing; Clifford Lee and Banjo on Fire by Ruebi, True Love by Scott, Thoughts and Gods by Jacob, Ghost Towns and Holy Ghost by Adie and she also covered the Daniel Dale Johnson song The Sun Shines Down on Me. We also played some of my songs. The Fish Can Sing and Hell is a Place among them.

All of us still play music thankfully. I'm playing a show with Ruebi this Saturday and a in a band with Jacob still. I also play in Adie's band Coal Beautiere sometimes. Justin plays in The Pretty Littles, Los Webelos and Soft Devil. Scott still has San Similar playing sold out shows from time to time and Jacob does Treesus and other bands featured in Parts 2 and 3 of this blog.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

HOPE


In the eternal struggle of darkness and light, good and evil, this and that; I am rooting for the underdog.