Recently, Robbie Cobb and I teamed up on a creative challenge for AAF Greenville's call for entries poster for the 2008 Addy Awards. The theme for this year is "REVOLUTION" -
Revolt –
Copy: You may have noticed that the period here is blank. If you haven't figured it out, this is where your work would go - right inside this blank space. That is to say that of all these great ads throughout the history of advertising, yours would be at the forefront of them all. Your ad is the next greatest idea (for real). So get off your ass and lead the revolution, because it's here and happening with or without you. Chug your coffee, grab your pens, pencils, and brainstorming buddies, and blow out that copy until your heart's content (even if it's just a smidge too much.)
Propaganda –
My God, Your Work is Revolting! -
Copy: Have you ever heard the phrase, “you’re only as good as your work?”
Well, if you haven’t you should take heed because it’s true. As soon as your company name drops, you’re being judged based on the quality of the work it produces. So, is what you’re doing smart? Is it revolutionary? Are you turning heads or turning stomachs?
Let’s see how you measure up.
Revolution -
We will find out if one of our posters were chosen sometime next month, so for now we're keeping our fingers crossed. Feel free to cast your vote for your favorite.
I like our apartment. It's a loft that was converted from a mill that was built in the late 1800s. It's got a lot of character, and aesthetically I've always really enjoyed living there. The thing is - people feel somehow privileged to live in an old mill, and a result of this privileged feeling is snobbery. Since I've lived in this building, I have not really gotten to know anyone else who lives there. I've had a few odd brushes with neighbors, but not much more.
The thing is, I want more connection with my neighbor. I actually think about it. Long for it.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sure the people in my building are great people. It's just that getting to know the people who live around you isn't exactly fashionable anymore. After all, with the creation of Facebook and Myspace, who really needs to get out anymore?
I'm trying, though.
I baked my neighbors cookies once. I stood outside their door with a piece of cheap Tupperware filled with organic sugar cookies. I rang the doorbell and waited. I felt like I was waiting for the execution squad to show up. Like I'm tied to a post frantically puffing on my last cigarette. Why did I feel so much pressure? So much Awkwardness. I gave her the cookies and she was thankful; though, the interaction didn't really pan out like I had hoped. I think she took the gesture in more of a "Sorry my roommates were loud last night" kind of way.
After that, only really saw my neighbors in passing.
That was a while ago, and I recently got into that disconnected mood again (as I indicated earlier). I made an Oktoberfest six pack for them. Does this stuff come off as creepy? Maybe. I'm not sure how well it's received. Hospitality and kindness is, and often should be, received with caution these days. But maybe if I keep working at it - chipping away, I'll find some equilibrium in neighborly connection. After all, I know that Joey, my neighbor, is a chemical engineer.
It's concert season again, and I'm trying to see as many shows as I can afford to see. I'll give you a brief summary and evaluation of what I've made it through so far -
Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello with Amos Lee Littlejohn Coliseum - Clemson, SC
This was a big deal for me because I've missed two opportunities to see Dylan live - once in high school at the BiLo Center and once in college when he played the old Greenville (then) Braves Stadium. In hindsight, however, I'm really glad that I missed those two shows for a few reasons.
#1 - There is no way I would have appreciated the magnitude of the experience.
#2 - I was not familiar at the time with any of his new music. ("Desire" was the only album I owned.)
#3 - Earlier configurations did not include Elvis Costello and Amos Lee; however, it would have been a great honor to see Willie Nelson the last go 'round.
Having said that, the show could not have been any better - save seats that weren't on the top row of the stadium.
Amos Lee opened for Costello and Dylan and put on quite a worthy show. Honestly, I'm not really familiar with Lee's music, but the performance was good enough to make me seek out some of his records. Much like Costello and Dylan, the carried with him a heavy country music influence, but at the same time, he seemed very much in touch with his pop sensibility.
Costello took the stage next in a solo performance which I'm sure I enjoyed much more than I would have had a backup band been present. Lyrically, I have always been a an of Costello. Though much of his earlier music turns me off a bit - not to mention the laughable number of his songs that share names with various women. His style is poetic - often both bitter and beautiful, and I found myself indulging his story telling perhaps a bit more than I should. I should also note that, judging by his crowd interaction, Costello has an ego the size of his Texas style riffs.
Dylan finished up the night and did not disappoint. Not only was his band phenomenal, he was surprisingly energetic for his age. He started the first few songs with a guitar, but soon retired to the keyboards for the remainder of the show. Dylan had always struck me as more of a writer than a musician; however, he could certainly hold his own on both a guitar and piano. I had always assumed that the lead parts on his records was some other musician in the background filling in space between words. I found that this is not the case, and he added to the talent he carries with him very nicely.
Dylan played a nice mix of old and new - leaning a little heavier on his new work. This was great for me because I enjoy some of his new world almost as much as the stuff he is a legend for. These were my picks:
Someday Baby Summer Days John Brown and of course - Like a Rolling Stone
Besides the awful seats - it was an incredible experience. I'm hoping I get to experience him again before...well, you know.
Rilo Kiley with Grand Ole Party and Art in Manila The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
First of all: The Orange Peel is one of the best venues around. Clean bathrooms, great environment, great shows, and great beer. All good things.
The show started on a high note with Art in Manila. Though I'm not familiar with the bands music, they put on a great show. Full of spunk and energy, they waxed on about everything from broken relationships to post consumer waste (which is what their CD case is made from.) Solid performance all around.
The next band to take the stage was Grand Ole Party. They too were an enjoyable band, mostly because the lead singer (female in all three groups) was also the drummer. As she played, she wore a Garth Brooks style headset for her vocals. Though she never really did anything overly impressive on the drums, I know for a fact that it's hard to sing and play drums. The only negative note for these guys would be that they (for my taste) sound just a bit too much like The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs.
As Rilo Kiley came onstage, it was obvious who - to the fans - Rilo Kiley is. As Jenny Lewis appeared from behind the curtain the meager cheering that had welcomed the rest of the band became an uproar of applause. In fact, I've actually heard people mistakingly refer to Jenny Lewis as "Rilo Kiley." It does, after all, sound like a girl's name.
There isn't an awful lot to say other than the band played a great mix of old and new songs - leaving out the weaker songs from the new album. One high note for me was the cover or Rise Up With Fists!! from Lewis' solo album "Rabbit Fur Coat." My picks were:
Ripchord Moneymaker Portions for Foxes 15 It's a Hit Does He Love You? and Rise Up With Fists!!
I'll leave you with a short clip from the actual show. I didn't film it, but whoever did was gracious enough to post the clip on YouTube.
Suggested Podcast: American Public Media's: The Writer's Almanac with Garrison Keillor
Covers important events and birthdays as well as daily poetry readings. Updated every day and always moving and inspiring.
For those of you who have actually taken the time and care to check this thing, I must apologize for my absence. The pollen on the ground this time of year pretty regularly takes me out for brief periods of time. Having said that, let's get down to business.
I saw Eastern Promises with a friend of mine this past week, and I must say, I was very pleased with the film. The story was filled with complex characters and concepts. The brutality of the film was certainly there; however, it seems that, more than ever, Cronenberg has found a way to use explicit scenes of sex and violence to drive character development and create a conceptual platform for his ideas. To me, the film was unabashedly about being human. While there are traditional protagonists and antagonists in the film, each character seems to promote the full spectrum of humanistic traits. No character is absolutely good, nor absolutely bad (though some come close.) The culmination of these ideas seems to happen during the already nearly infamous steam bath scene. In this scene, Mortenson is jumped by a few members of a rival organization. The fight that ensues is, doubtlessly, the most carnal and brutal struggle I've seen in a film. Of course, since the scene does take place in a bath house and he is caught off guard, he is nude. As the scene progresses he becomes increasingly bloodied and battered. It is as if Cronenberg wanted to hide nothing when it comes to the nature and violence of humanity. This scene, to me, would not have been nearly as powerful had he been fully clothed in a back alley. I read an interview once in which Cronenberg states that he uses such vivid depictions of violence in his films for two reasons. The first is to show that violence does have consequences, and it seems that he feels these scenes must be depicted as graphically as possible in order to show theses consequences. The second is that the scenes stay with the viewer long after the credits roll. For my money, Eastern Promises accomplishes both of these ends, and I give it the seal of approval...for what it's worth.
On to other boring movie crap -
I was reading about this movie that's on it's way to theaters called "Postal." It is the new film from non other than Uwe Boll, who is responsible for such pieces of crap* as House of the Dead, Bloodrayne, and Alone in the Dark. (*But hey, that's just my opinion.) The main thing that these films have in common is that they are all based on video games and always always always get smeared by film critics. I'd been reading a bit about the film over the last few days and found that the studios are expecting great controversy over the film. And they're right. Apparently, the opening scene sort of takes a low jab at the 9/11 attacks. I know how I feel about this stuff, but I would like to hear from you guys. Below you'll find a clip of the first three minutes of the film. All patriotism, love of country, or even love of movies that are remotely good - does anyone think this is funny?
A new film by David Cronenberg. The film is a story about the Russian mafia set against a back drop of dreary London back-alleys. One thing to beware of: If it is anything like Cronenberg's other films, there will be graphic sex, violence, and/or nudity. Generally a good director though. He isn't as strong with directing the performances of the actors; however, his films are generally very high concept and, generally, those concepts are nearly always engaging and provocative.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Interesting looking biopic of the outlaw Jesse James and how he met his untimely demise. Some will complain that the film is slowly paced and it may very well be; however, this film was never intended to be your run of the mill, shoot 'em up western. It seems meant to be much more methodical and calculated, and most likely for a more mature audience set. The director is Andrew Dominik, who is a new comer. In fact it is only his second film, and it seems that no one has ever heard of the first (I know I haven't.) The thing that excites me about the film (apart from the story) is the cinematography. I could tell from the trailer that the film is beautifully shot. When I looked up who the director of photography (cinematographer) was, it came as no surprise that it would be a beautiful film. His name is Roger Deakins who's credentials include:
No Country for Old Men Jarhead The Village House of Sand and Fog O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Big Lebowski Kundun Fargo Rob Roy The Shawshank Redemption and Barton Fink
All of these movies contain striking imagery and beautiful compositions, so I'm pretty excited about it. I'm hoping they are as good as the trailers make them seem to be.
It's a great feeling. When something unexpected makes you laugh - especially out loud.
For me, it's almost always the little things. For instance, I love those pictures where two people are squeezing in so tightly so they'll fit in the frame; only, there's far more than enough room for them to just be there...next to each other. Not squeezing in like a fool.
I also think the bag boy at the new downtown Publix is funny. I'm punching buttons on the card reader when he says, "Nice hair, man." "Thanks." Not very creative or insightful on my end. "Yeah," he says, "there are only so many people who can pull that look off." I think it's particularly funny that he says this because I've never really thought of my hair or hairstyle as much more than...well, hair. Mind you, all of this is happening in the checkout line. After this slightly weird interaction, he offers - no, no, no; offer is the wrong word. I would say insists - he insists on taking my bags to the car for me. I've never felt so lazy and awkward. It could only have been worse if the walk to the car had been lined with starving orphans, and the bag boy (didn't catch his name) was feeding me grapes as we strolled to the car. Yeah, it was strange. Good Publix though.
There are some pretty awesome upcoming shows (local to me) that I'm planning to go to; as well as, suggesting that you join me/us. Just send me a message if you're interested.
Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello - Clemson, SC The New Pornographers - Asheville, NC Rilo Kiley - Asheville, NC Joanna Newsom - Atlanta, GA M.I.A. - Atlanta, GA A Prairie Home Companion - Charlotte, NC
Today's suggested iTunes download - The New Pornographers The Bleeding Heart Show from the album: Twin Cinema
