I have the Monday morning blues and it’s only Sunday night. The impending sense of doom is overpowering my will to go to bed and here I am writing a post that I will look back at in wonder . . . if the world hasn't ended before I wake up. Maybe it’s the endless rain that seems to have been falling over Northwest Ohio for the last week or maybe it’s all the dsytopian themed entertainment I’ve immersed myself in lately.
First there was some Ghost in the Shell (got the DVD for Christmas), then a bit of “Battlestar Galactica†(the new season started last Friday), I’ve been reading The Handmaid’s Tale (an excellent book, even if it was written by a Canadian) and then to top it all off, I caught Blade Runner on TV this afternoon.
The soundtrack to Blade Runner is fantastic, composed by the estimable Greek film score composer Vangelis Papathanassiou, who did the proper thing by dropping the last name in favor of a Cher-esque approach. All of this, however, is irrelevant, until, while sitting here wondering how to explain the sense of impending doom that grips me from time to time, I decided to listen to some new music. Maybe that would help, I thought. Maybe I could put this behind me.
The new music waiting for me was by a group of Liverpudlians called the Open. They create a sort of spaced out indie prog rock with significant English Pop and 1980s undertones. There is a bit of synth and a bit of rock, but when the first song on the album registers at seven minutes even, you know these guys aren’t looking to make radio friendly tunes. Their new album Statues will be out February 6 but probably not in the United States so keep an eye out for the import.
What really got to me though, was the strange resemblance between the Open and the eerie and haunting Blade Runner soundtrack. I guess it’s destiny after all. What is the ghost in my computer trying to tell me?
As an interesting side note, Edward James Olmos who portrayed Detective Gaff in Blade Runner also stars in “Battlestar Galactica†as Commander William Adama. I don’t watch much TV but I’ll give this show the eLarceny stamp of approval. It may have a bunch of rocket ships and robots who want to destroy the entire human race but the subject matter of the show is much more relevant to what is happening in our society today then anything else on TV. Political wrangling, terrorism, religious fundamentalism, the role of the military and much more – an allegory, if you will. Set your Tivos and give it a chance. There is a reason Time magazine voted it best show of 2005.
Websites: the Open and “Battlestar Galacticaâ€
Stuff to Sample: From the Open’s album Statues “Forever†and “We Can Never Say Goodbye†and from the soundtrack of Blade Runner “Blade Runner Bluesâ€
Maybe the world won’t end . . .
The world is gonna end. And you're gonna die. Read some Camus.
[1] Well, look at the big brains on KW.
I usually read L'etranger round about this time of year. Has something to do with the color of the sky I think. And it is true that most dsytopian peices of literature has exitentailist themes. But I think reading Camus at this moment would probably put me over the edge, although fitting none-the-less for my self-imposed sense of impending doom.
I read "The Plague" two years ago. It f*cking blew my mind.
Also, where did you get the cool pictures? Who is the Artist?
[3] The top picture is "Icebergs" by Frederic Church, the bottom is "The Wreck of Hope" by Caspar David Friedrich. Both men lived and painted during the 1800s and willingly or not, were part of the Fin de Siècle movement that gripped all aspects of art and literature at the end of the 19th century (Church [1826-1900] more so then Friedrich [1774-1840])
This fear of the end of the century, or more accurately, the end of the world and the degeneration of the human race played an important role in the art world and provided modern day cimeatographers with a palate to work from. Modern day dystopian writers and screenwriters also borrow heavily from Victorian era literature, a time when the idea of a less-then-perfect future really came into vogue and we really see the immergence of such ideas.
Personally, I think I am straight-gas Victorian. I love Edward Gorey and The Tiger Lillies and movies that have the theme that isht probably won't work out. But RFO, please don't fret. That dead Ohio sky is just as deay in Illinois as it is Taiwan. What's the lesson? You can't escape. Nobody escapes.
[5] Need more eviddence? Go read about Granny Pope...
[5]
Sounds like someone has a case of the Mondays (except now it's Tuesday). No! Don't listen! You CAN escape!
Although nice weather doesn't necessarily breed blissful euphoria, it does lift the spirits to swim outside in January under clear skies and 72...good for the soul. Get out of there before you get sucked in...move West, man! You don't want to be mummified in front of a TV.
Until then, I think you need to dance around your house naked to some James Brown.
I caught a bit of Battlestar Galactica.
I concur...pretty good stuff so far.
F the west. We may complain, but the dead sky is like a happy little vortex. Or it's like your hometown, you can talk about how much it sucks, but nobody else better knock it.
Yes, and the happy little vortex is pouring down rain, again. There have only been two or three days, of the past ten, when it hasn't rained and only one day where the sun was out for more then six hours.
But as much as I complain, I don't think I could ever move.
Probably.
Maybe.
The West is the best.
[11]
Oh...I have to agree with you, Jim. Please talk some sense into these boys.
[9] Oh, Eddie. Let's put down our defenses for just a moment. I wasn't knocking your town... just the midwest/NE coast winter weather. The urban/cultural pulse of Chicago is a hundred BPM faster than Phoenix's. I love your town, for the record. If only we lived in an Oprah Winfrey world where we wouldn't have to choose...we could travel the world and take breaks at our Chicago penthouse, our NYC place, our ranch, our Pacific NW mansion, and our island.
As for the Toledo/NW Ohio area, well, what can I say...good people, some good restaurants (love Mancy's italian, Rumor's gyros), Wildwood Metropark, Maumee Bay, lake parties, and fond memories of Parties in the Park and getting sloppy at BG...but I don't think I'd choose to live there again, mostly because of the weather.
All I'm sayin' is that I can relate...I got kind of blue from all the grey, and started getting in that funk. Now I'm driving with my windows down, sitting at open bar patios sippin' cocktails, swimming, full-moon hiking (tomorrow), mountain biking, fishing, and snowboarding all in the same state, all winter. Even if you can't always count on people in life, you can still always count on the sunny weather in Phoenix. And that's somethin'. It's good for now.
Iz nieeece.