I was just laying in bed when I realized 1) I'm not tired, and 2) since I don't have to be up till 7am I can stay up a little later.
So now I decided to make some New Year's resolutions, and if I'm gonna do it I might as well aim high.
No more McDonalds. Yes, you heard me right. 2010 saw a lot of McNugget 10-pieces. And crispy BBQ chicken snack wraps. My favorite meal this year, though was medium fries, a McChicken sandwich (with the mayonaise wiped off and replaced with sweet and sour sauce), and a medium caramel frappe.
The frappes are going to be the hardest things to quit. New this year, they're awesome. Yo can get them in caramel or mocha and they come with whipped cream on top. I fell in love with them this summer and it might be easier to quit them now because these days when I get one my whole body feels cold for the next twenty minutes.
Another thing I'm quitting is cigarettes. I've never tries to stop before so I don't know how hard it'll be. Maybe I'll just cut-down instead. I've hard that cutting down is harder than quitting but I think it'll be do-able.
Wait. I've decided it's not the right time to quit smoking. What I'm going to do instead is cut down to 5 a day. I smoke 20 a day now so that's very do-able. And I'll still save a shitload of money,
I'm also going to save up to buy a car. I miss driving around.
My other goals are to have a gallery show for my pictures and publish a book.
Wish me luck, and good luck to you.
Happy New Year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Happy New Year
I think that 2011 will be a much better year. This past year was ok but there were a lot of missed opportunities. On the other hand, I'm proud of the way I pursued other things, even if they didn't work out the way I wanted.
I hope you have a great New Year. I'll be back tomorrow.
I hope you have a great New Year. I'll be back tomorrow.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
1990s record sleeves
The cover for this Jane's Addiction single for "Stop"/ "Three Days" (1990) seems to set the look for record sleeves later in the 90s. Nirvana's sleeves seemed to try for the same effect but didn't really achieve it.
Note: Today I noticed that I'm very close to having 365 posts this year. I'm hoping to reach that number by the end of tomorrow. Wish me luck.
The Best of The Pixies
in 2011, 4AD will be releasing Wave of Mutilation- The Best of The Pixies on vinyl. This photo was up on 4AD.com.
Those are pinecones
I came across this drawing on the internet and I have no idea who the artist is. I like this picture but I have a big problem with it. Yes, if you look at it for a while you can see that there are pinecones on the ground, but at first sight it looks like shit, and who wants that?
The Lambs
The other night Turner Classic Movie played The Lion In Winter (1968), which I love. It probably one of the best-written movies ever. And all the actors are very good in it- you've got Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn, plus, in their first movie roles, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton (playing a king but looking like Prince).
On a side note I'd like to say that I love Turner Classic Movies; they play great movies, all commercial free. Did you know that this month IFC started running commercials? It fucking sucks. Cable is so expensive. I've got DirecTV and there are a shitload of stations that only play infomercials and sell Dean Martin DVDs and still that isn't enough? They can't have just a few channels be commercial free? Too much to expect? It's lame.
Anyway, if you get a chance to see The Lion In Winter check it out. You don't need to know the history of King Henry to understand what's going in. It's a complicated story but it's still easy enough to follow.
Right now Biography is playing Silence Of The Lambs: The Inside Story. I love that movie. It's one of my favorite films ever. Jonathon Demme has an interesting, very distinctive style and The Lambs really sets a mood.
There are a lot of interesting stories about the making of the film and, in the movie, watch for cameos from directors Roger Corman and David Cronenburg.
But back what I meant to say: Anthony Hopkins was asked if anyone inspired his portrayal of Lector and he said Katherine Hepburn. You can see that, especially during the meeting with Senator Martin, "Love your suit".
On a side note I'd like to say that I love Turner Classic Movies; they play great movies, all commercial free. Did you know that this month IFC started running commercials? It fucking sucks. Cable is so expensive. I've got DirecTV and there are a shitload of stations that only play infomercials and sell Dean Martin DVDs and still that isn't enough? They can't have just a few channels be commercial free? Too much to expect? It's lame.
Anyway, if you get a chance to see The Lion In Winter check it out. You don't need to know the history of King Henry to understand what's going in. It's a complicated story but it's still easy enough to follow.
Right now Biography is playing Silence Of The Lambs: The Inside Story. I love that movie. It's one of my favorite films ever. Jonathon Demme has an interesting, very distinctive style and The Lambs really sets a mood.
There are a lot of interesting stories about the making of the film and, in the movie, watch for cameos from directors Roger Corman and David Cronenburg.
But back what I meant to say: Anthony Hopkins was asked if anyone inspired his portrayal of Lector and he said Katherine Hepburn. You can see that, especially during the meeting with Senator Martin, "Love your suit".
Two Thousand and Ten
It's been a big year here at RJ Battles. Not really. Actually, it's been a medium-sized year here. But that's still good. I had fun and I hope you did too.
This post is a look back at the happenings at RJ Battles and some of my favorite entries.
Back in January I found some awesome scans of Belly record sleeves. I've seen most of them but there are others I'm still looking for.
In March I reviewed Shutter Island and wrote about the death of Corey Haim. I love the paintings of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow- she's an amazing artist. In April I posted some of my favorite paintings.
I discovered two great things in April: 1) The joy of making terrariums, and 2) a blog called The Daily Guru. The Daily Guru writes clumsy reviews of albums and songs in the manner of hack music journalism from the 80s and 90s.
In May I put up a record 50 posts; the following month my posts went in the opposite direction when I only put up 9 entries.
In August my friends and I celebrated Lego Day 2010. We like to take a day- aside from his birthday- to pay tribute to my friend Lego. This years was his wife's first time celebrating Lego Day. We had a great time and I'm left with memories of a fun night and a cool graphic, the image I made on Paint to advertise the party.
In September I bought Sky Motel with money that I found on the sidewalk just a couple feet away from a bum who was asking for money. waBOOM.
October brought the 2 year anniversary of RJ Battles. I also came across Nuala O'Faolain's memoir, Are You Somebody? and loved it. I got to the end of it and turned right back to the beginning and read it again.
I was at 4AD.com in November and saw an amazing promo poster for Red Heaven. I'm not sure- I might even like it better than the promo poster for Frank Black's Frank Black. All fall I've been obsessed with Carrie Fisher and the interesting life she's had. And I'm still fascinated by Patti "The Millionaire Matchmaker" Stanger. I wrote about both ladies in December.
Later I'm gonna put up links to some of my favorite posts from 2010 at RJ Battles.
This post is a look back at the happenings at RJ Battles and some of my favorite entries.
Back in January I found some awesome scans of Belly record sleeves. I've seen most of them but there are others I'm still looking for.
In March I reviewed Shutter Island and wrote about the death of Corey Haim. I love the paintings of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow- she's an amazing artist. In April I posted some of my favorite paintings.
I discovered two great things in April: 1) The joy of making terrariums, and 2) a blog called The Daily Guru. The Daily Guru writes clumsy reviews of albums and songs in the manner of hack music journalism from the 80s and 90s.
In May I put up a record 50 posts; the following month my posts went in the opposite direction when I only put up 9 entries.
In August my friends and I celebrated Lego Day 2010. We like to take a day- aside from his birthday- to pay tribute to my friend Lego. This years was his wife's first time celebrating Lego Day. We had a great time and I'm left with memories of a fun night and a cool graphic, the image I made on Paint to advertise the party.
In September I bought Sky Motel with money that I found on the sidewalk just a couple feet away from a bum who was asking for money. waBOOM.
October brought the 2 year anniversary of RJ Battles. I also came across Nuala O'Faolain's memoir, Are You Somebody? and loved it. I got to the end of it and turned right back to the beginning and read it again.
I was at 4AD.com in November and saw an amazing promo poster for Red Heaven. I'm not sure- I might even like it better than the promo poster for Frank Black's Frank Black. All fall I've been obsessed with Carrie Fisher and the interesting life she's had. And I'm still fascinated by Patti "The Millionaire Matchmaker" Stanger. I wrote about both ladies in December.
Later I'm gonna put up links to some of my favorite posts from 2010 at RJ Battles.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Year end
I finally took down the Halloween header and put up the all-season Belly one. That's better.
My only day off in the past week was Christmas Day, now I've got tomorrow and Friday off and I'm going to compile all of my best/ favorite posts from 2010. I was just looking through all my posts- the best ones feature really good record sleeves. There are a few that feature good writing, by me, RJ Battles, but not many, and they're not that good.
Still, they're worth reading if you haven't seen them already.
The collection will go up before the beginning of 2011. Stay tuned.
Stupid
If you ever read news stories online then you're probably used to seeing the Comments Section- at the bottom of the page of any news story there will be comments from readers.
The people who leave messages are the same people who write letters to the editor, only now they get to be anonymous. These are some angry, bitter, judgemental people. They're almost all men, ranging in age from late 20s to mid 60s.
You'd think that the older guys would be the crabbiest but you'd be wrong. The guys with wives (or ex-wives) and young children are angry about everything. They have an attitude that they're being victimized by society while everyone else is getting "a free ride" or "a slap on the wrist".
And everyone else is stupid. The criminals, the lawyers, the judges, actors, athletes, coaches, the reporter who wrote the story, and of course, the other people who post comments.
I've always been bothered by people who are so quick to label any decision that they don't agree with as "stupid". It never occurs to them that people make decisions based on information that other people don't have.
Yesterday one of our local paper's music critics wrote an article listing and describing the worst concerts he had seen in 2010. He started by saying that while his job might seem like non-stop fun, it isn't always perfect and a lot of times he has to go see awful shows.
The very first reader to comment said this:
"It's pretty simple, when a show stinks walk out the door and leave. I did this once when Smashing Pumpkins played the Mullins Center and they seemed more disinterested in the show than I was so I said screw it and walked out.
"The main issue is that you went to those shows you listed at all, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, The Bangles?? I think I'd rather spend 5 hours at the dentist getting a root canal than listen to that garbage."
As the writer said at the beginning of his article, sometimes as a music critic you have to see bands you wouldn't otherwise see and sometimes bands play badly. 'Rather be at the dentist', rather have a 'root canal', very original.
This guy is so quick to think that the music critic is stupid that he's missing the two main points- 1)the music critic doesn't get to choose which shows he reviews, and 2) he's not allowed to just walk out. His job is to watch the whole show.
There's a new "viral" video that was shot after this week's snowstorn in NYC. A tow truck was dragging a front-end loader that got stuck in the snow and in the process a parked SUV got all banged up. A man named John Knightly, 47, was watching from his apartment window and he recorded the scene with his camera phone. It's a great video and yes, the tow truck driver really fucked things up.
But the audio for the video annoys me. Knightly rants the entire time:
"Dude"
"What the fuck?"
"You that stupid?"
(Knightly is at least 3 stories up, they can't hear him.)
"Are you kidding me?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What are you doing?"
"THAT IS INSANE!"
"What genius!"
(The tow truck driver says he's going to call a supervisor.)
"Oh you're gonna need more than a supervisor!"
Knightly's anger builds but it's none of his business. the owner of the SUV is outside; everything is gonna get settled. Some people just look for things to get outraged over.
The people who leave messages are the same people who write letters to the editor, only now they get to be anonymous. These are some angry, bitter, judgemental people. They're almost all men, ranging in age from late 20s to mid 60s.
You'd think that the older guys would be the crabbiest but you'd be wrong. The guys with wives (or ex-wives) and young children are angry about everything. They have an attitude that they're being victimized by society while everyone else is getting "a free ride" or "a slap on the wrist".
And everyone else is stupid. The criminals, the lawyers, the judges, actors, athletes, coaches, the reporter who wrote the story, and of course, the other people who post comments.
I've always been bothered by people who are so quick to label any decision that they don't agree with as "stupid". It never occurs to them that people make decisions based on information that other people don't have.
Yesterday one of our local paper's music critics wrote an article listing and describing the worst concerts he had seen in 2010. He started by saying that while his job might seem like non-stop fun, it isn't always perfect and a lot of times he has to go see awful shows.
The very first reader to comment said this:
"It's pretty simple, when a show stinks walk out the door and leave. I did this once when Smashing Pumpkins played the Mullins Center and they seemed more disinterested in the show than I was so I said screw it and walked out.
"The main issue is that you went to those shows you listed at all, Sheryl Crow, Sugarland, The Bangles?? I think I'd rather spend 5 hours at the dentist getting a root canal than listen to that garbage."
As the writer said at the beginning of his article, sometimes as a music critic you have to see bands you wouldn't otherwise see and sometimes bands play badly. 'Rather be at the dentist', rather have a 'root canal', very original.
This guy is so quick to think that the music critic is stupid that he's missing the two main points- 1)the music critic doesn't get to choose which shows he reviews, and 2) he's not allowed to just walk out. His job is to watch the whole show.
There's a new "viral" video that was shot after this week's snowstorn in NYC. A tow truck was dragging a front-end loader that got stuck in the snow and in the process a parked SUV got all banged up. A man named John Knightly, 47, was watching from his apartment window and he recorded the scene with his camera phone. It's a great video and yes, the tow truck driver really fucked things up.
But the audio for the video annoys me. Knightly rants the entire time:
"Dude"
"What the fuck?"
"You that stupid?"
(Knightly is at least 3 stories up, they can't hear him.)
"Are you kidding me?"
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What are you doing?"
"THAT IS INSANE!"
"What genius!"
(The tow truck driver says he's going to call a supervisor.)
"Oh you're gonna need more than a supervisor!"
Knightly's anger builds but it's none of his business. the owner of the SUV is outside; everything is gonna get settled. Some people just look for things to get outraged over.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Merry Christmas
I think this is gonna be a nice Christmas, though I have to say: it feels like it was just Thanksgiving. This month fucking flew.
I haven't bought a single present and I gotta work tomorrow till 2pm and then go straight to a Christmas Eve party. I'm gonna have to be quick like a bunny.
But anyway, to all of you who have visited RJ Battles this year, thank you for coming and I hope to see you again in 2011.
Merry Christmas.
I haven't bought a single present and I gotta work tomorrow till 2pm and then go straight to a Christmas Eve party. I'm gonna have to be quick like a bunny.
But anyway, to all of you who have visited RJ Battles this year, thank you for coming and I hope to see you again in 2011.
Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The best way to find love
If you are alone, or in a bad relationship, or just unlucky in love, you should watch a TV show on Bravo called The Milionaire Matchmaker about a woman named Patti Stanger. She calls herself a "third generation matchmaker" which might be a stretch- I imagine maybe her grandmother hooked up a few people and maybe her mom did the same- who hasn't fixed up some people and gotten lucky?
But having said that, Stanger really does know what she's talking about. She holds casting session for prospective dates for her millionaires and she really tears into the applicants, but the thing is, they deserve it and she's almost always right.
She understands what men and women are really looking for in a partner. A normal woman doesn't want a weak, wimpy guy, and a normal man isn't turned on by an intense, bossy woman.
Watching this show is a real education. Stanger pulls back the curtain on human desire and while some of her ideas seem crass or too direct- the mixers, the mini-dates- they all serve a purpose. When it comes to men she always says "the penis does the picking", meaning that sexual attration is the most important thing, and it really is.
I believe that unless you are seriously, strongly, irresistably attracted to the other person than you shouldn't be together.
I've learned that sarcasm is a huge turn-off. As she says, "No one wants to ride that ride".
The millionaires on the show always make a number of mistakes but I've noticed the biggest one is this: they use the first date as a means to "test" the other person. One guys was in the business of picking through trash and he based the first date around searching through rubble. Others insist on including their buddies so "she'll know what she's getting herself into" when really he just wants their security and to get his friends' impression of her.
Others, who are clearly single for a reason, resist her efforts to change them because they want to be taken as they are. But no one would ever want them as they are.
The most important lessons you can learn fromthis show are these unavoidable truths- if you want to be attractive to other people...
If you're a man you have to be masculine.
If you're a woman you have to be feminine.
No one likes sarcasm.
Listen to advice from other people, whether it's your friends, family, or a matchmaker. They're not saying these things for no reason.
Don't go on and on about yourself.
Be genuinely interested in the other person.
Be as clean and attractive as you can be.
Don't be judgemental.
Don't try to test the other person and have the attitude- "Well if they can't handle this then they can't handle me".
Be fun to be around. Be open to doing new things.
Don't be so concerned about what other people do for a living. It's none of your business at this point anyway.
Normal people aren't sexually attracted to people who are more than ten years older or younger than themselves. And if you're over forty nobody under thirty is interested in anything other than your money.
When you watch the show you can clearly see why certain people are single. The worst daters have been the gay men. They've all been over 35 and looked like they were over 45 yet they thought they were youthful-looking and they expected younger guys to be interested in them. On top of that, they were negative, looks-obsessed, and catty. One man started a date by announcing "I hate people" and then after he had alienated the other guy he complained that during the date he was "bored to tears".
My old friend Mareka once said "Only boring people get bored". I like that.
But having said that, Stanger really does know what she's talking about. She holds casting session for prospective dates for her millionaires and she really tears into the applicants, but the thing is, they deserve it and she's almost always right.
She understands what men and women are really looking for in a partner. A normal woman doesn't want a weak, wimpy guy, and a normal man isn't turned on by an intense, bossy woman.
Watching this show is a real education. Stanger pulls back the curtain on human desire and while some of her ideas seem crass or too direct- the mixers, the mini-dates- they all serve a purpose. When it comes to men she always says "the penis does the picking", meaning that sexual attration is the most important thing, and it really is.
I believe that unless you are seriously, strongly, irresistably attracted to the other person than you shouldn't be together.
I've learned that sarcasm is a huge turn-off. As she says, "No one wants to ride that ride".
The millionaires on the show always make a number of mistakes but I've noticed the biggest one is this: they use the first date as a means to "test" the other person. One guys was in the business of picking through trash and he based the first date around searching through rubble. Others insist on including their buddies so "she'll know what she's getting herself into" when really he just wants their security and to get his friends' impression of her.
Others, who are clearly single for a reason, resist her efforts to change them because they want to be taken as they are. But no one would ever want them as they are.
The most important lessons you can learn fromthis show are these unavoidable truths- if you want to be attractive to other people...
If you're a man you have to be masculine.
If you're a woman you have to be feminine.
No one likes sarcasm.
Listen to advice from other people, whether it's your friends, family, or a matchmaker. They're not saying these things for no reason.
Don't go on and on about yourself.
Be genuinely interested in the other person.
Be as clean and attractive as you can be.
Don't be judgemental.
Don't try to test the other person and have the attitude- "Well if they can't handle this then they can't handle me".
Be fun to be around. Be open to doing new things.
Don't be so concerned about what other people do for a living. It's none of your business at this point anyway.
Normal people aren't sexually attracted to people who are more than ten years older or younger than themselves. And if you're over forty nobody under thirty is interested in anything other than your money.
When you watch the show you can clearly see why certain people are single. The worst daters have been the gay men. They've all been over 35 and looked like they were over 45 yet they thought they were youthful-looking and they expected younger guys to be interested in them. On top of that, they were negative, looks-obsessed, and catty. One man started a date by announcing "I hate people" and then after he had alienated the other guy he complained that during the date he was "bored to tears".
My old friend Mareka once said "Only boring people get bored". I like that.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Aimee Mann Twitter feud
While I'll sometimes see in USA Today that somebody has posted something on Twitter (or "Twatted" as Kathy Griffin says) but I've never actually gone to the website or followed anybody. At the risk of sounding old I'm going to say that Twitter and everything related to it is stupid and an attempt to seem young and/or cool.
So today I was looking up Aimee Mann on wiki and I saw that she was in a Twitter feud this year. Supposedly she said something like "Nobody should ever cast Ice T on a TV show" and Ice T heard about it and said that she makes "WACK ass music" and she should "eat a hot bowl of dicks".
I'm smiling while I write that. This all happened online of course. Can you imagine the red carpet for the Emmys. He's there with the cast of Law & Order SVU and she walks by and he yells "Yo Aimee Mann, eat a hot bowl of dicks!!" Mariska Hargitay would shit.
I'll just say that Ice T sucks as an actor. Everytime I see him on that show it looks like it's his first day, his first scene. Anyway, she said she's sorry and he called off the feud.
So today I was looking up Aimee Mann on wiki and I saw that she was in a Twitter feud this year. Supposedly she said something like "Nobody should ever cast Ice T on a TV show" and Ice T heard about it and said that she makes "WACK ass music" and she should "eat a hot bowl of dicks".
I'm smiling while I write that. This all happened online of course. Can you imagine the red carpet for the Emmys. He's there with the cast of Law & Order SVU and she walks by and he yells "Yo Aimee Mann, eat a hot bowl of dicks!!" Mariska Hargitay would shit.
I'll just say that Ice T sucks as an actor. Everytime I see him on that show it looks like it's his first day, his first scene. Anyway, she said she's sorry and he called off the feud.
Friday, December 17, 2010
"The Score"
The Score (2001)
I saw The Score at the movies in 2001 and I had a good time. It's a fun movie with a great payoff. There are so many things I like about it. Number one, I think because it was meant to be "three generations of great actors"- Brando, De Niro, Norton- and it didn't end up being a huge hit.
A lot of people didn't go to see it. Instead, they'll run into it on a Saturday afternoon on TV and be surprised by how good it is.
It's a great story, with interesting characters- a good story, told well.
I love the music, I love the shadowy lighting, I love the locations. De Niro's apartment seems like the coolest place to live in ever. Watch the movie and see if I'm not right.
And everyone is believable in this, even Edward Norton, who, to me, always seems to be Acting. You really believe that De Niro and Angela Bassett are in love, that she's a stewardess and has been coming to stay with him on-and-off for years. They make you visualize a past between them. They're so good.
I love this movuie and I'll stop to watch it whenever I'm flipping around and it's on.
I saw The Score at the movies in 2001 and I had a good time. It's a fun movie with a great payoff. There are so many things I like about it. Number one, I think because it was meant to be "three generations of great actors"- Brando, De Niro, Norton- and it didn't end up being a huge hit.
A lot of people didn't go to see it. Instead, they'll run into it on a Saturday afternoon on TV and be surprised by how good it is.
It's a great story, with interesting characters- a good story, told well.
I love the music, I love the shadowy lighting, I love the locations. De Niro's apartment seems like the coolest place to live in ever. Watch the movie and see if I'm not right.
And everyone is believable in this, even Edward Norton, who, to me, always seems to be Acting. You really believe that De Niro and Angela Bassett are in love, that she's a stewardess and has been coming to stay with him on-and-off for years. They make you visualize a past between them. They're so good.
I love this movuie and I'll stop to watch it whenever I'm flipping around and it's on.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The internet
For the past few days it's been freezing and I've been off from work so I spent a lot of time on the computer. Nothing productive. I've just been looking shit up. I'm obsessed with Carrie Fisher but I don't think there's anything left to see. I finally read her interview with Madonna that she did for Rolling Stone, "Big-Time Girl Talk", that was interesting.
And I watched Kathy Griffin's newest Bravo special again, Whores On Crutches, that was really funny. I looked up Prince; I wanted to see what he;s been up to lately. Wiki said that for the past five years he's needed a double-hip replacement but it would have to be a "bloodless" surgery because Jehovah Witnesses won't accpt blood transfusions. Crazy.
Did you know that Prince sometimes knocks on people's doors to spread the word? can you imagine Prince coming into your home and talking to you about God? I can.
So last night I was thinking about depressing things, and one thing that hit me was how my extended family doesn't seem as close as it was when I was growing up. For the most part, I only see my aunts, uncles, and cousins on holidays. And while that's bad enough, it also seems like my aunts and uncles and my parents don't keep in touch as much as they used to.
Maybe it's because years ago my cousins and my brothers and I would get to together to play more often. We'd all go to my grandmother's house and spend time together there. My mother goes to my grandmother's house every night after dinner, and her sisters come on Friday nights and maybe Sunday afternoon.
I worry about the future because I'm afraid that once the older generation is gone, my cousins and brothers and I will hardly see each other anymore, maybe not even at Christmas. It's a sad thought.
And lately I've been tempted to move away- about 7 hours away- and then I think about being even further removed from my family. I don't know, it's sad.
And I watched Kathy Griffin's newest Bravo special again, Whores On Crutches, that was really funny. I looked up Prince; I wanted to see what he;s been up to lately. Wiki said that for the past five years he's needed a double-hip replacement but it would have to be a "bloodless" surgery because Jehovah Witnesses won't accpt blood transfusions. Crazy.
Did you know that Prince sometimes knocks on people's doors to spread the word? can you imagine Prince coming into your home and talking to you about God? I can.
So last night I was thinking about depressing things, and one thing that hit me was how my extended family doesn't seem as close as it was when I was growing up. For the most part, I only see my aunts, uncles, and cousins on holidays. And while that's bad enough, it also seems like my aunts and uncles and my parents don't keep in touch as much as they used to.
Maybe it's because years ago my cousins and my brothers and I would get to together to play more often. We'd all go to my grandmother's house and spend time together there. My mother goes to my grandmother's house every night after dinner, and her sisters come on Friday nights and maybe Sunday afternoon.
I worry about the future because I'm afraid that once the older generation is gone, my cousins and brothers and I will hardly see each other anymore, maybe not even at Christmas. It's a sad thought.
And lately I've been tempted to move away- about 7 hours away- and then I think about being even further removed from my family. I don't know, it's sad.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sophia
Picture it:
I'm watching a rerun of The Golden Girls- the one where Sophia marries Sal's old business partner, Max.
The guests at the wedding are all Elvis impersonators and watching this scene I remember that some famous person played one of those Elvises when they were unknown, but I couldn't remember who it was, and since most of them were wearing sunglasses I didn't think I'd be able to figure it out- then, I saw in the back row, without sunglasses, Quentin Tarentino.
I'm watching a rerun of The Golden Girls- the one where Sophia marries Sal's old business partner, Max.
The guests at the wedding are all Elvis impersonators and watching this scene I remember that some famous person played one of those Elvises when they were unknown, but I couldn't remember who it was, and since most of them were wearing sunglasses I didn't think I'd be able to figure it out- then, I saw in the back row, without sunglasses, Quentin Tarentino.
"Wishful Drinking" Carrie Fisher
I've been very into Carrie Fisher since this summer when I picked up Postcards From The Edge for $.25 at a thrift shop. The book is a little dated and vulgar in spots, but still funny and interesting.
I'm probably the only person who likes her AND has no interest in Star Wars. I saw those movies a long time ago but I barely remember them.
When I think of her I think of The 'Burbs, a late-80s movie she did with Tom Hanks. I've always liked that movie. It's exciting and really sets a mood.
Anyway, I think she's cool and she's led such a full life. Here are just some fun facts:
Her first movie was Shampoo and during filming Warren Beatty offered to take her virginity (she mentioned this to Madonna during their "Big-Time Girl Talk" Rolling Stone interview).
She was good friends with the original Saturday Night Live cast and nearly married Dan Aykroyd.
She stole Paul Simon away from Shelley Duvall while Duvall was stuck in England shooting The Shining.
They were together, on and off, for about 12 years and were married for a year in the early 80s; the wedding date was the same as Madonna and Sean Penn's- August 16th.
The song "Graceland" is about her. Also "Hearts and Bones", "Alergies", and "She Moves On".
Her daughter Billie is friends with Frances Bean Cobain.
She worked as a script doctor on Hook, Sister Act, and The Wedding Singer.
I read the book version of her one-woman-show Wishful Drinking the other day and it turns out that it was filmed for HBO and they're running it this Sunday, December 12 at 9pm. I don't get HBO but I'll see it eventually.
Friday, December 3, 2010
"Cherish" One
Cherish was the third single from Like A Prayer. Great song, good video, but what I really love is the B-side, Supernatural.
I front sleeve is beautiful- I prefer Madonna with dark hair.
"Like A Prayer" 12 Inch
Madonna's brother painted the picture for the 12" single for Like A Prayer. When I got it back in 1989 I knew that the initials on top were Madonna's- Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, but it didn't occur to me that the falling "P" was for Penn- Sean Penn, who she was divorcing a the time.
I know
I know I've mentioned this before, but I can't stand it when the wife in a movie is a nagging asshole. Example: Anne Heche in Donnie Brasco. Why do the filmmakers feel like they have to devote so much time to her complaining? We get it- she wishes he was around more often. I just wanna go through the screen and kick her in the face.
And I don't think I like Anne Heche at all. I know, she's an actress. But it seems like she's always cast as a jerk. And even when she's just the female lead she isn't too likeable.
Anyway, Al Pacino is so good in this movie. Right now it's the scene where his son is in the hospital and it's so sad. Al Pacino is clearly a good guy. You can tell from watching his movies, even when he's the bad guy. Why can't Anne Heche be more like him?
And I don't think I like Anne Heche at all. I know, she's an actress. But it seems like she's always cast as a jerk. And even when she's just the female lead she isn't too likeable.
Anyway, Al Pacino is so good in this movie. Right now it's the scene where his son is in the hospital and it's so sad. Al Pacino is clearly a good guy. You can tell from watching his movies, even when he's the bad guy. Why can't Anne Heche be more like him?
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Rock
That movie, The Rock, is on right now (I'm not really watching it). I noticed that it stars John Spencer. Sometimes I wonder what led to certain cators being cast on The West Wing. Like, I think the producers probably saw Elizabeth Moss as "Torch" in Girl, Interupted. Allison Janney was in Private Parts but I don't remember her. I didn't even know who she played in American Beauty till I watched for it.
Aaron Sorkin, I read, was a "script doctor" for The Rock, so he probably watched it and spotted Spencer.
The idea of script doctors interests me, especially when it's someone well known. I read that Carrie Fisher has done it but I don't know which movies, Same thing with Bret Easton Ellis. I'd like to know which movies and which lines they wrote.
Aaron Sorkin, I read, was a "script doctor" for The Rock, so he probably watched it and spotted Spencer.
The idea of script doctors interests me, especially when it's someone well known. I read that Carrie Fisher has done it but I don't know which movies, Same thing with Bret Easton Ellis. I'd like to know which movies and which lines they wrote.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
"Lost In Space"
Years ago, and another computer ago, I had downloaded Lost In Space, along with the bonus disc. Anyway, today I finally bought it- got it used for $8.
The album itself is kind of a downer, but in a good way. Disc Two has a little more variety: there are the B-sides, "Nightmare Girl" (which reminds me of the opening theme to Rosemary's Baby) and "Backfire" (why wasn't it released as a single?), a cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist", and two unreleased songs, "Fighting the Stall" and the best song in the whole collection, "Observatory". The rest of the songs are live tracks from Space.
The packaging is really nice too. I'm not into graphic novels, or as I like to call them, comic books, but I guess they're the cool thing now.
If you get the chance, buy it. If you don't believe me, check out the first track, "Humpty Dumpty".
Friday, November 19, 2010
Carrie
I saw this poster for Carrie on Final Girl's blog. I think it has some really cool design elements.
That got me to read about the movie which I had seen years ago and thought was just ok. The book too.
Stephen King tells the story behind the inspiration, writing, and publishing of Carrie in his book On Writing. It's really interesting. You should definitely seek out On Writing. It's excellent.
Anyway, afterwards I looked up Brian De Palma movies. Some I'd seen, others I was surprised by. I'd seen Raising Cain- this was before John Lithgow got really annoying. De Palma did Dressed to Kill and Body Double- I happened to catch Body Double this week at my friend's house while he was at work.
I've wanted to see it ever since it was mentioned in American Psycho. I wanted to see what the big deal was. Number one- it's very dated. It's dated even before the male lead wanders onto a video shoot for Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Relax".
Number two- the male lead, Craig Wasson, was a wicked pussy. Since I grew up with 80s movies I didn't realize till lately how wimpy a lot of 80s male movie characters were. Wasson was such a passive loner- not to mention- his claustrophobia- that it was distracting. What the hell.
Anyway, De Palma made so many different kinds of movies- the Hitchcock types, Bonfire of the Vanities, The Untouchables, Mission: Impossible.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Pretty Woman
A friend is over and we're switching back and forth between what each of us wants to watch: She wants to see the Hairspray re-make; I'm into catching Pretty Woman again- Richard Gere and Julia Roberts look so young.
That guy at the hotel is pretty cool. I read the Stephen King short story "Dedication" the other day. It's from Nightmares & Dreamscapes; if you get a chance check it out.
That guy at the hotel is pretty cool. I read the Stephen King short story "Dedication" the other day. It's from Nightmares & Dreamscapes; if you get a chance check it out.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
More pictures
Here are just some other pictures I've come across lately.
There's the Echo promo postcard.
The inside of the University deluxe box. Not exactly on my wish list- I'd rather have the King book.
House Tornado (US) promo poster. I'd go get the UK promo poster off 4AD.com but their site is such a drag to use.
OK
...I couldn't take the suspense. Here it is.
Isn't that the most beautiful picture you've ever seen in your entire life? I already loved the album cover for Red Heaven. Nice colors, and funny- it looks like a bunch of little Madonnas- Blond Ambition-era. And the artwork for the Firepile EPs is awesome too. But this is incredible. So cool, so beautiful. I found it on Throwing Muses's page on 4AD.com.
Coolest poster ever
A couple months ago I was looking for images from The Breeders album Pod and I ended up finding this super-cool promo poster for the Frank Black album Frank Black. I love it and I'd kill to own a copy of it.
Well last night I was looking around and I found a picture of an even cooler poster. It's so beautiful, I don't even know what to say. I'm not going to post it now; maybe I'll put it up later tonight or tomorrow- I wanna build some suspense. Wait till you see it, you're gonna love it. Pictures like this were the reason I started RJ Battles.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Falling in love with songs
I'm really loving two of the newest Throwing Muses demos- actually, I think, they're Kristin Hersh solo demos that may potentially become Throwing Muses songs. Anyway, I love the one from September, "Cherry Candy/ Dripping Trees"; I can't wait to hear the finished version and at the same time I can't see how it could be improved. This months, "Clark's Nutcracker" has a sweet melody. As I might've said before, I hope the next TM record brings back Tanya Donelly. "Clark's" would be perfect with Donelly's singing and guitar. I'm keeping my finger's crossed.
By the way, this past Saturday my status update was, "Don't forget to set your clocks forward two hours- Fall forward!" and I couldn't believe how many of my friends thought I was serious. Am I really that dumb?
By the way, this past Saturday my status update was, "Don't forget to set your clocks forward two hours- Fall forward!" and I couldn't believe how many of my friends thought I was serious. Am I really that dumb?
The Right Stuff
The Right Stuff (1979) Tom Wolfe
I'm re-reading The Right Stuff and loving it all over again. This is my second time although I've read the first chapter about seven times.
It's call "The Angels" and it's a perfect piece of writing. It tells the story of a pilot's wife waiting to hear if her husband has or hasn't died in an accident. There are parts that make me choke and my eyes will fill up with water.
Wolfe is the best non-fiction writer I've ever read. It might've been a long time till I read him if I hadn't come across an audio-tape version of his 2000 collection, Hooking Up, for $2.99 at a discount store. So good.
Wolfe himself reads about half of the selections and I could listen to him all day.
The two best stories are "Two Young Men Who Went West", and "my Three Stooges", the second about criticism of his second novel, A Man In Full, and specifically John Updike, John Irving, and Norman Mailer, who all came out against the book.
If you see Hooking Up at the store pick it up. Same with The Right Stuff.
I'm re-reading The Right Stuff and loving it all over again. This is my second time although I've read the first chapter about seven times.
It's call "The Angels" and it's a perfect piece of writing. It tells the story of a pilot's wife waiting to hear if her husband has or hasn't died in an accident. There are parts that make me choke and my eyes will fill up with water.
Wolfe is the best non-fiction writer I've ever read. It might've been a long time till I read him if I hadn't come across an audio-tape version of his 2000 collection, Hooking Up, for $2.99 at a discount store. So good.
Wolfe himself reads about half of the selections and I could listen to him all day.
The two best stories are "Two Young Men Who Went West", and "my Three Stooges", the second about criticism of his second novel, A Man In Full, and specifically John Updike, John Irving, and Norman Mailer, who all came out against the book.
If you see Hooking Up at the store pick it up. Same with The Right Stuff.
"Just Like Anyone"
"Just Like Anyone" is track 10 from Aimee Mann's 1999 album Bachelor #2. A few months ago I found the quote below.
"This is a song I wrote when Jeff Buckley died...I hadn't known Jeff extremely well, but we kept bumping into each other here and there.
"One night we met at a pub in New York City and we started writing messages to each other on a paper placemat that was there, instead of talking, because the music was really loud or something.
"An interesting effect of that was that we found ourselves writing things we would never dare to say to each other out loud. I remember thinking that he seemed sort of lost and sad although outwardly he was very funny and lively and confident, and wrote something about that, amoung other things.
"...one night I got a voicemail from him that said, "I just realized what you were trying to tell me that night". I tried to call him back but the number I had for him was old. I got his new number but I was out of town again and it was hard to call, and then I heard that he was missing and presumed dead..."
"Just Like Anyone" (A. Mann)
So maybe I wasn't
that good a friend
but you were one of us
and I will wonder
just like anyone
if there was something
else I could've done
So maybe it's true that
your cry for help
was oh, so very faint
but still I heard
and knew something was wrong
just nothing you could
put your finger on
and I will wonder
just like anyone
just like anyone
"This is a song I wrote when Jeff Buckley died...I hadn't known Jeff extremely well, but we kept bumping into each other here and there.
"One night we met at a pub in New York City and we started writing messages to each other on a paper placemat that was there, instead of talking, because the music was really loud or something.
"An interesting effect of that was that we found ourselves writing things we would never dare to say to each other out loud. I remember thinking that he seemed sort of lost and sad although outwardly he was very funny and lively and confident, and wrote something about that, amoung other things.
"...one night I got a voicemail from him that said, "I just realized what you were trying to tell me that night". I tried to call him back but the number I had for him was old. I got his new number but I was out of town again and it was hard to call, and then I heard that he was missing and presumed dead..."
"Just Like Anyone" (A. Mann)
So maybe I wasn't
that good a friend
but you were one of us
and I will wonder
just like anyone
if there was something
else I could've done
So maybe it's true that
your cry for help
was oh, so very faint
but still I heard
and knew something was wrong
just nothing you could
put your finger on
and I will wonder
just like anyone
just like anyone
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Upcoming movie report
I was just about to go to bed cause I'm working tomorrow at 6:30am but I was flipping around and saw that Grindhouse was starting on IFC. I'm watching Planet Terror now; it's wicked gory. I'll write about it here at RJ Battles next week.
A new Throwing Muses demo, "Clark's Nutcracker", is up now on Kristin Hersh's CASH page. It sounds awesome and it makes me hope that Tanya Donelly will come back again to sing when Throwing Muses gets together to record.
You'll also want to listen to September's song "Cherry Candy/ Dripping Trees".
Note: I'm also gonna write about a show I watched Halloween night called Amityville: The Last Testament.
Throwing Muses promo poster
I'm really excited because tomorrow after work I'm gonna buy the Throwing Muses album from 2003, used, from the local record store.
I downloaded it back when it came out but I had to delete my hardrive back in 2005. Throwing Muses was more like a 50 Foot Wave record than a TM record, and Limbo is still my favorite, but Throwing Muse is awesome in it's own way, plus it's got tanya Donelly doing backing vocals. I like how it's all fast songs, nothing slow and no piano fragments. It really is a party record.
Anyway, here's a House Tornado Sire records promo poster I came across today.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
More cool pictures
These are some pictures from ebay. The first three were taken at the beach, maybe at the same time that they made the cover for Trompe Le Monde.
The last picture is the Seal My Fate clear 7" record in front of a red background.
Top- Bright Yellow Gun Throwing Muses
Second- Counting Backwards Throwing Muses
Third- Dizzy Throwing Muses
Forth- Gepetto Belly
Bottom- Seal My Fate Belly
This is a neat package, plus a test printing
The first two pictures are from some kind of promo; the last picture is a text printing of The Real Ramona.
New pictures
Last week, I re-read the last half of Rat Girl. It's really a very good book and you don't have to know Throwing Muses music to like it. I'm hoping that it finds a large audience.
Thses are a couple images from the UK edition.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
When it comes to horror movies I don't have any standards and just about all horror movies scare me. Still, I'm watching Halloween 5 again and realizing that I lost all interest in the Halloween movies after III. I and II are like the first two Godfathers to me and Season of the Witch is good in it's own way, but all the other sequels sucked.
I think Final Girl has mentioned this already, but: that is NOT the Myers house, not even remodeled to disquise its past- it's just a different house altogether.
I still haven't seen Halloween 6, the one that came out in the mid-90s and stars Paul Rudd. I guess it answers the questions raised at the end of 5. I wanna stay up and watch it but I've gotta be in early tomorrow morning. I'm thinking AMC will play it again this week.
I think Final Girl has mentioned this already, but: that is NOT the Myers house, not even remodeled to disquise its past- it's just a different house altogether.
I still haven't seen Halloween 6, the one that came out in the mid-90s and stars Paul Rudd. I guess it answers the questions raised at the end of 5. I wanna stay up and watch it but I've gotta be in early tomorrow morning. I'm thinking AMC will play it again this week.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Pixies
I was looking up info on Vaughan Oliver and books like This Rimy River and I came across these pictures. I've wanted that book forever, maybe someone will get it for me for Christmas.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Halloween I and II
My friends and I were hanging out tonight, and while Amy was flipping around we saw that Halloween was on AMC. Watching a movie on AMC is a little bit better than watching one on Sci-fi, but not much. The thing is, AMC not only plays regular commercials, they play long, endless ads for their own shit. And on a side note- they just played a car commercial and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Only Living Boy in New York" is featured in it. What the fuck. I know he lost money on The Capeman but he's still gotta have a shitload of cash, does he really need to do a car commercial?
Anyway, sometimes I feel like that book The Polar Express, where as you get older you can't hear the bell ring anymore. I feel bad when, say, it's December 23 and I'm still not in the Christmas spirit the same way I used to be. Even as a teenager I'd get a special feeling in December, even around Thanksgiving. Some years Christmas feels like just another day.
But watching Halloween (and Halloween II- it's on now) a week before the 31st, I'm starting to get that old feeling. The trees are beautiful and I love the smell of the leaves on the ground. This past weekend in my friend's neighborhood someone was burning leaves and it was the coolest smell.
Thinking back to when I was younger makes me realize how truly lucky I was. I always assumed that every kid, around the world, had a basically good life and were cared for. We were just a middle class family and sometimes my brothers and I would call our parents cheap, but if we wanted something we usually got it. And we were always safe. Our extended family and our parent's friends are good, kind people who always treated us so well.
It's always hard for me to imagine people having genuinely bad, ugly childhoods, and not feeling safe at home. When I was thirteen I was friends with a very nice girl who lived on the other side of the city, about a twenty minute walk. She told me that when she was ten one of her mother's boyfriend's molested her. No charges were ever brought and her mother still talked to the gut. It's still unbelievable to me.
One time I saw a remake of Les Miserables from the mid 1990s. Claire Daines was telling her boyfriend that she can't go away from him and leave her father behind. She says something like "You don't understand- it isn't just that he raised me. I grew up in his love". That reminds me so much of my parents. My brothers and I grew up in their love. That was our house. Their love for us was everywhere and in everything they did. They didn't sleep in, or go out and leave us with babysitters; at least one of them was always there.
We may have been a little sheltered and a little spoiled, and while none of us grew up to be perefect adults all three of us are, essentially, good people. They didn't raise us to be successful, nor did they make us into do-gooders, they just wanted us to be kind and to, at least, think of other people.
I remember when I started school we were sitting down to dinner and my mother said that we should never make fun of someone because they were deaf or fat or weren't pretty or handsome. They said it's never good to hurt someone's feelings and I always remembered that. I also wished that more parents had that same talk with there kids- school would've been a lot different. Do any parents say that to their kids? I'd say yes, but not many.
Like I said, I think we were sheltered in some ways, buit they did let us buy candy and watch horror movies late at night and buy whatever records we wanted. Our parents weren't controlling, just cautious. I saw my parents Friday night and, still, they're worried about me, and my mom has no problem letting me know that as a guy in his thirties who doesn't own a car, I'm a loser.
I've got a lot of changes to make. I've made a lot of mistakes and I've let my life go down the tubes, but the thing is, I've always known the right thing to do. And the moment I decide to stop fucking up I can turn everything around. I've always known what the correct choice was, I just didn't make it.
Luckily, both my parents are in good health. Still I worry that they might not see me turn things around and they might leave worrying about my future. For that reason I've decided to change things now. If I do things right I can have my life in good shape by New Years. I think Christmastime With Clementine is the first step towards fixing things.
Anyway, sometimes I feel like that book The Polar Express, where as you get older you can't hear the bell ring anymore. I feel bad when, say, it's December 23 and I'm still not in the Christmas spirit the same way I used to be. Even as a teenager I'd get a special feeling in December, even around Thanksgiving. Some years Christmas feels like just another day.
But watching Halloween (and Halloween II- it's on now) a week before the 31st, I'm starting to get that old feeling. The trees are beautiful and I love the smell of the leaves on the ground. This past weekend in my friend's neighborhood someone was burning leaves and it was the coolest smell.
Thinking back to when I was younger makes me realize how truly lucky I was. I always assumed that every kid, around the world, had a basically good life and were cared for. We were just a middle class family and sometimes my brothers and I would call our parents cheap, but if we wanted something we usually got it. And we were always safe. Our extended family and our parent's friends are good, kind people who always treated us so well.
It's always hard for me to imagine people having genuinely bad, ugly childhoods, and not feeling safe at home. When I was thirteen I was friends with a very nice girl who lived on the other side of the city, about a twenty minute walk. She told me that when she was ten one of her mother's boyfriend's molested her. No charges were ever brought and her mother still talked to the gut. It's still unbelievable to me.
One time I saw a remake of Les Miserables from the mid 1990s. Claire Daines was telling her boyfriend that she can't go away from him and leave her father behind. She says something like "You don't understand- it isn't just that he raised me. I grew up in his love". That reminds me so much of my parents. My brothers and I grew up in their love. That was our house. Their love for us was everywhere and in everything they did. They didn't sleep in, or go out and leave us with babysitters; at least one of them was always there.
We may have been a little sheltered and a little spoiled, and while none of us grew up to be perefect adults all three of us are, essentially, good people. They didn't raise us to be successful, nor did they make us into do-gooders, they just wanted us to be kind and to, at least, think of other people.
I remember when I started school we were sitting down to dinner and my mother said that we should never make fun of someone because they were deaf or fat or weren't pretty or handsome. They said it's never good to hurt someone's feelings and I always remembered that. I also wished that more parents had that same talk with there kids- school would've been a lot different. Do any parents say that to their kids? I'd say yes, but not many.
Like I said, I think we were sheltered in some ways, buit they did let us buy candy and watch horror movies late at night and buy whatever records we wanted. Our parents weren't controlling, just cautious. I saw my parents Friday night and, still, they're worried about me, and my mom has no problem letting me know that as a guy in his thirties who doesn't own a car, I'm a loser.
I've got a lot of changes to make. I've made a lot of mistakes and I've let my life go down the tubes, but the thing is, I've always known the right thing to do. And the moment I decide to stop fucking up I can turn everything around. I've always known what the correct choice was, I just didn't make it.
Luckily, both my parents are in good health. Still I worry that they might not see me turn things around and they might leave worrying about my future. For that reason I've decided to change things now. If I do things right I can have my life in good shape by New Years. I think Christmastime With Clementine is the first step towards fixing things.
I'm bad at this
I look at my last post, which I wrote at around 3am, and it seems so bad, so 'going through the motions'. Final Girl can write two or three sentences about her favorite horror movies and it's fun and interesting; I do the same thing and it's painfully boring and maybe pointless.
What am I doing wrong? What's missing? Oooooooow, Halloween just started!!! My friends are over and we're gonna watch. Talk to you later, RJ
What am I doing wrong? What's missing? Oooooooow, Halloween just started!!! My friends are over and we're gonna watch. Talk to you later, RJ
Friday, October 22, 2010
Copying Final Girl
It's Shocktober over at Final Girl and I think she did a poll where people voted for their top 20 favorite horror movies and it became a ranking of 500 films. Also, she posted her top 20 choices. I decided since it's October I'll do the same thing.
(This list is not in any order)
My Top 20 Favorite Horror/ Halloween movies
1. The Omen I & II
These movies scared me badly when I was a kid and saw them at 3am on HBO. the best part of I is when Gregory peck and the photographer go gravedigging in Italy. There's something special about the lighting during this scene- it's creepy and dreamlike, it's very beautiful. Part II is all gory and disturbing deaths; the most upsetting is when Damien kills his cousin Mark. Even now, years later, it's hard to watch.
2. Scream
I'm not a big fan of any of the Scream movies (I'm mad that Scream 2 is never on TV; I like how they cast Laurie Metcalf and put her in a Pam Vorhees-sweater) but the opening sequense with Drew Barrymore is amazing. Too bad the whole thing couldn't be that good.
3. Children of the Corn
This is another movie that I caught in the middle of the night on HBO. After seeing the opening scene in the diner I couldn't watch the rest so it wasn't until years later that I saw the whle movie and realized how ridiculous it is. I don't know which is worst: the special effects or Peter Horton's speech to the kids. So lame.
4. Event Horizon
I watched this movie with my friend Chris and it scared the shit out of me. "Where we're going we won't need eyes to see." Holy shit. And that scene with Baby Bear and the cabin doors.
5. The Shining
I've read the book twice and seen the movie a bunch of times. Neither actually scared me but they're both excellent. My favorite thing about the movie: The very first shot- the tiny island on the lake and the music- is so clear and creepy and perfect.
6. IT
I caught the movie on TV and read the book a couple years ago. The book was a good read with a lot of flaws. The movie was a lot of fun with a horrible ending. But it's always good to see Harry Anderson.
7. Haunted Honeymoon
A very unfunny comedy but it has lot of charm and really sets a mood. I like the old-fashioned haunted house feeling it projects. I can't think of one funny part but I'd weatch it if it were on TV right now. Gilda Radner was great.
8. Friday the 13th I II & III
To me it's all the same movie- I saw them when I was very young and always had it in my head that in all of them Jason was the killer and he was always wearing the hockey mask. The first film was really good at setting mood- I remember some nice scenes of waves on the lake and raindrops falling on leaves. The kinds of scenes you wouldn't see in Part VI or Jason X.
9. The Exorcist III
Both the book and the movie are fucked-up and scary.
10. Bram Stoker's Dracula
Not a scary movie in any way. What I love are the blazing sunsets and dark mountains in Transylvania. In some parts it's a truly beautiful movie.
Coming up...11-20
(This list is not in any order)
My Top 20 Favorite Horror/ Halloween movies
1. The Omen I & II
These movies scared me badly when I was a kid and saw them at 3am on HBO. the best part of I is when Gregory peck and the photographer go gravedigging in Italy. There's something special about the lighting during this scene- it's creepy and dreamlike, it's very beautiful. Part II is all gory and disturbing deaths; the most upsetting is when Damien kills his cousin Mark. Even now, years later, it's hard to watch.
2. Scream
I'm not a big fan of any of the Scream movies (I'm mad that Scream 2 is never on TV; I like how they cast Laurie Metcalf and put her in a Pam Vorhees-sweater) but the opening sequense with Drew Barrymore is amazing. Too bad the whole thing couldn't be that good.
3. Children of the Corn
This is another movie that I caught in the middle of the night on HBO. After seeing the opening scene in the diner I couldn't watch the rest so it wasn't until years later that I saw the whle movie and realized how ridiculous it is. I don't know which is worst: the special effects or Peter Horton's speech to the kids. So lame.
4. Event Horizon
I watched this movie with my friend Chris and it scared the shit out of me. "Where we're going we won't need eyes to see." Holy shit. And that scene with Baby Bear and the cabin doors.
5. The Shining
I've read the book twice and seen the movie a bunch of times. Neither actually scared me but they're both excellent. My favorite thing about the movie: The very first shot- the tiny island on the lake and the music- is so clear and creepy and perfect.
6. IT
I caught the movie on TV and read the book a couple years ago. The book was a good read with a lot of flaws. The movie was a lot of fun with a horrible ending. But it's always good to see Harry Anderson.
7. Haunted Honeymoon
A very unfunny comedy but it has lot of charm and really sets a mood. I like the old-fashioned haunted house feeling it projects. I can't think of one funny part but I'd weatch it if it were on TV right now. Gilda Radner was great.
8. Friday the 13th I II & III
To me it's all the same movie- I saw them when I was very young and always had it in my head that in all of them Jason was the killer and he was always wearing the hockey mask. The first film was really good at setting mood- I remember some nice scenes of waves on the lake and raindrops falling on leaves. The kinds of scenes you wouldn't see in Part VI or Jason X.
9. The Exorcist III
Both the book and the movie are fucked-up and scary.
10. Bram Stoker's Dracula
Not a scary movie in any way. What I love are the blazing sunsets and dark mountains in Transylvania. In some parts it's a truly beautiful movie.
Coming up...11-20
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Why would someone come here?
For while the main focus of this blog, RJ Battles, was record sleeves. I've posted a lot of my favorites and there are still more that I wanna find and put up here. there were also movie reviews and my opinion on TV and music.
Now it's just updates about my unfinished writing projects. I've gotta focus. I'm so jealous of Final Girl. She's got horror movies, and a fun writing style, and it's October so it's a big party over at her blog.
Still, there's a lot to look forward to here. You can see my children's Christmas book before it hits stores, and you can read my short story before The New Yorker publishes it. That's something. Stay tuned.
By the way, did I mention one day last week I wanted to kill some time so I read Final Girl's two blog marathons, one for the Halloween series and one for the Friday the 13th movies. It was a great idea and she made it a lot of fun. If you have the time (or if you don't have the time) go over there and read them both from the beginning. It'll make you wanna start your own blog.
Maybe I'll do that. I'll listen to all the Throwing Muses albums in a row and write about it, or all of Aimee Mann's records. If that doesn't bring me a bunch of new readers nothing will.
Now it's just updates about my unfinished writing projects. I've gotta focus. I'm so jealous of Final Girl. She's got horror movies, and a fun writing style, and it's October so it's a big party over at her blog.
Still, there's a lot to look forward to here. You can see my children's Christmas book before it hits stores, and you can read my short story before The New Yorker publishes it. That's something. Stay tuned.
By the way, did I mention one day last week I wanted to kill some time so I read Final Girl's two blog marathons, one for the Halloween series and one for the Friday the 13th movies. It was a great idea and she made it a lot of fun. If you have the time (or if you don't have the time) go over there and read them both from the beginning. It'll make you wanna start your own blog.
Maybe I'll do that. I'll listen to all the Throwing Muses albums in a row and write about it, or all of Aimee Mann's records. If that doesn't bring me a bunch of new readers nothing will.
Good news
I'm headed to work soon, but I got up early and did some re-writes on Christmastime With Clementine. I've taken a simpler approach and I solved a problem with the story so now it holds together better.
If I give it my full attention and work on it non-stop I can get it ready and out there in time for Christmas. I'm very excited. I think this can work.
If I give it my full attention and work on it non-stop I can get it ready and out there in time for Christmas. I'm very excited. I think this can work.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
So many projects
And if I could finish just one of them I'd be happy. I just sat down and listed all of them (actually there are more but they haven't even been started yet; they're just ideas) Here's what I have so far:
Clementine Sees The State (children's book)
Christmastime With Clementine (children's book)
Short story (for The New Yorker)
Book about my city
Horror movie (for Lifetime)
Paintings (for a gallery show)
Here's the progress I've made:
Christmastime With Clementine- I've got more than half of it written in a notebook, but I think it's lacking something. I want to start over, or, at least, punch up what I've got. I wanted to have it done, illustrated, printed, and ready for sale in time for Christmas this year but it's probably too late unless I quit my job and work on it around the clock.
I got the idea for Clementine Sees The State first. Then I thought Who's going to buy a book about my parents' dog? People would, however, buy a Christmas book about my parents' dog. Now I'm thinking I'll do this first and publish it sometime in early 2011.
I started the short story for The New Yorker Monday night and I'm 1/4 of the way through the first draft. I think it has a lot of potential. I'd like to publish it here at RJ Battles first and see what you think of it.
I was reading Rat Girl and I looked over at a pile of books next to my loveseat and saw an old, small, black & white book about Ireland, slim and plain, but with very nice photos. I want my book to be half Tom Wolfe and half Amy Sedaris. I'm not sure how to approach it yet but I know I want it to be fun.
I've always wanted to make a horror movie. I've got a story kicking around. The thing that I think is most important is setting a mood. I want the viewer to feel like they're right there. I want to evoke a certain mood, the same way that whenever you watch Halloween-no matter what time of year it is- you feel like it's October 31st.
My whole life I've thought of myself as a painter (or a drawer). Somehow, though, I lost interest. Up until the time I was 18 I did it all the time. Maybe because I was shy and had trouble talking to people and since then I've gotten better at it. I don't know. Still, I still have pictures I want to make and I'd like to have other people see them. I've got to give it a try or otherwise forget about it forever.
I'm thinking about all the time I waste. Number one, I walk 40 minutes each way to work. That right there is a shitload of wasted time. I come home and go on the computer and read the newspapers and blogs and go to Craigslist Missed Connections to see if anyone wrote about me. I've gotta cut that out. Maybe if I used my time better I could finish all these things by the end of the year or sooner. We'll see.
Clementine Sees The State (children's book)
Christmastime With Clementine (children's book)
Short story (for The New Yorker)
Book about my city
Horror movie (for Lifetime)
Paintings (for a gallery show)
Here's the progress I've made:
Christmastime With Clementine- I've got more than half of it written in a notebook, but I think it's lacking something. I want to start over, or, at least, punch up what I've got. I wanted to have it done, illustrated, printed, and ready for sale in time for Christmas this year but it's probably too late unless I quit my job and work on it around the clock.
I got the idea for Clementine Sees The State first. Then I thought Who's going to buy a book about my parents' dog? People would, however, buy a Christmas book about my parents' dog. Now I'm thinking I'll do this first and publish it sometime in early 2011.
I started the short story for The New Yorker Monday night and I'm 1/4 of the way through the first draft. I think it has a lot of potential. I'd like to publish it here at RJ Battles first and see what you think of it.
I was reading Rat Girl and I looked over at a pile of books next to my loveseat and saw an old, small, black & white book about Ireland, slim and plain, but with very nice photos. I want my book to be half Tom Wolfe and half Amy Sedaris. I'm not sure how to approach it yet but I know I want it to be fun.
I've always wanted to make a horror movie. I've got a story kicking around. The thing that I think is most important is setting a mood. I want the viewer to feel like they're right there. I want to evoke a certain mood, the same way that whenever you watch Halloween-no matter what time of year it is- you feel like it's October 31st.
My whole life I've thought of myself as a painter (or a drawer). Somehow, though, I lost interest. Up until the time I was 18 I did it all the time. Maybe because I was shy and had trouble talking to people and since then I've gotten better at it. I don't know. Still, I still have pictures I want to make and I'd like to have other people see them. I've got to give it a try or otherwise forget about it forever.
I'm thinking about all the time I waste. Number one, I walk 40 minutes each way to work. That right there is a shitload of wasted time. I come home and go on the computer and read the newspapers and blogs and go to Craigslist Missed Connections to see if anyone wrote about me. I've gotta cut that out. Maybe if I used my time better I could finish all these things by the end of the year or sooner. We'll see.
Another book idea
This brings the total up to five I think. I was sitting on my loveseat a few minutes ago and I got the idea to write a book about the city I live in. There have already been a few books written about it- one, in the 1990s, got nationwide attention- but mine will be something different. While that other book, which I liked, was more about life-long residents, I want want mine to focus on creative people in the area, painters and musicians and writers. I'd like for it to be about regional art.
I'd also like for it to be more of a picture book, more visual. I want people to see everything right in front of them. And I want it to be the kind of book where even people who lived here forever will see things they've never seen before.
Maybe I'll focus on shut-ins. There's alot going on indoors in someone's private space, that people might never see.
I'd also like for it to be more of a picture book, more visual. I want people to see everything right in front of them. And I want it to be the kind of book where even people who lived here forever will see things they've never seen before.
Maybe I'll focus on shut-ins. There's alot going on indoors in someone's private space, that people might never see.
Monday, October 18, 2010
13 Steps Lead Down
13 Steps Lead Down (1994) Elvis Costello
I bought most of the Rykodisc re-issues and a couple of the Rhino double disc re-issues- all with EC's liner notes, and I read a book about his music called Let Them All Talk, and still I don't know what he's singing about half the time. All the references and wordplay is lost on me.
Anyway, he's got a lot of good songs. In Greenfield, MA I found the CD single for 13 Steps Lead Down and it's got three cool B-sides:
"Puppet Girl"
"Basement Kiss", and
"We Despise You"
For some reason they're not included on the bonus disc of the Rhino re-release of Brutal Youth. It contains a few other B-sides but mostly it's different versions of the album tracks.
Still, I wanna buy it. I like that record. My only problem with it is the same problem I have with all the other EC records: I can't stand the piano and keyboards. Here, Steve Nieve flat-out wrecks songs like "This Is Hell" and "London's Brilliant Parade". I wish I could remix these songs and erase the keyboards. Oh well.
The sequel to the remake of John Carpenter's 1978 film
I have DirectTV and when you flip around, the display on top tells you the name of what's on before the actual picture comes through. I was so excited tonight when I saw that Halloween II was on Showtime.
But no. It turns out that Showtime is not playing Halloween II tonight. They're playing a Rob Zombie movie.
Why does everyone have to be so dirty. There are so many white trash hillbilly characters, and even Laurie and the cop are mangy and scruffy and probably smell like an ashtray.
But no. It turns out that Showtime is not playing Halloween II tonight. They're playing a Rob Zombie movie.
Why does everyone have to be so dirty. There are so many white trash hillbilly characters, and even Laurie and the cop are mangy and scruffy and probably smell like an ashtray.
Short story
I had today off from work and I don't have to go in tomorrow. So many days off go by and I feel like I hardly ever acomplish anything.
This is because so often I use my off-time to go out of town and sleep at my friend's house in my hometown. I love that and I need it but my life here is not going anywhere. I have to focus on where I am.
I'm not a published writer but tonight I'm going to write a story that will be printed in The New Yorker.
This is because so often I use my off-time to go out of town and sleep at my friend's house in my hometown. I love that and I need it but my life here is not going anywhere. I have to focus on where I am.
I'm not a published writer but tonight I'm going to write a story that will be printed in The New Yorker.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
CardWoo
I'm watching the Chiller Channel and I just saw an ad for a company called CardWoo.
They say that they'll buy your unwanted gift cards. I didn't catch whether or not they give you the full face value of the card or just part of it, and I can't imagine exactly what CardWoo does with the gift cards they buy; I'll have to pay closer attention the next time it comes on.
Gift cards are a bad gift, though. We all know that. And still we've all given them.
Cash is probably the best gift ever invented. I love opening a Christmas or birthday card and seeing money inside. Right away, ideas come about how to spend it. And gift cards are fine, of course, but they're limiting. Maybe you'll get a Best Buy card but you'll wish it was for Target instead.
The actors in the ad are funny; they come across like ungrateful scumbags but they're just saying what we've all thought. One woman stands at the register in a clothing store and says, "I don't want anything here. Why can't I just get the money instead".
The only people who should be given gift cards are junkies and other addicts who otherwise wouldn't buy food. You should get them a gift card from their local grocery store and you should give them a matching amount of cash so they can get high. You don't want them to be sick at Christmas, do you? Have a heart.
They say that they'll buy your unwanted gift cards. I didn't catch whether or not they give you the full face value of the card or just part of it, and I can't imagine exactly what CardWoo does with the gift cards they buy; I'll have to pay closer attention the next time it comes on.
Gift cards are a bad gift, though. We all know that. And still we've all given them.
Cash is probably the best gift ever invented. I love opening a Christmas or birthday card and seeing money inside. Right away, ideas come about how to spend it. And gift cards are fine, of course, but they're limiting. Maybe you'll get a Best Buy card but you'll wish it was for Target instead.
The actors in the ad are funny; they come across like ungrateful scumbags but they're just saying what we've all thought. One woman stands at the register in a clothing store and says, "I don't want anything here. Why can't I just get the money instead".
The only people who should be given gift cards are junkies and other addicts who otherwise wouldn't buy food. You should get them a gift card from their local grocery store and you should give them a matching amount of cash so they can get high. You don't want them to be sick at Christmas, do you? Have a heart.
My Dinner With RJ
I just finished dinner and I have to tell you all about it.
Made two things: corn (from a can), and home fries.
The corn just simmered in a small saucepan with a fat pat of butter and some salt & pepper stirred in.
The home fries- I diced up two leftover baked potatoes from last Sunday's family picnic. I started with a medium saucepan and olive oil, three pats of butter, garlic powder, s & p, parsley flakes, and oregeno. Then I tossed in the diced spuds till they were light brown.
It sounds plain but I practically licked the plate.
Earlier in the evening I went to a Mexican resturant with friends and while they ate I had two screwdrivers so, yes, I was a little hungry anyway, but this came out really fucking good. I'm calling it RJ's Spuds and Corn and you should give it a try.
Made two things: corn (from a can), and home fries.
The corn just simmered in a small saucepan with a fat pat of butter and some salt & pepper stirred in.
The home fries- I diced up two leftover baked potatoes from last Sunday's family picnic. I started with a medium saucepan and olive oil, three pats of butter, garlic powder, s & p, parsley flakes, and oregeno. Then I tossed in the diced spuds till they were light brown.
It sounds plain but I practically licked the plate.
Earlier in the evening I went to a Mexican resturant with friends and while they ate I had two screwdrivers so, yes, I was a little hungry anyway, but this came out really fucking good. I'm calling it RJ's Spuds and Corn and you should give it a try.
Nuala O'Faolain
This past Sunday I went to my parents' house because my dad's side of the family was coming for a visit. It was a beatutiful, warm day and we ate outside and had a great time.
My Uncle Jerry loaded his truck with things he was getting rid of: jackets, books, household items, and a 32" TV. Most of the books were Ireland related and I snagged a couple Irish ghost story books as it's October and I like to get into the spirit.
I also grabbed a book I had seen in the past and hadn't really thought about reading before. I'd liked Angela's Ashes and Frank McCourt blurbed, "You don't want the book to end" about Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain.
I started reading it the next day and I finished it last night with tears in my eyes.
Are You Somebody? is so well written that it makes you want to sit down and write your own life story and hope that it will come out half as good.
Total honesty- no holding back- is one of the things that makes it so strong. She lays everything out when you know it must've been a brutal process.
The only thing that might keep my from recommending it to my friends is I know there are certain parts where they're going to be lost, as I was, and want to skip over sections.
I know next to nothing about many of the books and writers she talks about. And she lost me, too, when she listed the countries and landmarks she visited on holiday.
She's been fucking everywhere, by the way. If you live in Europe it must be really cheap to get plane tickets. She went everywhere you've ever wanted to go and everywhere you don't.
I've gotten really bad with Wikopedia- when I come across a movie on TV I have to go look it up and read how it ends. I don't know why. I'd never do that with a book, but halfway through Are You Somebody? I decided to look up the author and learn a little more about her life.
It made me really sad to discover that she's no longer alive; she died of cancer in 2008. I didn't see that coming- she's only about five years older than my parents.
Anyway, if you get the chance you should seek out this book. Go to the library or buy it this week at your local bookstore. It's worth buying, and besides, you'll want to re-read it, either right away or in the coming years. It's a good story, told well.
My Uncle Jerry loaded his truck with things he was getting rid of: jackets, books, household items, and a 32" TV. Most of the books were Ireland related and I snagged a couple Irish ghost story books as it's October and I like to get into the spirit.
I also grabbed a book I had seen in the past and hadn't really thought about reading before. I'd liked Angela's Ashes and Frank McCourt blurbed, "You don't want the book to end" about Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain.
I started reading it the next day and I finished it last night with tears in my eyes.
Are You Somebody? is so well written that it makes you want to sit down and write your own life story and hope that it will come out half as good.
Total honesty- no holding back- is one of the things that makes it so strong. She lays everything out when you know it must've been a brutal process.
The only thing that might keep my from recommending it to my friends is I know there are certain parts where they're going to be lost, as I was, and want to skip over sections.
I know next to nothing about many of the books and writers she talks about. And she lost me, too, when she listed the countries and landmarks she visited on holiday.
She's been fucking everywhere, by the way. If you live in Europe it must be really cheap to get plane tickets. She went everywhere you've ever wanted to go and everywhere you don't.
I've gotten really bad with Wikopedia- when I come across a movie on TV I have to go look it up and read how it ends. I don't know why. I'd never do that with a book, but halfway through Are You Somebody? I decided to look up the author and learn a little more about her life.
It made me really sad to discover that she's no longer alive; she died of cancer in 2008. I didn't see that coming- she's only about five years older than my parents.
Anyway, if you get the chance you should seek out this book. Go to the library or buy it this week at your local bookstore. It's worth buying, and besides, you'll want to re-read it, either right away or in the coming years. It's a good story, told well.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
New Header for RJ Battles
Since it's October and Halloween is on its way, I decided to put together a new special Halloween header for RJ Battles. Just like the previous header, it's a collage of Belly images- photography: Chris Gorman, design: Chris Bigg.
Peepshow
Peepshow (1988) Siouxsie & the Banshees
If the main quality of great art is that it sets a mood, then Siouxsie & the Banshees's Peepshow falls into that catagory.
Tomorrow, go to the record store and buy Peepshow. Then tomorrow night, after dinner, pop it into your Discman and walk around your neighborhood. If you live in city, drive to someplace where there are a lot of trees, maybe a park. This album feels like October. It feels like Halloween.
The opening track "Peek-A-Boo" is a fucked-up song. It's ok if you wanna skip over it and go to track two, "The Killing Jar". I think you're going to love "Burn-up", the song that closed side one on the LP. "Rawhead and Bloodybones" is wierd but also really cool.
For an album from 1988, this album holds up really well. Their next album, Superstition, sounds more dated than Peepshow, though it doesn't sound too dated either.
The album art is amazing. I love the the way they write the song titles. The front and back covers look like movie posters for a horror movie.
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