What is worth discussing is my new television options- I've had cable TV, but other than already mentioned TV shows, I don't talk about my cable TV options. So, before, I had the 5 or 6 broadcast TV networks, about 20 basic cable networks, HBO and Cinemax. My wife called up this past week and was looking to drop Cinemax since we weren't watching it. In doing so, she signed us up to get 5 or 6 broadcast channels, and 40 basic cable channels, with HBO. This means I've got IFC, Sundance, 4 MTV variants, Fuse, and Indieplex. Apart from a game or two of Football ( American and actual Football) that's what I've been watching. It's been great. tonight, alone, I've watched The Devil's Rejects, Eraserhead and From Dusk Till Dawn. Very nice!
I do have new movies- really, just one new movie, in two parts- Mesrine Killer Instinct and Public Enemy #1. I've been fascinated with Jacques Mesrine since I was a teenager and read about his assassination in 1980. A charismatic psychopath, he was an escape artist, and gangster, and thief and killer- but I find him interesting, nonetheless. Evidently, Vincent Cassell thinks so as well because he makes Mesrine almost human- but with enough flashes of rage and menace that you know this is a very bad person to know. As a film, it's excellent- French films seem to always look great, it's just the plots that suck. By following a real life, we avoid that problem. The main flaw would be that unless you have read Mesrine's book, it might seem disjointed and random- in order to fit an entire adult life as detailed in existing documents, they've chosen to get all the details they could on specific events, and leave out the intervening time, so it helps a lot to know those intervening events, but if you don't it's still a watchable film- I verified that by watching it with my wife who didn't know Jacques Mesrine from Jacques Pepin, and she enjoyed it.
I know I wasn't going to talk tech, but I'm still enjoying the Sandisk Clip+, and have added a 16 gb micro SD card- still incredibly easy to use, still delivering everything I need in an MP3 player
You know, I'm a pretty regular guy- I know this. My tastes are unique, but all of our tastes are unique. I'm fairly smart, but so are you. So, if I cannot introduce you to new concepts, and cannot amuse you or evoke your sentimentality, why would I write any of this? Well, it's because I'm a regular guy- I'm hoping that by writing this that you can introduce me to your unique tastes that happen to coincide with mine. My other blog is just my thoughts, but this one is my hope- I hope that if people can share those areas where they are not "mass" the connections that they have to culture, whether popular or not- we can expose the fact that mass culture is a myth.
Which brings me to my favorite myth going around, right now- that rock has been superceded by dance music. If I go by pop radio, and pop culture magazines, it would appear to be so. Well, first of all, Rock music is dance music. This division is entirely false, and if you don't believe me, ask Chuck Berry or Little Richard or Ike Turner. But secondly, just because there hasn't been some new "scene" developed in America that confirms preconceived notions about what is Rock music, I'm supposed to believe that the form is moribund? That's exactly how short-sighted "mass culture" is, though. Just because they haven't heard the music coming out of Europe, and just because American Enormo-domes are booked by acts that they have labelled as "hip hop" or "electronica", They're stating that we, the 'masses' have changed our tastes- but we're still listening to the same mix of so-called "country", "rock', "rap" and other music- and as long as that's true- it's just silly to talk about a genre losing relevance.
Finally; Culture also includes Food, right? Well, another thing that was really worthwhile was getting lunch at Lunchbox, which is Voltaggio's latest project. Not to be a snob, but I still prefer Volt, easily- however, as opposed to going to McDonald's? Lunchbox wins, easily. Local, handmade, cheap and quality? Yes, please.
So, Hi, there. I'm still living just fine. I'll write about what I like, because that's what I do, but it might not be regular...
