Lots of updates on the way, including Commentarium and The Infinite Ocean. Until then, enjoy this excellent new Street Sweeper Social Club song:
Now this, this is poetry.
Writer, filmmaker, game designer
Archive for the 'Music' Category
One of the biggest problems art is facing today is the definition of art in people’s minds. Too many people have been misled into believing that truly good art must consist of ambiguous abstractions that are somehow “timeless” – that art must be exclusively introspective, lacking context, and dedicated solely to celebrating the inability to come to any kind of conclusion. Good films are those that “apolitical” (i.e. lacking courage), whereas any film that attempts to find or portray truth is “message-heavy” and more propaganda than art.
Truth, after all, has been declared to be relative, at least when it’s convenient, and not the business of the artist. Good art, we are told, pretends that people exist in a vacuum and the world doesn’t change; or if the world changes, it does so in ways that are beyond our ability to comprehend. (Perhaps we should leave it to our leaders? They may do bad things, but really they’re just people with daddy issues, and a government of the people by the people for the people will be the same as a plutocracy, because all people are the same, driven by Human Nature. Right?)
That’s the going definition of art: self-important, intentionally myopic bullshit pumped out by cowards and apologizers who justify their lack of vision as belief in “the small things” and their lack of courage as “not wanting to preach.” But it’s not a coincidence that theatre evolved from religious rites; art is about the truth, and always has been: about seeking it, about finding it, about questioning it. It’s about humanity, about God, about the nature of the universe and the nature of society. It’s about justice, and truth, and love; fuck that, it’s about Justice and Truth and Love.
Art is about the fire, not about rearranging the motherfucking matches.
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! is one of my favourite Nick Cave albums. Almost every single song on it is absolutely wonderful; it’s an album full of energy, sarcasm, and deep thoughts. The lyrics explode in your mind and the music pounds them into your soul. It’s like a lesson in what art is capable of. It’s awesome.
Here’s a variety of updates:
- I’d like to write more about fun stuff on this website. Lately it’s become too much about politics and my projects; not that these aren’t valid subjects, or the things I spend most of my time thinking about, but there’s more to the world. (If there wasn’t, what would be the point of politics?)
- So I’d like to write more about books I’m reading or have read, or about music, or about interesting things I found on the internet, or about funny/odd/fascinating/horrible things I have seen or encountered in my strange life so far.
- Speaking of music, I’ve recently rediscovered my love of Nick Cave. The Firstborn Is Dead was always one of my favourite albums, but now I’m listening to some of his newer work (from the last 13 years, that is) and enjoying it a great deal.
- OK, now I’ll say something about what I’m working on.
- I’ve only done two episodes/updates of The Urthona Revolution so far, but I’m really enjoying it. It’s good to flex slightly different artistic muscles, and I’m having fun putting oodles of hints and intertextual references into the images. It’s like poetry, really. Very compressed.
- As you may know, one of my primary goals is to make movies – not just small indie flicks, but big movies with big budgets. (Verena just wants to write them. I also want to direct.) We share this goal with our friend Dana Pastor (Dr. Halvorsen in Phenomenon 32), who is primarily interested in editing and cinematography. Since there is little hope of getting into what passes for the film industry in Germany, and since we’re not particularly oriented towards this part of the world anyway, our eyes are turned more towards England and (particularly) Hollywood. Hey, you’ve got to have ambitions.
- How to get there, then? How to get the attention and support to do some bigger film projects? Well, we have to start somewhere, so part of our approach is to just go and make a movie – one that can be achieved on a tiny budget, but is still visually impressive and has a good story.
- Our current plan is to film this movie in August-September of this year. Details are still not entirely clear, but today I had a very good moment when I took my camera off the shelf, where it had been gathering dust for a few years now, and played around with it a bit. I’d been terrified it would be broken, or just not up to modern technical standards anymore, but it turns out that I didn’t waste all my money back when I bought it: this thing rocks.
- Another aspect of this get-to-Hollywood plan is writing; more specifically, writing a screenplay. As you may have noticed, I’m not very big on saying a lot about my projects before they’re done, but I’ll give you a hint: it’s a comedy/drama with plenty of action and horror, and it’s about demons. (No, it’s not Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it does reference it in a very nice way.)
- We’re also always looking for interesting film competitions or similar events. Let us know if you hear of anything!
- I’ve had some very nice ideas for my next game, including some absolutely outrageous jokes.
- Sometimes I’m incredibly frustrated by these really simple game ideas that I come up with, that a better programmer/artist could do in less than a day, but which are completely out of reach for me. Grrr. Someday.
- We’ve been sending Verena’s novel Mind the Gap out to agents. Gods, I want this thing to be published. Not only because we desperately need the money, but also because it is incredibly excellent. Seriously, if you like my work, this book will make your head explode. Pray that it finds an agent who can see what a masterpiece it is.
- Phenomenon 32 feedback has been rather sparse in terms of reviews, but I’ve gotten some lovely emails from people who found the game to be thought-provoking and enjoyable. This is good.
- Our cat continues to be unspeakably cute. She really is incredible.
- Oh, and since I’m talking about my projects again, here’s something political: Auschwitz Survivor: ‘Israel acts like Nazis’
- I probably shouldn’t end on something controversial, should I?
- OK, here’s a random bit of trivia: when, in a pen & paper role-playing game, your characters witness a political assassination, and then spend an hour coming up with a long explanation as to why the killer was a yellow M&M… you know you’re playing with the right people.
- Come to think of it, I should really write about role-playing one of these days.
- Bored? Depressed? Listen to Tim Minchin and cheer up.
OUTERNATIONAL & TOM MORELLO RELEASE WOODY GUTHRIE’S “DEPORTEES” IN RESPONSE TO ARIZONA LAW
For a free download or to stream:
http://outernational.net/Deportees.mp3In response to the recently passed Arizona Immigration Law AZ SB1070, a newly charged version of Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees” has been recorded by Outernational featuring Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman. The song is available to the public at no cost and it is the band’s hope that everyone who hears it will spread it far and wide by posting and re-posting online, and that radio and other media will pick up on it as well.
“As sides are being drawn over the issue of immigration, I’m honored to join with Outernational on Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees”. Prejudice and ignorance are at the core of Arizona’s recent immigration legislation and Woody Guthrie’s “Deportees” was written to combat just that sort of prejudice,” voiced Tom Morello.
Woody Guthrie wrote “Deportees” in 1948 some days after a plane crash occurred in the Los Gatos Mountains, near the farms of the California central valley. The crash took the lives of several Americans and 28 migrant, Mexican workers. Guthrie was taken by how the reports of the crash only mentioned the names of the Americans and referred to the Mexican workers as just deportees.
An airplane caught fire over Los Gatos Canyon
Like a fireball of lightning it shook all our hills
Who are these friends all scattered like dry leaves?
The radio says, “They are just deportees”Outernational will be on the ground, in Arizona on May 29th in lock step solidarity with the thousands of people protesting this law. They believe that taken together, SB 1070, along with House Bill 2281, the new legislation which targets and dismantles ‘ethnic studies,’ represents officially sanctioned white supremacy and American chauvinism.
Some of us are illegal and some are not wanted
When contract is out, we’ve got to move on
Its six hundred miles to the Mexican border
They chase us like outlaws, like rustlers, like thievesOuternational has been touring non-stop for many months and began to revitalize “Deportees” on stage as they played shows on their way out west from their home in New York City. The band is known for its revolutionary message and electrified genre bending rock sound; it’s no wonder their version of the powerful folk song became an up-tempo and rousing celebration of Mexican culture complete with accordion and eventually a classical guitar solo courtesy of Morello.
“We recorded Deportees with Tom Morello and are going down to Arizona on May 29th to stand with all the people courageously fighting back against these unjust and immoral laws. Outernational is about a whole new world, a world without borders and nations. Todos somos illegales. We are all illegals,” expressed Miles Solay of Outernational.
The song is excellent. I hadn’t heard of Outernational before, but I just listened to some of their other music, and there are some good songs there. Not on the level of The Nightwatchman or Street Sweeper Social Club, but then, what is?
Tim Minchin says everything that needs to be said about the recent revelations mildly surprising news that the Pope knew about the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests and helped cover up for the priests responsible (thus leading to more abuse).
The new version of Phenomenon 32 has been compiled. Tomorrow shall be dedicated to playtesting. Let’s hope I don’t find too many problems.
Meanwhile, in celebration of this small but perhaps significant victory, here’s Tom Waits performing Shore Leave. It’s not exactly a song, more of a narrative with music, but it’s beautiful and atmospheric and not infrequently hilarious. Probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but I hate tea and I love this. So there.
Enjoy.
This is bloody excellent. And I love the little note on the side:
We’re aware this video won’t mean an awful lot if you’ve never heard of The Daily Mail, but on the plus side, you’ve never heard of The Daily Mail.
So true.
I want to thank our friend Sebastian for bringing this divinely inspired song to my attention. Seriously: this is the kind of overwhelmingly brilliant work of art that gives me hope for mankind and the universe. This song is a thousand times closer to the divine than any work of boring religious propaganda. This is genius. William Blake would love it.
Also, if you open your mind too much your brain will fall out.
Edit: Storm is also something of a masterpiece. And I don’t think that you have to be an atheist to admire its beauty.
Because some things are so bizarre and wonderful that they never grow old.
Interesting updates tomorrow. Now watch, listen, and sing along in your head.
