Meredith Monk

A performance by Meredith Monk from the "Four American Composers" by Peter Greenaway

Derek Bailey

A piece on Derek Bailey. Guitarist

Funny Games

Now with having seen the new version of "Funny Games" By Michael Haneke last night, I now think of what the films are really about. Michael Haneke made the same film in Austria ten years ago. He went back and remade the film, shot for shot, line for line(almost.) His reasoning for this was because he felt the point of the original film was about the senseless violence of American films that had no real consequence, violence for entertainments sake. The film represents that, but with an unhappy solution. So now we approach what Haneke is doing with this idea of repeating his point again. To me, it works maybe better the second time around. The look and feel of the original film are flawless, the performances just as fine, different, but still great. But as I sat in the theatre watching the film knowing the outcome and what was to come after the first thirty minutes I felt an overwhelming sense of dread. Here it comes or now we are in for it. As I have said to many people, this is the most horrifying film I have ever seen. I admire the film so much for almost taunting it's audience that even thinking about them getting out is pointless. Even so much so where a pivotal scene is re-wound on screen to repeat it, but with a very different outcome. In terms of affecting his audience, this is Haneke's most accomplished film. I wish more films were made like this, maybe not as distressing, but just as fearless. Not being at the beck and call of it's audience, but challenging them to see and accept what is happening, no matter how intense it gets.

Trailer for the 1997 version of Funny Games



Trailer for the 2007 version of Funny Games

Keith Rowe

Short subject about Keith Rowe, Avant-Garde guitar player

Fred Frith & Otomo Yoshihide

Some late night music

365 days ago

365 days ago my life changed forever. I loved someone. I truly did. As I look back on my decisions at that time of how I handled the situations that arouse from bad timing, bad judgement, cowardice and egotism, it's still hard to deal with it all. At the time, I thought leaving was going to change everything for the better, but it didn't. Knowing what you should have done and what you did are things that go through stages of emotional grief. Now the mile marker is here. It still feels just like yesterday. The best and worst time of my life. The best, being that I finally came to accept myself and the worst in I still wanted what I had given up. Certain days you feel quite good and certain days you don't. Regret and potential are some of the strongest emotions that you can feel. So now a year later after much psycho-analysis and personal growth I think now of what I did and why and understand and accept my decisions. They were poor, ill-advised and childish, but needed to experience the edge of emotional trauma. This equaled growth for me. So today is the anniversary of the most important day of my life. We will see how things are in another 365 days

Meanings of Art

Alan Wilder's thoughts of the music industry at large

Wonderful article here

Brian Eno views on art, evolution and life

http://www.poptech.com/popcasts/popcasts.aspx?lang=viewcastid=30

Very Interesting stuff. I don't find him very interesting as a musician anymore, but as a thinker he really has something

Tsai Ming-Liang

Tsai Ming-Liang is one of the more eclectic filmmakers in the world. A Taiwanese filmmaker who uses the movement of time as has palate. He lets things evolve at their own pace and own time. His love of nature and silence make his film an almost zen like experience, but the interesting thing he does in these confines of rather slow pace, he has many ideas for his social outcast characters. Always played by his "muse" Lee Kang-Sheng. He places them in positions of sexual experimentation, end of the world tragedies and home grief. Possibly his retort for being an outcast in his own culture(his pace and sexuality.) Drawing much inspiration from Francois Truffaut, as can be seen with a cameo by Jean-Pierre Leaud in "What Time Is It There" He is a true artist in Asian and world cinema. A person trying to do something different with the form.