Various Media¶
456 words on Books , Films , Music
So many films books and records that I enjoyed – or consumed at least – and meant to write about but didn't get around to doing so. Thus, here come a few words on each of those that stuck to my memory – possibly without a lengthy discussion. This also neatly covers up my inability to concisely say all the things I think should or could be said about those offerings.
Happy Songs for Happy People, not a very Mogwai-esque album title. Yet, the music is [Mogwai-esque]. Very shiny album cover.
All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson. Somehow this is supposed to be the third part of a trilogy which I didn't read the other books of. Still, it's not a problem to get into the story and to enjoy the many little ideas in the book. It's got a shiny cover as well.
Frengers, a CD by that Dan recommended. A few nice songs on there. I absolutely love the record's name, that explained by not quite friends and not quite strangers
. There are many people like that in our lives. For example, when going out, I tend to see the same people over and over again. I wouldn't consider them complete strangers. Yet I don't even know their names and what they're doing.
Phone Booth (IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes) – a relatively short film shot mostly in, surprise!, a phone booth. Quite a few nice ideas in there, but unfortunately not too well executed. Somehow I felt, I should link to this Guardian article here.
Hot Hot Heat – all noisy goodness, in their Make Up the Breakdown album and their Knock Knock Knock EP. To be heard loudly.
The medium is the massage, by Marshall Mcluhan. This was recommended to me more than a year ago on the excellent f-minor mailing list. While many of the things mentioned in the book don't seem to exciting for someone who grew up in the 1980s, I am impressed how many things are in there. And I wonder why 'older' people didn't yawn when that whole internet hype came along. Replace the word 'online' by 'electrical' and you could say everything's been there before.
Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian my current pet album, particularly the first two sides. After I thought the previous album was a bit boring, I quite like this one. Nice lyrics, nice sleeve notes and that particular Belle and Sebastian charme.
