Archive for January 2009
let’s play ball;
This is somewhat delayed, but I think I am excused by Melbourne’s horrific summer weather (three consecutive 44 degree days…no?)
After the windwhirl that was the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, came the sweet tears of jubilation, the subsequent analysis, and now the bated breath.
You can find full annotations for Obama’s speech here, which provides an interesting linguistic analysis to the words with which he chose to open his presidency. (Also of note, the young pup who assisted in the crafting of the speech).
And whilst for the most part the world beamed alongside Americans and joyously welcomed the dawn of a new age, in some places, such joy turned green with envy and took a nasty twist. But overall, it was a rather swell day full of musical treats and the like.
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Of course, now that the celebrations are over, Obama must roll up his shirt sleeves and prepare for a long and difficult haul. Lest we be caught up in his increasing celebrity status , Politifact has created the Obameter, which shall track the progress the president makes against the promises made during his presidential campaign. One can also follow Obama’s first 100 days, a Huffington Post initiative to cover the first steps taken by this anticipated new leader.
Stay tuned kids…
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surgical alienation; lara fiction noir
there always comes the rain;
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Missoni Pre-Fall 09, Alberta Ferretti Pre-Fall 09, Proenza Schouler Pre-Fall 09
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blue yodel no. 9;
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Episode 38, October 28, 1970
Amidst the great ranks of television variety shows we find The Johnny Cash Show (2); home of the man in black, his sprightly wife, the Tennessee Three, and a host of first class guests ranging from Kris Kristofferson to Ray Charles (whose cover of Ring of Fire is well worth a listen) to Joni Mitchell and Satchmo (above). Running on the ABC network from June 1969 to March 1971, the Johnny Cash Show featured the consistent comedic flair of June Carter as well as the musical accompaniment of regular guests Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers.
Cash’s extensive foray into country music and subsequent infusions of blues, gospel and rockabilly styles has contributed a musical vocabulary that is in many ways inextricable from modern lexicon of the rock and roll genre. His romantic cultivated image of the man in black and renegade outlaw worked a long way to concrete his celebrity aura and to trademark both the man and the sound into the minds of his audiences. This myth culminated in his Folsom Prison performance (although live footage only exists of his San Quentin show), which was carefully construed and crafted to bolster Cash’s persona as the dark and brooding desperado and proved to be a defining chapter in his musical career. Many years later, after his outlaw persona became somewhat diluted by his intensifying Christian beliefs, Cash would revive the man in black by his poignant rendition of the Nine Inch Nails’ original Hurt.
Of course, if you’re looking for a lighter side of Johnny Cash, one can always turn to his good as gold impersonations to kick you off.
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constant ressurections & the odd encephalogram;
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currently viewing:
The films of Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsy (Distinction Series including Andrei Rublev (1969) and Solaris (1972) .
currently reading:
“The Complete Poems: Anne Sexton” with foreword by Maxine Kumin, “Francis Bacon: Commitment and Conflict” by Wieland Schmied, and “The Complete Stories of Truman Capote” with an introduction by Reynolds Price (photograph above by Arnold Newman).
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waiting always for you on the porch;
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“Better than a poem, music beats us”
Biography of a word witch here, as well as her bibliography, collection of works, and fragments of her scrapbook here. Also of interest; a small treasure of recordings through which we may remain haunted.
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