coming soon: "the world/inferno friendship society" (a documentary)

hallowmas is our time.

the punk/soul cabaret orchestra, world/inferno friendship society, released a great new album over the summer -- a rock opera about the character actor originally from austria, peter lorre: "addicted to bad ideas: peter lorre's 20th century." it's really a brilliant project.

anyways, i'm supa-busy right now. but my thoughts now take me to new york city in the autumn. dreaming of the infernos around us...

(this clip is from a documentary work in progress courtesy of someone named anniesays over on youtube.)

david cronenberg is the new alfred hitchcock

i had the pleasure of seeing the brilliant canadian director david cronenberg in person just this weekend.



roger durling, creative director of the santa barbara international film festival (sbiff), interviews cronenberg after a screening at u.c. santa barbara of his excellent new crime drama, eastern promises, with viggo mortensen, a special joint presentation of the ucsb arts & lectures' film series, the student-oriented magic lantern film program, and the sbiff's cinema society. (above)

here's what j. hoberman, of the village voice, wrote of cronenberg in his review of eastern promises:

"I've said it before and hope to again: David Cronenberg is the most provocative, original, and consistently excellent North American director of his generation... neither Scorsese nor Spielberg, and not even David Lynch, has enjoyed a comparable run."

i happen personally to agree with hoberman. & in honor of cronenberg's newfound "acceptability" (which includes 2 oscar nominations for his previous film, the history of violence), i went back to scrutinize his unforgettable debut,

shivers (aka, they came from within) (1975).

brrrrr...

i had a few words to say about shivers, 'round about this time of year a couple of years ago; and this other segment, below, is from filmfour in the uk, with cronenberg himself talking about his nightmarish plague tale.



all hail the new king of suspense! long live the new flesh!!!

"rainin' in paradize"

manu chao and the radio bemba sound system in the prospect park bandshell, in park slope, brooklyn, nyc: tuesday, june 26th, 2007. (photo by yours truly.)

"rainin' in paradize" by manu chao

Welcome to paradise (2x)
Today it's raining (4x) (Welcome to paradise)
Today It's raining (Welcome to paradise) (4x)

In Zaire, Was no good place to be
Free world go crazy, it’s an atrocity

In Congo, Still no good place to be
They killed Mibali, it’s a calamity

Go Maasai go Maasai be mellow, Go Maasai go Maasai be sharp (2x)

In Monrovia, this no good place to be
Weapon go crazy, it’s an atrocity

In Palestina, too much hypocrisy
This world go crazy, it's no fatality

Go Maasai go Maasai be mellow, Go Maasai go Maasai be sharp (2x)

Today it’s raining (4x), in paradise
Today it’s raining (4x)

In Baghdad, it's no democracy
That’s just because, it’s a US Country

In Fallujah, too much calamity
This world go crazy, it's no fatality

Go Maasai go Maasai be mellow, Go Maasai go Maasai be sharp (2x)

Today it’s raining (4x)

In Jerusalem, in Monrovia, Guinea-Bissau, today it's raining (3x)

Welcome to paradise, Come to the fairy lies
Welcome to paradise
Today it's raining (4x)

Our Housewarming Party at The @nt Farm

"a jam session at our housewarming party on saturday, october 21st, 2006.

nick's on violin, colter's on tenor sax. david's on standup bass. other area musicians too joining in are gary and max on guitars.

the song, 'donna lee,' was composed by charlie parker.

my housemate, rebecca (aka, pussywillow sparks, of clitorectomy & the mutilators) is also on camera here."

Dishwasher Pete's on Late Show with David Letterman Tonight! (Friday, July 20) =D

back in the latter part of may, i interviewed, & then got to meet up with an old college chum, the underground legend & literary icon, "dishwasher pete" jordan, who i hadn't seen in about 12 years. pete was on a tour for his first book, dishwasher: one man's quest to wash dishes in all 50 states, which is out now on harper perennial.

dishwasher pete & i got to hang out for a bit on friday night, may 25th, in los angeles. i went to his reading at book soup that night, and then onto the cat & fiddle on sunset boulevard, with a friend of mine & some of pete's chums from the city of angels, including pete's fellow dishdog from his little rock, arkansas days, jim (pictured, above left, at book soup, with pete).

the turnout at pete's appearance at book soup was the weakest of his entire tour. i was a little disappointed by that. but, still, it was on a friday night, on the sunset strip -- where there's not a lot of parking and NO good mass transit (haha... this is LA, are you kidding?!) -- on the first night of a holiday weekend, no less. (& it seemed like just another event for book soup to get through, to be honest: sandwiched in between don rickles and some other "real" celebrity author... bleh. : / )

what's more, i couldn't help but think of the stereotype of angelenos as being shallow, and all of that, however much i didn't really want to go there... i dunno. i don't live in that megalopolis...

anyways: the book is terrific. pete's writing always has been -- some of y'all may be familiar with his legendary zine, dishwasher, & with his contributions to the classic non-fiction radio program, this american life.

(the night of our reunion was memorable, too, because it was also the only occasion i've had so far to meet up with fellow blogger & buzznet heartbreaker, desiree, the dvl... sigh... ;)

anyways. i'm finally getting around to posting this photo from book soup because TONIGHT, friday, july 20th, dishwasher pete is going to be making an appearance on late show with david letterman, on cbs television here.

a ways back, in the late '90s, pete & his friend jess hilliard perpetrated a hoax on letterman & his staff. then pete exposed it far & wide...

so, with that in mind, here's how pete himself is setting up tonight's appearance:

"Hey,

The last time I was invited to appear on the David Letterman show, I sent my friend Jess to go on in my place (see the video of that on my home page). With the publication of my book DISHWASHER, the question was: Would they have me back to promote it?

Turned out that the producers weren't so hot on having a guest who had already duped them once. But apparently, after reading my book, Dave himself wanted me on the show. When I got word of this a few days ago, all I could think was that they would try to pull something over on me, like by having a Letterman impersonator interview me.

Tune in Friday night to find out..."



(here's pete's appearance on "late show" last year -- but there were running gags about him all night.)

cult legend Dishwasher Pete on Monday's broadcast of "the freak power ticket" on kcsb 91.9 fm

on monday, may 21st, from 9-10am PDT, author & cult hero "Dishwasher Pete" Jordan (an old college friend) joins me on "the freak power ticket" to discuss his 1st book, Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in all 50 States (harper perennial 2007). just 2 days after his return as a contributor to the acclaimed radio magazine, "this american life," Jordan will talk on kcsb 91.9 fm about his 12-year career as the most celebrated dishwasher of his time, the result of kerouacian road journals that Jordan distributed in the underground "Dishwasher" 'zine, one of the most popular do-it-yourself publications from the heyday of the pre-blogging "generation x"-era 1990s.

(go to kcsb.org for a live webcast of this monday's program.)

KCSB Presents Jeremy Scahill Event Discussing Corporate Mercenaries 'Blackwater USA' - 7pm Thursday, April 26th, 2007, Isla Vista Theater

Investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill, of The Nation magazine and a correspondent/producer for Democracy Now!, will discuss his explosive new bestselling book, Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, an exposé of Blackwater USA, the Bush administration’s shadow soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and inside the U.S. (in places like post-Katrina New Orleans). KCSB is very proud to be hosting Scahill’s first West Coast appearance on this important topic, on Thursday, April 26th, 2007, starting at 7pm, at the Isla Vista Theater (960 Embarcadero Del Norte). A Q&A will follow Mr. Scahill’s lecture.

Proceeds from this event will benefit KCSB. Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for general admission; tickets are on sale now at the A.S. ticket office at UCSB, available by phone at (805) 893-2064, and at the door. We hope to see you there!

There is limited free parking available in Isla Vista. Campus parking permits will also be available at the entrance of the Lot 23 parking structure for the discounted price of $1.50. A full campus map can be found here.