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p.s. Hey. ** Steve Erickson, Hi. People still give enough of a shit about Puff Daddy to care what he’s doing musically? Everyone, Mr. Erickson has made a Spotify playlist of the music he’s been most into this month. If Spotify has a lodging on your electronic device, you’ll want to check this out. This. Glad you liked the Blain film. Yes, a number of critics have suggested that in fact he is more visibly influenced by Truffaut than Bresson, and I would agree. There’s a new Orbital album? I thought they threw in the towel. Hm. I will warily check that out. Based on their post-90s work so far, I feel like they shot most of their entire wad back then. Crazy about the new Errol Morris. Wow. ** Sypha, My family had a Slip n’ Slide too. Painful. I agree about ‘Fighting Ear of Corn’. Couldn’t find a peep of explanatory text about it. Re: Troye Sivan: from the eentsy-weentsy I know about him, I figured, ha ha. ** Misanthrope, Never heard of Dr. Pimple Popper, and I will now avoid her like the plague. I’m going to name a character in something Tree Top. That’s a beaut. Oh, yeah, that reading with Best, Shane, etc. Very nice. I’ll be seeing Consumer Electronics about a day after you do. ** _Black_Acrylic, I saw ‘Hell’ too. At that seminal ‘Apocalypse’ show at the Royal Academy. I think you saw it there too? Me too: re. your post! ** James Nulick, Belated happy b’day to Mr. Vollman. I must have run through sprinklers too. Gosh, is there anyone alive who didn’t run through sprinklers? I don’t remember my toys. I must have had some. Maybe I didn’t like toys back then. I was pretty weird. Yes, the new, 3rd film is about a French family who turns their house into a home haunt. They try to make it really scary, but it doesn’t work and their lives get scarier instead. Something like that. Kind of an introverted but fun but violent thing. More details forthcoming when the script is set in stone. Oh, ‘Los Angeles Plays Itself’ is great, By the great Thom Andersen. Whose book from last year, ‘Slow Writing’, is also great. I can’t believe I’ve never done a full post about him. Now I will. ‘Model Shop’ is cool and fun as I recall, yes. Whoa, a peek at your new novel! Holy moly! I’ll devour that asap, and … Everyone, the most excellent writer/novelist James Nulick is working on his new novel, as some of you know, and … and … amazingly enough, we can have a look at a piece of it in advance, which is a pretty awesome and hairy situation. Join me in previewing his next masterwork by clicking this. Sweetness! Thank you! ** Jeff J, Hi there, Jeff! Good to see you, maestro! I saw something, I guess on F, about your shoulder dislocation, and noted your relative scarcity around there of late. Jesus, what an ordeal. Maybe all the pressurised, un-output-able thinking had a boon aspect? Glad the rollout is going well. Sure, I’d be into hearing about the weird parts. Let me know when Skyping seems good. The ARTE work is hell in motion, but it is still in motion. We’re really, really close to finishing the new film script. Just doing some polishing, editing, reconfiguring, but it’s almost all in place. We’ve started working on the dreaded and opposite-of-fun grant proposal writing. Man, this part sucks so much. In the final configuration of the Lincoln Centre event, we ended up choosing just one film to follow the Q&A after the PGL screening on the 5th. Yes, it’s chosen, and Lincoln Center is seeing if they can get it, so I’ll leave the title secret until it’s confirmed. The second of the two nights will be a lengthy conversation, Dennis Lim and me, about cinema and its influence on my work in general with lots of clips and stuff, with ‘LCTG’ possibly screening afterwards. That’s not totally set, but that’s the likelihood. ** Bill, You’re back home! That was quick! Or it seems quick, but the heatwave that just ended here made time go blank. Enjoy the fog. The external one, and, well, the internet lag-produced one if that’s possible. ** Corey Heiferman, Producing joy is possibly the ultimate goal of all of humankind, so thank you. Wow, Operation Brain Surgery … that is completely insane. I never ever have known about that before. My nephew had a variation of Grow Lizard. Pretty cool. I can’t remember the entity it involved. A duck? Maybe? I seem to have somehow managed to remain an almost complete ignoramus about Troye Sivan. Never heard him. Barely seen him. Know he’s Out (and about), but that’s it. Blond, dyed, right? I’ll try the video you linked up. Hold on. That’s what he sounds like?! How incredibly boring. Should’ve figured. I’ll try out Hila Ruach once I launch this thing. I like the look of her bandcamp page. Have an excellent Monday. ** Okay. Here’s a pit. I made a pit on my murdered blog, but, when I went back to rescue it, I thought it was kind of wussy, so I let it remain dead and gone, and I made a new pit. See you tomorrow.
Now available in North America 
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Hi!
The many and one advantages of the new name, haha!
How are you? How’s the ARTE proposal coming along? And how was the Scott Barley film night? I remember your post about his work – based on that it must’ve been quite a fantastic show!
It’s crazy but our heatwave hasn’t even wavered during the weekend! It’s still sweltering hot here! I hope your almost-fall weather stayed around a bit, though! Did it?
Yes, I’ll go to Amsterdam exactly a month from today!!
I didn’t go to work today because I got sick in the morning. A day off was definitely much-needed but not exactly under the current circumstances. Well. At least I had the time and peace to finish the rough first version of this hellish White Eagle book, haha. I also didn’t spend my whole weekend binging on ‘Orange…’ – I worked a little on SCAB and it’s making quite satisfying progress. I still have a few new ideas for it and I hope I’ll have the time to go after them properly but I like where it’s going so far.
I hope you’ll have a not unbearably hot, fruitful and also mega-enjoyable week, Dennis!! See you on Friday!
“Pit” blog today is powerful. I have a hard time being in a crowd like this. I remember seeing The Cramps, not too long before Lux’s tragic passing, and we were in the front of the audience. What was creepy was feeling the weight of the crowd against one’s back. I had to sort of push, fight my way back of the crowd. Not the most pleasant experience. On the other hand, The Cramps were incredible. Also, I’m a solitary sort of fellow, and I’m not comfortable in crowds – especially when they are excited. For example, going to a Trump rally sounds horrifying to me. But sitting here behind my computer and looking at these images of ‘pit’ activity is incredible. And I’m looking forward to the upcoming Thom Anderson blog!
Surprisingly, the Orbital album gets better in its second half. It sounds like it could’ve been recorded in the 1990s and avoids the harsh, dystopian feel of much recent techno. They’ve used politically minded spoken word samples in the past, but they rely heavily on them here and the song that closes the album’s first half features spoken word from scientist Brian Cox about how humans are destroying Earth, we need to rethink this and look into exploring other planets for its entire 7 minutes.
The other album I’m listening to for an AV Club pitch is the new Macy Gray. It’s perfectly pleasant, but it suggests an alt-universe Erykah Badu that got more retro after her first album got compared to Billie Holliday instead of getting more adventurous. There are several songs which venture into swing and big band jazz, one of which reminds me of her fronting Benny Goodman’s band. Individually, most of it sounds fine, but there’s something really bland about it as a whole, although I can point to several standout songs.
You never saw WORMWOOD? At the time I saw it last December, I said that it was Morris’ best film since FAST, CHEAP AND OUT OF CONTROL. As conspiracy theories proliferate in American life, it seems all the more insightful the more I think about it.
My talk with the actor in my film was very productive. We went over my script, and he told me the wordings and sentences he finds it awkward to speak out loud. I rewrote them and sent him another draft, which includes a shot breakdown.
When I was in college, I got my glasses lost and broken in a mosh pit, so for two days until an optician opened on Monday I had to go everywhere wearing my prescription sunglasses, even at night. That was a terrible experience, and I’ve erred far on the side of avoiding “caught in a mosh,” to use Anthrax’s phrase, since then.
I like the new Denzel Curry album a lot, and I’m perplexed why 90% of the people on a Facebook music discussion group I belong to think this is a huge disappointment, except that the lyrics aren’t as smart as they want to be and succumb to casual sexism and homophobia at times. But it doesn’t deserve Insane Clown Posse (which seem to stem from him wearing clown makeup in his “Clout Cobain” video) and Hopsin comparisons! He shows that he can do something beyond the “hardcore punk meets hardcore hip-hop” formula he’s made a name on so far.
Fascinating. Listening to Lone’s Airglow Fires as I stared at these gifs ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KcOZ2qHz5g ((one of my fav banger jams, i go batshit nuts to it)). Started ‘The Sarah Book’ two days ago and I want to finish it today. Pretty typical black humor nihilism that I’ve read a million times before in other books, but he does it pretty well, which is why I’m eating it up. Best moshpit I’ve been a part of was at a Ty Segall concert. Whenever you were knocked down, somebody would always help you back up. It wasn’t like that at the black metal concerts I’ve been to. At those, you just get beat up and it’s whatever.
Have a good day. Peace ~~
Wow I don’t know how you could really show this without GIFs. Neither still photos nor regular video would capture this in anything close to the same way.
This post got me thinking about Ga Ga, a dodgeball game that started in Israel and then spread around to the world’s Jewish and non-Jewish summer camps. I was hunting around for an Israeli and an American video of the game and there were way more American videos.
I found one Israeli and one American video that juxtapose each other in a way that speaks to me: they feel like they reveal some kind of cultural difference that’s hard to explain. For starters, the Israeli video shows kids playing on a patch of concrete while the American video shows grownups playing in a painstakingly constructed Gaga Pit.
Israeli:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq832TvYrqQ
American:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsLqiOhzs80
Did you get a chance to listen to Hila Ruach? I’m curious what she sounds like as world music because I can only listen to her as local music.
I could translate some lyrics but I’ve been in a translation-phobic phase for a while, figuring one both gains and loses by understanding the words to something. Perhaps paradoxically, I also think translations can be better than originals.
Have you ever gotten as much fanfare in USA as the upcoming Lincoln Center event? What’s it like to look forward to?
Hi-de-ho, Dennis!
Pit is great. Roiling and at points quite dizzying. I kept thinking of nature documentaries, but more like things about extreme weather or deserts than wildlife, although it feels like there’s swooping flocks of birds in there too. Some of those gifs are so entrancing. I stared at the one that starts with the person cartwheeling into the centre for a long time. I liked Toys a lot also and spent a good part of the weekend fantasising about opening a really weird toy shop/factory that made and sold the kind of stuff in the post (well, some of that stuff). Wouldn’t that be nice?
How was your weekend? Great that you got to meet Scott Barley. I’ve talked Kate into trekking across London to see Sleep Has Her House next weekend.
My neck thing got worse and worse, sadly, and the painkillers I was taken really fucked up my stomach, so I was kind of out of it for most of the weekend. But I went to see a new osteopath this morning and I’m hoping she’s done some good.
Ah, colour me intrigued to find out the name of your new movie!
What else has been happening? How was Monday? Is the script done and dusted?
May your Tuesday be as lovely as this vase of carnations sitting on our windowsill. They’re pink, red and white and much much lovelier than I’ve ever thought carnations were.
Little Golden Birdies love,
Jamie
Hey Dennis, I couldn´t answer earlier because I was at a wedding in Berlin on the weekend and could not open the blog on my mobil phone. I said the blog is not a secure website. Ok, in a way that is true but perhaps not what the warning was about. I think the thing (the phone) is just to old and outdated, haha. I can send you contact information via email or FB? I think you have a new mail address.
Weird Dennis – I keep getting “Toys” – thought you didn’t post today, but I got this when I clicked on your FB link. Maybe cause I’m the first comment, others are having that problem too? Anyway, hi – glad you’re there!
Dennis, I’ve told you my mosh pit story. I’ll telly you one of Kayla’s. Recently, they were at some festival. Her little friend Anna, who is indeed tiny (and half Japanese-half white and quite the quiet little thing) , just ups and goes, “Come on, everybody, we’re doing a mosh pit! RIGHT HERE!” and starts clearing everybody out. Of course, she’s just being funny and joking. Kayla said it ended up being the biggest mosh pit at the venue, little Anna just standing back and laughing and going, “I was just fucking around. Who knew?”
Ah, we’ll have to compare notes re: Consumer Electronics.
I second Sypha’s Troye Sivan love. We’ve been all over that for a while now, hahaha. Nah, he seems really nice and some of his music is actually very enjoyable. Pretty good actor too. He’s in this new movie that’s a true story about a preacher who sent his son to a gay conversion camp. Russell Crowe is the preacher guy.
Man, one of my favorite Nationals players, Trea Turner, is getting shit for tweets he tweeted in 2011 when he was 17/18. He’s their short stop. I swear, I’m reading these tweets and going, what’s the big deal? He’s had to apologize. It’s just so crazy out there. I mean, they’re just an 18-year-old guy goofing around with some of his buddies, nothing vicious or anything at all. Just a goofy young person being goofy. I don’t get it.
Hey Dennis!
How’s it going? How is everything with the TV show and movie and everything? I love the pit, big fan of the roundhouse kickers. Those three angry emos make me really happy for some reason.
Sorry for not commenting in so long, it’s been a weird summer, unfortunately. Very excited to leave my high school town by the end of the month and keep writing creatively at Bard. One definite high point is X-R-A-Y picked up one of my stories!! So that should be published in like a week, I can’t wait to share it. Have you been putting together any new gif work lately?
Also, I loved the Taiyo Matsumoto post a couple days ago, it inspired me to pick up Gogo monster and I’m really loving it. I know Jamie put the post together, but I was wondering if there’s any manga you really enjoy? Everyone I know who loves the form are drawn to it because it’s full of action and ridiculous shit, which is fine but not really what I’m looking for. So far the only other I’ve checked out is one by Fumiko Takano, who Matsumoto interviewed, called the yellow book, which I totally suggest checking out if you get the chance.
Ha, I’m obviously a fan of both versions of Pit. My pit days are mostly over though.
Good to hear your heatwave ended. Jet lag has been ok so far, but we’ll see how it goes tonight.
I forgot to mention yesterday, back when Toys ‘R’ Us was in its heyday, we used to prow its aisles regularly for over-the-top surreal playthings. I still have an action figure of the morphing alien spider thing from John Carpenter’s The Thing. There was also a demonic little girl figure whose head spun around and vomitted orange foam.
Bill
Bill
LOATHE Errol Morris (it’s a lo story)
Saw and loved “Wildlife” the first directorial effort by Paul Dano, scripted by Dano and his girlfriend Zoe Kazan. Becomingly low-key tale of a troubled marriage in which Personal Pride s the chief culprit. It stars Jake Gllyndhal and Carey Mulligan and is not to be missed
Hi Dennis, great post today but no time for comprehensive thoughts as I’m right about to run off and plan for a thing I’ve got going on; just here to let you know:
I have an open mic tonight where I’m really conscious of disrupting the space. I want to share three poems, two of which are mine and one of which is by some other writer. But potentially you, I haven’t decided yet. I’m going to act based off the assumption this is OK (your blog is in some ways reproductive of others work at times) as long as your name is mentioned somewhere there, tho of course it may not be you @ the end. If there’s an issue with it let me know ASAP, I’ll probably see the next post before I go.