Alright, so my training at the library and subsequent interview for a position at another library has gotten in the way of me posting this sooner, but it's allowed me time to watch a movie that I somehow knew I would want to blog about. My friend Jess has been bugging me the past few months to watch Sleepaway Camp, which by the title alone suggests a slasher flick, right? Of course it does, Sherlock. While it progresses as most slasher films do, with formerly happy campers and counselors (and one especially depraved cook) dying in bizarre and horrific ways, the movies ending is truly more disturbing than any horror film I've seen. That doesn't mean that the average viewer can't intuit the ending themselves--in fact, it's the very ability to see it coming and then see how the director ends the movie that is the most disturbing. I'll be glad when I forget the image I was left with . . . .
Aside from the disturbing video, Jess gave me a copy of his new book, Autumn Guilt Mechanism. I haven't read the whole book yet (I'll admit that poetry is the one type of literature that's always given me troubles) but what I have read has been great. My favorite so far? "wet leaves":
We cling to each other like wet leaves against
window pane
everything clings
for awhile
Jess has always been good for summing up things to the point where there's nothing left to say. I can't comment on his style, as I've already shown my ignorance of poetry--but the subject matter is akin to Bukowski, whom I know he's a fan of. At times, the word phrasing reminds me of Rimbaud and Dylan's early tries at poetry--where words are strung together for the effect of language, not intentional meaning. Symbols, images--we're not talking the Oxford English Dictionary, here.
Other media I picked up on? Well, I'll admit that I'm guilty of returning to comic books--and even some super hero stuff. It all started when I read Michael Chabon's The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay, which is a fictitious tale that follows closely the Golden Age of comics, when Superman was being conceived. After that I picked up on that era somewhat, reading collections of early Batman comics and anything else I could get my hands on. I'm more interested in what comics have become, however, so I've been reading more adult comics. These comics have been seeing a second life in movie theaters, such as Sin City and V for Vendetta and the soon-to-be-released 300, which is based on Herodotus' history of the Persian war on Greece (which I've also been reading). It would be more appropriate to describe these comics as graphic novels--and it's interesting to see how they've taken different form from the standard monthly comic. Rather than prattle on and on about them, I'll just list what I've been reading: Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, Bill Willingham's Fables, Dave Sim's Cerebus, Joe Sacco's Safe Area Gorazde, Art Spiegelman's Maus, and a few other titles I can't remember. These aren't kid's books anymore--they're created by artists who wield the pen and the written word with equal dexterity and proficiency.
Music . . . well, I could spend the rest of my life blogging about music (and some, undoubtedly, will) so I'll make this short and sweet. While back in Indiana I had the pleasure to pick up the latest release by a favorite professor of mine, John Minton. His band, The Possum Trot Orchestra, has previously released a self-titled CD that met with rave reviews. Their latest release will meet the same accolades, I'm sure. The band fuses John's seemingly limitless knowledge of American music (he's an ethnomusicologist at Indiana University) with band mate Susan Suraci's lyrical deftness (although John can write amazing tunes as well). If you're looking for some great Americana music, I'd suggest you'd start out with John's second release, Going Back to Vicksburg. And, with that, I'll have to call it quits for this post. It's gotten way too long and it's time to spend a nice Friday evening with Samantha . . .
Technorati Tags: comics, comic books, graphic novels, sleepaway camp, movies, jess boldt, john minton, possum trot orchestra, music, media, recreation
Aside from the disturbing video, Jess gave me a copy of his new book, Autumn Guilt Mechanism. I haven't read the whole book yet (I'll admit that poetry is the one type of literature that's always given me troubles) but what I have read has been great. My favorite so far? "wet leaves":
We cling to each other like wet leaves against
window pane
everything clings
for awhile
Jess has always been good for summing up things to the point where there's nothing left to say. I can't comment on his style, as I've already shown my ignorance of poetry--but the subject matter is akin to Bukowski, whom I know he's a fan of. At times, the word phrasing reminds me of Rimbaud and Dylan's early tries at poetry--where words are strung together for the effect of language, not intentional meaning. Symbols, images--we're not talking the Oxford English Dictionary, here.
Other media I picked up on? Well, I'll admit that I'm guilty of returning to comic books--and even some super hero stuff. It all started when I read Michael Chabon's The Adventures of Cavalier and Clay, which is a fictitious tale that follows closely the Golden Age of comics, when Superman was being conceived. After that I picked up on that era somewhat, reading collections of early Batman comics and anything else I could get my hands on. I'm more interested in what comics have become, however, so I've been reading more adult comics. These comics have been seeing a second life in movie theaters, such as Sin City and V for Vendetta and the soon-to-be-released 300, which is based on Herodotus' history of the Persian war on Greece (which I've also been reading). It would be more appropriate to describe these comics as graphic novels--and it's interesting to see how they've taken different form from the standard monthly comic. Rather than prattle on and on about them, I'll just list what I've been reading: Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth, Bill Willingham's Fables, Dave Sim's Cerebus, Joe Sacco's Safe Area Gorazde, Art Spiegelman's Maus, and a few other titles I can't remember. These aren't kid's books anymore--they're created by artists who wield the pen and the written word with equal dexterity and proficiency.
Music . . . well, I could spend the rest of my life blogging about music (and some, undoubtedly, will) so I'll make this short and sweet. While back in Indiana I had the pleasure to pick up the latest release by a favorite professor of mine, John Minton. His band, The Possum Trot Orchestra, has previously released a self-titled CD that met with rave reviews. Their latest release will meet the same accolades, I'm sure. The band fuses John's seemingly limitless knowledge of American music (he's an ethnomusicologist at Indiana University) with band mate Susan Suraci's lyrical deftness (although John can write amazing tunes as well). If you're looking for some great Americana music, I'd suggest you'd start out with John's second release, Going Back to Vicksburg. And, with that, I'll have to call it quits for this post. It's gotten way too long and it's time to spend a nice Friday evening with Samantha . . .
Technorati Tags: comics, comic books, graphic novels, sleepaway camp, movies, jess boldt, john minton, possum trot orchestra, music, media, recreation
1 comment:
Thanks for the kind words. I am also glad you got so much out of Sleepaway Camp. I will have to check out Minton's CD. Maybe when I come to boston, we could play wii and watch the straight to dvd sequel. 2 and 3 just are lacking the right vision. Well, cheers and what not.
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