hooves on the turf

Brigid Dawson of Thee Oh Sees rules

Brigid Dawson is second from left

Daytrotter posted a Thee Oh Sees session yesterday (”Ruby Go Home” included), and while the accompanying text talks about front man John Dwyer at length, it doesn’t mention Brigid Dawson by name once. But if you’re like me, it’s pretty obvious that the band would have half its might without Ms. Dawson. This thought led me to her wikipedia page, which had been deleted twice because she wasn’t deemed “notable” enough. So I went ahead and spent a good part of the morning re-creating a new one for her, highlighting her notability: My new Brigid Dawson page on Wikipedia.

Let’s see how long it will stay up.

Download from Daytrotter

I loved Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist”

Charlotte Gainsburg stars in Lars von Trier's Antichrist with Willem Dafoe

A lot of people are choosing to be hostile towards Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist“, especially the ones who’ve made it a point that they have no intention of watching it. Don’t listen to them. If you care an ounce about film-making or the art of storytelling, go see it as soon as you can. The first part of the movie alone, The Prologue, accompanied by this heart-wrenching song, is worth the $12.50 I paid. The monotone sequence is gorgeous, and it perfectly crystallizes an array of emotions without a single word spoken.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Uncertainty crew at IFC this weekend

Joseph Gorden Levitt and Lynn Collins star in Uncertainty

Being of the same age, of course I’ve had a crush on Joseph Gordon-Levitt ever since 3rd Rock from the Sun, even though it came to our part of the world a few years late (by the way, thanks to Dexter, I now know John Lithgow only as Arther Mitchell, aka the Trinity; his sweet image has been irreversibly tarnished).

So Joseph grew up and started doing niche movies that were interesting: Mysterious Skin, Brick (which I loved), The Lookout, etc (crush magnified). He also happened to study French poetry (crush sealed). But then, he developed a knack for doing movies that never go from being “almost good” to good. In fact, the only thing good about 500 Days of Summer is that he plays the main guy; everything else about that movie is a big blah (actually I have a whole thing to say on that topic, but I’ll save that for later); and even though he had a very small role in it, Miracle at St. Anna was possibly the biggest disappointment. It’s the most unique movie experience ever because it can be one of the best or the shittiest movies you saw, depending on which scene you’re talking about. Until now, I didn’t even know that he was in that GI Joe movie. To come to the point, I’ve taken it upon myself to loosely monitor his career within my capacity (watching GI Joe falls outside that capacity), which naturally means I’ll go see Uncertainty this Friday at the IFC Center, where he and the crew will be present for Q&A. However, I’m more curious about his short Sparks:

UNCERTAINTY stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lynn Collins, and Olivia Thirlby and directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel will appear in person Friday, November 13 at the 7:25 and 9:45pm shows. Gordon-Levitt, McGehee, and Siegel will also appear Saturday at the 7:25 and 9:45pm shows, and McGehee and Siegel will appear Sunday at the 7:25pm show, which will screen with Gordon-Levitt’s short Sparks.

Watch the trailer

More on The Beets

Members of the Beets, from Jackson Heights, Queens, play at the Brooklyn Museum

I just found out I’m allowed to post another track from that Beets album, Spit in the Face of People Who Don’t Want to Be Cool, so here’s one I like slightly better than the one I posted before. Besides, I forgot to mention that the parents of the two members who grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens (where cheap and delicious food of international flavors abound) were in attendance at the Brooklyn Museum show. Juan’s were notably excited and giddy. When they showed up he said, “Now I’m nervous”. I noticed the parents were wrapped in a Uruguayan flag, and there’s a Uruguayan flag on the back of their CD as well. You know who else is from Uruguay? The amazing Eduardo Galeano!

Download “What Did I Do” by The Beets

The kids love The Beets, and so do I

Two toddlers dance to the Beets at Brooklyn Museum

When I first saw The Beets in Austin, Texas, it was hard to tell if I liked them. Maybe it’s the extensive touring that has followed since, or just better PA systems, or even a clearer state of mind on my part, but I’ve grown to like them quite a bit.

Their album is called Spit in the Face of People Who Don’t Want to Be Cool, an apt command in the present’s muddle of music culture, especially in a place like New York City. In fact, the message on the packaging is worth noting: “The Million Dollar Man” threatens singer Juan about not signing to The Millionaire Records, and the text below reads, “A collection of one million songs about money, power and regret”; on the front, “A collection of 12 songs about being cool”. Those 12 tunes are all great lazy, lo-fi, catchy, moving about leisurely because their own wholesomeness produces plenty of direction, motion and speed to keep them all going, giving in only to friction and gravity, which brings them to a satisfying end.

They played with Crystal Stilts and Grass Widow past Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum, though I didn’t get to stick around for the last two. I made an attempt to listen as if (given the context that this was not their normal audience) I was listening to them for the first time, and from that viewpoint, it seemed like the music scene was in a good shape. Continue for all the pictures.

Download “Happy But On My Way” by The Beets

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I’ve decided to buy Rolling Stones’ Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! live box set

I went to see the 27-min Rolling Stones documentary, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out, last night and I absolutely loved it! If I understood correctly, the show filmed is the first time “the best band in the world” played “the best venue in the world” (Madison Square Garden), in 1969. At the very least, the footage of a shy Jimi Hendrix backstage and of a peppy Janis Joplin dancing at the sidelines made my day. But it’s really the clips of the first two songs, “Prodigal Son” and “You Gotta Move” that are stellar—stripped down, Mick Jagger sitting on a stool, accompanied only by Keith Richards on an acoustic guitar. Filmmaker Albert Maysles was present to introduce the film, though it would’ve been more fun if he was open for Q&A instead.

The box set includes a DVD of this short documentary, but if you’d rather not shell out $60 (or $42.99 on Amazon), IFC is still screening it three more times over the next three days.