Thursday, May 20, 2010

Happy Birthday Gballs!

That Babies/Four Eyes show was really fun. Babies were so good! They had a real pop sensibility which for some reason I was not expecting. And the drummer was really into Lost, so we talked about that.

I have been getting pretty sentimental thinking about the end of Lost. It seems like the end of a chapter of my life. Here's the Constants article. I'm sure you are all going to that show, but if not, The Finches are playing in Davis tomorrow. It starts at around 8 and should be over by around 10. There are various folky folks, and then Caroline with a full band. If you've ever heard her voice live you will never forget it. It's at the Davis Bike Collective, on the corner of 4th and L.

On Saturday, my community garden is having an open house. It's starts at 10 am. Come check it out and look at my sad plot. The soil there is terrible! That's my defense. There will be "refreshments, children's activities, and a raffle". It's the New Era Community Garden at 26th and B st.

Sunday is the big ORMF. It's at Plainfield Station 2pm-10pm. I will have to leave early to see Lost! It sucks it's the same day. Here's the lineup:

X (Australia)
A-Frames(Seattle)
Moon Duo (SF)
Jacuzzi Boys (Miami)
Foot Village (SF)
Robedoor (LA)
Delorean (Sac)
Rank/Xerox (SF)
Chelsea Wolfe (Sac)
Mucky the Ducky (Davis)
UC Davis Gamelan Ensemble (Davis)
English Singles (Sac)


26 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:00 AM

    Thanks, dude!

    Is ORMF starting at 2 or at noon? Rick? There is some confusion.

    gballs

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  2. i'm confused as well. also, who's going to drive me out there?

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  3. There is a case to be made -- admittedly not very persuasive for fans -- of not watching the season finale of Lost.

    A) Whatever the conclusion, it's bound to be a letdown. I'd go so far to say the letdown has been baked in the pie. Tzvetan Todorov's first book is about fantastic literature, and he argues that the tension of this type of narrative comes about from epistemic uncertainty, i.e., does Hurley really see dead people or is he insane? But ultimately, the uncertainty must be resolved as either an instance of the miraculous (a supernatural agency is involved) or the uncanny (the mystery has a rational explanation). Since Season 6 has already cleared up all the uncertainty, the finale is bound to be little more than a drawn-out denouement.

    B) You'll find out what happens anyway through cultural osmosis.

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  4. Anonymous10:25 AM

    Pretty sure ORMF still starts at 2:00. English Singles are now third, not first.

    -miller

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  5. movin' on up!

    i hear ORMF is starting at 8am and has to be over by two so that everyone can go to the Lost bbq.

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  6. P.S.-I give Hannah Takes The Stairs a thumbs up! It stars Greta Gerwig, that actress from Sac. She's a super natural actress. Her imdb says that she's supposed to star in a remake of Arthur with Russell Brand. That is not route I would have guessed her career would be taking.

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  7. ORMF IX definitely starts at 2pm.

    Sorry for the mix-up that had occurred earlier. The venue was confused for a moment, but we're all on the same page again.

    UC Davis Gamelan Ensemble starts first. That's gonna be really unique, so I hope there will be some earlybirds there to see them.

    If you wanna come just in time for English Singles, get there by 3pm.

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  8. Anonymous11:43 AM

    Finally, the overwhelming demand for an Arthr remake has been heeded.

    -miller

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  9. Happy Birthday G!

    -m

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  10. Also, isn't Russell Brand clean and sober? I think we can all agree that a real drunk should be cast. Dudley Moore was terrible at acting like he was drunk, but at least he probably really was drunk.

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  11. So this must be the place where people ruin Lost for those who are not yet at the last season? Keep it on the dl ferchrissakes!

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  12. and don't tell me the bulter did it

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  13. Anonymous3:25 PM

    Lost spoiler:

    Lost is an elaborate sham, which they clearly made up as they went along, the only purpose being to keep jerking your chain.

    JD

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  14. Those are fighting words. I challenge you to a duel.

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  15. Anonymous6:15 PM

    Uh, by, "the only purpose being to keep jerking your chain," I think you mean, "the only purpose being to keep being interesting & entertaining."

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  16. Anonymous8:06 PM

    And by "Uh, by, "the only purpose being to keep jerking your chain," I think you mean, "the only purpose being to keep being interesting & entertaining.", I think you mean, "I like the show and don't agree with what you said about it", which is fine, of course. But why suggest I didn't mean what I said?

    I'll admit it was interesting and entertaining up to a point. To me, though, the writing was too manipulative and condescending to the viewer, the artifice too transparent. It's hard for me to maintain interest when I feel like I'm being manipulated.

    JD

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  17. "the artifice too transparent"

    I have to say I disagree. The writing was the best part of the show...for the first four seasons. They had a sweet narrative groove going wherein the viewers and the characters figured things out at the same pace.

    The problem with American TV is they try to stretch it out for too long. After about four seasons, TV shows plots start to sag. I honestly don't know why. Maybe the writers start to get bored with the material.

    Since I'm here anyway, I might as well say something about the show's ideology. What's interesting about Lost is how ideologically bland it is. The inescapable Hollywood ideology is there, of course, i.e., there is no society, just individuals and (their fucked-up) families, but beyond that the show is a studied exercise in saying nothing about anything outside of its closed world. It is pure escapism that never goes out of its way to brag about it.

    (BTW, don't you hate it when people brag, "I like movies that take me on a ride" or "I'm more of an action/adventure type person?" The smug implication is that they have a common-sense understanding of their own fascination with spectacle. Utter bullshit, because if they ever met pure spectacle (a two hour fight scene, for instance; or the battle royal in They Live!) they'd be frightened, confused or -- Heaven forbid! - bored. They need comfortably framed spectacle to play out their aggressive and sexual fantasies like the rest of us, but they also need to some way to kid themselves that "it's only a movie." Remember when your parents used to tell you that?)

    Anyway, where was I? So I think Lost was well-crafted escapism to help people get through the Bush years. People couldn't swallow any more signifiers about 9/11, terrorism or Iraq. Yet the horror couldn't be whitewashed with "Little House on the Prairie" nostalgia trips. That would cause too much cognitive dissonance. So what people needed was a show with a lot of anxiety-inducing confusion and catastrophe that specifically did not remind them of the confusion and catastrophe of real life.

    Freudians would call this a fort-da game.

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  18. Anonymous10:18 AM

    Geez, it's like you have to defend yourself for watching LOST these days! How about this? Watch it if you like it, stop watching it if you don't.

    -miller

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  19. Jeff, you are forgeting about the shows that specifically dealt with real life issues in the 2000's. I'm thinking especially of Battlestar which dealt with terrorism, racism, religous strife. All pertinent to reality at the time.
    It seems a bit smug to denigrate the majority of people because they like "comfortable spectacle", life is really unconfortable, shit is crazy and changing all the time, a little comfort in spectacle is as natural as the sun. Also Lost is personal/mythic drama, I think the post 9/11 world has no bearing on it.

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  20. Anonymous10:50 AM

    I don't see why expressing a negative opinion about a show forces people who like it to defend themselves. No one has to give a shit what others say.
    I don't get that 'watch it if you like it, don't if you don't argument'. So, what, we can't talk about it unless we agree? Let's all be silent in case we hurt anyone's feelings. I've seen every episode so far, so am hardly above watching it or something. I like it, but often feel a bit ill-used afterwards and wish the puppeteer could keep his hands hidden a bit more. And the last few episodes have been real groaners in my opinion. Protecting the light? Very lame.

    JD

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  21. Anonymous11:12 AM

    I think that people defend themselves, because when someone says "what you're watching is dumb and stupid" it feels like "you are dumb and stupid". That may or may not be true, but you feel judged. That makes people defensive.

    Also, when you're really pumped on something and then someone criticizes it negatively, it can really bring you down. Harsh your mellow. This may lead to the "watch it if you like it, don't watch it if you don't" argument.

    I love LOST. And I hate LOST. A lot of times I love to hate LOST.

    I'm stoked for the finale and I hope all of you come to the show tonight!

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  22. Anonymous11:28 AM

    This may not be the appropriate forum, but I'm trying to track down as many hidden gems of Sacto music as I can for a Euro friend: Big D, Knightmares, any Secret Center stuff, etc. Charles, DP, Miller - I figure I can count on you guys for this shit. I'll be in town tonight and tomorrow: 415-889-3400 or jasonpatrone@gmail.com. Thanks! Now, back to typing my diatribe on the boorish charm of grilled cheese sandwiches.

    -- Patrone

    captcha: "windbag"

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  23. Anonymous11:30 AM

    Well put and point taken. I love and hate lost too. I was giving vent to the hate side which has gained ground this season. Of course, I absolutely will be watching the finale. But my hopes have become a bit low.

    JD

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  24. Patrone! I'll try and see what I can dig up, don't have a ton of time at the moment, but I'll look when I can.
    PS: You comin' to the Constants /4-Eyes show at Luigi's?

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  25. i'll try to make it for the davis gamelan at 2pm. i didn't know they had one! gamelan rocks.

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  26. You heckasac mopes is touchy. That's all I gotta say.

    Hey if there are any freelance photographers out there, I need one. I'm doing article about Gary Young's one-night reunion with Pavement in Stockton. Gary is a bit...eccentric, so the gig will probably entail carrying gary's vegetables or climbing a radio tower. Anyway, contact me through my blog and I'll give you the details.

    http://knowcebo.tumblr.com/

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