F'rinstance: this whole "low-pressure" tip I've recently been on. Super not bad.
Nikola Tesla said a lot of interesting things. I was listening to NPR the other day and they were doing an interview with Everybody's Darling Bon I-ver. (I only-till-recently thought that was his name. Like Bon Scott or something.) BI has shot to the top of cool kids' and their attendant critics' playlists in the past couple months/year or so. I kinda liked the art on the cover of his main album, but I wasn't turribly impressed with the music. I mean, I had my Iron and Wine "phase" for a few weeks or so back in 2004, and, with my limited time on this mortal coil, I'd much prefer to listen to Nick Drake or some similar progenitor, rather than whatever "sensitive" modern singer is currently melting the girls' hearts. But who knows. Maybe I haven't given ol' Bon a fair enough chance.
Anyway, his deal is that he stole away to a secluded cabin in the wisconsin wilderness to write his hit album, and I don't have a problem with this process per se. There was a time not-too-long ago where I romanticized the beauty of Nature to everyone around me, and I talked about "being At One With Nature" and being "Mr. Nature" and I was walking around barefoot all the time to develop some serious "Weather-Beaten Feet." It was all over-the-top, of course, but Nature can still inspire some peacefulness in my Sinister Heart.
So at the end of the interview, the interviewer relayed a quote by Nikola Tesla that I also found slightly inspirational:
"The mind is sharper and keener in seclusion and uninterrupted solitude. No big laboratory is needed in which to think. Originality thrives in seclusion free of outside influences beating upon us to cripple the creative mind. Be alone, that is the secret of invention; be alone, that is when ideas are born."
This certainly smacks of the arrogance and Epic Social Failure that helped make Tesla a lifelong celibate (Cheney, M. (2001) [1979]. Tesla: Man Out of Time. Simon and Schuster), but I do believe he's a good point here nonetheless: Sometimes other people can be distracting. Sometimes, when you're by yourself and your mind is clear, you can have untold amounts of fun with your imagination. Not saying it happens all the time, though.
(Everybody needs some time, on their own, as another madman said.)
(Black Sabbath has not been relevant in my life for a couple years, but a song like "Solitude" will bring you right back to what made Sabbath great:
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Tesla. Man. What a guy. Apparently he was also a eugen[ic]ist:
"Man's new sense of pity began to interfere with the ruthless workings of nature. The only method compatible with our notions of civilization and the race is to prevent the breeding of the unfit by sterilization and the deliberate guidance of the mating instinct ."and, naturally, an anti-semite:
"Miss! Never trust a Jew!"
For shame, Nikola!
Shakespeare's Sister brought to my attention the acronym M.R.A. - "Men's Rights Activist." This is meant as a disparaging term to those men who cast themselves in the role of Helpless, Indignant Victim to Big, Bad, Scary Wommmmmennnnn. Think of white people who complain about why there's no White History Month, or people that are offended when they don't see baby Jesuses everywhere at Xmas. I'm not entirely sure if MRA's can be conflated with the somewhat-growing field of "Masculinities"/"Men's Studies", but my understanding of those is that they're somewhat Scholarly Fields. They're pretty well-informed by Women's Studies, and they seek to paint an even more complex/complete portrait of Gender. MRA is more colloquial term which seeks to identify "unliberated" men who have no inclination towards Women. With proclivities such as theirs, MRA's then tend to make a lot of noise about child-custody battles, or false accusations of rape.
In more extreme cases, they are filled with "little-boy rage", and become "rape apologists". Above is a quote from a Really Pathetic guy who was pretty upset when a woman rolled her eyes at his 28-year-virginal person, and so he makes some remarks about violence against women being "the yin for the yang" or "eye for an eye"; and, finally, he goes on to congratulate himself for being a moral person who is mature enough to know all violence is wrong, BUT he sees how some women might arguably bring rape on themselves when they be ackin' bitches.
I tried to have a little sympathy for the guy, because I've met plenty of people just like him, and I agree with the following commenter:
Looks like a combination of social isolation, dependence on elders, social phobia, undiagnosed depression and an over-investment in performative masculinity. His blog bounces around a bit, with some kind of self-awareness hinted at from time to time, but "all or nothing" thinking is typical of social phobics whose depression is linked to isolation. Instilled with the values of a different society--or perhaps one with more resources to care for the marginalized--or perhaps just a bit more empathy--he'd feel the loss of control as Just.Not.Right, i.e. threatening people who had the right to react to him as they wished, with HIS responsibility being self-restraint. I hope he gets help before he hurts someone.
But, bottom line, he's the type of guy who I'd immediately put on the chopping block of life. (Play: "Toxic" strings theme.) A vicious circle, though: with an attitude like that, he can't be a good influence upon others; and so now he spends all his time alone, where he is a bad influence upoon himself. Tesla would not approve. Get thee to a Female Mental Health Counselor!
But good lord! Everyone - from rape-hating feminists to "misogynistic rape apologists" - takes rape way too damn seriously! There's always anger and frothing at the mouth and death-stares, and people get even more angry if you suggest they learn to "take a joke" about the topic.
I defy You to be offended by that!
MOVIES
BODY OF LIES:
This was better than other spy/espionage/terrorism "thrillers" I've seen recently, such as "traitor" and the godawful "eagle eye." I attribute the movie's superiority to the experience/expertise of director Ridley Scott, and to the inoffensive performances of Leo Dicaprio and Russell Crowe. Talk about a pair I usually do not like. Leo sheds the "pretty boy" image, sporting a scruffy beard, and he shows a certain rugged (yet mature) charm. Crowe is really not terrible, either. Both men play off the obviousness of their longstanding in the field, i.e., they show their age. Crowe is no longer a "spring chicken", as is humourously made clear in a scene where Leo pushes him over in his chair and calls him a "fat fuckin piece of shit". Indeed, Leo could never have convincingly delivered that move 10 years ago when he was still getting cute points for playing mentally-challenged teenagers.
Pretty strong writing, I'd suppose. Based off a novel. Never heard of it, 'n don't plan on reading it. Fairly intricate, yet not a totally shaggy dog. Well-served by the solid character development as well. You see how their intelligence jobs consumes the men's lives: Leo is getting divorced and Crowe's family takes a backseat as he is always on the phone with Leo. Pretty intense.
These war on terror movies never appealed to me, and I was not really looking forward to seeing this. I simply felt bored and antisocial, yet utterly stir-crazy, and it was either this or "beverly hills chihauhua" or "high school musical 3". This proved the most obviously getawaywithable, and I moderately enjoyed it despite my not-overly-optimistic expectations. 1.5 thumbs up. I'd recommend it (but not super-strongly) if you have some time of which to dispense.
ROLE MODELS:
First, let me say I was pleasantly surprised to see this was directed by David Wain of Stella / Wet Hot American Summer fame, the latter of which you'll remember was a good early showing by Paul Rudd, who writes and stars in "Role Models."
I was glad to be seeing a comedy rather than some boring action piece of shit, but I wasn't expecting much. I have a natural aversion to the face of Seann William Scott (as well as to the two n's.) And with "McLovin" from "Superbad", I automatically categorized this as a "Judd Apatow / Seth Rogen Wannabe."
But it looks like you can't fuck with Wain and Rudd. What we have here is a genuinely feel-good movie extolling the kind of over-the-top warmth and friendship and Good Times which "Pineapple Express" aimed for and so disgracefully missed. The characters were pretty likable in spite of their puerility, chauvinism, and occasional failed jokes. The jokes consistently succeeded, especially with the nerdy Medieval Role Players. Joe Lo Truglio as the bearded "Kuzzik" stole the show in these scenes with his hilariously overwrought lines. And whoever got Matt Walsh of the Upright Citizens Brigade involved with "Role Models" deserves some bonus points. That show needs to be elevated to Mythical Status already!
I think I decided this was 1.9 thumbs up. I'm very stingy with my Two Thumbs and I usually restrain myself from Blatantly Gushing about Movies (unless it's a new Lynch or Trier or Korine or blabla), but I left "Role Models" with not-at-all unpleasant feeling. The pacing was good - i.e., it wasn't Too Long like most movies - and it took itself with an appropriate level of seriousness. I.e., Not too much. There are many, MANY movies you could see which are a lot, LOT worse.
MINI MIX O THE POST: (I smell a Fullblown Mix here...)
godflesh: christbait rising
ministry: stigmata
diSEMBOWELMENT: THE TREE OF LIFE AND dEATH
(s!ck!s!ck!s!ck!!!!1)
transcendent, sublime, and subtle; yet also crude, sledgehammer-y, and astoudingly catchy.
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