RandomCha

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TEN FAVORITE FILMS

“True Stories” 1986, directed by David Byrne
“Vertigo” 1958, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
“Dawn of the Dead” 1978, directed by George A. Romero
“Lawrence of Arabia” 1962, directed by David Lean
“Cold Turkey” 1971, directed by Norman Lear
“Lost Highway” 1997, directed by David Lynch
“Radio Days” 1987, directed by Woody Allen
“It’s A Wonderful Life” 1946, directed by Frank Capra
“Rear Window” 1954, directed by Alfred Hitchcock
“Belle de Jour” 1967, directed by Luis Bunuel

It’s going to be a hot & heavy day out there. High of 92 and thunderstorms off and on all day. I got out of bed at 7.30 and through the windows it was like a rehearsal for the end of the world.

Speaking of which, I’m very disappointed that “The Rapture” has not made it onto DVD yet. I’ve said it before & I will say it again, “The Rapture” is the most DISTURBING film I have EVER seen. I remember the first time I saw it. I watched it alone in my apartment; that was when I was living on Diversey in Logan Square. I watched it on VHS and after it was over I quietly turned off the TV and just curled up into a fetal position for about an hour.

Steven & Leah are coming over for a little cookout today. We’re gonna have tons of food. Between the thunderstorms, the heat, the beer I have in the fridge, and the neighbors whom we share our porch with and who will probably be joined by several odd and giggling friends, it’s going to be a slightly surreal day.

Plowing through “Shakey,” the Neil Young bio that Andy bought for me. It’s a little unsettling to read that Neil Young and Rick James were briefly in the same band in the mid-60’s, which in fact was the first “white” band signed to Motown (it was Rick James and three white guys). Just before their first record was about to come out, James was arrested for being AWOL from the army. So the recordings were shelved and have never been released to this day.

I want to see the new Charlotte Rampling/Francois Ozon film, but it’s only playing at Piper’s Alley. Maybe today, if Leah can drive us …

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Those who can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
–Benjamin Franklin, 1759

This story makes me so sad. I just shake my head.

http://start.earthlink.net/newsarticle?cat=7&aid=D7RRO1IG0_story

Last night an acquaintance of mine was having a surprise birthday party being thrown for him at Sidetrack (which, for non-Chicago readers, is basically a huge gay bar which sort of feels like having cocktails at the Gap). I debated on whether to go or not but really there was nothing else to do (Andy was closing at work) and the party was happening early, at 6, and so I put on my favorite new pair of jeans and a nice blue Hawaiian shirt that’s also new and I walked over there.

I got there and the b-day boy hadn’t arrived yet. The party was being held in a little side room. I went in and there were about 15 people there, all chatting amongst themselves. I scoped things out. There was a sort of snacky buffet layed out on the bar. I kind of wanted a Ketel One slushy drink but part of me was wondering how long I would even stay.

I hadn’t brought a present. I don’t know him that well. I was standing there looking at the other guests. I guess I was giving off that “I-came-alone-here-tonight” vibe which means that to everyone else I was completely invisible. I had a few things to eat from the buffet. I stood around for 10 minutes and then quietly slipped out.

On the way home I stopped by Walgreens and bought a can of Arizona Kiwi-Strawberry and then when I got home I mixed it with some rum and orange juice and had a drink. I settled in and read the Dos Passos book for awhile. Scanning the TV Guide site I saw that “It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” was on TCM at 9, and before I knew it I’d made another drink and turned on the TV and pumped the sound through the stereo.

Now I have been seeing this movie off and on since the age of 10. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve seen it altogether. But as there was nothing else to do last night I ended up watching the whole thing. I hadn’t seen it in probably three years so my eyes were pretty fresh.

It’s definitely kind of creaky and not as funny as you hope it will be and a bit labored, but man it does have its moments. And a cast you could never, ever recreate, not even today (though my head swims thinking about it, if it were possible). The garage demolition scene is one of the all-time great comedy set pieces. And the special effects, with a few exceptions, were done as real stunts and the difference shows. All the airplane stunts are great. I was glad that TCM had it letterboxed. The cinematography, done in the Cinerama process, is larger than life and totally appropriate.

So it’s 3 hours long, the mother or all comedies, and it may not be the greatest but it’s still a sight to behold. Andy came home about 20 minutes from the end and finished it with me. The final gag in the film is very satisfying on a conceptual level: Ethel Merman slips on a banana peel.

I saw “Lost And Found” Jimmy Scott real cheap at Reckless so I bought it and then walked home and listened to it. They’re all previously unreleased tracks from 1969 and 1972. It’s incredible, incredible, incredible. Savoy Records blocked the tracks from ever getting released. Thank God they are seeing the light of day now. Last night I played “Motherless Child” for Andy and he was almost crying. When Jimmy Scott sings it, the song becomes profound; so simple but as powerful as a sledgehammer. His voice was in absolutely top form at the time. The arrangements are wonderful too. Deodato arranged 5 of the tracks.

Then we wached “Fellini Satryicon.” I saw it before in high school but I didn’t remember it being so gay. It’s just wild. Every frame is gorgeous. It’s a demanding movie. They sure don’t make ’em like that anymore.

Finally got some sun today. I feel a bit listless.

Yesterday after work I walked to Tower and bought the new Radiohead album. They had it on sale for $10, which is what a new CD SHOULD cost. Then I walked over to Krispy Kreme on LaSalle and had a little indulgence. Steven met me and gave me 3 copies of the latest mock of the book. I’ll hand them out to people and do one final proof before locking the text.

Meanwhile I’m still searching for a printer I can afford. The last quote I got was somewhat better but still way out my league. Eesh.

Rob S. sent me the 3 drawings he’s done for the cover and I got them in the mail today. They all look wonderful. The major deciding factor will be the size/shape of the ‘100’ in the drawing. I’d feel much more secure if I had a printer lined up.

So Zach is moving to NYC in 2 WEEKS. Wild, so fast. He got a job at VH1 editing this show on Ja Rule. Well, I wish him luck & I’m a bit jealous but it also somehow makes me feel sad. I guess it’s a wistful feeling. Either he’ll end up losing his way out there or he’ll succeed wildly, and thinking of either possibility makes me a bit melancholy. Guess I have a lot of baggage left from our time together. When I read that poem I wrote about him a few years ago and I still get a knot in my throat.

I wish I had some nice email from someone in my mailbox or a nice phone call from someone. I feel sort of isolated this evening. It’s good to write. I fixed myself a liitle mini-martini with the Ketel One in the freezer and it’s damn good; just big enough to make me loosen up a bit but not big enough to keel me over or slacken my typing. Andy is closing at work tonight. I still haven’t had any dinner.

I’m sentimental. I think about the past, I think about memories. What else is there to think about? You can think about your own experience or you can think about other people’s. Other people’s memories.

I think about my old friends, the friends I used to have. People who aren’t my friends right now, per se; they’ve reverted to acquaintances maybe. And I long for when they were my friends, or at least for the time when it seemed they were. Wondering what if they were my friends now. What would that closeness be like?

Like Lamar. We were never really that close. I just always wanted to be close to him. And then, through time and circumstance, we drifted apart. Not completely apart, but apart. So we write each other now and then, but I wish we were friends. And Brit. I wish we were friends now. I just said goodbye to Dario, who I met 6 weeks ago, and he’s flying back to Italy in 3 days, and I wish we were friends now. We got to meet and hang out and spend some time together, but now it’s time to slip away.

And I miss myself. The old me. If I only knew the old me then that I know now. I’d have a lot things to say to myself. It’s like knowing someone else. I like reading my old journals, so I can watch that different me and picture him.

Dario and I watched “25th Hour” tonight and it’s made me think about those things. And I think about the Neil Young song “One Of These Days.” And I think about Laurie Anderson’s last album. I think about all my old friends.

You’re the good girl from your small home town. You
are loving, caring, and a downright good
person. Sometimes a bit kooky, and you have the
spirit of a child. You may not be all that
smart, but you are one of the most nice and
kind people anyone can ever know.

Which one of the Golden Girls are you?
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