THIS YEAR HALLOWEEN FELL ON A WEEKEND

The Phone

I'm in the middle of heavy research, which includes re-watching Wet Hot American Summer. Shout out to Scoops, who used to keep a VHS and DVD copy of the film in his backpack, just in case.



If you call my old UK cell phone, a version of me singing the next song is prolly still the voicemail greeting answering machine electronic message recording:

DE LA SOUL - Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)

This next choon is a cover of Soulja Boy by dude supreme Sammy Bananas and his friend, chanteuse Maggie Horn. It also features a verse by a guy from hipcat NYC band Ninjasonik that might make you think they don't totally suck (they totally don't totally suck).

Regardless, give it a listen, this one tongue in cheek remake can replace/explain all the heavy effects new rap n B that you don't want to even not try to eventually not get.

TELEPHONED - Turn My Swag On

Spike Into My Veins

Will you watch anything that Spike Jonze has made? Do you not hate Kanye West? If you answered yes to either of those questions, watch this:

"We Were Once A Fairytale" - Kanye West Dir: Spike Jonze from Yooj‽ - Recording Live From No on Vimeo


KANYE WEST Featuring NAS - We Major (Kickdrums Remix)

In case that didn't do it for you, loyal reader, here's a clip from another Spike Jonze film, Fully Flared, which although not narrative celebrity fiction, is still unbelievable.

"An Old Pro Gress For Life" aka Marc Johnson's Part...

Marc johnson lakai fully flared
Uploaded by guigs-kun. -

"The Last Spike"

Willing

Wilco are the best live band in rock. I just saw them twice in two nights, and when I can even process it, I'll try to blog in as few words as possible what kind of staged spectacle they pulled off. Here are videos of the last songs they played in the encore, at the respective shows.



"Sidewalk, streetcar, dance a goofy dance..."

McKee Bump

Rocket Ship 27

So many things are good about this minute of Trailer Park Boys.

Doing Life

Jarming

Jim Jarmusch's 5 Rules (via Yurrple)

Rule #1: There are no rules. There are as many ways to make a film as there are potential filmmakers. It’s an open form. Anyway, I would personally never presume to tell anyone else what to do or how to do anything. To me that’s like telling someone else what their religious beliefs should be. Fuck that. That’s against my personal philosophy—more of a code than a set of “rules.” Therefore, disregard the “rules” you are presently reading, and instead consider them to be merely notes to myself. One should make one’s own “notes” because there is no one way to do anything. If anyone tells you there is only one way, their way, get as far away from them as possible, both physically and philosophically.



Rule #2: Don’t let the fuckers get ya. They can either help you, or not help you, but they can’t stop you. People who finance films, distribute films, promote films and exhibit films are not filmmakers. They are not interested in letting filmmakers define and dictate the way they do their business, so filmmakers should have no interest in allowing them to dictate the way a film is made. Carry a gun if necessary.



Also, avoid sycophants at all costs. There are always people around who only want to be involved in filmmaking to get rich, get famous, or get laid. Generally, they know as much about filmmaking as George W. Bush knows about hand-to-hand combat.



Rule #3: The production is there to serve the film. The film is not there to serve the production. Unfortunately, in the world of filmmaking this is almost universally backwards. The film is not being made to serve the budget, the schedule, or the resumes of those involved. Filmmakers who don’t understand this should be hung from their ankles and asked why the sky appears to be upside down.



Rule #4: Filmmaking is a collaborative process. You get the chance to work with others whose minds and ideas may be stronger than your own. Make sure they remain focused on their own function and not someone else’s job, or you’ll have a big mess. But treat all collaborators as equals and with respect. A production assistant who is holding back traffic so the crew can get a shot is no less important than the actors in the scene, the director of photography, the production designer or the director.



Hierarchy is for those whose egos are inflated or out of control, or for people in the military. Those with whom you choose to collaborate, if you make good choices, can elevate the quality and content of your film to a much higher plane than any one mind could imagine on its own. If you don’t want to work with other people, go paint a painting or write a book. (And if you want to be a fucking dictator, I guess these days you just have to go into politics...).

Rule #5: posted above

The Mayor

This cat Mayer Hawthorne is becoming a big deal. So before you sleep on it for months, and then hear one of the joints in a thirty second car commercial or a thirty minute show about phlegmatic vampires or loquacious liberal arts students, take the time to download this song, and infect yourself.

Sweet soul music released on heart shaped vinyl by a hip hop label...

Most of the record is slower burning, lighter floating, boudoir, bubblebath and backward baseball cap delicacies, but this is my jam tonight as I write:

MAYER HAWTHORNE - The Ills

A Cross

David Cross Tonight! Stay Tuned. I'm going downtown!

Watch

Starting Line-up Smoove homey Lance Dubowitz Phelps shares a jukebox classic. Check this video, an instant pop masterpiece, excellently staged within the necessary frame of mass TV of the time.