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May 31, 2007
WTF? Sufjan to write a "music and film work" about the BQE
If he wants to be authentic, he'll have to title the work "The shittiest, pothole-filled stretch of highway in America." From Pitchfork
The Brooklyn-Queens Expressway is a stretch of road that any vehicle-owning New Yorker (or anybody who's ever taken the bus to/from La Guardia) probably knows well...from being stuck in traffic on it for hours and hours.But, apparently, it's also a source of inspiration for one Mr. Sufjan Stevens, who has been commissioned by the Brooklyn Academy of Music to write a "music and film work" titled "The BQE", which will make its world premiere at BAM's Next Wave festival November 1-3.
Here's what a press release had to say about "The BQE": Merging a virtual road trip (shot in beautiful 16mm film) with a live band and orchestral ensemble, The BQE discovers abstract patterns and stories in the snaking traffic, stunning city views, potholed pavement, billboards, and badly marked exits. The work, commissioned for the 25th Next Wave Festival, muses on an urban planning project--then controversial, now overcrowded and antiquated--that tore through neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens in a zealous period of urban development.
"The performances at BAM will also feature new songs by Stevens and orchestrated selections from his acclaimed albums."
So...does this mean the next state is New York?
Save Domino's Sugar Factory
Under threat by developers, this sign appeared last night on Domino's. Curbed has the story.
TV on the Radio Playing McCarren Park Pool
![tv_on_the_radio_033[1].jpg](http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/archives/tv_on_the_radio_033%5B1%5D.jpg)
Add TV on the Radio to the McCarren Park Pool summer concert series. They'll be playing one of the free Pool Party shows in July. We've been updating the full schedule at McCarrenPark.com.
Church Organist Fired For Selling Dildos
The priest who fired her says that selling vibrators and dildos is not "consistent with Church teachings." We don't remember reading about dildos in the bible.
From The Associated Press [thanks Judah]
Linette Servais, 50, played the organ and sung with the choir for 35 years. Much of her work as choir director and organist was done without pay. When her parish priest asked to meet with her, she thought it was to say thank you. Instead, she was told to quit her sales job with company known as Pure Romance or she would lose her position in the church.Pure Romance in Loveland, Ohio, is a $60 million per year business that sells spa products and sex toys at homes parties attended by women. It has 15,000 consultants like Servais.
She said her decision was not hard: She began working with Pure Romance after a brain tumor and treatment left her sexually dysfunctional. The job allows her to help other women who have similar problems.
"After I got over the initial shock, I prayed over this a long time," she said. "I feel that Pure Romance is my ministry."
The Rev. Dean Dombroski felt differently, removing her from the choir loft just before Thanksgiving and gradually taking away other church duties. Servais can no longer take pictures during First Communion services or lead the committee planning St. Joseph's annual late-summer picnic.
Dombroski said he couldn't discuss the situation because it involves personnel. But in a letter to his rural congregation, he wrote: "Linette is a consultant for a firm which sells products of a sexual nature that are not consistent with Church teachings. Because parish leaders are expected to model the teaching of our faith ... she could stay on as the choir director/organist or she could continue to be a consultant but she could not do both."
Servais responded with her own three-page letter to church members, saying she felt compelled to help other women, especially those suffering from problems caused by cancer. Many choir members quit in support, she said, and some have gathered at her home on occasional Thursdays to sing hymns.
"Father Dean made it sound so sinful," she said. "There is so much more to this business than toys."
May 30, 2007
A Book Launch Party Means FREE BEER
Our friend and former Williamsburg writer, Bill Powhida, will be at Williamsburg's Spoonbill and Sugartown Thursday to present his new book The Back of the Line. Did we mention, there will be free beer. The book is awesome so swing by and check it out if you can.
Iconic Williamsburg Hipster Bar Moving To Dumbo
From Gothamist
There have been murmurs of Galapagos moving from its current space for a while now. The Burg even did an entire episode about saving it. From that show:"Galapagos is many ways is the heart of Williamsburg, the oldest consistently operating bar in the area, it's been around for seven years - it's historic. And now I hear Clear Channel's trying to buy it."
"I hate Clear Channel, first McCarren Park Pool and now this!"
Clear Channel didn't buy it (that we know of), maybe Northsix The Music Hall of Williamsburg did - but likely it's going to be another set of condos (with neighbors complaining about the noise). Either way, the rumors of it moving have been confirmed, as The NY Times reports that the North 6th Street art space will be leaving Williamsburg for a brighter future in Dumbo. They also note this has great symbolic significance, given it was an establishment that pioneered the neighborhood it will now be leaving. READ IT ALL
May 29, 2007
Neko Case's Underwear For Sale on Ebay
Bizarre. From Ebay via Buzzfeed
t was originally owned by me but I lent it to Neko Case for the pictured photo. At the time, Neko wore a size 12 and begged me to give it to her so she could "squish away her flab". She bugged me relentlessly for a year until I finally caved in and gave it to her. We dubbed this little number "The Secret Weapon" because it made you look hot in or out of your clothing and mysteriously attracted members of the opposite sex for either of us when worn. Then, she went on a diet and fitness program and got down to a size 7. Two years after I gave it to her, she gave The Secret Weapon back to me. Why am I selling such a nostalgic piece of my past, you may ask? Because I couldn't stand the competition and went on my own weight loss regime. Now, The Secret Weapon is too big for me too. Not to mention, I'm presently in a long term relationship and it would be far, far too dangerous for me to wear The Secret Weapon out of the house. In the heyday, however, my measurements were 38-31-40 meandering somewhere between a size 10 and size 12. Though it is in very good condition, The Secret Weapon has experienced (among many things) some gentle stretching along the sides of the waist and hip area. It has some very slight fraying around each side of the bra cups and is missing two eyes from it's six hook and eye set that fastens down the front. It also zips up in front so I have never felt the need to replace the missing eyes. All six garters are in tact and in good condition. No holes or stains. Overall, it's in great shape for it's age and considering what it's been through (many, many adventures indeed). I hope I look as good at 50+! The winning bidder will receive an original 8x10 color print of the photo (pictured here) of Neko wearing The Secret Weapon. Though magazines such as Rolling Stone, Esquire, and GQ have requested permission to print the photo it has only been published in a year 2000 girlie calendar put out as a promo piece for the record label Sympathy For The Record Industry which can be viewed here, http://sympathyrecords.com/calendar/2000/index.shtml. Neko is Miss February. She's wearing The Secret Weapon again in a photo shoot published on the web only for Kutie Magazine and in a never released super 8 stag loop reel shot in a rest stop bathroom at 3 AM in Minnehaha County, South Dakota. Those two scandously sextacular secrets are presently more closely guarded than Fort Knox by me and no bribe is big enough for anyone to see them and the full naughtiness involved. The pictured Miss February print is also available for sale separately through my website, http://victoriarenard.com/. More photos of this rare and seductive item also available upon request to serious bidders. THE CHARITY: Partial proceeds from this sale will go to Great Expectations Greyhound Rescue in honor of Neko's beloved greyhound, whom she rescued. Thanks for viewing my auction. Happy bidding!
In other Neko News, Pitchfork has a new New Pornographers track available for download.
'Stupidly Idiotic. Idiotically Stupid'
We're glad that other people think this ad is as FUCKING RETARDED as we do.
Kanye West And Others Remix Peter Bjorn & John's "Young Folks"
From Pitchfork:
Kanye West: Young Folks Remix
Via lanewshit
Young Folks (Diplo Pussy Remix) / zShare
Young Folks (Datashat Remix) / zShare
Young Folks (Diplo Drums of Death Remix) / zShare
Young Folks (Punks Jump Up Special Disco Remix) / zShare
Young Folks (Thomas Andersson Remake) / zShare
Young Folks (Cousin-Cole Re-Edit) / zShare
Young Folks (OrtzRoka Remix) / zShare
Dawn Landes: Bluegrass "Young Folks" via Pitchfork
Weird German "Young Folks" via Pitchfork
And finally, some weird dude with a dirty-ass apartment who calls himself Glitter Parade dancing to "Young Folks." (Stick around until the end to see him dancing with his dog.... hilarious).
Joy Division Biopic Hit At Cannes
Control trailer
From NME
The new Ian Curtis biopic 'Control' has won a host of acclaim and prizes at this year's Cannes Film Festival, including Best European Film. Anton Corbijn's movie about the Joy Division singer, who committed suicide at the height of the band's powers in 1980, was shown outside the main Palme d'Or competition.However, 'Control' was the big winner of the Director's Fortnight section, winning the CICAE Art & Essai prize for Best Film.
The movie also claimed the 'Regards Jeunes' award for best first or second directed feature film and the Europa Cinemas Label prize for Best European Film in the sidebar.
The Europa Cinemas jury said about the film: "This is a very impressive and assured debut from a renowned photographer, but he never allows the look of the film, beautiful though it is, to detract from the powerful story and character development.
"The performances are all excellent, not just the leading characters. We feel that this is a film that will strike a real chord with audiences around Europe, and not just with music lovers."
The movie is an adaptation of Curtis widow Deborah's memoirs of her life with the singer, 'Touching From A Distance'. In the movie, she is played by Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Morton, while Curtis is played by relative unknown Sam Riley.
'Control' is due for release later this year.
May 25, 2007
Lost Highway Releases Two Teasers From Ryan Adam's Easy Tiger
Surprisingly, Lost Highway has been successful at keeping Easy Tiger from leaking, so people have been curious about what to expect. At first listen, we love what we hear. Get 'em while they're hot: [hat tip AquariumDrunkard]
Download:
Partial MP3: Ryan Adams :: Two
Partial MP3: Ryan Adams :: Everybody Knows
Related: Easy Tiger.... It's 4:20
Surge Not Working
Given their pandering track record, we're shocked that Obama, Clinton, and 12 others in Congress stood behind the troops by voting 'no' on the Iraq bill. With Memorial Day coming this weekend, we're delighted that at least a few senators refused to indefinitely finance and extend this unwinnable war at the expense of our troops and the Iraqi people. Especially given this news: From Washington Post
Morgue Data Show Increase In Sectarian Killings in Iraq
More than three months into a U.S.-Iraqi security offensive designed to curtail sectarian violence in Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, Health Ministry statistics show that such killings are rising again.From the beginning of May until Tuesday, 321 unidentified corpses, many dumped and showing signs of torture and execution, have been found across the Iraqi capital, according to morgue data provided by a Health Ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information. The data showed that the same number of bodies were found in all of January, the month before the launch of the Baghdad security plan.
Such killings are a signature practice of Shiite militias, although Sunni insurgents are also known to execute victims. The number of found bodies is a key indicator of the level of sectarian violence, but the statistics also include some who died from causes unrelated to the political situation.
Weeks after the security plan was launched in mid-February, Bush administration and U.S. military officials began citing a decline in sectarian violence as evidence of the plan's effectiveness. Although that trend appears to have reversed, the unidentified corpses being collected this year remain far fewer than those found during the peak periods of sectarian strife last year.
May 24, 2007
Mary Cheney Has A Boy...
Cheney & wife with their grandson
...thus underlining the fact that Bush and Cheney believe the twisted "moral" standards they want to impose on the rest of the nation don't apply to them or their loved ones. From WorldNetDaily
Mary Cheney, the lesbian daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, became a mother today when she gave birth to a baby boy. Samuel David Cheney was born at 9:46 a.m., weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces, at Sibley Hospital in Washington, D.C. [...]"The vice president is pleased to be a grandfather for the sixth time," spokeswoman Megan McGinn said.
According to reports, Mary's homosexual partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, "will have no legal relationship with her child. She can't adopt as a second parent. She won't have her name on the birth certificate." [...]
President Bush told People magazine in December that Mary Cheney would be "a loving soul to her child."
The remark came in response to a question about his 2005 comment to the New York Times, as he noted: "I believe children can receive love from gay couples but the ideal is -- and studies have shown that the ideal is where a child is raised in a married family with a man and a woman."
"The vice president took me aside and gave me the good news. He and his wife, Lynne, are very happy for Mary," Bush said. "I think Mary is going to be a loving soul to her child. And I'm happy for her."
May 23, 2007
ABC discovers some "new" and "dangerous" fad called emo
[Hat Tip Gawker]
Oxford Collapse tomorrow night
A few months ago, Village Voice blogger Tom Breihan posted a concert review titled “The Walkmen Spaz the Fuck Out.” The same tagline could easily be applied to fellow Brooklynites Oxford Collapse; the band’s sound tends to veer towards that of a four cups of coffee and Adderall bender. While it can be argued the terms “angular” and “jittery” are perhaps two of the most overused expressions in modern rock criticism, in this case, they really do seem applicable.
Thu 5/24 8:00 PM Oxford Collapse, Centipede D'Est Union Hall 21+ $8
Oxford Collapse are clearly students of the last twenty years of indie music history, and seem to have amassed quite a body of knowledge in the short span of their twenty-something years. The three members of the band (guitarist Michael Pace, drummer Dan Fetherston, and bassist Adam Rizer) met during a New York University study abroad program in London and hung around the Big Apple post-graduation, relocating to the uber-hip environs of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Within short order, they signed to Kanine Records and released a well-received album, “Some Wilderness.” The record caught the attention of not only the usual music blog nerds and alt-weekly rock crits, but it also lit a fire in the ears of the A&R department at one of the most venerable indie labels around” Sub Pop.
At the risk of getting all “Us Weekly” on you, I’ll quote “a source close to the band” (OK, a friend of mine who happens to be a huge fan): “I was really worried when they signed to Sub Pop, because I had horrible visions of them turning in to Mudhoney.” Luckily, a quick listen to their hot-off-the-press new record, “Remember the Night Parties,” put all his fears to rest. The OC had not sold out and gone the way of “as featured on tonight’s OC;” rather, they took advantage of their increased budget and access to nifty production and tightened their sound. Their first single, the civic-minded “Please Visit Your National Parks” is all about showing off Pace’s guitar virtuosity, and he takes the opportunity to shred like a hopped up Hendrix. “Kenny Can’t Afford It” is the record’s drum track, with Fetherson doing some spiffy roll action, and “Forgot to Write” finds the bassist leading the way and getting all emo about lost connections. Despite all the strong tracks, the highlight of the album is “For the Khakis and the Sweatshirts,” a snarky shout-out to frat boys who love Ice Cube.
Live, Oxford Collapse come across as calm and confident, an interesting contrast to their frenetic music. They clearly have fun and bounce all over the stage, but never fall prey to sloppiness. I caught their record release show in front of what might be one of the tougher crowds out there: a room full of Williamsburg hipsters in an art gallery. The band seemed unfazed by the challenge that lay before them, and before they were three songs in to their set, the audience was going out of their collective minds. Oxford Collapse seem to have commandeered a perfect storm of energy, charisma, and technical skill; now, all they have to do is convince some skeptical crowds that they have what it takes wear the crown of the next great Sub Pop band.
Ladybug Transistor tomorrow night
The Ladybug Transistor - Like a Summer Rain
Make sure to swing by early and catch the Bowerbirds, a pretty duo from North Carolina.
Thu 5/24 8:00 PM The Rosebuds, The Ladybug Transistor, Bowerbirds Bowery Ballroom 18+ $13a/$15d
Stars of Track and Field tonight
Stars of Track and Field “You Came Here for Sunset Last Year,” self-released, 2005: Bands who reinvent themselves tend to have a pretty high failure rate after the fact. It’s hard to think about post-Ozzy Black Sabbath or the Sammy Hagar incarnation of Van Halen without shuddering. However, any initial skepticism about Stars of Track and Field’s transformation from rock four-piece to digital pop is three-piece will be long gone by the time the listener gets a few songs into their magnificent new EP, “You Came Here for Sunset Last Year.” Reminiscent of the Postal Service at their finest, the record seethes with longing and sadness, with melancholy electronic beats backing Kevin Calaba’s soaring vocals.
The EP starts off with the track “With You,” an ode to a lost love with beautiful, descriptive lyrics. The refrain “wish you were here” reminds the listener of the Pink Floyd track of the same name, and the singer’s sadness is overwhelming; the sense of loss he conveys is palpable. The next track, “Say Hello,” sounds closer to the band’s previous material, with driving distorted guitars. It’s also the most “commercial” track on the album; it wouldn’t be hard to imagine it in heavy rotation on a commercial station or playing during the next crucial make out scene on a CW hit. “Arithmatik” starts off with a shuffling beat and soft, subdued vocals: after the first verse, the chorus explodes with terrific guitars and pleading lyrics. Listening to the song creates a mental picture of a rejected lover revisiting an old summer haunt, wondering why his partner chose to leave such a treasured place. “Let Ken Green” has a similar sound, while the last track, “Foreign Snow,” closes the record with a sweeping finale.
The entire album is enhanced by the slick engineering of Dandy Warhol’s producer Tony Lash and Stephan Malkmus knob-twister Jeff Saltzman . It’s a refreshing and welcome departure from their old sound, and you shouldn’t be surprised if you see their video on VH1 in the near future.
Wed 5/23 8:00 PM Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts, Stars of Track and Field
Bowery Ballroom 18+ $18a/$20d
iGasm Vibrator Leaves Stiffs At Apple Feeling Frigid
Seems to us, a product like this could actually HELP Apple sales, but as usual the company is absurdly cagey about their branding. From News of the World:
COMPUTER giants Apple are really worked up--over an Ann Summers sex toy that hooks up to your iPod. Women all over Britain are saying yes, yes, yes to the £30 iGasm that plugs into a music player and delivers good vibrations that pulse to the beat.But shocked iPod bosses are iRate--demanding stores take down all posters for the gadget or risk a fight in the iCourt.
The neon-pink ads feature a curvaceous girl with wires coming OUT of her MP3 player and INTO her knickers. And it's definitely turned on.
The sales guff teases: "Go at it hard and fast with a pounding drum 'n' bass track or chill with ambient classic."
But Apple lawyers claim the poster is a blatant rip-off of their own famous silhouette images used to flog iPods.
Their haughty legal letter to the shop chain adds: "We hope this request to remove it immediately will prevent us having to consider further action."
Despite that, Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold is saying no, no, no and joked: "Perhaps I can send them an iGasm to put a smile back on their faces!"
May 22, 2007
1 2 3 4 Feist
Her new record has been kicking our ass. Go out and get a copy if you haven't already. Here's her latest adorable video, "1 2 3 4":
Easy Tiger... It's 4:20
From Vulture
There's only a month left until the release of Easy Tiger, Ryan Adams's ninth (official) record, but leakage has been minimal and details are sparse. Thankfully, its cover offers a few clues. The art is deceptively simple at first -- just the title, in a Tron-esque sans serif, and a confused-looking alt-country singer staring down at the expensively carpeted floor of his West Village apartment (this is the world's only known photograph of Adams not recording an album). It's only when you notice the light-up LCD display of his calculator watch that the subtle genius reveals itself: Ryan Adams is so high that he can't remember what he's supposed to be doing at 4:20. In other words, great news for anyone hoping for more Grateful Dead worship with lots of noodly guitar solos.
We've haven't heard it yet, but Rolling Stone says it's Adams' best record since Heartbreaker:
While prolific to the point of compulsion nothing he’s done has rivaled his classic solo debut, 2000’s uniformly gorgeous Heartbreaker…until now. The punk troubadour’s new album Easy Tiger - which is playing in our mail room, in our editors’ cars, and may soon be piped in via loudspeaker to the restrooms around here - has us thinking Adams may finally transcend his perpetual next big thing status.
Paris Hilton And K-Fed To Survive Armageddon
Gawker brought this story about the bubonic plague to our attention. According to Reuters, "a Denver Zoo monkey has died of bubonic plague, apparently after eating a squirrel stricken with the disease." Coincidentally, scientists just released a report indicating that having herpes can protect against the bubonic plague and other bacterial contagions. Yahoo. Forget safe sex, we're gonna go get us some herpes.
Bush Has No Intention Of Listening To Congress, Reason, or the American Public
illustration: Tim Jessell
The San Franciso Chronicle is reporting that the Bush may be planning a new "surge" that would nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq by Christmas. Nevermind the fact that he is defying the will of Congress, the American people, the Iraq Study Group, and the advice of many of the generals on the ground. From SF Chronicle:
The Bush administration is quietly on track to nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year, an analysis of Pentagon deployment orders showed Monday.The little-noticed second surge, designed to reinforce U.S. troops in Iraq, is being executed by sending more combat brigades and extending tours of duty for troops already there.
The actions could boost the number of combat soldiers from 52,500 in early January to as many as 98,000 by the end of this year if the Pentagon overlaps arriving and departing combat brigades.
Separately, when additional support troops are included in this second troop increase, the total number of U.S. troops in Iraq could increase from 162,000 now to more than 200,000 -- a record-high number -- by the end of the year.
The numbers were arrived at by an analysis of deployment orders by Hearst Newspapers.
"It doesn't surprise me that they're not talking about it," said retired Army Maj. Gen. William Nash, a former U.S. commander of NATO troops in Bosnia, referring to the Bush administration. "I think they would be very happy not to have any more attention paid to this."
May 21, 2007
M. Ward With Neko Case, Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), And Kelly Hogan
In case you missed this performance last week on Conan, it was amazing. M. Ward and friends performing "Chinese Translation."
May 18, 2007
Some Greatest Hits From Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church
Yes, these are real. We'll "miss" you Jerry. [Via SparklePony]
The Monkey Song (MP3)
Ecumenical Movement (MP3)
May 17, 2007
New Beastie Boys Video From Upcoming All-Instrumental Album
From their Press release
The Mix-Up
All-Instrumental Album Out June 26Mike "Mike D" Diamond, Adam "MCA" Yauch and Adam "Adrock" Horovitz have confirmed a June 26 release date for their seventh studio album, The Mix-Up, on Capitol Records.
The Mix-Up is Beastie Boys' first-ever full album of all-new instrumental material. The follow-up to 2004's To The 5 Boroughs, The Mix-Up features Diamond, Horovitz and Yauch back on drums, guitar and bass, with able assistance from Keyboard Money Mark and percussionist Alfredo Ortiz, on 12 brand new wordless, sample-less, scratchless originals. Sure to please fans of the instrumental cuts from Check Your Head and Ill Communication and the cult hit compilation album made up largely of those tracks, The In Sound From Way Out!, The Mix-Up finds NYC's favorite sons drawing on one of their arsenal's primary strengths and pushing it into bold new directions.
Superchunk, Oakley Hall, Erase Errata, And Others Added To McCarren Park Pool Schedule
We have the full list at mccarrenpark.com.
The Cure by Varley O'Connor
A Non-review by J. Stefan-Cole
THE CURE, Varley O’Connor’s third novel, Bellevue Literary Press, is an ambitious look into the life of a family touched by polio. Beginning with three year old Scott waking up one sticky August morning in 1931 laid low by disease—“listless and cranky” the night before, no other warning of devastation—the story continues through the last throes of World War II.
A child suddenly can’t walk: Poliomyelitis was the AIDS of its era. Rather than gays and the sexually diverse, this virus preyed on kids, paralyzing muscular apparatus, like the diaphragm for lung function, forcing its victims into tortuous-looking iron lungs. FDR comes to mind, or Jerry Lewis: weepy telethons on brand X TV, bad jokes about kids in leg braces, and ubiquitous March of Dimes collection cups by store cash registers. Polio was the scourge until the Salk vaccine was developed in the 1950’s. They made mistakes in the early days of treatment, smothering growing young limbs in plaster casts that did more harm than good. Children were warned not to put pennies in their mouth, to avoid public drinking fountains and pools (summer was the ripe time for contagion), and crowded places—like movie theatres, lest they catch it. Those who did were isolated in hospital wards. Families visited patients through glass windows, contact not allowed, no comforting touch. And then came long years of rehab, often away from home.
This it the story of a clan: mother Maeve, father Vern, Howard, Scott and Patsy Hatherford, along with an assortment of relations and servants. Scott is more or less cured after years of surgeries and muscle transplants, his limbs less withered, his life closer to normal, but the family is not. The story also belongs to its time: America during the war, seen from the perspective of a family that had weathered the Depression and prospered. They live in a New Jersey that is still countrified, the rolling hills of Bergen County situated close to the alluring city: Broadway glitter, Fifth Avenue, jazz and wartime glamour. Vern owns a Ford dealership in Hoboken in the time of Frank Sinatra, the waterfront is industrial working class and a little seedy (the antithesis of hip Hoboken today). Patsy lets her mother know she heard the name Dutch Shultz whispered one night after some shady types showed up to collect one of Daddy’s cars. The sprawling Hatherford acreage in Ridgewood includes an arriviste manse that Vern’s long-suffering beauty of a wife ultimately calls “no place for children”. Scott’s polio becomes the family’s make or break challenge. Life is materially good, but boozy Christmas parties (through to New Years), extravagant shopping sprees, loyal black servants that are like family (seeing to it the real Hatherfords never have to lift a finger for themselves), money enough to buy Scott the best treatment available don’t add up to home.
The stressful undercurrent of war doesn’t help. Twelve year old Patsy is obsessed with war bulletins announced on the radio, and Vern’s wealth can’t get around food and fuel rationing. There are rumors of polio victims like Scott, who can walk, being beaten up for not serving. O’Connor has captured the sound of the times in solidly written dialogue. Words like swell and aw gee, peachy, dandy, and “Dag nab it, Dad, I reckon I am,” from Patsy—the character I was most drawn to—caught drunk one afternoon. She’s been stealing from Vern’s basement office too. To the tune of a thousand dollars, we learn when she offers the loot to her mother after one especially ugly marital row.
Patsy’s been sidelined by Scott’s polio. Left to figure things out pretty much on her own, she hectors her mother for attention and taunts the maid, Vi, to get a rise out of her—code for badly needed emotional focus. Patsy isn’t the only one neglected. Vern’s been involved for years with his brother, Jack Raymond’s wife, Cyd. Jack Raymond is a nice guy, a bit of an innocent, damaged in World War I. Vern is typically selfish nouveau riche; coming up from a hard life in Brooklyn with no advantages, success has made him confident and unquestioning. As Maeve’s bawdy mother Abigail tells her: “‘Pride, power, and sex,’ she preached to Maeve, ‘drive the male of the species.’ ‘You make them sound like we still live in caves,’ said Maeve. ‘Well…’ said Abby, ‘not quite.’” Vern’s a man of appetites, generous, but a block of wood when it comes to sensitivity. Even if Maeve hadn’t been proper and proud, worn out by a son’s ailment, Vern would still have likely had a bit on the side. That the bit is his sister-in-law, that he actually loves his brother and wife (whatever his definition of love is) only serves to complicate the family’s inability to connect.
The children suffer in the souring air surrounding their parents: Dad out late most nights, tipping back gin to get through a night at home, Meave stuck, unable to express herself. She made her son well but can’t seem to win his heart. Usher in Matt Wayne, the family doctor, a character based on the doctor poet William Carlos Williams. It is through him we get the feel of a bygone New Jersey. It is to him Maeve turns, first for Scott, then for Patsy—to see if he can read the girl she has failed and cannot manage, ultimately turning to him for herself. He’s not an obvious choice, bad as his interpersonal skills are beyond the patients he earnestly means to heal. Still, he has insights the Hatherfords are blind to. The breaking point boils when Howard, scheduled for war, goes down in flames, killed in a pilot training accident.
An ensemble of characters moves through these pages, it is hard to settle on one. There is something cinematic in that, a large cast, a sprawling landscape, illness, death, infidelity, a twelve year old drinking to quiet a tender, bruised heart. And I haven’t yet mentioned Vi’s illegitimate son, Julian. A little older than Scott, he became the sick boy’s companion. Julian is gentle and wise for is age. Patsy spies on her brother and Julian—jealously in her aloneness—as they do their homework in Scott’s downstairs bedroom. She sees more than she bargained for when the boys kiss. The taint of homosexually in those days would compete with interracial mixing for poisoned reactions in a white dominated society. (Not much has changed.)
Julian’s affection for Scott, who turns petulant as his body heals and ordinary life comes within reach, is impossible. Rebuffed, Julian “… had expected to smoothly return to the Julian he used to be. But he wasn’t as good as he’d thought, or as staunch. And whoever got a reward for that? Where were the medals for those who never made waves? What did you get for handing your masked self over to people who wrote all the rules and did not even know that you saw?”
If Julian is the wisdom of Varley O’Connor’s insightful novel, Patsy is the conscience. The writer has taken on a lot. Much to be cured: the body and the person. In a way, THE CURE deals with the sickness of America: all the opportunity in the world, even during a war that, once won, would usher in layers of Vern Hatherfords, rolling in success, ‘writing the rules’ without a clue to their own selves. Missing the lesson their son’s disease might have taught, the Hatherfords mixed-up emotions come out as dumb determination and sad obliviousness. I think the truth of O’Connor’s book is that learning to live is the ultimate cure. Selling overpriced cars, shopping, and swilling cocktails at the country club might not be the best route to getting there.
© May 2007 J. Stefan-Cole
May 16, 2007
No Fun Fest this weekend
No Fun Fest is a massive explosion of noise rock genius. Read what I have to say about it in the Village Voice here: http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0720,harding,76661,22.html
Danava at Glasslands tonight
Danava, “Quiet Babies Astray in a Manger”
Danava is clearly influenced by Black Sabbath, Yes, and T. Rex, although they’re not rocking the facial hair that these legends sported. Still, they’re pretty badass.
Wed 5/16 9:00 PM Genghis Khan, Danava, The Coydogs
Glasslands 21+ tba
What A Wonderful Life, Jerry In His Own Words
• From an article called Parents Alert: Tinky Winky Comes Out of the Closet: "He is purple - the gay-pride colour; and his antenna is shaped like a triangle - the gay-pride symbol."
• If you're not a born-again Christian, you're a failure as a human being.
• "I think [Desmond Tutu]'s a phony, period, as far as representing the black people of South Africa."
• AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals; it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals.
• On September 11: The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this... I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way—all of them who have tried to secularize America—I point the finger in their face and say, "You helped this happen."
• I hope I live to see the day when, as in the early days of our country, we won't have any public schools. The churches will have taken them over again and Christians will be running them. What a happy day that will be!
• It appears that America's anti-Biblical feminist movement is at last dying, thank God, and is possibly being replaced by a Christ-centered men's movement which may become the foundation for a desperately needed national spiritual awakening.
• There is no separation of church and state. Modern US Supreme Courts have raped the Constitution and raped the Christian faith and raped the churches by misinterpreting what the Founders had in mind in the First Amendment to the Constitution.
• The Jews are returning to their land of unbelief. They are spiritually blind and desperately in need of their Messiah and Savior.
• Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them.
• Christians, like slaves and soldiers, ask no questions.
• Textbooks are Soviet propaganda.
• The whole (global warming) thing is created to destroy America's free enterprise system and our economic stability.
• I do not believe the homosexual community deserves minority status. One's misbehavior does not qualify him or her for minority status. Blacks, Hispanics, women, etc., are God-ordained minorities who do indeed deserve minority status.
And of course, this doosy:
May 15, 2007
Time Is Moving Really, Really, Really, Really Slowly
Electrelane at Irving Plaza tonight
Electrelane, “No Shouts, No Calls”
Beggars Banquet 2007
Fans of Stereolab bummed out about the band’s last few not-so-great records now have reason to rejoice: Electrelane have come along to pick up the slack. They share many of the same elements as the ‘lab: breathy, Euro-girl vocals, pulsating keyboards, and lots of random beeps and squeaks, and manage to mix their songs in a way that perfectly balances all the musical elements, never burying the vocals or throwing on extraneous distortion. Unlike the ‘lab, whose recent experiments have descended in to dull drones, Electrelane keep listeners engaged and don’t lose them in a haze of noise. While the whole album is solid, standout tracks include opener “The Greater Times,” where lead singer Verity Susman shows off her vocal prowess; the spacey “Tram 21,” and the hypnotic, bass-driven “To The East.”
Tue 5/15 8:00 PM Electrelane, Tender Forever, The Blow The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza 16+ $15
May 14, 2007
Bonnaroo Looks Pretty Amazing This Year
Guess we need to get tickets. Here's the line-up thus far:
The Police
Lily Allen
Feist
Tool
Tortoise
The White Stripes
Wolfmother
Wilco
The Flaming Lips
Gillian Welch
Spoon
Franz Ferdinand
Damien Rice
Ween
Gov’t Mule
The Decemberists
Cold War Kids
Kings of Leon
Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys
Rodrigo y Gabriela
FULL LIST AFTER THE JUMP
Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
Ziggy Marley
Widespread Panic
Manu Chao
The String Cheese Incident
Regina Spektor
Galactic
The Black Keys
DJ Shadow
Bob Weir & Ratdog
Keller Williams (WMD’s)
Sasha & John Digweed
STS9
Old Crow Medicine Show
The Hold Steady
North Mississippi Allstars
Fountains Of Wayne
Hot Tuna
Hot Chip
John Butler Trio
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Aesop Rock
The Richard Thompson Band
Dierks Bentley
Xavier Rudd
Gogol Bordello
Junior Brown
T-Bone Burnett
Mavis Staples
Clutch
Dr. Dog
Paolo Nutini
Brazilian Girls
RX Bandits
The Nightwatchman
The Slip
Girl Talk
Railroad Earth
Martha Wainwright
Annuals
Tea Leaf Green
Sam Roberts Band
Elvis Perkins in Dearland
Charlie Louvin
Sonya Kitchell
Mute Math
Apollo Sunshine
Uncle Earl
James Blood Ulmer
The National
The Little Ones
Black Angels
Ryan Shaw
Ornette Coleman
Comedians:
Lewis Black & Friends
Dave Attell
David Cross
May 12, 2007
Erasure To Play McCarren Park Pool, Many Others Announced...
Erasure will be performing August 3rd.
Also: The FREE JELLYNYC POol Parties at McCarren Park Pool this year will include: Blonde Redhead, Ted Leo/Rx, The Thermals, Ghostland Observatory, Octopus Project, Man Man, Illinois, I'm From Barcelona, Dengue Fever, and THE RUB DJs. Confirmed dates and many more surprises to come. We've got the full calendar (thus far) here.
I'm From Barcelona to perform August 5.
May 11, 2007
To Do: Zombies. Mountain Goats. Kraut.
TONIGHT:
Go to see 28 Weeks Later with a group of Zombies. If that doesn't interest you, Mountain Goats are playing a free show at Sound Fix.
ON SATURDAY:
Todd P presents Tussle w/ Bronze and Nymph
when: Sat 5.12 (8pm)
where: Silent Barn (915 Wyckoff Ave, Bushwick)
price: $8
details: click here
From Flavorpill: Tussle may have made their name in dubby post-punk, but with their latest record, Telescopic Mind, they've taken quite the Krauty turn down the Autobahn.