Din seria migalituri muzicale uitate si regasite pur accidental arzand-o pe fb, ‘Summer’ gonna hurt you’ in varianta Diplo. Semn ca n-am ars-o chiar aiurea, si nici Diplo cand a regandit piesa ‘Beautiful Scarlet’ (Rare Bird, 1969) in varianta actuala. Enjoy.

Diplo – Summer’s gonna hurt you

vs

Rare Bird – Beautiful Scarlet

Dupa o pauza de meditatie prelungita, revenim in forta pe micile ecrane de calculator. Si nu oricum, ci cu un material care astepta sa fie degustat cu pofta. De voi cei pentru care American Astronaut este un film-cult si nu cineva care se plimba pe luna prin 69.

Mai jos un fragment cu regizorul American Astronaut, Cory McAbee, un tip care face un act creativ din orice se apuca sa faca, fie ca e muzica, filme sau pazit baruri, dupa cum veti vedea in continuare. Interviul integral poate fi citit in numarul urmator de Oogli, suplimentul cultural de fiecare luna al Igloo. Enjoy:)

Incepem cum se cuvine cu trailerul filmului:

1. Where do you get your ideas for the movies? Which are your sources of inspiration? For American Astronaut for example, the plot is so unusual that I’m quite curious how did that come up as a story.

I wrote THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT after three years of living without a home. During those three years I worked part time filling in as a substitute doorman in bars and nightclubs and living out of my friends’ garages. That film was inspired by the people in my life and my own circumstances at that time.
STINGRAY SAM was written at the end of the Bush administration. The US government had done so many horrible things to the world, the environment, and destroyed America’s economy and reputation. I felt it was important to make a film that would embrace and celebrate America’s culture while criticizing it. I created a science fiction landscape based on the modern US landscape, including privatized prison systems, creating poverty by outsourcing labor, jeopardizing natural resources, abuse of pharmaceuticals…etc. I worked them into a story that incorporated well-loved American-grown genres such as musicals, westerns, singing cowboys, sci-fi serials and cute little girls with classic American melodrama problems. The intention was to make a modern film that everyone could enjoy, and I hope they do. I made it in serialized segments to make it compatible with every way that people watch films today.

2. Does the movie have a certain message or is it pure fiction and thus an artistic form of entertainment?

I don’t claim to have the righteous end-all point of view, so I steer clear of creating propaganda. If I try to push a point that I feel passionate about, the writing usually falls flat. Maybe it’s because I get excited over partial information. My beliefs are written into my stories, but the thing that tends to inspire people of different mindsets is the spirit behind the productions themselves.

3. Since is an unconventional mix between western and one of a kind SF. Probably this is the reason why the way you depicted the outer space was totally different from what I’ve seen in other movies. How did you come up with the unusual way the outer space looks like?

THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT was styled after my family and how they lived. It looks like my father and my grandfather. My dad was a cowboy auto mechanic and my grandfather lived in the desert and fixed anything that came his way. I was close to both of them. I’m still close to my father.
I was fortunate to be working with our production designer, Geoff Tuttle, on some personal projects when the funds were secured. He had never done film work before, but I knew he would understand the look I was going for. He lives out in the desert now making sculptures.

4. Tell me three movies one should definitely not miss.

1. The Wizard of OZ (1939)
2. “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” (1947) with Gene Tierney & Rex Harrison.
3. Spirited Away (2001) Hayao Miyazaki

5. What would you do if you stopped making movies? And what means compromise when it comes to a movie?

I love making movies. I’m always working on a story in my head, but I don’t get to make films very often. I spend a lot of time distributing my films, writing, drawing, recording music and being a father. As far as a compromise, it would depend on what your intentions are. We all come to it for different reasons. Some people want to be rich and famous. I think that’s a sickness.

6. What’s your next project about?

WEREWOLF HUNTERS OF THE MIDWEST is about an old man who hunts werewolves in a world where no one believes in monsters.

7. Each cinematography age has its own traits. Where do you think the cinema is heading now, in terms of purpose and characteristics?

People will have to consider how their films will look on small screens, like iPhones.

8. And last but not least, what did you wanted to become when you were little?:)

When I was 8 and 11 years old my teachers told me that I was going to be a philosopher. I didn’t know what that meant. Someone told me that it was someone who thought about things. I pictured a man in a suit sitting alone in an office. That made no sense. I just wanted to make the other kids laugh and get through the day without being picked on. I was small for my age.

Un fotograf australian de fashion si advertising a carui stil epatant si stralucitor nu da gres. Nu te lasa sa nu il observi. Ceea ce e ok, pentru ca ai de ce. Enjoy.

Kiln sunt un grup de ambiental din Michigan, cu o muzica bizaroida si relaxanta in acelasi timp, care suna ca si cum ai face muzica din decojirea un ou. Melodic-crocant. A se asculta in casti prima oara. Enjoy.

Cred ca momentul cand lumea nu s-a mai simtit cu adevarat bine la un party a fost cand intrebarea ‘cum a fost la party? a fost inlocuita de ‘cine a mai fost acolo?’ Cand muzica a devenit background pentru conversatie si nu invers. Cand ‘sa te vezi’ in mijlocul multimii a fost mai important decat ‘sa te simti’. De aici si succesul actual al party-urilor care fac legatura cu ceva din trecut ‘cand chiar te distrai’, cum a fost de exemplu ‘Bring back the old Embryo showcase’ care a umplut pana la refuz Post Cochetul. In aceasta ordine de idei urmatorul ar trebui sa fie un Bring back the old Web.

Revenind la amorteala simturilor ca noua reteta de distractie, nu e o drama, e o stare de fapt pe care o ilustreaza majoritatea cluburilor bucurestene cu oameni peste 20 de ani. Lumea a imbatranit, devine mai simplu sa dai din gura decat din alte membre de regula activate de o muzica (buna).

Il trecem la capitolul ‘asta e’.

‘Drama’ apare cand party-ul respectiv are loc intr-un spatiu care nu-ti permite nici socializare, nici dezmat. Si aici e la capitolul ‘corectabile’. Spre exemplu, aseara la Pantha Du Prince. Lume putina la inceput, warm-up care depunea efortul de a fi bagat in seama de cei 20-30 de ‘vizitatori’ care se uitau usor panicati la interval de 2-3 minute spre usa, fie ca sa mearga intr-un loc mai animat (care la o adica putea fi chiar acasa), fie tot asteptand sa vina multimea.

Am ales varianta 1, concretizata in Subbufet, unde maxim 10 oameni dansau din toti rarunchii si n-aveau nici o treaba cu privit catre usa de la intrare. Ii durea in cot de orice altceva. 10 oameni a caror fericire cumulata batea de departe starea unor adunari mai generoase. Dovada ca mai sunt cativa pe care ‘post-clubbingul’socializarii  i-a lasat rece si cu pantofii tociti de la dans.

Ne intorseram insa la Pantha, in speranta ca: a) incepe, b) nu am facut drumul degeaba.

Suntem intampinati cu o muzica geniala. Sau care in mod normal intr-un playlist ar fi fost geniala. In Martin insa era parca total scos din contextul pentru care fusese facuta muzica respectiva. O muzica serafica, scurtcircuitanta, pe care vrei sa te scurgi intr-un colt si s-o lasi sa te patrunda. Cam greu sa faci asta intr-un club clasic, facut pentru rupt podelele de la agitatie, asa ca lumea incerca sa se distreze cum putea. Iar ca peisaj, lucrurile nu aratau prea bine: o multime  care se lalaie pe ritmurile sacadate ale artistului, ca intr-un making-of de la Thriller, entuziasmandu-se pentru scurta durata la pasajele mai ‘de dans’.

De-asta si e la ‘corectabile’. Genul asta de eveniment clar isi avea sensul. Dar nu aici. La Sziget, la cortul de ambiental. Cu o perna sub cap si picioarele intinse la celelalt capat al camerei (sau al lumii, cum pare in momentul ala). Sau undeva in aer liber, printre stele si iarba. Intr-un loc unde sa te poti manifesta in spiritul muzicii pe care o asculti. Asa, a fost un set pe care clar mi l-as dori pe Ipod, sa-l ascult in casti, acasa, in timp ce se desfasoara in cu totul alta parte live, in club.

Totul legat de Orouni e pitoresc. Numele – o planta-parazit frumoasa-, versurile, muzica. Cum suna? Am citit descrierea perfecta pentru asta: like Leonard Cohen happy. Asa canta. Un francez atras mai mult de ideea de Paris decat de Paris, un visator contagios. Imi place mult. Mai jos o piesa de-a lui, A greased and Golden Palm, care are un video pe masura (by Marisa Lai). Enjoy.

Orouni- A Greased and Golden Palm from Marisa Lai on Vimeo.

Mi s-a intamplat de cateva ori sa descopar un soundtrack mult inaintea filmului pentru care a fost facut. Si tot ascultandu-l, incep sa-mi imaginez despre ce e filmul. In cazul “More’, filmul din ‘69 al lui Barbet Schroeder a carui coloana sonora e semnata Pink floyd, delay-ul intre prima oara cand am ascultat albumul (caseta adica:) si vazutul filmului e de ani buni. Daca treci prin tot albumul, starea cu care ai sanse mari sa ramai e ca dupa ce vezi Tonite lets all make love in London, despre Londra anilor psihedelici. Cam la asta ma asteptam si de la More-filmul. O succesiune de stari, sunete, culori violente si dansuri intortocheate, fara un fir epic prea bine definit. Un film de atmosfera.

De fapt, e varianta mai veche a campaniei anti-droguri pe care o vedem prin oras, aia cu marul injectat si line-ul cu iz apocaliptic ‘drogurile strica tot’. Un neamt inocent ajunge la Paris, se indragosteste de o americanca ale carei vicii erau deprimarea si (implicit) heroina, au parte de o perioada fericita intr-o casuta pe niste stanci, langa o apa, insa povestea merge mai departe, si ‘more’ droguri il fac pe el sa isi incheie prematur socotelile pe acest pamant (ea evident scapa). Un fel de ‘iata ce se intampla daca nu esti cuminte, primesti overdose in loc de happy ending’. Moralizator in mod explicit, simplu, si o poveste de minima rezistenta in locul atmosferei promise de ascultarea pe repeat a albumului.

Dar presupun ca asta ar fi riscul oricarui film cu soundtrack de Pink Floyd. Sa faca filmul sa para degeaba.