We Have Top Men Working On It Right Now

Thirty years ago on this date, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. As a youth, this was one of my favorite movies. It had two lasting influences upon me. First, it turned my interests towards cinematic soundtracks and classical music. Second, it set me up to become interested in history.

I had heard and appreciated soundtracks previously. I enjoyed the music to Star Wars and the Godfather. The theme music for Jaws and the Exorcist were recognizable to me and gave me chills. But Raiders was the first movie were the concept behind programmatic music mentally clicked for me. I realized that the music was another form of narrative expression.

In regards to my interest in history, I was still a bit too young to take action upon my fascination with the ancient Egyptian themes but they endured in my imagination. About a year later, when I was inspired by Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar, to start pursuing my studies into Roman history, my interests soon returned to Egypt and the ancient Near East.

Well, let's get to the vids.

Save Us, Erin Esurance!!!

A few years back, the auto insurance company, Esurance, had a promotional campaign centered around the animated exploits of a pink haired spy girl, Erin Esurance. Honestly, it was kind of stupid. Why was this "sexy" special agent running from nefarious criminals and killer robots while extolling the virtues of an on-line car insurance company? It made no sense, but at least it had fun mindless action and an animated cutie.

Eventually, the whole spy chase style got played out. Erin started playing in killer robot hockey games and daydreaming about baseball. Worse, she started escorting "average people" into Esurance cartoon land. What started out as incoherent action eye candy turned into just incoherent.

Clearly, something needed to change. Sadly, as bad as the later Erin Esurance ads were, the change was worse.

Dressed in Their Summer Clothes

Black Rose by Ketmara

On this date in 1966, the first "emo" rock song hit the #1 position of the Billboard chart, Paint It, Black by the Rolling Stones.

Yeah, I know that there was a long history of "teen tragedy" songs that came before Paint It, Black, such as Last Kiss by Wayne Cochran or Teen Angel by Mark Dinning. However, I'd argue that, although these are "songs of sorrow", they don't have the requisite nihilistic angst that properly marks a song as being of the "emo" subgenre.

In the "teen tragedy" subgenre, the singer is helpless and passive under the weight of despair. In the "emo" subgenre, the singer becomes an active participant in their grief. For the "teen tragedian" the world is painted black. For the "emo", they want to paint it black.

Flowers for Friday Again and Again

High Society

As in a Dream

(By Li Qingzhao)

Last night in the light rain as rough winds blew,
My drunken sleep left me no merrier.
I question one that raised the curtain, who
Replies: "The wild quince trees -- are as they were."
But no, but no!
Their rose is waning, and their green leaves grow.

You didn't think that I was out of rose photos, did you? ;-)

Gone Mad Today

On this date in 1891, Cole Porter was born. I'm really not a fan of American Musical Theater, but I make an exception for Cole Porter. Maybe it's that so many of his compositions have been interpreted into jazz classics, that I can appreciate them in a "backwards compatible" manner.

Whatever the case, I love the energy and mood to his music. The sexual innuendos that pepper the lyrics are playful and clever. The overall compositional style is distinctive and mature, but it never seems to take itself too seriously. I think that's why I appreciate Porter's work so much more than other "standard" writers. Underlying each piece is an honest sense of play, an amusement with sound and performance.

Whether it's a large ensemble piece or an intimate solo, the music invites the listener to share in the fun.

Let's listen to some music.

La Vie En Rose

When Roses cease to bloom, Sir,

(By Emily Dickinson)

When Roses cease to bloom, Sir,
And Violets are done --
When Bumblebees in solemn flight
Have passed beyond the Sun --
The hand that paused to gather
Upon this Summer's day
Will idle lie -- in Auburn --
Then take my flowers -- pray!

This weekend I attended a Rose Show at the South Coast Botanic Gardens. Yeah, this post nearly writes itself. ;-)

Rose: Trumpeters


So, let the Trumpeters sound!!! And let's do some flower blogging.

Korobeiniki

On this date in 1984, Tetris was released!!!

In my youth, countless hours were spent watching these four-block shapes descending down the screen. Sometimes, I would dream that I was playing the game and wake up in frustration with the "Game Over" sign. Tetris was always on my mind, a sick obsession. This symptom is common among Tetris players and has been named the Tetris effect.

Years later, it's hard to see why this game was so engrossing. It's a good game, but why the passion? I think there are three elements that capture player enthusiasm. First, it is an easy access game with simple rules and quick play. Second, players can improve their level of success by dedicated play, which serves as a reward system.

And finally, there is the music.

Fox Fairies and Ghosts

Although I enjoy just about any type of story, my favorite genre is the Ghost story. Unlike most forms of horror fiction, the prevalent mood isn't terror or revulsion, but a deep sorrow. Yeah, there is often some menace involved and certainly the presence of the "Weird" but it is that lingering sense of loss that makes the ghost so haunting.

My favorite stories generally come from the "Golden Age of Ghosts" in the Victorian and Edwardian eras, but I'm also very fond of the classic Chinese Ghost Story. This definitive work of this genre is the compilation by Pu Songling (who was born on this date in 1640), Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

This collection has had a strong influence upon the development of Chinese folklore into canonical stories, similar to the effect that the Brothers Grimm had upon European fairy tales. Fox fairies, demonic spirits, and ghostly lovers receive their lasting imprint from Pu Songling and persist in such a form into narratives of the contemporary era.

Let's get to some specific examples.

Se Tu M'Ami

Today we're sending out a Happy 45th Birthday to Cecilia Bartoli, an Italian mezzo-soprano and one of my favorite singers. (Yeah, I have a thing for mezzos.)

I have been a fan of Cecilia's since the beginning of her career. I remember when she wasn't an operatic superstar. This was back in the late '80s and early 90s. Her early recordings were of the then under appreciated works of Rossini. (It's funny, but, when Cecilia became the operatic "It Girl" in the mid 90s, Rossini's music experienced a notable revival in both recordings and live performances.)

Anyways, there is a lot to say about Cecilia. First, I delight in contrasting her image as portrayed on album covers or in her publicity photos with her image on stage. The publicity stuff depicts her as a dark, youthful Italian hottie. Well, she is dark and relatively youthful for an operatic star of her calibre. Whether or not she is a "hottie" depends on one's disposition to very prominent noses, strong eyebrows, and abundant feminine curvaceousness. ;-)

Second, I have never seen an operatic singer that makes such goofy facial expressions in performance. She's smoothed out over the years, but, when I first saw her, I was charmed by the way she would get so deep into the music that she would lose her sense of self image. This is something you see with instrumentalists all the time, but vocalists usually train away from this.

That's enough of my words, let's get to the music:

Some Peace of Mind

Curtis Mayfield was born on June 3rd, 1942. He rose to prominence with his group, the Impressions, performing some of the classic hits of Soul music. This music became the "soundtrack" to the Black Pride movement in of the late '60s and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. In the early '70s, he went solo and became associated with the "Blaxploitation" sound and early Funk.

I'm fond of Funk music, but most of it is exceedingly shallow. That's not the case with Mayfield's music. His music expresses a deep empathy for the plight of the disadvantaged. There is an uplifting social consciousness in his lyrics. This is especially notable when the music is contrasted with other music of the "Blaxploitation" style. Most are praises of destructive machismo and glorification of the violent drug-fueled culture of the protagonists. Mayfield's music captures the same urban vibe, but carries a critical message embedded within the funkiness.

It is this softly sung criticism, delivered in a gentle falsetto, that makes his music so enduring.

Window Flowers for Friday

Wind and Window Flower

(By Robert Frost)

LOVERS, forget your love,
And list to the love of these,
She a window flower,
And he a winter breeze.

When the frosty window veil
Was melted down at noon,
And the cagèd yellow bird
Hung over her in tune,

He marked her through the pane,
He could not help but mark,
And only passed her by,
To come again at dark.

He was a winter wind,
Concerned with ice and snow,
Dead weeds and unmated birds,
And little of love could know.

But he sighed upon the sill,
He gave the sash a shake,
As witness all within
Who lay that night awake.

Perchance he half prevailed
To win her for the flight
From the firelit looking-glass
And warm stove-window light.

But the flower leaned aside
And thought of naught to say,
And morning found the breeze
A hundred miles away.

Well, this week has been a bit light on the posting, but that's no reason to skip our Friday flowers. ;-)

Sixth Weekly Wrap Up

As predicted, my weekend put my blogging on hiatus. But here's my "Weekly Wrap Up" a few days late ;-)

* * *

Another week has passed. This one was pretty good. My production isn't quite what I'd like, but I'm pretty happy with my post quality. There was a healthy diversity in subject matter. There is plenty of room for improvement, but I've finally hit a baseline degree of competence in my posting style.

The things that really please me about this week are the technical changes. First, I used to have only seven topics on the front page, but I altered the settings so as to allow twelve. I think that's a good amount for the front.

Second, I'm utilizing jumps for all my posts. I think that makes for a cleaner look and keeps a megapost from dominating the page. Moreover, I'm putting the vid links after the jump so as to keep to front page smooth.

So, lets get to the posts: