Weekly Wrap: Wednesday Night #7

Christina Ricci and Margot Robbie on ABC's Pan Am

Wow! This is post #250. It took me six months to get to this number. That's not too shabby. I've had a good time sharing my thoughts and interests with you folks. I'm looking forward to reaching the next milestone number of 500. We have so much wonderful art, music, and cultural celebration waiting for our attention.

This week has been a bit slower than I'd prefer. I still need to get my art gallery reviews back into the production schedule. I feel that it adds a distinct focus to this blog that separates it from any other general culture blog. The Los Angeles art scene is filled with cool sights and ideas. I really ought to get more of these posts done. Over the next few weeks, a whole bunch of new shows will be opening. I promise to cover them.

Aside from that complaint, I'm pleased with the quality of variety of my blogging. What other blog features the music of Josquin des Prez, Charlie "Bird" Parker, and Bananarama in the same week? ;-)

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801) by Jacques-Louis David

So here are the ten posts of the week.

Our art blogging celebrated the birth date of the neoclassical French painter Jacques-Louis David. The we commemorated the birth date of Michael Jackson with some photos of Jeff Koons' Michael Jackson and Bubbles ceramic sculpture on display at LACMA.

As mentioned above, we had a wild week in music. We listened to High Renaissance polyphony in the music of Josquin des Prez. Then we celebrated the bebop genius of jazz great, Charlie "Bird" Parker. Finally, we enjoyed our monthly selection of dance music from the past four decades. Good stuff!!!

We missed out on Spooky Sunday this week, but our Friday Flowers took us to the colorful gardens at Heritage Court in Redondo Beach. And we listened to some Alicia Keys music. Oh, so pretty. . .

Our cinematic focus was given to the movies of Tim Burton. From Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) to Alice in Wonderland (2010), we celebrate his distinct creative vision and wish him a Happy Birthday.

A billboard advertising ABC's upcoming series Pan Am captured our interest in this ensemble period program. What's not to like about attractive ladies living the "high life" in the Jet Age? ;-)

In miscellaneous topics, we visited the duck pond at a former Nike missile base which has been converted into the Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. Finally, we said goodbye to a dear old Borders bookstore in Torrance.

And that's the week that was. Here's our traditional weirdness to end the post.



The Oogie Boogie Man from Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)



And if you aren't shakin'

Then there's something very wrong

'Cause this may be the

last time you hear

the boogie song

Vid after the jump.

Dancing at the End of August

You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees topped the Dance charts in August 1976.

My baby moves at midnight

Goes right on til the dawn

My woman takes me higher

My woman keeps me warm

Wow! I almost forgot to post my monthly Dance Party. And this month has a fun and varied selection of songs. So, although it's a weekday night, here's some music to make you move. ;-)



Bananarama (Sara Dallin, Keren Woodward, Siobhan Fahey) hit the top with Venus.


"She's got it! Yeah, baby, she's got it!"

Rejection of Rococo

Detail from The Coronation of Napoleon (1806) by Jacques-Louis David

Today marks the birth date of Jacques-Louis David, born in 1748. David came into prominence during the Revolutionary era of France and remained a vital artistic influence throughout the Napoleonic era. He painted in a Neoclassical style, with a sculptural severity that rejected the flowing elegance and opulence of the Rococo style of his predecessors.

I'm not a fan of his works. The style feels stiff and excessively dramatic with propagandist overtones. But they are powerful paintings with excellent technique and engaging narrative composition. Moreover, these works absolutely must be seen in person to be fully appreciated. Their sculptural design may look clunky in a picture book or webpage, but this illusionist use of perspective and modelling makes for a commanding and monumental pictorial space when viewed on site.


Self Portrait of the Artist (1794) by Jacques-Louis David


So, although I'm not an enthusiast, I certainly admire David's artworks.

Pond In The Park

Crested Duck at the Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach

I recently paid a visit to the Hopkins Wilderness Park in Redondo Beach. It's a relatively small venue which used to be a Nike Missile site but was turned into a wilderness preserve in 1977. There are two small ponds and a flock of charming ducks that make their home in the back pond.

The park has a high elevation point that overlooks the South Bay lowlands. This high point is covered with a large concrete slab. So, I'm guessing that this was a radar point or where the missiles were launched. It's kind of cool to look at the natural setting of the present day and imagine it as a Cold War installation.



Hopkins Wilderness Park, Upper Pond


Here are some more photos:

Ornithology

Charlie "Bird" Parker, Jr.

Today marks the birth date of another jazz legend, Charlie "Bird" Park. Of all the jazz greats, his music was the toughest for me to appreciate. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I once considered it to be chock-full of noise. I could intellectually appreciate it, but listening to his innovative approach to chordal techniques and improvisation just wasn't to my tastes. I couldn't "dig" it. ;-)

But as my jazz sophistication and familiarity with bebop's musical lexicon developed, I came to enjoy the music. Where previously I heard histrionic chatter, I now hear complex but compelling musical phrases. Is Bird my favorite jazz musician? No, but I can recognize his innovative genius and enjoy its expression.



Charlie "Bird" Parker and Miles Davis


Enough talk. Let's listen to some music.

Remembering the King of Pop

Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) by Jeff Koons

Michael Jackson was born on this date in 1958.

There are plenty of photos that I could have featured today, but I decided to showcase Jeff Koons' 1988 ceramic statue. It always makes me feel happy. ;-)



Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) by Jeff Koons (Balloon Dog in the background)



Michael Jackson and Bubbles (1988) by Jeff Koons


 Enjoy!!!

Let's Fly Away

Billboard for ABC's Pan Am, featuring the female leads.

"It's not you. It's a promise of you."

Among the various types of ads, I find billboards to be the least interesting and least effective. Therefore, it's cool to find one that works at catching my attention and at imparting the premise of the subject. The image is simple, four attractive women dressed in a retro style that evokes Jet Age luxuries. The only words are the product name and the statement of opening date. Direct and eloquent marketing.

I'm not big on retro television shows. There is so much effort put into simulation of setting that it often feels like the production skimps on the other elements of story. For instance, the characters often aren't written as much more than period appropriate character types. That's fine if your interest is to "visit" a historic era, but, if you want deep character exploration, it can feel a bit flat.



Christina Ricci as Maggie, Pam Am stewardess


Nevertheless, I can see the charm of retro-themed entertainment. So, I'll probably check out this show. Anyways, I'm old enough to remember flying on a Pan Am flight with cute female stewardesses, not "flight attendants." But I'm not old enough to remember "air hostesses". ;-)

Borders Bookstore: Saying Goodbye

Borders Bookstore (Torrance/Hawthorne) going out of business.

I was driving past the Torrance Borders yesterday and decided to visit it one last time before it closes down. As I've mentioned in the past, although I'm an avid reader, I actually dislike books. So, I'm not a frequent book buyer. I usually grab my reads from one of the local libraries, especially since I read odd topics that need to be specially ordered at a standard brick-and-mortar store. However, any place that facilitates the practice of reading is a good thing in my estimation. And I've bought the occasional paperback fantasy, sci fi, romance, or horror novel here over the years.

Therefore, I felt a compulsion to stop by the store one last time to pay my respects. It's always sad to see a store going under, with the stock dwindled down to the unwanted remnants. The employees seem shell shocked and adrift. I've seen many stores close over the decades. It started with the small independent stores during the '80s, replaced by the chain stores and "mall" model of retail with stores such as Waldens or B. Dalton. Then these chain stores got gobbled up by the superstores like Borders or Barnes & Noble. It now looks as if online stores like Amazon and the wonderful emergence of the e-book will be putting the superstores under.



Only the Science and Math shelves have a decent selection left.


That's the way business goes. It's understandable that economies of scale, market presence, and reduced overhead determine the viability of any retail project, but it still makes me feel sad.



Every thing must go, even the security mirror ($100)!!!


So, here's to Borders and all those bookstores that have been crushed under the wheels of industry and progress. Thanks for the memories and the many good reads.

Scaramella Va Alla Guerra

Woodcut portrait of Josquin des Prez (1611)

I usually prefer celebrating great artists on the date of their birth, but sometimes that isn't known. So, I'm left memorializing on the anniversary of their date of death. Such is the case with my favorite Renaissance composer, Josquin des Prez.

In my generation, most hardcore enthusiasts of classical music enter through cinematic soundtracks and scores. For instance, by being exposed to the orchestral music of John Williams' movie masterpieces, such as Star Wars or the Indiana Jones movies, the listener might be encourage to try out the music that inspired Williams, be it Holst, Wagner, or Richard Strauss. And by developing a familiarity with the art of orchestra music, the listener becomes a fan of "classical music" as a whole.

That's not how I became a classical fan. I have always been deeply interested in religion and spirituality. I'm especially wild over artistic expressions of devotion and spiritual insight. As a Catholic, I was no stranger to sacred music and its ceremonial role. And so, I began to listen to classical music from the other direction, early music into the modern.

And Josquin des Prez was the composer who sealed the deal with my love for classical music. Here's a bit from Wikipedia:

Josquin lived during a transitional stage in music history. Musical styles were changing rapidly, in part due to the movement of musicians between different regions of Europe. Many northern musicians moved to Italy, the heart of the Renaissance, attracted by the Italian nobility's patronage of the arts; while in Italy, these composers were influenced by the native Italian styles, and often brought those ideas with them back to their homelands. The sinuous musical lines of the Ockeghem generation, the contrapuntal complexity of the Netherlanders, and the homophonic textures of the Italian lauda and secular music began to merge into a unified style; indeed Josquin was to be the leading figure in this musical process, which eventually resulted in the formation of an international musical language, of which the most famous composers included Palestrina and Lassus.

Now let's listen to some music.

Friday Flowers: Colors



Heritage Court (Red)



A Love Song

(By William Carlos Williams)

What have I to say to you

When we shall meet?

Yet—

I lie here thinking of you.

The stain of love

Is upon the world.

Yellow, yellow, yellow,

It eats into the leaves,

Smears with saffron

The horned branches that lean

Heavily

Against a smooth purple sky.

There is no light—

Only a honey-thick stain

That drips from leaf to leaf

And limb to limb

Spoiling the colours

Of the whole world.

I am alone.

The weight of love

Has buoyed me up

Till my head

Knocks against the sky.

See me!

My hair is dripping with nectar—

Starlings carry it

On their black wings.

See, at last

My arms and my hands

Are lying idle.

How can I tell

If I shall ever love you again

As I do now?



Heritage Court (Purple)



Crept Through His Dreams

Tim Burton's Vincent (1982)

Today is Tim Burton's 53rd Birthday. I have a lot of fondness for his movies. They appeal to my "gothic" sensibility. ;-)

As usual, it is hard for me to settle on a favorite Burton movie. I usually like the one that I have most recently seen best. But the three movies that always make my top five list are: Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Big Fish. I guess these are my favorites by averaging the highest scores.

So, here's a Happy Birthday wish to Tim Burton. May he have many more such celebrations.

Celebrating Tim Burton (Image by Rob Dobi)


Let's look at some photos and vids.

Weekly Wrap: Wednesday Night #6

Bon Jovi, Wanted Dead or Alive

Another week, another wrap.

Again, the quickie posts kept a decent post per day rate but we delivered on nine full blog posts. That's pretty good. Sure, it could be better but I'm fairly happy with the situation. Moreover, I finally caught up with a yearly average of one post per day, which I think is awesome considering that I only really started blogging in March.

There is still a lot that I want to improve upon as a blogger. If you have any suggestions, feel free to post a comment. I'm always open to friendly advice. ;-)

So, let's get to the week's posts.



Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie


After a dry spell, I returned to some art blogging. I reviewed the DABS MYLA exhibit at Thinkspace Gallery. The double show of David Stoupakis and Tom Bagshaw at the Corey Helford Gallery was highly praised. And I took a full circle of photos of Ai Weiwei's Circle of Zodiac Heads on display at LACMA. Good stuff!!!

Friday Flowers showcased the gorgeous sunflower. Spooky Sunday commemorated the thirty year anniversary of the release of An American Werewolf in London. Wooooo!!!!!

We celebrated a lot of music this week. We started with twenty-five years of Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet. Then we took note of Count Basie's birth date, followed by John Lee Hooker's. That's quite the diverse playlist. ;-)

And I wrote my first television post in celebration of Barbara Eden and I Dream of Jeannie.

Our miscellaneous posts were a few quick images of the La Brea Tar Pits and a brief reflection on the demoting of Pluto from the planetary ranks. Poor Pluto. . .

That's a nice, weird mix of topics. I hope you enjoyed it. Now, here's our weekly disturbing image, a giant bronze rooster head!!!

Ai Weiwei's Circle of Zodiac Heads (Rooster)

Enjoy!!!

Triumph of Strife

Pluto, formerly the ninth planet of our solar system, was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2006.

It's been five years since the International Astronomical Union established the current planetary definition. These rules knocked Pluto from its planetary status and into the new category of dwarf planet. This was an extended debate that actually began in 1801 when Ceres was discovered and became the first asteroid. However, it was the discovery of the Eris, named after the Greek goddess of Strife, that set off the finalization of the great planet debate.

The end result was the controversial demotion of Pluto. So now the Solar System has eight planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) and five dwarf planets (Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris).



Artist's concept of the Pluto System (Credit: NASA, ESA and G. Bacon)


Of course, astronomers are still scanning the heavens. These numbers and definitions are best considered works in progress. ;-)

Enjoy!!!

Summoned By The Jade Emperor

Ai Weiwei's Circle of Zodiac Heads on public display at LACMA (Rat and Ox)

As promised here are some photos of the current public exhibition of Ai Weiwei's Circle of Zodiac Heads at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It's a really cool display, recreating the famous bronze heads from the Zodiac Fountain of the Chinese Imperial Palace in Yuan Ming Yuan. The originals were looted by foreign troops during the 2nd Opium War in 1860.

The pieces are expressions of Chinese nationalist iconography, especially as testaments against western colonialism. However, they are also designed to be separate from any fixed location, being wanderers of the world's cultural venues. It's an interesting contrast of thematic emphasis.

In any case, they are wonderful sculptures of the Chinese Zodiac animals.



Ai Weiwei's Circle of Zodiac Heads (Tiger and Rabbit)


Unlike the western zodiac, the Chinese assign a sign for the entire year. We are currently in the Year of the Rabbit.

Grant Any Wish

I Dream of Jeannie, starring Barbara Eden, ran for five seasons (1965-70)

You may have guessed after more than 200 posts about wildly diverse topics, but scarcely a mention of a television episode, that I don't watch much tv, except for the commercials. That's kind of true. I have never been a reliable series watcher. Sure, I'll grab a show here and there, but I rarely pick up a full season of anything. My television series familiarity generally comes from reruns long after the initial broadcasts. I have better things to do during Primetime than sit in front of the television.

But that doesn't mean that I dislike the "television episode" artform. I can certainly appreciate a good twenty minute story of any type of genre. Moreover, a season presents an excellent way to create an overarching narrative arc that is comprised of the smaller episode stories. When done well, that's an impressive accomplishment.

So, in celebration of Barbara Eden's birthday, here's my first overt television post at Paideia.



Jeannie in her bottle


I Dream of Jeannie was the first television series towards which I became enthusiastic, not including cartoon shows. The concept of a wish-granting beautiful magic lady captured my youthful imagination. Major Nelson's total blockheadedness was a constant source of amazement. Asides from Barbara Eden's hotness, my main interest was that the show had an interesting and fantastic problem in each episode. In my youth, that made for good television. ;-)

Los Volcanes de Brea

The Pit Lake at the La Brea Tar Pits

This is just a quickie post. I went to LACMA this weekend to visit the opening of Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads public sculpture exhibit. I hope to write up a post about it, but, for tonight, here are a few images from the nearby Tar Pits.



View of the Pit Lake Mammoth Sculptures facing South towards Wilshire Blvd.



A Pair of American Cave Lions (Panthera leo atrox) in front of the George C. Page Museum


Fun stuff!!!

Shoot You Right Down

John Lee Hooker, Blues Legend

I don't post as much blues music as I should. So, let's remedy the situation by celebrating the birth date of John Lee Hooker, born on this date in 1917. He's probably my favorite blues performer, with a mellow and easy style that conveys rich emotional depth. From energetic lustiness to crushing sorrow, the emotions of his music are delivered with "talkin' blues" coolness.

In terms of musical style, Hooker has an old-fashioned Delta blues feel loosely worked into an electric Chicago blues technique. Especially in his older performances, he creates a transitional sound that spans a wide range of evocative imagery and traditions, from the rural South of the early 20th century to the industrial Midwest of the mid-20th. Hooker remained a vital part of the blues scene up into the '90s and his influence can be felt still in contemporary performances and recording, a decade after his passing.

That's enough verbiage from me. Let's get to the music.

Peddlers of Death

Detail from Peddlers of Death by David Stoupakis

I've been meaning to write a glowing review about the current exhibit of David Stoupakis' and Tom Bagshaw's work at the Corey Helford Gallery in Culver City. Since it's closing on August 27, I figured it was now or never. So although there is only one week left for this show, I think it is excellent enough to merit my writing time and your viewing time.

I've got a fascination with morbid topics, such as death, ghosts, horror stories, and most sorts of Gothic styling. Both of the artists on exhibit deliver on the dark imagery, albeit in different manners. David Stoupakis presents a haunting set of serious imagery in his show "Walking Within These Shadows" in which ghostly young women or girls drift wraithlike within a gloom-filled, Stygian environment. These images hint at an underlying narrative of death and sorrow.



The Choice by David Stoupakis


The milky eyes and pale flesh of his figures imbue even the robust images with an enervating sensation of undeath. They are animated by a mysterious, umbral energy.

Jump 'N' Stomp

Count Basie from the album cover of Straight Ahead (1969)

We can't let the birth date of Count Basie go by without a celebration. Born on this date in 1904, Basie was an influential figure in the formation of jazz, especially during the Swing era.

Here's a quote from Wikipedia concerning Basie's legacy:

Count Basie introduced several generations of listeners to the Big Band sound and left an influential catalog. Basie is remembered by many who worked for him as being considerate of musicians and their opinions, modest, relaxed, fun-loving, dryly witty, and always enthusiastic about his music. As he summed up the key to his understated style, in his autobiography, "I think the band can really swing when it swings easy, when it can just play along like you are cutting butter".

Let's get to the music after the jump.

Bad Moon Rising

John Landis directed An American Werewolf in London, released on August 21, 1981.

Well, we have a nice cinema note to start our Spooky Sunday. Thirty years ago, An American Werewolf in London was released. Directed by John Landis, this horror comedy went on to become a box office hit and cult classic.

Werewolf films are notably horrible, but not in a good way. In general, they fail in terms of production quality and lack of talent. However, by taking these failures as a given and approaching the subject with humor, Landis creates a fun and exciting story. This movie is one of the few werewolf films that I can enjoy watching.

This movie had such an impact that Michael Jackson had Landis direct the Thriller video, including a classic werewolf bit.



Michael Jackson transforming into a werewolf in Thriller (1983)


Fun stuff!!!

Oh Snap, It's DABS MYLA!!!

"Just Breath" installation at Thinkspace Galley by DABS MYLA (2011).

It's a rare threat when a gallery and the artists put on a full installation display of the artworks. Well, Thinkspace Gallery has such an exhibition showing for "DABS MYLA: The Best of Times." It really is an exciting presentation.

Personally, I was not a big fan of DABS MYLA's pieces. Their work was a bit too glib for my tastes, although I can endlessly admire their composition and technique. This show changed my feelings. Yes, in terms of depth of expression, I still feel that their cartoonish imagery doesn't pack a core emotionally resonant potency. However, it entices the viewer's imagination into a playfully subversive fantastic environment where gleeful images subtly morph into disturbing forms. The gloss of childlike joy hides underlying darkness.



Milk and Honey (2011) by DABS MYLA


When looking at their pieces on-line, it's easy to see only happy faces, hot dogs, and donuts. But the installation environment brings out the crazy. With these overly gleeful figures arranged in front of and around the paintings, you can't help but feel that the joy is an insane facade, covering a disturbing mystery.

Friday Flowers: Sunflowers for a Gloomy August

Sunflower at the South Coast Botanic Garden

Dark August
(By Derek Walcott)

So much rain, so much life like the swollen sun
of this black August. My sister, the sun,
broods in her yellow room and won't come out.

Everything goes to hell; the mountains fume
like a kettle, rivers overrun; still,
she will not rise and turn off the rain.

She is in her room, fondling old things,
my poems, turning her album. Even if thunder falls
like a crash of plates from the sky,

she does not come out.
Don't you know I love you but am hopeless
at fixing the rain ? But I am learning slowly

to love the dark days, the steaming hills,
the air with gossiping mosquitoes,
and to sip the medicine of bitterness,

so that when you emerge, my sister,
parting the beads of the rain,
with your forehead of flowers and eyes of forgiveness,

all with not be as it was, but it will be true
(you see they will not let me love
as I want), because, my sister, then

I would have learnt to love black days like bright ones,
The black rain, the white hills, when once
I loved only my happiness and you.


Here in the South Bay of Los Angeles, we have a local weather system called June Gloom. Towards the end of May and persisting until around the Summer Solstice, this region is blanketed by a thick marine layer that gives us a month of grey skies and mild humid weather. This year, June Gloom started in early May and has been with us ever since.

It's freakin' annoying!!!

Shot Through the Heart and You're to Blame

Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet (1986) originally had this planned for the cover art.

Ah, the power of nostalgia. I used to despise Bon Jovi's music back in the day, but, listening it to now, I actually am charmed by the enthusiasm and forthright style of performance and composition. For instance, Livin' on a Prayer has a rich authenticity underlying the cheesiness of Bon Jovi's lyrics. It's an engaging bit of music.

Maybe it's a function of not having to hear it being played on the radio or MTV a zillion times per day. Maybe it's that the "Pop Metal" sound of the late '80s carries positive associations with my youth. Maybe it's because I've grown more sophisticated in appreciating the positive qualities of music regardless of genre or style.

Whatever the case, here's celebrating 25 years of Slippery When Wet.



You Give Love a Bad Name!!!


Killer, Dude!!!

Weekly Wrap: Wednesday Night #5

Mr. T was the spokesman for Snicker's "Get Some Nuts" ad campaign.

It's that time of week again. I've haven't been feeling so good recently, but I was able to post acceptable numbers this week. That's mainly because I did a few quickie posts, but I'm cool with that if you readers are. I didn't slack much on the longer form articles, delivering on six decent posts. I'm not happy with that production, but I'm satisfied.

I really fell off the horse on doing my contemporary art posts, especially as regards gallery visits. I hope to fix that situation this week. I saw a few really good shows last weekend, but I haven't had the time to give them a good write up. Fingers crossed!!!

In any case, here's the Weekly Wrap.



The goddess Parvati at the Norton Simon Museum


The theme of this week was music. We celebrated the music of the baroque composer Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber. Then we commemorated the 20th anniversary of Metallica's Black Album. The birth date of Leon Theremin give us the opportunity to listen to his weird invention and imagine invasions from space. Finally, the great jazz record, Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, was the focus of the final post of the week.

Flower Friday was dedicated to the Hibiscus and to the Hindu goddess Kali. On Spooky Sunday, we enjoyed a classic of gothic literature, "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe.

Although we didn't visit any art galleries in this week's posts, we did take a look at the various Hindu goddesses of the exquisite collection of Southern Asian art at the Norton Simon Museum. Good stuff!

Our advertising feature of the week was the various Snickers campaigns over the decades. It was really satisfying. ;-)

And then we had three quickie posts to fill out the posts per day. We expressed sorrow for the sad plight of wild gorillas. We remembered the wonderfully skating of Midori Ito. Then we looked at a couple cool covers from the early years of Amazing Stories, the original science fiction magazine.

It was fun. I hope you all enjoyed the diverse offerings. Since it has become our tradition to end the Wrap with a disturbing image, we turn to the classic covers of Frank R. Paul to meet our demands.



Amazing Stories, September 1927 (Illustration by Frank R. Paul)


Enjoy!!!