Archive for the ArtsNlife Category

starbucks: the “other” void

July 18, 2008 by p00ky.

the announced closure of a number of starbuck’s “stores” prompted one portland channel to do a news brief on the event, from the perspective of an elderly woman recently moved to portland from west virginia.  in the piece the oft cited starbucks-corporate-wish was dredged up:  that the plastic place exists as the third world - the place between work and home.

she lamented near tears that the place was like family to her… that it was like Cheers, where everybody knew her name.

A little historical perspective, though sadly, as testimony to a fleeting memory, devoid of footnotes:  a nice essay exists somewhere out there by a source forgotten naming the pub as a kind of third world, precisely the reference mentioned in the news article and the mantra of starbuck’s corporate.  a place extant between the worlds of home and work.  a place, particularly in the british pubs, where people of all classes meet on a randomly regular basis to rub elbows and exchange stories and laughter and sometimes tears…. with tongues loosened a bit by a few pints served dutifully by the employees (who may also on occasion remind Bob that he might mind  his Ps and Qs lest the troubleandstrife put him in the dog house again).  the pub, in short, is truly a land unto itself, cultivated by the regulars and kept from the dangers of inbreeding by frequent visitors who are embraced and encouraged to share.

compare this dynamic and creative Other to the plastic isolating homogeneity offered thru the endless replication of starbucks where your day is fucking “made” by the recognition that the hired help remembers your name and how much cinnamon you like in your latte.  where you sit alone at a table sufficient to hold a laptop and a newspaper, and safely emerge grasping a corporate brand in a paper cup having bared your pathetic soul to absolutely nobody, and ready to face the world.

i contend that some independent coffee houses afford their patrons the experience of the “Other,” and recognize that the experience, whether pub or coffee house is largely dependent on the clientele.  I would sadly go so far as to admit that the very concept of the “Other” is relegated largely to memory, and further to drinking establishments distant from our shores.  that being said, at least the Potential exists for something more than a company mantra and logo.  if a clerk at starbucks calls me by name it holds as much meaning to me as the “have a nice day” at the bottom of a super-market receipt…. barring some deeper relationship:)  and the very fact that starbucks exists as portable pods littering the landscape, as examples of anti-humanity structures that serve the most superficial need of interaction, denies them any goddam right to proclaim themselves as the “other”…. and relegates those who find fulfillment there to the realm of the lemures (and lemurs) - the realm of the walking dead clutching a cup of severely over-priced joe to their starving breast.

Posted in ArtsNlife, Gay Life: rants to raves, Uncategorized | Print | 1 Comment »

HOWL…. In Your Own Back Yard

February 15, 2008 by p00ky.

ginsberg_thumb.jpg

 Update:   i suggest this link in lieu of the recording from the dormitory at reed…. foremost for reasons of logistics, but not a far second to avoid the giggles of freshmen who have no fucking idea what ag is talking about.

Discovered in the bowels of a Reed College archive is a cleanly recorded reel-to-reel rendition of Howl read by the poet in a Reed College dormitory lounge, proclaimed as the first recorded reading of the poem as yet unearthed.  “One” cannot help but wonder if Ginsberg got laid that night at Reed.  Swallow hard and dl quicktime, and Enjoy.

http://www.reed.edu/news_center/multimedia/2007-08/ginsbergreadings1.28.08.2.html

(thanks to Reed, and to Allen)

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the completion is here and at hand:

February 10, 2008 by Prototype_Leo1983.

http://www.arcaneaddiction.com/purchase

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Movie discussion and reviews

January 22, 2007 by jess82.

After much prodding from p00ky I am going to write some reviews for movies I have seen in the last year. My first post will be about the best movie I have seen this year, Mysterious Skin ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370986/ ). This film left me gasping for air. It is the brutally honest story about 2 boys, Neil (Jason Gordon-Levitt) a male prostitue and Brian (Brady Corbet) an introverted geek who were both molested by their little league coach (Bill Sage). This film portrays the hardships that these 2 characters have endured as a result of their abuse, as well as the different ways they have dealt with the abuse. This was one of the best movies I have ever seen, but at the same time, the most difficult film I have ever experienced. It humanizes and shows the relationships between the abuser and abused boys. The young Neil (Chase Ellison) did an amazing job, making the “love” between him and Coach believable. In the end Neil and Brian come together with a glimmer of hope for the future.

5/5 stars

( I highly recommend this movie but it is not for the faint of heart. The portrayals of molestation and rape are very shocking and disturbing. If you are up for an emotionally and morally challenging movie, you won’t regret watching Mysterious Skin.)

jess82

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Known Knowns

November 9, 2006 by p00ky.

okeeee… so this blog is not above entertaining a classic or two… this one in honor of the retirement of Donald Rumsfeld.  KnownKnowns (audio)

KNOWN KNOWNS


The message is:
That there are known knowns;
there are things we know that we know.
There are known unknowns -
that is to say there are things that we now know we don’t know.
But there are also unknown unknowns -
there are things we do not know we don’t know,
and each year we discover a few more
of those unknown unknowns.

—Feb. 12, 2002, Department of Defense news briefing            

 

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DVD & Movie Watch

October 29, 2006 by p00ky.

filmWell wouldn’t it be keen if folks were to share some movie sightings and dvd impressions… positive or negative, rant to rave.  The format in comment is up to you… from a title and a thumbs up/down, to a full blown review:)  Needn’t be restricted to new releases by any means, nor restricted to gay themes duh.  Please jump in with a few faves or stuff of interest, and add a few new ones as they cross your screen.  Thanks!

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a poet lives…

August 19, 2006 by p00ky.

“If your poetry is killing you, stop writing.”  Words spoken in friendship and love, and without a blink, for all their complexity.  “extant in memory of the blue juanita.”

Enter Michael Jose Morales Arriola http://othervoicespoetry.org/vol7/arriola/index.html

with a voice, while still in discovery, that sings life and of life in the chorus of Whitman, and Neruda, and, well, critics be damned… Ginsberg.

Michael has been visited in the night by Cesar Vallejo, wrestling demons, and kissed on the brow in the morning by Gabriela Mistral, embracing the shadows naked in the sunlight… and he has emerged refreshingly cleansed of the coded language that sometimes haunts contemporary poetry, genuine in the sticky residue of a common kiss, and less nostalgic than random perusals of photographs of advertising executives in drag :)

This post is not meant to be a critique of Michael’s work, but rather a portal to the words as they are, with original Spanish following each poem…. Perhaps we live in the spaces lost in translation…. A poet lives among you.  Thank you for your words, Michael.

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August 19th, 2006

August 18, 2006 by Prototype_Leo1983.

well here i sit.  awaiting the moment the curtain opens and i’m breaking into the first couple of songs i have planned out for my live show at The Gravity Room (SW 3rd and Burnside).

it’s a major evening to me because i’m performing by myself but also am performing a show with 2 other local bands and a band on a major independent record label (Roadrunner Records) which to my belief, this show will have the venue packed to the brim.

set list is complete, and 9 sheets of paper with lyrics printed out for practice.  8pm i open up, and have 40 minutes according to the venue to provide my statement to a label if they are going to be there for real that they should invest time in discussing something with me for the art.  if not, i have 40 minutes to prove to the audience they need to pay attention because i’m full of truth and stories that will be known eventually in time in a medium they’ll probably enjoy.

with this, 5 days after, i have yet another show.  and then the rest of the time after that will be spent getting my life on track and gettin an apartment and living independent for a while, which i could definitely use right now!

when i get my life back on track, i’ll be returning to the chat room more often!  count on it!

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