Meditations on the playhouse we call life
I haven't been to livejournal in so long, it took me a second to figure out how to post on this damned thing-a-ma-bob. Oh how delicious. I think I've decided one of my favorite things to do is to drive and listen to music in the rain. The rain is just so soothing, it always has been, I've always been comforted by the sound of the rain. As a wee child I would always hope for rain on a long drive home. I just happened to be listening to Joe Strummer's "London Calling" radio set - I suppose the whole concept of the program is that Joe, from The Clash, chooses some music that he likes and talks about it a little bit, and occasionally there are excerpts from various artists included between songs. It was so bizarre to hear tribal African music as I drove home with the drops of rain softly hitting my windshield, but it was also wonderful and unexpected. The theme was African music, so he played another tribal song, but it sounded more South American...and then you'll never guess what he played next, he played Van Morrison's "Domino." Yes indeed, it was a strange mix of tunage, but glorious nonetheless.
I wish I could make Don Draper dance to African tribal music and Van Morrison, I think he really needs a prescription of African tribal dancing twice a day. If you're unsure as to who Don Draper is, you need a prescription of Mad Men, because I think it's one of the best shows on TV right now. It's a show where there is no good/bad, it's a character study set in the 1960's, and the atmosphere and sets are impeccable. I just love how ambiguous the show is, as there really is no protagonist, because all of the characters are so deeply flawed, or maybe just so human in a painful and sad way. I'm still trying to process the idea of loving a show for the dialogue, the symbolism, the style, the acting, the humanity, but not really loving the characters. Just when I thought I really could embrace Peggy, she shows herself to be cruel, because she is in a position of power (at least more than she used to have), she feels she has the authority to yell at someone who she sees as vulnerable and perhaps naive - the same vulnerability Peggy struggled with in the beginning of the series, which she apparently hates to see reflected back at her in other people. Her cruelty is sort of justified, she is living in a world dominated by men, where she is constantly berated and beaten down because of her sex - yet, instead of sticking up for another woman in a similar position, she chooses to put her down.
Lollapalooza is this weekend! I'm looking forward to it, but it's going to be exhausting...we're taking the train there and back all 3 days. I don't think it will be that bad initially, but it might get old after a while. Here's my tentative schedule:
Friday, August 1
* 12:15pm - 1:15pm Black Lips
* 1:15pm - 2:15pm Rogue Wave
* 3:15pm - 4:00pm Louis XIV
* 4:15pm - 5:15pm The Black Keys - maybe leave early for the Louis XIV autograph signing
* 4:20pm - 4:50pm Louis XIV (Autograph Signing)
* 5:15pm - 6:15pm Cat Power
* 5:45pm - 6:30pm Grizzly Bear
* 6:15pm - 7:15pm Bloc Party
* 7:15pm - 8:00pm Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
* 8:00pm - 10:00pm Radiohead
Saturday, August 2
* 12:15pm - 12:45pm Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
* 12:45pm - 1:30pm The Ting Tings
* 2:30pm - 3:30pm The Gutter Twins
* 3:30pm - 4:30pm MGMT
* 3:30pm - 4:30pm DeVotchKa
* 5:30pm - 6:30pm Okkervil River
* 6:30pm - 7:30pm Broken Social Scene
* 8:30pm - 10:00pm Wilco
Sunday, August 3
* 1:00pm - 1:45pm What Made Milwaukee Famous
* 1:15pm - 2:15pm The Whigs
* 2:00pm - 2:30pm What Made Milwaukee Famous (Autograph Signing)
* 3:30pm - 4:30pm Black Kids
* 4:15pm - 5:15pm Iron & Wine
* 5:15pm - 6:15pm Flogging Molly
* 6:15pm - 7:15pm Gnarls Barkley
* 7:15pm - 8:15pm The National
* 8:15pm - 10:00pm Nine Inch Nails
I wish I could make Don Draper dance to African tribal music and Van Morrison, I think he really needs a prescription of African tribal dancing twice a day. If you're unsure as to who Don Draper is, you need a prescription of Mad Men, because I think it's one of the best shows on TV right now. It's a show where there is no good/bad, it's a character study set in the 1960's, and the atmosphere and sets are impeccable. I just love how ambiguous the show is, as there really is no protagonist, because all of the characters are so deeply flawed, or maybe just so human in a painful and sad way. I'm still trying to process the idea of loving a show for the dialogue, the symbolism, the style, the acting, the humanity, but not really loving the characters. Just when I thought I really could embrace Peggy, she shows herself to be cruel, because she is in a position of power (at least more than she used to have), she feels she has the authority to yell at someone who she sees as vulnerable and perhaps naive - the same vulnerability Peggy struggled with in the beginning of the series, which she apparently hates to see reflected back at her in other people. Her cruelty is sort of justified, she is living in a world dominated by men, where she is constantly berated and beaten down because of her sex - yet, instead of sticking up for another woman in a similar position, she chooses to put her down.
Lollapalooza is this weekend! I'm looking forward to it, but it's going to be exhausting...we're taking the train there and back all 3 days. I don't think it will be that bad initially, but it might get old after a while. Here's my tentative schedule:
Friday, August 1
* 12:15pm - 1:15pm Black Lips
* 1:15pm - 2:15pm Rogue Wave
* 3:15pm - 4:00pm Louis XIV
* 4:15pm - 5:15pm The Black Keys - maybe leave early for the Louis XIV autograph signing
* 4:20pm - 4:50pm Louis XIV (Autograph Signing)
* 5:15pm - 6:15pm Cat Power
* 5:45pm - 6:30pm Grizzly Bear
* 6:15pm - 7:15pm Bloc Party
* 7:15pm - 8:00pm Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks
* 8:00pm - 10:00pm Radiohead
Saturday, August 2
* 12:15pm - 12:45pm Margot & the Nuclear So and So's
* 12:45pm - 1:30pm The Ting Tings
* 2:30pm - 3:30pm The Gutter Twins
* 3:30pm - 4:30pm MGMT
* 3:30pm - 4:30pm DeVotchKa
* 5:30pm - 6:30pm Okkervil River
* 6:30pm - 7:30pm Broken Social Scene
* 8:30pm - 10:00pm Wilco
Sunday, August 3
* 1:00pm - 1:45pm What Made Milwaukee Famous
* 1:15pm - 2:15pm The Whigs
* 2:00pm - 2:30pm What Made Milwaukee Famous (Autograph Signing)
* 3:30pm - 4:30pm Black Kids
* 4:15pm - 5:15pm Iron & Wine
* 5:15pm - 6:15pm Flogging Molly
* 6:15pm - 7:15pm Gnarls Barkley
* 7:15pm - 8:15pm The National
* 8:15pm - 10:00pm Nine Inch Nails