Tuesday, December 26, 2006

My New Years Resolution is to get back into reviewing that which I consume. To reprocess and reflect on what I observe and where I am.

So my parents live in what I call the suburbs because it's more romantic to say that than explain the countryside where I have seen the farms give way to mansions. Or I haven't seen, as most of this construction, including the renovations on my parents' home, happened while I was in Washington.

So while I am here at their house, between the move from Olympia and the move to Philadelphia, I try to take advantage of the big flat screen tv and the entertainment
1. The Devil and Daniel Johnston (documentary, 2005)
While I enjoyed Daniel's music immensley, I have never been a completist, nor have I spent too much time learning his mythology. My telling of the story was "he is crazy and made music in his parent's basement and worked at McDonalds". I had no idea he went to college, fell in obsessive love, crashed his dad's airplane, rolled into Austin with the carnival, or was on MTV in the 80s. Sadly the interviews with Daniel himself are mostly in the form of cassettes he recorded at various points in his life.

2. Concert.TV presents "Ted Leo and the Pharmacists"
Opening with a sweet cover of the Pogues "Dirty Old Town" I had high hopes for this. Unfortunately it is not a straight through concert, but interspersed with interviews and "commercial breaks" (what is that called, when the break is just to promote the station itself?). Now, I've been meaning to see either other film by Justin Mitchell (Songs for Cassavettes or the Death Cab documentary) but I just haven't gotten around to it. I suppose it is an easy enough formula...but I hate the artsy filming of indie bands. I like talking heads, I don't like footage of blurry fingers on keyboards or random bystanders looking unusual (or usual, oh there is a gothish chick, there is a black guy in a NYC t-shirt). I blogged instead of paying too much attention to Part I, so I'll let you know if I get to part II.

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