Arrows Over Lemnos

( Some thoughts on the decade in music )I thought I would post some of my favorite songs of the decade to remember it by. It was harder than it sounded to choose, especially since a lot of my favorite songs of the last ten years, I can't listen to anymore. So, these are the ones that I still love to listen to (in no particular order.)

Fast Blood, by Frightened Rabbit

This is one of the most powerful songs on Frightened Rabbit's amazing album, Midnight Organ Fight, which was inspired by the lead singer's painful break up with his girlfriend. I love its driving persistent rhythm and great lyrics. It is a sad album, but in a witty, creative, vengeful way. I'm primarily a lyrics person, and this whole album is impressive in its turn of phrase (You're the shit and I'm knee deep in it), metaphor (that we ever clung and tied a navy knot with arms at night), and wit (you are not ill and I'm not dead, doesn't that make us the perfect pair). FR is from Selkirk, Scotland.

Keep the Car Running by Arcade Fire

I just saw the Austin City Limits performance of this band the other night. It reminded me how they were such a revelation when I first heard them. The plaintive voice of the singer, the amazing instrumentation, the compelling lyrics. I especially love Keep the Car Running. The lyrics sounds like a love letter from a mad bomber or anarchist to his lover on the eve of a terrible, fateful act. I am always slightly chilled by this part: "They know my name, cause I told it to them/ But they don't know where and they don't know when." I love the diverse chorus of instruments--that somehow ring out like one beautiful bell. (Plus you have to love a band with a hurdy gurdy in it!) Arcade Fire is from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Danger! High Voltage by Electric Six

I used to see (and love) this band perform when they were the Wildbunch. They are rockin', fun, tongue-in-cheek, disco! Just one of the most fun bands I ever witnessed. This song brought them the attention of the world. It is fabulous and fun and will make anyone want to get up and dance. Electric Six is from Detroit, Michigan.

Dart for My Sweetheart by Archie Bronson Outfit

Something about the menacing rhythm, alternately military and then vulnerable and then screaming vocals, and the repetitive assertive melody of this song just devastates me every time I hear it. It seems like a post-punk, joy division coverband enlisted by the French Foreign Legion. I could listen to this song every day. The album is really good, too. Archie Bronson Outfit is originally from Bath, but now lives in London, England. They met at Kingswood School.

Time to Pretend by MGMT

From the distorted underwater noises, the rollicking rhythms to the shrill synthesizer, this song makes you want to dance. It is a perfect mix of sincere vocals and mocking lyrics. The chorused vocals sound childlike emphasizing the theme of the dreams of youth. It is a rare song that can make me sad, smile wryly, dance, and laugh. I especially love how the lyrics and melody rise dramatically at the lyrics' most cynical moments. I don't know why this song makes me sad, but I think it is in essence about a lot of childhood dreams that are lost to the adult reality. Kids and Electric Feel are also very good songs of theirs. MGMT met at Wesleyan and now live in Brooklyn.

That Summer, at Home, I Had Become the Invisible Boy by The Twilight Sad

I love how unwieldy the titles of their songs are. This one is a quote from the film Stand By Me. This is a powerfully sad and angry song about how a family can appear normal and happy from the outside, while inside it is riddled by abuse and neglect. I love the militant drums, the ringing noisy guitars, and I especially love it when the singer loses it in a screaming fury. The lyrics are beautiful and devastating. When I saw this band, I was shocked at how young they are for having such an intense musical presence. This might be my very favorite song on the decade. The Twilight Sad are from Kilsyth, Scotland.

Toxic by Britney Spears

I know. But I think this is a song Nick Cave would have written if he had been a Mouseketeer. It is kind of a version of Hard-on for Love if it was written by, I don't know, Michael Jackson? Yes! It is that good and that dark. I have a love hate thing with the production. The Bouzouki Club belly-dancer music is kind of great, sexy and catchy, but then there are some weird moments of distortion that just suck. It was written by Bloodshy & Avant, Cathy Dennis, and Henrik Jonbek. I don't know who they are; I don't even know if they know each other, but damn can they write a sick pop song. I think Electric Six should cover it--which I told their drummer. If they did, I think it would be a giant hit. I have no fucking idea where Britney Spears is from! Orlando or something?!?!

A couple of my runner ups:

Quiet Little Voices by We Were Promised Jetpacks

Pissing on Bonfires; Kissing with Tongues by Meursault

And She Would Darken the Memory by The Twilight Sad

10 Great Things About My Dad, Thomas Robert Peters, Sr. (1929-2000)

1. He was in the back seat of a car that was hit by an oncoming car which was driven by a drunk.  The car he was in burst into flames, but he was thrown from the car. He was unconscious for moment, and then he walked back into the flames, pulled a friend out, saving her life. He burned about 20% of his skin and had scars on his face and hands all of his life.

2. When he worked downtown, he noticed a grand piano in one of towers of the RenCen. So, he started playing it everyday at lunch. He was self taught; played jazz, ragtime, some classical pieces and many original works; A natural at improvisation, he had an incredible harmolodic sense. He loved the way the piano resonated through the corridors of the Renaissance Center. People assumed he was the hired entertainment and generously tipped him.

3. He wrote a novel that incorporated the seven deadly sins into its organization and Maslow's pyramid of human needs into the characterizations. The main themes are about the importance of independent thought and the hypocrisy of most authority.

4. He wrote a play about a Mensa meeting that was produced by the Mensa organizations at one of their conventions. My mom thought he was pretty arrogant to think he could write dialog for a bunch of geniuses. Then they went to the after party, and she was gobsmacked at how accurate his characterizations had been!

5. He believed that all the saints and angels lived on another planet; called himself an Extraterrestial Catholic.

6. Every time our cat had kittens, and after they were weaned and on hard food, he would bring them to work and let them play in his office. By the end of the day, they would all be adopted by coworkers who couldn't resist them.

7. He saw a ghost. He was driving near the border of Michigan and Ohio with a friend. Headlights fell on a man in warpaint and a headdress, who appeared to be injured, stepping out of a wooded area. He and his friend both saw him distinctly. They stopped the car to see if they could help him, but he was nowhere to be found--just vanished!

8. When he met Francis "Edie" Parker, former bride of Jack Kerouac, he had the chutzpah to ask her how Jack had been in the sack. She replied, "Great! We were both young."

9. He started a program in the Detroit Public Schools requiring the students to read the Detroit Free Press and helped the teachers incorporate current events and op/eds discussions into their curriculum.

10. He was a high school football champion. His picture was often in the local newspapers with little snippets about his amazing skill. Teenage girls who he had never met would often call him up and ask him out.

(The best thing about him was that he revered kindness and goodness of heart above all things! I last saw him on Fathers' Day of 2000.)

I think I have uncovered a secret being held by both the professional tennis world and the world of British films:

Andy Murray, Scottish tennis pro, and....


Rupert Everett, British actor, are father and son!



Not really, I just think they really look alike.

Behavioral therapy should be the cornerstone of any child with autism's therapy. There is more data supporting its ability to improve the ability to speak, socialize and progress academically for children on the autism spectrum.

My Obsession with The Outer Limits

There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are now controlling the transmission. We control the horizontal, and the vertical. We can deluge you with a thousand channels or expand one single image to crystal clarity - and beyond. We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive. For the next hour we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to... The Outer Limits. Please stand by.

I took some photographs of the episode The Guests because I am so in love with the imagery:

This is when the giant brain is stealing all of The Drifter's experiences:



( Beware: The Giant Brain Awaits You! )

I was having terrible symptoms, especially eyes watering out of control, from allergies the other day, but I had to go pay the mortgage bill at the bank. So, I put on sunglasses, hat and coat and went to give to Caesar what is Caesar's. As soon as I walked into the bank I noticed everyone was looking at me. I felt really self conscious and strange. Especially, with the intense allergies. I kind of felt like I was on another planet. So, I looked at myself on the security camera screen. I realized I looked just like Patty Hearst in the footage from the bank robbery. I was wearing a black beret, dark sunglasses, black boots and a black pea coat. I immediately took off my hat and glasses. Didn't want to freak anybody out.

[But, I do have this recurring dream that I am robbing a bank. This is one of three recurring dreams, which I think all come from watching a lot movies. The other two are that I am doing life in prison and that I have killed someone. and I am trying to get away with it.]

So, I was at the counter at the Coney today, and there were twin boys about 7 or 8. One was coloring on the back of the kids' menu; the other one was engrossed in some hand-held digital device. They didn't say a word to each other for about ten minutes. Then the kid drawing referred to his picture and said: This is a Chinese guy in an aquarium. The other kid was quiet for a minute, and then said: I want to see Gran Torino. His brother said: What's that? The other one responded: It's a movie about this guy who hates his Chinese neighbors and then ends up liking them....because he was in the Holocaust. The other kid was silent and went back to coloring.

This cracked me up.

The other night PBS broadcast a Frontline documentary I had seen before: From Jesus to Christ--compiling the historical and literary evidence of the life of Jesus and how he came to be the inspiration for the biggest religious movement of the last two thousand years. You can view it on the web site or read about it. I think it is one of the most interesting and best documents explaining the world in which Jesus lived, what we can know about him from a historical perspective, how the Christian religion began, struggled and became dominant.

When I was searching for the web site, I came upon a dire warning about the documentary: Beware of PBS television series on the Christian Answers domain. This was my favorite quote from the warning:

" It is worthy of note that no evangelical scholars were used in the series. Rather, the emphasis was on people from such liberal institutions as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, Brown, Union, etc. According to Craig Blomberg of Denver Seminary, the series "does not acknowledge distinctively evangelical perspectives at any point."

This seems so funny to me for so many reasons. First of all, if you truly have faith, can't it withstand the perspective of historians and "liberal" bible scholars? Secondly, the site contends that no evangelical scholars were consulted. It seems ridiculously naive to me that they would assume a historical documentary would even consider consulting people who view the Bible as literal. Having had some experience in the evangelical community, I think the real warning is that if the documentary is viewed, one might have independent thoughts apart from what "The Church" teaches.

I also think it is sad, because it is in regarding the true history of Jesus's world, what we can surmise about his life and his tiny ministry, the multitude of challenges Christianity faced throughout history--Roman oppression, inter-church power struggles and corruption, etc.--that makes his incredibly challenging, spiritually revolutionary message to love one's enemy even more powerful. The fact that it is known the world over, nearly 2000 years later is profoundly beautiful and inspiring.

I highly recommend the documentary From Jesus to Christ.

Mr. Foe (U.K. title Hallam Foe)

This weird Scottish indie pic was intriguing and great. It was entirely original in its' storyline, imagery, and characters. I knew next to nothing about it, which I think helped me to thoroughly enjoy it. So, I don't want to say too much. I will just give a bit about the plot and theme: An unusual 18-year-old boy, Hallam Foe, spends much of his time spying on people and writing down nasty things about them and drawing pictures of them in his journal.  He practically lives in a tree house his father built for him on the property of his father's country mansion. He has suspicions about his father and stepmother that become substantiated by evidence he finds and compiles. When he is convinced he is right, he goes on an unconscious search for his mother in Edinburgh--or a symbolic search for her or something.  Despite the many fantastical elements to his life and experiences and his horrible behavior, I found myself believing this story and believing in Hallam. Also, the music is great, and the title sequence is accompanied by a delightful rough animation inspired by Hallam's drawings.

The King

Gael Garcia Bernal plays Elvis Valderez in this American indie pic. Elvis is just back from a stint in the military, and he is on a search for his father--whom he has never met. He was the product of a short affair his Mexican mother had with an American man. [William Hurt becomes almost unrecognizable as his father, the scary, red-neck Bible thumper.] He tracks his father down at the evangelical church where he is the sole preacher. Elvis follows him home, and introduces himself. His father tells him he wants nothing to do with him, introduces him to his wife and children as someone interested in the church, and then tells Elvis privately that they are his family with the implication that he is not. The story that happens after this fateful meeting is pure Flannery O'Connor southern gothic. It is very tense and somewhat shocking--even in this day and age. This film questions notions of faith, revenge, family ties and the nature of social taboos. I'm not sure I agree with what it concludes about those matters, but it is a movie that really makes you think---and squirm!

I have wanted to write about my friend D. He killed himself a couple of years ago. Mostly because of his drug addiction--which was ruining his life. From what I have heard, I was lucky to have grown apart from him before addiction brought his nadir. I think about him often. He made a big impression on my life, you could say.

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