As the mind bends, the emergence of random musings is imminent... from this week's webisode of Deep Thoughts with Brandon Findlay. Anyway, here's some stuff...enjoy and respond if you get the urge!
The Faces (w/Rod Stewart)--Maybe I'm Amazed
Sean Costello--You Wear It Well
Red Hot Chili Peppers--song about doing something pretty radical
lyrics for the above radical song
February 20, 2009
February 13, 2009
Valentine Vibe Convergence--by guest blogger Mrs. Brandon Findlay
Anyone who knows us knows this: I am Stevie Nicks Fleetwood Mac, BF is Peter Green Fleetwood Mac, I am known to sneak Justin Timberlake into the pile, BF would rather throw Justin into a different kind of pile!
But occasionally, my spouse and I have the good fortune of finding works of art that do it for both of us. Usually it's an ongoing push-pull, where he's in the mood for Ziggy Stardust at the precise moment I am craving Sarah McLachlan. But when projects like the following cross our path, it is indeed a pleasure to be on the same musical page. Enjoy these examples of Findlay musical vibe convergence:
Heart--Dreamboat Annie LIVE
George Winston--Night Divides The Day--Music of the Doors
But occasionally, my spouse and I have the good fortune of finding works of art that do it for both of us. Usually it's an ongoing push-pull, where he's in the mood for Ziggy Stardust at the precise moment I am craving Sarah McLachlan. But when projects like the following cross our path, it is indeed a pleasure to be on the same musical page. Enjoy these examples of Findlay musical vibe convergence:
Heart--Dreamboat Annie LIVE
George Winston--Night Divides The Day--Music of the Doors
February 05, 2009
Serving at the pleasure of...our city's music-lovers
On "The West Wing", we routinely hear the characters say, "I serve at the pleasure of The President". It's an ongoing way of reminding themselves that their mission is for something and someone outside themselves and greater than themselves.
These days I'm privileged to have an outlet for just this kind of service, right here in my own city. It's called The Des Moines Live Music Commission, and it is a subcommittee of The Des Moines City Council. Not to be confused with DMMC--the Des Moines Music Coalition, this sub-committee has been strategically formed in city government for the task of influencing our city's creative economy through all its live music, from Wells Fargo Arena, to 80/35 and other festivals, to the plethora of neighborhood bars with cover bands.
Someone said that there are no small roles, only small people. This seemingly small way to play a role in city government is something I take seriously, and need help in which to succeed from the consistent feedback of concerned music-loving citizens like you. For this reason, I invite you to become aware and get involved by checking out the links below, as well as communicating through the blog comments here, or my email which is bkfindlay@yahoo.com, or I'm also on Facebook. What are your hopes and dreams for our live music scene? Your opinion matters to our city, and to me.
These days I'm privileged to have an outlet for just this kind of service, right here in my own city. It's called The Des Moines Live Music Commission, and it is a subcommittee of The Des Moines City Council. Not to be confused with DMMC--the Des Moines Music Coalition, this sub-committee has been strategically formed in city government for the task of influencing our city's creative economy through all its live music, from Wells Fargo Arena, to 80/35 and other festivals, to the plethora of neighborhood bars with cover bands.
Someone said that there are no small roles, only small people. This seemingly small way to play a role in city government is something I take seriously, and need help in which to succeed from the consistent feedback of concerned music-loving citizens like you. For this reason, I invite you to become aware and get involved by checking out the links below, as well as communicating through the blog comments here, or my email which is bkfindlay@yahoo.com, or I'm also on Facebook. What are your hopes and dreams for our live music scene? Your opinion matters to our city, and to me.
Des Moines Live Music Commission
Creative Class--thoughts on creative economy
January 27, 2009
Psychic Snacks from YouTube
The Happiest of New Years to everyone and welcome to another Midnight Wine blog! Great things happening behind the scenes, albeit not without stresses, frustrations, and obstacles to overcome. You know what they say, no pain no gain. But we also like to add, yes pain YES GAIN! After hunkering down in a state of both exterior and interior wintertime, my wife and I are eager to reconnect with many folks we've missed during our self-imposed hiatus from our usual "out-and-about" life. Here are some "psychic snacks" -- be cheered by them as we have been! I swear on my chicken caesar salad and M&M's, more blogging is coming here at the Midnight Wine blog, so don't give up on me...
Bettye Lavette at the Inauguration
Derek and Susan at the Inauguration
Tom Jones/Jeff Beck (Because of this clip, Tom is my wife's new blues crush!)
Bettye Lavette at the Inauguration
Derek and Susan at the Inauguration
Tom Jones/Jeff Beck (Because of this clip, Tom is my wife's new blues crush!)
August 13, 2008
...The Dark Knight
One must be tough to be in love, or so I would gather.
I was going to blog on something entirely different just now, but with a will like the wind, I am now blogging on the cinema event of the year, thus far. It is epic, but not perfect; it is strong medicine, but not the cure. It is "The Dark Knight", and it is better than good.
I will spare you all my inept film criticism and instead share a unique thought I had on the movie itself. I don't say unique in that I'm the only one who has this thought, but unique in that I did not expect this thought to come from myself.
When my wife and I (give it up for her guest blog last week!) saw TDK for the first time two weeks ago, two things hit me the most. First was that Heath Ledger's grave should be adorned with gold statuettes early next year, and two...well, two was harder to put into context, much less words. Tina, my wife, got a little impatient with me, and then the puzzle finally clicked. I knew what it meant to me, if no one else. It was a perfect, modernized, symbolic take on the personas of World War Two. Let me explain.
I am no conspiracy buff, who attaches two disparate things together, and then calls the rest of the world blind for not seeing the connection. But some thoughts came to mind and they string together accordingly. Please consider the following thoughts:
In the comics, and twice in the movie, many scenarios and causes have been presented for the Joker's appearance and psychosis. The movie breaks from the canonical history of the comics by having his appearance be a mixture of scars and makeup, when most "origin" stories in the canon involve him falling into a chemical mixture that causes the disfigurement and the madness. Either way, the movie has thrown a different angle into the mix, but the part of interest is this: He tells it different each time. That much remains true in translation from small page to big screen.
Much like the Joker, one Adolf Hitler underwent a severe change as madness set in. By many accounts, Hitler was from a good home, had a solid upbrining, and was even a potential world-class visual artist. Yet, somewhere along the way, like a wolf that lusts for blood, Hitler changed both the course of his life and history at large. Needless to say, the maniacal, genocidal rule of Hitler's National Socialists is well-documented and troubling to the soul. My point is this: How did Hitler become a murderer instead of a painter, and how did the nameless villain-to-be become the Joker, instead of anything else?
I am reminded of John Carpenter's "Halloween" series of films. We never know the reason why Michael Myers decides to become darkness; we simply are left to deal with the wreckage of his choice. Dahmer, Bundy, Gasey, etc... The "why" rarely gets answered. And that's where the horror rests to a sane mind.
To me, this was the first link in my brain. Through the character of Alfred (performed wonderfully by Michael Caine), the next link came quite pivotally. When talking to Wayne/Bats about possible motives, Alfred throws a monkey-wrench into the mess by pointing out "that some men just like to watch it burn" (to paraphrase).
Again, going back to post-WWI Germany, we find a people hurting and reeling from a war they lost badly. In shock, they let a small group of hate-mongers prove that propaganda is a powerful tool of war. That thought might strike you off-handedly, but be honest and examine: Hitler, and others in his party, were cults of personality. Charisma does not have to be used to achieve goodness. It was the hundreds of thousands of men and women, young and old, that allowed themselves to become the flock to a twisted shepard. A shepard complete with his own gospel, apostles, angels, and devils. Hitler simply formed a church and a gospel built on lies and hatred, and Germany bought it lock, stock and barrell. It is one thing to load the gun and point; it's another thing entirely to actually pull the trigger.
The Joker models this same style of subvertive leadership throughout the tale. He turns petty thieves upon each other in the hope of financial gain. He turns the mentally ill loose upon easy prey for sheer enjoyment. He is a master orchestrator of epic proportion, ever the puppet-master dangling the threads in his own production. He is ever-present, yet nowhere to be found. He pits groups of people not only against themselves, but against their perceptions of themselves.
The two boats of people is a cruel mixture of Pearl Harbor and The Cuban Missle Crisis. And that's the brilliance of the Joker's plan. Even without one boat destroying the other (or itself, neither was ever proven), he thrust the looking-glass into each of thier hands, making them see the ugliness inside of themselves, hidden deeply under decency and manners. Much like how many "decent" Europeans, whether they were bakers, mechanics, housewives, aristocrats, or soldiers, were allowed to hold the looking glass, but still look away for far too long. Both dictators, real and imagined, darkened a few White Knights in their time.
Also much like the dictator of real life, it seems that our Joker has a suicidal bent. Perhaps if we are to disregard another's life, it's just inherent that we share the same lack of committment to our own. Hitler followed through, but it's as if the Joker sees too much of himself in Batman, thus, he wants Batman to kill him, "completing" his suicide wish.
At this point, the circuit completes itself to me. Bats doesn't kill the Joker, and in fact saves him from sure death. Two groups of people do not cave in to a life and death situation, and spare each other in the end. A mircocosm of Apocalypse is averted by a simple code of honor, and people willing to stand by it. A hero of one era, born of it's dreams and hopes and fears and failures, remains a hero still today, however modern the technology or how expensive the storytelling.
The generation that stood, fought, suffered, then won WWII has been called the greatest generation yet. I don't know if that's true, but I won't argue against it. My generation suffers from affluenza and selfishness and hopelessness, and, worst of all, blindness. A cause must only be worthy if Celebrity A is "getting behind it" in an effort to "keep it real". Comfort leads to control, and we will not fight for the control we've so willfully surrendured as long as we're comfortable. But when the cradle is rocked, will we, the fabled tiger, have any teeth left? Are our claws waiting to be unsheathed?
I don't know the answers, and I barely know who to frame the questions. This is not meant to be a complete and through examination of anything, but I did mean it to be more than some rambling game of connect-the-dots. I meant, more than anything, for this text to make you think. I do not pretend to be the standard-bearer for truth in this world, but I send this one humble prayer on behalf of all of us...
God keep us in a world with no super-heroes; may we birth no super-villains.
___________________________
There is so much great Batman-related material in the world, but if you're interested in either of Christopher Nollen's movies (or Tim Burton's for that matter), then you must pick up "The Killing Joke". Written by Alan Moore (see previous post on "The Watchmen") and illustrated beautifully by Brian Bolland, it's Burton's favorite comic. Also, see "The Long Halloween" by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale (both in TV now on VERY cool shows...check it) as well as "Batman: Year One" by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli. These three books provided a lot of material for these last two Bats movies, and are brilliant on thier own. Check out Alex Ross' (with TV superscribe Paul Dini) Batman: War on Crime as well. Ross is unmatched as an illustrator. He single-handedly keeps me into comics for those long-spells when I'm just not interested.
Also, Tim Burton started a four-movie run in the last twenty years that is worth enjoying. Keaton was good, Kilmer was as good, but I didn't get Clooney. Anywhoo.... There is also a fine, if youth-oriented, animated series by Bruce Timm, and another more recent run that didn't seem as good.
And who can forget the original, campy, unforgettable live-action series? Adam West paved the way for the Keatons, Kilmers, and Bales. Let us not forget where what we love comes from...
And if Angelina Jolie becomes the Catwoman...look out, cause that movie could break all records....
I was going to blog on something entirely different just now, but with a will like the wind, I am now blogging on the cinema event of the year, thus far. It is epic, but not perfect; it is strong medicine, but not the cure. It is "The Dark Knight", and it is better than good.
I will spare you all my inept film criticism and instead share a unique thought I had on the movie itself. I don't say unique in that I'm the only one who has this thought, but unique in that I did not expect this thought to come from myself.
When my wife and I (give it up for her guest blog last week!) saw TDK for the first time two weeks ago, two things hit me the most. First was that Heath Ledger's grave should be adorned with gold statuettes early next year, and two...well, two was harder to put into context, much less words. Tina, my wife, got a little impatient with me, and then the puzzle finally clicked. I knew what it meant to me, if no one else. It was a perfect, modernized, symbolic take on the personas of World War Two. Let me explain.
I am no conspiracy buff, who attaches two disparate things together, and then calls the rest of the world blind for not seeing the connection. But some thoughts came to mind and they string together accordingly. Please consider the following thoughts:
In the comics, and twice in the movie, many scenarios and causes have been presented for the Joker's appearance and psychosis. The movie breaks from the canonical history of the comics by having his appearance be a mixture of scars and makeup, when most "origin" stories in the canon involve him falling into a chemical mixture that causes the disfigurement and the madness. Either way, the movie has thrown a different angle into the mix, but the part of interest is this: He tells it different each time. That much remains true in translation from small page to big screen.
Much like the Joker, one Adolf Hitler underwent a severe change as madness set in. By many accounts, Hitler was from a good home, had a solid upbrining, and was even a potential world-class visual artist. Yet, somewhere along the way, like a wolf that lusts for blood, Hitler changed both the course of his life and history at large. Needless to say, the maniacal, genocidal rule of Hitler's National Socialists is well-documented and troubling to the soul. My point is this: How did Hitler become a murderer instead of a painter, and how did the nameless villain-to-be become the Joker, instead of anything else?
I am reminded of John Carpenter's "Halloween" series of films. We never know the reason why Michael Myers decides to become darkness; we simply are left to deal with the wreckage of his choice. Dahmer, Bundy, Gasey, etc... The "why" rarely gets answered. And that's where the horror rests to a sane mind.
To me, this was the first link in my brain. Through the character of Alfred (performed wonderfully by Michael Caine), the next link came quite pivotally. When talking to Wayne/Bats about possible motives, Alfred throws a monkey-wrench into the mess by pointing out "that some men just like to watch it burn" (to paraphrase).
Again, going back to post-WWI Germany, we find a people hurting and reeling from a war they lost badly. In shock, they let a small group of hate-mongers prove that propaganda is a powerful tool of war. That thought might strike you off-handedly, but be honest and examine: Hitler, and others in his party, were cults of personality. Charisma does not have to be used to achieve goodness. It was the hundreds of thousands of men and women, young and old, that allowed themselves to become the flock to a twisted shepard. A shepard complete with his own gospel, apostles, angels, and devils. Hitler simply formed a church and a gospel built on lies and hatred, and Germany bought it lock, stock and barrell. It is one thing to load the gun and point; it's another thing entirely to actually pull the trigger.
The Joker models this same style of subvertive leadership throughout the tale. He turns petty thieves upon each other in the hope of financial gain. He turns the mentally ill loose upon easy prey for sheer enjoyment. He is a master orchestrator of epic proportion, ever the puppet-master dangling the threads in his own production. He is ever-present, yet nowhere to be found. He pits groups of people not only against themselves, but against their perceptions of themselves.
The two boats of people is a cruel mixture of Pearl Harbor and The Cuban Missle Crisis. And that's the brilliance of the Joker's plan. Even without one boat destroying the other (or itself, neither was ever proven), he thrust the looking-glass into each of thier hands, making them see the ugliness inside of themselves, hidden deeply under decency and manners. Much like how many "decent" Europeans, whether they were bakers, mechanics, housewives, aristocrats, or soldiers, were allowed to hold the looking glass, but still look away for far too long. Both dictators, real and imagined, darkened a few White Knights in their time.
Also much like the dictator of real life, it seems that our Joker has a suicidal bent. Perhaps if we are to disregard another's life, it's just inherent that we share the same lack of committment to our own. Hitler followed through, but it's as if the Joker sees too much of himself in Batman, thus, he wants Batman to kill him, "completing" his suicide wish.
At this point, the circuit completes itself to me. Bats doesn't kill the Joker, and in fact saves him from sure death. Two groups of people do not cave in to a life and death situation, and spare each other in the end. A mircocosm of Apocalypse is averted by a simple code of honor, and people willing to stand by it. A hero of one era, born of it's dreams and hopes and fears and failures, remains a hero still today, however modern the technology or how expensive the storytelling.
The generation that stood, fought, suffered, then won WWII has been called the greatest generation yet. I don't know if that's true, but I won't argue against it. My generation suffers from affluenza and selfishness and hopelessness, and, worst of all, blindness. A cause must only be worthy if Celebrity A is "getting behind it" in an effort to "keep it real". Comfort leads to control, and we will not fight for the control we've so willfully surrendured as long as we're comfortable. But when the cradle is rocked, will we, the fabled tiger, have any teeth left? Are our claws waiting to be unsheathed?
I don't know the answers, and I barely know who to frame the questions. This is not meant to be a complete and through examination of anything, but I did mean it to be more than some rambling game of connect-the-dots. I meant, more than anything, for this text to make you think. I do not pretend to be the standard-bearer for truth in this world, but I send this one humble prayer on behalf of all of us...
God keep us in a world with no super-heroes; may we birth no super-villains.
___________________________
There is so much great Batman-related material in the world, but if you're interested in either of Christopher Nollen's movies (or Tim Burton's for that matter), then you must pick up "The Killing Joke". Written by Alan Moore (see previous post on "The Watchmen") and illustrated beautifully by Brian Bolland, it's Burton's favorite comic. Also, see "The Long Halloween" by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale (both in TV now on VERY cool shows...check it) as well as "Batman: Year One" by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli. These three books provided a lot of material for these last two Bats movies, and are brilliant on thier own. Check out Alex Ross' (with TV superscribe Paul Dini) Batman: War on Crime as well. Ross is unmatched as an illustrator. He single-handedly keeps me into comics for those long-spells when I'm just not interested.
Also, Tim Burton started a four-movie run in the last twenty years that is worth enjoying. Keaton was good, Kilmer was as good, but I didn't get Clooney. Anywhoo.... There is also a fine, if youth-oriented, animated series by Bruce Timm, and another more recent run that didn't seem as good.
And who can forget the original, campy, unforgettable live-action series? Adam West paved the way for the Keatons, Kilmers, and Bales. Let us not forget where what we love comes from...
And if Angelina Jolie becomes the Catwoman...look out, cause that movie could break all records....
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