Current List for May 2006

Now that I am back blogging again, I thought that I'd list my current favorite items of interest in the areas of listening, reading, and other stimuli. April is drawing to a close, so bring on the May flowers (as the age old adage goes)!!

Favorite Record of the Moment:

Out now! The latest in the Bugged Out! series comes to you, courtesy of the self-coined "unique" Miss Kittin. As with every Bugged Out! set, there's one disc devoted to the uptempo rhythms of a night on the town, while the other disc is devoted to the bedroom dj in all of us. Last year's mix, by current sensation Erol Arkan, impressively melded today's hottest club sounds, while slowing it down for the second disc with the uberchill of 60s easy listening classics and the glam 70s prog rock. At the same time, Arkan also throws in a little M83 for good measure, while closing it out with the blissful trance pop of the Spacemen 3. Miss Kittin, on the other hand, chooses to keep the same pace over both discs, making for a stellar smorgasbord of clash-free electro soundscapes alongside rave classics like Don't Go by the Awesome 3. The "chill-out" disc effectively melds D.A. noisily (get it?) hard clang of the classic Aphex Twin remix of Curve's Falling Free, with the icy cold chill of the Two Lone Swordmen mix of Saint Etienne's Heart Failed (In the Back of a Taxi.)

This edition of the Bugged Out! mix best reflects Miss Kittin's recent dj gigs of last year, most characteristic of her mix set from last year's Sonar Festival in Barcelona, where she pulled out one of my personal all-time favorite techno classics, the formidable The House is Mine by Caspar Pound's Hypnotist moniker. Are you looking to relive the good 'ole days where you wore that pacifier on a chain around your neck and baggy dress-length, rainbow-striped t-shirts while walking down today's streets with the iPod and ear-buds? Well, this is the ultimate soundtrack for your journey to the dancefloors of 2006.

Listening: The next 9 (in no particular order):
Ellen Allien and Apparat Orchestra of Bubbles
Matmos The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth
Ladytron The Harmonium Sessions (limited edition tour ep)
Massive Attack Collection (limited deluxe edition)
Fe-Mail Blixter Toad
Larsen Seies
Final 3
Black Sun Productions operettAmorale
Duncan Vainio Vaisanen Nine Suggestions

Other Listening:
Wire Pink Flag (re-issue)
Leaether Strip After The Devastation
Supersilent Supersilent 1-3
Ladytron Witching Hour/Extended Play
V/A Rune Grammofon Money Will Ruin Everything
Mogwai Mr. Beast
Daniel Menche Concussions
Spunk En Aldeles Forferdelig Sykdom
Spunk (remixed) Filtered Through Friends
Organum Sanctus
Covenant Skyshaper
McLusky Mcluskyisms
The Hope Blister Underarms and Sideways
Stereolab Fab Four Suture
Cocteau Twins Lullabies for Volaine
V/A MSF Benefit Not Alone
Current 93 How He Loved The Moon (Moonsongs for Jhonn Balance)
Nine Inch Nails Every Day is Exactly the Same ep
Klutae Hit & Run
Morrissey Ringleader of the Tormentors
V/A American Gigolo 2 Mixed by Abe Duque

Current Reading:


















Other Reading:
The Artist's Way Julia Cameron
Money Will Ruin Everything Rune Grammofon
Writing Down The Bones Natalie Goldberg
Wreckers of Civilisation - Coum Transmissions & Throbbing Gristle Simon Ford
The DaVinci Code Dan Brown
In Beauty Zadie Smith
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Robert Pirsig
Howl Fifty Years Later: The Poem That Changed America Jason Shinder (Editor)

Overtime at Work: LOTS of it!

Most eagerly anticipated event: A VACATION (FINALLY) to New Mexico for 4th of July

Forthcoming Items of Interest:

Film:
The DaVinci Code
United 93

Live shows:
Architect [Haujobb side project] (The Vogue, May 3)
Slow Music with Bill Rieflin, Hector Zazou, Robert Fripp, Peter Buck, and friends (Showbox, May 6)
Goldfrapp (Showbox, May 11)
Modeselektor (ReBar, May 19)
Mogwai (Neumos, May 23)
Ministry/Revolting Cocks (Showbox, May 28)
Sonic Youth (Moore Theatre, June 30)
Legendary Pink Dots (Launch Pad ABQ, July 2; Berbati's PDX July 10; Chop Suey SEA, July 11) A Silver Mt. Zion/Carla Bozulich (Neumos, August 18)

Forthcoming records:
Carla Bozulich Evangelista
Peaches Impeach My Bush
Legendary Pink Dots Your Children Placate You from Premature Graves
PTV3 (Psychic TV) Hell is Invisible...Heaven is Her/E
Sonic Youth Rather Ripped
Throbbing Gristle Part Two MAYBE SOMEDAY

Another Scandal in the Literary World

Earlier this year, the author of the book A Million Little Pieces, James Frey, was crucified by the media (particularly by loud-mouthed, right-wing talk radio hosts) when the truth came out that he "embellished" certain facts in the book to make the story interesting. Under normal circumstances, that is not so much of a problem, unless your finished product is categorized as non-fiction. Pieces gained notoreity when the queen of talk show entertainment, Oprah Winfrey, made it a selection of the month for her famous book club.

Speculation about the questionable credibility of Frey's story later surfaced a short time later, spawning a phone call from Oprah herself into Frey's interview on the Larry King show to defend the book, proclaiming that his "story of redemption resonated with her." When Frey fessed up a short time later, the shit hit the fan! Boy, oh boy, it sure did. On January 26th (my birthday), Frey returned to the Oprah show for a public display of ridicule, spearheaded by the duped talk show host herself. The fallout from the incident left a bitter taste in the mouths of many in the literary community, calling into question the integrity of authors.

Now, three months later, another up and coming fiction writer by the name of Kaavya Viswanathan, a Harvard University student, is in hot water, being accused of plagarism. Her critically-lauded debut novel, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life, has been pulled from stores by her publisher, Little, Brown and Company, when it surfaced that certain passages were plagarized from a series of novels by another author, Megan McCafferty. These passages "unintentionally minicked," nearly word-for-word (as Viswanathan maintains), passages from Megan's novels, Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings.

In light of this new scandal, Frey's "alleged crimes" pale in comparison. While Frey was guilty of misrepresenting embellishments as truth, at least he did not blatantly plagarize another author's work. In reality, I'm curious to know how many non-fiction books actually feature subtle fabrications and other embellishments in the interest of making for original storytelling. Unfortunately, Frey made the mistake of getting caught in the heat of the lies and deceit. In turn, he was demonized and vilified in the media for his misgivings.

His deceit culminated in an intense backlash, resulting in legal action, raised by "duped" readers of the book. Some readings even recommended the book to friends, while psychiatrists and mental health experts encouraged patients to read the book. As a result, consumers sued for fraud in droves, demanding compensation for money spent on the book as well as "wasted time." In my mind, not only is that going overboard, but it's just plain stupid. If "wasted time" becomes the standard for which compensation is based on, then people might as well be able to sue the major TV networks for "wasting viewers' time" for worthless trash on the airwaves (I'd like to sue for the waste that is ALL reality TV). While we're at it, can we also sue radio stations and the major record labels for wasting our time and polluting our bodies with air waves emitted as a result of ALL the shitty music they produce and manufacture for public consumption? (I'd like to sue for being subjected to Britney Spears and Korn, amongst others.) Where would it end? People already believe that us Americans are too much of a litigious society. Allowing the ability to legally pursue compensation using the standard of "wasted time" would only make things worse.

On the other hand, the allegations against Viswanathan have harsher ramifications for the accused. The author misrepresented her writing style as being her own, when in reality, the style mimicks the style of another established author. Maybe the error of judgment on Viswanathan's part could be attributed to youthful ignorance or a lack of literary knowledge, but the truth is, her actions are unconscionable. On the other hand, part of the responsibility for this egregious lapse of judgment should fall on the editor of Opal Mehta. I'd like to believe that the editor should be responsibilty for fact-checking as well as checking for potential plagarism from other source material. (As an aside note, albeit minor, the English student that I'd like to be has recently an increasing number of typos in books that I've read recently. This really surprises me. I've only just begun to notice this problem.)

Am I being too picky? No, I don't think so. As a reader with an interest in English literature, I have a reasonable expectation of accuracy in literature on all levels, spelling or otherwise. I may not be likely to sue a famous author over such errors, but I believe accuracy should be part of the responsibility of a professional, bestselling author. I'm interested to see how this story develops. As mentioned earlier, the book has been pulled from shelves, while legal action is being contemplated. I expect that standards for accuracy in literature may change in the aftermath of this latest literary controversy.

TONIGHT: Dining Out for Life 2006

Tonight is the 13th annual Dining Out for Life fundraiser, a nationwide event sponsored by AIDS-related charities (Lifelong AIDS Alliance here in Seattle.) Every year, this event raises much needed money for people living with HIV/AIDS. Over 150 restaurants in the Seattle area are participating in this wonderful event, with portions of the proceeds going to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance. They are an incredible organization that have done wonderful things for those in need throughout the Seattle area. They also sponsor the AIDS Walk annually, this year's coming up on September 9th. So, if you're looking for something to do, while helping out a wonderful cause, please partake in your local Dining Out for Life fundraiser.

I've participated over the last few years in Minneapolis as well as Seattle, and eagerly anticipate a great meal at the Greek restaurant, El Greco in Capital Hill. I recently enjoyed a great Sunday brunch there with my good friend, Ashley. Good times in the name of great food and worthy causes. Bon appetite!

Retooling time for this blog thing

It's Confession Time here at Bring D.A. Noise:

I've been bored...bored to DEATH with life. Life has this funny way of playing mental tricks on you when you least expect it, almost rendering you to the point of numbness. This past winter, just like past winters, signs of vitality in my soul are slim to non-existent. I wonder why I get into these unshakeable funks, which lead me to bouts of isolationist thinking. I've been anti-social of late, choosing instead to plug the headphones into the iPod and keep to myself. It's blatantly obvious that I have not blogged in over two months. Recently, though, I've been missing this blog so thought that I'd get back to business. As my co-worker/blogging friend, The Kern, can attest to, I've recently expressed several ideas for things to write about. However, they never ended up seeing the light of day.

What's my problem, anyway? Is it the lack of inspired writing? Lack of confidence in my writing abilities? Lack of focus? Fear of rejection of my writing? Well, ultimately, I chock it up to utter laziness. However, I want to change that. With change in mind, the plan is for the Bring D.A. Noise blog to retooled and revamped. For the time being, I will continue to blog using this Blogspot addy, but, will eventually return to WordPress. I'm also thinking of renaming my blog as well. The name of choice at the moment is "Spunk Action." At this point, don't ask me what inspired this name choice because I'm not going to tell you. *wink wink*

What's been missing from my blog is a sense of focus. When I first started blogging (with LiveJournal), I never clearly defined the main objectives of why I blogged in the first place. A specific purpose wasn't set in stone. My writing was based on whatever I felt like writing at the time a particular post came into being. How can I make my blog an unique experience for myself and its readers? I did, however, tell myself that I wanted to veer away from what other gay bloggers were writing. I didn't want to write about crushes on high school jocks or experiences with drugs and sex. That's boring to me.

With that in mind, I came up with the idea for the current incarnation of my blog, Bring D.A. Noise. With this idea, I wanted to document my experiences with discovering and delving into non-traditional, unconventional, and experimental music. At the time, I thought "What a perfect idea for a blog!", particularly since I am such a big music fan. Writing about music most other people don't know or understand is a great blog idea that stands out from other "queer" blogs. However, when I did write about music, the writing was bland and uninspired. That bland style of writing resulted in the deterioration of confidence in my writing ability. Then, I got bored and lost interest in writing. Also, struggles with depression didn't help matters.

As recent as a few days ago, I sat down and put some thought into what kind of a blog I'd like to write. My desire for a clearer definition of my intentions for blogging was long overdue. As I thought about this, my earlier idea of writing about my exploration into experimental music creeped back into my consciousness. After further thought, there were other things that I wanted to write about. In the end, I came up with three main objectives that I'd like to accomplish for this blog.

1. What I'd like to call "The Usual Suspects": The usual rants, raves, observations, anecdotes, revelations, moments of self-realization, and random acts of "bitching and moaning" about the current state of the country I live in and the world around me. This has always been a part of my blog, but I'd like to take these ideas to a new level of interest and excitement.

2. Experimental music exploration: Detailing my "journey" (yeah, yeah, yeah...I know it's a cheezy and an extremely overused term, but I don't have any better words that come in mind) through the "adventures of modern music," as the British magazine The Wire proudly endorses. Writing in the style of a music review, I'd like to document artists that continue to fascinate me and adventurous music.

3. My Artistic Recovery: Documenting revelations encountered while walking through the artistic recovery process, by way of the incredible and thought-provoking book, The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron. More to come on this in future blog entries.

All in all, I anticpate increased blogging activity on my part over the course of the next several weeks, ultimately culminating in a new blog address and design. So, stay tuned (and THIS TIME, I MEAN IT.)