I haven't posted here in ages, I know. The truth is I've been busy working on my new website, Deena Roth Photography. However, I am so excited about Duran Duran's new album, I had to share it here!
Needless to say, I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of Duran Duran's Paper Gods on Friday! Although the first five released tracks have been on constant replay around here for some time, now that I've heard the album in its entirety, I can say that I'm officially blown away. Since I found out that the album was streaming on Soundcloud yesterday, it has been my soundtrack whilst photo editing, so I've listened to it at least half a dozen times. It's an eclectic mix of sheer brilliance that was definitely worth the wait.
More than ever, I am dying to see Duranlive again, but sadly I will need to start getting more photo contracts and also find a source of steady income (something I have been working on vigorously for the last year with no luck) before I can afford to attend any shows. In the meantime, I will continue to jam to this genius album and live vicariously through my friends who are lucky enough to attend shows. xoxo
Last Sunday, I was reminded why I love Morrissey so much. After 26 years of waiting, I finally found myself in the right place at the right time. I finally got to see the enigmatic icon who helped shape my youth, perform live. He did not disappoint.
To say that I was once obsessed with The Smiths would be an understatement. I started listening to them in 1986, which is sad, really, because they broke up in 1987. The first album I bought was The Queen is Dead (1986) and I was hooked. It didn't take very long before I owned their two previous releases Meat is Murder (1985) and The Smiths (1984) as well as any singles I could get my hands on. By the time their last studio album, Strangeways, Here we Come (1987) was released, I had read the complete works of Oscar Wilde and had become a strict vegetarian, all because of Morrissey. I still love Oscar Wilde, but I gave up vegetarianism in 1991. What can I say? I missed seafood too much. I'm sorry, Moz.
Oscar Wilde
When I took my seat in the balcony at the AX Korea, a venue with a capacity of about 2,000 people, a video of the New York Dolls performing Looking for a Kiss was playing. As soon as the video ended, the screen dramatically fell to the floor, revealing a stage set with a backdrop of my beloved Oscar Wilde, with a speech bubble saying, 'WHO IS MORRISSEY?' The familiar bells tolled, and Morrissey, flanked by his bandmates, who were (excluding guitarist Boz Boorer, who was in drag) donning 'We Hate William and Kate' t-shirts, took centre stage. Immediately, the gladioli took flight. It was... magical.
Then Moz spoke. He said, "Tonight... I give you my soul," and the crowd went mental. Leave it to Moz to open a show in Seoul with those words. How could you not love him? Then, the band launched into the hypnotic anthem of alienation and social isolation, How Soon Is Now? and Moz began to sing and... his voice was heavenly. I was mesmerised... transported to a dark basement, sitting on the cold, carpeted floor, listening to The Smiths and feeling what so many teens at the time were feeling... somebody understands me. This is why, the simplest gesture, such as an outstretched hand, means so much when executed by Morrissey. Every time he gracefully reached out to the crowd, adoring fans in the front row struggled to touch his hand. I envied them, from my balcony seat. Oh well. Next time I'll be closer. I really hope there will be a next time.
In the meantime, I've got a lot of catching up to do. I have to admit, despite owning everything The Smiths ever released on vinyl, the only solo album of Morrissey's I have in my collection is Viva Hate (1988). While I enjoyed every minute of last Sunday's performance, and certainly recognised tracks from albums I may not actually own, there were only six songs (How Soon is Now?, Every Day is Like Sunday, Meat is Murder,I Know It's Over,Shoplifters of the World Unite and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me) with which I was able to sing along to in their entirety.
I've heard horror stories from friends who've seen Morrissey live; tales of the singer insulting the audience or getting pissed off about something and leaving the stage after only five songs, never to return. However, he was gracious and kind to the audience in Seoul. It was his first time in Korea. At one point, he emphatically expressed, "I never thought my career would bring me to... Korea," then proceeded to clutch his face in his hands, as though overwhelmed by the love and attention. It was extremely touching. In fact, there were so many memorable moments at this show, it's hard to single just one of them out. One of the highlights of the night was when, halfway through the song Speedway (from 1994's Vauxhall and I) there was a silent pause, followed by Morrissey's crooning of, "Starry, starry night, Paint your palette blue and gray, Look out on a summer's day... and... wot?" from the song Vincent (a tribute to Van Gogh) by Don McLean. It was absurd. It made me laugh. Another highlight was when Morrissey took an envelope from one of the fans, clutched it to his heart and later stuffed it in his back pocket. I nearly swooned. Of course, when he tore his shirt off and flung it into the crowd, I also nearly swooned.
Unfortunately, the only photo I took that night
Normally, I wouldn't let a silly thing like security get in my way, but they made me put my bag in a locker, the bastards! And I didn't have any pockets! Luckily, some people managed to sneak their cameras in. The following video montage recaptures the magic, allowing me to relive this extraordinary night...
All in all, it truly was an unforgettable show. I am so glad that I finally got to see him perform live. I love you, Morrissey. I'm sorry that I had forgotten how much I do. I never will again... I promise.
Seoul Set List:
1. How Soon Is Now
2. You Have Killed Me
3. Every Day Is Like Sunday
4. Alma Matters
5. You're The One For Me, Fatty
6. Shoplifters Of The World Unite
7. I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris
8. Speedway (+ ‘Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day’ - from “Vincent”)
9. To Give (The Reason I Live) - Frankie Valli Cover
10. Meat Is Murder
11. Let Me Kiss You
12. Black Cloud
13. I'll See You In Far-Off Places
14. I Know It's Over
15. Ouija Board, Ouija Board
16. When I Last Spoke To Carol
17. One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell
18. Last Night I dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
...and put down the anvil? Honestly, that is what I thought the Arctic Monkeys were singing in Fake Tales of San Francisco until about a week ago!
Don't ask me why, but I decided to google "get off the bandwagon and put down the anvil" the other day, only to find out that I was not alone. Apparently, loads of people have misheard "get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook." Are you one of them?
I'm usually good at figuring lyrics out. The last time I misunderstood a lyric was when I honestly thought that Madonna was singing, "Last night I dreamt of some bagels," rather than "San Pedro" in La Isla Bonita. However, some people never seem to get lyrics right (like my brother, Howard, for instance). This got me thinking...so, I searched the Internet and came up with a top ten list of Funniest Misheard Lyrics for your enjoyment:
10. Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze, "'Scuse me, while I kiss this guy" (Real lyric: "'Scuse me, while I kiss the sky")
9. a-ha, Take on me, "I've recovered from your love of cake" (Real lyric: "I’ll be coming for your love, ok")
8. David Bowie, Suffragette City, "The smell of fat chicks just puts a smile on my face" (Real lyric: "This mellow-thighed chick just put my spine out of place")
7. Oasis, Champagne Supernova, "Someday you will find me, caught between a man's thighs" (Real lyric: "Someday you will find me, caught beneath the landslide")
6. Toto, Africa, "I left my brains down in Africa" (Real lyric: "I bless the rains down in Africa")
5. Bob Dylan, Blowin’ in the Wind, "The ants are my friends, they're blowin' in the wind" (Real lyric: "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind")
4. Outkast, Hey Ya, "Shake it like a polarbear ninja" (Real lyric: "Shake it like a Polaroid picture")
3. The Eagles, Desperado, "Desperado, you've been outright offensive," (Real lyric: "You've been out riding fences")
2. Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit, "Here we are now, in containers." (Real lyric: "Here we are now, entertain us," Nirvana.)
1. The Beatles, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, "The girl with colitis goes by" (Real lyric: "The girl with kaleidoscope eyes")
It was Evan Dando of The Lemonheads who first introduced me to Ben Kweller. Not personally, of course, although that would be much cooler. About a year ago, I read somewhere that Evan was so impressed with Ben that he invited him to go on tour with him across America and Europe. I hold Evan's opinion in high regard, so I decided to check him out. I think Ben's a talented songwriter and I really dig his old-school rock yet indie style.
Yesterday, I wasted two precious hours of my life watching one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. Warning: Do not rent Running with Scissors!!! If you already have rented the DVD (or heaven forbid, actually paid full-price to see it at the cinema) I offer you my sincere condolences. Here is an IMDb user's review that pretty much summed up exactly how I felt after watching this rubbish:
"Just because something happens in real life doesn't mean it should happen in a movie. Case in point, Running With Scissors. Memoirs rarely make good movies because they have no plot to speak of and are generally made up of random events that lead to nowhere. Any good filmmaker knows this, but writer/director Ryan Murphy went ahead anyway; he merely has the narrator make a disclaimer up front that we might not believe everything that takes place. Oh, I believe everything happened, all right. What the "creative" team forgot is that the point is not to make me believe, but to make me care. They didn't...and I didn't."
"One bizarre scene after another piles upon the viewer until we're stacked with dysfunctional drivel up to our eyeballs. And it makes no difference whether or not the performances are any good if we're anxiously waiting for the damn movie to be over. Even the usually wonderful Annette Bening cannot salvage this material so completely devoid of rational thought that it knocks off ten IQ points each minute. And, um, what in hell is Gwyneth Paltrow doing in this movie? Did she have some unpaid traffic tickets to take care of? Or is she serving community service? I just don't know. And to tell the truth, I just don't care."
"I won't even dignify this behemoth of boredom with a more detailed review. I just had to warn anyone thinking of seeing this movie that their lives will be robbed of two precious hours that could be spent doing something more productive, like organizing recipes or vacuuming the tub. For those who did pay for this pile of garbage – and I mean emotionally, not financially – I've come up with a plan to get back at the filmmakers. I suggest every disgruntled viewer run with scissors to their local movie theatre and chop up every reel into guitar picks. Then stop by the bookstore on the way home and pick up Augusten Burroughs' funny and insightful book that never should have been adapted (well, obliterated) in the first place."
Believe me, don't let the outstanding cast fool you, this movie sucks. If you want to see a good movie about family dysfunction, there are plenty to choose from. Try renting the hilarious and poignant Little Miss Sunshine, the brilliant The Royal Tenenbaums or one of my all-time favourites, American Beauty.
From celluloid to literature...As I anxiously await the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which I sadly won't be able to read until I get back from Switzerland since it won't be available until July), I've found a distraction from my obession with Harry Potter. I am currently mesmerized by another fantasy series featuring a young magician.
The series I am speaking of is The Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. I am almost finished the third book and I just don't want the story to end! The two main characters are Bartimeaus, a sarcastic demon who provides much comic relief throughout and Nathaniel, a bad-ass Harry Potter. I would recommend these books to anyone interested in the genre. Kristen and Isabelle, I think you would like this trilogy!
While I'm on the topic, I was thrilled to recently find out that another favourite trilogy of mine, His Dark Materials by Philipp Pullman is being made into a film, due for release in December 2007. Actually, the film will be based on the first book of the trilogy The Golden Compass but I'm sure that they will be making movie versions of all three books, because each ends on a cliff-hanger. The film will be starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. I can't wait!
In other news, I stopped taking dance classes a couple of weeks ago. I was enjoying the classes, but had to cancel for two reasons: I need to save money and I would have missed too many classes as well as the show because of my upcoming trips. Which brings me to my really big news...
I'm going to Japan!!! My friends Mike & Miyuki are getting married (omedetou gozaimasu) and they're flying me to Japan for the wedding. They are the kindest, most generous couple and I am honored and thrilled to be attending their wedding. I am so excited about seeing them as well as all of my other friends. I'm also very happy about re-visiting my home away from home, Nakatsu. I've been brushing up on my Japanese, studying every day during my lunch hour and am simply salivating at the thought of all of the oishii Japanese food that I've been missing.
I will be leaving on April 23rd and returning on May 4th. I wish that I could stay longer, but I can't afford it and must return to work for a month before heading to Europe. It will be difficult going back to work, but it's only for a month, so I'll have to suck it up and wait it out, while looking forward to returning to ISCM in Switzerland. Then, come June 1st, it'll be sayonara for good to Playskool! I mean it this time. Of course, I'll miss the kids, but I won't miss the constant illness, the lack of communication and organisation or (the worst part for me) the unbelievable shallowness, pettiness and cattiness of some of my fellow co-educators.
I will be leaving for London on June 12th. Then, I'll leave for Geneva on June 17th. My first day of work at ISCM is June 18th. My last day is August 25th. I'll be flying from Paris to Montreal once again, but this year I'll be spending a couple more days in France and plan on possibly visiting Versailles. I will be returning to Montreal on August 31st and then...who knows what adventure awaits? I plan on heading to South Korea but have no definite plans yet, except for the fact that I am definitely not going back to Playskool or any other daycare for that matter.
Lastly, I'm doing rather well with my latest weight-loss and exercise regime. I do cheat on occasion, but have managed to lose 8 lbs since the beginning of February. Of course, I gained 10 lbs within a month of returning from Europe (where I had surprisingly lost 2 lbs...I guess it was the daily alpine hike to work that did it). I have been exercising daily. I do two sets of 300 crunches a day. My abs have never been stronger! I'm not really doing enough cardio, especially since I dropped the dance classes but am looking forward to cycling to work every day once all the snow melts. I'm so sad...it was almost all gone due to springlike temperatures but we were hit with about 20 cm this weekend.
I guess that's it for now. This has been a freakishly long post and I hope that you've enjoyed it. It's actually my second attempt at publishing. My first attempt failed for some reason and I had to start over. Is it me, or is the screen looking a little fuzzy? My head is spinning. Okay...I'm copying and pasting this into Word right now and trying again. Here it goes...
Okay, so I haven't posted at all yet this month. I could blame it on the fact that I had a severe sinus infection, or just plain laziness. I will be posting again soon, I promise. Anyway, thought I'd share this awesome video. It's just so funny. I love these guys. Enjoy Juicebox by The Strokes...
