Blog for Tony

Current mood: cold
Category: Life

Ha ha. Tony likes to tease me about my blog, so here's one:

Busy weekend. Was in NYC again. Recording on Martin Bisi's album this time. The song is called "Sirens of the Apocalypse". Martin made it fun with lyrics on a cue card. Stayed with Bliss, and she knitted me a capelet. We watched the first half of Spinal Tap, which I had never seen...

It's a very pub-rock type track.

Still waiting to find out about when I go to Türkiye. In all likelihood, it'll be a month from now...I canna wait to bathe in the Mediterranean.

Last time I was overseas I hadn't yet blogged, ever...I often think about how cool it was to go to Prague by myself and fly in that prop plane from Münich...kinda scary, but it really felt like an adventure! It was the first time I really went somewhere I didn't speak the language. Got out of my comfort zone a little.

~~~
Germanic Influence:
I need to get back to the Busch-Reisinger to see the rest of the Fluxus/Beuys show. Weird how they have some American artists featured in this collection.

Watched Stroszek a few nights ago. My God. Mon Dieu. Allahim. Herzog is so clever. Woyzeck...Stroszek. Kinski is not in it...
The end is shocking, sad and frenzied...I can understand the effect on Ian Curtis. But there is a scene with a baby that is the most moving thing I have *ever* seen in any cinema. Life-affirming. And there is a small detail of a bird named Beo. Some very romantic imagery that is SO European. Very romantic in a melancholy way.

~~Speaking of melancholy, my aunt emailed me saying she thinks my music is too "melancholic". She said she hopes one day I find some excitement and happiness that can show through in my music. Yeah, GET HAPPY NOW!

That's fine. The reviewer who trashed my solo CD at least said I am "tender and philosophical".

"Those who hurt us give us gifts."-Paula Vogel

FOOD:
Tony took me to a new bakery in Fort Point called Flour. I had the most delicious chocolate brioche...I had one today for breakfast, but from Hi-Rise Bread Co. in the Square.

BTW, for all chocolate-loving freaks out there - 2 tidbits.
1) As of May 14th, the LA Burdick in Harvard Sq. will be closed for renovations. Now, they also have a store, and restaurant in Walpole, MA I've been meaning to check out, but I don't even know where Walpole is...Looks like a fine cheese selection from the online photos.
2) I tried the TAZA Chocolate Lounge at the Mariposa Bakery in Central Sq. It was OK. I was in a weird mood when I went - feeling too much food guilt to really enjoy myself. Kind of a yuppie crowd...I just had a hot chocolate.

Time Capsule

Current mood: cheerful
Category: Life

Busy weekend.

Saturday: Black Fortress played the Abbey Lounge. Tony brought a lot of folks out, and I was happy to see some of my friends there too. A lot of folks who hadn't seen us before got to check it out. We covered Sister Europe by the Psychedelic Furs. I had to keep that secret for many weeks and it was hard. We added a little magic to the stage show by leaving the stage one by one, leaving Joe playing the drum beat...

People probably think I'm being anti-social immediately after the set...if they only knew how much gear I gotta deal with...see me up there playing a different instrument on each song...?

It was fun playing kinda early 'cause then I got to hang out and relax afterwards.

I was disappointed that there was no after-party, but oh well. Can't always find the 24-Hour Party People.

Sunday: Rough morning.{Post-gig} Crappy weather didn't help motivate me to get to my sesh on time. I needed a sit-down breakfast with Tony. We didn't eat together once all week 'cause he was so busy. Went to S&S Deli and took care of the problem {My usual-Eggs Copenhagen and Cappuccino). Then he dropped me off like a little schoolgirl in the rain at the studio.

Hi'N'Dry. The studio started by Mark Sandman of Morphine, local legend. I walk in and people are immediately assembling for th group vocals, which was my cue.

There was media there. Lots of photos and video being snapped. This day, however, saw me looking not my best...It was a late night before, and there was some alcohol involved, and I didn't really change my clothes. So unlike my usually completely overdressed self {see La Dolce Vita}, I was like the least dressed up chickie there. Argh. Oh well. Someone said it would give the fans a chance to see me looking real. Yeah, that's it.

The session was for an anti-war song written by T Max or something. He's pumped about ending the WAR IN IRAQ and got motivated to speak out, so he enlisted a lot of Boston's well-known media darlings/singers/personalities.

Ended up hanging out with Mick Mondo {so polite!} and JPo a lot during the sesh. Saw Ayal and Maria from 27, too. They were sympathetic to my Mom and all...

Spent all day there. Like JPo said, I hate to go out in the Nor'Easter.

The rain boots I got on St.Mark's are working out super!!!

***Special note***
This time of year I tend towards being receptive...I find myself really listening to and hearing things/people around me. I can feel words and ideas getting into my brain and gestating. Little bits that grow into songs. Please, sweet muse, let them flow.

I had this blissful feeling on Friday night. A week ago I heard Neil Young {did I mention this already?} in 1369 coffee haus. Easter morning, feeling melancholy. Then "Don't Let It Bring You Down" came on. It comforted me. It haunted me for a week until Friday I finally looked it up online. I had SO MUCH FUN just playing my guitar in my room. I played around with that song and "Damaged" by Primal Scream. They use a lot of the same chords. I think I'm in love with Em7.

Fast forward to last night. I was getting dressed after a shower and I turned on the radio. The DJ put on "Cowgirl in the Sand" Live from Massey Hall 1971. I need to get this album. I own no Neil Young and this man's voice is speaking to me right now. I need to hear some more Americana.

Feeling mixed feelings about going to Türkiye soon. I will miss my life here so much. But I am looking forward to swimming in the Mediterranean. The salt. And going to some of my favorite Turkish restaurants.

Monday: My birthday. Had some friends over. Frank busted his ass and helped me buy and prepare everything. I was stressed out, trying to be a good hostess. I think I was 'cause I didn't really get to socialize until the end. People got fed; there was a yummy spread. Two cakes.

People brought nice gifts and champagne etc.

It was a success!

Ended up at the Model Cafe at the very end with Frank and Tony. And that was perfect. Some drunken tears made an appearance but it was all OK in the end. Jeff Lipton was there and it was so nice to see him! Someone at the bar {I think it was a TQ drummer of yore} gave me some small green sprig and said "smell this". It was oregano. I felt like I was in a movie. Truly. A Lynch movie. The Model=The Roadhouse

So many intriguing characters...I wore my full-length black velvet with red faux fur trim like it was no matter. I realized I like the Model so much 'cause of its slow Texas vibe and I feel like I can be whoever I want there, including myself. I love showing up there late at night all dressed up.

Currently listening : Dirty Hits By Primal Scream Release date: By 06 November, 2003

It's New It's Now It's You

Current mood: calm
Category: Life

Very happy to see a full page article on Nico in this week's Phoenix...

Stopped by the Busch-Reisinger yesterday to see the Fluxus/Beuys show. Got there too close to closing to properly take it all in, but I plan on going back a few times...it's right across from where I work so I can get over there frequently.

I saw some Beuys Multiples, a piece called SmileBox by Yoko Ono, and some Maciunas. The funniest thing was two pairs of underpants - white granny-briefs. One was called "Male Underpants" and featured a picture of male genitals painted over the crotch, and the other was "Female Underpants" and looked more familiar...

It's like DaDa or something.

Apparently Beuys didn't like Marcel Duchamp much.
___

Picked up the REsearch version of 'The Atrocity Exhibition' today. Looks cool, and very sexual. I had previously not known that the movie Crash by Cronenberg was inspired by Ballard, as have many other movies...

And Tony's copy of Stroszek arrived so we'll be watching it soon. The movie came out the year I was born, and my BDay is Monday. Cake cake cake!!! A real excuse to eat birthday cake!

Nico + Joy Division = my current inspiration

It's spring and I must begin writing more and more.
______

Happily busy with work:
My contractual obligations for the soundtrack are fulfilled and it feels good. There may be additional work, too.

Doing a recording session at Mark Sandman's studio this weekend for an anti-war thing. Good cause and I've been wanting to check out the vibe there.

Going back to NYC next weekend to do some vox for a friend's album. Sirens of the Apocalypse is the song and album...

Got a big show Saturday Nite, too, and I think a lot of friends will come 'round for it.

Happy as a clam I am~

Currently reading : Musashi: An Epic Novel of the Samurai Era By Eiji Yoshikawa Release date: By 14 July, 1997

Magnetic Fields & other tidbits

Current mood: thirsty
Category: Music

Black Fortress of Opium did a cover of Magnetic Fields' 'Born on a Train', and it's newly up on our myspace page if ya wanna hear. http://myspace.com/blackfortressofopium

We did it for a soundtrack for an indie film to be released later this year...

Also, my ex-boss sent me a cool link with lots of pretty fashion pix of Nico. See here:
http://smironne.free.fr/NICO/mode.html

Last night, I was zoning out after a long day, and I was trying to find out about one of my fave astrologers ~ Rockie Gardiner, who does forecasts for LA Weekly. Somehow, I found a link that said she once went out with Jim Morrison, and that he wrote the song 'LA Woman' about her and she had the original manuscript that showed his written dedication. Cool huh? It seems all roads lead back to The Doors.

Rockie's great, and you can see your future at http://rockiehoroscope.com.

Anarchism in the USA

Current mood: annoyed
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Went to check out my old pal Nick Cooper's film about anarchy the other night.

The film, entitled "Soma", is about anarchism, Wilhelm Reich, somatherapy, and capoeira.

It had footage with an old man named Robert Friere, who started somatherapy.

There was a Q'n'A after the 50-minute film. One attendee, an American woman in her 50s, noted that the people in the film who advocated somatherapy, along with the capoeira component, were homogenous-looking - young, slender, etc. I think she felt left out...I don't blame her. I wonder what people do when they get older...where do they disappear to?

Anyway, for me the film was thought-provoking. It mentioned a tie between fascism and hierarchical societies, i.e. how schools and the workplace train you to take a lot of orders. The film pointed out how a study was done on the sex life of the German worker and it was horrible. Nazi society promoted work and obedience, not pleasure. However, you cannot motivate a worker to work harder when there is no pleasure in their life. And it pointed out the benefits of psychoanalysis to capitalism. Focusing inward on the individual's problems instead of the problems with the system, a.k.a. society. Fascinating, all this...

Tying into this is an article in the most recent VenusZine, in which Yoko Ono is interviewed. She talks about how there are two parties of people - war party and peace party. She noted the war party has it together; they understand each other without speaking. They just go and bomb. However, the peace party is not coordinated, is not as one with itself. And in the documentary, I think there was some talk of how political activists are not close with each other. They don't build relationships with each other. This is what I experienced when I was more politically active. It's like "I'm going to this rally where I have a direct relationship with the speaker. A uni-directional relationship. I listen to them speak and then I leave, untouched by anyone else." It should be more of an outward relationship/experience for it to stick. People have to feel more invested with each other. Or perhaps I am just projecting because I sense a tremendous amount of isolation around me. I do not feel alone per se, but I sense isolations around me. Friends are all here and around, though. Sarah and Juliet dropped by the other night and brought me heavenly brisket and chocolate mousse pie from Seder. We had a lovely sohbet by a lavendar candle while a Spanish harpsichord CD played in the background. And Dorian returned from India. We had our first coffee date yesterday. She brought me a lovely silk scarf. I can't wait to check out her harmonium. Says she's gonna lead bhajans with it soon.

My piano/harpsichord teacher is ill again. This time it's uterine cancer. She says it's very contained and she'd having a laparascopic hysterectomy in a few weeks. She's tough.

Tony and I watched a documentary on Joy Division. They use a lot of footage from 24 Hour Party People - a film I thoroughly enjoyed. Except, the folks interviewed for real all seem to hate Tony Wilson.

Tidbits:
Before he committed suicide, Ian Curtis apparently watched Stroszek by Werner Herzog, and listened to The Idiot by Iggy Pop.

Iggy's playing here in Boston on Saturday, but I'm not going...I think I might check out Xiu Xiu and Shearwater instead. I saw Iggy for free in Austin at SXSW about 10 years ago, and I don't particularly feel the need to pay $70 (cheap according to my landlord!) to see him now in 2007. Though I do wanna hear the new album The Weirdness 'cause I am just so curious about what it sounds like when he and The Stooges collaborate with Steve Albini...

Ian Curtis was influenced by JG Ballard, and I've never read any so I ordered The Atrocity Exhibition from my fave bookstore.