As a chess player myself, I especially look forward to seeing "Joueuse", a new French film which just opened in Germany and will be coming to the US soon.
The main character, Hélène, teaches herself how to play chess and then turns to a reclusive American expat (Kevin Kline in his first French-speaking role), whose house she cleans. He willingly helps her with the game, but her playing skills soon overtake his and she begins to live and breathe chess. Meanwhile her new passion threatens her family life – chess is regarded as a form of marital infidelity.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Published Friend
Today I heard from my good friend Joanna Straughn who writes exquisite poetry. We have been friends for a decade and my intellectual and personal life has been greatly enriched by the association. My friend is a very talented poet and she's published her work in reputable journals. I have been a fan of her poetry from the time I was first exposed to it and my life in language is all the better because of it.
She informs me that two additional poems of hers were recently published. I was especially proud of her today as one of the published poems, "Rot", is something I loved right away when I first read it a while back. I remember feeling overpowered by it. Its rhythm evoked the kind of feeling and melancholy I would get when reading Paul Celan's poetry. What impressed me especially was the ending of the poem. It says:
"Have you seen the trees
Ripped up by the bare hands of children,
Beaten down by their shovels
The hour their fate was made plain? ”
There’s such delicate quality to this melancholy language that makes it especially powerful to me. It takes pure talent to find lyrical beauty in such precise and concise language. The kind of talent my friend has. In the other published poem, To Robert Desnos *, the last stanza says:
"He found them in the attainable arms of a woman
Whose alluring eyes alone brought him out
Of a stupor into the heartbeat of human company.
Every café is singing to the birds
Playing a caterwaul of clean intoxication.
The river flows under a bridge
To tell the couple they are alive and good.
Their simple fondness-- a single instance
Of the spirit of human flourishing
Worth defending through any bitter condition."
I highly recommend you read both of these poems. You may find them here. Also, Joanna's excellent book Instinct can be found here.
She informs me that two additional poems of hers were recently published. I was especially proud of her today as one of the published poems, "Rot", is something I loved right away when I first read it a while back. I remember feeling overpowered by it. Its rhythm evoked the kind of feeling and melancholy I would get when reading Paul Celan's poetry. What impressed me especially was the ending of the poem. It says:
"Have you seen the trees
Ripped up by the bare hands of children,
Beaten down by their shovels
The hour their fate was made plain? ”
There’s such delicate quality to this melancholy language that makes it especially powerful to me. It takes pure talent to find lyrical beauty in such precise and concise language. The kind of talent my friend has. In the other published poem, To Robert Desnos *, the last stanza says:
"He found them in the attainable arms of a woman
Whose alluring eyes alone brought him out
Of a stupor into the heartbeat of human company.
Every café is singing to the birds
Playing a caterwaul of clean intoxication.
The river flows under a bridge
To tell the couple they are alive and good.
Their simple fondness-- a single instance
Of the spirit of human flourishing
Worth defending through any bitter condition."
I highly recommend you read both of these poems. You may find them here. Also, Joanna's excellent book Instinct can be found here.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Best Films of 2009: The Hangover, Sherlock Holmes, Up in the Air, (500) Days of Summer
While there was no shortage of films in 2009, there was a definite shortage in quality. Some films, however, were indeed quite good, hence my winners of the year.
4) The Hangover. I was traveling internationally when The Hangover opened. The story takes place in Vegas and having been to Vegas a number of times I felt director Todd Phillips captured the city most accurately. I reviewed The Hangover when it first opened and you may read that review here. This is not the kind of film that provokes great thoughts and inspires much reflection. This is the kind of film that manages to entertain in a most believable way, however. And those who have experienced Las Vegas, get this film and its humor rather effortlessly. This is also a kind of film that tips the hat to true friendships and selfless sociality. In a nutshell, I liked this very well.
3) Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Why? Because I'm an unapologetic fan of Guy Ritchie and because, and I truly can't say this more clearly, Robert Downey Jr. is simply very cool. And so is this film. Downey is the kind of actor who embodies the craft in a way that seems quite incomparable. In Sherlock, he relies on Jude Law and Rachel McAdams but he clearly needs neither. Who allows Downey's talent to shine better on the screen though is Lord Blackwood (played beautifully by the talented Mark Strong) who plays one of Holmes's enemies in the film. While in the actual story, Holmes truly needs Watson, in the Ritchie version of the film, Watson (Jude Law) is more of an additional crutch Holmes might need occasionally.
I cannot think of another director who understands male/male friendships and relationships better than Guy Ritchie. If you have doubts, might I suggest that you look at his Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch? Who better to capture the intimate relationship between Holmes and Watson or Holmes and Lord Blackwood than Ritchie? The man is a natural when it comes to 'man speak.' Incidentally, what gives this film the extra oomph are exactly those moments of familiarity and intimacy that Holmes and Watson share when in the middle of a crisis. Watson chastises Holmes for being a slob around the house and for never cleaning up. I high recommend this. It will not disappoint. And if it does, chalk it up to your lack of exposure to Ritchie humor, I suppose.
2) Jason Reitman's Up n the Air. I didn't quite know what to expect here. George Cloony stars in this picture along with the much underrated but very much talented Vera Varmiga. (Incidentally, if you have not seen Farmiga along with Adrien Brody in Dummy, do so. She has breathtaking range.)
The premise of Up in the Air is the following: A man named Ryan (played well by Cloony) spends more time traveling than staying put on the ground. He has one major mission in life: to collect 10 million miles of flying. His occupation: Firing people. His life seems to be detached from the daily constraints of normal human life as he is not attached to people or real estate. "The slower we move, the faster we die" he says. And the way Cloony renders this line is shear perfection, I thought.
Ryan seems to be quite happy with his existence. Till he meets a female version of himself, that is. Vera Farmiga plays the character of Alex most convincingly. From the beginning Alex seems to be too good to be true and Farmiga manages to make the audience like her and be on her side. Till we meet her in her Chicago residence at which point the actual devirginization of the Cloony character happens. In a way, Ryan acquired his humanity after his own attitudes about life, his career, and living and debunked.
This is a very good film. This is also a difficult film to watch as it is, after all, mostly about people losing their jobs and facing an unknown future. And there's nothing funny or warm about that. However, the film, and Cloony especially, manage to bring a measure of dignity to one of the worst experiences a working human can have, that of losing a job.
1) And the best film of 2009 would definitely have to be (500) Days of Summer. I liked this so well that I wrote an academic article on it. I am also presenting my work at an academic conference in March the proceedings of which I will also post here. My draft of that article may be found here. In nuce, this is a nigh perfect summary of the Zeitgeist.
4) The Hangover. I was traveling internationally when The Hangover opened. The story takes place in Vegas and having been to Vegas a number of times I felt director Todd Phillips captured the city most accurately. I reviewed The Hangover when it first opened and you may read that review here. This is not the kind of film that provokes great thoughts and inspires much reflection. This is the kind of film that manages to entertain in a most believable way, however. And those who have experienced Las Vegas, get this film and its humor rather effortlessly. This is also a kind of film that tips the hat to true friendships and selfless sociality. In a nutshell, I liked this very well.
3) Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes. Why? Because I'm an unapologetic fan of Guy Ritchie and because, and I truly can't say this more clearly, Robert Downey Jr. is simply very cool. And so is this film. Downey is the kind of actor who embodies the craft in a way that seems quite incomparable. In Sherlock, he relies on Jude Law and Rachel McAdams but he clearly needs neither. Who allows Downey's talent to shine better on the screen though is Lord Blackwood (played beautifully by the talented Mark Strong) who plays one of Holmes's enemies in the film. While in the actual story, Holmes truly needs Watson, in the Ritchie version of the film, Watson (Jude Law) is more of an additional crutch Holmes might need occasionally.
I cannot think of another director who understands male/male friendships and relationships better than Guy Ritchie. If you have doubts, might I suggest that you look at his Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch? Who better to capture the intimate relationship between Holmes and Watson or Holmes and Lord Blackwood than Ritchie? The man is a natural when it comes to 'man speak.' Incidentally, what gives this film the extra oomph are exactly those moments of familiarity and intimacy that Holmes and Watson share when in the middle of a crisis. Watson chastises Holmes for being a slob around the house and for never cleaning up. I high recommend this. It will not disappoint. And if it does, chalk it up to your lack of exposure to Ritchie humor, I suppose.
2) Jason Reitman's Up n the Air. I didn't quite know what to expect here. George Cloony stars in this picture along with the much underrated but very much talented Vera Varmiga. (Incidentally, if you have not seen Farmiga along with Adrien Brody in Dummy, do so. She has breathtaking range.)
The premise of Up in the Air is the following: A man named Ryan (played well by Cloony) spends more time traveling than staying put on the ground. He has one major mission in life: to collect 10 million miles of flying. His occupation: Firing people. His life seems to be detached from the daily constraints of normal human life as he is not attached to people or real estate. "The slower we move, the faster we die" he says. And the way Cloony renders this line is shear perfection, I thought.
Ryan seems to be quite happy with his existence. Till he meets a female version of himself, that is. Vera Farmiga plays the character of Alex most convincingly. From the beginning Alex seems to be too good to be true and Farmiga manages to make the audience like her and be on her side. Till we meet her in her Chicago residence at which point the actual devirginization of the Cloony character happens. In a way, Ryan acquired his humanity after his own attitudes about life, his career, and living and debunked.
This is a very good film. This is also a difficult film to watch as it is, after all, mostly about people losing their jobs and facing an unknown future. And there's nothing funny or warm about that. However, the film, and Cloony especially, manage to bring a measure of dignity to one of the worst experiences a working human can have, that of losing a job.
1) And the best film of 2009 would definitely have to be (500) Days of Summer. I liked this so well that I wrote an academic article on it. I am also presenting my work at an academic conference in March the proceedings of which I will also post here. My draft of that article may be found here. In nuce, this is a nigh perfect summary of the Zeitgeist.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
"Nine" Motion Picture: A Review
Having grown up on Cinecitta films, I had my share of expectations for the new Rob Marshall film, Nine. Alas, none of the expectations were met. Daniel Day Lewis is undoubtedly one of the best actors of our time but in Nine he is neither a Marcello Mastroiani nor a Federico Fellini. And I really wanted to be utterly wowed by him. I wasn't. But not due to any of fault of his own. Bless his heart, the chap does try so. But there's only that much an actor can do when faced with a mediocre script and other performers who give less than what they can actually give. I'm referring to Marion Cotillard here. Even Dame Judy Dench.
I don't think I've looked at my watch more often than I did when in the theater suffering through this picture. The only enjoyable bit of the film comes from a little track Sophia Loren sings. But then again, she is Sophia Loren and I can't remember one single film of hers where I didn't pay attention. Very few performers beg for that kind of attention in this day and age. The rest of the actors were sub par, to say the least. Especially Fergie with her "Be Italian" rendering. Yawn.
Where did all the exquisitely gawdy Cinecitta references go? I'm sure someone could have made Marshall aware of them. I was hoping to see quite a few of them. I left the theater feeling underwhelmed, to say the least, and, more specifically, frustrated for not suggesting to my party that we see Jason Reitman's Up in the Air, instead. But I do love Fellini so.... I suppose when in the mood for some Fellini, check out some actual Fellini. I now feel like I need to overcompensate for the loss of two full hours in the theater.
In nuce, Nine did not live up to the hype. Hardly. And I was rooting for it. It's an embarrassing raising of the glass to utter vanity, promoted narcissism, and populist glory. In short, this picture is your usual case of form trumping content most thoroughly and on every level. Shallowness cannot be filled by the greatest talent regardless of how many Oscar winners you throw into the mix. And Daniel Day Lewis tries hard to convey the tortured artist as convincingly as he knows how but how can he succeed when all he has to rely on are flashy costumes, designer shades, and a rather well-made black suit? After all, it cannot be easy to call Sophia Loren your mamma and most of his artistic torture seems to stem from that relationship. I truly wished Marshall did his literature homework better and actually developed it more adequately.
Quel dommage!
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graph via http://media.photobucket.com/image/nine%20daniel%20day%20lewis/The_Playlist/more/nine-daniel-day-lewis.jpg
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Avatar and Na'vi
If you've seen Avatar but do not really care to verbalize the fact that you were sort of into the whole 3-D experience, and perhaps even James Cameron, you might find that economy of speech will not quite apply to one aspect of it: the Na'vi language. If you're at all linguistically minded, you're bound to be impressed by this achievement.
In the spirit of candidness, I tend to have little interest in Cameron's work. I'm more interested in Nolan's type of action films, think Dark Knight. But, be it as it may, it is quite impressive to learn about the extensive work and research that Cameron put into this film, the narrative, and the language of the Na'vi. To create the Na'vi language, the director hired linguist Paul Frommer of USC's Marshall School of Business. This site has much to say about the syntax and phonology of the Frommer-concocted language. In sum, impressive stuff. Reading this information on Na'vi made me think the following, "so, basically, Na'vi is like a West Germanic language, verbal and substantive inflection allows for movement within the sentence. Hmm."
A bit from the article says:
Syntax
The most notable aspect of Na’vi syntax is the freedom of word order. The case system allows all 6 sequences of S, O, and V. Additionally, adjectives, genitives, and relative clauses can either precede or follow their heads.
Nouns and adjectives are tied together by the morpheme a, which comes between them and is attached as a bound morpheme to the adjective. For example, ‘long river’ is either ngima kilvan or kilvan angim.
So, tip of the hat to James Cameron and Paul Frommer for a most impressive cinematic and linguistic project.
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graph per independent.co.uk
Thursday, December 17, 2009
"Sweet Disposition" Bike Ad
I don't watch commercials but I ran into this by accident. Why wouldn't I? It features Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition" and a road bike reminiscent of my Jamis Ventura. If watched more commercials maybe I'd be able to make more analogies but I don't. This commercial however, captures the biking experience as well as anything.
I approve.
I approve.
Neophilia and Tiger Woods-ing
Neophilia is a term I first heard used with reference to me years ago. I already knew I had it. I just hadn’t been officially diagnosed with it yet.
I suppose it was one of those things everyone knew to be true but never felt the need to address out loud.
She’s a neophiliac, you know? Or if she's not fully a neophiliac she has definite tendencies for neophilia. To me, the thing sounded almost like a chronic condition which, I have to admit, I found rather amusing.
So, what’s a neophiliac? According to Wikipedia, a neophiliac or neophile is an individual who is unusually accepting of new things and excited by novelty.
Accepting of new technology? Check.
Excited by technology? Mais oui. Check, please!
So the diagnosis was one I accepted fully.
A close friend noted the other day that he has yet to remember seeing me use old things. He suggested that we go vintage clothes shopping and before finishing the sentence he says, "Oh, yeah, I know. You don't do old or vintage."
I can’t use old things. I don’t get a kick out of going to vintage stores (I have tried. I did the legwork et al.), I don’t like used stuff, I literally feel like I’m breaking into hives the moment I try someone else’s clothes, for instance. I’m not a germophobe, though. It’s the fundamental craving for neophilia that creates this kind of discomfort with old things.
I’ll illustrate the point by bringing up a concrete example: the iPhone and my continuing love affair with it.
I wonder how it happened that a little gadget became more appealing to me than the most exciting and interesting person you’ve ever met who constantly carries on about some very exciting topic: how wonderful they think you are and blah, blah, blah. And yet, you have the need to check the New York Times App and see what new articles have been posted in the past few hours you haven’t checked or if iTunes has resolved that problem you had with your recent Entourage purchase.
Because, of course, you cannot check at a different time.
You’re out with the people you like very well. You’re having an enjoyable time, the topic of discussion are attention-grabbing and you're especially proud of the ensemble you put together, and, yet, in the middle of the night you have this strong need to reach down your purse/messenger bag and take out your iPhone. Meanwhile the other people are in the process of narrating. You find yourself following along even interjecting the usual ‘wow,’ ‘huh,’ ‘gripping’ and yet you do what you otherwise do not tolerate. And social multitasking vexes me. I generally find it a bad idea and I expressly comment against it. The double standard here is so strong that to address it I’d have to write another post and I’m not feeling particularly self-correcting at the moment so I’ll let it go for now.
I’ve managed to manage basically most of anything else but my craving for neophilia. If it’s a new notion, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and companies I respect created it, I feel I have to, at least, try it. I tried to explain just this to my party on a recent trip to Chicago that I had to stop at the Apple store just for a little bit. Translation: a two-hour stop. I think the answer was something like, "You know, some go to the Gap, others watch the Wendy Williams Show. My guilty pleasure is allowing my eyes to graze at the Apple store. Let it go. It's my thing."
I’ve tried not bringing the iPhone along and the experience wasn’t a pleasant one. I kept wondering if I was missing out on something. I was told I looked like I was hopped up on caffeine at 1:00 in the morning. So, not good. Naturally, I didn’t miss out on much. How much novelty can occur on a weekend night between 9:00pm-2:30am, after all? It turns out, not much at all. I excuse myself, go to another space, send a text to my other party saying, “Yeah. I have nothing of substance to say other than, I think I’m Tiger Woods-ing. Relax. The other party(ies) is the iPhone.”
I rarely go anywhere without my iPhone. I don’t do so because I have to know who’s calling, texting, or emaling. I do so because I’ve gotten accustomed to the feeling of comfort I get knowing that I won’t get lost somewhere in Southern California, Eastern Canada, or Central Ohio. The point is, I also bring the iPhone to social gatherings.
I've given this a whole lot of thought and the best thing I could say about such 'chronic conditions' as neophilia is to embrace them, work with them, and find productive ways to incorporate them in quotidianity. It turns out, neophilia is quite a little helper, actually.
So, today, my tip of the hat goes to my favorite chronic condition, neophilia.
I suppose it was one of those things everyone knew to be true but never felt the need to address out loud.
She’s a neophiliac, you know? Or if she's not fully a neophiliac she has definite tendencies for neophilia. To me, the thing sounded almost like a chronic condition which, I have to admit, I found rather amusing.
So, what’s a neophiliac? According to Wikipedia, a neophiliac or neophile is an individual who is unusually accepting of new things and excited by novelty.
Accepting of new technology? Check.
Excited by technology? Mais oui. Check, please!
So the diagnosis was one I accepted fully.
A close friend noted the other day that he has yet to remember seeing me use old things. He suggested that we go vintage clothes shopping and before finishing the sentence he says, "Oh, yeah, I know. You don't do old or vintage."
I can’t use old things. I don’t get a kick out of going to vintage stores (I have tried. I did the legwork et al.), I don’t like used stuff, I literally feel like I’m breaking into hives the moment I try someone else’s clothes, for instance. I’m not a germophobe, though. It’s the fundamental craving for neophilia that creates this kind of discomfort with old things.
I’ll illustrate the point by bringing up a concrete example: the iPhone and my continuing love affair with it.
I wonder how it happened that a little gadget became more appealing to me than the most exciting and interesting person you’ve ever met who constantly carries on about some very exciting topic: how wonderful they think you are and blah, blah, blah. And yet, you have the need to check the New York Times App and see what new articles have been posted in the past few hours you haven’t checked or if iTunes has resolved that problem you had with your recent Entourage purchase.
Because, of course, you cannot check at a different time.
You’re out with the people you like very well. You’re having an enjoyable time, the topic of discussion are attention-grabbing and you're especially proud of the ensemble you put together, and, yet, in the middle of the night you have this strong need to reach down your purse/messenger bag and take out your iPhone. Meanwhile the other people are in the process of narrating. You find yourself following along even interjecting the usual ‘wow,’ ‘huh,’ ‘gripping’ and yet you do what you otherwise do not tolerate. And social multitasking vexes me. I generally find it a bad idea and I expressly comment against it. The double standard here is so strong that to address it I’d have to write another post and I’m not feeling particularly self-correcting at the moment so I’ll let it go for now.
I’ve managed to manage basically most of anything else but my craving for neophilia. If it’s a new notion, it’s aesthetically pleasing, and companies I respect created it, I feel I have to, at least, try it. I tried to explain just this to my party on a recent trip to Chicago that I had to stop at the Apple store just for a little bit. Translation: a two-hour stop. I think the answer was something like, "You know, some go to the Gap, others watch the Wendy Williams Show. My guilty pleasure is allowing my eyes to graze at the Apple store. Let it go. It's my thing."
I’ve tried not bringing the iPhone along and the experience wasn’t a pleasant one. I kept wondering if I was missing out on something. I was told I looked like I was hopped up on caffeine at 1:00 in the morning. So, not good. Naturally, I didn’t miss out on much. How much novelty can occur on a weekend night between 9:00pm-2:30am, after all? It turns out, not much at all. I excuse myself, go to another space, send a text to my other party saying, “Yeah. I have nothing of substance to say other than, I think I’m Tiger Woods-ing. Relax. The other party(ies) is the iPhone.”
I rarely go anywhere without my iPhone. I don’t do so because I have to know who’s calling, texting, or emaling. I do so because I’ve gotten accustomed to the feeling of comfort I get knowing that I won’t get lost somewhere in Southern California, Eastern Canada, or Central Ohio. The point is, I also bring the iPhone to social gatherings.
I've given this a whole lot of thought and the best thing I could say about such 'chronic conditions' as neophilia is to embrace them, work with them, and find productive ways to incorporate them in quotidianity. It turns out, neophilia is quite a little helper, actually.
So, today, my tip of the hat goes to my favorite chronic condition, neophilia.
New Article Available on Journal
My literary theory-informed article on a relatively little known German medieval text called der borte is now published and available on the journal Neophilologus. The title of the article is Economics of Virtue in Dietrich von der Glezze’s der borte: A Wife Errant and a Husband Caught.
You may access the abstract and more information on the article here.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Colbert and Alicia Keys: New York Remix
I cannot think of a better person to explain pop culture remixing than Stephen Colbert. Watch the following Colbertian version of the Alicia Keys and Jay-Z uber-popular track Empire State of Mind. I don't know about you, but I definitely prefer the Colbert remix.
And, according to the nonfactzone here are the Colbert lyrics:
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I love New York, King of all the Cities
Lived up by the Guggenheim, ’til I got some kiddies
Moved to Connecticut, ‘bye George Pataki
Volvo to the dry-cleaners, pickin’ up my khakis
Shoppin’ mall is close, my community is gated
My shorties are all private school educated
Home theater system, 60-inch plasma
Clean suburban air, much better for my asthma
Still hit the city, Times Square, keep it real
Hard Rock Cafe for the appetizer deal
M&M Store, Disney Store, I’m in heaven
I own this town from 41st to 47th
Take you to The Lion King, that show is fantastic
Leave half an hour early so I can beat the traffic
I can get home really fast, driver rocks an E-Z Pass
Land of cheaper gas and the upper middle class
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down | ||||
| ||||
And, according to the nonfactzone here are the Colbert lyrics:
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I love New York, King of all the Cities
Lived up by the Guggenheim, ’til I got some kiddies
Moved to Connecticut, ‘bye George Pataki
Volvo to the dry-cleaners, pickin’ up my khakis
Shoppin’ mall is close, my community is gated
My shorties are all private school educated
Home theater system, 60-inch plasma
Clean suburban air, much better for my asthma
Still hit the city, Times Square, keep it real
Hard Rock Cafe for the appetizer deal
M&M Store, Disney Store, I’m in heaven
I own this town from 41st to 47th
Take you to The Lion King, that show is fantastic
Leave half an hour early so I can beat the traffic
I can get home really fast, driver rocks an E-Z Pass
Land of cheaper gas and the upper middle class
Assorted Links: Biology of Music and Black Metal University Course
1) The Biology of Music: Why do we like what we like?
"Rock is especially popular because it emphasizes the musical intervals whose frequency relationships are those we hear in the human speech."
More here.
2) This was a most interesting article to me. A Germanist at Emory teaches a course on black metal. A bit says: "Mr. Butler, an assistant professor of German studies at Emory University, talked about black-metal music — in its second-wave, largely Norwegian form — as a cryptic expression of Roman Catholicism. He started with the 16th-century Council of Trent and the early modern church. He quoted lyrics from the face-painted, early-1990s Norwegian black-metal bands Gorgoroth and Immortal; he framed black metal as respecting some of rock’s orthodoxies, as opposed to the heresies of disco and punk; and he spoke of black metal’s preoccupation with “the abiding and transcendent: stone, mountain, moon.”
And here:
"“The black metal event is a confession without need of absolution, without need of redemption,” he said. It is, he added, “a cleaning up of the mess of others.” He invoked the old English tradition of sin eating by means of burial cakes, in which a loaf of bread was put on a funeral bier or a corpse, and a paid member of the community would eat the bread, representing sin, to absolve and comfort the deceased.
“Black metal has become the sin eater,” he intoned. “It is engaged in transgressive behavior to be rid of it.” "
I highly recommend you read this in its entirety. Read more here.
"Rock is especially popular because it emphasizes the musical intervals whose frequency relationships are those we hear in the human speech."
More here.
2) This was a most interesting article to me. A Germanist at Emory teaches a course on black metal. A bit says: "Mr. Butler, an assistant professor of German studies at Emory University, talked about black-metal music — in its second-wave, largely Norwegian form — as a cryptic expression of Roman Catholicism. He started with the 16th-century Council of Trent and the early modern church. He quoted lyrics from the face-painted, early-1990s Norwegian black-metal bands Gorgoroth and Immortal; he framed black metal as respecting some of rock’s orthodoxies, as opposed to the heresies of disco and punk; and he spoke of black metal’s preoccupation with “the abiding and transcendent: stone, mountain, moon.”
And here:
"“The black metal event is a confession without need of absolution, without need of redemption,” he said. It is, he added, “a cleaning up of the mess of others.” He invoked the old English tradition of sin eating by means of burial cakes, in which a loaf of bread was put on a funeral bier or a corpse, and a paid member of the community would eat the bread, representing sin, to absolve and comfort the deceased.
“Black metal has become the sin eater,” he intoned. “It is engaged in transgressive behavior to be rid of it.” "
I highly recommend you read this in its entirety. Read more here.
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