Sdtrk: ‘Alsh’ by The focus group

Articles of negligible importance:

+ Take the ‘Mod or Fraud’ quiz! TAKE IT!!
I scored 12 right out of 17, which is actually a bit embarrassing

+ New Death in June rarities compilation due out this month, entitled ‘Abandon tracks!’ Funny, you’d think this sort of news would be announced on their website, but it’s not been updated since October of last year. :-\

+ My new favourite music label: Ghost box. They are virtually dripping with that esoteric audio-scientific Sixties British vibe that Broadcast so fervently cultivated in me. ‘Ghost Box is an independent music label for artists that find inspiration in library music albums, folklore, vintage electronics, and the school music room’, they say. O yeah

+ The Main Art Theatre in Royal oak is supposed to be premiering ‘Howl’s moving castle’ this Friday, I believe? Gotta round up the lads for that

+ In playing Otogi for the Xbollox, I noticed something very intriguing. It has what might well be called the best soundtrack for any videogame ever made. It’s like a Heian-era Cocteau twins headed by Brad Laner, if you can dig that shizzle. Lots of taiko drums, lots of shamisen, lots of loops, lots of creepy voices from out of nowhere. Unfortunately, it seems that a soundtrack Cd only exists in my fevered imagination, cos I can’t find one for the life of me. Grrr. And now I gotta buy the sequel??

+ new Japanese mook (one of those Engrish portmanteaus of Magazine + bOOK), called ‘My Doll Friend’, that deals with, well, Artificial companions. Obviously I have to procure a copy by hook or by crook, although fellow Japanese iDollator t-dash (of BACKxFORE fame) mentioned in a recent Email that ‘[On the Japanese Doll BBSes], they say that MOOK doesn’t have the contents which correspond with its price.‘ I remain undeterred!

+ No new Actroid news! Just give it a month or so

+ Finally, it’s supposed to be in the upper eighties outside all this week. Christ in shitty knickers. :-\ One of the things I neglected to mention in my 85 things list is that my ideal temperature is between 60 – 65° Fahrenheit. I can’t stand being out in anything above 75° or so for long periods of time. Sweating is really undignified, unless you’re having it off with someone, and even then I suggest air conditioning

‘Shouting to hear the echoes’. You can’t say you didn’t learn something

Sdtrk: ‘Fallait pas écraser la queue du chat’ by Clothilde

Yup, Jeff & I caught the Dears at the Magic stick again this Sun past, and we successfully managed to drag along Mike as well (he’s even more of a shut-in than I am, if that’s even physically possible). It was a really ace show, and easily better than the last time we saw them..

Departing from Le Jeff’s digs in eighty degree heat (great, Summer’s fuckin’ here already), we reached the locale, and simply walked right upstairs, as there wasn’t really any sort of queue to speak of, which we chalked that up to the fact that it was a Sunday. Having paid for our tickets, we were greeted by a trio of lasses who draped these backstage-pass-like things round our necks, like we’d just set foot on Fantasy Island or something. ‘Welcome to the show!’ said the lasses. ‘Why, thank you!’ I replied. Turns out that the Dears have signed out with that crazy Dentyne ‘Live it Loud’ service, where you can purchase a Cd, recorded directly from the soundboard, of the very concert you just saw. Despite all the corporate trappings, it’s actually a pretty ace idea. See the show, wait 15min, leave the venue with a copy of the show on disk. The passes that we were awarded with were actually contest pieces, as this bloke in a Dentyne shirt checked them under a little UV light. If the pass said you were a winner, you won a free concert Cd (normally $15). None of us were winners, but the checker bloke said we would have another chance if we had any Dentyne on us. We failed in that regard as well. ALAS ALACK

I neglected to mention the doors opened at 8pm. So it was rather surprising that the first opening act, Marjorie fair, went on about 17min after 8. Quickest start-up ever?! None of us had ever heard of them before, and were happy to discover that they didn’t suck. They’re a bit like the Dears, but not nearly as intense.. quite pleasant in a gloomy sort of way. Not bad! Shame their set was so short — they couldn’t have played more than five songs..
The following act, the Shout out louds, weren’t bad either. Three blokes and a rather milkmaidy-looking lass from Sweden, that had a bit of a Nordic pop / Remington super 60 vibe to them. I’d also say some of their tunes sounded a wee bit like New order as well, but I think that was due to their Linn drum. The lead singer explained that their drummer was absent, as he was getting married, so they borrowed a drum machine. Honesty really is the best policy. Midway through their set, George, the drummer from the Dears, took over, and his crazy talents helped to thicken up their sound. But I liked the Linn drum..

I believe the Dears took the stage, to the strains of Yoko Ono’s ‘Let me count the ways’, around quarter to midnight. This marks the fourth time Jeff & I have seen them: once in Ann arbor, once in Windsor, and once before at the Magic stick. They can’t stop touring! In all likelihood, they’ll probably be bringing this leg of the tour to a close, as Natalia was noticeably a couple of months preggers with a bun in the oven. Or a baby, one or the other. The band were in fine form, playing a couple of their soon-to-be-released songs, a good portion of material from ‘No cities left’, and a few songs from ‘End of a Hollywood bedtime story’, which I think is my favourite album of theirs. Murray even had us all clapping in time to ‘Heartless romantic’ during the encore..

After the show was over, Jeff stood in line to get his pre-ordered post-concert Cd, and as I was relatively skint, I bought two Dears buttons instead. We’d noticed that the venue was half-empty, which, in a way, is kinda nice, as you’re not packed in like sardines, but hopefully the performers didn’t think it was just a crappy night. This is why you don’t play Sunday eves! But all in all, we’d agreed it was an excellent show, bringing our party’s total number of skyward-pointing thumbs to three.
Well done, the Dears! Now go home and get some sleep!

Sdtrk: ‘The drowning man’ by the Cure

Another ABS-moulded spotlight on another ace designer; this time it’s Italian-born Joe Colombo.

his ‘Habitat of the Future’ for Visiona 69

Joe Colombo’s future was an anti-nostalgic future (he would not have recognised as “future” the ‘90s in which we live today), in which an intelligent technology would have helped every human activity, laying the foundations for completely new living models. At the time, Joe Colombo designed entire living cells.
quoted from this site

He’s one of my favourites, as he was all about the Modular Living. With regards to his design for appliances, furniture, and living areas, he constructed spaces and things that could be well used and conveniently stored. Where’s the saucepan? Where’s the crockery? Ahhh, it’s all nestled within each other in the Mini-kitchen’s crockery drawer. A Colombo design meant that it promoted more efficient living, yet it was fun at the same time. This is a man who engineered a small glass that could be held with your thumb, while you hang onto your cigarette with the fingers of that same hand. (He loved smoking.) That’s called Getting More Use Out Of A Single Hand!

And no, I’ve no idea what that giant white sphere in the picture is for exactly. In all the articles in print or online that I’ve read that cover the Visiona 69 environment, not a single one indicates what that sphere’s for. Perhaps it contains pure, unfiltered Sixties! I dunno

Sdtrk: ‘Sheila take a bow’ by the Smiths

I have to apologise, after my own fashion, for the lack of recent updates with ‘Shouting etc etc’. Throughout various stages of my life, I’ve always kept journals/diaries, but instead of writing something practically every day, I’ve always been one of those people who doesn’t really bash out a post unless I deem it worthy of public consumption. (Which, all told, should eliminate 90% of the content of this blog.) Also, I’m lazy.
So there’s your apology! If this were a pay site, I’m certain people would be demanding refunds at this point. C’est la guerre!

Wolfgang und Mike und Via Kali und I went on another urban photo safari Thurs morn, which was enjoyable as usual. I was more loath to go outside than normal, as the weather was supposed to be in the low eighties today, but there was virtually no humidity, and it was nice ‘n’ breezy, so it wasn’t too bad. This time round, we visited the Nicolet Townhouses, designed by the man who could do no wrong, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. After that, we hit Eastern market, which I haven’t been to since the Reagan administration. Upon visiting an antique store, Via Kali bought some sort of African musical gourd thing (which may or may not have been cursed — you know that sort of thing goes. Never purchase other-cultural items from secondhand stores. We all saw ‘Gremlins’), and my eye was caught by two things in particular that I naturally can’t afford:

On the left, a Vespa Allstate (I believe they dated it at 1958), $3500. On the right, a Soundesign AM/FM 3-speed turntable with eight-track player, and flashing perspex disco lights in the base, $250. The scooter is negligible — yes, it’s a Vespa, but it’s not grey, silver, black or white, plus I prefer the Sixties models — but I’ve gotta have that feckin’ hi-fi. Who do I have to kill to get that hi-fi??
Ahh, who am I kidding. It’s fab, but it’s no Rosita Stereo commander Luxus. There are other sexy hi-fis out there to be drooled over..

After a luncheon at a pizzeria in Eastern market, we took some pics of 20th century ruins. Such as this one, for example.

That path you see is where train tracks used to be. We don’t know what the building’s former use was, but we believe its two current functions are attracting graffiti artists, and swallowing souls.
Once again, I’m sure the Good People at RoToRs will hasten to put up more photos soon. Well, at the very least, ones different from mine

Sdtrk: ‘Beat surrender’ by the Jam

What’s that, you say? Actroid-chan is now available for rental? Well, then. *big grin*

I think it goes without saying that I have dibs on her first..

(Info in Japanese at http://www.kokoro-dreams.co.jp/ng/actroid/20040721_actroid2/20040721_actroid2.html; movie at the topmost link here)

Sdtrk: ‘The event horizon’ by Air Miami

Right, I can’t believe I’ve not mentioned Eero Aarnio up until this point. Even if you’re not entirely familiar with 20th Century Modern architechture and design, everyone has seen his most famous work at some point or other, such as the Ball chair pictured below.

Aarnio was – and still is – one of the pioneers in using plastic in industrial design. Plastic material set the designers free to create every shape and use every color they wanted. This gave birth to objects oscillating between function and fun – but always fascinating ones. [..] Sitting in [the ball chair] is a special experience, because all surrounding sounds are softed down, and it gives a certain feeling of privacy. Aarnio himself has a ball chair with a telephone in it, and some people had it fitted with speakers.

The very first time I recall seeing one of the fantastic ball chairs was during the mid-Eighties. I was watching this strange-yet-engrossing show on our local Canadian telly station called ‘The Prisoner‘, and apart from the notable fact that No.2’s office/control room was swanky in that austere, Bond-supervillain kind of way, you’d usually see No.2 seated in a ball chair in the centre of the room. Very ace.
Years later, a retro furniture store opened up in nearby Ferndale, and they had the most beautiful and well-preserved ball chair in their window — white exterior, black interior, a matching footstool, plus built-in speakers with a line-in jack for your hi-fi. O yeah. After enquiring as to how much it was, I was told it was $800. Needless to say, I blanched at the time, but upon reflection, for a chair of that calibre, that’s actually a semi-reasonable price.

The chair’s long gone now, of course. Alas!

Sdtrk: ‘Will you be staying after Sunday’ by The Peppermint rainbow

And Happy Victoria Day, Canada! When I move to you in five years, you’re gonna have to esplain to me what that holiday’s all about. (Or rather, aboot.)

Went to the eye doctor on Friday, as I have a chalazion on my left lower eyelid. Actually, I’ve had the bastard for almost two months now, but I’ve been financially unable to have it seen to. Hurrah.
A chalazion, if you’re not familiar with it, is just a fancy Greek name for an eyelid zit. It doesn’t hurt unless I squint real hard, but they’re fecking annoying, and rather damaging to my already-tenuous opinion of my self-image. Mine is currently the size of an airsoft BB, and if I glance to the left and down, I can see it. Mnyeh. I’ve had them before, back a couple of years ago when I was working in the Blood and Serum Mines at Quest diagnostics, and they were hateful back then, too. Since I had really good health insurance through my job, I went and had ’em scraped out. That’s right! The eye doctor clamped on some Clockwork orange-style lidlocks, flipped my lids inside out, and scraped out the offending material. I went in one week to have one done, then went back next week for the other. Thanx to modern localised anaesthetic, the procedure didn’t hurt a lot, it was just very pinchy. So on 6 June I’ll have this one done. I should take before and after pics, so you will know what a chalazion looks like..

I’ll attempt to write something not steeped in nausea later on. Some people are still digesting lunch right now!