(no subject)

[alonewiththemoon]

Just finished watching Nausicaa, and I can't stop la-la-la-ing that little song she hears in the golden meadow. Is it in your head now too? I've been on a little Miyazaki kick thanks to the rereleases of several DVDs and the new release of Howl's Moving Castle. I agree with several reviewers that the plot twists of Howl were pretty random at times, but I really liked it a lot. Every time you think his movies can't get any more beautiful, they do.

Usually on Sundays I am alone most of the day, and then M gets home from band practice around 9. It feels more odd today than yesterday that he is not here. I don't think we've been apart more than one night since we started living together.

Tonight I am being a bit of a hermit, despite various things I could be doing. The yoga I did yesterday was full of planks and today I weeded the garden, so my shoulders and upper back feel like they are made out of concrete. It feels good in a feelin' the burn kind of way, though. Tomorrow I will dance, and M will get home sometime in the afternoon or evening, and then our vacation really starts.

I went to a very satisfying Kabarett 16-Bit last night. I inadvertantly ended up working the door most of the night, but I like doing that, so that was fine. Featured performers were the I'moan Theatre (the drag king Charlie Chaplin act is so spot on), a movie called Cherry by I forget who but it was a very recognizable portrait of the urban tribe and the struggle for adulthood in its myraid definitions, and the brilliant What Time is It, Mr. Fox, a project of the tremendously talented Brian King. The band bio on the website describes them as "accoustic noir," and that label really fits well. The ensemble last night was just Brian King and violinist (and occasional trumpeter) Nathan Cohen, with Brian playing guitar or piano as suited the songs. Brian's got a gorgeous voice; the set included covers of Billie Holiday (a mix of Strange Fruit and Summertime, neither of which have ever sounded better sung by a white person) and Siouxsie (Melt, and I won a free cd by identifying the artist)(by waving my arms and jumping up and down and yelling Siouxsie, Siouxsie, so I think they were afraid not to give it to me), and various influences could be heard from David Bowie to PJ Harvey to Bessie Smith to all sorts of singers from various genres. Words can hardly express how just perfect Brian's voice is. Nathan Cohen's violin playing often reminded me of Warren Ellis' work with the Bad Seeds circa Murder Ballads and of the Dirty Three. You can hear songs for yourself at the website. Anyway, I highly, highly recommend What Time Is It, Mr. Fox and I think they will be playing in the Boston area more often in the future as band members are moving closer to the city.

I was dead tired earlier and now I'm wide awake. I probably should have gone out, in retrospect, but I'm enjoying the cool night breezes and the company of weasels. I'm not so much enjoying the firecrackers in the parking lot next to the house, but I suppose that's to be expected this time of year. The ferrets aren't very happy about it either. Also, I think they miss M too. Seti keeps looking all over the apartment. Ronan just sits in the bedroom doorway, but then he always does that.

And while I'm waiting here
This heart of mine keeps singing
Lover, come back to me

Comments

[silas7.livejournal.com]

I'm singing that song too. I really liked Nausicaa, I collected the magna too.

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

the set included covers of Billie Holiday (a mix of Strange Fruit and Summertime, neither of which have ever sounded better sung by a white person)

Wow... even better than when Siouxsie sang Billie's songs? Nice!

[alonewiththemoon]

I actually have never cared for Siouxsie's cover of Strange Fruit--I think I just can't get around the fact that she's a white British woman (who face it, used to wear swastikas, even if it was only to be provocative), terribly far removed from the southern black American experience of the song. Some singers can overcome that, but she just doesn't do it for me. Even though Brian King is a white man, he does have outsider experience in our culture to draw on, and more importantly he completely loses himself in the song. With Siouxsie, I mostly hear her trying to turn the song into her rather than the song into herself.

Whew, that was more of an essay than I intended to write! :)

[kambriel.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, perhaps I haven't heard the Siouxsie version clearly enough, because I'm always singing over her ;) I have more of a history with the song though, having been born in the southern Appalachian mountains. Later, when I went to high school for a year in North Carolina, there was still a lot of overt racial tension. I had grown up quite differently than most of the other students though, in other parts of the country which were much more diverse, so my attitude didn't go along with the other white students. When I became friends with the black girls in the chorus I was in, the white kids called me "confused". The Grand Wizard of the klan lived in the same town. I could not get away fast enough.