i remember traveling via SCOOTERS with a few other AMERICAN TEACHERS from our base in MANDALAY, where we taught, to MOUNT POPA some hundred miles to the south.  en route the INEVITABLE happened and one of my PEERS' CHEAP CHINESE SCOOTERS crapped out and they were EFFECTIVELY STUCK in the MIDDLE of NOWHERE.  i REMEMBER being in a SMALL VILLAGE and the LOCALES sought us out and helped us repair it, even gave us FOOD at no charge.  the ETHOS there being that assisting SOMEONE TRULY in NEED is by DEFINITION GOOD KARMA and the absolute ETHICAL THING to do.  it may sound CONTRIVED and UNBELIEVABLE, but you have to UNDERSTAND they literally dead set on not allowing us to reimburse them.  at all.

that GENEROSITY towards STRANGERS and GENUINE COMPASSION of HEART towards the TRAVAILS of OTHERS is what i choose to think of when remembering the PEOPLE of MYANMAR.  that despite materially having so LITTLE, even that LITTLE they are willing to PART with to assist ANOTHER in NEED. 

it is a truly SPECIAL PLACE.

and its a DEPLORABLE TRAGEDY that such a WONDERFUL COMMUNITY is ruled by such a BRUTAL MILITARY JUNTA, who allow for no free thought or POLITICAL PARTICIPATION in STATE MATTERS.  the BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY (KAMOLI, 2009) DOCUMENTARY is a FIRST-HAND DEPICTION of the HARROWING LENGTHS to which JOURNALISTS were willing to gather VISUAL EVIDENCE of UNRELENTING MILITARY CRACKDOWNS on 100,000 CITIZEN PROTESTORS in YANGON in 2007 at RISK of CERTAIN TORTURE and DEATH by the AUTHORITIES.  the DEMOCRATIC VOICE OF BURMA (DVB) was one of the few INDEPENDENT MEDIA GROUPS in the country that bypassed INTERNET LINES run by the GOVERNMENT for SATELLITE ACCESS that was beyond their CONTROL.  it is not HYBERBOLE to state that these DVB VIDEO-JOURNALISTS were ACTIVELY hunted by the MILITARY JUNTA as their VISUAL EVIDENCE contradicted STATE NARRATIVES / PROPAGANDA and therein embarrassed such on a GLOBAL STAGE. 

​in this FILM you are literally witnessing the 2007 SAFFRON REVOLUTION FOOTAGE that MULTIPLE VIDEO-JOURNALISTS risked and provided for that were resulted in their ULTIMATE CAPTURE by STATE AUTHORITIES and given LIFE-TIME PRISON SENTENCES for their PARTICIPATION.  you also see first hand PROTESTORS being SHOT POINT BLANK by RIOT POLICE and the BRAVERY of thousands of ORDINARY BURMESE CITIZENS rising up in unison for NONVIOLENT PROTEST knowing such is the CASE.  as documented in the FILM, PEOPLE were scared to PARTICIPATE or even VOICE MILD DISCONTENT concerning the GOVERNMENT until the SANGHA, or BUDDHIST MONK-HOOD, rose up and protested NONVIOLENTLY against the MILITARY JUNTA on RELIGIOUS GROUND.  this provided COVER for tens-of-thousands of PROTESTORS who showed up over MULTIPLE DAYS.  then the INEVITABLE CRACKDOWN as the JUNTA's generals COWARDLY conducted INDISCRIMINATE RAIDS across YANGON under the cover of night and IMPRISONED and later ASSASSINATED UNTOLD NUMBERS of both CITIZENS and MONKS alike, MALE and FEMALE.  the DOCUMENTARY ends with the RESISTANCE in tatters and the MAIN DVB ORGANIZER going about his return to MYANMAR from THAILAND in order to recruit and rebuild the STRUCTURE again from SCRATCH.

in the UNITED STATES there is a lot of EMPTY LIP SERVICE towards IDEALS like LIBERTY and FREEDOM.  the FACT that here you have an estimated 100,000 REGULAR PEOPLE in a BRUTALLY VIOLENT SOUTHEAST ASIAN MILITARY JUNTA who ALL STOOD UP, RISKED EVERYTHING with no GLOBAL ASSISTANCE, BORE WITNESS and COLLECTIVELY ASSUMED THE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES of such when their card was called should serve as an ABSOLUTE INDICTMENT for our own EMPTY RHETORIC on the SUBJECT. 

did we assist them?  help propel their noble efforts at eradicating such a devastating organization?  nope. 

MYANMAR has no MATERIAL WEALTH for us to INVEST in, CAPITALIZE upon or EXPLOIT so the UNACCEPTABLE STATUS QUO just carries forth into the FUTURE.  with all that WANTON PAIN and HUMAN SUFFERING involved.  

HYPOCRITES is what we are as AMERICANS.

ive spent an EXORBITANT AMOUNT of TIME on this PLANET being OUTSIDE of my NATIVE COUNTRY and its occurred to me almost DAILY how that EXPERIENCE has influenced my OWN PERCEPTIONS of the UNITED STATES.  every day i am reminded through TELEVISED NEWS COVERAGE, OVERHEARD CONVERSATIONS and FORMAL DISCUSSIONS in GRADUATE SCHOOL how little AMERICANS understand the OUTSIDE WORLD that they ECONOMICALLY, MILITARILY and CULTURALLY DOMINATE.  its a very OFF DYNAMIC that often feels completely ONE-SIDED and often i find MYSELF feeling ISOLATED and ALIENATED in the PROCESS.  im just far too OLD and STUBBORN to conform at this STAGE and i just take it like it comes, but i often feel the OUTSIDER pretty INTIMATELY in my OWN COUNTRY.

which brings me to the LEGENDARY PHOTOGRAPHER ROBERT FRANK and his SEMINAL WORK documenting the CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES throughout the IMMEDIATE POST-WAR PERIOD on through the CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT and beyond.  given his STATUS as a FIRST-GENERATION IMMIGRANT one cannot help but feel there is a CERTAIN LEVEL of OBJECTIVITY to his PHOTOGRAPHY, almost as if he was making CONNECTIONS and OBSERVATIONS in REAL-TIME with the REST of the COUNTRY, who was likewise mining and developing its own AMENDED IDENTITY throughout that FRAUGHT PERIOD.  FRANK, along with his FAMILY are of SWISS NATIONALITY (except his GERMAN father who was STATELESS during WWII) and JEWISH DESCENT.  FRANK the immigrated to AMERICA in 1947 initially as a FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER for HARPER'S BAZAAR. 

his CIRCUMSTANCE as an IMMIGRANT in NEW YORK CITY reminded me of what WRITER E.B. WHITE once FAMOUSLY stated about the THREE NEW YORKS, that (and i am PARAPHRASING here) there are THOSE born there that take such for GRANTED, THOSE that commute there DAILY who consume such but are never really fully a PART of it and THOSE that were born somewhere else and sought out NEW YORK specifically in search of SOMETHING and thus benefit it with their RESTLESS ENERGY.  that NATIVES bring a SENSE of STABILITY and CONTINUITY, but the IMMIGRANTS bring their UNIQUE PASSION.  that was FRANK and AMERICA is his LIFE-LONG SUBJECT most FAMOUSLY crystalized in ARGUABLY the most CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHIC BOOK of ALL-TIME, THE AMERICANS (GROVE PRESS, 1958).  in the TRADITION of WALKER EVANS, JAKOB TUGGENER and BILL BRANDT, everyday AMERICANS are presented UNADORNED and in the throes of DAILY LIFE;  STRUGGLING, PERSEVERING, COLLABORATING, WORKING and SURVIVING with a SENSE of GENTEEL DIGNITY and COMMON GRACE as only an OUTSIDER could REVEAL.  the TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT of that UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE cannot be OVERSTATED.  such REVELATION is a COMMON THREAD amongst AMERICAN HISTORY, going back to the FOUNDING with the MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE, and its TRAGIC that we've lost sight of such in RECENT DECADES.  the CULTURAL POTENCY of IMMIGRANTS to see in our CULTURE and COUNTRY what NATIVE-BORN CITIZENS cannot.

most of his CAREER FRANK transitioned into AVANT-GARDE FILMMAKING.  his works impose a SENSE of CINÉMA VÉRITÉ almost out of NECESSITY given his IMPROVISATIONAL utilization of the FILM CAMERA in the MOMENT, much as with his PHOTOGRAPHY.  AESTHETICALLY his FILM CATALOGUE is more about that CAPTURED MOMENT rather then the WELL-LIT, laboriously EDITED and intensely MANUFACTURED LEVEL expected by PROFESSIONAL HOLLYWOOD STANDARDS.  his was more the PRODUCT of an ITERATIVE, WORK-MAN like ETHOS that was AMATEURISH in PROCESS and INTENT and thus somewhat more AUTHENTIC in its lack of NARRATIVE COHERENCE or CONSTRUCTION.  when considering his IMMENSE LEGACY, his FILM CATALOGUE is merely a FOOTNOTE to his PHOTOGRAPHY, of which he is on the very SHORT LIST of SEMINAL 20th century EXAMPLES.

the DON'T BLINK: ROBERT FRANK (ARTE, 2015) DOCUMENTARY is an INTIMATE RETROSPECTIVE LOOK at his FINAL YEARS and his own SENSE of his ENDURING LEGACY as an AMERICAN VISIONARY who was inarguably INSTRUMENTAL in presenting the YOUNG, UPSTART NATION to ITSELF and the WORLD in the CENTURY it DOMINATED.  in PURE FRANK FASHION, he seemed to avoid the CONVERSATION entirely and shrift off such talk of ACCOLADES for SOMEONE ELSE to determine.  even at that AGE he felt he still had VITAL, MEANINGFUL WORK to accomplish.  that he wasn't finished quite yet.

and you cant get more AMERICAN than that!  more WORK is always AROUND the CORNER, even if DEATH halts you in your TRACKS FIRST.

the ARCHETYPE of the SOCIALLY-ISOLATED, TORTURED GENIUS is pretty firmly rooted in WESTERN CULTURE.  the VERY IDEA that the GIFT that nourishes also consumes ONE in the PROCESS is ARGUABLY a CONSTANT MAXIM in a POST-CAPITALIST SOCIETY like the UNITED KINGDOM, ESPECIALLY when you consider the UNLIKELY EXAMPLE of one LEE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, the SON of a TEACHER and TAXI DRIVER, who SCRATCHED and CLAWED his way from HUMBLE SOUTHEAST LONDON to the VERY APEX of the FASHION WORLD only to EFFECTIVELY lose everything through SUICIDE at the ARGUABLE ZENITH of his CULTURAL INFLUENCE and CREATIVE POWERS.  even an ADMITTED FASHION LUDDITE like myself was keenly aware of MCQUEEN via his EXPERIMENTAL COLLABORATIONS with AVANT-POP MUSICIANS like BJORK and LADY GAGA during his LIFETIME, which only proves his APPEAL as a PROMINENT CULTURAL FIGURE who transcended the WORLD of HIGH FASHION.

and as much as the LOVINGLY-EXECUTED MCQUEEN (LIONSGATE, 2018) DOCUMENTARY provides AMPLE EVIDENCE regarding his SINGULAR TALENTS and PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to translate OPAQUE SOCIO-CULTURAL and LITERARY REFERENCES into COHERENT COLLECTIONS, the FOCUS remains SQUARELY on his ULTIMATE INABILITY to find SOLACE and INNER PEACE through his WORK, a VEHICLE for the PRODUCTIVE SUBLIMATION of IMMENSE PERSONAL TRAUMA from REPEATED CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE and how the LOSS of his BELOVED MOTHER JOYCE was something to DEAR to bear which ULTIMATELY DRAGGED HIM UNDER.  MCQUEEN's is a CAUTIONARY TALE about the DARK UNDERBELLY of AMBITION and SUCCESS, and how such does LITTLE to alleviate the PRE-EXISTING PROBLEMS of those who reach its UPPER ECHELONS of CULTURAL RELEVANCY, from KURT COBAIN, ELVIS PRESLEY, JANIS JOPLIN and LIL PEEP on down through AMY WINEHOUSE, HEATH LEDGER, CHRIS FARLEY, MATHEW PERRY and PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN.  more than 15 years since his PASSING, its still SHOCKING to consider that SOMEONE with the SHEER CREATIVITY and UNBRIDLED IMAGINATION to connect and elevate the WORLD through his SUBLIME ART found so LITTLE worth living for.  its IMPLICATIONS are both STUNNING and absolutely TROUBLING.

but that JOURNEY is worth RECOUNTING. 

MCQUEEN was OBSESSED with CLOTHING throughout his childhood, often daydreaming in SCHOOL about it and COMPULSIVELY drawing COLLECTIONS in his CLASS NOTEBOOKS.  when he finished with SCHOOL, his MOTHER saw a LOCAL REPORT on TELEVISION about a need for WORKERS in the BESPOKE MEN'S TAILORING INDUSTRY on the FAMED SAVILE ROW DISTRICT in MAYFAIR, CENTRAL LONDON and suggested her SON LITERALLY just walk right up and inquire about a POSITION.  this INCREDIBLY led to an INTERNSHIP which he then leveraged MONTHS LATER into a more PERMANENT POSITION elsewhere at a more EXPERIMENTAL JAPANESE DESIGNER, then at an UPCOMING ENGLISH STREETWEAR FASHION LABEL, an ITALIAN DESIGN FIRM and FINALLY ACCEPTANCE at ST. MARTIN'S COLLEGE in their COMPETITIVE MFA PROGRAM.  his JACK THE RIPPER-inspired COLLECTION produced therein as a CAPSTONE PROJECT was bought outright by the INFLUENTIAL ENGLISH FASHION EDITOR ISABELLA BLOW, who became his EARLY MENTOR and UNDERWRITER.  after a few PROVOCATIVE, if not TRANSGRESSIVE COLLECTIONS, MCQUEEN won BRITISH FASHION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR twice (of an eventual four) and was ultimately swayed to head the STORIED FRENCH FASHION HOUSE GIVENCHY after FELLOW BRITISH FASHION DESIGNER JOHN GALIANO departed to head DIOR, both owned and operated by the LVMH CONGLOMERATE. 

this OPPORTUNITY proved to be a MIXED-BAG.  it allowed MCQUEEN the ABILITY to fund his own FIRM back in ENGLAND, thus no longer needing the SERVICES of BLOW (whom he UNCEREMONIOUSLY ABANDONED). but such came at a STEEP PRICE in that it DRAMATICALLY increased his OUTPUT and thus his RESPONSIBILITIES.

and its ARGUABLY that very TOXIC WORK / LIFE IMBALANCE that came ti DEFINE the REST of his CAREER and UNFORTUNATE FATE.  on one hand he was massively SUCCESSFUL with fifty DEDICATED WORKERS that effectuated his DREAMS into REALITY.  on the other hand the PRESSURE was UNBEARABLE.  reminds me of JOHN FOGERTY (CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL) and ROGER MCQUINN (THE BYRDS) who SIMILARLY found THEMSELVES OVERWORKED and in INCREASINGLY BAD HEALTH after years of prioritizing their TOURING CREW above themselves before FINALLY BURNING OUT and ESSENTIALLY EXITING THE STAGE.  MCQUEEN never did such.  he left GIVENCHY after their CONTRACT expired and then was gathered up by GUCCI who BASICALLY underwrote his PRIVATE LABEL.  DIFFERENT BOSS, same UNENDING PREDICAMENT.  because the LABEL was named after HIMSELF and the PERSONAL NATURE of its OFFERINGS, MCQUEEN refused to hand it over to SOMEONE else even in HYPOTHETICAL TERMS, unlike the likewise AVANT-GARDE MAISON MARGIELA who found a WAY for its ICONIC, NAMESAKE DESIGNER to step aside GRACEFULLY.

its an IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.  MCQUEEN is still CELEBRATED for his PEERLESS VISION that has stepped away from FASHION into the realm of FINE ART.  his POSTHUMOUS 2011 SAVAGE BEAUTY RETROEPECTIVE at the THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART in NEW YORK CITY absolutely DECIMATED ATTENDANCE RECORDS.  but it was that INABILITY to relinquish CONTROL over his CREATIVE OUTPUT and its PRESENTATION that ULTIMATELY wouldnt allow him to part with the CRUSHING RESPONSIBILITY and PRESSURES of the job that ULTIMATELY did him in.  he couldnt escape it or step away, he was PERMANENTLY MCQUEEN the PEERLESS FASHION DESIGNER 24/7.  i dont know.  it feels like an ARCHETYPAL TRAGIC HERO sort of SITUATION even though one wishes it didnt have to be that WAY. 

ART isnt everything.  or maybe it is.

the STORY of TIBET is one of the most HORRIFYING and CONTINUALLY TRAGIC NARRATIVES of an historically PROUD NATION i am aware of.  CHINA EFFECTIVELY took over in the early 1950s and has since been seeking evermore STRIDENT and INSIDIOUS MEANS of attempting to ERADICATE TIBETAN CULTURE and IDENTITY as PART of its CONTROVERSIAL "ONE CHINA" POLICY. 

such EFFORTS have only INTENSIFIED and become more POLITICALLY FRAUGHT in recent years as TIBET's LEADER in EXILE (in DHARAMSALAM, INDIA), the 89 year-old DALAI LAMA, is nearing the INEVITABLE CONCLUSION of his NATURAL LIFE, presenting CHINA with an EFFECTIVE MEANS of DECAPITATING their LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE once and for all and supplanting such with their own FALSE REINCARNATED IMPOSTER to the THRONE.  this may sound OVERLY CONSPIRATORIAL and even FANTASTICAL, but CHINA has done such ALREADY.  in the late 1980s with REGARDS to the 11th PANCHEN LAMA, a then six year-old BOY named GEDHUN CHOEKYI NYIMA, who the CHINESE IMPRISONED and DISAPPEARED in SHORT ORDER along with his FAMILY, never to be heard from since.  they subsequently imposed their OWN IMPOSTER to the GENERATIONALLY-REINCARNATED POSITION, SECOND only in INFLUENCE to the DALAI LAMA, of whom he selects.

the RECENT FRONTLINE: BATTLE FOR TIBET (PBS, 2025) DOCUMENTARY showcases a CONTEMPORARY TIBET where the OMNIPRESENT SURVEILLANCE STATE has taken over with CAMERAS on every street corner hooked up to FACIAL-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE and TECHNOLOGY that allows CHINESE OFFICIALS to monitor WEB-BROWSING and PHONE CALLS.  dozens of PUBLIC BOARDING SCHOOLS have been put in place to herd this DISPARATE MOUNTAINOUS REGION and a WIDESPREAD RE-EDUCATION CAMPAIGN is in ACTION that manifestly DEPRIVES JUVENILE TIBETANS (many as young as four) of their LANGUAGE through the REPLACEMENT of such with MANDARIN and CHINESE CULTURE.  the IMPACT of such RE-EDUCATION is quite DEVASTATING with TIBETAN PARENTS literally being left UNABLE to communicate with their CHILDREN, who now see their CULTURE as BACKWARD and UNDESIRABLE.

its a CATASTROPHIC SITUATION.

obviously the UNITED STATES under DONALD TRUMP is not a BEACON OF HOPE in this LOSING BATTLE.  never was under any AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION going back to HARRY S TRUMAN when the RED ARMY first invaded.  i wonder if this SORRY SCENARIO would have been DIFFERENT if like KUWAIT, TIBET had maintained a PRECIOUS RESOURCE we sought to EXPLOIT in the PROCESS. 

probably, right?  what does that say about us?

NOTHING GOOD.

CHARLES and RAY EAMES in TANDEM created one of the most VISIONARY DESIGN FIRMS in THE EAMES OFFICE that impacted how MODERN AMERICA and its CONSUMERIST CULTURE self-identified ITSELF throughout the 20th century with SINGULAR ADVANCEMENTS in ARCHITECTURE and FURNITURE and CONSIDERABLE WORK in FINE ART, FILM and INDUSTRIAL / GRAPHIC DESIGN.  RAY studied under the REVERED ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PAINTER HANS HOLFMANN and CHARLES was a GIFTED STUDENT but became a UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON IN ST. LOUIS ARCHITECTURE DROPOUT when his REVERENCE to more PROGRESSIVE and ECOLOGICALLY-MINDED INFLUENCES like FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT caused a RIFT between HIMSELF and his more TRADITION-MINDED EDUCATORS.  an AUTODIDACT by DEFINITION, CHARLES had a KEEN SENSE of CURIOSITY about a MYRIAD of TRADES and SPECIALTIES that served him well throughout his CAREER.  when he met RAY at the CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART, a KINDRED SPIRIT was found whose AESTHETIC SENSIBILITIES and SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE served as an IMPORTANT COUNTERPOINT incorporating THEORY and REFINED TASTE to his more GENERALIZED gut FEELINGS and SENSE of ARDENT TRUST in EVERYTHING surrounding the CREATIVE PROCESS.  in essence both complemented the OTHER and brought a NECESSARY PUSH-AND-PULL to THE EAMES OFFICE DYNAMIC.

the EAMES: THE ARCHITECT & THE PAINTER (FIRST RUN, 2011) DOCUMENTARY recounts that ARTISTIC and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP at the CORE of that MULTI-DECADE DESIGN FIRM by those that worked there as well as PEERS in the INDUSTRY.  what makes this PORTRAIT of a STORIED ARTISTIC and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP so COMPELLING is the very COMPLEXITY of that PARTNERSHIP.  given taht much of their SUCCESS was during the POST-WAR PERIOD, RAY often took an UNSPOKEN but CONSCIOUS STEP BACK from the SPOTLIGHT for CHARLES, even though she arguably contributed just as much to their WORK.  such was the ERA, which pre-dated MODERN FEMINISM, and the FILM is SUCCESSFUL in showcasing how WOMEN were COMPLICIT in that DYNAMIC as well, with a FEMALE TELEVISION PRESENTER downplaying RAY's INVOLVEMENT in her own FIRM during a CRINGY INTERVIEW.  which of course to a CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE is MADDENING.  SEXUAL POLITICS aside, there is also the matter of how THE EAMES OFFICE ITSELF, an EMPLOYER of DOZENS of ASSISTANT DESIGNERS and ENGINEERS, allocated all CREDIT unto CHARLES and RAY.  this was an almost CLASSIC RENAISSANCE WORKSHOP ETHOS that would ABSOLUTELY NOT FLY TODAY as well.  all that NASTY FEUDAL BUSINESS of serving a MASTER and their LITTLE FIEFDOM.  for all that their WORK is considered INNOVATIVE and MODERN, even in a PRESENT-DAY CONTEXT, its intriguing to have it be duly noted how their BUSINESS CULTURE was severely REGRESSIVE as was the NATURE of the PERIOD they worked in from the 1930s on through most of the 1970s.  its probably to be EXPECTED.

the SERIAL INFIDELITY of CHARLES is not remotely SURPRISING, again, given the GENERAL CULTURE of the ERA which was HIGHLY PATERNALISTIC and DISMISSIVE of WOMEN'S NEEDS in general.  its INTRIGUING in that THE EAMES OFFICE was elevated as this ULTIMATE PARAGON of CREATIVITY and VIRTUE enough that most of CORPORATE AMERICA in a pre-MADISON AVE ENVIRONMENT levied their NAME and LIKENESS to the COMPANY for their MARKETING CAMPAIGNS.  this coming after doing so for the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT at the HEIGHT of the COLD WAR with SUCCESSFUL CINEMATIC CULTURAL EXCHANGE EFFORTS (i.e. PROPAGANDA).  back then their AUTHENTICITY and CREDIBILITY as a COUPLE was the COIN OF THE REALM and the fact that CHARLES was highly FALLIBLE and prone to PHILANDERING just makes such a CIRCUMSTANCE that much more INTRIGUING in hindsight.

just goes to show that OBJECTS at the end of the day are just that: OBJECTS.  and that attempting to project VIRTUE or other UNRELATED ATTRIBUTES onto such in order to push forward a SUPERSEDING AGENDA is FRAUGHT from the outset.  but THE EAMES OFFICE is the beginning of that CONVERSATION in my many was when MARKETING and ADVERTISING transformed the MEDIUM into the MESSAGE. 

beyond COMPELLING TOPIC.  a WELL-EXECUTED, BALANCED FILM that is anything but a HAGIOGRAPHY and presents the COUPLE as they were: VISIONARY, COMPLICATED and ALL-TOO-HUMAN.

there is something about ART that is depicted at HUMAN SCALE that just hits DIFFERENT.  especially PHOTOGRAPHY.  the late ELSA DORFMAN was a PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER who got her start as a SECRETARY for GROVE PRESS in the early 1960s and thus had a front-row seat to after-hours happenings with the COUNTERCULTURE LITERATI, everyone from ALLEN GINSBERG, BOB DYLAN, LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI, DENISE LEVERTOV, GREGORY CORSO, ANAIS NIN, JONATHAN RICHMAN (THE MODERN LOVERS), ROBERT CREELEY, STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH) and PETER ORLOVSKY among OTHERS.  all of whom she DISCRETELY photographed at a MOMENT of EASE. eventually DORFMAN became WELL-KNOWN for the UNUSUAL PORTRAITURE she conducted for DECADES from her CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS STUDIO, which included the LARGE-SCALE POLAROID SPECIALTY FORMAT of 20 x 24.

in a SENSE CINEMA is the PEFECT VEHICLE for evaluating LARGE-SCALE PHOTOGRAPHY, itself being OVERSIZED in and of ITSELF.  as showcased in ERROL MORRIS' PROFOUND DOCUMENTARY THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY (FOURTH FLOOR, 2017), there is a undeniably POTENT INTIMACY that comes with that LEVEL of DETAIL presented at that SUBSTANTIVE a SIZE.  which is absolutely INTRIGUING because the COMMERCIAL INTENT of the MASS-PRODUCED POLAROID was to make PHOTOGRAPHY unambiguously ACCESSIBLE to EVERYONE, with the ENTIRE SHOOTING and DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INSTANTANEOUSLY taking only a FEW MINUTES at most.  the fact that such maintains its SENSE of IMMEDIACY and FAMILIARITY of a FLEETING MOMENT at such a impractically MASSIVE SCALE is HEART-WARMING to consider.  maybe that is the SPECIAL MAGIC of PHOTOGRAPHY ITSELF or perhaps even the UNEXPECTED PROFUNDITY of DORFMAN's GIFT.

throughout the FILM DORFMAN often discusses her own ARTISTIC LIMITATIONS and the CUMBERSOME NATURE of the CAMERA ITSELF, of which only six were ever built and are a particularly STUBBORN ARTIFACT of a PREVIOUS AGE in which the MARRIAGE of MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY and SPECTROMETRY are seen dancing in an UNEASY UNION. she speaks about her STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS regarding her INTERACTION with her SUBJECT, being interested in LITERALLY only SURFACES and that PHILOSOPHICALLY her WORK can only function with what is SOLELY provided to her by the SUBJECT.  she is not preoccupied in UNVEILING SOULS or PERSONALITIES, but rather the PHYSICALITY of our TENTATIVE CORPOREAL STATE.  it is all a PART of a truly UNRULY and UNTENABLE PROCESS,  while looking at a PRINT of an ALLEN GINSBERG LARGE-SCALE PORTRAIT DORFMAN makes the POIGNANT OBSERVATION that such a SYSTEM will never be seen again, so IMPRACTICAL the PROCESS and ANTIQUATED the TECHNOLOGY.  in spite of all of these SELF-IMPOSED RESERVATIONS about her own WORK and the SEVERE OBSTINATE NATURE of the CAMERA and FILM ITSELF, what comes through is a DISTINCT FOCUS on the UNADULTERATED HUMAN FORM and the INNATE FRAGILITY of it. 

maybe it is the SCALE and/or maybe it is the UNWAVERING DEGREE of DETAIL, like a CHUCK CLOSE CLOSE-UP, but what endures when viewed in SERIES with the SAME SUBJECT is that the PRESENT MOMENT and our PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE of it is PAINFULLY TRANSITORY at best, with all THINGS continually SHIFTING and EVOLVING/DETERIORATING.

ARGUABLY DORFMAN's most REVEALING SUBJECT is HERSELF, having tested out the CAMERA with SELF-PORTRAITS CONTINUALLY through the YEARS.  you see in UNSPARING DETAIL given the SCALE and CLARITY of the PHOTOGRAPHS the RAVAGES that TIME puts on her BODY, the SAGGING OF HER SKIN, the DOWNWARD DROOP OF HER JAWLINE, the WINNOWING OF HER HAIR and the INEVITABLE BENDING DOWNWARD OF HER POSTURE.  it is both HORRIFIC and SUBLIME.  never mind the FACT that she, as well as her SUBJECTS are ALWAYS smiling and looking their CAMER-READY BEST - a REPEATED CRITICISM of her WORK by ART GALLERIES, DEALERS and AGENTS alike.  it is beside the point, i see her PHOTOGRAPHS and i see our FRAGILE MORTALITY.  plus her WORK is now a PART of the COLLECTIONS at THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY (WASHINGTON DC), THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS (CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS), THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSUEM OF MODERN ART and THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART (MAINE).

during her SHOOTS she would take TWO PHOTOGRAPHS per SESSION.  one was chosen by the CLIENT and the other, what she deemed the B-SIDE, was kept by her.  the ARCHIVE she amassed over DECADES is ESSENTIALLY a STOCKPILE of B-SIDES.  or to put it more bluntly: REJECTED PHOTOGRAPHS.  in the FILM DORFMAN showcases many of these B-SIDES with the VERSIONS bought by her CLIENTS and usually the more COMPELLING of the PAIR are the B-SIDES because SOMEONE is UNINTENTIONALLY BREAKING the STRUCTURE by BLINKING and SNEEZING, allowing COMPETING REALITIES to set in and be documented for POSTERITY. 

the UNSTATED IMPLICATION is that DOCUMENTARIES almost function in this SAME MANNER, that there is an OPPORTUNITY COST to showcasing or imposing one NARRATIVE over another, relaying IMAGES in one order over another, shooting from an ANGLE, the IMPLEMENTATION of a COLOR CODING SCHEME and all the other COUNTLESS MYRIAD of UNCONSCIOUS DECISION-MAKING that UNDOUBTEDLY impacts the FINAL PRODUCT.  MORRIS, much like DORFMAN, ceases CREATIVE CONTROL over the PROCESS at some POINT and just reveals their own HUMANITY on the PROJECT despite THEMSELVES.  MORRIS may OUTRIGHT DISREGARD her ARTISTIC BONAFIDES and ABILITIES, but the WORK does such in spite of HERSELF.  it just emanates from her and like those unnervingly REVEALING PORTRAITS of GINSBURG she cries over, i know doubt see this LOVINGLY-CONSTRUCTED FILM as a SIMILAR POINT of DOCUMENTED REMEMBRANCE and SHARED MEMORY for her HUSBAND HARVEY and SON ISAAC in the wake of her PASSING in 2020.

THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY is a uniquely MOVING and POIGNANT FILM about the NATURE and POWER of ART and the fact that  DORFMAN's CAREER was a B-SIDE to no one.  highly recommended.

there is SOMETHING about the PUNK DIY ETHOS that touches some PEOPLE in a MANNER that allows THEM to bypass BULLSHIT ROADBLOCKS like SELF-DOUBT, INADEQUACY and IMPOSTER COMPLEX and just go for it.  MUSICIAN, SONGWRITER, SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR and AUTHOR JUSTIN PEARSON exemplifies such with his LONG-RUNNING INDEPENDENT LABEL THREE ONE G and MYRIAD of CONFRONTATIONALLY AVANT GARDE MUSICAL PROJECTS over the years including SOME GIRLS, THE LOCUST, RETOX, SWING KIDS, DEAD CROSS and PLANET B.  the RECENT​ DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF (TURNSTYLE FILMS, 2022) DOCUMENTARY examines his EARLY TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD and how such NEGLECT and ABUSE at the HANDS of his FATHER (who was MURDERED when he was twelve) in a WARPED SENSE informed his OUTLOOK on LIFE and propelled his DESIRE to make SOMETHING of his LIFE CREATIVELY and attempt to jolt and instigate PEOPLE out of their WAKING SLUMBER.

my FAMILIARITY with PEARSON is originally rooted in the ECCENTRIC and highly EXPERIMENTAL HARDCORE PUNK BAND THE LOCUST, which i was clued into by a CHILDHOOD FRIEND on a TRIP to SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA during the SUMMER of 2001. they were suggested to me based on my LOVE of all things DEVO.  the fact that this FILM finds PEARSON and his BANDMATES confide that the ICONIC AKRON-based arty POST PUNK OUTFIT as a KEY INFLUENCE was INTRIGUING to learn long after the FACT.  in a SIMILAR WAY, both DEVO and THE LOCUST utilized their IDIOSYNCRATIC PRESENTATION as a MEANS of challenging their AUDIENCE.  for DEVO there was a POLITICAL BENT regarding the CONSOLIDATION and GROWING CORPORATIZATION of ART and AMERICAN LIFE that they felt was WATERING-DOWN INDIVIDUALISM and CREATIVITY.  for THE LOCUST, they were revolting against a HOMOGENIZED HARDCORE SCENE that was a lot of POSTURE and FEIGNED AGGRESSION for no REAL REASON that they found ALIENATING and MORALLY BANKRUPT.  the FILM does a GREAT JOB of describing the LINE the BAND walked and the PRICE they paid for their INDIVIDUALITY against a SUBTERRANEAN CULTURE of TOXIC MASCULINITY with no SENSE of IRONY or HUMOR.  when my friend showed me their SELF-TITLED THE LOCUST (GOLD STANDARD LABORATORIES, 1998) RELEASE my INITIAL REACTION was LAUGHTER, not a MOCKING LAUGHTER but one of being OVERWHELMED by the SENSORY OVERLOAD i was experiencing.  not unlike my first time as child listening to THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART or WEEN.

and it stuck with me.

much of the DETAILS presented in this FILM regarding the TRAUMA of PEARSON's CHILDHOOD and his FORMATIVE MUSICAL EXPERIENCES in the UNDERGROUND HARDCORE SCENE of SAN DIEGO are likewise covered in his EXCELLENT MEMOIR FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE AROUSAL INDUSTRY (SOFT SKULL, 2010), which i recommend HIGHLY.  my only GRIPE with the FILM is that the TRAJECTORY of his CAREER ends with THE LOCUST and doesnt continue on to other INTERESTING PROJECTS, such as his COLLABORATION with MIKE PATTON (FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE, FANTOMAS, TOMAHAWK) and DAVE LOMBARDO (SLAYER) in DEAD CROSS or his more decidedly DANCEABLE recent PROJECT PLANET B.  somewhere there is a THIRD ACT to this FILM that needed to be told.

regardless, PEARSON is a COMPELLING ARTIST that is WORTHY of being exposed to a GREATER AUDIENCE and DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOURSELF is a POWERFUL INTRODUCTION to his ART and CAREER.  hopefully itll inspire SOMEONE out there to get up and leave some WRETCHED CIRCUMSTANCE and likewise FEARLESSLY make PROVOCATIVE and MEANINGFUL ART just like he did.

the DELIBERATE MISUSE of OPEN-SOURCED, ENCRYPTED MESSAGING PLATFORMS like SIGNAL and TELEGRAM are very much in the NEWS these days  for their ILLICIT USAGE by STATE and/or CRIMINAL ACTORS, all drawn in by the TECHNOLOGICAL PROMISE of EFFECTIVE SECURITY and COMPLETE ANONYMITY.  like everything regarding heady SUBJECTS like FREE SPEECH and their APPLICATION to NOVEL FORMS of COMMUNICATION, much of the CONTENTION and FRICTION surrounding such is REFERENCE to PERNICIOUS FORMS of COMMENTARY like the PROLIFERATION of HATE SPEECH, UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES and even TERRORISM.

the RECENT FRONTLINE / PROPUBLICA JOINT INVESTIGATION / DOCUMENTARY THE RISE AND FALL OF TERRORGRAM (PBS, 2025) delves into the weeds about how TELEGRAM became the VERITABLE NEXUS for a DECENTRALIZED, ONLINE GROUP of INTERNATIONAL EXTREMISTS that has actively led to an estimated 35 CRIMES including BOMBINGS, STABBINGS and SHOOTINGS.  with each NEW VARIANT of SOCIAL MEDIA, POLITICAL EXTREMISTS inevitably utilize such to assemble and proselytize NEW RECRUITS.  FACEBOOK was used to promote and organize the NOTORIOUS WHITE NATIONALIST "UNITE THE RIGHT" RALLY in CHARLESTON, VIRGINIA.  such became too PUBLIC-FACING and thus ANONYMOUS ONLINE FORUMS like 4CHAN and 8CHAN were used until those SERVICES became somewhat moderated in the WAKE of VIOLENT ATACKS against MINORITY COMMUNITIES (MUSLIM and JEWISH, respectively) in NEW ZEALAND and CALIFORNIA.  which brings us to TELEGRAM and a LOOSE, deliberately DECENTRALIZED, SELF-RECOGNIZED COLLECTIVE called TERRORGRAM that made TAILORED MEDIA CAMPAIGNS and LITERATURE to help spur RECRUITS into initiating a RACE WAR that would supposedly benefit their ULTRA-NATIONALIST ENDS regarding the DESIRED RISE of an AMERICAN ETHNO-STATE.

what makes this DOCUMENTARY so COMPELLING is both the REPULSIVE and  INSIDIOUS NATURE of the EXTREMIST MATERIAL being ACTIVELY promoted on these WIDELY-AVAILABLE PHONE APPLICATIONS and the LENGTHS these CRIMINALS will go through to manipulate and ultimately control DISAFFECTED, TEENAGE MALE CAUCASIANS.  what is INTIGUING is that certain members consolidate influence through being active in MULTIPLE CHANNELS within the EXTENDED MATRIX of SECRET GROUP CHATS.  some provided ACTIONABLE ADVICE, while others a WARPED PERSPECTIVE on MISINFORMED ACCOUNTS of WORLD HISTORY and AGGRIEVEMENTS from the PAST.  one PARTICIPANT even garnered CONSIDERABLE CLOUT through turning WRITTEN TREATISES and MANIFESTOES into SHAREABLE AUDIOBOOKS, reciting them ALOUD HERSELF in ENGLISH.  all these SMALL MOVES and REINFORCING ATTENTION over TIME led to CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE and TRAUMA in SEVERAL COMMUNITIES across the GLOBE.  all through SECRETIVE INTERNET CHANNELS like TELEGRAM.

REPORTERS A.C. THOMPSON and JAMES BANDLER of PROPUBLICA both were able to make these CONNECTIONS through an IN-DEPTH, TECHNOLOGY-ENABLED ANALYSIS of the NETWORK MATRIX itself, all those ONLINE POSTINGS, GROUP CHATS and PUBLICLY-AVAILABLE MESSAGES.  one would think that these TYPES of DESTRUCTIVE CONVERSATIONS between HIGH-RISK PERSONNEL would be ANATHEMA to TELEGRAM's FINANCIAL BOTTOM-LINE, but in today's FRACTURED MEDIA ENVIRONMENT and the ANYTHING-GOES ONLINE CULTURE that seemingly OPENLY celebrates DEVIANCY, CHAOS and SOCIO-POLITICAL NIHILISM, who knows?

SCARY WORLD indeed.

like most GREAT THINGS, SWISS AVANT GARDE METAL BAND ZEAL & ARDOR came about pretty UNEXPECTEDLY.  the very CONCEPT of the GROUP, to combine two seemingly INCONGRUENT GENRES in AFRICAN-AMERICAN SLAVE SPIRITUAL HYMNS and SCANDINAVIAN BLACK METAL, was initiated largely on a lark via a SOLICITED SUGGESTION on an ONLINE MESSAGE BOARD.  no doubt aware of the POTENCY of such a HYBRID SOUND, SONGWRITER and FRONTMAN MANUEL GAGNEUX added to that MIX a LYRICAL PERSPECTIVE that was DECIDEDLY SATANIC in the ESTABLISHED TRADITION of NORWEGIAN BLACK METAL.  which is to say that such wasnt necessarily in FAVOR of the IDEA of worshipping EVIL, but the NEGATION and OPPOSITION of CHRISTIANITY as an INSTITUTION and IDEOLOGICAL CONCEIT writ large.

what is COMPELLING about the RECENT DOCUMENTARY PLAY WITH THE DEVIL: BECOMING ZEAL & ARDOR (SOAP FACTORY, 2023) is how over TIME and three RELEASES both world events (i.e. the GEORGE FLOYD MURDER and the RESULTING PROTEST MOVEMENT) and GAGNEUX's own PERSONAL ARTISTIC EVOLUTION led him to LYRICALLY lean more HEAVILY on the INNATE OPTIMISM, HOPE and POWER of the SLAVE HYMNS than the more NIHILISTIC PREOCCUPATIONS of BLACK METAL.  that dichotomy that seems to be in DIAMETRIC OPPOSITION is at the crux of this RIVETING DOCUMENTARY.  obviously GAGNEUX is playing with a VOLATILE SET of SOCIO-POLITICAL INFLUENCES whose COMBINATION is both INTRIGUING and COMPLICATED, not least of which given that his TOURING BAND is made up of SWISS MUSICIANS of CAUCASIAN descent.

another FACET of this FILM is the RAPID ASCENT of the PROJECT itself, which caught CRITICAL FIRE when GAGNEUX's SELF-PRODUCED RECORDINGS gained the ATTENTION of TASTEMAKERS and a LUCRATIVE DEMAND for a LIVE PRODUCTION came in order.  problem was there was no BAND, so one was quickly assembled with forty dates attached with no lead TIME or OPPORTUNITIES to gel as a COLLECTIVE and/or FAIL in a LIVE SETTING at a LOWER STAKES set of VENUES.  the PROJECT was literally shot out of a canyon onto MAJOR FESTIVAL DATES with lots of EXPOSURE and RISK for IMPLOSION.  such didnt happen as the GROUP was concocted out of FRIENDS and COLLEAGUES from the LOCAL BASEL SCENE, but you get the SENSE of how in the MODERN INTERNET AGE there is LITTLE PATIENCE from the AUDIENCE for niceties like ARTIST DEVELOPMENT as in GENERATIONS PAST. 

likewise the WINDOW for CULTURAL RELEVANCE is also BRIEF and EVER-SHIFTING as NEW BANDS, ARTISTS and PROJECTS inevitably shift our ATTENTION away with the click of a MOUSE.  that TENSION is PALPABLE throughout PLAY WITH THE DEVIL as GAGNEUX STRUGGLES to make sense of his WHIRLWIND NOTORIETY amongst a growing RABID FANBASE who seem him as a PROPHET of a new EMERGING COUNTERCULTURE.  he wants to evolve and develop as an ARTIST, but not with the tail chasing the dog in making ART that will not challenge his AUDIENCE and by EXTENSION his OWN STATUS.  the OPPORTUNITIES and RISKS are apparent of his SITUATION and it is beyond INTERESTING to watch SOMEONE going through such an ARDUOUS PROCESS of SELF-REFLECTION.

ultimately as a fan i know he came out just FINE, but this FILM presents a UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN of the PROCESSES and PRESSURES of an EMERGING TALENT of TRUE CONSEQUENCE in the CULTURE.  most definitely a DOCUMENTARY worth checking out irrespective of your INTEREST in TRADITIONAL SLAVE SPIRITUALS or BLACK METAL.

oftentimes when the HISTORY is communicated about the UNDERGROUND PUNK ROCK SCENE in the COACHELLA VALLEY of the LATE 1980s and EARLY 1990s, otherwise known as the PALM DESERT SCENE, much of it UNDERSTANDABLY centers around JOSH HOMME-centric BANDS like KYUSS and later QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.  such makes some SENSE to an EXTENT, given that the MASSIVE, DOWN-TEMPO, DOWN-TUNED STONER ROCK SOUND that KYUSS pioneered (along with MELVINS and SLEEP) is so PREVALENT today in MODERN METAL and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE is probably the most CELEBRATED ROCK AND ROLL BAND this SIDE of NIRVANA.

but still.

the PALM DESERT SCENE and its DIY ETHOS is what raised HOMME and the SOUND of such was far more ECLECTIC than given CREDIT for in the past.  such is a NECESSARY CORRECTION that the LO SOUND DESERT (ROCK SQUAD, 2016) DOCUMENTARY ADROITLY presents, interviewing PARTICIPANTS and centering the NARRATIVE around the CHRONOLOGY and EVOLUTION of the many GROUPS that made an IMPACT within this admittedly INSULAR COMMUNITY roughly two hours east of LOS ANGELES.  the FILM of course does include the PARTICIPATION of HOMME and his KYUSS / QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE COHORTS in NICK OLIVERI, BRANT BJORK, ALFREDO HERNANDEZ and SCOTT REEDER, but undoubtedly more COMPELLING are the CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS of more OBSCURE but undeniably INFLUENTIAL MUSICIANS within the SCENE such as MARIO LALLI (ACROSS THE RIVER, YAWNING MAN), SEAN WHEELER (THROW RAG), IAN TAYLOR (UNSOUND), CHRIS COCKRELL (SOLARFEAST), JOE DILLON (DALI'S LLAMA) and NICK NAVA (HORNNS) among many OTHERS. 

the BASIC STORY presented is one of BORED KIDS coming-of-age in the IMMEDIATE WAKE of the RAT PACK LOUNGE SCENE LAMENESS that brought so many GERIATRICS to the COACHELLA VALLEY a GENERATION before.  being an ADOLESCENT in a COMMUNITY that was literally PURPOSE-BUILT as a RETREAT and DELIBERATE ESCAPE from RESPONSIBILITY for WEALTHY ANGELENOS meant no MUCH-NEEDED INFRASTRUCTURE or OUTLETS to entertain oneself, which over time resulted in a TIGHT COMMUNITY of ARTISTS and MUSICIANS that mutually supported one another largely out of NECESSITY.  this meant UNDERGROUND SHOWS at MAKESHIFT VENUES, within and without the city limits, that were INEVITABLY SHUT DOWN by a POLICE FORCE beholden to SENIOR CITIZENS and RECENT RETIREES.  aside from SELF-SUFFICIENCY, the DIY ETHOS of that TENTATIVE ARTS COMMUNITY promoted ORIGINALITY and AUTHENTICITY.  such nurtured the DEVELOPMENT of a DIVERSE SERIES of HOMEGROWN BANDS that channeled everything from PSYCHEDELIA, ART ROCK, BLUES, ACID ROCK, SKA, GARAGE ROCK, SPACE ROCK and so on, which no doubt is the UNSUNG NARRATIVE of the SCENE in the POPULAR IMAGINATION which seemingly focuses almost EXCLUSIVELY on STONER ROCK.

like SEATTLE around the SAME PERIOD, this INSULAR COMMUNITY was AMBITIOUS ARTISTICALLY but not necessarily COMMERCIALLY.  ART was its own REWARD and a SENSE of CATHARSIS from a DOLDRUM EXISTENCE at the LITERAL EDGE of SOCIETY.  to be otherwise was DELUSIONAL since nobody got out and became SUCCESSFUL.  such is why KYUSS going on tour in AUSTRALIA opening for METALLICA after DAVE GROHL glowingly mentioned the BAND as the future of GRUNGE in an MTV INTERVIEW before a MAJOR TELEVISED EVENT with an APPROVING KURT COBAIN in tow was such a turning point for the SCENE.  that and the SUBSEQUENT SUCCESS of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE.  such ANOMALIES almost put everything out of CONTEXT and in a WARPED PERSPECTIVE, which is a TRAP that VARIOUS other DOCUMENTARIES about this PARTICULAR SCENE fall into. 

its FORTUNATE that LO SOUND DESERT finally corrects the HISTORICAL RECORD about the SONIC DIVERSITY of the PALM DESERT SCENE for POSTERITY.  my GUT FEELING is that even HOMME wants such, as these are all of his FRIENDS, ACCOMPLICES and FORMATIVE MUSICAL PEERS.  funny it took a GERMAN to do such, but this is the most CLEAR-EYED and COHERENT EXPRESSION on the PALM DESERT SCENE that i am aware of.  required viewing in my OPINION.

ive always had a DIFFICULT TIME understanding the CULTURE surrounding NEW YORK HARDCORE largely because of what appears to be from the OUTSIDE a CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT of BELLIGERENT MACHO POSTURING in that GENRE.  that and the RIGID and SONICALLY MONOTONOUS NATURE of the MUSIC itself, which eschews things like MELODY in FAVOR of outright SPEED and AGGRESSION.  part of it is a TASTE THING and the other is not being particularly WELL-ACQUAINTED with the CULTURE FIRSTHAND, as it was a largely a GENERATION before MINE.   it could also be that there is no TRANSCENDENT, BREAKOUT BAND from that SCENE that is UNDENIABLE, but rather a CONSTELLATION of SIMILAR-SOUNDING OUTFITS in MADBALL, SICK OF IT ALL, WARZONE, MURPHY'S LAW, URBAN WASTE, CRO-MAGS and AGNOSTIC FRONT.

which is why i feel that THE GODFATHERS OF HARDCORE (MCFARLAND FILMS, 2017) DOCUMENTARY is such a VALUABLE and INFORMATIVE RECORD of a what is no doubt an ICONIC and highly IMPACTFUL CULTURAL SCENE and specifically the ARTISTIC RELATIONSHIP of GUITARIST VINNIE STIGMA and VOCALIST ROGER MIRET of AGNOSTIC FRONT, who combined are a PILLAR of this notoriously INSULAR MUSICAL COMMUNITY.  the CLOSE BROTHERHOOD of those TWO MEN is EMBLEMATIC of the REAL INTIMACY of the SCENE itself, which prides itself on its DIRECT, AUTHENTIC and UNADULTERATED TRUTH-TELLING ABILITY.  this FILM follows them both as they reach past MIDDLE AGE and still RECORD and TOUR furiously more than THREE DECADES into their CAREER. 

STIGMA, the SON of ITALIAN IMMIGRANTS with CLOSE FAMILY BONDS both BLOOD and SCENE-related is the very EMBODIMENT of a PUNK ROCK LIFER, UNWAVERINGLY dedicating his PASSION and FOCUS to AGNOSTIC FRONT and the COMMUNITY that spawned it.  this is seen in the REVEALING FOOTAGE of him in his LOWER EAST SIDE ORIGINS and the near CONSTANT WAVE of FRIENDS and ACQUAINTANCES interrupting his PERSONAL STORIES on the STREET to say hello.  this is a GUY that still lives in the SAME BUILDING he was born in and has witnessed FIRSTHAND the DRAMATIC CHANGES in the FORTUNES of NEW YORK CITY over the last half century, which back in the early 1980s was a DIMINISHED DEN of RAMPANT CRIME and DRUG ADDICTION.  the NEW YORK HARDCORE COMMUNITY emerged within this URBAN LANDSCAPE as a MEANS of promoting POSITIVE CHANGE and a SENSE of SOCIAL COHESION amidst YOUNG PEOPLE with nowhere else to turn than within each other.

at least that was the EXPERIENCE for MIRET, a CUBAN IMMIGRANT who suffered a largely PERIPATETIC CHILDHOOD and an ABSUIVE STEPFATHER who SADISTICALLY traumatized him, his BELOVED MOTHER and his YOUNGER SIBLINGS.  for MIRET, he saw the NEW YORK HARDCORE COMMUNITY as a means of ESCAPE, SALVATION and IDENTITY that empowered him to take charge of his SITUATION.  he even brought in his YOUNGER HALF-BROTHER FREDDY CREICHEN, FUTURE MADBALL FRONTMAN who was still a TEENAGER, into the NEW YORK HARDCORE fold as a means of safeguarding him from his VIOLENT FATHER.  in this SENSE the COMMUNITY was a LITERAL SAFE ZONE, despite the VOLATILITY of URBAN LIFE at the TIME in NEW YORK CITY PROPER.

so for both STIGMA and MIRET there is a CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT of SELF-IDENTITY associated with the SCENE, which makes transitioning into FAMILY LIFE and its ATTENDING RESPONSIBILITIES difficult to incorporate given the BRUTAL RECORDING and TOURING SCHEDULE.  for MIRET in particular having started a YOUNG FAMILY that he is wary to leave for EXTENDED PERIODS, this DILEMMA is a particularly POIGNANT and PAINFUL SUBJECT since he is fiercely LOYAL to both CAMPS.  you get the STRONG SENSE that his longstanding OPEN and HONEST RELATIONSHIP with STIGMA allows him to navigate such with SOME ASSURANCES.  STIGMA is a PUNK ROCK LIFER and MIRET holds onto GUILT for denying him OPPORTUNITIES to live out his SHARED ROCK AND ROLL DREAM.  MIRET's ADULT DAUGHTER, NADIA, from a PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIP perceptively makes the ADROIT COMMENT that her FATHER worries about OTHERS to the DETRIMENT of HIMSELF and during FILMING he is said to have had an UNEXPLAINED HEART ATTACK.  STIGMA openly talks about his worry that his CREATIVE PARTNER's UNRELENTING WORK ETHIC and INABILITY to RELAX and TAKE A BREAK is NEGATIVELY affecting his WORK.  if anything you feel that MIRET is BLESSED with a SOUND SUPPORT SYSTEM of PEOPLE that care about HIM, his HEALTH and his EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING.

that AUTHENTIC INTIMACY and TRUE BROTHERHOOD seems REPRESENTATIVE of what the LARGER MUSICAL COMMUNITY associated with NEW YORK HARDCORE is in practice.  though MIRET worries about STIGMA and impeding his CAREER OPPORTUNITIES by EXTENDED HIATUSES, it is STIGMA in turn that wants MIRET and his MARRIAGE and FAMILY to SUSTAIN and PROSPER in the MIX.  they are mutually SUPPORTIVE even as LIFE CHANGES edge into the DISCUSSION of the BAND and its ABILITY to FUNCTION.  their CONNECTION is based on SHARED VALUES of SELF-SACRIFICE, LOYALTY and HONESTY.  cant think of a BETTER TESTAMENT to a FRIENDSHIP and WORKING RELATIONSHIP initiated by the NEW YORK HARDCORE SCENE they both initially CONNECTED from.

kinda wish this DOCUMENTARY was my INTRODUCTION to the GENRE.  seems to be as STRONG a CASE as any about the GENUINE CORE of the COMMUNITY that surrounds NEW YORK HARDCORE.  as such i cant recommend this FILM enough.  REQUIRED VIEWING in my OPINION.

im absolutely PARTIAL to the WARPED TOUR.  just want to get my PREJUDICE out of the way from the jump.  LIVING ABROAD during a GOOD PART of my FORMATIVE YEARS there was always this PALPABLE SENSE of COMMUNITY and RENEWAL when i returned home STATESIDE and go to attend that DAYLONG FESTIVAL.  it was the ONE DAY of the ENTIRE YEAR where i felt like i was with my TRIBE.  so i have nothing but FOND MEMORIES of being YOUNG and going to WARPED TOUR outside of that ONE EXPERIENCE in VENTURA when i got blown off by THE BOUNCING SOULS after mentioning to them i was also from NEW JERSEY. 

go figure, still?

NO ROOM FOR ROCK STARS (AGI ORSI, 2012) is a FASCINATING VANS-produced DOCUMENTARY that provides a BEHIND-THE-SCENES look at the TRAVELING BROTHERHOOD that is the WARPED TOUR during their 2010 NATIONAL OUTING.  what comes across is how the DIY ETHIC that compelled FOUNDER KEVIN LYMAN to initiate such in the WAKE of the SUCCESS of LOLLAPALOOZA is still a FOUNDATIONAL PART of the ETHOS of the EVENT irrespective of CORPORATE SPONSORS and COOPERATION from the RECORD INDUSTRY, both MAJOR and INDEPENDENT.  such is seen with copious FOOTAGE of VARYING ARTISTS and BANDS of EVERY STRIPE.  there are GRIZZLED VETERANS from STAPLE PUNK ROCK BANDS like PENNYWISE and THE BOUNCING SOULS, POP PUNK ACTS like ANARBOR and FAKE PROBLEMS, as well as EMERGING DEATHCORE GROUPS such as BRING ME THE HORIZON and SUICIDE SILENCE.  all to the SAME EXTENT have SIMILAR OBSTACLES regarding PERFORMANCE, SLEEP, HYDRATION, EXERCISE and the VITAL TASK of locating a CLEAN TOILET on site.  the WARPED TOUR basically democratizes the EXPERIENCES with no one ACT above another, LINEUP SCHEDULES shifting EVERY DATE and all being held to the SAME STANDARD of PROFESSIONALISM (i.e. the DIY ETHIC).

what is INTRIGUING is not so much those ACTS which despite their GENRE DIFFERENCES, all of whom have a MUTUAL RESPECT for one ANOTHER as TOURING MUSICIANS and INDEPENDENT LABEL-MATES, but the OUTRIGHT COMMERCIAL POP acts with SIGNIFICANT CORPORATE BACKING such as ELECTROPOP SINGER MIKE POSNER (SONY) and the OVERLY-SACCHARINE POP ROCK BAND NEVER SHOUT NEVER (WARNER BROS) pose another CHALLENGE entirely.  both are seemingly INCONGRUENT with that CORE DIY ETHIC, or at least on FIRST BLUSH.  POSNER in PARTICULAR is presented as something of an OPPORTUNIST CARPETBAGGER, utilizing the WARPED TOUR as a MEANS of appropriating CREDIBILITY and AUTHENTICITY with a MASS AUDIENCE in-between TELEVISED GIGS on NATIONAL MORNING SHOWS.  its DIFFICULT not to DETEST the DUDE given the BLANDNESS of his MUSIC and his MEDIA-TRAINED SAVVINESS in INTERVIEWS, repetitively speaking to the IMPORTANCE of his PERSONAL BRAND . but in JUXTAPOSITION to CHRISTOFER DREW of NEVER SHOUT NEVER, he's absolutely REALISTIC and soberly CLEAR-EYED about that purely TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIP between ARTIST and CORPORATION.  DREW is PRIVILEGED to be in a relatively SIMILAR SITUATION as that of POSNER, but is increasingly JADED at the ADDITIONAL "ATTENTION" and "OBLIGATIONS" that come with being a CORPORATE SHILL.  while other ACTS on the WARPED TOUR are literally scrounging and fighting to survive on TOUR, he finds SUPERFICIAL ISSUES with having to do OFF-DATE SOLO ACOUSTIC SETS, PHOTOSHOOTS for GUITAR WORLD and other CORPORATE-BACKED PROMOTIONAL EVENTS.  DREW is no doubt a part of the MACHINE and then has the ABSOLUTE GALL to call-out the CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS and the SUPPOSED NEGATIVE MESSAGING CAMPAIGNS of other BANDS.  he just comes off as criminally NAIVE about his ELEVATED POSITION and its ABILITY to command ATTENTION via their MASSIVE CORPORATE MARKETING APPARATUS, which has its own OBVIOUS TRADE-OFFS.  dude is trying to have it BOTH WAYS and is coming off as a COMPLETE HYPOCRITE.  then again he deals with UNRELENTING FEMALE ATTENTION, with one OBSESSIVE FAN even disregarding his OBVIOUS PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT (he was on crutches) in pursuit of a SELFIE with her HERO. 

that SHIT no doubt mustve been quite AGGRAVATING.

but relative to a BAND like FOREVER CAME CALLING, who literally followed the WARPED TOUR across the UNITED STATES in a SMALL VAN just to attempt to sell SELF-PUBLISHED CDs face-to-face for GAS MONEY to UNINTERESTED CONCERT-GOERS in line at every stop before the GATES OPEN; its HARD to hear any BAND talk about the HARDSHIPS of TOURING.  even VOCALIST MITCH LUCKER of SUICIDE SILENCE who talks about the OBVIOUS TRADE-OFF of being UNABLE to spend TIME with his YOUNG DAUGHTER on TOUR.  you just get the SENSE that TOURING is just VARYING LEVELS of HARDSHIP for EVERYONE involved, LYMAN included. the FACT that FOREVER CAME CALLING got an OPPORTUNITY to play a SHORT SET on-stage in SAN DIEGO during one of the LAST STOPS makes their intense STRUGGLE for survival on the ROAD worth it.  makes them part of the BROTHERHOOD rather than an OUTSIDE OBSERVER, which fits the INCLUSIVE, SELF-INITIATING, HARD-WORKING ETHOS of the TOUR itself.

SIDENOTE:
its especially DIFFICULT to watch LUCKER's INTERVIEWS, as well as those with his FAMILY, given his UNTIMELY PASSING via a MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT less than TWO YEARS after FILMING.  you get a SENSE of his STRUGGLE as a YOUNG FATHER, but also his UNTAPPED POTENTIAL as a CHARISMATIC FRONTMAN no doubt on the ASCENT.  

despite everyone's RELATIVE STATION on the TOTEM POLE, at the end of the day the WARPED TOUR is a GROUP EFFORT.  and NO ROOM FOR ROCK STARS showcases such in spades.  a little UNEVENLY edited but definitely an INSPIRED DOCUMENTARY worth checking out.

BREAKUPS are HARD.

i imagine the DIFFICULTY is only COMPOUNDED once you vacate the DIZZYING HEIGHTS of being a universally ADMIRED CRITICAL DARLING and a SO-CALLED SAVIOR of ROCK N ROLL writ large during an otherwise DISPOSABLE ERA of WIDESPREAD MEDIOCRITY within the GENRE.  such was the case with the MINNESOTA HARDCORE BAND HÜSKER DÜ in the 1980s when they transformed PUNK ROCK into something way more MELODICALLY SOPHISTICATED, LYRICALLY AMBITIOUS and EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT.  its not HYPERBOLE to state that they paved the way for LIKE-MINDED INDIE / ALTERNATIVE ROCK bands the NEXT DECADE with EVERYONE from THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, GREEN DAY and FOO FIGHTERS to METALLICA, PIXIES, DINOSAUR JR and NIRVANA.
​
the DOCUMENTARY EVERY EVERYTHING: THE MUSIC, LIFE AND TIMES OF GRANT HART (WHAT WERE WE THINKING FILMS, 2013) follows the HÜSKER DÜ CO-SONGWRITER and DRUMMER as he attempts to make SENSE of his CAREER TRAJECTORY both in and beyond the highly INFLUENTIAL 80s HARDCORE BAND.  in essence for GRANT HART, its a very PUBLIC RUMINATION filled with REGRET regarding PAST MISCOMMUNICATIONS, UNWISE CHOICES and MISSED OPPORTUNITIES.  quite HONESTLY, in COLLEGE when i first heard ZEN ARCADE (SST, 1984) and NEW DAY RISING (SST, 1985) while participating with the RADIO STATION, i was made aware of the INDIE ROCK ICON that is HÜSKER DÜ FRONTMAN BOB MOULD and his later 1990s ALTERNATIVE OUTFIT SUGAR, much akin to SAME LEVEL as that of his CELEBRATED PEERS in J MASCIS (DINOSAUR JR), FRANK BLACK (PIXIES), THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH), CALVIN JOHNSON (BEAT HAPPENING), STEPHEN MALKMUS (PAVEMENT) or LOU BARLOW (SEBADOH).  maybe its because he was the GUITARIST and the PROMINENT PUBLIC FACE of HÜSKER DÜ, but HART definitely UNFAIRLY got the SHORT END OF THE STICK and LARGELY was relegated the STATUS of a REVERED CULT FIGURE. 

worse is that the CAREER of HÜSKER DÜ is somewhat of a CAUTIONARY TALE for YOUNG BANDS of the PERIOD concerning the very REAL PITFALLS of the BUSINESS, specifically the jump from INDEPENDENT RECORD LABELS to the majors.  HUSKER DU was on SST RECORDS, run by GREG GINN of BLACK FLAG fame and the DE FACTO HARDCORE LABEL of the 1980s that had an ECLECTIC ROSTER including MINUTEMEN, SACCHARINE TRUST, DINOSAUR JR, MEAT PUPPETS, SONIC YOUTH and HUSKER DU among OTHERS.  SST was a SHOESTRING OPERATION and much of the VERBAL AGREEMENT was based mutual trust.  HUSKER DU got their RECORDS in STORES and GRACIOUSLY, if not NAIVELY, put their CUT of the REVENUE back into producing more PRODUCT, but ultimately they did not receive much of anything MONETARILY from the SITUATION, despite delivering THREE ALBUMS.  moving to WARNER BROS they allowed REPRESENTATIVES of the LABEL to essentially pick them apart and manipulate their SOUND and PRESENTATION, which resulted in the BAND disbanding under ACRIMONIOUS TERMS with each other after two ALBUMS there.  NARCOTICS may have also been in the MIX as well for HART, but such was an ATTEMPT to curtail the PAINFUL LOSS of IDENTITY and SELF-WORTH associated with his FORMER BAND's REVERED STATUS and SUCCESS.

listening to HART go on MONOTONOUS MONOLOGUE after TIRING MONOLOGUE to the CAMERA about HIMSELF ad nauseam, i can only empathize with that SENSE of TRAUMA and PAIN from FUTILELY attempting to follow-up what was a once in a LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY.  F SCOTT FITZGERALD is FAMOUSLY accredited with stating that "there are no second acts in AMERICAN LIVES," but HART serves as EXAMPLE of SOMEONE chasing his CREATIVE MUSE, whether such be LITERARY or otherwise, despite a markedly DIMINISHED PRESENCE in the SCENE OUTSIDE of a MINUSCULE but DEDICATED CULT FOLLOWING.  it would seem that if you are a TRUE ARTIST, you continue on in spite of APATHY from the OUTSIDE WORLD. 

gotta RESPECT that at least.

this FLM was DEPRESSING and pretty TEDIOUS.  as a HISTORICAL DOCUMENT it is INTERESTING for any FAN of the 80s HARDCORE SCENE, but for a CASUAL LISTENER id advise to stay away since this one feels like a CHARMED MUSICIAN seeking SYMPATHY were they probably shouldnt.  at least that is how i read the DOCUMENTARY.

the CONTINUATION of POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS, SOCIAL and CULTURAL MOVEMENTS centered around a PERSONALITY are always a TRICKY and AWKWARD CIRCUMSTANCE following the DEATH of such a TRANSFORMATIVE LEADER.  the IDEA of a CONTINUOUS SUCCESSION becomes ENTANGLED when CHANGING CONTEXTS, INTERNAL POWER DYNAMICS and NEW FACES INEVITABLY shift the MESSAGE, FOCUS and (some would say) DILUTE the ORIGINAL MEANING and INTENTION of the CORE VISION.

such a PHENOMENON is on full display in the RIVETING SHADOWS OF PARADISE (BUNBURY, 2016) DOCUMENTARY that follows the high-profile PROSELYTIZING EFFORTS of the DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION with regards to spreading the TECHNIQUES and ETHOS surrounding TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION in the WAKE of the PASSING of its CREATOR, the MAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI, in 2008.  this DOCUMENTARY's DIRECTOR, SEBASTIAN LANGE, is a LITERAL PRODUCT of the MOVEMENT having been raised and schooled by the COMMUNITY the MAHARISHI established in RURAL IOWA in the early 1970s and as such is particularly SENSITIVE to the change in TONE and MESSAGE of TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION as carried out by LEGENDARY FILM DIRECTOR DAVID LYNCH and his FOUNDATION's vice president, FILM PRODUCER BOBBY ROTH. 

when the MAHARISHI broke from his MENTOR's strenuously ASCETIC PRACTICE of MEDITATION, which had a LONG LINEAGE attached to it, and emerged with a SIMPLIFIED VERSION aimed at aiding and elevating HUMANITY writ large, he left INDIA in the early 1960s and headed WEST where he conducted SEMINARS that caught the ATTENTION of the COUNTERCULTURE at the time, specifically THE BEATLES who were attempting to make SENSE of their LIVES.  this ASSOCIATION with the VANGUARD of WESTERN CULTURE is the REASON, like many of their GENERATION, that LYNCH and ROTH initially became interested in TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION.  for them it was a DOOR into a DEEPER CONNECTIVITY that enhanced their DAILY LIVES and elevated their SENSE of COMPASSION and EMPATHY for their FELLOW MAN.

the TENSION in the FILM is witnessing the HINDU ASCETIC TRADITION that the MAHARISHI represents be AWKWARDLY translated and squeezed into the AMERICAN CAPITALIST / MASS MEDIA FUNNEL that acts on HYPE and GLITZ rather than SUBSTANCE and TACTILE, EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING passed down from GENERATION to GENERATION.  in ROTH's ROLE he is overly EXCITED about PAUL MCCARTNEY's INVOLVEMENT in a PUBLICITY-GENERATING FUNDRAISING CONCERT and JERRY SEINFELD's SUBSEQUENT PARTICIPATION in a DINNER for HEDGE FUND MANAGERS and the ELITE. TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION in this CONTEXT becomes more about the DIRTY MACHINATIONS of conducting a MODERN, FULL-SCALE OPERATION and less about the TECHNIQUE ITSELF. 

that PALPABLE FRICTION is what makes this FILM so FASCINATING.  something seemingly so PURE and AUTHENTIC is just another STUPID COMMODITY to be bought and sold by PEOPLE with DISHONORABLE INTENTIONS, no doubt looking to benefit from an ASSUMED ASSOCIATION with LYNCH HIMSELF, however TANGENTIAL and SUPERFICIAL.

i want to state OPENLY that i received TRAINING, along with my FELLOW SCHOOL TEACHERS in a GROUP SETTING, in TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION when i was serving as a SECONDARY ENGLISH TEACHER in VENEZUELA a decade ago that was, in fact, carried out by the DAVID LYNCH FOUNDATION.  they are a GLOBAL ENTERPRISE and such ECONOMIC REALITIES, like those WALL STREET HORSE-TRADING EFFORTS, no doubt made my TRAINING in a DISTANT, RURAL SOUTH AMERICAN CITY possible.  what is lost and what is gained RELATIVE to the ORIGINAL INTENTIONS of the MAHARISHI i do not know, but i and SEVERAL of my PEERS benefited from the OPPORTUNITY. which should count for SOMETHING.

all that said, SHADOWS OF PARADISE is a COMPELLING FILM about the COMPLEX NATURE of transmitting a CONSISTENT MESSAGE through the seeming INCOMPATIBILITY that is the NATURAL LIFE CYCLE and ECONOMIC SYSTEMS.  a SPECIFIC DYNAMIC that is ADROITLY illustrated and examined in depth through this DOCUMENTARY, which is very much worth checking out.

the PIONEERING LONDON-based EXPERIMENTAL PROTO-INDUSTRIAL, POST-PUNK BAND KILLING JOKE is without doubt an SEMINAL CONTRIBUTOR in the RADICAL TRANSFORMATION and RE-IMAGINATION of ROCK N ROLL from its relatively STRAIGHTFORWARD PUNK ROCK to its later more EXPRESSIVE and EXPLORATORY PROGENY.  led by the CHARISMATIC, ATTENTION-seeking and generationally IDIOSYNCRATIC VOCALIST / COMPOSER JAZ COLEMAN, KILLING JOKE fearlessly and successfully fashioned a unique HYBRID SOUND that incorporated ATONALITY, SYNTHS, REPETITIOUS TRIBAL DRUMMING, FOUND SOUNDS and UNADULTERATED DISSONANCE into a FIERCE, MULTI-FACETED SONIC AESTHETIC that influenced everything from JANE'S ADDICTION, NINE INCH NAILS and TOOL to GODFLESH, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, FAITH NO MORE, SOUNDGARDEN and NIRVANA.  in my ESTIMATION KILLING JOKE were among the VANGUARD of the BRITISH POST PUNK MOVEMENT along with the INFLUENTIAL likes of JOY DIVISION, THE CURE, GANG OF FOUR and ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN.

the RECENT DOCUMENTARY THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW (COFFEE FILMS, 2013) is an INTRIGUING attempt at further contextualizing their BAND NARRATIVE and IMPACT on CULTURE within the PRISM of their INTEREST in all things related to MYSTICISM, the OCCULT and ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE.  by this i mean everything from ROSICRUCIANISM, MEDIEVAL ALCHEMY and INDIGENOUS SHAMANISM to ASTROLOGY, EASTERN PHILOSOPHY and  even the WORK of ENGLISH OCCULTIST ALEISTER CROWLEY.  its a NOVEL conceit and its OBVIOUS that such PREOCCUPATIONS for ANACHRONISTIC PSEUDOSCIENCE had an influence on their defiantly PRIMAL SOUND as it assisted in bypassing MODERN AESTHETICS and APPROACHES, but such comes off TEDIOUS and quite SILLY as narrated and explained OBLIQUELY by COLEMAN himself.  i doubt such was their INTENTION.  even with CULTURAL LUMINARIES such as JIMMY PAGE (LED ZEPPELIN), DAVE GROHL (NIRVANA / FOO FIGHTERS) and PETER HOOK (JOY DIVISION / NEW ORDER) singing their praises, that WARPED PERSPECTIVE of extraordinary MAGICAL THINKING really diminishes the RESPECT i had for KILLING JOKE walking into this FILM. 

especially in this UNFORTUNATE CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT and ERA we are all suffering through where OVERT MALIGNANT FORCES like QANON and WIDESPREAD ONLINE CONSPIRACY THEORIES have had such a CORROSIVE and DETRIMENTAL effect on DEMOCRACY and RATIONALITY writ large not only in AMERICA, but GLOBALLY.  it makes hearing this sort of SELF-AGGRANDIZING MYSTICAL HORSESHIT even more UNAPPEALING to sit through.  and at more than two and a half hours, sit you must.  as such this DOCUMENTARY definitely extracts its POUND OF FLESH out of the VIEWER.  cant say i would PERSONALLY recommend THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION SHOW, but maybe to a HARDCORE KILLNG JOKE FAN such may prove COMPELLING.  for the rest of us id say dont bother, the DOCUMENTARY is a bit of an UNFORTUNATE JOKE (pun very much INTENDED).​

there is a certain DISTINCT BRAND of CULTURAL AMNESIA that the MAJORITY of the WHITE POPULATION in the UNITED STATES has incurred since INCEPTION regarding their COLLECTIVE COMPLICITY in the DEGRADATION of their BLACK COUNTERPARTS.  such is carried out as a means of not pursuing an HONEST COURSE of SELF-REFLECTION for a POLITICAL and ECONOMIC SYSTEM that has treated the BLACK COMMUNITY effectively as CHATTEL for GENERATIONS; such a basic ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of REALITY would be too DEVASTATING and DESTRUCTIVE to the WHITE PSYCHE and their MISPLACED SENSE OF SELF as rooted in MORAL DECENCY.  WRITER JAMES BALDWIN spoke a GENERATION ago about how ECONOMIC INEQUITY and RACIAL INEQUALITY was a PERSISTENT PROBLEM rooted not in the BLACK COMMUNITY, but in the WHITE COMMUNITY being UNABLE to come to TERMS with their own MISDEEDS and CONTINUED VEIL OF IGNORANCE to even attempt in UNDERSTANDING their NEIGHBORS.  such is the DEVASTATING LEGACY of SEGREGATION, that one is isolated and siloed in their own REALITY, IGNORANT and UNWILLING to have even a BASIC COMPREHENSION of whatever corresponds on the OTHER SIDE of that LINE.

he could be speaking DIRECTLY about 2025 AMERICA, not just the CIVIL RIGHTS ERA of the 1960s.

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (MAGNOLIA, 2016) is a POIGNANT DOCUMENTARY, ADROITLY narrated by SAMUEL L. JACKSON,  based on an INCOMPLETE WORK, REMEMBER THIS HOUSE (unreleased), by BALDWIN focused on his FALLEN COMRADES in MEDGAR EVERS, MALCOM X and MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.  it was released years before the GEORGE FLOYD, BREONNA TAYLOR and DANTE WRIGHT MURDERS at the hands of POLICE OFFICERS and in the WAKE of DONALD TRUMP's first election and the MURDERS of a WHOLE LITANY of BLACK MEN including PHILANDO CASTILE, TAMIR RICE, FREDDIE GRAY, WALTER SCOTT, ALTON STERLING, STEPHON CLARK, ERIC GARNER, MICHAEL BROWN, TRAYVON MARTIN and TRAGICALLY far too many OTHERS to list.  this film was released during a CULTURAL MOMENT where a SEEMING OPPORTUNITY presented itself for a PAINFUL but MUCH-NEEDED CATHARSIS / RECOGNITION of the past and the ENDURING CULTURAL INHERITANCE of SOCIETAL NORMS and STRUCTURALLY RACIST SYSTEMS that UNCEASINGLY perpetuate DISPROPORTIONATELY MALIGNANT OUTCOMES on RACIAL MINORITIES.  in 2025 with the re-election of TRUMP, it feels like that MOMENT of CLARITY and POTENTIAL RECONCILIATION has receded to an even more BIGOTED and DEEP-SEATED, REVANCHIST IMPULSE that seemingly never left WHITE CHRISTIAN AMERICA writ large.  such reveals much about the COLLECTIVE IMMATURITY and MORAL BANKRUPTCY of WHITE CHRISTIAN AMERICA and the INVETERATE FEAR they continue to PASSIONATELY EXHIBIT in negating their INDEFENSIBLE INVOLVEMENT in the CONSCIOUS ABASEMENT of their FELLOW COUNTRYMEN. 

as BALDWIN so movingly states in the FILM, "the STORY of the NEGRO in AMERICA is the STORY of AMERICA."

i found I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO to be one of the most AFFECTING FILMS ive experienced in RECENT MEMORY, not so much because of what it posits about the PAST STATE of AMERICAN SOCIETY during BALDWIN's LIFETIME, but about what it says about our SITUATION right now, almost 40 years after his PASSING.  its UNCOMFORTABLE and CUTTING because it is ACCURATE.  the CULT surrounding the AMERICAN DREAM and its IMMORAL FOCUS on MATERIAL WEALTH at the DELIBERATE EXCLUSION of OTHERS is a POWERFUL NARCOTIC that has not made us any HAPPIER as a NATION, rather it has chipped away at our SENSE of SHARED HUMANITY.  it may feel like the RECENT ASCENDENCY of TRUMP has marked us as a COUNTRY in DECLINE, but such WHEELS were in motion long before he came down that GILDED MANHATTAN ESCALATOR.

i cannot recommend this DOCUMENTARY strongly enough.  should be viewed by EVERYONE.

my INTRODUCTION to DRUMMER RANDY CASTILLO had to have been back in middle school when an OLDER CLASSMATE had a COPY of OZZY OSBOURNE's LIVE AND LOUD (EPIC, 1993) VHS and i remember just thinking that the BAND was absolutely MASSIVE.  turns out that STELLAR OUTFIT, arguably OSBOURNE's GREATEST, was BASSIST MIKE INEZ, GUITARIST ZAKK WYLDE and CASTILLO.

and you can tell with the RECENT THE LIFE, BLOOD AND RHTHYM OF RANDY CASTILLO (FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA, 2018) DOCUMENTARY how much of a TRUE LABOR OF LOVE this FILM was.  perhaps technically its a bit AMATEURISH in places with SHAKY EDITING and some INCONSISTENT SOUND LEVEL ISSUES, but really who cares.  its a CELEBRATION of a MUSICIAN that obviously meant so much to the BROADER MUSIC COMMUNITY, especially in and around LOS ANGELES and the OVERALL 1980s METAL SCENE writ large.  as he moved up the RANKS and worked with ARTISTS he's ultimately remembered for in LITA FORD, OZZY OSBOURNE and MOTLEY CRUE, the STORY REPEATED time and again was his DOWN-TO-EARTH DEMEANOR, GOOD SPIRITS and LOYALTY of FRIENDSHIP, irrespective of one's STATION in the SCENE's PECKING ORDER or COMMERCIAL SUCCESS.  being of MIXED-RACE APACHE DESCENT from NEW MEXICO of all places, he had an INDOMITABLE DRIVE and PASSION for MUSIC and was ESPECIALLY PROUD of being a REPRESENTATIVE of his HOME COMMUNITY and those PEOPLE that supported him in his LEAN years.   

he never forgot.

maybe i notice these things, but oftentimes with PASSION PROJECTS such as this the RIGHTS to the MUSIC an ARTIST participated in is not necessarily used due to LICENSING ISSUES and such LITIGIOUS CONCERNS.  and again, you can tell by the UNEVEN EDITING that this FILM had a MINIMAL BUDGET and that those LITA FORD, OZZY OSBOURNE and MOTLEY CRUE LIVE PERFORMANCE CLIPS are still all there, which makes one assume that the GOOD WILL of his name was very much still an ONGOING THING when this documentary was in production.  perhaps the thing i am most impressed with is the COPIOUS AMOUNT of DRUMMERS interviewed for this FILM, including that of MIKKEY DEE (MOTÖRHEAD / SCORPIONS), ERIC SINGER (KISS / ALICE COOPER), BOBBY BLOTZER (RATT), TICO TORRES (BON JOVI), RIKKI ROCKETT (POISON), FRED COURY (CINDERELLA), BRIAN TICHY (BILLY IDOL / WHITESNAKE), XAVIER MURIEL (BUCKCHERRY), KENNY ARANOFF and LEGENDARY METAL ICON BILL WARD (BLACK SABBATH).  there is something SPECIAL about the FACT that he was so BELOVED by his FELLOW PERCUSSIONISTS and it was genuinely AFFECTING to see how this COHORT of MUSICIANS COLLECTIVELY decided to express their ADMIRATION for CASTILLO the DRUMMER and how much they dearly miss CASTILLO the MAN.  arguably the more HIGH-PROFILE PARTICIPANTS were the NON-DRUMMERS in SLASH, DUFF MCKAGAN & MATT SORUM (GUNS N ROSES / VELVET REVOLVER), NIKKI SIXX & VINCE NEIL (MOTLEY CRUE), LEMMY KILMISTER (MOTÖRHEAD), JERRY CANTRELL (ALICE IN CHAINS), BILLY SHEEHAN (MR. BIG), KIP WINGER (WINGER), CARMINE ROJAS (DAVID BOWIE / TINA TURNER) and FORMER BANDMATES PHIL SOUSSAN (OZZY OSBOURNE), JOHN 5 (RED SQUARE BLACK / MARILYN MANSON / ROB ZOMBIE), MIKE INEZ (OZZY OSBOURNE / ALICE IN CHAINS), LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS) and ZAKK WYLDE (OZZY OSBOURNE / BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) but the IDEA that he is still in the HEARTS and MINDS of those that are still beating the skins is pretty ENDEARING and so HEARTBREAKING.  that and the interviews with his SURVIVING SIBLINGS, FIANCE and MOTHER.  just absolutely DEVASTATING.

was more than a little WEIRD that TOMMY LEE and OZZY himself werent involved in this DOCUMENTARY.  seemed to be quite the OMISSION.

i found this FILM DIFFICULT to watch because of all the LOVE being channeled his way.  really felt like he was a FULFILLED SOUL that lived in SERVICE of OTHERS that didnt deserve to be taken suddenly from the COMMUNITY at 51 from CANCER.  seems like the kind of DUDE id love to have seen PLAY LIVE with OZZY.  this FILM was a FITTING TRIBUTE to a MUSICIAN WORTHY of further RECOGNITION and ACCOLADES.  hopefully it will inspire the NEXT GENERATION of MUSICIANS, especially those born OUTSIDE of the CULTURAL MAINSTREAM of AMERICAN SOCIETY.

i was introduced to the MUSIC of SONGWRITER STEPHIN MERRITT and his CELEBRATED INDIE ROCK BAND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS through a COWORKER immediately after undergrad when i worked at a CORPORATE RETAIL BOOKSTORE.  this PEER was a bit of a SNOB had a TASTE for the EXPERIMENTAL and likewise wisened me to the likes of STEREOLAB, FENNEZS, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, BROADCAST, CORNELIUS, NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL, THE MOUNTAIN GOATS and AUTECHRE among others.  as such my FIRST IMPRESSION of THE MAGNETIC FIELDS was that they were the HYPER-LITERATE, UBER-SOPHISTICATED with absolutely no SOUL TYPE OF THING youd hear ROUTINELY promoted on NPR.  in PARTICULAR, the 69 LOVE SONGS (MERGE, 1999) ALBUM seemed to me less about HUMAN AFFECTION and GENUINE EMOTIONAL CONNECTION as an OVERWHELMING FEELING or TRANSCENDENT PHENOMENON, instead ODDLY more as an ISOLATED TOPIC of ACADEMIC PURSUIT.  i noticed the DISTANCE between the TONE and SUBJECT implicitly but left at that and never really went back to investigate. 

its more than 15 years since then.

so for me personally its INTRIGUING to learn about MERRITT and his WORK via the STRANGE POWERS: STEPHIN MERRITT AND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS () DOCUMENTARY i recently discovered.  what i failed to understand before is that MERRITT is a COMPOSER very much in the CLASSIC SENSE of the word, i.e. the GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK TRADITION of SONGWRITERS such as COLE PORTER, IRVING BERLIN, JEROME KERN, RICHARD ROGERS and the like.  that sort of BRILL BUILDING MENTALITY of mass-producing QUALITY SONGS at an almost FRANTIC PACE for PUBLICATION and LICENSING PURPOSES.  as a SELF-DESCRIBED OUTSIDER, you get the SENSE in the FILM that MERRITT as a SONGWRITER is ENGAGED in an INTERNAL DIALOGUE about CHARACTERS and SCENARIOS from the DISTANT PERSPECTIVE of an OBJECTIVE THIRD-PARTY OBSERVER, not himself particularly engaged himself amongst the fray.  as many of his SONGS were written over COUNTLESS hours alone in DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN BARS, this ASSESSMENT seems WARRANTED. 

its INTERESTING because THE MAGNETIC FIELDS came to PROMINENCE in the early 1990s when CONFESSIONAL, SELF-FLAGELLATING ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS were dominating the CULTURAL CONVERSATION with MASCULINITY that wore HEART-ON-SLEEVE LYRICS as a VERITABLE BADGE OF HONOR and SUPPOSED SIGNIFIER of their BONIFIDES and AUTHENTICITY as ARTISTS.  in MERRITT you have the POLAR OPPOSITE, someone who has fully embraced ARTIFICE as his OPAQUELY-THEMED SONGS reveal NOTHING of himself PERSONALLY.  his COMPOSITIONS are more concerned with a META-NARRATIVE about the CONCEALED ART OF SONGWRITING itself, where CLEVER ARRANGEMENTS and ODD INSTRUMENTATION give OLD FORMS new life if done with a SENSE of ATTENTION-TO-DETAIL and CRAFT.  and that SENSE of being a CRAFTSMAN is what renders THE MAGNETIC FIELDS such a COMPELLING CREATIVE ENTITY that has affected NOTABLE INFLUENCES, COLLEAGUES and PEERS interviewed in this DOCUMENTARY including PETER GABRIEL (GENESIS), SARAH SILVERMAN, NEIL GAIMAN, DANIEL HANDLER and CARRIE BROWNSTEIN (SLEATER-KINNEY).

this INTENTIONAL OBTUSENESS and DELIBERATE PSYCHIC DISTANCE between the ART and ARTIST likewise makes MERRITT a RIPE OBJECT for SCORN and MISUNDERSTANDING, especially amongst his MUSIC CRITIC BRETHREN (MERRITT himself wrote and edited for both SPIN and TIME OUT NEW YORK at some point) who dont appreciate not being in on the CONVERSATION.  as such some [UNFAIR] CRITIQUES have been leveled against him claiming that he is RACIST and/or UNAPPRECIATIVE of BLACK CULTURE, which is PREPOSTEROUS given his INCREDIBLE depth of knowledge and apparent VOCAL ADMIRATION for PAST SONGWRITING FORMS, TRADITIONS and GENRES.  appreciating ART is an ACT of COMPASSION and EMPATHY and i just dont believe you can internalize such at the level MERRITT has with MALICE and INTOLERANCE in your heart.  as much as a MISANTHROPE he comes across, the secret is in the sauce and his MUSIC is too ARTICULATE and INTERTEXTUAL with REFERENCES to others for it to be EVIDENCE of some DARK, UNSPOKEN AGENDA.  or maybe i am just not seeing such and should further investigate.  it seems more likely that MERRITT's OPEN STATUS as a HOMOSEXUAL MALE with STRONG OPINIONS about ART and an UNCONVENTIONAL SONGWRITING and LYRICAL AESTHETIC makes him an EASY TARGET for MISINTERPRETATION.  as such the ORIGINAL CRITIC to level a BAD FAITH BARBED CRITIQUE of MERRITT being RACIST delivers a MEA CULPA for his DAMAGING and admittedly UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIM in the FILM.

but i can see how these sort of NARRATIVES develop.  the less one involves themselves with the PRESS and developing their PUBLIC IMAGE is susceptible to OUTSIDERS doing the job for him.  and such is PERILOUS given that such CHARACTERIZATIONS are often BLOATED and FACTUALLY INCORRECT EXAGGERATIONS that denote an AGENDA by the MUSIC CRITIC and not the ARTIST.  such was the case no doubt with MERRITT and this DOCUMENTARY is EVIDENCE of this UNJUST PHENOMENON.  in the decade since its release, SOCIAL MEDIA has only sped up this PROCESS and we are all in essence with MERRITT trying to negotiate such a TILTED LANDSCAPE.  the LOOKING GLASS is now our COLLECTIVE REALITY and the ABSURDITY of ATTENTION-SEEKING PROVOCATEURS is the COIN OF THE REALM.  i think MERRITT's EMBRACE of ARTIFICE is now very much ahead of its time, as now its IMPOSSIBLE to tell the DIFFERENCE so blurred the line between FANTASY and REALITY has become in a POST-TRUTH LANDSCAPE.

in spite of its title, the LOOKING FOR JOHNNY: THE LEGEND OF JOHNNY THUNDERS (CHIP BAKER FILMS, 2014) DOCUMENTARY is not a FAWNING HAGIOGRAPHY in the least.  instead it is a SOBER ASSESSMENT rooted in the COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE of PARTICIPATING PEERS, SCENESTERS, FORMER BANDMATES, MANAGERS and HANGERS-ON of the COMPLICATED LEGACY of the UNDENIABLE ROCK AND ROLL ICON that is JOHNNY THUNDERS and the PUSH-PULL DYNAMICS of his LEGENDARY CAREER that was seemingly as much a SUBCONSCIOUS ACT of SELF-SABOTAGE as it was REVOLUTIONARY.

born and raised in QUEENS by a SINGLE MOTHER, THUNDERS was always searching for ACCEPTANCE and LOVE through by initiating his own COMMUNITY, whether that was through BASEBALL as a CHILD or later ROCK AND ROLL as an ADOLESCENT in the WAKE of THE BEATLES and the BRITISH INVASION.  his INNER DRIVE and CREATIVITY drew others too him throughout his LIFE and that ATTRACTION was DOUBLE-SIDED as he was always fundamentally UNSURE of his CONNECTION to PEOPLE, especially after he became a HARDCORE DRUG ADDICT throughout his ADULT LIFE.  THUNDERS is such a TRANSCENDENT FIGURE in ROCK AND ROLL since his BRAVADO, STYLE and ATTITUDE as a GUITARIST for the PROTO-PUNK BAND THE NEW YORK DOLLS set the stage for all SUBSEQUENT VARIATIONS thereof in its WAKE.  their work stripped the BLOATED ROCK AND ROLL CARCASS back to its DIRECT, SEXUALLY POTENT, SUBVERSIVE BASICS as a VEHICLE for SOCIAL CHANGE and CONFRONTATION with the SOCIETAL STATUS QUO, rather than the PLATFORM for impossibly TECHNICAL MUSICIANSHIP with no HEART that it became in the 1970s with the advent of PROGRESSIVE ROCK.  TRANSGRESSIVE, CONFRONTATIONAL, SEXUALLY UNRESTRICTED and effortlessly REVOLUTIONARY was what THUNDERS represented to the CULTURE in the early 1970s every bit as much as fellow SEMINAL SONGWRITERS and his DIRECT CONTEMPORARIES in LOU REED and IGGY POP of THE VELVET UNDERGROUND and THE STOOGES respectively.

all that seemingly got sidelined again and again due to his MULTIPLE CHEMICAL DEPENDENCIES, specifically to HEROIN.  such caused him to be SPORADIC and UNRELIABLE, especially with those that personally relied on him such as BANDMATES and FAMILY.  ultimately his DEATH in NEW ORLEANS in 1991 at the early age of 38 was under MYSTERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES and his AUTOPSY confirmed he suffered from ADVANCED STAGES of LEUKEMIA, at the very least one can infer that he could have been more PROLIFIC had he laid off the SMACK.  as such he is part of that WARPED LEGACY of being part of that UNDISTINGUISHED PANTHEON of CELEBRATED JUNKIE ROCK AND ROLL LUMINARIES who's PREMATURE PASSING was powerfully influenced by their COPIOUS DRUG USAGE.  this includes everyone from JIMI HENDRIX, LAYNE STALEY, DARBY CRASH, OL DIRTY BASTARD, JIM MORRISON, CHET BAKER, SID VICIOUS, KEITH MOON, HILLEL SLOVAK, DINAH WASHINGTON, NICK DRAKE, GRAHAM PARSONS, SHANNON HOON, MIKE BLOOMFIELD, SCOTT WEILAND and FRANKIE LYMON to GG ALLIN, WAYNE STATIC, JUDY GARLAND, PHIL LYNOTT, BRAD NOWELL, PAUL GRAY, WHITNEY HOUSTON, PIMP C, DEE DEE RAMONE, TIM BUCKLEY, BON SCOTT and KURT COBAIN among seemingly COUNTLESS others. 

and its just SAD.

you can see in this FILM what JOY THUNDERS brought to the WORLD and the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY he built up around his MUSIC, whether with THE NEW YORK DOLLS or THE HEARTBREAKERS or any of his other ARRAY of LATER PROJECTS.  inasmuch as those other, mostly MALE, names on that STUPID LIST it just feels ultimately like a WASTED OPPORTUNITY.  especially with someone so TALENTED, CHARISMATIC and COMPASSIONATE outside of his ADDICTION.  and that seems to be the POINT.  whatever their CAUSE, whatever their REASON, DRUGS ultimately overtake everything else and we are all collectively left POORER in the PROCESS.  it bugs me that the dude that created something as BEAUTIFUL and ENDURING as PUNK ROCK, which was EFFECTIVELY crafted in his IMAGE has the DISTINCTION of being just ANOTHER ROCK AND ROLL FATALITY from DRUGS.  such devalues his LEGACY in some way and that ASSOCIATION no doubt served as a DANGEROUS EXAMPLE for SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS, just like the MODEL of KEITH RICHARDS had no doubt done so for THUNDERS.

given the centennial of its FOUNDING, the RECENT BAUHAUS 100 (BBC4, 2019) DOCUMENTARY is an especially POIGNANT EXAMINATION of the ENDURING CULTURAL and POLITICAL LEGACY of this early 20th-century MULTI-DISCIPLINARY SHOOL that was so FUNDAMENTAL in shaping MODERNIST THOUGHT with its INTENTIONAL BLURRING of the lines between CRAFTS and the FINE ARTS.  although only lasting for fourteen years between 1919 and 1933, the BAUHAUS was a REACTION to the CRUDE HORRORS of WORLD WAR I and the need to provide NEW IDEAS for a NEW CENTURY in order to manifest a new sense of FREEDOM from the past.  in the decades since this UNIQUELY GENERATIONAL EXAMPLE has served as a PROMINENT BEACON of CREATIVITY and ENTREPRENEURIAL POTENTIAL to the point that an INSURGENT VANGUARD of CONTEMPORARY EXTREME RIGHT-WING ELEMENTS in GERMANY (no doubt taking their cue from similar SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS the world over in places like HUNGARY, ISRAEL, POLAND, AUSTRIA, ITALY and the UNITED STATES) are seeking to mollify and effectively blunt its CONTINUED IMPACT.

my CONCEPTION of the BAUHAUS prior to seeing this FILM was heavily influenced by the REFINED and AUSTERE MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE of VISIONARIES like WALTER GROPIUS and LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE, both FORMER DIRECTORS of the SHOOL, but i failed to understand how fundamentally the MOVEMENT was based on a BREAKDOWN of the PERCEIVED BARRIERS between the DISCIPLINES.  when GROPIUS founded the SCHOOL he brought together an especially ECLECTIC and ACCOMPLISHED FACULTY that included everyone from WASSILY KANDINSKY, PAUL KLEE, LASZLO MOHOLY-NAGY, OSKAR SCHLEMMER and MARCEL BREUER.  part of the PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION was a FOUNDATIONAL COURSE that STUDENTS would take upon arrival before specializing in other DEPARTMENTS, a CONCEPT now widely adopted by most HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.  a BYPRODUCT of this approach was that STUDENTS of VARYING INTERESTS would have a COMMON LANGUAGE of UNDERSTANDING that helped bridge hitherto SEPARATE DISCIPLINES and led to some FRUITFUL COLLABORATIONS that COMBINED METALWORK, ARCHITECTURE, PAINTING, GRAPHIC DESIGN and TEXTILES. 

as much INNOVATION was being harnessed at the BAUHAUS, it was always in a PRECARIOUS SITUATION politically given that the SURROUNDING COMMUNITY didnt understand such.  to them it was an ELITIST and SEXUALLY-DEVIANT INSTITUTION filled with POLITICAL and SOCIAL DISCONTENTS that aimed to displace TRADITIONAL GERMAN CULTURE, or so RIGHT-LEANING POLITICIANS and NEWSPAPER EDITORS argued such.  by the time of the rise of the THIRD REICH, the WRITING WAS ON THE WALL and the SCHOOL DISBANDED, only after moving twice from WEIMAR to DESSAU to BERLIN.  each time its funding shifted as well from being GOVERNMENT-SUBSIDIZED to being MUNICIPALLY-SUBSIDIZED to being PRIVATE.  BAUHAUS 100 argues that this GLOBAL SCATTERING of the FACULTY of the BAUHAUS after sustaining UNRELENTING PRESSURE from the NAZI REGIME is what made the MOVEMENT so IMPACTFUL as FORMER MEMBERS secured REVOLUTIONARY ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTS from the UNITED STATES, SWITZERLAND, ENGLAND, ISRAEL, FRANCE, the USSR and so on.  had this FACULTY all stayed in GERMANY its unknown what their LEGACY would have been.  speaking of which, the FILM makes the other ASTUTE OBSERVATION that the STUDENT BODY was by no means a MONOLITH, with some of their ALUMNI going on to make an IMPACT in the ARTS, while others providing TECHNICAL INSIGHT for the THIRD REICH itself. its a MIXED-BAG.

the DOCUMENTARY also addresses the ENDURING CRITICISM that the PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL and SOCIAL ASPIRATIONS of the BAUHAUS MOVEMENT, which sought to impart BEAUTY as a FOUNDATIONAL CONCERN in the REFINED PROCESS of creating an object to the betterment of SOCIETY, had failed in doing such given that its most IDENTIFIABLE ACHIEVEMENTS, the aforementioned INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTURAL WORK of GROPIUS and MIES VAN DER ROHE, were merely REFASHIONED, SUPERFICIAL AESTHETIC CHOICES for CORPORATE AMERICA and its OVERPOWERING INDUSTRIAL MIGHT.  such a critique fails to take into CONSIDERATION the amount of EXPLORATION, INGENUITY and EXPERIMENTATION that went into such a GENERATIONAL MOVEMENT by dozens of supremely TALENTED ARTISANS and THINKERS, often under EXTREME CULTURAL DURESS and POLITICAL SCRUTINY.  as it stands today, the BAUHAUS signifies a sense of ARTISTIC, POLITICAL, CULTURAL and even SEXUAL FREEDOM that was too PROGRESSIVE for its time, but serves as a BEACON of a POSSIBLE UTOPIA that comes with the MARRIAGE of ART and TECHNOLOGY that may still be in reach.

or not.

depends on if we let this MODERN REVANCHIST, NEO-FASCIST WELL-SPRING of MALCONTENTS that promote MISPLACED NATIONALIST RHETORIC with BALD STREAKS of RACISM and CULTURAL INTOLERANCE to take the POLITICAL REIGNS of POWER.  feels like HISTORY is repeating itself no doubt to the detriment of us all.