Song: "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers

Event: Misheard lyrics

One of the coolest things about art is its inherent subjectivity.  What something means to you may mean something completely different to me.  That possibility for myriad interpretations opens up any works - allowing it to be as emotionally resonating or coldly apathetic as the audience which witnesses it.  And what makes such interpretation even more malleable is when the audience member is either misinformed or simply perceives something incorrectly.  The piece of art - though that may be a lofty title to attach to it - that most reminds me of the transitory identity of art is The Wallflowers' song, "One Headlight."

To start - I'm not a Wallflowers fan; I don't own any of their music, I don't know any songs outside of this one and their cover of Bowie's "Heroes."  I know that the lead singer is Bob Dylan's son and that they haven't really been around for the past decade or so.  And "One Headlight" doesn't get as much radio play as it once did.  But whenever I do happen upon it on the radio, usually on some "Best of the 80s, 90s and Today" station, I stop scanning the stations, listen to the song with a smile, recalling my incorrect reading of the song.

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Today's word of the day is "aloof."

Aloof

-adverb

at a distance, esp. in feeling or interest; apart: They always stood aloof from their classmates.

-adjective

We are all our own graveyards I believe; we squat amongst the tombs of the people we were. If we're healthy, every day is a celebration, a Day of the Dead, in which we give thanks for the lives that we lived; and if we are neurotic we brood and mourn and wish that the past was still present. 

-- Clive Barker

Today's word of the day is "consternation" -

Consternation

The imagination of teenagers is often -- I'm tempted to say always -- the only sure capital they possess apart from the love of their parents, which is a force far beyond their capacity to comprehend or control.

During my own adolescence, my imagination, the kingdom inside my own skull, was my sole source of refuge, my fortress of solitude, at times my prison. Like all teenagers, I provisioned my garrison with art: books, movies, music, comic books, television, role-playing games. Given their nature as human creations, as artifacts and devices of human nature, some of the provisions I consumed were bound to be of a dark, violent, even bloody and horrifying nature; otherwise I would not have cared for them.

- Michael Chabon

"I see it all perfectly; there are two possible situations - one can either do this or that. My honest opinion and my friendly advice is this: do it or do not do it - you will regret both."

-- Soren Kierkegaard

(Reprinted from my previous blog)

God damn it.

I hate myself. I mean, I always hate myself. But now I have a specific reason to truly hate myself.

That was my chance, wasn't it? My chance to do what I know is Right...and I just couldn't.

I can think of a billion ways to rationalize my actions. I was polite. I was doing the capital "G" Good thing. I took the high road. I'm not a man prone to violence. But any way you slice it, I failed. I failed you all...and that moment will haunt me for the rest of my days.

God damn it.

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Today's word of the day is "juxtapose"

Juxtapose

to place close together or side by side, esp. for comparison or contrast.

I'd say to myself or whoever I was with, 'It'll look good in the biography.' and then I'd go ahead and do whatever daft thing it was - like taking acid on the sacred mesa or doing the bungee-jump, getting the haircut, dancing with the stranger, talking to the crowd - whatever I was 'scared' of mostly, or fancied doing, or never dared before, I'd try it on the basis that it would make for a more interesting read one day. 

- Grant Morrison

Today's word of the day is "imminent" -

Imminent

1. likely to occur at any moment; impending: Her death is imminent.
2. projecting or leaning forward; overhanging.

The main thing that I learned about conspiracy theory is that conspiracy theorists actually believe in a conspiracy because that is more comforting. The truth of the world is that it is chaotic. The truth is, that it is not the Jewish banking conspiracy or the grey aliens or the 12 foot reptiloids from another dimension that are in control. The truth is more frightening, nobody is in control. The world is rudderless.

- Alan Moore

Where's the dividing line between allowing an artist free rein to tell his story and the need for some sort of structure to organize that story?  Some people work great completely unfettered, giving form to every thought that gestates in their fevered brain.  Tarantino seems like a writer who can go off on multiple tangents, mash-up various genres and tones, and yet it all feels like a cohesive whole (Death Proof notwithstanding).  These are the iconic artists who, when left to their own devices, create works of such beautiful originality and innovation that you just want them to seclude themselves from the rest of the world and continue dreaming up more unique visions.

Then there are those that need to be pushed and restrained.  It's a hard balance to strike between stifling an artist's vision and giving him boundaries that he has to work within.  Book writers tend to be the ones with the most freedom, as it's solitary work that doesn't necessitate a lot of different components, departments or contributions.  Movies, on the other hand, tend to be the one with that most precarious of balance - as there are so many different people working on a movie, each with his own vision, with her own motivation for seeing the film succeed.  But out of these hardships can come some great stories.  Jaws would probably be terrible if the mechanical shark hadn't malfunctioned, therefore resulting in a much more menacing approach to the titular monster.  Certain restraints can force an artist to narrow her vision, or to be more clever and resourceful to work around whatever obstacles are placed in front of her.

So where does one stake the marker between limitations and censorship?  Between helpful collaboration and smothering corporate oversight?  How does one determine what would be best for his work - to listen to the voices of others or to go it alone?  How can an artist tell when to rein it in and when to push as far as you can?

I don't know the answers to these questions and, judging by Richard Kelly's oeuvre, he doesn't either.  Kelly first burst onto the scene with Donnie Darko - a great, odd little indie film seemingly tailor-made for today's brand of confused emo and goth kids who all want their own slice of weirdness pie.  Combining all manner of fringe concepts and interests wrapped up in a well-shot package delivered with quasi-intelligent - or is that just purposefully? - dialogue, Donnie Darko was a truly unique film that seemed to announce a new talent had arrived in the form of Writer/Director Kelly.

But then things got worrisome...

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Today's word of the day is "impious" -

Munkapeni 'Personal Jesus' Sculptures

Impious

1. not pious or religious; lacking reverence for God, religious practices, etc.; irreligious; ungodly.
2. disrespectful

Much of junk culture has a core of crisis — shoot-outs, conflagrations, bodies weltering in blood, naked embracers or rapist-stranglers. The sounds of junk culture are heard over a ground bass of extremism. Our entertainments swarm with specters of world crisis. Nothing moderate can have any claim to our attention. 

- Saul Bellow

Song: "Lightning Crashes" by Live

Event: Live Concert with Girl With Whom I Was Hopelessly In Love

Laying on a ratty blanket that someone had brought from their basement, staring up at the stars in this outdoor concert area while the band played, fairly stoned on shitty high school grade weed, I had very little idea what was going on.  And I couldn't have been happier.

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