Sons of Lee Marvin

Aussie goth rocker Nick Cave of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds has been a diligent student of American roots music for decades. You can hear the influences all over his music, particularly in recent songs like "15 Feet of Pure White Snow" and the Kylie Minogue duet about the serial killer and his victim, "Where the Wild Roses Grow."

Cave's gritty, stunning movie directorial debut, "The Proposition," came out last year to rave reviews. The cast was superb - Emily Watson, Danny Huston, Guy Pierce, while Ray Winstone may be the most underrated actor working today.

Besides his talents as a writer, a director, actor, musician, songwriter, music historian and a novelist, Cave is also a member of highly secretive group, called the "Sons of Lee Marvin," comprised of people who could plausibly appear to be the progeny of the prolific actor. Other members are reputed to be Tom Waits, Jim Jarmusch, Richard Bose, Mickey Rourke and Neil Young. It could well be the Cosmic Order of the Illuminati of our age. Jarmusch said, "We have communiques and secret meetings. Other than that, I can't talk about it."

Here's a sample of his work:

Pulp Faction

In times of trouble, I have found great comfort and catharsis in the work of Pulp, the Sheffield, England band that had been in and around the scene since the late 1970s. "This is Hardcore" remains one of my favorite albums of all time.

Pulp is mainly the brainchild of Jarvis Cocker, a fascinating fellow. He founded Pulp when he was 15 years old, and has held it together for going on 30 years now. A dedicated blue-collar agitprop peddler, Cocker's politics are anything but subtle, but his voice and musicianship are without peer.

Here's a couple of selections to get a feel - also do your own search for "Running the World," which is definitely NSFW:



Da Ali G Show appearance, hysterical:

Most Influential Band of All Time

Most people would argue that title for the Beatles. And they would have a good case. The most painful rock review I ever read was about Matchbox 20. The reviewer's money line: "This is what popular music would have sounded like had the Beatles never existed." Ouch.

But I propose for your consideration a modest band of troubadours led by Frank Black, the Pixies.

Generally considered "alternative rock," whatever that means, the Pixies disbanded in 1993 and reunited last year for a momentous tour.

No one had heard anything like them before they hit the scene in 1985, but plenty of bands sounded like them after they appeared. I would argue that grunge, emo, post-punk, prog rock and even alt country all owe a big, largely unacknowledged debt to the Pixies.

Here's "Where Is My Mind." Listen and see if you can hear echoes of everything from Nirvana to System of a Down to Wilco in there. Just incredible work.

La Buona Tavola/The art of cooking

Peperonata/Peppers sautéed with olive oil and cappers


An other side dish that goes well with your mean course
Ingrdienti/Ingredients
2 lbs. Firm and sweet peppers,
8 oz. ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced.
1 small white onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, shopped
8 basil leaves
8 tbs. Olive oil
1-cup Pitted black olives

Preparazione/preparation

Clean and cut the pepper into strips. Prepare a soffritto by sautéing the onions and garlic in a saucepan with 2 tbs. of olive oil. When golden brown, add the tomatoes and basil. Cook for 10 minutes over a low flame, remove from fire and set aside.
In a large sautéing pain, heat 6 tbs. Of olive oil, then add the peppers. When these are slightly soft, add the soffritto, mix in the capers and olives, season and continue cooking until peppers are tender but still crisp. (The peppers are overcooked when the skin begins to fall off)
Remove from fire, serve at room temperature.

Buon appetito.

Cyberloaf Special De Jour - Dancing Fools

Amazing how incredibly quickly youtube came to dominate popular culture - well within two years from its inception to now.

Before that, the flotsam and jetsam of cultural miscellany ended up on more obscure sites like ebaumsworld. One of the few advantages of being a father to two teenagers is being exposed to their world.

Anyway, here's one of the pioneer youtube stars. Check out the massive amount of traffic he has generated ...

Protest Songs

People wonder why, with an escalating war with no end, with as intelligent and committed a cohort of youth as our nation has ever had, the protest movement hasn't really taken to the streets.

If you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention, goes the bumper sticker. Lot of truth in that. It's easy to ignore when people don't have a personal stake in what's going on. A recent Washington Post article about the lack of street protests pointed to the lack of a draft as the reason for the quietude. Without the draft it is too easy for people to sit on the sidelines. That's only one of the reasons why I support the draft. George Washington addressed the Continental Congress about another reason for the draft:

"We are now, as it were, upon the eve of another dissolution of our Army. The remembrance of the difficulties which happened upon that occasion last year, and the consequences which might have followed had advantages been taken by the Enemy, added to the present temper and situation of the troops, reflect but a very gloomy prospect upon the appearance of things now, and satisfy me, beyond the possibility of doubt, that unless some speedy and effectual measures are adopted by Congress, our cause will be lost.

"It is in vain to expect that any (or more than a trifling) part of this Army will again engage in the service on the encouragement offered by Congress ... When men are irritated and the passions inflamed, they fly hastily and cheerfully to arms. But after the first emotions are over, to expect among such people as compose the bulk of an army, that they are influenced by any other principles than those of self-interest, is to look for what never did, and I fear never will happen. The Congress will deceive themselves, therefore, if they expect it."

That's why we need to know our history, there is nothing new under the sun. History repeats first as tragedy, then as farce.

My favorite protest song of recent years is Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes fame with "When Presidents Talk to God." Here he is on Leno:

The Price of Paradise

Santa Barbara County, paradise to some, has seen a dramatic escalation in the cost of housing, thus displacing the community's critical workforce. The experiences of those workers and the impacts to families, community and employers provide insight and an understanding of the need for affordable workforce housing. The 42-minute documentary features interviews, artistic cinematography and a percussionist soundtrack.

*Production still by Brooks Smothers.

Locals Michael Anderson and Austen Collins of Extra Mile Productions, and Lisa Snider of these pages and a few others, worked for about 10 months on this project and are proud of the film's acceptance into the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Screenings will take place on Friday, January 26, 7:00 p.m. at the Marjorie Luke Theater and Monday, January 29, 10:00 a.m. at Victoria Hall. At each screening, The Price of Paradise is the 2nd film on the schedule and audience Q&A with the filmmakers will follow. Purchase tickets here.

Trailers:




For the story behind the story, read Nao Braverman's article in the OVN on Wednesday and check-out Thursday's VC Reporter and the VC Star. In the meantime, read a Q&A with one of my favorite quirky local sites, Edhat.com.

The Price of Paradise, winner of the Oxnard Film Festival award for Best Documentary Feature.

La Buona Tavola/The art of cooking

Next time you have guests over, serve this salad as a side dish.

Insalata di arance, barbabietole rosse e parmigiano reggiano
Orange, beet and parmigiano Reggiano salad

Ingredients:

I pound beets cooked and sliced,
3 oranges peeled and sliced,
1/3 cup walnuts
3 tablespoons orange juice,
1 teaspoon lemon juice,
3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil,
¼ teaspoon of salt

Esequzione/preparation

Pat beets dry. Arrange beets and orange slices in an attractive, overlapping pattern on a large serving platter or on individual plates. Toast the walnuts in a preheated 350 F oven until light golden brown, about 10 minutes. Chop finely and sprinkle over the beets and oranges. Whisk orange juice, lemon juice and salt together in a small bowl. Add oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking constantly. Pour dressing over the salad.
Make ½ cup of thin slivers of Parmigiano Reggiano with a vegetable peeler. Scatter over the salad. Season with freshly ground pepper and serve immediately.
Buon appetito

Pitchfork Media

If you live for music, want to be the first to hear the new singles, find about tour dates, buy tickets, listen to MP3 streams, be the cool music nerd on the block, then you should bookmark Pitchforkmedia.com. They cover a wide range of music, from indie to hip-hop to arena rock.

Pitchfork has introduced me to many of what has become my favorite bands in the past 3 years or so: The Decemberists, Will Oldham of Bonnie Prince Billy, Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, Glasgewian powerhouse popsters Camera Obscura and The Delgados, Califone, Postal Service, Devendra Banhart, and a long list of others.

Here's a prerelease video of Camera Obscura's new single, "If Looks Could Kill."

Freezing - Depends on Your Perspective

I just got back from Phoenix, where my husband and I were in the Rock 'N' Roll 1/2 Marathon. He ran, I walked. As you've probably read here and there from me, I have been training for this. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the sub-freezing temperatures a so-called arctic blast has hurled upon the sunbelt states.

When we were dropped at the starting line yesterday, it was 7:30 a.m. and TWENTY NINE DEGREES. We were supposed to start at 8:30, but that was delayed. I immediately ran to the port-a-potty line thinking I would hide out in one and get warm. That line was 30 minutes long, though, and once inside, I quickly discovered, not a place I would want to stay long.

As I approached the starting line, I found a filthy sweatshirt on the ground dropped by an earlier marathon runner and put it on. I was already wearing 4 layers, 2 hats, 2 pairs of gloves and 2 pairs of socks. I couldn't feel my toes. By the time I crossed the starting line at 9:30, I had already cried 3 times. I don't do well in cold weather. Fortunately, my husband was in a different starting group and was not subjected to my melt-downs.

Long story short, I made it. I was sure I would never walk again, but even though I'm a little sore today, my recovery has been pretty good. Bill, on the other hand, did great. Cold weather doesn't seem to bother him - he routinely trains at the crack of dawn when it's high 30's to low 40's.

As I read the LA Times article today about the deep freeze's effects on Jim Churchill's Ojai farm, I realized that while I was grumbling and whining my way from downtown Phoenix to Sun Devil stadium in Tempe, this man was fighting to save his crops. He's lost 5 acres in avocados alone and I hate to think what's become of the Pixies, my absolute favorite fruit. It put it all in perspective.

Man with the Golden Ear

It took 38 years for Brian Wilson to finish "SMiLE." It was well worth the wait.

This collaboration between two legends, Wilson and lyricist, or in this case, librettist, Van Dyke Parks, could well have been the first and most ambitious rock opera, a soaring tribute to the American landscape. The story goes that the Beatles were visiting the Beach Boys in Hawthorne in 1966 and Wilson showed McCartney and Lennon some early tapes of SMiLE. Six months later, the Beatles came out with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and Wilson believed the Liverpool boys stole his concept.

Though mostly deaf in his right ear, Wilson's pitch-perfect harmonies and instrumentation are unrivaled. Leonard Bernstein himself that Wilson's left ear should be in the Smithsonian Institution, it is such a perfect instrument.

Here's a recent performance of Good Vibrations:

Bluebird of Happiness

Saw a documentary recently on Brian Wilson, he of the gifted ear. After battling crippling depression for years, Brian has finally found some equilibrium in his life. Each morning, he sits down at the piano and randomly plinks out tunes - no fingering exercises, no scales to a metronome. After he finished talking about his routine, he looked right at the camera and said, "You know, it's hard work being happy."

How profound. It really is hard work. At least for exquisitely sensitive people like Brian.

Gretchen Rubin is in the process of writing a book about happiness, its pursuit and obstacles, and is chronicling her efforts in her blog. I highly recommend it. Gretchen was a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who I know slightly from my days in the Gila River Valley. Her blog is a lot of fun, but also very earnest and achingly honest. I highly recommend you check it out.

http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/

La Buona Tavola/The art of cooking

Fusilli with shrimp, tomatoes and arugula
Ingredient:
1 pound of Italian pasta
1 pound. medium shrimp, cleaned and deveined,
3 cups ripe, cherry tomatoes cut in half,
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced,
3 table spoon of olive oil,
1 bunch fresh, washed arugola, torn into pieces,
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes as neded.

Preparation:
While waiting for the pasta water to boil, (ensure you have enough water), heat the oil in a heavy frying pan and then add the shrimp. Cook for a couple minutes, or just until the shrimp turn pink. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, and tomatoes, and mix well. Cook only for an other minute or two and then turn off the heat, Cook the pasta until it is al dente, drain it reserving a small cup of the pasta watere, and return the pasta to the pot. Add the shrimp mixture and arugula, and cook for a minute or two over high heat until is piping hot and the arugula is wilted. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a spoonful of the pasta water. Serve and Buon Appetito.

Let me know if you like it

For Devoted Readers

For all the 60,000 books published each year in this country, it seems like the pool of books that enters the public sphere is very small. There's a reason for that - the gatekeepers.

Used to be every metropolitan daily in this country worth its low-rub ink had a book review section each Sunday. Those ranks have dwindled down to an elite few - including The New York Times Book Review, The New York Review of Books, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, and perhaps the LA Times Book Review. Therefore, it gets harder and harder for great books to catch on, and easier for mediocre books to get outsized influence.

Alternatives exist. Here's two:

Maud Newton's literary blog: http://maudnewton.com/blog/index.php

She referees a rousing roundtable of and about writing and writers, including signings, events, parsing reviews, book club notes, etcetera. An excellent clearing house for all things in the book world.

And my new favorite - Foxed Quarterly: http://www.foxedquarterly.com/

From its mission statement:
Slightly Foxed aims to strike a blow for lasting quality – for the small and individual against the corporate and the mass produced. Why not join us, and enjoy some excellent company too?

Jami Sieber's Tour Comes to Ojai

When Jami Sieber, acclaimed electric cellist, contacted me recently to tell me she was coming to town, I couldn't help but wonder about her back-up band. Her press kit made mention a number of times about the Thai Elephant Orchestra, but I thought that was the name of a band. A few emails back and forth and finally it sank into my thick skull: it turns out it is the name of the band, and the band is entirely comprised of elephants!

Jami went to Thailand a few years ago to work on a film score and ended up playing music with the elephants, who have mastered a variety of instruments including the xylophone, cymbals, drums and gongs. She felt a powerful connection and decided to start composing new music with them, which soon led to the release of her latest CD, Hidden Sky.

From her press kit: "Jami has been a vibrant member of the west coast music scene since 1984. Her playing style grew out of her childhood classical training and expanded over the years embracing ambient, folk, rock, improvisational and world styles. Her compositions are evocative and mesmerizing, richly textured and innovative."

On January 12 at 7:30, Jami will make her Ojai debut in a solo concert at Sacred Space. She will share her beautiful "soul-stirring" music, incredible film with the elephants, and still images with the community. Tickets are $15 and $12 in advance and for seniors and students and are available in advance at Ojai Creates! and at the door the evening of the performance.

I listened to her CD and found it deeply contemplative and sweetly sorrowful. Enjoy the title track from Jami's critically acclaimed CD Hidden Sky at Radio Ojai.

Vampires Rock!

Bauhaus was one of the earliest and greatest goth rock bands of all time, paving the way for Siouxsie and the Banshees (which I saw play live at the Trolley Stop in Cambridge several times) and Sisters of Mercy, (for which a friend of mine once auditioned to play guitar. He didn't get the gig.)

Their first single, "Bela Lugosi's Dead," was used to open the 1983 film "The Hunger," with David Bowie and Susan Sarandon. Very arty, provocative film, which the Bauhaus opening score sets up perfectly.

Many of you probably know that Daniel Ash lives at least part-time in Ojai. He and co-founder Peter Murphy grew up together in England. Ash scored another big success with his followup band, Love and Rockets, which recorded seven albums before breaking up in the late 1990s. I am no indiscriminate fanboy, but definitely one of the great things about Ojai is that so many talented people choose to live here.

Here's an early '80s video from Bauhaus, "She's In Parties." Enjoy.



Bauhaus played a "Resurrection Tour" in 1998, and again last year at the Coachella Valley Festival, where they were reportedly huge hits.

Magic Tricks

Illusions, prestidigitation and legerdemain has such a great history, going to back more than 250 years to the great Jacob Philadelphia and others.

The key to magic is secrecy. In fact, once you find out how the tricks are done, it seems so banal and simple. I remember a television special about six or seven years ago, called "Magic Tricks Revealed," which unveiled a lot of illusions. It seemed like the magic was gone from, well, magic.

After a long drought in the magic world - we haven't really had a great showman since Copperfield, and he was a little too Vegas-y even before he went to Vegas - we now have Cris Angel, the rock-and-roll magic man. Watch this trick and get grossed out and fascinated all at once: