MUSIC: Simplicity

It's not often that you read an article that perfectly encapsulates how you react to a piece of music, but strangely this piece in the Guardian today (for me at least) sums up perfects the emotions elicited when listening to the inexplicable music of Sigur ros:

Although their songs suggest epic vistas, they are really about the small things. "Those moments that are really perfect in your life," says Birgisson. "When you hold somebody's hand and spin around. Being with somebody you love and the smell of their hair." Often, it comes back to the simplicity and innocence of childhood. "There's no acting, there's no bullshit, there's no mask," Birgisson says passionately. "I think we seek things that are quite pure, quite honest."

Check out the link to the bands website, where you can download many of the groups tracks including the song staralfur, which was used in P.T Anderson's movie "The Life Aquatic".

TV: Dearly departed

All things must pass, and such was the case with Six Feet Under , which came to a close this week. Of course I have only seen up to season three, but that did not stop me reading the spoilers - fool that I am.

I now know how the series ends, to the extent that I know what music is used on the closing credits. Which is maddening because I hate knowing the ending before either reading a book or watching a movie, but sometimes you can't help yourself, right?

Anyway in tribute to the show I thought I'd post the best remix of Sia's "Breath Me", which is by Four Tet. A song that I have been pestering people to listen to since it came out .

Enoshima beach party!

Had a fantastic day at the beach today - thanks Andrew!

Unfortunately I did not take many photos. However, the few photos I did take, Andrew has posted together with his own on his impressive website ilbonito , so check them out.

FILM & MUSIC: The creative process

Ever wondered what artists get up to when they are in the process of creating a new work of art?

Well in between completeing his new film the "Inland Empire" David Lynch seems to be killing time by filing daily weather reports. Despite the fact that it is always sunny in LA, I have become strangley addicted to Lynch's deadpan meteorological summaries. So much so that I am considering creating a petition whereby Thomas Pynchon reads the news, Bob Dylan does the sports reports and Bjork interviews politicians . I would then have my perfectly surreal news service.

On a slightly more serious note, let me point you in the direction of Radiohead's new blog. They have just started recording a new album and they are always really open about how they go about it; detailing both the frustrations and triumphs.

I have such admiration for people who are willing to put themselves out there, who are not afraid to push against the boundaries in an attempt to express themselves creatively. In a sense, it makes me want to start writing again, but then again:

"A man cannot say 'I will write poetry'. Not even the greatest poet can say it, for the mind in creation is as a fading coal, which some invisible influence, like an inconstant wind, awakens to transitory brightness"

Kamakura

FESTIVAL: Kotai Jingu Shrine Matsuri

Feliz Cumpleaños

MP3s: Altered Image, "Happy Birthday"
Sugarcubes, "Birthday" (English version)
Sugarcubes, "Ammæli" (Icelandic version)

FILM: Lost footage of Dylan

If you know me, you know I am a bit of a Bob freak. The man is a legend, an inspiration, and that's all there is to it.

I was therefore intrested to read this article about how the BBC "LOST" a play from the 1960's, which featured Bob Dylan playing a rabble rousing protest singer and has now appealed to the public for any copies of the performance that may have survived.

I remember reading about the play in Clinton Heylin's excellent biography Bob Dylan: Behind the Shades and it seems incredible that a copy was not archived by the beeb. I say incredible, but it is hardly surprising considering the criminally irresponsible way in which auntie destroyed so many prints of classic TV programmes and dramas during the infamous archive purge of the 1970s. Indeed it is perhaps one of the most persuasive arguments for the "illegal" copying of copyrighted material.

MP3: "You Threw it All Away" By Bob Dylan

BUY IT HERE

Exhibitions and dancing in the streets.

That Laurie Anderson, she's as mad as a bag of badgers I tell you.

How do I know this, well I went to an exhibition this morning Laurie Anderson the Record of Time at the ICC in Shinjuku.

When I say "mad", of course what I mean to say is wildly imaginative and creative. It was actually quite a cool little exhibition by turns funny and thought provoking. As an artist she seems to be fascinated in exploring the boundaries between technology and the performer and many of the performances and instalations reflect this interest. For example, there was a pair of glasses with a microphone embedded in the bridge of the nose that amplifies sound reverberating around your skull. Which basically means that if you bash your head with your fist - you get a pretty good beat. Or there was the jump-suit with drum machine sensors imbedded in it that can only be played if the performer slaps themselves in the manner of someone who is manically attempting to put out a fire. Completely bonkers, but somehow compelling.

However the installation which I liked the most (and which I plan to make in the near future) was the Handphone table (1978). This piece: "requires you to sit, put your elbows on two buttons in indentations in the tabletop, then lean forward and put your hands over your ears. Your posture gives you a sudden sense of isolation, and rumbling sounds like the low tones of an organ's biggest pipes travel from the tabletop through your arms to your ears." To my mind this is the perfect posture when you are suffering the effects of a hangover or are having to enduring an argument with a loved one but would rather be off down the pub acquiring a hangover. Anyway the effect was rather strange and as I say, I now want one.

After the exhibition I hooked up with some friends at Harajuku and we wondered over to Yoyogi park, where the gay pride march was taking place. The place was packed with guys wearing wonderfully outrageous costumes.

We joined one of the floats and made our way through the streets of Shibuya. It was funny watching all the various reactions from the people lining in the streets, which ranged from the bemused to the insanely ecstatic.

We were having fun, but then we saw the float behind us, or rather heard it... They were playing dance music and were shaking their collective booties down the streets. We looked at each other and decided to jump ship.




Once we joined the new float the party really started. I don't think I'll get too many other opportunities to dance through the streets of Tokyo.

MUSIC: "You don't seem to come around"

Just got round to listening "Get Behind Me Satan"by the White Stripes, and what a barnstormer of an album it is!

One of the best tracks on the album is the feverish My Doorbell , which (by a strange coincidence...) is the latest video being shown on XL's website. Have a gander, its kind of got a Bugsy Malone vibe to it, which isn't a bad thing - though I am glad to say that Jack still looks as creepy as ever.

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MP3: "We're Going to Be Friends" by The White Stripes

British TV

Apart from my cat - sorry Mum, sorry Dad - there is probably only one other thing that I miss about not living in UK... and that's being able to watch British comedy and drama on the telly.

Since coming to Japan a year ago, I haven't been bothered to buy a television. Cynics amongst you will say that this is because I am lazy and cannot be bothered to learn the language...

Pah, stuff & nonsense I say!

The real reason is that there is nothing on Japanese TV except cookery and health programmes.... However, to be fair us Brits are not immune from crap TV, indeed the majority of programmes on the box these days are either made up of household make-over shows, gardening programmes or reality TV (or in some cases, a lethal combination of the three!)

However, amongst all this muck, there are a few gems, which many people missed, mainly because they were buried in late night scheduling. Here are a few of the shows I enjoyed and would whole-heartedly recommend:

• 15 Storeys High - the ultimate odd couple Vince (a miserable maudline misanthropewith, with no social graces to speak of) and Errol (a naive dreamer) share a bleak London flat. The show is both quirky, cynical and relies on observational humor to take the piss out of British culture (or lack o it). Check out this link for some mp3 downloads of the original radioshow that the TV programme was originally based on.

• Peep Show - in this show we share Jeremyand Mark's innner thoughts from a first person perspective - no matter how cringe making, stupid or banal they are. Hilarious stuff.
  

• Phoenix Nights - life in a northern town from the perspective of a working mens club promoter.
  

• Spaced - a really offbeat series detailing the lives of two underachievers thirtysomethings. Written by and starring Jessica Stevenson and Simon Pegg, who also starred in this year's romantic zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead.
  

• The Adam and Joe Show - zany wacky high jinx and puppetry to boot. What more do you want out of life?
  

Being out of the loop I don't know if there are any shows in particular that I am missing, but a few a few shows in particular have caught my eye such as The Smoking Room and A Cock and Bull Story (a.k.a. Tristem Shandy) by Michael Winterbottom!

If you've seen either of these or have any reccomendations that you'd like to share/ tape for me, then let me know.

FILM: Upcoming Attractions.

So here's a list of movies - in no particular order - that I'm vaguely intrigued in going to see at the cinema over the next few months.

Why the slippery symantics?

Well to be honest I do not know if any of these films are much cop, but they all have directors whose work I have enjoyed in the past, so I'm curious to see what their new films have to offer, and the trailers look pretty good. Question is, whether any of them will be doing the rounds of Tokyo?

1. Millions (Danny Bolye, 2005)
   
2. You Me and Everyone We Know (Miranda July, 2005)
   
3. Last Days (Gus Van Sant, 2005)
4. The Ballad of Jack and Rosie (Rebecca Miller, 2005)
5. The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, 2005)
   
6. Broken Flowers (Jim Jarmusch, 2005)
   
7. My Summer of Love (Paul Pawlikowski, 2005)
   
8. Dear Wendy (Thomas Vinterberg, 2005)
9. Primer (Shane Carruth, 2004)

Let me know if you have seen any of these films and/ or you have some other recommendations that have slipped under my radar.

Poor Eeeyore.

My Best Beloved sent me a very sad photograph from Afghanistan today. Her email read:

"The unhappiest animal in Afghanistan and Pakistan is the donkey. Apparently on the mountainous boarder between Afghanistan and Pakistan, there are tons of dead donkeys who have collapsed from exhaustion after carrying heavy stuff at high altitudes, or by slipping off a cliff. "

The picture that accompanied this email is very sad and yet it made me laugh - I immediately felt heartless and insensitive.

At least I now know why eeyore is always miserable.

Question: "What's the last thing you laughed at, but knew you shouldn't have?"

BOOKS: "busy, busy, busy"

I have been keeping a new year's resolution for over over two years now. Basically I resolved to read any book that anyone directly recommends me to read.*

This has lead me to read some great books that I would not have otherwise come across (e.g. Dawkin's "The Selfish Gene"), but has also meant that I have subjected myself to some painful long drawn out reads (Tom Robbin's "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" springs to mind), since for some reason beyond my comprehension, I feel compelled to finish reading a book once I have started one.

I am glad to say that the book I have just finished - Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle" - falls into the first category, because my nearest and dearest recommended it to me.

It is one of those fantastically written short novellas in that - not only is it incredibly easy to read, but it is also a very rewarding read. Reading Vonnegut it is evident that he is a man of great, humor depth and soul. His delicate appraisal of mankind's faults, which leads to the creation Ice Nine and ultimately the destruction of the world, is delivered with a tender humanism. Like the faux religion, which is created in the novel in the form of The Books of Bokonon, there is no bombast about his writing. He just creates a web of correlations and lets you draw your own conclusions.



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*WARNING: This is a powerful privilge, do not abuse it by recommending me to read the yellow pages or Leonardo DeCaprio's biography, OK?

Incoming...!