"The Death of Michael Jackson Meant the Death of My Youth"

I remember being on a cab the night Michael Jackson died; I was coming out of the Somerville Theater after seeing Camera Obscura live, heading to the mythical land of Allston.  As we came closer to student turf, I realized that a different Jackson song was being blasted house after house.  They were all mourning the death of the King.  I'm not trying to be melodramatic, it is a brief recollection of what I saw.  


Four months later, the movie This Is It was released.  To be completely honest, I found it morbid and lacking good taste, but consumerist America is not exactly known for being a moral police or an etiquette school.  I figured investors, record labels, et al were rooting for the movie in order to squeeze the last drops from MJ.  Needless to say, I was reticent to see the movie, but who am I kidding?  I'm human, a rather sarcastic, dried humored and, yes, slightly morbid one, so I secretly went (by myself) to the nearest movie theater and paid a student ticket to see what It was all about.


I cannot say it wasn't worth it.  I really enjoyed it actually.  I mean, we, the kids born in the mid-80's, didn't exactly live through his kingdom.  Still, it does not take away the fact that his music is still part of my life's soundtrack - I followed the man at a distance (rumors and scandals, too), know a few of his moves, and can recognize most of his songs before they hit the 10 second mark.

                                            Wall Memorial for Michael Jackson - Apollo Theater, NY

Of course, most of my generation never had the chance to see him on stage and the movie gave a sneak-peek. I will tell you that Michael Jackson had a massive production prepared... choreographers, lighting, musicians, and dancers from all over the world.  All tops.  I mean, as they mentioned, the dancers were an extension of him, standards that applied to all of his staff.  It is clear that he was planning a great come back.


Highlights of the show?  A full remake of Thriller with great costumes and hallucinating 3-D scenes; a mind-blowing mobster scene intertwined with old movies from the 20's for Smooth Criminal; a special set for The Way You Make Me Feel that covered the entire stage and recalled the animation for Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue an awesome Australian guitarist that shines in Black or White; and, my favorite, an army dance sequence where 9 dancers were multiplied by hundreds for Bad/They Don't Care About Us.

Almost two hours of footage left me elated, exactly the way I feel when I see an awesome live performance.  I'm still not sure about the intentions behind this project, but as far as I'm concerned... the footage proves once again that Michael Jackson was one of the greatest pop-idols ever seen.


On that cab ride from Somerville to Allston, the driver said he was very surprised I didn't seemed afflicted by Jackson's death.  I answered that I was shocked, but wasn't exactly moved, I even said it might've been my age and the fact I was raised outside of the US.  He said, "You don't understand.  The death of Michael Jackson meant the death of my youth," all of this with tears in his eyes.  I guess that's when it hit me, when I got what Michael meant for his many fans all over the world.  Truthfully, the label "The King of Pop" testifies on his behalf.

Where The Wild Things Are, a modern day adult fairy tale

You know the New England winter has fully kicked in when you get the first day of snow.  Winter, the uninvited guest, officially started today.  I know, in theory, it's still Fall, but it doesn't feel like it at all.  I feel the time has come where it is socially acceptable to be woeful.  Yes, everybody! May the Seasonal Affective Disorder [SAD] begin!


While it would be easy to fall into the stereotypical self-deprecating mood, I would very much rather make the best out of it, or at least I'll try; I mean, this is just the beginning of the eight wonderful, bitter-cold months to come.


I was gonna restrict myself from writing about Spike Jonze's Where The Wild Things Are, considering it has generated enough buzz on its own. But, it is definitely worth a word or two.  I realized that the adaptation of this children's book may have unexpected outcomes on the older ones: it succeeds at bringing out the wildest feelings within you, if you will excuse my redundancy.

At the risk of sounding tragic, it is not surprising to find yourself revolving in an emotional whirlwind - at least I found myself digging into my darker side and fully relating to the protagonist.  But it is also fair to say that Jonze' take on the story makes you realize there is still an insecure melodramatic nine-year old child within you.  So comforting! (no sarcasm).  Not all of us have been fully corrupted.


Of course, it was hard not to notice Karen O's participation in the movie.  The music has the YYY's written all over it.  And though the music is great, would anyone agree that Mew would have been a great addition to the soundtrack?  Think of their album No More Stories [...], especially tracks like New Terrain or Introducing Palace Players. *sigh


So, dear people, it is ok to feel lonesome, misunderstood, bitter and angry... sometimes!  Quoting the trailer:  "there's one in all of us".  And for you, dear winter: bring-it-on! I will not lay in fetal position.  Instead, I'll bundle up, have a daily chocolate fix, listen to desolate tunes and enjoy the muted colors - may they become your faithful friends, just as they'll surely become mine.

KIA Soul Collective Rolls Into Boston: of cars, art and music

I noticed that the Kia Soul Collective Tour will be hitting Boston this weekend.  Yes, three days of complementary beverages and cars, free test-drives included.

Never been that impressed by motorized vehicles, but this event has a catch: an awesome line-up, music and design.

I'm personally thrilled to see Jonas & Francois, the parisian team of filmmakers, probably best known for being the masterminds behind Justice' "D.A.N.C.E." video.  The young directors will be featuring a shortfilm they have created solely for the Tour titled "Soul Streets"  - Back to the Future's DeLorean meets A-Ha's Take On Me?

The line-up, yes...

          Thu    Oct 15th   Cymbals Eat Guitars & DJ Redfoxx

          Fri     Oct 16th    Here We Go Magic, White Rabbits & DJ's Frank White, Mistaker, Ghostdad

          Sat    Oct 17th   Boy Crisis & DJ's The Bladerunners, Knife, and Harmeet

AND.... should you  test drive the new KIA models, of course, you get the opportunity to see the Pains of Being Pure At Heart at a private bash on Sunday. 

Where is this being held?    Artists For Humanity  -  100 W 2nd St, South Boston

It Might Get Loud, the Movie

So their once was the good, the bad and the ugly.  Now the equation goes like this: the guru, the enlightened and the witty.

Three guitarist, three hometowns, three genres, three personalities... Beautiful.


It Might Get Loud is protagonized by Jack White from the White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather, the Edge from U2 and Jimmy Page from Led Zepellin - guess whos who in the equation.  The film is a documentary of three music generations put together to discuss the electric guitar; it goes beyond a mere examination of the instrument, it explores the significance of it in their lives.  


The film is full of visual memorabilia and is a great opportunity to share the experience with anyone; sooner or later you'll identify with one of the three virtuosos. In fact, the movie theater was loaded with quite a mixture, from old-school rockers to youngsters that clearly dragged their parents to the screening.  I was delighted to catch more than a few bopping their feet.


The soundtrack is awesome and quite varied (of course, it had to be like that considering the sources of inspiration), although some transitions were slightly off and you'll find unexpected animations inserted now and then.  They just didn't work out for me, but nothing to be upset about. Still worth watching.


Sadly, the movie is being screened only in Kendall and Coolidge Corner theaters.  Onwards! Enjoy!


           

IT MIGHT GET LOUD

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