Saturday, June 16, 2012

June - Summer 2012




Hello People of the World;

Well, it looks like the summer heat has finally decided to hit us right in the f*ckin’ face. Yep, you’ll hear those same complainers of it being too cold a few weeks ago (Cold? Really? Mid-to-upper 60’s, cold? You babies…) are now surprised, SURPRISED that it would turn into summer weather in (GASP!) June! Look out! The sun is hot!

June is also the month for Father’s Day. A day does not go by that I do not think of my dad for at least five minutes. I miss him terribly. My dad is my first, best superhero in my life. He passed away when I was pretty young. One of my favorite memories was his coming to one of my basketball games when I first join basketball in high school. Funny, even though I was pretty tall by then, I never remember looking down on my dad. He always seemed taller than me, always. Such is the legacy he left with me. I miss you dad.

Let’s get started, shall we?


1:[ First item of the month: The death of Ray Bradbury has hit me rather hard. You see? In a roundabout way, Ray Bradbury is responsible for my life’s first, best destiny. We were watching Francios Truffaut’s adaptation of “Fahrenheit 451” in freshman English class at St. Stephens Indian High School when my buddy Vernon threw out the aside to me that “This sucks man. With what they can do with movies now, they could make this kick ass.”

Being an English class, my elegant response was, “shh-yeah!”

But it had me thinking. Now, this was the era of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Back to the Future and Return of the Jedi and Blade Runner. It had me thinking of dark, monolithic buildings, firemen in black armor and slick beetles that roared along streets before lifting into the sky…. It seemed possible. My first thought was “Why COULDN’T they do a kick ass version of this?”

My next thought, “Why CAN’T I do a kick ass version of this?”

Thus, my first, best destiny was born.

Over the ensuing years, I must admit, that I had not read too much of Bradbury’s omnibus. I steered toward short stories like “The Time Machine” (which is awesome) and kept coming back to “Fahrenheit 451”. I read it about 20 times at least. Every time finding new details that set my imagination to work. I once read it in less that 3 hours staying up too late one night. I did read “From the Dust Returned” but never gravitated toward his other works.

I am also a bit glad that they have never done a proper adaptation of the book on film. Not that I want to be the one to do it. But, I think an adaptation would miss the whole point of the book. So, I gave up trying to make a film version. It should be about reading the book not getting the easy fix on a movie screen. A screen version would just be dolled up to look pretty and action-packed. Gone would be the subtlety of the messages and gone would be the potent critiques of our modern era. It would be hordes of fireman running at each other amidst the ‘splosions.

I recently was given “A Pleasure to Burn” which contained all the short stories that served as precursors to Fahrenheit 451. Man, it has become one of my favorite books. I keep rereading “Long Past Midnight” which is a rough sketch of 451f. Though it was writing in the 50’s, not only did Bradbury prognosticate our modern society of apathy derived from technology, he also predicted our intellectual apathy from information overload and censorship.

Quotes from The Fireman when Captain Leahy visits Montag at home:

Cartoons everywhere. Books become cartoons. The mind drinks less and less. Impatience. Time to kill. No work, just leisure. Highways full of crowds going somewhere, anywhere, nowhere. ….

Intelligent writers gave up in disgust. Magazines were vanilla tapioca. The book buyer, bored by dishwater, his brain spinning, quit buying. Everyone but the comic publisher died a slow publishing death. There you have it. Don’t blame the Government. Technology, mass exploitation and censorship from frightened officials did the trick. Today, thanks to them, you can read comic books, confessions, or trade journals, nothing else. All the rest is dangerous. ….

Later on in the story Montag goes to see the old professor, says Faber:

Don’t you realize, young man, that the Great Burning forty years back was almost unnecessary? By that time the public had stopped reading. Libraries were Saharas of emptiness….

Can you shout louder than radio, dance faster than TV? People don’t want to think. They’re having fun.

At one point I had to put the book down and just cover my face, it was so damning to our society and to myself….

These words he left us to ponder I think should be his real memorial. Ray Bradbury will be truly missed by this single Northern Arapaho out in the world….


2:[ I decided to go ahead and buy one of those reusable bags at the grocery store. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I have waaaaaay too many plastic bags for my comfort at my place. One day, on a whim I grabbed one and the cashier loaded it for me and you know what? The environment was not changed or impacted in the least. Funny, I remember when they started using the current plastic bags at grocery stores. It was weird not getting paper bags. Still, I feel better about not getting those “disposable” bags at the store anymore. And, in the end, isn’t that what it’s all about?


3:[ More MOVIE TIME ADVENTURES:

+ Here are a couple of quick movie reviews for you:

MIB3: Not bad for a threequel. Still, the whole ending and the very contrived connection to MIB 1 seemed forced and out of place. Thinking back on it I can tell that it went through rewrites. Josh Brolin does a mean Tommy Lee Jones impression. But it is nothing special. Much like the rest of the series. Not recommended.

Prometheus: I enjoyed Prometheus, Ridley Scott’s return to the genre he “helped” established. But, looking at the backlash against it, again, fanboys are mad ‘cause they didn’t get armies of aliens and space marines running at each other amidst the ‘splosions. Granted, there are a few nonsensical things about the film, but it is intriguing to me rather than off-putting. Plus, this has to be the best use of 3D in a fictional film I have ever seen. I recommend, in 3D only.

+ Speaking of 3D, Jean-Luc Godard is going to make a 3D film. Scorsese, Wenders, Herzog and now Godard, oh 3D, what have you wrought? The Era of the Serious Movie has now ended. Tip your caps people, it was a good run….

+ My Bonnie and I went to see a screening of Citizen Kane in Evanston. While considered by many to be the greatest American film ever, it does continually surprise me with what I find going on in the frame. This was a digital screening and you could see the details. It is a masterpiece. Though Welles himself thought his The Chimes at Midnight and his cut of The Magnificent Ambersons to be his best works. I noticed, this time the dissolves between scenes. When the film begins to dissolve to the next scene, the figures in the next scene are in silhouette and the light fades up on them as the scene is fully dissolved. Neat trick. You have to consider the timing, of winding the film back to make the fade and so on. Great film. Highly recommend any big screen showing of it….


4:[ Cuba Talk: Cuba and I had the chance of talking over and comparing notes in our viewings of The Avengers. We both agreed that while it was a fun movie, we could not really buy that they were all in danger to begin with. We laughed about the one, single arrow bringing down the flying fortress. We shook our heads at the convenience of Bootstrap Bill building in an off switch and Cuba wondered why Thor suddenly lost his ability to fly. We both agreed the Hulk was a smashing return to form. What summed up the film for me was the 360-degree camera pan as each of the Avengers gets to do their little bit of business dealing with their specific character just as the camera was right in front of them. Hawkeye reloaded the string on his bow, Black Widow reloaded her guns, Cap moved his shield cool-like, Thor twirled his hammer, Iron Man landed in just the right spot and Hulk roared…. A little too structured and too neat, just like the rest of the movie….

Cuba was a bit disappointed with the title of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. “Isn’t that redundant?”

“Well, yeah, it could be Twilight of the Planet of the Apes.”

“No, that would be the sequel to this one.”

“I guess the next one would be New Moon of the Planet of the Apes.

“Yeah, followed by Eclipse of the Planet of the Apes. But would that make this one Breaking Dawn of the Planet of the Apes?”

“I guess.”

“You know what the title should be?” asked Cuba, “The Monkeys are Here.”


5:[ Ah yes, settle in Readers for more of:

Adventures at the Coffee Shop!

+ So, my new Barista Friend has been enlightening me with tales of customer high jinks. As it turns out, the mirror goes both ways. It makes me wonder how the baristas in the shop I frequent view me? Probably as angry, self-righteous and self-victimizing….

+ So, the gang and I were at a local DD to pick up a coffee after attending a reading. When this huge guy walks in and pushes to the front of the line demanding coffee and sandwiches. He was remarking his blood sugar was low, but it did not seem to have an effect on his rudeness. So, my new friend was with us and to hear her getting ready to go off on this guy because she’s had to deal with lots of guys like that. It taught me that some baristas have a rage inside them that they repress for 8-hour shifts plus lunch breaks…. I asked to be reminded to never get her mad at me….

+ This faux-nu-Jamaican music that is always playing when I come here needs to stop….


6:[ Went out and saw Danielle Ate the Sandwich tonight a Schubas. This is the fourth time I have seen her play live. This time she brought her band consisting of a violinist and a stand-up bass player. They ran through a selection of new material off of the new album “Like a King” leaving behind most, if not all, selections from her first two self-produced albums, and all in all, they were a great-sounding band. The addition of the back-up instruments, in addition to her ever-present ukulele, added a rare dimension to the sound. Danielle has a great voice that I hope she tries to use and push further in her singing. The choice of instruments backed up her vocals clearly, without drowning her out. She has fierceness behind the twee façade, if not a rage, then a storm, something ready to breakthrough. She sounded more grown up. Which is a great thing. (Though the well-known humor did not, which is also a great thing.) They crushed it tonight, as the kids say. Gone are the sly commentary, raunchy wordplay (ha.) and dry humor of her solo act, and in its place is witty banter with band mates whom are clearly friends. To this tone-deaf Arapaho, at least, it looks like Danielle Ate the Sandwich is evolving. I cannot wait to see what happens next….


7:[ And now Wisdom of the Sages presents:

“An Ever-growing List of Things That MUST Stop!”

+ Seriously, how close to the side of a moving CTA bus, do you need to drag your little kid just to cross the frickin’ street?

+ As stated earlier, I am a reader of the comic strip Luann. I announce that without shame. I got hooked in my time at CRIS Radio. It was one of the leftover strips from when I used to cut articles and comics from the papers for the on-air readers. I regularly read it online. I also peruse the comments section of the strip and noticed that everyone, I mean EVERYONE thinks they are better and smarter parents than cartoon parents! Sheesh! That needs to stop….

+ Recently, it has been made plain to me how much easier the ending of a relationship is for men than it is for women. Society seems to press women into these corners and double standards that men can escape pretty easy. We press women to be devout, that this single relationship is of such import that there must be something wrong with her if it ends badly. Men are praised (!) for the number of women they are with. The younger they start, the better it seems. Because being with many women is somehow considered more “manly” for some reason….

I tend to hold with Louis CK’s view that no good relationship ends. What really sucks is how we make it difficult for a woman to leave a bad situation and how they are to blame somehow for when a relationship ends, when the guy can just skip out. That needs to stop….


8:[ I missed the whole transit of Venus last week. So it will be another 105 years before it happens again. So, I have decided that I want to live to see the New Age. According to some calculations, the next Age begins in 2100AD. So, how am I going to accomplish this? Easy. Though SHEER TYRANNY OF WILL. I am pretty curious to see what the world will be like at that time, how much we change as a species and to see if ideas evolve along with the human race. I am really serious about this. I want to see the new age and I will try my best to see it. Only then will I feel that my life will have run its course.

See, no one cares about you after you turn 33, then until you reach you’re eighties, people began to notice you are still around and how the world was back when you were young suddenly becomes something of interest. So, imagine if you see the dawn of the new age, even live some decades into it…. Man, I’m going to have some stories to tell, don’t you think? Hey, it’s only a mere 88 years away…. I think I can go the distance and then some….


9:[ From the “This Just In” Department: So, Henry Hill just passed away. Yeah, the guy whose book that the movie “Goodfellas” was based on. I was reading all the comments on the Internet and they were ripping this guy to shreds: “Burn in Hell you rat!” and the like. It was surprising. I mean the guy turned on a mob of criminals, a pack of killers and thieves, to bring them to justice, and here we are, defending them! Granted, the rat turned on other rats. But, still. That is what is wrong in our nation today, we hold up mediocrity as excellence and criminality as heroism….


10:[ Last Item of the Month: I am afraid sometimes, to say what I really want to say…. But, why? Why do we fear the expectations of others, their reactions, their anger? We all love to say that we truly do things, anything “for ourselves”, that we “don’t care what others think”. But in essence, we do care. We actually care a great deal. In fact, that is why we have the friends we do. That is why we steer away from or badmouth those that do not follow our ideology or ways of thinking. We surround ourselves with people, with friends that are very much like us, simply because we like our own ideas and thoughts, reflected back at us. Like we indeed do have the right ideas. That we matter. It strokes our egos.

And, in the end that, again, is what it is all about.

So. When do I stop being afraid of what other people think or how they will react to something I say? I know what I say will offend some and they will find ways around my reasoning to retain the moral high ground. Or, they will co-opt the idea as theirs. Seen both happen. Which is fine in most cases, because the idea is more important than my proclamations. So, when do I stop being afraid of speaking out?

Let me know.

Stay tuned. I will be writing more, I believe. I want to cover the FIVE HYPOCRISIES OF NATIVE AMERICA in an upcoming article, which is part of a larger spoken-word piece I have been continually writing on the last few years that I am titling “ONE.”

But in the meantime, I leave you with this tidbit, to give you a taste of my situation and thoughts on my life station: read Chapter 28 of Three Kingdoms….


That will do it for this month.

I hope the warmer weather isn’t chasing you back to your home planet. (Little Louis CK shout out for ya.) I mean, what can I say, people love to frickin’ complain about the weather. Hey, the earth will turn whether or not you want to wear flipflops. All right, feel free to comment, critique or contradict anything I post here. I want to hear from you, mm-kay? Let’s know how you’re doing. I mean that….


Until Next Time, “I try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control everything really are.”




© 2012 Ernest M. Whiteman III