Visited Countries Map

Pretty cool map feature showing what percentage of the world you have visited (I'm at 7%).


create your own visited countries map

Montenegro - Day 3

OK, so I admit. I'm just making up stuff now. I have no idea if it was day 3 or day 7 when the things I will describe to you happened. I know that after a night of meeting the new folk and general comraderie, we all started bonding. The American Women didn't arrive till a little later. So, for the first night it was just us. We stayed up on the hilltop in the Villa.


The next day, Rushit, Shawn and I took a trip to the beach (well, they went to the beach. As for me, "I don't like the sand, I don't like the water.") I spent time wandering the steets of Ulcinj. Ulcinj is a small town of about 20,000 peolpe or so. It is on the coast near the border of Albania and is thus populated with about 90% Albanians of which most are Muslim. The other residents are Orthodox Christian. Now, expecting to be in Serbia/Montenegro, I had practiced Serbian words like 'hvala' and 'pivo'. I didn't realize that Albanian would have come in more handy. While the local Albanian population spoke Serbian, it would have just been more polite had I at least learnd the basics of their language.

Luckily, since Shawn and I were Rushit's roommates and we took a liking to each other, we spent alot of time together. Rushit would translate for us since, being from Kosovo, Albanian was his first language. The waiters at the Villa and pretty much everyone in town were Albanian, so it certainly helped to have Rushit around.

Random photo of the city...


Up in the Villa there were a number of restaurants which served primarily fresh seafood of the day. Here is a photo of the catch before being prepared for that evening's dinner.


I guess it was that evening that Vahida divvied up the art supplies. This came as a bit of a shock to Colleen and myself, as we were both from educational backgrounds that did away with disciplinary boundaries. I more recently have been doing photography and video and was not expecting to paint. I knew painting was certainly going to take place, but I didn't think it was the sole practice of the residency. And, as it turned out, it wasn't going to be the sole practice of the residency. But, more on that later.

New Drawings

I did these drawings today. They work as a suite of five images arranged in this order...


Details of each image follow. Each image is 9.25 by 8 inches. The first, third and fifth drawings are collages using newspaper images with Scotch tape and black Sharpie and Dry Erase Marker. Image two and three are drawings using various pens, markers and highlighters. Click on any image to get a closer look.

An image of a soldier with a baseball on a baseball filed.



A drawing made using highlighters and a Sharpie.



An image of Mexican politicans in front of a political poster.



An drawing of a dry eraser marker with shadow.



An image of a woman crying in the arms of a Salvation Army volunteer in London after the 7/7 attacks.

Cy-Fair High School Reunion Mix

"586" by New Order
"Cars" by Gary Numan
"CCCan't You See" by Vicious Pink
"Desperate But Not Serious" by Adam Ant
"Don't Tell Me" by Blancmange
"Fade To Grey (Extended)" by Visage
"Forever Young (New Single Mix)" by Alphaville
"Get The Balance Right (Razormaid Mix)" by Depeche Mode
"Heartbeat (Class X Mix)" by Psychedelic Furs
"Here We Go" by Ministry
"Hungry Like The Wolf (Razormaid Mix)" by Duran Duran
"I Love a Man in Uniform (12" A Side)" by Gang of Four
"I Love You Too Much (Original Version)" by The Human League
"Imagination" by Belious Some
"Promised You A Miracle" by The Simple Minds
"Promises, Promises" by Naked Eyes
"Sailing On The Seven Seas" by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD)
"Smalltown Boy (Full 12" Version)" by Bronski Beat
"Tainted Love/ Where Did Our Love Go (Extended)" by Soft Cell
"Tears Are Not Enough (12" Version)" by ABC
"Tour de France (Original 1983)" by Kraftwerk
"Two Tribes" by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
"Whammy Kiss" by The B52's
"Wishing (I Had a Photograph)" by A Flock of Seagulls

Montenego - Day 2

I arrive in Ulcinj totally exhausted. But, equally, I feel exhilirated. I am supposed to go to the Old Town but Vahida doesn't answer her cell phone. No problem. I find a guy selling cigarettes by the beach who speaks enough English to help me find Ismet, the 'mayor' of Old Town. Five minutes later, he is walking me up the stairs to the Old Town where he takes me directly to Vahida's house. Fellow Americans Colleen and Shawn have arrived, as well (we were all on the same train, but we didn't know it), and we meet for the first time. I also meet Rushit from Kosovo, Ana from Serebia and Ioan from Romania. More on all these later, but first, images of the Old Town.



Vahida tells us that we are going to Ada Bojana (at least, I think that's where we went first). On the way to the van that will drive us there, we pass the jail where Cervantes was imprisoned. By then I have meet Marko and Tamara, a married couple from Serbia (who I will later stay with on my trip home), as well. In the photo below are Marko and Rushit with Shawn, Tamara and Ioan looking into the prison.


We pass the Orthodox cemetery on the way to the van.


When we get to Ada Bojana, I learn we are to clean the boat. Well, technically, Marko, Tamara, Ana, and Vahida begin cleaning and tell us to hang out. But, watching them go at it for half an hour, we all decide to pitch in. This is the closest to the 'slavery' that I got 'sold into' (everyone kidded me about that happening). We will end up using the boat later during the residency.


Wild cat eating a fish head.


On the way back to Ulcinj, we stop at Copa Cabana in Ada Bojana, a huge beach that goes as far as the eye can see.

Serbia & Montenegro - Day 1 & 2

A recent LA Times article describes the journey via train from Belgrade to Bar, the coastal town in Montenegro. It was from Bar that I would take a cab to my final destination of Ulcinj. Before I boarded the train in Belgrade at 10PM, I purchased a plastic 2-liter bottle of Pivo to be my companion on the start of the trip.

These two new friends told me I could share their cabin on the train. The guy on the left spoke adequate English, but his friend...not so much. We were quickly joined by two young brothers and thus began the train ride.


On a stop along the way, the two brothers met up with a friend of theirs and his girlfriend. It was obvious that I was not to get much sleep in this cabin. There was a bar on the train that the two younger guys frequented, but for the first leg of the trip, I shared my beer with the group.


Most of the people I met in Serbia & Montenegro (including the Bosnians, Croats and Kosovars) were still quite nationalistic. They were not aggressive or disdainful toward each other in any way. But you could sense that some unresolved issues were always near the surface. The people I met seemed eager to let these disputes play out in a democratic way and were never pleased with the military conflicts to which Milosevic had made them a part.


I ventured down to the bar and had some Rubin Vinjak at 100 dinar a miniature bottle (cheap). It is a cognac-type liquor that is produced in a town about 100 miles south of Belgrade. What was interesting was that not only were the passengers enjoying a cocktail, but so was the train conductor...



The bathroom....





After a quick trip to the bathroom, which was as described in the LA Times article, my two new friends decided to find another cabin -- away from the teen-agers.

It wasn't until early in the morning that my English-speaking friend woke me up, The train was coming to a near stand-still, so I asked if we were arriving. His answer came as a shock. We were approaching the ravine where in January the train to Bar had lost use of its brakes and careened over the edge of the mountainside. I wasn't aware of the accident, but read about it at the BBC once I got to a computer.

Serbia - Day 1

The trip to Serbia & Montenegro began with a flight from Los Angeles to New York. A short layover and plane change in New York and then on to London. London to Milan, and then Milan to Belgrade.

Below is a photo just for Anna. The Captain announced that we were flying over the Swiss Alps. This is as close as I got to Basel this year. Maybe next year.



As we flew into Belgrade, I was intrigued by the architecture of the city. This image of New Belgrade is of the Communist-era brutalist architecure that was popular through the 60's. Tito led Yugoslavia from the 40's until his death in 1980. During this time, he built the city of New Belgrade across the river Sava. In a move away from Soviet formalist and narrative architecture, the predominant style of New Belgrade was more Western modernist and avant-garde.



After I landed, I took a cab ride around the city. The driver (though ripping me off) was very friendly and informative. He took me by many interesting spots, including the ruins of the Army Headquarters bombed by NATO in 1999. There is a very interesting article regarding the architecture of Belgrade and this building at the following link: nato as architectural critic by Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss. A short quote:

(W)hat can be the strategic value of a highly visible large building in the center of the city, especially after being emptied of its personnel and equipment? Physically, its strategic value is zero. The only possible strategic justification for the destruction of this building was its symbolic disappearance from the skyline.

I didn't spend much time in Belgrade the first day, but when I came back through, I spent 2 days with my new friends Tamara and Marko. Pictures of that visit later...

goodstorm.com/stores/sea_fell

OK. Call me crass. I am selling t-shirts via goodstorm.com (capatalism done right). I wanted an outlet to make more political "art" and became very comfortable with the idea of goodstorm. The numerous non-profits that are aligned with them gives me confidence that they are a truly progressive partner. I like the agit-prop aspect of the concept. Here's part of their philosophy:

We don't think capitalism is necessarily a bad thing, especially when it's done right. That is, when the process is transparent and everyone gets their fair share. We do our best to use products made in America by sweatshop-free labor, whenever possible; and we are committed to earning profits for our community of do-gooders and designers.

These two designs are simply the statement "BUSH LIED" over distinct graphics: first, a chart depicting the number of coalition deaths over the course of the war and second, a map of the US depicting the cities that the dead American soldiers came from. The phrase "bush lied, they died" has been pared down. Obviously, we know Bush lied and that is the point in this series of shirts. I prefer using statistics to make didactic points.

More to come....

Spandau Ballet - Gold: The Best of Spandau Ballet

"Only When You Leave" by Spandau Ballet

"I'll Fly For You" by Spandau Ballet

"Paint Me Down" by Spandau Ballet

Slipping back again... to when I really loved Spandau Ballet and the term "New Romantic" was coined. I am not ashamed to admit that I was into ALL of them. The obvious: Adam & the Ants, ABC, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode. And the more obtuse: Visage, Blancmange, Scritti Politti. I had a teacher that was into punk and when I brought up the possibility of "New Wave" being a political response to the conservatism of the burgeoning Thatcher/Reagan era and the whole "Me" generation, he would scoff. Punk, to him, was the only truly rebellious moment/movement. But, truth be told, any time a guy wears more makeup than his girlfriend and more frilly shirts than Shirley Jones, a rebellion is in play...

All things GOLD are available at Amazon

Various Artists - 1995 Mercury Music Prize

Sorry, I haven’t posted in a while.

But, I hope these 14 tracks sort of make up for my lack. I was looking through my CDs and came across a compilation I bought back in 1995. I remember I was looking for Oasis’ “Live Forever” and was having a hard time finding the Definitely Maybe album. I saw that the song was on the 1995 Mercury Music Prize Ten Albums of the Year CD. The Mercury Prize recognizes British and Irish talent. It was established in 1992 as an alternative to the industry-dominated Brit awards . It was originally sponsored by the now-defunct telecoms company Mercury, followed in 1998 by Technics and starting in 2004 the Nationwide Building Society. The disc had songs by Leftfield, PJ Harvey, Tricky and others. Well, it was a great find.

I went to the Mercury Prize webpage and check out who won over the past 14 years. I have my own favorites, and I decided to list them here:

1992 - The Jesus and Mary Chain – Honey’s Dead – "Reverence"
1993 - New Order – Republic – "Times Change"
1994 - Blur – Parklife – "Girls & Boys"
1995 - Portishead – Dummy – "It’s a Fire"
1996 - Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? – "Wonderwall"
1997 - Radiohead – OK Computer – "Karma Police"
1998 - Propellerheard – Decksanddrumsandrockandroll – "History Repeating"
1999 - The Chemical Brothers – Surrender – "Out of Control"
2000 - Coldplay – Parachutes – "Trouble"
2001 - Goldfrapp – Felt Mountain – "Lovely Head"
2002 - Doves – The Last Broadcast – "There Goes the Fear"
2003 - Radiohead – Hail to the Thief – "2+2=5"
2004 - Franz Ferdinand – Franz Ferdinand – "Take Me Out"
2005 - Antony and the Johnsons – I am a Bird Now – "Hope There’s Someone"

The years that I agree with their choice are in bold (I have chosen a different song from the album to highlight from Portishead). I will look at what comes out to give my opinion on the 2006 Shortlist. All comments welcome on my selections...

It looks like the 1995 Mercury Music Prize CD is out of print, but be sure to look for each individual artists' CD on Amazon

Beth Orton - The Other Side Of Daybreak

"Daybreaker (Four Tet Remix)" by Beth Orton

"Concrete Sky (Live Acoustic)" by Beth Orton


Beth Orton performed her new song "Conceived” on the Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday January 24. The album, Comfort of Strangers comes out February 6th. She gave a perfect performance last night. I busted out The Other Side Of Daybreak, which has a number of mixes and special versions of earlier work. She can go from zero to sixty quicker than any other artist out there. Astralwerks says the new song produced by Jim O'Rourke (Wilco, Stereolab) and mixed by Michael Brauer "is Beth's most self-assured, accomplished work to date" and I concur. I look forward to hearing the rest of the album soon.

To hear the single, visit Beth Orton at her Astralwerks site. It looks like she will have a new site debuting soon so stay tune for that one.

The Other Side Of Daybreak is available at Amazon

Fridge 3.0

What a fun way to 1) waste away precious hours of the day, 2) feel like e. e. cummings & 3) communicate with the virtual world, all at the same time: Fridge 3.0. To take a screenshot in Mac, press Command-Shift-4 to change the cursor to a cross, which you can click and drag to select an area of the screen to capture in a PICT file saved on the Desktop.

The Aluminum Group - Pedals

"Paperback" by The Aluminum Group

"$35" by The Aluminum Group


I was introduced to The Aluminum Group while still living in Houston in 1995 by a friend who lent me the album Wonder Boy. When I moved to Chicago, I (conveniently) forgot to return it to him. The Aluminum Group reminded me of the British pop group Fraizer Chorus in their wit and coyness. The duo consists of Chicago brothers John and Frank Navin. I hadn't thought about them for a while until I visited Chicago about two years ago. They were performing at the Old Town School of Folk Music t celebrate the release of Happyness and my friend Francine and I snuck in to see them. The show was stunning. They invited a number of guest musicians to perform, often times leaving the stage to their guests alone. The last set of the show consisted of the two brothers performing with their iPod, taking requests from the audience. They reminded me a bit of the humor of The Smother Brothers. If you ever get a chance to see them, you must.


"Paperback" reminded me slightly of the James Frey's A Million Little Pieces controversy that's swirling around right now (Guest Amy Warren sings on this one). Also, be sure to play with their Happy Face designed by Jason Pickleman:





Visit The Aluminum Group for free downloads and funny pictures.

Available at Amazon

Talk Talk - Asides Besides

Happiness is Easy (12" Mix) by Talk Talk

John Cope by Talk Talk

Here I offer two of the most compelling songs by the 80's group Talk Talk. These are later works when the group had begun stripping out the synth-heavy orchestrations and gone much, more percussive. They would later be attributed to influencing a style of music called 'post-rock' in which traditional rock instruments were employed "for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbres and textures rather than riffs and power chords" (The Wired, May 1994)

I had never really paid too much attention to the lyrics, although the vocalizations in these songs are intrigal to the effects they produce. Upon further analysis of the words, a powerful social engagement is revealed by the lyricist. I am not exactly sure what to make of the strong Christian symbology in Happiness is Easy; but, there are several lines that show a skepicism of organized religon and a warning of blind alligence. How apropros.




Happiness Is Easy
(Mark Hollis / Tim Friese-Greene)

Makes you feel much older
Sublime the blind parade
It wrecks me how they justify their acts of war
They assemble, they pray
Take good care of what the priests say
'After death it's so much fun'
Little sheep don't let your feet stray
Happiness is easy
Joy be written upon the earth
And the sky above
Jesus star that shines so bright
Gather us in love
Guilt upon their shoulders
How well the cause evades
Infecting your religions, claiming pacts
It's easy to shoulder the blame
Happiness is easy
Little ships of Galilee
Happiness is easy
Standing on the sea
Happiness is easy
Jesus tried to love us all
Happiness is easy
Be a friend to me
Happiness is easy
Try to teach my children
To recognise excuse before it acts
From love and conviction to pray
Take good care of what the priests say
'After death it's so much fun'
Little sheep don't let your feet stray
Happiness is easy
Little ships of Galilee
Standing on the sea
Jesus tried to love us all
Be a friend to me
Joy be written upon the earth
And the sky above
Jesus star that shines so bright
Gather us in love

John Cope
(Mark Hollis / Tim Friese-Greene)
Weapons at my feet
Some kind of living
Beggar sits to plead
Some kind of giving


Available at Amazon

Jacques Derrida - The Gift of Death

The Gift of Death by Jacques Derrida


So, I have been reading this late work by Jacques Derrida recently. It was recommended to me by Joan whom I studied with at Otis. She said it was the best work by him. I wasn't sure what to expect, but decided to give it a go.


This book is amazing. Here is what Publishers Weekly has to say...

French philosopher Derrida stares death in the face in this dense but rewarding inquiry. Beginning with an analysis of an essay on the sacred by Czech philosopher/human rights activist Jan Patocka, Derrida follows the development of moral and ethical responsibility, and the concept of the soul's immortality, in the transition from Platonism to Christianity. He then ponders the self's anticipation of death in sacrifice, war, orgiastic mystery cults, murder and execution, with reference to Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, Nietzsche, Heidegger's thought (a "constant attempt to separate itself from Christianity") and the biblical story of Abraham's contemplated sacrifice of his son, Isaac, at God's behest. In the most provocative section, Derrida links religious injunctions of sacrifice to the "monotonous complacency" of modern society, which allows tens of millions of children to die of hunger and disease.

I admit that Chapters One (Secrets of European Responsibility) and Two (Beyond: Giving for the Taking, Teaching and Learning to Give, Death) were fairly easy to read and quite enthralling. Concepts dealing with responsibility and European heritage are fully detailed from the originary Heretical Essays in the Philosophy of History by Jan Patočka. But, Chapter Three (Whom to Give to: (Knowing not to Know)) was a stunner. After four rereadings Derrida's subtle deconstruction started to become clearer. It helps to hold two opposing views in mind simultaneously. As for the final Chapter (Tout autre est tout autre), I think ten more readings of it will help. I'll get back to you on how it goes.

In the meanwhile, here is a fantastic essay by Ivan Chvatík titled The Heretical Conception of the European Heritage in the Late Essays of Jan Patočka. Here is Chvatík's abstract of the essay:

In this short piece I am not undertaking to give a full discussion of the whole of Patočka’s ‘heretical’ work. I wish only make clear its most essential core. What, in Patočka’s view, made Europe Europe and what is Europe’s bequest to the world after what Patočka describes as its fall, completed by the two world wars? What should Europe look to conserve in itself if—as seems likely—it would like to once again play a respected role in world events? Is there something which the globalised world should take over from old Europe, or something which it should eschew, if it does not wish history to end and utter decadence to ensue?

New Order - Back To Mine

“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by Missy Elliot

I'm quite sure my commitment to blogging will quickly wane. But, while I'm into it -- or perhaps to get the ball rolling -- I am making my second post. I woke up to rain on the windows. It is officially winter in Los Angeles. And the first thing that entered my mind was this track from Missy Elliot off of the New Order version of the Back To Mine series. Now, don't get me wrong. Actually, I LOVE the rain, but this song is all L.A. summertime.

Guess what? I have for many years been a fan of New Order, but more recently, I have grown to respect them as artists as opposed to pop celebrities -- if they can be called that. Check out the superb playlist from their compilation:


Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band 'Big Eyed Beans From Venus'
Primal Scream 'Higher Than the Sun'
Missy Elliot 'The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)'
The Velvet Underground 'Venus in Furs'
Doves 'M62 Song'
Roxy Music 'In Every Dream Home a Heartache'
Cat Stevens 'Was Dog a Doughnut?'
Mantronix 'Bassline'
The Groundhogs 'Cherry Red'
Joey Beltram 'Energy Flash'
Donna Summer 'I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley mix)'
Can 'Mushroom'
Rhythim is Rhythim 'The Dance'
Giorgio Vs Talla 2XLC 'E=MC2'


Also, I just bought the Pet Shop Boys Back To Mine, which is a double CD set. You would serve yourself well to check out the whole series at DMC

Tennant/Lowe - Battleship Potemkin

“After all (The Odessa Staircase)” by the Pet Shop Boys and Dresdner Sinfoiker

For a first post I have selected to share with you the track “After all (The Odessa Staircase)” from the recent CD "Battleship Potemkin" by Tennant/Lowe (composers) and the Pet Shop Boys (performers). This score was commissioned for a screening of Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin by Philip Dodd, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. This selection seems to be a synergistic combination of the themes I hope my blog will explore, stated generally: art, music and philosophy.

I have for many years been a fan of PSB, but more recently, I have grown to respect them as artists as opposed to pop celebrities -- if they can be called that. They have collaborated with architect Zaha Hadid and artist Sam Taylor-Wood and Neil Tennant was even on the 1998 Turner Prize jury (the year Chris Ofili won). The selection of Tennant/Lowe to compose a new score for a 1925 silent film about a 1905 Black Sea Russian revolt is fitting. They have quite often played with Soviet imagery and motifs, have espoused socialist views (Neil Tennant studied Socialism) and have a passion for classical music. For more than anyone needs to know about the Pet Shop Boys check out The Introspective Pet Shop Boys FAQ


The orchestration on Battleship Potemkin is by Torsten Rasch and performed by the Dresdner Sinfoniker conducted by Jonathan Stockhammer.


Available at Amazon

Happy New Year