The Seattle Diaries

Monday, October 5, 2009

Friday, September 25, 2009

A Confederacy of Geniuses

Book-It Repertory Theatre celebrates its 20th year in business with a production personifying everything that makes them a world class operation, tackling a novel both beloved and untranslatable with uncommon skill and passion for the written word. What the hell, let's call it genius and leave it at that. They've carved themselves a peculiar niche, creating more than spoken novels but less than full-blown theatrical productions, using their small budgets to force you to use your imagination, just as you would be doing if you were actually reading the book instead of having it read to you by a troop of actors. It's an approach that's intrinsically philosophical, where each performer is not just the character they're portraying but the narrator of their own story. This decision to avoid a central narrator, spreading the author's words around to every performer on stage, lets you float in and out of the reality of the narrative. Every production is about people who are omniscient, unable to separate themselves from the person telling their story.

Mary Machala didn't adapt and direct the book so much as get out of its way, letting every idiosyncrasy shine through. If you love the book, you will love this production, and if you hate the book, you will probably hate this production. If you haven't read the book, it's completely entertaining on it's own terms.

http://www.notasdecine.es/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/harry-knowles.jpg

Harry Knowles disapproves of this review

It tells the story of Ignatius T. Reilly, a 300 pound adult still living with his mother in New Orleans in the '60s. If it were the '90s, he'd be Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, but the internet hadn't been invented yet so Ignatius has no choice but to take out his snark against everyone around him, including his mother, all her friends, a local cop, his fellow workers in a pants factory, his ex-girlfriend, and a poor hot dog vender who offers Ignatius a job, not knowing he's just given Ignatius carte blanche to eat all his hot dogs. It's a cavalcade of comedy chaos as the audience wonders how anyone on earth can put up with him for one second.

Ignatius is an unforgettable literary creation, much like Holden Caulfield, right down to the deer cap, you come away from the book not with the plot but with the indelible memory of a character so uncompromising and irritating that you don't know what to make of the fact you identify with them.

House M.D. is currently the biggest asshole on television. You can forgive House his idiosyncrasies because he's also a genius who saves lives, but Ignatius and Holden have no such noble qualities. They're both snotty losers who think the problem with the world is everything but themselves. Neither display a single positive attribute. Oh sure, they're both funny, but they aren't trying to be.

The Wikipedia page on A Confederacy of Dunces is a movie unto itself since the story of the novel is as fascinating as the story in the novel, creating its own mythology separate from the book. In a nutshell, John Kennedy Toole wrote A Confederacy of Dunces, killed himself in 1969, his mother took the only manuscript to Walker Percy who convinced the University of Louisiana to print up a few thousand copies in 1980, leading inexorably from good reviews to the 1981 Pulitzer Prize to major cult status. John Belushi, who would have been great, was going to do it with Harold Ramis, but died, then John Candy, who would have been great, died too, and Chris Farley, who would have been great, well, you get the drift.

Luckily, Brandon Whitehead survived the Ignatius curse to give a flawless performance of nuance and hilarity. From the opening second, he owns the stage, looking down his nose at us like the whole audience just cut a fart. Ignatius is a horrible combination of total loser and cultural snob, a wallowing ball of negativity who finds the worst in everything while contributing absolutely nothing. It wouldn't work if Whitehead didn't give Ignatius all the depth necessary for such a deeply flawed character, making him not just massive but massively entertaining.

Ellen McLain is patience personified as Ignatius' mom Irene, who surely deserves, and gets, a life of her own. The rest of the cast are every bit Whitehead's equal, especially the ones in multiple roles. With countless changes of costume and make-up, Samara Lerman is hilarious both as Darlene the sleazy barmaid and as Myrna Minkoff, Ignatius' radical college sweetheart. Similarly, Betty Campbell, Cynthia Geary, Bill Johns, Todd Licea, Enrique Olguin, Kiri Nelson, and Kevin McKeon all revel in their multiple characters. Backstage must be a madhouse of costume changes.

One quibble. All have differing mastery of one of the hardest accents to do, the New Orleans. Unfortunately they're all trying to do the SAME New Orleans accent when real New Orleans accents are as varied as New York accents, which is something only an asshole like me would point out. Yeah, you're a liar if you're a critic and you say you don't identify with Ignatius, who should be the opposite of a role model for the rest of us cultural snobs, who have precious little to complain about when we visit Book-It Repertory. Here's hoping for another 20 years.

This is John Kennedy Toole, which means if they make a film

about him, Andy Richter better free up his schedule

Get tickets at http://www.book-it.org/ through October 11.

Catcher in the Rye cover by Willie Jimenez.
See more of his work at http://westwolf270.deviantart.com/

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Seattle Hempfest Staff Party at Meridian Park - 9/20/09

Seattle Hempfest Staff Party at Meridian Park - 9/20/09 from Michael Dare on Vimeo.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Fish Ladder at the Chittenden Locks in Ballard

Two things: Yesterday I visited the incredible fish ladder at the Chittenden Locks in Ballard, and I discovered the setting on my Canon PowerShot that lets you take one picture every second. The music is Guitar Boogie by Les Paul and Mary Ford.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Saturday at the 2009 Seattle Hempfest Part II - Ken Kesey's bus

Ken Kesey's Bus on Display

Saturday at the 2009 Seattle Hempfest Part I

This is Saad

This is Saad walking across the bridge to Hempfest 2009

This is the north entrance

and the sign in the sky that greeted us

So I took a right and headed towards Seely Stage

Backstage at Seely

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Friday's set-up to the Seattle Hempfest 2009

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Next step, Rachel Maddow

I have made the front page of BoingBoing!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Careers to Pursue When Yours Disappear

by Michael Dare

Some people lose their jobs because they always show up late and leave early. Some people lose their jobs because they called their boss an asshole. But there's a special category of people who lost their jobs because the job itself doesn't really exist any more. It just disappears, like those buggy whip manufacturers at the advent of the Model T, they produce a product that's no longer needed by any but the loyal few. They still sell buggy whips, just not as many. The masses have moved elsewhere. Here's a guide to other careers to pursue if you lost your job in such a manner.

PORN STAR

Considering how much free porn there is on the net, it's surprising the professional porn industry survives at all. If you're a porn star laid off because Harry Putz and the Prisoner of Asskaban laid an egg, there are surely a plethora of other ways to put your talent to use. You could virtually blow everyone on my Facebook FRIEND list, but that would only get you further friends, not further income. You might think about downsizing to a smaller audience and doing private porn films for a select clientele. Put the following ad in CraigsList: "Star in your own porn film. Select from our luscious collection of actors. We will come to your house and film you fucking them."

ROCK STAR

Considering how much free music there is on the net, it's surprising there's a single musician making a living. If you had a hit in the 90s, way back when people actually played CDs, you might have noticed you're not getting any royalties from the constant stream of downloads - at Limewire, Frostwire, and Pirate Bay - of your one-hit-wonder. You could follow the RIAA's example and sue your own fans, but I suggest the opposite. Make a YouTube video offering a buck to everyone who can prove they downloaded your song for free. Since that's virtually impossible, you won't have to actually pay anyone anything, and the resulting free publicity might get you a shot at being the opening act on a Vanilla Ice reunion tour.

PAY PHONES

The manufacturers of pay phones didn't sue the manufacturers of cell phones for putting them out of business because the manufacturers of pay phones WERE the manufacturers of cell phones. Let this be a role model for everyone put out of business by some new technology. Don't fight it. In the future, you'll just look like a jerk, and you don't look so hot now.

MUSIC OR FILM DISTRIBUTOR

We don't need you any more. We can make copies ourselves, thank you, no need to pay someone else to do it. Man, if you make money making copies of ANYTHING, toodle-ooh, the Free Barrier has been broken and those sonic booms you hear are your industry going bye-bye. Once I can receive MP3s and AVIs of music and movies directly from their creators, downloaded in minutes, what the hell do I need Netflix for? Waste of time and energy. I could be doing jumping jacks instead of running to the mailbox. But that's just home distribution, which once didn't exist, then became 50% of profits, and now is going to barely exist again. The future really is those big opening weekends, sitting in a crowd at a mammoth screen, where simple images take your breath away and you enjoy yourself whether you liked it or not. In order to make money, film and music have got to get you off your butt and away from the computer to an actual theatrical experience where you pay to get in. Everything else is public domain.

NEWSPAPER COLUMN WRITER

You used to crank it out for a paycheck. Now you just crank it out. No more editors telling you what to do, only readers and other writers, who are notoriously cranky too. Logic tells us if you want to support a writer, buy a physical copy of his book or magazine or newspaper or leaflet, stopping right short of Blog Post, where money never changes hands. Whenever you accept a compliment, accept the fact that compliments are pay, and thank you for reading this. If you pass it on, I get 10%.

http://www.facebook.com/dareland

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Gilbert and Sullivan Rock and Roll in their Graves

I tried to get one of my kids to come with me to the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society's new production of "Utopia, Limited," explaining that it wasn't opera, it was SATIRE of opera, making fun of the conventions of the day, but no go. They couldn't tell the difference which is a shame. The only thing that would get them into a theater would be an all black version of Music Man with Harold Hill gangsta rapping about trouble in River City.

So I went by myself and thank god I did because this production rocks. No, they didn't add electric guitars to the orchestra pit, it rocked conventionally, by delivering a show Gilbert and Sullivan themselves would have totally admired. The material couldn't possibly have been served any better.

There's nothing shabby about this production at all. They art directed the hell out of it, the costumes and sets are colorful and extravagant, the choreography classic, and the performances universally top notch, so good that if I started rattling off the highlights, I'd have to mention absolutely everybody, who are all given moments to shine. It's an enormous theater and I could understand every word, which is quite a triumph considering the assault of verbiage in the parade of patter songs.

The plot, involving a primitive island, Utopia, that gets westernized by British corporations, allows the show to satirize all manner of old politics that turn out to be pretty much the same as today. Sly little updates to the lyrics made it all relevant and kept the audience in stitches.

With many subtle, and some not so subtle nudges, the show also points out the incredible influence Gilbert and Sullivan had upon Monty Python and the Marx Brothers, not to mention Stephen Sondheim, whose "Pacific Overtures" tells pretty much the same story.

Props to Sam Longoria who got me in, and served magnificently as the John Cleese of the piece. In fact, the only thing wrong with this production is Sam didn't have enough to do.

http://pattersong.org/

Friday, July 3, 2009

Greenwood Car Show

Ugliest Car of the Show

Nicest Car of the Show

I changed my mind. THIS is the Nicest Car of the Show.

and THIS is the Ugliest Car of the Show

My first experience using a Canon PowerShot, a camera the size of a deck of cards. Check out the quality of the video...

Monday, June 22, 2009

What I did this past weekend

I marched in Seattle's Fremont Solstice Parade with the Hempfest dragon.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
That's the Super Sonic Soul Pimps on the float.

That's me in the back.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Free "Happy Birthday"

by Michael Dare a few seconds ago

We, the public, wish to extend our Domain, called the Public Domain. Every extension of copyright is at the expense of the Public Domain. Corporations will extend copyright forever if we, the Public, let them trample on our Domain.

When "Happy Birthday" is sung in a film, should Mildred and Patty Hill get credit? Absolutely, they wrote it in 1893. Should AOL Time Warner reel in $2 million a year licensing the song more than a century after it was written? I don't think so. Let people post birthday parties to YouTube without the threat of a lawsuit from a mighty media corporation.

AOL Time Warner, as a public service, we ask you to voluntarily release the song "Happy Birthday" into the Public Domain.

Why Is This Idea Important?

In the real world, the internet has shrunk the length of copyright to a nanosecond, making it virtually immaterial. In the interest of expanding our Domain, we, the Public, wish to let copyright die or shrink to its original parameter of 14 years.

Idea # 3554Making Data More Accessible, copyright, song licensing, corporate control

http://opengov.ideascale.com/akira/dtd/6822-4049

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Night Flight Shines

Threadbare production values still look pretty good in Night Flight

Book-it Repertory Theatre's latest production, Night Flight, based upon a short story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (best known for The Little Prince), is their first operetta, and a ground-breaking moment in the history of novel and theater.

It's not quite a musical. Unlike Les Miserable, there are no stirring Broadway numbers to go out humming. Strictly speaking, there aren't any "songs" at all. There are no verses or choruses. It isn't poetry set to music, it's prose set to music. They literally just "sing" the book to you in a sort of endless recitative, those musical moments in operas in between the songs where people "speak" in music. Traditionally, these are the most boring parts of an opera where you're just waiting for the next aria, but thanks to the extraordinary adaption by Myra Platt and Rachel Atkins, this production takes you places particular to theater, music, and the written word, a hybrid that's uniquely satisfying. If you don't want to read a book, you may as well have someone sing it to you.

The story is nothing particularly exciting, a footnote in the history of airmail delivery in South America, with bureaucrats trying to keep the mail on schedule while wives wait for their husbands to return through the storms. The production is threadbare, with pilots simply on top of ladders or scaffolding to signify flight. It all shifts the focus to the purity of the technique, the music and performances, which are all top notch. Every member of the singing ensemble has a moment to shine. The music from the Degenerate Art Ensemble's Joshua Kohl is impressionist tango, Ravel and Debussy filtered through the dance of Buenos Aires. It's melodic and soulful, the band and voices excellent, and one wishes for some repeats of phrases that would be catchy if you could only hear them more than once.

This production is at the incredibly beautiful Moore Theater, just up the block from the Pike Place Market, for a mere ten days. Fans of books and musical theater miss it at their peril as it genuinely breaks new ground. It's such a good idea that one cannot help but imagine a Kindle that not only reads but sings to you. Pick a book. Night Flight. Pick a voice. Mixed baritone and soprano. Pick a musical style. Tango. Go.

MD

Tickets are available online at www.book-it.org or by calling 206.216.0833. Prices range from $15 to $35; opening night, all seats are $40 (includes party). Box office hours are Tues. through Fri., Noon – 6:00 p.m. (Tues. – Sat. during production). Tickets are also available online at www.book-it.org. Showtimes are 7:30 evenings, 2:00 matinees

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Something free to do tonight

I won two free tickets to this. It's tonight. Not surprisingly, both my kids refuse to go with me. Anyone who wants to come along, just let me know.

Sing Sing

Saturday, May 2, 2009 - 8 PM
Single-ticket price: $33; $30 for subscribers; $20 for students

"Their voices united... hitting you with a wall of beautiful choral sounds." ABC Brisbane

Experience the musical traditions of the indigenous peoples of Australia, Papua New Guinea, and West Papua. Using song, dance, and video projections, a ten-member troupe of dancers and musicians tells the stories of Oceania both long ago and today. An exhilarating journey through the life and culture of these island nations.

Did you know? This touring performance takes its name-"Sing Sing"-from a Papua New Guinea expression meaning "large musical gathering."

Location

Meany Hall is located on the west edge of the University of Washington campus, just minutes from the NE 45th Street exit off I-5.

http://uwworldseries.org/artists.cfm?page=singsing

UPDATE: Saw it. Alone. It was great. Wish you were there.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Mystery Science Theater 3000 visits the 1962 Seattle World's Fair

If You're Gonna Kiss Me, Kiss Me There

Meet Me in Seattle (At The Fair) (1:39)

Seattle, 1962: The last successful World's Fair held in the United States is taking place, and organizers need music to spread the word. The call goes out to Joy and the Boys, and Meet Me in Seattle is born.

There's a reason why you can't write music that appeals to everyone, unless you're the odd genius who can pen an "Mmm...Bop" or "Macarena." When you try, you wind up watering things down to the point where they're meaningless. That's one of two problems with this song. It says nothing about the fair itself, instead serving up a "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" great-date theme, minus the baseball love or love for much of anything. To their credit, the songwriters did slip the marvelous double-entendre, "If you're gonna kiss me, kiss me there" into the lyrics, a lone conceit to songwriting skill handcuffed by the need for that elusive mass appeal.

The other problem with the song is the recording. By 1962 standards, this is dreadful. It sounds like the band was encased in an oildrum and miked from the outside. Audiophiles should note that this recording will likely reverse the magnetic fields in your Harmen-Kardon speakers.

In spite of all this, it's still a good bit of fun, and a nice reminder of the Fair. If you're feeling nostalgic, check out the Seattle Post-Intelligencer World's Fair Site, which is filled with historic photos and commentary on how the Fair shaped modern Seattle.

From http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2009/03/if-youre-gonna-kiss-me-kiss-me-there-mp3.html

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

They finally figured out how to make money with newspapers

The Seattle Post Intelligencer printed it's last issue yesterday, March 17. It cost 75 cents.

Today, one day later, March 18, the following ads appeared on Craig's List.

Last Post Intelligencer - $15 - (Seattle) pic

SEATTLE PI NEWSPAPER - $55 - (Lynnwood)

Seattle PI Final Issue - $35 - (North Seattle) pic

Final Edition of the Seattle PI - I have 50 - $1 - (Not price gouging)

Seattle PI final newspaper - $50 - (Port Angeles)

Seattle PI final printing - $25 - (Seatac) pic

I HAVE THE FINAL EDITON OF THE P I NEWPAPER - $1 - (SEATTLE)

Final edition of PI - $10 - (Dash Point)

SEATTLE P.I. FINAL EDITION - $15 - (OLYMPIA)

seattle pi - jerks - $1 -

last edition seattle pi - $60 - (sequim)

Final print edition Seattle P-I - $1 - (kent)