The legacy of Cobain in documentary film.

He was a huge influence on my work, creative process, kindness and especially his anti-corporate spirit.

CLICK ON THIS LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otfjmLjv4Gs&feature=grec

p.s. above is an image of Frances, his beautiful daughter.

She walks the earth with gifted blood in her veins.

His absence looms.

other interviews ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHOpP27K044

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji0n0OzVkIM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b4j2dNX0mA&feature=related

Francis actually emailed to me this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWusjaq6Bek

Dawoud Bey audio LECTURE (CLASS PICTURES)

CLICK ON THIS LINK FOR AUDIO LECTURE/Q and A session:

http://www.artic.edu/aic/visitor_info/podcasts/artist_talks/bey.html

p.s. i saw Bey's color photowork about a year ago, and i was really inspired to take color pictures (and more importantly witnessed with my-own-eyes the power of digital technology). Bey is drawn to capture "people", and his portraits combine the love of color and spirits. I like that he does not pursue "personas", but instead uses the natural settings and natural dress style to capture truth.

Second Rate Feminism (gimme a bbreak)

I sat in at an (undisclosed) lecture yesterday night.

the photographer (a female) explained her "subject" as a second rate feminist.

i yawned. the "subject" was exactly THAT, HER "subject"- A mere victim for this photographer's yellow teeth to dig into for her own personal identity/gender crisis and/or rage. this very personal anger at the "other" gender, expressed in these pictures during her presentation.

I questioned this artist about the fact that all of the photographs taken by her SUBJECT (her subject was actually a self-professed amateur photographer from the 60's) had the images of men blackened out with marker. i asked the artist, "How did your "SUBJECT" feel about this intrusion upon her polaroids?" She could not respond properly, BUT she did address me with good eye contact and revealed that her "SUBJECT" was actually a good friend of her aunt's.

Long story short, that moment of "honesty", despite the fact that i had to squeeze for it, made me gain a lot of respect for this person, this "artist". and it also reminded me that, as "artists" we certainly design, manipulate and create the world that WE want from others, not the world sitting directly in front of us. And in that sense artists are the most DISHONEST honest creatures in the world.

and God Bless America, for that.

mexo

Life is difficult.

It is stories like these, seeing people who work so hard to stay happy despite their obstacles that makes me realize just how glad i am for slicing my life in half (film/social work)...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100216/lf_nm_life/us_ebert_3

Fatalism and Defeatism (NO WAY)

Fatalism is a philosophical doctrine emphasizing the subjugation of all events or actions to fate or inevitable predetermination.

Fatalism generally refers to several of the following ideas:

1. A flawed perception of the consequences of exercised free will, ignorance, and forgetfulness.
2. That free will does not exist, meaning therefore that history has progressed in the only manner possible. ^[1] This belief is very similar to predeterminism.
3. That actions are free, but nevertheless work toward an inevitable end. ^[2] This belief is very similar to compatibilist predestination.
4. That acceptance is appropriate, rather than resistance against inevitability. This belief is very similar to defeatism.

BIO IS FINALLY RELEASED !

Katherine Bigelow deserves to be awarded 2010

i have always admired her, but now hearing her articulate her process of making this incredible n big budget war film, HURT LOCKER, i'm even more impressed. She is so relaxed, yet formidable in her understanding of how, and why, she made this great work...

CLICK HERE...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er_OUD2D_NY

Changes in the DSM bible.

Oh Lord, yet some MORE new illnesses to be "labeled"(including internet related illness)...

http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/big-changes-proposed-for-diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-of-mental-disorders/19352107

The History of JANE.

Jane Public is a generic name in the United States to denote a hypothetical member of experimental film society deemed a "common man." He/She is presumed to represent the randomly selected "man on the street." Similar terms include John Q. Citizen or and John Q. Taxpayer, or Jane Q. Citizen, and Jane Q. Taxpayer for a woman (with or without a film camera).

The name John Doe is used in a similar manner. For multiple people, Tom, Dick and Harry is often used. The tone of Jane sounds much better.

In the United States, the term Jane Public is used by law enforcement officers to refer to an individual with no criminal bent, as opposed to terms like perp (short for perpetrator) or skell to qualify unsavory individuals.^{[citation needed]}

Roughly equivalent, but more pejorative, are the names Janey Six-pack, Janey Blow, and Jane Shmoe (Jane Shmoe for these purposes of this Blog), the last of which implies a lower-class citizen.

2008 Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin famously referred to "Joe Sixpack and Hockey moms" during a debate (It is rumoured that she had hoped that her mother named her Jan). Presidential Candidate John McCain referenced a similar symbol, this time represented by an actual person, saying that Senator Obama's tax plan would hurt Joe the Plumber's bottom line. A fifteen-minute debate on this issue ensued, with both candidates speaking directly to "Joe". Jane Public was not present during this debate, but he did view the debate from a flat-screen television set.

Thank you for your time with gaining a better understanding of the history of Jane.

Goodbye.
x and o

Gerda makes me Think

Documenting things, and photojournalism, has long been the medium of urgency and social change. It has profoundly affected public opinion, going back at least to Mathew Brady's images from the U.S. Civil War. What are the motivations and meanings behind this need to make this kind of work? i, myself, feel a forever need to deliver this kind of cinema. Is it my personal life's diary? In a way, yes it is. Yet disguised.
The traditional approach to studying photojournalism explains the WHAT and WHO- WHAT events and developments occurred, WHAT notable images were taken, and WHO took them. Without neglecting these concerns, I feel a desire to witness and record. experience. feelings. imaginary observations.

My naive belief in film's power to advance social justice and an idea of a 'mother theresa' styled universal humanism.
By day: social worker.
By night: filmmaker.

Moral of the Story boys and girls is:
Desire to engage questions of truth.
Do not waste your time with anything else. Or you will be lying to the most important person of all. YOURSELF.

click on this link about Gerda Taro...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerda_Taro

DIY means what exactly Jane?

Kathleen Hanna remains a pivotal part of the DIY movement, a movement & frame of philosophical"thinking" that I have always been driven to embrace ( for romantic artistic purposes, and for $$$$ purposes).

Bikini Kill (Kathleen's muthahen) played a major part of that good ole seminal Washington State raw static-noisy music scene back in the early 1990’s, which was characterized by political awareness, a strong artistic do-it-yourself (yes, datz what DIY stands for)ethic, and an emphasis on local collaboration and support. She did some spoken word work as "Kathleen Hanna" and also created her very own fan-zine as a way of getting newz and infor that she felt was important "OUT THERE"!

She also inspired the name for Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", when she wrote "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Kurt Cobain's wall (that was BEFORE Courtney Love sucker-punched her backstage).

Kathleen now volunteers at The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls !
http://www.williemaerockcamp.org/camp.html

The moral of this BLOG iz dat Kathleen rocks! And i hope that i'm as happy and as energetic as she is when i grow older. Her life IS art. And the life that she leads is permanently defined by ALL of her creative living choices.

by janes definition:
Do it yourself (or DIY) is a term used to describe building, modifying, or repairing of something without the aid of experts or professionals. The phrase "do it yourself" came into common usage in the 1950s in reference to home improvement challenges that people might choose to complete independently.

In recent years, the term DIY has taken on a broader meaning that covers a wide range of skill sets. DIY is associated with the international alternative rock, hardcore punk, and indie rock music scenes, indymedia networks, pirate radio stations, and the zine community. In this context, DIY is related to the Arts and Crafts movement in that it offers an alternative to modern consumer culture's emphasis on relying on others to solve needs.

ROCK CAMP FOR KIDS !

YOU MUST CLICK ON THIS LINK AND WATCH THIS INCREDIBLE ROCK CAMP FOR KIDS. Kathleen Hanna (pioneer activist of the 90's Riot Grrrl movement is currently teaching there). This is ART !! Taking the future generation and exposing them to the Freedom of creative expression. Whether itz musik, Filmz, drawing, paint, it's all falling from the same damn tree. enjoy and click on this Janey FREEBIE film documentary link...

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/girls_rock/

p.s. that b&w pic makes me wanna learn the cello sooo damn bad.

I hate the water, but love her Positivity

I just learned that a bio pic on the life of surfer Bethany Hamilton has begun filmming this week. I am very inspired by the passion and positive perseverance this girl has, despite her disability (shark attack, lost her arm). She just keeps moving foward, and keeps on LIVING.
So many times life has cast it's dark shadows upon my visions and hearing life stories like this one just reminds me that no matter what, we must keep on living. Keep on smiling. Keep on looking for color.
I imagine her upbringing, and family, must have played a role in her positive outlook. BUT there is sumthin inherently unique about the smile she keeps on expressing, against all odds...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7luVD9QZrDM&NR=1
www.heartofasoulsurfer.com/main.htm

WATCH HER SURF HERE !!!!...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnWnuBwNJGo

Julia

On a tight budget, he (meaning ME) went to the public library, stacked up on "freebie" DVD films (or movies, if you wanna go with tacky lay terminology, but really you SHOULD have a bit more sophistication than that lady, or man, however you wish to call yourself - As far as getting back to the point I'm trying to make, I CALL THESE THINGS I GOT AT THE LIBRARY: FILMS).

so he got a bunch of films he hadn't seen before (isn't that what your supposed to do?) One grabbed his attention cause it had a euro-country type landscape story-like poster on the cover. You see mr., or ms. reader, He (yes, ME) always wished he could afford to reinvent his life and be out on some abandoned countryside. Pigs. Weeds. Wood. Toothless neighbors. But unfortunately, his life circumstances just didn't allow. G$&% DAMNIT. ahhhhhhh. Relax Janey. In another life (and yes, there is always that possibility), he hopes to return as a recurrent passing breeze. Blowing. NOT some frog. NOT some fairytale talking turtle. BORING.
Ok, enuff of that nonsense, back to FACT-

On a tight budget, he (meaning ME) rented, "Julia". He liked it a lot. OK, Honestly, the film stunk. BUT the Vanessa Redgrave performance was heartfelt and trulyaffected him. The sound of her wooden leg. Also, the moment that Jane Fonda was typing away at her typewriter, and frustrated at her creative stunted "process" she lifted/threw the entire heavy typewriter out the window! Such a moment! We (1.me 2.he and 3.i) can ALL relate to that one! I hope you can too, I have "hope". Damn, now even I'M impressed.


There was something captured in this film, similar to in the film, "THE HOURS", about the "process" of creativity. The main character's need for taking a dangerous adventure, her need for a loyal friendship (rare these days), and her desire to be an honest person within the choices she had made in her empty life. I enjoyed the typewriter aparatus so much, probably more than the whole narrative. and really weird thing was, I also took out "ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN" from the library and got to enjoy the old typewriters used by 1970's Washington Post's Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein as they uncovered the corruption behind the Nixon Administrations bugging operations at Watergate. So, all in all, God Bless America. God Bless Typewriters. And No matter how "cool" the new iPad thing is hyped up to be. I'm stickin' retro baby. Raw, unadulterated, retro, rusty typewriting crap. and That's That.
Goodbye.

Oh yeah, since I love all of you people who read this so much (especially ME), here's the actual film's synopsis i copy n pasted from da internet. Why? you wonder. Well, because he (meaning ME) "cares".


The Julia Synopsis
The young Lillian and the young Julia, daughter of a wealthy family being raised by her grandparents in the U.S., enjoy a childhood together and an extremely close relationship in late adolescence. Later, while medical-student/physician Julia attends Oxford and the University of Vienna and studies with such luminaries as Sigmund Freud, Lillian suffers through revisions of her play with her mentor and sometime lover, Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards) at a New England beachhouse.

After becoming a celebrated playwright, Lillian is invited to a writers' conference in Russia. Julia, having taken on the battle against Nazism, enlists Lillian en route to smuggle money through Nazi Germany which will assist in the anti-Nazi cause. It is a dangerous mission, especially for a Jewish intellectual on her way to Russia.

During a brief meeting with Julia on this trip, Lillian learns that her friend has a child named Lily, living with a baker in Alsace. Shortly after her return to the United States, Lillian is informed of Julia's murder. The details of her death are shrouded in secrecy. Lillian unsuccessfully looks for Julia's child in Alsace and also discovers that Julia's family wants nothing to do with the child, if she exists, probably for financial reasons.

http://www.janepublic.com/


NURSERY RHYME background to film, "ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN"
Woodward and Bernstein had toyed with the idea of writing a book about Watergate, but didn't commit until actor Robert Redford contacted them and expressed interest in purchasing the film rights. In Telling the Truth about Lies: the Making of 'All the President's Men' , Woodward noted that Redford played an important role in changing the book's narrative from a story about the Watergate events to one about their investigations and their reportage of the story.

The name of the book alludes to the nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty ("All the king's horses and all the king's men / Couldn't put Humpty together again"), an allusion similar to that made more explicitly a quarter-century earlier in the Robert Penn Warren novel "All the King's Men," which describes the career of a fictional governor loosely based on Huey Long. Jane Public was unavailable for further commentary about this subject matter. His deepest apologies.