Canada Reads Funny? What?

Despite Canada's sometimes deserved reputation for producing dour, ruminative, 'nature as character' fiction, it appears that at least a handful of its citizens (the Canada Reads panelists) like their books funny. Although I haven't read the winner, I must agree on the liking funny part in general.

To find out how it won the day, visit the CBC's blog.

Douglas "Bartlett's" Coupland

Now reading The Gum Thief and it's hooked me good, so far. Details to come when I'm finished but I don't know where I'll start, since Douglas Coupland is so quotable. Practically every page contains an observation worth repeating.

In the meantime, try Coupland on love in The Walrus. DC: "I felt the way I feel after I’m halfway through my third drink, which is the way I wish all moments in life felt: heightened with the sense that anything could happen at any moment—that the reason being alive is so important is that just when you least expect it, you might receive just what you least expect. "

Don't Want to Slag Silent Films, But...

Sometimes I want to see a movie based on the strength of its music. I'd been a fan of Imogen Heap's since seeing her open for Rufus Wainwright in 1999, so hearing Frou Frou's Let Go in the Garden State trailer inspired immediate interest. I would've watched Shopgirl anyway because I liked the book, but The Notwist's Consequence, featured in the trailer, affirmed that I should see it right away. I couldn't get that song, with its trance-inducing refrain, "leave me paralyzed, love, leave me hypnotized, love", out of my head. More recently, Your Hand in Mine (with strings) by Explosions in the Sky caught my attention. It's the instrumental song looping on the The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's website and it makes me feel warm attachment to a film I haven't even seen.

Good music can only enhance your relationship to a movie. For instance, I was charmed by About a Boy because it was sweet and funny, but my emotional investment in the sweetness was heightened by Badly Drawn Boy's excellent soundtrack. The song, I Love N.Y.E., is a beautiful instrumental piece that establishes the tone of the film perfectly. I can't hear it without feeling sentimental in a good way.

If I were to make a playlist of favourite "first heard on film" songs, it might look like this (though it probably wouldn't be ordered chronologically and it would also include the songs mentioned above):

Good Enough - Cyndi Lauper (The Goonies)
There She Goes - The La's (So I Married an Axe Murderer)
Have a Little Faith in Me - John Hiatt (Benny & Joon)
Yoo Hoo - Imperial Teen (Jawbreaker)
Dry the Rain - The Beta Band (High Fidelity)
Mad World - Gary Jules (Donnie Darko)
69 Police - David Holmes (Ocean's Eleven)
Woo Hoo - The 5 6 7 8s (Kill Bill)
Ikebana - Kevin Shields (Lost in Translation)
One April Day - Stephin Merritt (Pieces of April)
Theme - Jon Brion (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Deceptacon - Le Tigre (Reprise)
Til the End of Time - DeVotchKa (Little Miss Sunshine)
Buggin' (Remix) - The Flaming Lips (Summercamp!)

Feel free to chip in with your own outstanding movie music picks.

The Glitz Breakdown

I shouldn't have even watched this year's Academy Awards because I saw so few of the nominated films/performances. It's not fun when you can't root for favourites, although Falling Slowly's win for Best Original Song did provide a cheerleading highlight. Since I'm unable to offer valuable critical commentary, I thought I'd mention a few older films involving some of last night's winners, instead.

If you've never seen the Coen brothers' kooky Raising Arizona, starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter, you should. It was quirky before 'quirky' became the gold standard for comedy credibility. I tend to prefer lighther Coen films (The Big Lebowski was made for repeat viewings) and may be biased. I'd like to think not, though. I'd like to think that Raising Arizona is just damn funny. I'll also recommend Marion Cotillard in Jeux d'enfants (or Love Me If You Dare). It's an Amelie-esque story (colourful, stylized, quirky - the new quirky). Finally, I've always thought The Beach was underrated. The book by Alex Garland is even better. I couldn't put it down. Tilda Swinton plays the one who pulls the strings on Leonaro DiCaprio and friends' island paradise. She's a powerhouse of nutjobbery.

Aside: In the event that you indulge in periodic rounds of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, take note that French actor Guillaume Canet appears in Jeux d'enfants and The Beach. I'm not figuring out how he connects to KB. That's your job.

Everything Bad is Good For You

In Everything Bad is Good For You, Steven Johnson theorizes that pop culture, contrary to common opinion, is making us smarter. The book focuses on video games, TV and the Internet, with Johnson arguing that the increasing complexity of each medium forces us to expand our cognitive skills in order to interact with them. He notes, for example, that you need to be alert to follow the multi-thread plots in TV shows like 24 or Lost. Tuning out in front of the tube isn't an option.

Plenty of dumb or disposable pop culture is out there too (adding the meaning of the word Donezo to our vocabularies probably hasn't enriched our thought capacities any, but keeping track of the complicated, interconnected relationships of the teens who say it might have). Whether you agree with Johnson wholeheartedly or not at all, it's refreshing to see that people who aim to shape the discourse on pop culture are recognizing that it operates on an intelligence scale (dumbest to smartest) and shouldn't be written off as uniformly moronic.

Tour Mania

Today, the Toronto Star verified the truth of what I thought was a rationalization for getting slack about concert-going: the number of great live shows happening at any given time is becoming really hard to keep up with.

Duelling Junos - One Oops, One Well Done

Good news for Jill Barber (and Anne Murray) but bad news for the credibility of the Juno Awards. As I lamented previously, the credibility of the Junos was already a little questionable. This mistake won't help. It might also be time to rename the Best New Artist category, Best Breakthrough Artist. It's great that Jill Barber is getting a second nomination but she's not a new artist. New does not mean new to the masses, it means new to existence.

And here's the CBC on the movie Juno and opening title sequences in films. I liked, didn't love Juno, but I loved the music and style of the opening title sequence.

Rug Cutters

Everyone knows someone who finds all the good stuff on the Internet - the funny and disgusting videos, the cool blogs. My "finger on the Web pulse" person is my friend P. As usual, he's turned up something worth blowing a few minutes on in Bend Sinister's video for Time Breaks Down. P describes it so well, there's not much left to do but repeat that it's a combination of West Side Story, OK Go's 'Here It Goes Again' and Bohemian Rhapsody. I will add that the earnestness of all performers as they dance is key to the goodness.

Music Divides Us Into Makers and Lovers

Working through an old issue of The New Yorker, I came across an article (transcribed here) about a former pianist, now piano salesperson, with an uncanny ability to match players with their perfect instruments. It's an interesting read that delves into the unique sound produced by pianos, among other things. Apparently, they're like snowflakes.

Reading it, I unearthed a mini revelation in the disguise of an afterthought statement: "Like her father, and like many other talented musicians, Erica had an aptitude for math". Finally, a justification for my lack of musicality. It's math's bloody fault. My friend M happened upon me just after this discovery so I asked her what she thought about it. She replied, pretty nonchalantly, that music is a mathematical language. I'd never consdidered it in those terms before but I suppose it's fairly obvious what with measuring beats in 4/4 time and the whole business. Don't let all those lettered notes deceive you. A's and F's are an alphabetic ruse.

Appreciating music extensively while simultaneously not having a clue about how to make it is a kind of torture. I wonder if the fact that I found math hard but got decent grades means it's not too late to find music hard but soldier on through dedicated practice to achieve a tolerable proficiency. Never mind that sheet music is baffling or that I give off a bassist's vibe - drum kit, I'm yours.

Mirror, Mirror

Here's The Boston Phoenix on the creep of the 'sexy sells' notion into publishing.

I heard Zadie Smith respond to this issue at a reading when she was asked if her own beauty gave her an advantage in the book world. We, the audience, were incensed at the guy who brought up the topic and collectively disowned him in our heads as a jerk. Unfortunately, his question was both uncouth and timely. Essentially, Smith replied that if she was a man she'd probably never have been asked the question and that whatever role attractiveness plays in publishing, the writing is most important.

I think Smith's right that female writers (female anybodies, really) are more likely to have to deal with this kind of attack, but as the Phoenix article points out, good-looking, young male writers are starting to attract the same doubters. I also agree that writing will still triumph over glamour, but concede that sun-kissed skin and a searing gaze can't hurt your chances in the visual culture of today.

It's terrible that anyone's work is judged against the gifts or shortcomings of their appearance but it's a standard so out of place in the publishing world as to be absurd. In the case of actors, for example, it's unfair to equate good looks with talent, but the comparison at least has a logical origin. Humans generally prefer beauty to ugliness. We have to see actors because of the medium they work in. Therefore, we will want to look at beautiful actors most often and they will likely become more successful. That's not an admirable stance, but it's a rational one in the context of our ingrained views. On the other hand, writing is among the few celebrity-type professions that can create hugely successful, exalted stars but provide enough anonymity for those stars to wander the streets relatively unbothered. No one has to look at anything beyond an author's words unless they choose to. If we can't keep 'sexy sells' out of a form that's based on text not images, it doesn't bode well for the future of any industry. Postal workers, you better start getting your headshots in order.

Customers Who Bought X Will Never Buy Y

When you read a great book you often want to read something similar, hoping it will be equally great. It's easy enough to find books by the same author, books on the same subject or visit a bookseller's website and see what customers who bought your great book also bought. But how do you know what to avoid entirely?

Library Thing aims to help you in your quest to never read something you'd hate with its UnSuggester tool. Type in a title you like, get a list of titles you won't like in return. The few titles I typed in unsuggested a load of theological books (one was called Jesus Freaks), so either it's not using a finely-tuned algorithm and is returning the same results commonly, or it thinks I'm an anti-Conservative heathen. Could be a bit of both.

Cupid Owns the Day

The V-Day quote of 2008 comes courtesy of Waitress. The line is love defined; the selfish part, anyway. Sublime Keri Russell delivers it in a voice-over, and while she doesn't directly reference the state of being in love, the implication is clear:

"I was addicted to saying things and having them matter to someone."

For sure.

Ear Crack

Recent acquisitions AKA songs I can't stop listening to:

To the Sky - Maps
Teenage Romanticide - Dance Yourself to Death
If This is a Plan - The Delgados
St. Francis - Ohbijou (Thanks K.)
Nowhere With You - The Joel Plaskett Emergency

DJ Dreams?

If you've ever wanted to control the airwaves, you'll love Audience Tuesdays over at CBC Radio 3. Choose wisely, speak eloquently, and get picked to do the Track of the Day podcast. 5 minutes of music-nerdy, slightly obscure audio fame awaits you.

Once

The uniformly great things being said about Once must be true because I want to recommend the crap out of it. Recommend it until my voice is hoarse and people stop taking my calls. I didn't read much beforehand, preferring to watch the film preconception free. Its billing as a musical was already a hurdle to overcome without adding in a host of critical opinions to weigh throughout. Truthfully, the music is so well-integrated that Once seems like a regular film, heavy on music, rather than a musical with snippets of plot cropping up between songs. And it's good music that you'd listen to otherwise (kudos Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova).

So many things ring true in the film, it's hard to know what to highlight. The ending is notable because it's right. Whether you're happy or unhappy with the conclusion, the rest of the film won't be tarnished. You'll still appreciate all that came before for its sweetness and natural feel.

Love stories in films are often portrayed so similarly (meet cute, wooing, obstacles, more wooing, union/parting) that the familiar patterns obscure the feelings behind the experiences. Characters are thrown into situations where movie laws dictate that they'll fall in love, but the audience doesn't always get a sense of why these two, specifically, should be together. What makes Once stand out isn't so much that it deviates from the pattern but that it allows its characters breathing room in their reactions to it.

It's incredibly difficult to demonstrate the inner workings that cause people to fall in love. You can't get that close. The director, John Carney, comes very close in an early scene when Hansard teaches Irglova his song, Falling Slowly, and the two sing and play it together on guitar and piano. The camera stays on them nearly all the way through and shows her frequently looking at him to be sure they're in sync. In performing the song, they are creating something unique together that can't be duplicated exactly with anyone else. As metaphors for falling in love go, it's about as accurate as you can get. The film is as much a love letter to music (how it's made and used to communicate) as it is a love story. Carney has a musician's background and it shows: without music this story couldn't be told.

The 2008 Oscars will be historic in that they won't see me totally indifferent to the Best Song category, thanks to Falling Slowly's nomination (it's also up for a Grammy). The Once website offers a free download of the song and has all the film's songs posted for listening. Visit often. Most importantly, in case I haven't been clear, watch the movie.

Starting Out in the Evening

Starting Out in the Evening traverses familiar territory - a younger woman pursues an older man whose artistic instincts are deeply entwined with her own development. It would be nice to see the roles reversed (impressionable, young man and brilliant, older woman) some time, but that pattern change wouldn't be enough to upset the inevitable outcome of this type of relationship.

Frank Langella is very good as the writer whose out of print books Lauren Ambrose's grad student intends to resurrect. He's a disciplined, principled gentleman who doesn't know what to do with the disruption to his routine. The interaction with his daughter, played by reliably engaging Lili Taylor, offers further insight into the damage his rigid devotion to his work has caused. He can't see that her deference to a disapproved of boyfriend is learned behaviour. He's late to the realization that he could've led his life differently.

A major strength of the movie is its exploration into things literary. Autobiography in writing is discussed and so is the effect of writers on readers. When Ambrose began to tell Langella what his work meant to her, I sank into my seat a little, thinking whatever she was about to confess would be too personal. Idolization, even plain adoration, can come off as hopelessly cheesy if you're on the outside of the worship. But my worry was unfounded. The exchange between the two in this scene neatly captures the relationship between reader and writer. She tells him (paraphrased) he's always explained her life to her more sympathetically than she ever could herself. Good writers do that. They take experiences and emotions that are recognizable and make the reader feel that they can relate. The details and words may be different but the reader can see pieces of their own life on the page.

Bottom line, if you like to write or read, you'll enjoy the conversation about both. If you want to know more about the film, see what the critics are saying.

'If You Leave' Doesn't Have to Be a Pop Song

Even though I'm a huge fan of the original version, I kind of like Nada Surf's moodier take on OMD's If You Leave. The lyrics certainly fit with the darker tone. Honestly, it's just nice to see the song getting play beyond the '80s Pretty in Pink bubble in which it lives. It's always had more meaning for me outside that context anyway, reappearing years later, when cassettes were being lapped by CDs but old car stereos prolonged the lifespan and someone was going, or not.

The (Actually Divine) Divine Comedy

In 2004, a brilliant event occurred. The Divine Comedy ventured out of Ireland to play a show in my hometown. I went with a fellow fan to hear the excellent songs from Absent Friends showcased. To steal from the lexicon of Angela Chase, "we had a time".

My friend J's Irish-connected siblings are to thank for The Divine Comedy's sacred place in my musical universe; sacred, because it's desert island packing. In 1996 or 1997, an afternoon spent alone at J's house listening to Casanova waft majestically out of the surround speakers cemented my devotion. Neil Hannon, the mastermind, can inspire soaring hope (Sunrise), evoke melancholic regret on behalf of a personality you'd probably loathe in reality (A Lady of a Certain Age), baroque your heart into empathetic crushed bits (Our Mutual Friend), or cause delirious head-bopping for which there is no cure (Something for the Weekend).

The Divine Comedy's songs often elicit quizzical looks from uninitiated friends. They tend to hear them in Vegas lounge-like terms. While I can understand that comparison, Neil Hannon's voice doesn't strike me that way. Personal taste can act as a sound filter that produces different reactions in a person (similar to a polarizer filter on a camera lens producing a different image than what you'd get otherwise). Think of it as a polarizing filter. You will hear what you want to hear and love or hate it. What sounds like lounge lizard to you sounds lush to me.

I wish more full song samples were available. They're not easy to come by but it could be possible one day. If you tell a friend and they tell a friend and...

Perennial Favourites and Absolute Randomness

Some fantastic folks were nominated for Juno Awards yesterday. Unsurprisingly, a few categories yielded baffling contenders. Perennial nominees like Anne Murray and Tom Cochrane were recognized. Not to discount their work, but what criteria are being used to judge "best" of a nation crammed with musical talent? I suspect that these two will be receiving nominations even after they've stopped making music, as a result of failure to notice ineligibility. The International Album of the Year category is made up of Americas-only artists, divergent (Bon Jovi vs. Josh Groban) and uniform (Rihanna vs. Fergie). Sales figures must be involved. The main problem with awards shows, aside from ignoring lesser-knowns, is the attempt at categorization. Not all music fits into neat groups and when awarders attempt to pigeonhole artists they end up with competitors that are nearly impossible to compare directly (Bedouin Soundclash vs. Celine Dion?).

Despite awards show wariness, I'm still glad to see faves nominated for Junos. In particular, well wishes go to Jill Barber (Roots and Traditional Album of the Year). The first time I heard the song In Perfect Time (from her A Note to Follow So EP), I thought it was simple, but meaningful, and captivating. It still is. Her sound is a little bit Sarah Harmer (in Songs for Clem mode) and a lot her own.

The fact that she's not a household name yet means you can still see her perform in small venues at great value. But hurry up. There was a time, a few years ago, when you could see her open for the happiest musician alive, Josh Ritter, and realize that she, Ritter and company were eating at the table adjacent to yours before the show. When you could e-mail her directly with a question (where do I find your first EP) and receive an answer within a day or two (retired regretfully, but please feel free to copy from a friend). Now, she has management contacts. Well-deserved. She's talented enough to warrant a filter. Check out JB here.

Other People's Opinions

Funneled:

10 Hot New Canadian Bands in 2008 (CBC)

M cut my hair and suggested her friend Johnny's band, Dance Yourself to Death. I know as much about them as you will after clicking the link. Make It Up is pretty cool.

Opening for Tegan and Sara on their U.S. tour: Australia's, An Horse.

Zooey Deschanel's making music with M. Ward. Good music, if Stereogum's featured track, Why Do You Let Me Stay Here, is representative. You know you loved Elf's Baby It's Cold Outside duet.

Incidentally, the two best lines in Elf occur in this scene - "you sit on a throne of lies" and "you smell like beef and cheese, you don't smell like Santa".

Double-Handed

Double Dutch was my recess nemesis in school. I couldn't skip it and was saddled early on with the label double-handed. The technical meaning of said term is elusive. Practically speaking, it means you suck at turning the ropes. Barred from all facets of the game, I had to sit back and watch until mercifully, a single rope game like Had a Little Sportscar would start up.

These fools for Double Dutch sure seem to be having fun. And why wouldn't they be, getting to skip to a song as exuberant as The New Pornographers' All For Swinging You Around. Lucky ducks. File this song under 'good mood' music.