mutant transfiguration

Proper 3 headed mutant footballer - bombing down the pitch - scaring center backs pants less - defenders spoiling their diapers - speed, intelligence, precision - goal scoring threat, even whilst sleeping. My! look how he holds the ball up - through ball to wet yourself with - English/European domination - Old Trafford crowd sensation. & oh the heart of 3 lions - silky smooth - sexy football - one touch passing - while the masses passing out - mind over matter can't equate to this brilliant football specimen - left foot, right foot, it doesn't matter. bring your best with you - it can eat it up & spit it into a wide open net. I am football mad

you stupid dumb redneck racist hick -

ok, ok, so i'll keep this section short - i guess i just want to let the people know who read this blog of mine who don't live in Lexington, that not everyone who lives in Lexington, (or should I say Kentucky for that matter) is a worthless piece of dog- do-do - In response to the 2 bone heads who constructed a mannequin & dressed it up as a U.S. Senator (based on his race) & hung it from a tree on the University of Kentucky, I say shame on you. This isn't political expression, it's a hate crime, & I hope you are tried on a federal level - Peace out -

rock critic, I am not - if it sounds good, it sounds good.

just continuing to search for an identity on said record - like a treasure hunt - like those really thick old man bifocals - so far so good - but it really has the feel of a full band effort - not an adams solo record that we are used to - just still so excited about this sound that I heard live - unsure if that can really ever be replicated - at least not on a studio album put out by Lost Highway records - (no offense, they are a fine label) - I suppose I'll now turn this journey over to you - I'll continue my search, as of course I still need 3 or 4 more entries for my top 10 of '08 - which this year I will be placing in numerical order - which will be tough, & for me will be a change of pace - but I'm excited about it - it will be a challenge & fun - but it's about progress, isn't it? - ha, but,........I digress, as you knew I would. - I hope you are all continuing your search for good music - don't ever let anyone tell you what's good & what isn't -I mean I have been a snob before on some things, but I'm letting all that go in hopes of continuing my search for total freedom/happiness (possibly like one of my heroes jack k) - why should we worry so much about other peoples' interests? I love all of you - it's nice to speak in a direct manner this way - I'm going to head home & watch Manchester United hopefully beat up on West Ham United - they have always kind of been like a "bogey" team to us - especially for the last few years - Oh & this Chuck Klosterman book has been fantastic - really just readable - very fluent/flowing in his prose - all of his books have been that way - high in entertainment/pop culture value - you'll be able to relate to certain situations - i must jog outta here -

loyalty

cards take flight -
a majestic bird swooping, celebrating
while trusting friends gather, collaborating
meaningful thoughts placed projects of desire
blood, sweat, & internal fears
shed for the greater good
10/28/08

these things take time -

so speaketh Morrissey,
don't ask me about it -
just read & when I'm finished, you'll know,
you can begin to have a better understanding
Isn't that what it's all about? - Enlightenment
in your life ? yep - here I roll again.
23 - are you where you wanna be?
passing the pages of a paperback underneath
a tall tree in the breeze on a massive Monday mountain top
So here I sit, writing inane thoughts on a free bee
paper pad that I took from work - I've shed a lot of tears
over this - I feel totally alone - when I listen to the Smiths
by myself, that is. We all have that one band that makes us
feel a certain way - even on the up beat stuff -
William, It Was Really Nothing
I guess it just takes me back - Certain good & bad
memories - he's written a memoir - pain & love &
I can't really say regret, though social situations,
anxious moments - I've never really been shy, so why?
but I digress - really though, the Smiths are quite possibly
the only band I need to listen to by themselves - no play lists
this is what I would call a moderate addiction - I'll go
months without touching the stuff - then spend one
Saturday night totally immersed in it. Music is my anti-drug
in a way. Chaos Theory - the theory that total freedom exists
in the hearts of man, woman, - well children we know it does
for a time - until the search begins - the journey that I know you
are also on - Soul-drenching funk, waterfalls, seaside sit downs
mountain top excursions - no, structured restrictions come
into play. the proverbial finger darting back & forth in front
of your face, in a maze - innocence all escaped as it's played it's
part in the end of days - i've picked up some nice things along the way
but i continue my journey as magic quest - the defeater. to defeat this
feeling in my chest - to breath deep, take these reigns - yank the
stuff outta them - & steer & ride it & relax & feel the breeze & dance
& live & love & jump - I'm riding on a cloud & inhaling all this clean cloud air
listening to good cloud music to get high off of - cause there i'll be up
high above everyone - looking down at you like little ants - running
around with their cunning little heads off - trying to figure out a way -
I'll chuckle & say I've had my release & it's here I'll choose to stay - Or
I'll say some clever little saying in Latin - that sounds important & cool
& epic - but this life is kind of like art in a way - sometimes people will ask me
about a book or film - & I'll say I dunno - I guess that stuff just kind
of finds you, if your interested enough in it. so the point is, to gain what you
are looking for, you have to surrounded yourself with it, or in this situation,
*like minded people*. & things should become that much easier - you'll cut
your search in half - even sitting here writing or scribbling can be a release
be mindful that dread can & will creep in - I know, you can't help the way
you feel - I mean we all have pain - some more than others -
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
oh-I give up. Come pick me up - take me out - show me light -
show me your smile &
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want
a sense of nostalgia
a sense of holding on
to the past for one last-
reason or another,
but a sense of uncertainty
in the present
I miss you, _________

continuation of me heroes & the like,...

Proper making you feel uneasy, all the while displaying a sense of style so profound, it leaves you breathless. I found this photo on a journey to Minsk, & thought it was profound. Most film geeks have discovered Hitchcock at some point in their life, if they haven't, well then they're not geeks just quite yet.

My obsession w/Hitch (we are now on a nick-name basis) came early on in my classic, foreign, independent, & b&w life. I remember some films so vividly, & more importantly their ability to flat out pin you to your seat with entertainment & blow your mind with the direction & oh the visual style! Will everyone please stand up & bow to the master. I remember being alone in my apartment after my first viewing of Rear Window & saying out loud to no one in particular: "oh my, he's done it again". I was astounded. It was my 3rd or 4th really hard look at some of his best work. Having not been let down up until then, & having still not been let down after Window, was a special thing to experience.

He remains in the upper most top of any film/director/classic list I'll ever compile. Impossible to pick his best work. It's all so vivid in color & motion. Acting, direction, heart & soul bearing fruit. Methodical down to the tip of a pen, just the epitome of classic. Oh Rebbecca - how your shadows still haunt me - to this day my imagination still wanders around the halls of Manderley, solemn & waiting at the foot of the grand stairwell, to be spoken to by the past.

Some films of interest: Psycho, North By Northwest, Rear Window, Vertigo, Notorious, Strangers On A Train, Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much,..to name a few.

i'm an empty can of soda pop fuzz
looking to leave this mess & reminisce what was
i've got a scratch in my throat that resounds a burr
ways to relate a single moments spur -
cowboy boots filled w/dirt
followed by a cheap mustang squirt-
middles of riddles for you to figure
trapped in a well with a head
crushing-splitting swell
moments to sit back & ponder
the nature of my impending wonder-
ah! to fritter away - so they say
daffodils in the wind - blowing,
with an incessant chill - chalk board
nails produce a shrill - a cymbal crash
if you will - well, will you?
have you thought your life through?
decisions made for numero uno -
misleading propositions & deadpan omissions
humor - i tell you - chuckle -
to save a moment - memories wild card insertion
help me out, save me, these thoughts are hurting

discover some electronic music & pretend you are a robot - your only language being the occassional bleep or blip

Sabotage artists

Strangle musicians

High –tech transition

Into

Digital honorable mention

i.e. music equates to blank air space

time & space continuum

questions posed – what went wrong with ‘em?

Local data reveals

Early morning farts

Rumble & disrupts

Small island off the coast

Jumbles- turns volcanic into toast

Remember these things, broken blues –

on your journey-

Quest–magician

a total masterpiece - (more on crowd mentality)

Well, what can i say? This is the book that started it all. Brilliant. Nothing beats Among the Thugs, & it's not just a book on football, or football violence, though there is plenty of that, trust me, but it's also a book of pure beauty at times - poetic descriptions & prose so crisp & clear, you can actually smell the large quantities of lager & fish n' chips.

Young & American, Bill Buford wraps up some studies in England & becomes a successful editor of a literary magazine, but before he comes back home, he finds himself enamored at the ungodly sight of a packed-to-the-ceiling train of foolish Liverpool fans. Singing boisterously & destroying anything in their path are the supporters' only drunken purpose. Buford's interest was immediately stolen - a spark so direct & bright that it would take him on a raucous ride up & down the country & into Europe as well. Buford's holy grail consisted of a search so pure in thought, so timeless, yet still relevant across the world today: the meaning, cause, point, & purpose of mindless violence, & more importantly, the crowd mentality in direct association with violence. One step further: football associated violence - i.e. hooliganism.

(reader's note/warning: when you romp around England & Europe with violent-disaffected youth looking for violence, i assure you, you will find it)

This is journalism. Buford, for the most part is simply reporting what he sees in his narrative, & soon offers up reflections on the state of violence & the appeal to it. Buford hits his stride when he describes the intensity & feeling one gets when losing themselves & becoming apart of something bigger, it's about the collective, something more powerful than oneself - the crowd mentality.

(For those looking for more on this subject, I found an amazing, undercover documentary on youtube a few years ago. I believe it was produced by the BBC & gives an interesting look at some English fans at the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. It's split up in about 7 or 8 parts consisting of 7 to 9 minute segments. Trust me, it's really good & also informative.) See part 1 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOTGe12Wu0U

i'm sliding down these european side streets - on way to another match - my unrivaled desires winning over yet again in an effortless attempt to live.

on the last - went to american football - saw a lot of things - things of interest, but sparked meaningful debate in my mind - furthering my desires & even my true purpose of being & living & breathing, to travel & see & be! & invent new things in my mind - when will i have my time on the terraces? this is crowd mentality - i mean i've read books about this - it's just this idea of being one single person - totally weak & powerless by your esteem - but this bond - all these human beings coming together as one being - one single ultimate powerful goal - whatever it is - i want my voice to contribute to this- i want to be heard by the opposition - i want this camaraderie - when will it be my time? i've got dedication & support in this heart - i'm not walking out ! - i'll stick it through - i'm not leaving - i've got it on offer, mate. you don't realize or understand how important this is to to me - watch out.

i awake upon a silent shriek.
i am defeated.
the battle of night has been lost
to a ceaseless tide.
a shuttering twilight - a time to
fall away, to use.
a most fantastic escape,
to dream, to self meditate.
at night, to count a fleeting fox.
an echo of a dying thought.
a song to soothe my ear,
pushing me closer to inescapable calm,
where i cannot always be.
now, in my mind, vanquished.
this is darkness -
it's in dreams where i search
for peace & find an astral home.
this is why i escape, when i can,
at night. i must now go where i
cannot be seen.
it's known that i speak not of a seaside town,
or of a hill in the summer, nor of a crowded
city street, but of a magnificent escape
towards a solitary satisfaction.
cleanse me - but at first, speak to me night.
will your shadows soon pull me away?
can your moon calm my mind as it
has shown itself before it's fall?
in this battle of might, darkness is winning over.
pull me down with your light -
away, now i become apart of you.
an unremitting rest, i now possess.
strength or vision have all gone away -
i hesitate no more.

possibly my total hero -

(picture by j.chula)

but too brilliant for my mind to even comprehend - the search for meaning/purpose in your life. headed back to familiar themes - but of a higher power - ELATION-ELEGANCE-EXALTATION. (all from God) true love & devotion to the creator - beauty in so many forms - sound from a saxophone - straight to inner most sensory receptors -

"It is most important that I know thee. Words, sounds, speech, men, memory, thoughts, fears and emotions-time-all related...all made from one... all made in one". - so speaketh Coltrane

total peace - total focus on beauty in the form of music - reaching out & finding light - A Love Supreme - divinity in all living things -
dedication reaching mountain top heights
sound traveling to within God's line of sight
saxophone speaks language of love & might
body elevates - leaves earth - heads for clouds
soul transcends earths boundaries - discards shroud

.......it's just the story of a man who wanted something in life, & found it. the search for meaning paid off - found in music - in art - expression- the clearing of one's mind - total devotion.

like serious sense - (damn Chula)

attempting to discard weight - not thinning down, where I want to be, but the world - ya know what they say? why you always walking around w/the weight of the world on your shoulders? eehh', dunno - but again - the attempt. deep breath - like cold coffee - like a flat - like noise pollution comin' through your bedside window in the middle of the afternoon when you're attempting to take a nice quiet nap - ya know, on 2nd thought - attempts can be made, but sometimes it comes down to wiring - electronic circuitry - this is me - hear me roar - but change - well that song: it's been a long, long time, but change goin' come - not sure if that even is asong, so maybe I just wrote one - anyway, meaningful writing & the like - i can't write articles - reviews - & such - so you get me like scale(d) down - random punctuation sentence structure bleeps & blips - now, if proper time-space-continuim type thing, then yes - ok, ok, lemme explain - sit down, clear - assignment - yes then - i could do it - (so you're telling me that writing should be your job?) - yes, i suppose I am - Ok, then you start tomorrow - all you need to do to be good is to occassionally make pepole think - things of interest, you see - good bad - ugly- it doesn't matter - just that one thought - that one time - you don't have to rhyme - i mean you can if you want to - but the requirement is to possess a sense of passion - like a meaningful purpose - this is what i have been telling you - this is what you should be doing/searching for - this is is point of it all - not to wake up with your heart filled w/dread - move some things around in your life - do not be content being content - it's worthless

chris colombus finds america - take the day off pt2

forgot to mention -

wanted to give a massive shout out to me wife, Angela or B, as I call her -
she is proper sounding straight up like Lindsey Lohan right now w/some
sort of throat-cold-sinus thing. hilarious - hey lohan, how many cigs did you have
last night? lay off!

other than that, i bought a snazzy tie & pair of sunglasses at the american mall
also proper coffee machine that will take me to the moon.

check it - no carafe - we're talking about 7-11 fountain drink situation -
take your mug & walk right up to it - push bar - out comes hot & warm
you gotta see this thing - half off - i never pay full price for anything-
but proper nice & cool. maybe some more pics later but man equals nap.

chris colombus finds america - take the day off

Things to do on a day off - get up - well that's a given.

- break my fast (also a given)

-work out

-ok, go get coffee

-read blogs

-listen to some tracks (oh monday night mix has some new stuff up/recently purchased type stuff/check that out good tunes)

-go meet brother & sis-in law for thai food. /lunch- vegetable pad thai - extra spicy - unbeatable

-bedside lamp shopping - for me readings & the like- possibly target.

-finish watching La Dolce Vita

-stumble upon something magical/majestic- unknown possibilities.

-dread tuesday at work

-eat, sleep- goodbye.

hi - by -e

look into my eye



fun w.paint -
oh! there's my ring - it's on my finger

time off, time away - do you want to see the world with me?

take my hand, we'll go - feel the content air - hear the low sounds
twist - In the Shadow of your Family Tree - i'm an amateur writer -
gaining knowledge from all these things - things of interest -
it'll come to you, don 't worry- if it's not there - then forget it - leave it

think i'll turn on la dolce vita - lost myself in those scenes - like a black &
white dream- those shots only truly existed in shadows - unfiltered imagery
random moments of pure thought - unable to open lid of this electronic
typing machine quick enough to spill - i'll start writing thoughts on my arm-
one big poetic tattoo - a sleeve of pure thoughts that steal into my mind -
unannounced - unallocated - but welcome - turning into fleeting ideas - this
boy's effected - tv is vomitous - often times hilarious - turn off the idiotic tube
of wasted electricity - unless you're gaining insight into (again) things of interest -
European central standard time - minutes walk from local dialect -
bored with Americanization of lifestyle -
reasons why you ask? well just the 27 yrs of experience -
fair to request 1 month of substantial difference?
me thinks so - current affairs to dilute your attributes ?
political situation like bad manifestation

aaaahhhh - i've been found out - like a see-through wasteland -
drunk on honesty - chased with irony -
oh great! - what a chance this is - to shine - to work weekends -
fall in line Sgt. Chula - Yessir -

fri aft at work (that's it, then, isn't it? The old team on the scrap heap. It's all gone".)

dear boss,

sorry i had to leave a few minutes early
i was so incredibly bored that i fell asleep
at my desk - whilst sleeping, i dreamt that
a fire-breathing dragon swept down to attack
me - during the attack, the dragon blew fire
out of his nose & burned off my balls (nuts)
this sensation felt so real to me that I actually
peed my pants - so with wet pants & no balls
I solemnly drove home to finish my nap - see
ya monday - (i laughed all the way home)

what's purpose of your purpose??

sad Dracula hides deep inside mystic cave-
alone, save bats that hang above his head

deposited time into little vest pockets -
sort of savings account for 10,000
year old blood sucking weirdos - waits & waits
& waits for the sun to sleep - arise & wreak
havoc, purpose if you will - unsuspecting humans.

evening - daylight savings time - dresses,
drives lower east side of town & again waits for
bars
empty
out so he can pick & choose so-called
"easy ones". a sort of directional advertising -
chomp
munch
bite
squirt

caged Lion roars
at sight of a 2 yr. old boy holding
pink balloons in one, & sticky, dripping ice cream
cone in other.
thick, heavy
saliva beginning to formulate a plan -
how to - when -
stroking mane - thinking - can you scale
that steel fence & reach temporary freedom?

my total hero pt. 2

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”

ya, thanks for that. i'm needing all the help i can get with words - thanks for stopping in. like sitting down & calming myself & opening paperbacks & flipping & processing & such -

like
a
jar of
jellybeans
seemingly
stuck to
a rusted
grandma'
table,
can that
jar muster
enough
energy -gusto
to open
itself &
spill
it's
soul?

been there, read that, seen it -
the answer is no -
i'm just having difficulties sitting down & oh'! I guess it's all about desire right now - finding the time isn't involved in the rhyme - it's the tick, tick, tick of the normality -

like a deadbeat
walking an LA street
he bides his time -
unable to walk in a straight line -
his falling stars have all run out -

maybe we're all given a certain amount of falling star dust when we are born - & when it runs out - it's out, for good - I've bottled some of mine - but im patiently waiting to - uncork that bottle - & i've spent & good amount of time watching that jar of jelly beans move closer & clser to the edge of me mum's-mums table - hoping it will either get too close to the edge & spill - or muster enough falling star dust to erupt & open it's own lid - here's to jelly beans -
ya, thanks

transcend -

to rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed: to transcend the limits of thought;

Synonyms: ascend, elevate, exceed, excel, outdo, outshine, outstrip, raise, soar, surmount, surpass

all these things - total front runner for album of the year - it's like the year actually isn't over yet, & I understand & realize the possibilities that something/someone could arrive & make me feel the way this album makes me feel, but it's highly unlikely/unimaginable that anything conceived by a human can match - total masterpiece - how many times have i been through it? unsure -

believing in the sound - i believe in the sound - but here's the kicker - like total confusion - what is this? what are they doing/saying - so many different forms of music - pure music - don't skim this album - on first listen, you'll wonder - can you find that place that they've meant for you to go? - I haven't found it yet - but I'm still searching - I will find it - my journey continues -

the problem right now is that I'm trying to explain this - no critic can put into words the sound - make a discovery for yourself today - search for something with meaning - it could be something bigger like God - or maybe you're in Love with someone - those are both huge things - but this/that & the other are the things that will get us through these messy times - like go hug someone - that always feels good - I wish I was hiking through the woods right now - Bye

like your big, red, helium-filled ballon floating off into the endless sky, such is living - be mindful.

trying to capture a fleeting memory - i tried to recall events, moments leading up to the grand prize - a sense of nostalgia if you will - why does it always happen this way? - your old high school buddy - a wandering dog finding his way home - it's learned behavior - it's chalked up to this constant struggle figuring out time - it's like wait, wait, wait, - now go, go, go - as fast as you can - don't stop - don't blink - don't fret - don't worry - do enjoy yourself though, or at least try to - try to focus - discard all distractions - don't let others drag you down - most of us will only have one, maybe 2 shots at this - don't let it slip away - because it will if you're not careful - if you don't watch yourself - it'll take concentration - be mindful - I'm not saying it will be easy - just realize that these moments of pure joy & satisfaction & feeling content,...- well I'm not trying to be a bum - but they either don't exist at all - or they come & go so quickly that - what's the point? - when do these moments come? - is it something that can be scheduled? - can I pencil it in? - why do I feel like I'm missing out? - maybe we're not - y aknow, maybe they're right there in front of us - what are we too busy with? - what are we consumed with? - it's right there - seize control - reach - & when you grab hold of something - try your hardest to hold onto it - & remember what it takes - remember how you got there - it'll be a new learned behavior - & we can go back there - ya know - together - we'll be able to find that place again - next time - just try to remember it - remember everything about it - surroundings - smells - street corners - maps - directions - close your eyes every once in a while - attempt a mental photograph - a bookmark - hold that spot - & hold on.

oh geez, etc.

all the more important was the use of his iron-clad stomach - tight like vice grip -it was this, not last night's turn of events, that allowed him this mechanical freedom - quote from "Seemingly Absent", a play, by John Aderlshot.

so i'll probably walk to breakfast since i have no food/car (far) this am., i'm still holding out though, my content pen rests on the line,..

X_____________________

waiting, waiting to be corrupted by swirling ink.

Yo! MTV Raps!
'member that show?

like back,...hhmm... late 80's - early 90's,
i mean i would'a been like 9, 10, 11, but i remember it, it was
about like proper good times/old school conversation, big high tops
the original dr. dre, but such is life, all good things must cease.
a tough nut to crack, just heard that saying,..but an odd one.
so i'm back, back to you, in front of chelsea/villa, comp - speaking screen
where did i go?

ya know i just get so excited about breakfast recently.
but that was me though, minus the waits & cigs. good album though,
& i tried to make a music video for you but came up short when i failed
to recognize any editing material. it was essentially a hidden camera type
stumble upon thing/ oh & hello - but the magic was going to be the music -
& me, & my good looks & such, i guess just overall charismatic- on screen-
persona type thing0- leading man-like bogey, cary grant -situation can you
see a resemblance,........?

(photo by j.chula of j.chula/h.bogart - taken weeks ago)
"i bet ya miss your friends"
"thank god dreaming's free, cause i've been spending all my money making make believe"

my total hero -

aarrgggghhhh!

seamless transition into rock god aura
crunching rhythms, metal division.

saw him this time last, & proper sit down
situation, like folk & guitars & moments of
beauty, but this time, moments of beauty
but of a different kind. punk/metal situation
like songs from heartbreaker (which to me equals
like almost 60's proper folk country album) bent
into this raucous beauty. (worst crowd ever, how
could you top MMJ?)

but wow! proper rock show ----------
my total hero - fashion, interests, batman, punk,
musings & the like. no more petulance/angst,
just proper love being spread by that missile/
lightening bolt that he holds by his side........

cardinals in full flight/effect. 5 birds = 1 band
music floating above heads at moments of
built upon progression - mountain top obsession


(Cobwebs
Everybody Knows
Come Pick Me Up
Wonderwall
Fix It
La Cieniga
Goodnight Rose
Sun Also Sets
OMG Whatever Etc..
Magic
Desire
Let It Ride
Please Don’t Go
Love Is Hell
Crossed Out Names
Afraid Not Scared
Natural Ghost
Two
Rescue Blues
Sink Ships
Stars Go Blue
How Do You Keep Love Alive
Shakedown
Mockingbird
Off Broadway
Note To Self Please Don’t Die
Cold Roses
Bartering Lines
Meadowlake
This Is It)

Død Snø

that's Norwegian for "Dead Snow", Norway's first zombie film that actually doesn't come out for another 11 months, but looks darn interesting. Apparently some Nazi soldiers were dealt their due back in the mid 40's by angry locals & have come back for a snack or 2. what a photo though,.

(said crazy-ass-nazi-zombie-dudes)

fact:

tonight: emotional things,
bright, shiny lights, quiet
anticipation, newness, a
sense of belonging, people,
oh! & flying Cardinals:


fact: not sleeping well,
unsure,
thought-making,
chemicals-racing,
all night pacing,
hours fading
t'day time decision making,

fact: sun rises each new day,
an ambitious little mate,
to renewed moments, holding sway,
only to sleep again, desired fate,
i am the sun.

fact: certain things take certain time
like, "these things take time",
a favorite saying of mine,
that saying from a song that rhymes
actual composition escapes mind.

the Sons of Lee Marvin,...

(well first things first, i couldn't get that TK pic outta my line of sight quick enough, i apologize for that)

I recently stumbled upon some of the films of a great director named Jim Jarmusch. I saw Coffee and Cigarettes some time ago, but that was because of the film itself, & not the director. I mean, I didn't even know who Tom Waits was at the time, much less Roberto Benigni. But Netflix is a god-send - i do think.....

any-old-way, Criterion has the rights to Stranger Than Paradise, & Down By Law. 2 fantastic examples of what minimalist black & white film making with no major studio interruption can be. Stranger Than Paradise, his second film, centers around 3 disillusioned youths making a trip from New York to Cleveland to Florida. A sort of "Road" movie if you will. This film is still widely considered to be a landmark in modern independent film making. I guess it's one of those films where nothing incredible actually happens, but things do happen. Real things, to real people. Another appealing quality to Jarmusch's films is the embodiment to that of the Beat Generation- the look, feel, life & times of the "down & out".

Down By Law has some similarities with Stranger, the minimalist dialogue at moments & beautiful black & white cinematography help create that Jarmusch signature. But this film centers around 3 unlikely law breakers who by chance are thrown together to share one single jail cell. The 3 inmates (played by Tom Waits, Roberto Benigni, & John Lurie) escape prison & start what seems like an endless journey through swamps, down dirt roads & through the deep south until they finally part ways at the end. This quasi-buddy film centers around the growing relationship between the 3 escaped felons as opposed to the escape itself. Roberto Benigni's broken English mixed with Tom Waits, being Tom Waits mixed with John Lurie's big town, small time pimp, make for an interesting blend of people. A strong bond is formed between the 3, but not the feel good mushy crap we all too often get from mainstream Hollywood films. This bond was formed out of forced desperation & it feels that way. The photography in this film is brilliant with "Robby Muller's cinematography cultivating an atmosphere of unreality amidst familiarity". (J O E P E T T I T , J R . - imagesjournal.com)

I will say Jarmusch's films to many will be an acquired taste. But once you grasp his vision, & really get what he's about, you'll be quietly blown away.

(I just figured out I might have a connection to Jim. He was born in Akron, OH in 1953. Not sure how long he lived there, but my Dad was born there in '58. Weren't all the schools back then K-12? Is it possible that Jim & my Dad ran into each other on the way to lunch? Subconsciously this might be why I like his films so much.)

As far as the "Sons of Lee Marvin", Jarmusch started this half-serious, half-humorous secret society composed of members that must have some sort of resemblance to the late Lee Marvin himself, or look like a possible son of Lee Marvin.

(for those who don't know, Lee Marvin was an actor from the 50's - 80's most known for playing roles as villains, soldiers or other hard-boiled characters.)

The aforementioned Waits, & John Lurie are said to be members while (Sonic Youths') Thurston Moore, Iggy Pop, Josh Brolin and Neil Young are also rumored to be members. The culmination of the society results in nothing more than "supposedly" getting together every once in a while to watch some Marvin films, a dull conclusion to the idea of a secret society, but I wouldn't be complaining holding company with those fellas.