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M i l M a n i a The Official Newsletter of WWW.ARTISTINSANE.COM |
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Thanks for reading this issue of Mil Mania! And, remember, this is a work in progress, subject to many and varied changes — all adding up to a new and improved publication...so I hope! Please drop me a line to let me know what you think, including any and all suggestions. Thank you!!! |
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All Content © Mil Scott www.artistinsane.com |
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Welcome To The September |
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` Volume 2, Issue 8, September 2006 |
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Music Mayhem |
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As noted in the December ‘05 edition of Mil Mania, I will continue to include news in every issue to keep readers up to date on the latest happenings with the three acts most prominently featured on www.artistinsane.com. In addition, for each issue I will also choose one additional artist — in some cases a new discovery I’ve recently made, in others an individual or group whose work I’ve long appreciated — to make a one-time appearance here. And, of course, as with all aspects of Mil Mania, feel free to offer suggestions. This month’s featured artist: Darling Cruel — In thinking of some I actually discovered Darling and his cohorts during one of many late-nights I spent watching MTV back when they actually played music videos — tiny pieces of art I’ll admit I enjoyed immensely. And, I still distinctly remember the night the eerily dramatic opening strains of “Everything’s Over” caught my attention at 2AM — and Darling’s (albeit somewhat amusingly over the top) theatrical presentation held it for the song’s duration…continuing to do so for the few additional times I was privileged to catch it again...and later again and again and again until I think I literally wore the VCR tape I’d saved it on to nothing but celluloid spaghetti — much to my chagrin. I can see before me even now the dimly candlelit castle wherein the cheating damsel dwelt, and the jilted lovelorn hero who roamed brooding through its Phantom of the Opera-like chambers. And, I can’t help smiling as I write this at the sheer joy of the memory. Vintage MTV aside, the drama of the music itself was — is — beautiful, evocative and captivating...not to mention set off perfectly by Darling’s Earth’s core vocal depth and stratospheric range that frequently surprises with a delicate falsetto. The addition of nontraditional instrumentation, such as the balalaika among others further add to the creativity and intelligence of this impressive collection of songs. No wonder Prince chose to jam with the band on stage one night. Furthermore, although I’d heard nothing of Darling in years, for the purpose of this article I looked him up again on the internet — and discovered he’s indeed still making music...and has his own new album, entitled Shell. You can check him out (sans his former black mane) for yourself here... http://www.gregory-darling.com/index2.html And, you can buy the album Passion Crimes by visiting amazon.com — where used copies are available starting at something like 3 dollars. Trust me, it would be a “crime” to miss out on this “passionate” CD at that — or perhaps any — price. …………………….. Third Eye Blind continues to work toward completion of their fourth full-length album of new material. In the meantime, the group’s guitarist Tony, has been keeping in close contact with fans — including offering both an early potential track listing for the tentative 2007 release, and MP3’s of instrumental tracks that were considered and discarded. Go to this post from The Village Churchyard for more details. Brian Fitzpatrick recently posted a blog on his page at myspace.com with some very good news about his upcoming music plans. Here’s an excerpt... “So it looks like I will start recording a new record sooner then I thought. Do I have the tunes? No. Do I have the musicians? No. Do I have a producer? No. But in the tradition of just going with my gut instinct and flying by the seat of my pants, I have decided I will start soon. It will be a much different record then any of my previous efforts, that is certain!” Michael McDermott’s birthday celebration concluded successfully thanks to the help of his myriad supporters...and if you’re one of those I again extend my own thanks to you as well. You can check out the unveiled surprise here — an object Michael himself noted was “just incredible” and a part of his “best birthday in years.”! |
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Ravings of a |
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This column corresponds with the Mad Ravings On section of www.artistinsane.com, and is dedicated to selected reviews of movies, television and books… most of which are unlikely to represent “the latest” in any of these categories, but rather a random selection that represents a new and/or noteworthy discovery to me. I saw the film Wicker Park (named for a district of Chicago) several months ago and enjoyed it so thoroughly I vowed immediately to write a review of it for my website. Of course, as other deadlines, commitments and matters needing attention delayed my getting “around to it” (despite having long since acquired precisely that item as you know if you’ve read the October 2005/inaugural issue of Mil Mania), I never followed through on that promise – until now. As most of the reviews by others I’ve read point out, I should probably state up front this isn’t a film whose appeal is based on plausibility – at least one of these reviews further notes (quite accurately) that the entire matter could have been resolved with just one call...provided either of the characters needing to make it used a cell phone. But I’ll get to that part later. To start in the middle (like the film itself), the bulk of the plot takes place two years after the relationship between Matthew (Josh Hatnett) and Lisa (Diane Kruger) ended…though we learn early on that the specter of the latter has clearly stayed with the former through a move to a new city (and back)… and a subsequent engagement. And, while we learn very soon that the two parted under “mysterious circumstances” that in itself creates more than a few plausibility questions for the viewer – i.e. if one of them just disappeared wouldn’t someone have alerted the police? I mean, what exactly are we talking about here? Well, we’re not really talking about a mystery, at least in the traditional sense, so much as a misunderstanding – or rather a series of these, past and present, many of which are helped along by a third party we gradually come to learn is acquainted with both of the protagonists, although clearly a friend of neither. The matter of the cell phone as raised earlier pertains to the fact that, throughout the course of these misunderstandings, attempts are indeed made to resolve them – and it’s an interesting plot contrivance on the part of the writer that both cell and land-line phones are used…the timing of each, of course, proving a key obstacle in preventing any resolution from occurring before the film would logically end…despite repeated teasing possibilities as circumstances place the characters within inches and seconds of each other without their ever meeting up. What’s more, written communication in the form of at least two very important notes is thrown in for good measure – and still the seemingly destined love seems fated to elude…again despite the additional fact one of the notes includes a “key” key to lead Matthew right to Lisa’s door – or then again, maybe not. And, it’s in contemplating the manner in which these straightforward and what one might think foolproof communications serve instead to fool nearly everyone – at least for a time – that one starts to think as well about the nature of lovers themselves…the distance between the things they sometimes want to say and the ones they actually do, the mixed signals they sometimes (inadvertently or knowingly) send, etc. – many, of which, ironically, are so easily read by those on the outside looking in. Toss into the mix the madness of unrequited love turned obsession, and all the ingredients are in place for plausibility to indeed be at last tossed right out the window, and the survival instincts of an animal in pain to take over as events quickly begin spiraling out of control. Hmm…maybe there’s a method to the madness of the plot’s “implausibility” after all… Regardless of whether that may be giving too much credit, I still firmly believe this is a much better film than most reviews you’re likely to read about it imply…though I’ll give Roger Ebert several points for the following observation, “Once we understand the principle (if not the details) of the plot, "Wicker Park" works because the actors invest their scenes with what is, under the circumstances, astonishing emotional realism.” Exactly…and therein lies the point. Out of what may seem at first so many unnecessary (physical) complications we come to feel the (internal) urgency of these characters wending their way through the unimaginable places they’ve ended up…or rather, the various colliding mazes out of which they can’t imagine ending up anywhere they really want to be – yet through which, driven by love, infatuation or desire, they keep fighting to maneuver. And, most confusing of all (from a “logical” standpoint, I suppose) this is a fight to both stay inside, as well as to break free of, the walls within these mazes they themselves have built. As I noted in my May review of The Fisher King, I must reiterate here that “whether all of this sounds intriguing to you or not, every movie (or book or other piece of art) depends on much more than ‘what it’s about’; to determine whether it will occupy a lasting place in your consciousness as a long time favorite – or a forgettable waste of two hours time.” And, while the “what it’s about” in this case may on the surface seem not merely “much”, but entirely “ado about nothing”, the wonderfully mood-filled atmosphere, strong performances – and clever use of classic literature’s echoes…such as a play within the play and a slight twist on Cinderella – make this (for me, anyway) two hours time well spent. That said, I encourage you to pay a visit to Wicker Park yourself…and see if you, too, don’t leave haunted by the images of a true and timeless love – as well as by these memorable lovers and their friends, all of whom in this “play” play a very big part...or two. |
