Thursday, December 06, 2007

Al emailed me last night to stand with him in Bali.
Hmmm, I thought, a rather odd request to travel with him - where was Tipper?
Opening the email from Al I learned that he's speaking to U.N. delegates in the aforementioned about global warming, and could I please sign this petition.
I did, bien sur.
Off shortly to the holiday fete thrown by the Shiney Happy Mag, at Empire on Hertel. You know, Hertel, the desolate wasteland of the youth of Yours Truly which now sports several places to sup, sip, shop for do-dads.
The last-running Republican candidate, that oddball Mitt Romney, was heard moments ago on NPR blathering about his religious beliefs. Stating also that this country is ever-espousing a religion of secularism.
YT imagines the ghosts of all our fore-Americans quivering with not only mild rage but an awe at how a concept - a humble attempt at explication of the spiritual/unembodied - had become a political tool.
As it soon is the birth anniversary of The Nephew, meandered into Hollister to glean a gift of some sort. He's selected a fine restaurant for the fam to sup in celebration of his emergence. And, like his crediting YT for his rock & roll tendencies, for this I am quite pleased and proud.

888-995-hope, not 800-995-hope, as our president stated earlier, is the number for Americans getting bounced out of their homes to call for squeezing into FHA loans.
Apparently the wrong people were barraged with calls from their freaked-out countrymen.

Far-reaching, Love.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

I heard the unmistakable clang-clang-cluh-clang of a handbell in the midst of a rollicking rock & roll exhibition at MCA in ChIll.
That'd be Museum of Contemporary Arts in Chicago, Illinois to those in the absolute Know.
There cluh-cluh-clanging as he did a little jig was Tony Conrad in usual ensemble of simple t & shiny pants, as part of a video installation by artstar Tony Oursler.
A really fabulous moment of unexpected delight when one rounds a corner and is in the midst of a living art dream.
Oursler made separate vids of five musicians, filming them and then adding a color atop their segment, projecting them onto various plastic screens all about a gallery.
All together the looped vids of varying lengths became an improv piece of music. Suddenly there was Kim Gordon down on her knees doing her guitar thing. Then she'd fade out and there was Tony again. And Lee Renaldo, and others.
assume vivid astro focus had some - bien sur - complex decals roaming up various walls in MCA. Definitely not as powerful as a full-on avaf installation with music and lights as experienced at Dia or Whitney Biennial in recent past.
MCA in ChIll was also venue for Chicago Tentet gig that was sublime, really the best heard by Yours Truly to date.
To steal an apropos adj from a reviewer for the Tribune, the leathery phrasing of Peter + the international superstar players.
Added this time, newbies to YT, were Jeb, and Johannes. Who've been Tentet members before but not whilst being listened to by me.
Me, Kennedy, and MaryD crashed a party (after more five-star ChIll sushi at Kamehachi) that PB invited us to in honour of the nuptials of Jeb and his wife Jaki.
We climbed several flights of stairs to discover a warm buffet of conversation with the newfreejazz people - and additions.
Saw the sound installation made by Fred L-H at the conservatory of Chicago, in their Fern Room, which, actual signs posted suggest, would make a small dinosaur feel at home.
The installation is solar-powered and is discreet cello feedback.
Also saw PB's exhibition at Corbett v. Dempsey, and acquired a signed copy of the catalog featuring a repro of the PB piece that is owned by YT.
I was slightly shocked to learn, after its pub, a few months ago, that underneath the repro is stated Collection of Nancy Parisi. Sans big green light from me.
Plane to be stuffed with those heading back to the Middling City shortly for an hour or so of cannery before landing in what promises to be a dusting of MC wintry goodness.

Winter Love, for goodness sake.