Notes
from Austin Volume 3 #6 - Lodger's
Notes
On my nightstand:
Dagaberto
Gilb - The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuna
This is a great book by local author Dagaberto Gilb, who
got a lot of press from the Austin Chronicle recently, including
some from a UT student, where Gilb is a professor, who says
the author has only attended one class this semester. I say
to that rich, white kid: You lucky fucker. You have been in
the presence of greatness. Count your lucky fucking stars.
If you write one sentence in your life as magical and crisp
as Gilb you are blessed.
Gilb's only novel (novella really, his other two books are
short story collections), is a fascinating look at a man stuck
in a sort of Earth bound purgatory. Living at the YMCA and
waiting for a letter to arrive that will enable him to move
on with life, Gilb's Mickey is a modern man with no home.
No past of Mickey's is truly discussed. His home, his family
and his past are vague mysteries. Gilb fashions a plot so
subtle and so unique, we barely see it happening as Mickey
engages in YMCA type sports with the residence, meets vaguely
interesting characters and attempts to grasp his meaning in
life.
Eventually, Gilb builds to a subtle but intriguing climax
that reverberates through Mickey's transient psychosis like
a freight train. But Gilb builds to a whimper rather than
a bang and Mickey, finally able to break free of the purgatory
that his life has become, disappears into the night where
his destiny is unknown to us. A small slice in time in an
ever smaller life, "The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuna"
is refreshing reading. This may be the most interesting novel
you can read this decade.
In my CD player:
The
B-52's - Good Stuff
Iggy
Pop - New Values
In my MP3 player:
Swans - Various Failures
Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here - Trance Remixes Bootleg
Dido Eno - The Drop
Eno - Taking Tiger Mountain
Coolest Thing I Did this Past Week (or so):
Well, I've been spending a lot of time pre-producing, shooting,
editing and Lube TV with Mark Brauner. In the past few weeks,
my friends Kelly O'Hare and Richard Eckersley have been on
the show and we played a couple of their short films from
their compilation "Paul (The Collection)" which is available
for rent at the I (heart) Video on Guadalupe. Oriah Lonsdale
of Hobble was also on the show and we got to show their new
video for "Yoko Ono" which was directed by Hobble's guitarist
Mike Flaten. Oriah recently mentioned to me that Mike is a
big Warhol freak (like myself) so I'm itching to talk to him
again soon. Ryan Cox also stopped by. He made a "homoerotic"
short film with Oriah that he never finished! Damn dude!
Plus Trish the Dish and John Christensen's little bro Tim
have been hanging out at the tapings lately too! It's incredible
fun! I'm having a blast doing it all. We did a Ramones tribute
and have lotsa good ideas for episodes in the future too.
Mark and I also recently went to the Off Center and saw
a play called "Valpone" by the Bedlam Faction. These guys
used to be with the Austin Free Shakespeare Society and are
now putting on their own pieces. Apparently the local group
Rude Mechanics are of the same vein. I tell you, these guys
are great actors. Their work is always amusing. "Valpone,"
a play written by Ben Johnson, seems to have been scribed
in the days of Shakespeare, but Bedlam put on a loose production
that seemed as much Shakespearean as 30's screwball comedy.
Albeit, a little long and dragging in it's final 20 minutes,
the play is none the less hilarious. Using music to often
point out the "poetic" quality of the dialogue, the group
did whatever they thought might be amusing while still sticking
just close enough to the original text and themes. What a
joy!
I'll tell you an actor to watch is Robert Deike! I've seen
him in three productions now and he is consistently perfect.
Always amusing and of perfect pitch, Deike is also able to
make the dialogue of yore come to life. His keen insight to
what the author is saying and his ability to translate that
idea, leaping over the boundary of the antiquated language,
to modern audiences is wondrous. This guy not only "gets it,"
he makes it easy for the audience to get it too! It's simply
wonderful. These actors have thrice now made Shakespearean
plays (two from the bard himself) come to life for me now.
I can't wait what to see what they do next.
Lodger's Most Recent Snit fit :
In the new "Entertainment Weekly," some young actor who
plays a gay teen on the God-awful "Dawson's Creek" talks about
his "sweeps week" kiss with another male. At the end of the
interview he tells EW that he wouldn't do this all the time
because, "I don't think it's healthy for teenagers to see
two guys kissing every week." WHAT!!!!!!!
What a dumbass. GLAAD better get all over his ass, "Dawson's"
peoples ass and the WB's ass. What a stupid, moronic, ridiculous,
unhip and WRONG thing to say. I'm telling you. We need to
write letters! We need to get this asshole teen actor fired
from the show. This is not someone I want on TV representing
gay people. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH TEENAGERS SEEING TWO
GUYS KISSING EVERY DAY?!?!?!?! You dumbass! I hope you get
fired. I hope you never work again. I hope gay people hurl
rotten veg at you on the street. YOU ARE A GAY BASHER. And
you, you dumb asshole, play a gay person on TV! What a dipshit.
I tell you. I'm glad I don't watch this piece of shit show.
Kevin Williamson oughta kick this kid's ass from here to kingdom
come. And then let his boyfriend have a go at him!
Until next time - that's a wrap Lodger2001
Lodger's
Notes: A
UT student, where Gilb is a professor, who says the author
has only attended one class this semester. I say to that rich,
white kid: You lucky fucker. You have been in the presence
of greatness. Count your lucky fucking stars. If you write
one sentence in your life as magical and crisp as Gilb you
are blessed.
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