Looking Back At Anger : A Retrospective Programme on KENNETH ANGER's Work

Now this is something that I am really looking forward to!

I haven't seen any of his movies and this seems like the perfect occasion to check out the work of this cult avant-garde pioneer!

A terrific selection of great YouTube videos

Here’s a link to some great YouTube videos selected by members of the editorial staff of Belgium’s best newspaper De Standaard.

MYSPACE

I have just created a myspace account which I think is a fine tool to get in touch with great bands and especially to buck up/thank them after a great gig. Initially, I wanted to upload the song that lead to the “batarang” name but it turns out that uploading music is only for artists and not for ordinary fools like me so instead I added a Jessie Mae Hemphill song to my account which I suppose visitors will like too.

Anyway, here’s that sudden song by some sixties outfit from Memphis called THE AVENGERS (no, the other ones!); a very moody, tremolo-soaked instrumental that I must have played a thousand times and never ceases to amaze me. The track can be found on Volume One of a great compilation on Upstart Records called “It Came From Memphis”. I suppose some more info about The Avengers can be found in Robert Gordon’s excellent companion book but I can’t find that one right now so I leave you here with "Batarang". Enjoy!

LITTLE MOTH by Tao Peng

One of the most intriguing films I've seen at the recent International Film Festival in Ghent was a Chinese low-key production on digital beta cam video called Little Moth. This heartbreaking, fascinating story shows how poverty can lead to immoral decisions by portraying the exploitation of orphaned kids by adult scumbags. Little Moth, whose mother has died and whose father is an unemployed drunk, is unable to walk due to toxic blood poisoning. When she gets adopted by a country bumpkin and his wife, it soon turns out that her new parents aren't acting out of love but want to make big bucks by using her to beg with the mother on city streets. A growing gap subtly develops between husband and wife, however, as the wife’s maternal instincts kick in, and she begins to care for Little Moth as if she were her own. The husband, meanwhile, is intent on saving cash, even if it means not buying meds for the sick girl. Soon, the situation escalates into a tragedy.

Tao Peng not only directed this intense movie, but also wrote the script and handled the production. It's fascinating to see how young Chinese directors have the courage to release films against the Chinese laws and reveal the darker side of the Chinese society.

Just after the premiere of Little Moth at the Film Festival in Locarno last August, Tao Peng got into conflict with the Chinese authorities who made it practically impossible for him to send a copy outside of his homeland. Fortunately, the film copy from the Locarno festival had been sent to Vancouver and the Canadians were willing to sent the digital video for a little while to Belgium. Lucky us! Let's hope more people get to see this little gem…

Life's A Bitch

I just found out that MOSE ALLISON played a show in Antwerp yesterday. This fuckin' ruins my day!!!

A Friday Night Out

Can you imagine a band that sounds like an amazing mix between The Fall-Outs and the Cheaters Slicks? Look no further: THE WEAKENDS from Bordeaux, France deliver the goods! This trio played a mighty fine half hour set at the Pit’s last Friday and I can hardly wait for their upcoming debut 7-inch on Rob’s House Records. The Weakends rule!

Next was Piero from The Fatals’ new band JACK OF HEART in which he teams up with the singer of The Creteens and two other fellows. Bleeding guitars & noisy roots rock from a band that sounds like a drugged-out version of The Gun Club or like a more rootsy version of early Monster Magnet. A real nice show, although I wonder how long Piero will continue his self destructive lifestyle. En tout cas: un grand merci messieurs!

Top of the bill was HUMAN EYE who played a manic half hour set that set the house on fire. Reminiscent of The Wipers & drugged-out again, Timmy Vulgar & C° blew our minds!

A great night out and just what I needed after a rather mediocre Film Festival in Ghent. More details soon…

SAND AND SORROW

Yesterday saw the premiere of SAND AND SORROW, a documentary about the grueling conflict between rebels and government forces in Darfur. The film itself wasn't anything special as it looked like an ordinary TV documentary and often used ugly rock beats as background music. But it did work as a clear record of the ongoing genocide in Southern Sudan and it definitely depicted the rotten world of politics as China for example had used its U.N. veto power to protect the Sudanese government from sanctions against the genocide because of Chinese oil interests in Sudan. After the film, a Unicef spokeswoman gave some info about the current Darfur projects and she was followed by RASHA, a Sudanese refugee who currently lives in Madrid and was scheduled to play a gig with her band after the film. When Rasha was called on stage however, she was clearly upset by what she had just seen and could only stumble the words "I really don't know what to say, I don't know who I am any longer". Subsequently, she left the stage in tears. Later in the evening, Rasha came back with her band, played a very nice set but was clearly still disconcerted.

I had read about the Darfur conflict in Dave Egger's heartrending and astonishing book “What is the What” but the raw images of mutilated children and swollen corpses had a much brutal effect on me.

One thing that really struck me, is a certain scene where a woman who helps the violated women at a refugee camp responds to an elderly woman who wants to thank her with the words: “It’s not me, it’s God”. I can simply not understand how you can still believe in a God, when you are living in hell.

Not Mine - Czeslaw Milosz

All my life to pretend this world of theirs is mine
And to know such pretending is disgraceful.
But what can I do? Suppose I suddenly screamed
And started to prophesy. No one would hear me.
Their screens and microphones are not for that.
Others like me wander the streets
And talk to themselves. Sleep on benches in parks,
Or on pavements in alleys. For there aren't enough prisons
To lock up all the poor. I smile and keep quiet.
They won't get me now.
To feast with the chosen—that I do well.

Translated by Robert Hass

Wonderful Internet Radio: Boogie Nights!

For many Wednesday nights, I was glued to my radio listening to De Stompin' Velden with Stoffer & Bentz. In this legendary radio program, you could listen to all kinds of exciting roots music (r&b, soul, blues, country, cajun etc.) with Roel Bentz van den Berg as the most devoted & captivating radio host you can imagine. There also used to be a section where some guy from Groningen called in weekly to recommend a cult movie on TV and introduce some exciting punk rock 7" (aka "het betere gooi- en smijtwerk"). After many amazing years however, the national Dutch radio station suddenly changed its policy and simply abolished the program. Never again did I listen to the radio.

Now the good news is that for quite some time now, Stoffer & Bentz have a new program that can be listened to day and night here by clicking on the dates. You can even download every program (over 250 until now!), burn them on a stick and enjoy them wherever you are.

Many thanks to Dejan den Hertog for making this possible. Internet radio rules!

34th Flanders International Film Festival Ghent

Time for another film festival, time for another mindfuck. Here's my personal selection:

Sand and Sorrow
Le Papier ne peut pas Envelopper la Braise
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Manoro
Desert Dream
Familia Tortuga
Un Homme Perdu
Empties
Auf der Anderen Seite
Vanaja
Las Vidas Possibles
My Name is Albert Ayler
Woman on the Beach
Born And Bred
El Desierto Negro
El Baña del Papa
Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame
In Memoria di Me
Blind Mountain
Wild Tigers I Have Known
El Otro
Riza
Ficcio
Takva
La Leon
Rome Plutôt que Vous
Little Moth
We Own The Night
Elle s'appelle Sabine
Nightbus
Nos Vies Privées
Paranoid Park

CURRENT SOULFOOD

music


film


book


This Friday, one of my favourite contemporary bands at the Pit's: BLACK TIME => the ultimate clash/crash between The Cramps and Pussy Galore...

BRUTAL KNIGHTS / ALEMAYEHU ESHETE

Last Saturday turned out to be another memorable night at the Pit's club! I simply cannot imagine a more powerful live band than Toronto's BRUTAL KNIGHTS. During the gig, I was thinking to myself that this must've been how BLACK FLAG sounded on stage during their heyday. With two guitar players, one bass player, one drummer and one singer, Canada's hardcore kings almost blew the roof off the fuckin' Pit's! With blasting intensity, the band's earth-shattering punk rock turned the place into a ruthless moshpit once again. What a band! Concert of the year? You bet!

Yesterday, I went to see ALEMAYEHU ESHETE aka the Ethiopian James Brown! Before the show, I talked to Francis Falceto whom I once interviewed about his fabulous Ethiopiques reissue program and he told me that Mr. Eshete's backing band consisted of young Bretons. I don't know if he saw the disappointment on my face in the vein of “What? No Ethiopians but a bunch of French conservatory musicians??”, but as soon as the band hit the stage, I knew that my prejudiced point of view was totally misplaced since the band played a terrific set. Alemayehu was in top form too and he really enjoyed himself on stage. Many classic Ethiopian songs were being played and when Alemayehu Eshete came back for an encore, the band played “Addis Ababa” and everybody was dancing! A mighty fine gig indeed!! After the show, I went to congratulate Alemayehu for his wonderful performance and he said "thank you brother" and gave me a hug! What a wonderful human being!!


I promise to bring my camera next time so I can shoot some pics for this blog.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

If you like your cinema pure & honest, you really need to check out this year's winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival. It's a delight to see how Romanian director Cristian Mungiu discreetly observes his main character Otilia while the real action is taking place off screen. In long takes, he reveals her inner struggles in silence, creating a maelstrom of emotions. This tale about an illegal abortion during the Ceausescu years can be spoken of with the same regard as 'The Death of Mr. Lazarescu'. I cannot imagine a higher recommendation.

CONTROL

Yesterday, I really enjoyed Anton Corbijn's compelling film about Ian Curtis (1956-1980), the tormented singer of Joy Division who hanged himself in 1980 at the age of 23. Sam Riley is really brilliant as the depressive lead singer and the live fragments are very convincing. The black-and-white film is visually arresting while the formal mise-en-scene is perfectly appropriate and fits the subject perfectly. A heartfelt film you cannot afford to miss!

reflection

perception:

i found most people extremely boring

question:

should i seek for more interesting people or has my mind been troubled by watching too many movies?

solution:

a combination of domestic happiness and joyful escapism through the arts (movies, books, music)

Alemayehu Eshete

Trappist Westvleteren

Hooray!!! Last Tuesday, I bought my first 2 crates of Westvleteren Trappist beer!! Although stocks have always been low and supplies have always been limited and uncertain, even for Belgians it has become very hard these days to obtain a crate of the world-renowned Trappist beer. Ever since the Westvleteren 12 was chosen best beer in the world on RateBeer.com in June 2005, each car is rationed to two 24-bottle crates and the beer has to be reserved through a beer phone beforehand. This means that the monks will not sell you any beer if you just drive up to the abbey hoping to get some. Aside from the brewery itself, the only other official sale point for the beer is the abbey-owned meeting center 'In de Vrede', just in front of the abbey. All beers can still be bought there for immediate consumption only. The monks themselves are charmingly stubborn: they have repeatedly stated that they only brew enough beer to run the monastery, and will make no more than they need to sell, regardless of demand.

Before I went to collect my two wooden crates of Trappist Westvleteren 8, I tasted the Westvleteren 12 and I must admit that it is truly an exceptional beer! I won't try to describe its flavour as I terribly suck at describing beer, but believe me - its reputation as the world's greatest beer is totally justified! A profound beer drinking experience!

At the end of the month, the Westvleteren 12 will be available too. I can hardly wait... again.

African pearls on sale at Mélodie !!!

There’s a very interesting sale going on at Mélodie until September 16th (hurry up!). The 6 CD series SENEGAL FLASH for example, is a wonderful collection of Senegalese and Gambian bands from the seventies. Other collections from the Syliphone catalog, like the DISCOTHEQUE series, are no less essential. The 2CD collections MUSIQUE DU MALI VOL.1 & 2 have recently been upgraded by Syllart as African Pearls 3: One Day On Radio Mali but the current price of the original collection is really ridiculously low. You can find a link to the overstock offer by clicking here. I have marked the recommended items in yellow. Ask your local retailer NOW because there’s some truly unique music to be heard! This majestic track by Super Diamono for example, can be found on Sénégal Flash: Banjul.

You can find more info on the original releases by clicking here

Silversun Pickups

At work, I am surrounded by women who are keen on radio stations with slogans like “The Fun! The Hits!” or “Q-Music Is Good For You!”. Because I treat my female colleagues very kindly most of the time (serving coffee, telling them they look terrific today etc.) every now and then they allow me to listen to some national college radio station that plays a lot of ‘guitar-oriented’ songs. Sure, they play All Saints or The Spin Doctors too, but it’s always nice to hear Iggy Pop or Violent Femmes while tapping the keyboard. Now there’s this one song that they constantly play by a band called Silversun Pickups that I really started to like a lot. It is called “Lazy Eye” and it reminds me a lot of The Breeders although I never bought a Breeders record in my life so I might be wrong at that point. Anyway, I searched some info about this L.A. quartet and it seems like they’re rather famous since they play big festivals and sell a lot of records. Wait! You MUST have heard of this band?! They’re probably one of those dreadful indie bands that want to become the next Foo Fighters and do have their own PR-manager! But whatever, I really like this song and although there’s a fat chance that I will probably hate it next month, I simply have to admit that – RIGHT NOW – I am very fond of it. The fascinating thing is that this shameless personal revelation gives me a good feeling. It feels great to admit that I really like a song that is cherished by thousands of teenagers worldwide although after reading this, you will probably never ever trust me again music wise.

Play or download Lazy Eye

Brötzmann & Hitchens

It's good to have several sources for buying books & music so you can compare prices and save money. I have just ordered the following 2 items at Proxis, both very reasonably priced:

The Complete Machine Gun Sessions - The Peter Brötzmann Octet (Atavistic 2CD)



The original BRO Records LP restored to its 1968 format, with two alternate takes, new liner notes by Brötzmann and John Corbett, plus the only live version of MACHINE GUN ever recorded- in a deluxe package! This is a 2 CD edition and even cheaper than the former FMP edition. I am renovating the house and pretty sure that this will be the perfect companion while removing wall paper. Here's what the others say: "mind-blasting... a smashing, clanging wonderland of noise." - Thurston Moore, "Jaw-dropping, face-peeling, DNA-changing music." - Mats Gustafsson.


God is Not Great (How religion poisens everything) - Christopher Hitchens



The dutch translation is scheduled for november but I've read a couple of interesting things about this book so I ordered the American hardcover edition. Although I wouldn't describe myself as a hardcore atheist (I highly regard people like the 13th century sufi poet and mystic Rumi or Tarkovsky's religious consciousness), I do agree with Karl Marx' famous statement that religion is the opium of the people. I don't think that this book will drastically change my thinking about religion but I am anxious to read it.

The Scene of the Crime - BETTYE LAVETTE

Whoah!!! Look at this one! Soul goddess BETTYE LAVETTE teaming up with the fabulous DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS!!! A couple of years ago, I saw a devastatingly powerful performance by soul goddess Lavette at the Blues Estafette in Utrecht. During “Let Me Down Easy”, you could hear a pin drop even though the hall was packed with some 3,000 blues/soul music lovers! Drive-by Truckers on the other hand is one of the most exciting roots rock bands today. Once you’ve seen them on stage, you become a lifelong fan! “The Scene of the Crime” will be released on September 24 on Anti- records. Man, I really can’t wait to hear this record!!!