Not weird or obscure enough for you?
If things (or at least your musical tastes) really aren’t weird or obscure enough for you, then try this little baby: The Wire magazine’s list of Records That Set The World On Fire (while no one was listening). Of course you could always try The Wire itself – a publication that describes itself as “an independent, monthly music magazine dedicated to informed, intelligent coverage of a wide range of progressive, adventurous and non-mainstream musics.” Meaning in layman’s speak – experimental - weirdoid - strangey - avant - guard - noisenik - oddness.
Grey Tropicalia
Busy night last night: went to see the Tropicalia exhibition in the Barbican. Hmmm, I thought it lacked a little something, which is strange considering it featured art from the most vivid and extroverted artistic movements to come out of one of the most vivid and extroverted countries in the world. There were costumes on clothes hangers, but not vivacious samba dancers to give them life; �sensorial� installations, which seemed tame; visual art, that looked kitsch and �sixties� in bad way; and the whole place had the feel of a museum exhibit.
The Tropicalia movement is best known in the UK for its innovative music. They should have given us more of that (with better sound systems) to really understand the excitement. Oh yes, and perhaps the threat of a fascist police state to really add some edge to the thing. Well, I did learn about the non-musical side of the movement.
Camp cold blood
Then off home for a quick bowl of miso before dashing out to the Phoenix to watch Capote. A fairly good film – ouch, faint praise. Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s acting was certainly good, his voice especially stood out – a camp, high-pitched whine. Here was a complex character, who is shown as using a violent criminal to further his own artistic project, but nonetheless paid a hefty emotional price for his callousness. Perhaps it was my mood, but I found it difficult to really get into the film.