girls vs. boys: volume one

keep art alive; photograph by danz_in_tokyo

and we are just breakable girls and boys: a girls vs. boys mix: volume one

pilot ~ goldfrapp
a girl in port ~ okkervil river
sleep ~ azure ray
lions ~ pete yorn
polite dance song ~ the bird & the bee
the crystal cat ~ dan deacon
breakable ~ ingrid michaelson
you don't know what love is ~ chet baker
close call ~ rilo kiley
overture ~ patrick wolf
just like anyone ~ aimee mann
click click click click ~ bishop allen
faster than cars ~ kate tucker & the sons of sweden
slowly ~ coconut records
dusted ~ belly
like dylan in the movies ~ belle & sebastian
on the radio ~ regina spektor
emblems ~ matt pond pa

girls vs. boys vol. 1 zipped

aisles of songs

keep art alive; art by gympumpkin

mix created & contribued by andrea

a version of truth and a reason for apologies: an andie a mix

aztec ~ bo diddley
all for you, sophia ~ franz ferdinand

all fired up ~ interpol
all apologies (live, unplugged) ~ nirvana
all mine ~ portishead

airportman ~ r.e.m.
aqua teen hunger force ~ dangerdoom
alive ~ daft punk
awake the unkind ~ unkle
antistar ~ massive attack

above & below ~ the bravery
acceptable in the 80s ~ editors
antimatter ~ tricky

aisha ~ death in vegas

apocalypse please ~ muse

adrenochrome ~ sisters of mercy

acrylic afternoons ~ pulp
another version of the truth ~ nine inch nails

andie's a mix ~ zipped

cause what is simple in the moonlight, by the morning never is

"and i know you have a heavy heart; i can feel it when we kiss
so many men stronger than me have thrown their backs out trying to lift it.
but, me i’m not a gamble, you can count on me to split.
the love i sell you in the evening, by the morning won’t exist."

he stole my heart with lua, heard first on a quintessential mixed cd made by chelle. from lua, bright eyes worked its way into my music drunk reverie, and i do believe that mr. oberst is a modern day folk poet of this generation.

365 loves: conor oberst and bright eyes

like a ghost in my dreams

"we love and we never tell
what places our hearts in the wishing well.
love lead us into the stream,
and its sink or swim,
like its always been;
and i keep on loving you,
its the only thing to do.
when the angel sings,
there are greater things.
can i give them all to you?"

history lesson:
the ballad victims was released only in europe and was a surprising top 3 hit for an orchestral ballad in uk. boy george said once to the bbc that his lyrics were based on his life experiences, and that this song is about being brave and having strength in the darkest of nights.

- i always took this song to be about his relationship with jon moss, and the heartbreak he always referred to it as. the lyrics suggest longing, denial, and addiction. but, perhaps that is just what i took from it.

personal reflection:
it is near impossible to ever separate boy george's voice from my memories of tom, and the close connection we had together in the last two years of high school, and the one year after, before his death. this was a favorite song of the both of ours.i think we both felt that we carried the scars and badges of being victims, and at that age we had not yet sorted out how to get beyond the pain.

tom never got past feeling the victim. no matter how the three of us loved and believed in him, he let himself crash. maybe he had too many secrets, and far too many scars. they say when you are young it feels impossible to see tomorrow, much less have any kind of faith in it.

~ culture club

the 80's

it was a wonderful splash

"we must hang up in the belfry where the bats in moonlight laugh

we must stare into a crystal ball and only see the past

and in the caverns of tomorrow with just our flashlights and our love

we must plunge, we must plunge, we must plunge."

two hours back to work and the anxiety attacks are back, and i am finding that it is hitting me harder and faster than i expected. i walked away from a ridiculous battle of ego that was going on, that i was being skillfully pulled into, and just shook my head. i stood outside and tried to breathe, not cry, and not just get back into my car and go home. i knew it would be rough going back, that my time home with family and real living would be hard to leave, but i think i did not realize just how much daily stress my life had become. there has to be more to life than this, more than the soul-crushing weight of work that really has not meaning, or most days, any need at all.

this song, and the feeling of just letting go and plunging into what comes, is saying what i cannot express this morning. i need to find my tolerance level, my boundaries, my belfry to hang from. because honestly i know i cannot leave here right now, that i need to hold fast and get through it, and that at the end of this all lie the bigger things i want in this life. but today, right now, i would rather just crash into the ocean.

at the bottom of everything ~ bright eyes

i will never go, babe, hell no

"maybe i was in the dark

but whyd you have to steal my heart?"

duets are some of my favorite musical things, right up there with cover songs and soundtrack albums; two out of three ain't bad. sondre lerche and regina spektor take on a very classic, nostalgia-rich sound on this track from the dan in real life soundtrack. they sound like post-modern louis and ella, or something cole porter would stamp an approval on. this song is what the word "keen" was made to describe.


also, itunes selected regina to record their holiday song this season. to download for free go to the itunes store; it really is quite a lovely song.

hell no ~ sondre lerche and regina spektor

and it's your party but i'll die if i want to

"one of us dressed as a zombie;
one of us dressed as a pirate;
one of us dressed as a ninja;
four of us dressed as school girls.
and i'm staring you straight in the eyes."

we throw parties, you throw knives ~ los campesinos!

david's showcase of the week

i am an island. i am bloody ibiza!

david is the one that loves about a boy the most. it is one of his comfort films, and i have seen it so often that it has taken residence in my heart, as well. it is my favourite hugh grant role. he is will, and i see a bit of high fidelity's rob (the book version) in his portrayel of will, as well. i love some of the moments in this, the way the filmmaker captured some of the most vivid of images from the book and brought them to life on-screen. for instance, will and his mum closing their eyes while they sing roberta flack. it was just so perfectly done. will picking out the car seat, and smashing up chips in it, is classic, too.

i remember reading nick hornby's about a boy on my trips back and forth on the traxx train, when we lived in salt lake city. i fell in love with it, and especially with marcus. i love marcus. and his relationship with his mum, with will, and with ellie. i suppose the lack of story with the character of ellie, and the friendship her and marcus ended up having, is the only thing that i miss when watching the film. beyond that, though, i think this is an exception to the rule where a film is as good as the book. nick hornby, actually, has been quite lucky in this regard.

relationships are the key to this story, and i love the way it pulls back the surfaces of expectations and personalities, challenging how we relate and learn from one another. i love that it shows the intricate nature of mother and child, of friendship, and of love. that it shows an imperfect family, and mistakes made as a parent, that ultimately happen but that can be repaired. and, i really love the message that we need to find our family-extensions, or support systems, because we do need one another to do more than just get by.

about a boy

keep art alive: kelly haigh

keep art alive; art by kelly haigh

the ten questions project: kelly haigh

*1. what music (or other art form) inspires you when you create your art?

kh: Anything by Neko Case, Carolyn Mark, Freakwater, or Bob Dylan. (Gene Watson, the Louvin Brothers....) Any really old country duet songs, or gospel. (I love the Louvin Brothers, their 'Satan is Real' kicks my backside every time I hear it.)

*2. long distance road trip: what three people do you invite along (fictional or non-fictional, dead or alive)?

kh: My 'Terry-dactyl' was kind enough to give up his seat to Bob Dylan, so, the other two passengers would have to be Jack the Ripper, and Ray Caesar... (with his wife's kind permission.)

*3. what is your favorite breakfast cereal?

kh: Fruit Loops... without question... but if you're all out, I'd take hot oatmeal with lots of milk and brown sugar.

*4. what is one thing that is hanging on your bedroom wall?

A mounted fox head from 1875.

* 5. what smell/scent evokes strong memories for you?

Lilacs... and the smell of musty antique books. I love that smell the most.

* 6. coffee or tea?

Diet Pepsi, please.

* 7. what has been the most impactful compliment, or criticism, you have ever received?

Ray Caesar told me to never stop painting or making music... For some reason, his kind words of encouragement have meant the world to me, and his art inspires me beyond words.

* 8. three words that describe you?

Can't .... Find ..... Any...

* 9. cartoon character crush: who is, or was, yours?

Bambi.

* 10. the world is ending in ten minutes and you get to listen to one, and only one, song: which song?

Hold On, Hold On, by Neko Case. (Although, I MIGHT cry that I didn't choose Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues by Bob Dylan.)

***

kelly would like to tell you about her website: kelly haigh; her upcoming show in march at thinkspace gallery; that she has work in the upcoming book big eyed art, transformed and resurrected by blonde blythe, which should be out in april, by merrell publishing; and another space where you can find a different interview with her: glubdub.com.

i would like to thank kelly for participating in the keep art alive: ten questions project, and for being inspirational to my writing.

go now go and check out more of her work, visit a gallery showing, and buy something if you can. keep art alive and show your support.

looking on she sings the songs

"i have to go home." ~ william miller
"you are home." ~ penny lane

if i could live in a film for a few days this would be the one. i never grow tired of watching this film. ever. a part of the film, most likely the scene above, is always with me.

i think my mom was a bit like penny lane before i was born. every so often she lets stories slip out, and i see a side of her that few recognize. but, i remember how i saw her when i was a little girl; long hair, flowy dresses, stereo always playing, and that faraway look in her eyes. i think sometimes we see more clearly the truths inside of people when we are small; our eyes less blurred by disappointment, loss and desires.

this scene, the thing i love most about it, is how it is the music that heals the tension between everyone; and how, if only for the six minutes and twelve seconds it takes for tiny dancer to play, everyone forgives and everyone is connected. and doris the tour bus keeps rolling along down the road.

there is more i could say about the story. how there are so many layers, and perspectives, at play here. you could take it as a coming-of-age story about william miller, based loosely on cameron crowe's own coming-of-age, and how william took his first stab at being a rock reporter. you could watch it all from penny's point of view, another coming-of-age story, and how she learns to let go of love from others, finally taking that trip with herself; the eventual peeling back of the muse who is a living and breathing girl inside of the inspiration and song lyrics. or, you could take it all as a rock and roll tale, yet another kind of coming-of-age, and how the music can get lost along the way of egos, record labels, rolling stone, friendship, sex, drugs, fans, and love.

365 love: almost famous