This morning, Variety tells me this: "Martial arts movie masters Jackie Chan and Jet Li will battle on the big screen for the first time in a new movie set to start filming in April. Acclaimed action choreographer Yuen Woo-Ping will guide the fight sequences".
I've heard this was brewing for quite awhile, as far back as when I was in Jackie's agents office years ago pitching, well, the very same idea. Anyhow. On paper, it's exciting, but I'm told it's a "family" film, which is kinda wack considering you want these two to beat the fuck out of each other. Anyway, I haven't seen Jackie's new one yet (cause its not out on DVD), and while Jackie for me the single most important filmmaker of my life, I hold very little against him. Hopefully this will kick ass.
F
31.10.06
25.10.06
The First Of Joy
Congrats to my old friend Chris Connelly and his wife on the birth of thier son: Angus Tucker Michael Connelly. I'm glad the baby is blessed with the name "Tucker" and not "Jourgensen". Just saying.
IN-GENUINE
Friends, how are you? Have you missed me? I've been too busy watching Borat deleted scenes on Youtube, no thanks to Chad, but now need to catch up on the things that go on here in this crazy world of MOG.
I've been just about living in the studio at the moment, though I am just a tiny cog in an abode filled with frightening amounts of musical and photography gear. And a dog that got its white fucking hair all over my new jacket. Not pleased. But we have been eating Shabu and donuts while drinking Kurosawa sake, hammering the new tune into shape, and doing loads of bass overdubs. It's nice to spend hours just playing the old Thunderbird in the hook style. It equals fun progress and re-playing stuff written a while ago gives B and I room to improve on the parts, so they will be much improved in both performance and sound quality compared to the demos. I really like playing against the awesome Charlton Creston Low End (tm). There's a cool dynamic there that I think can be translated with much success on the live stage. Anyhow, we're getting there, and it's awesome listening to new versions of the Ipod and seeing how far the quality has jumped in the last year.
Meanwhile, there is the occasional social fun, which included our going to see THE PRESTIGE last weekend. I really dig this movie. Chris Nolan is without a doubt of my favourite directors working in Hollywood and that was long before I met him on his last movie. Basically, THE PRESTIGE is about pro wrestling (though here they use something called "magic"). Batman plays Brian Pillman and Wolverine plays Bret Hart. I'm joking of course, but the similarities between the goings on in the world of magic and our great sport was shocking enough for Dan Hamill to text me during the movie to say so. Completely by coincidence,, this very same comparison was just made on the respected publication The Wrestling Observer (To which we have subscribed since the GOLD STREET ERA). Because it is a period piece about magic, THE PRESTIGE is going to be compared to THE ILLUSIONIST, another movie I liked a lot, but I have to side with the genius of Nolan here. The storytelling is just super and the actors are first rate. Dan Hamill was very pleased to see the IN-GENUINE Piper Perabo in her long awaited "comeback" role. And you know Nolan is a genius when he can make Hollywood Scarlett passable!
I have more to tell you, but now comics need to be bought.
I've been just about living in the studio at the moment, though I am just a tiny cog in an abode filled with frightening amounts of musical and photography gear. And a dog that got its white fucking hair all over my new jacket. Not pleased. But we have been eating Shabu and donuts while drinking Kurosawa sake, hammering the new tune into shape, and doing loads of bass overdubs. It's nice to spend hours just playing the old Thunderbird in the hook style. It equals fun progress and re-playing stuff written a while ago gives B and I room to improve on the parts, so they will be much improved in both performance and sound quality compared to the demos. I really like playing against the awesome Charlton Creston Low End (tm). There's a cool dynamic there that I think can be translated with much success on the live stage. Anyhow, we're getting there, and it's awesome listening to new versions of the Ipod and seeing how far the quality has jumped in the last year.
Meanwhile, there is the occasional social fun, which included our going to see THE PRESTIGE last weekend. I really dig this movie. Chris Nolan is without a doubt of my favourite directors working in Hollywood and that was long before I met him on his last movie. Basically, THE PRESTIGE is about pro wrestling (though here they use something called "magic"). Batman plays Brian Pillman and Wolverine plays Bret Hart. I'm joking of course, but the similarities between the goings on in the world of magic and our great sport was shocking enough for Dan Hamill to text me during the movie to say so. Completely by coincidence,, this very same comparison was just made on the respected publication The Wrestling Observer (To which we have subscribed since the GOLD STREET ERA). Because it is a period piece about magic, THE PRESTIGE is going to be compared to THE ILLUSIONIST, another movie I liked a lot, but I have to side with the genius of Nolan here. The storytelling is just super and the actors are first rate. Dan Hamill was very pleased to see the IN-GENUINE Piper Perabo in her long awaited "comeback" role. And you know Nolan is a genius when he can make Hollywood Scarlett passable!
I have more to tell you, but now comics need to be bought.
24.10.06
16.10.06
I Stand Corrected...
I've made a terrible mistake. In the last few years, I have been one of the few people to say "let them close CBGB's". I mean, why keep it around? No one good plays there, the sound is terrible, the place is falling apart, etc. I couldn't even tell you the last time I was even there for a gig (I'm seriously drawing a blank). Hell, crap like The Hold Steady doesn't even play there. Now, granted, I have great memories of playing there with the aggression, and some significant moments in my young life happened there (introducing myself to the Councilwoman for the fist time comes to mind), but to me, it was "let it die" and I saw no reason to fight. This was much to the consternation of my lady friend, who once travelled significant miles to see yours truly peform there, and who, though newer to NY than I, has a deep appreciation of the culture that I may have been taking for granted. Even a recent SNL sketch that pariodied Lou Reed and Patti Smith wasn't even funny or enough to get me to think.
The other night, while in a taxi, I went by the venue, which now looks tiny next to the NYU dorm and new apartment building the surround it and will probably engulf it in the next month. I began to have a strong realization that I may have been looking at this the wrong way. But what really knocked me on my ass was seeing my beloved Music Palace (the legendary Chinese movie theatre), being torn down after laying dormant for many years. This wasn't about losing a venue or a movie theatre, it was about New York losing just more pieces of it's culture for the sake of Real Estate. It's the same reason almost none of my friends actually live in New York City anymore and have retreated to Harlem and Queens and why I have to take two trains to the studio in Brooklyn every week. It's why all the places I used to eat at, like Bel Vilagio and Say Eng Look are gone. The culture I grew up with is slowly being erased from the map. And I put it in the perspective of my nephew, who claims he will someday live here and visit us for dinner every night. I thought how he won't get to meet someone who could become one of his best friends at CB's or how his band won't drink with some homeless guys across the street at the long forgotten bodega or how a girl won't have the opportunity to explain to him why she and one of his best friends got engaged after knowing each other for a few days (that's a true story kids, ask Nina Link!). And worst of all, he will probably never see a Jackie Chan movie on the big screen. Instead of a music venue for young bands to cut their teeth, there's a fucking dorm for punk asses from ohio to pretend they are New Yorkers for 4 years (which, now of course, irony of ironies, will be where my nephew is assigned to live when he starts NYU in a decade).
I think part of my initial not giving a shit was based on my refusal to be stuck in the past or to appear, as Lurch would say, progressive (he never actually said that). I don't want to be a relic of "Old New York" or some Lou Reed character, but these places and things helped mold me and is why I am in this city for the rest of my life. Yes, I probably never would have gone to CB's ever again, but the thought of it being there was secure enough. It's my mistake and I was very very wrong. I don't understand why CB's has to go when shit holes down the block, like Pheobes, one of the worst bars ever, still remains. And shit like Crash Mansion? Come on.
While I love the fact that I can walk the Bowery with an 8 year old and not be scared as I had been as a 12 year old sneaking down to see Hong Kong movies, I can't shake the fact that everything I consider culture is being slowly erased as time goes on. What can I teach my nephew? What will I teach my own kid years from now? I'm gonna be and already am the "you know what used to be here when I was a kid?" guy. Fuck. Actually, I honestly miss the UNDERWORLD on Bleeker and bway even more (thats for you oldschoolers!)
F
The other night, while in a taxi, I went by the venue, which now looks tiny next to the NYU dorm and new apartment building the surround it and will probably engulf it in the next month. I began to have a strong realization that I may have been looking at this the wrong way. But what really knocked me on my ass was seeing my beloved Music Palace (the legendary Chinese movie theatre), being torn down after laying dormant for many years. This wasn't about losing a venue or a movie theatre, it was about New York losing just more pieces of it's culture for the sake of Real Estate. It's the same reason almost none of my friends actually live in New York City anymore and have retreated to Harlem and Queens and why I have to take two trains to the studio in Brooklyn every week. It's why all the places I used to eat at, like Bel Vilagio and Say Eng Look are gone. The culture I grew up with is slowly being erased from the map. And I put it in the perspective of my nephew, who claims he will someday live here and visit us for dinner every night. I thought how he won't get to meet someone who could become one of his best friends at CB's or how his band won't drink with some homeless guys across the street at the long forgotten bodega or how a girl won't have the opportunity to explain to him why she and one of his best friends got engaged after knowing each other for a few days (that's a true story kids, ask Nina Link!). And worst of all, he will probably never see a Jackie Chan movie on the big screen. Instead of a music venue for young bands to cut their teeth, there's a fucking dorm for punk asses from ohio to pretend they are New Yorkers for 4 years (which, now of course, irony of ironies, will be where my nephew is assigned to live when he starts NYU in a decade).
I think part of my initial not giving a shit was based on my refusal to be stuck in the past or to appear, as Lurch would say, progressive (he never actually said that). I don't want to be a relic of "Old New York" or some Lou Reed character, but these places and things helped mold me and is why I am in this city for the rest of my life. Yes, I probably never would have gone to CB's ever again, but the thought of it being there was secure enough. It's my mistake and I was very very wrong. I don't understand why CB's has to go when shit holes down the block, like Pheobes, one of the worst bars ever, still remains. And shit like Crash Mansion? Come on.
While I love the fact that I can walk the Bowery with an 8 year old and not be scared as I had been as a 12 year old sneaking down to see Hong Kong movies, I can't shake the fact that everything I consider culture is being slowly erased as time goes on. What can I teach my nephew? What will I teach my own kid years from now? I'm gonna be and already am the "you know what used to be here when I was a kid?" guy. Fuck. Actually, I honestly miss the UNDERWORLD on Bleeker and bway even more (thats for you oldschoolers!)
F