Arrest This!

Arrested Development coming back? That's hot! And I was getting ready to shiv that Rupert.

I'm Rupert Murdock, and this is my Bleuth Co.

I'll chat with you all later, but for now, rejoice; Arrested Development will be back for a second season.

Satin on a Beach

Aside from the Casket Lottery show, we had some memorable moments in California. The walk down Hollywood Boulevard was especially notable to me since I’d like to work there one day. I also liked the beach, and I found some time in between the show and sights to read a short collection of Earnest Hemmingway stories and even pen the beginnings of my own short story.
We stayed in some nice areas of California, areas I hadn’t seen before. Hollywood and the beach weren’t the only things we saw. We also saw some massive skyscrapers in L.A. and the Mid-Evil Times restaurant. (We didn’t eat there though…)

The downside to seeing the great performance by The Casket Lottery was missing Modest Mouse’s appearance on David Letterman. I’m sure I can find a video of it somewhere on the net though. Did anyone happen to see it on TV? If so, what did you think? It’s just insanely cool to me that a band like Modest Mouse can walk into a theater where the likes of Jessica Simpson and Avril Lavigne have stood, and turn out a great, yet terribly dark song to millions of viewers. Gabe and I complain about smaller artists like The Casket Lottery going unnoticed, but there are triumphs for underground music here and there. With The Casket Lottery’s show and Modest Mouse’s television appearance, I’d say Friday, as a whole, was a triumph.

On the Air

Am I on? Hello?

Yes, indeed. The Casket Lottery show @ The Che Cafe was stupendous! First of all, the setting was inspiring, a small artsy cafe surrounded by trees on the campus of UCSD (University of California San Diego). The weather was great and we were anxious to see them, after having missed them the night before in Hollywood.

I knew it was going to be awesome when Nathan asked me to help him do the set list. Holy crap, that's never happened to me! What an honor, I must say. It must've been in appreciation of my obsessive fanboyness of The Casket Lottery. When asked to come out to their van, I thought he might turn around, punch me in the stomach, and say "quit stalking us!" Fortunately that didn't happen.

Songs I requested were "One Trick Pony," one of my favorites, "Vista Point," one of the wife's favorites, "Heaven Help Me", knowing it was one of Brock's favorites from Survival is for Cowards, "The Bridge" and "On the Air," because he wanted to play at least one new song. They started out with a 12 song setlist, but because his voice was shot and they were driving to their next destination that night, they cut down to like 9 or 10. Despite that, however, it was the best show they put on that I've seen. And as Brock mentioned, possibly one of the best shows ever.

A major highlight was "Lost at Sea." They dressed it up a little and it sounded really good live. Thanks to their friend, Brent, for helping them out to make those songs possible.

I also videotaped the show on my brand new Panasonic mini-DV camcorder. Brock will pleased to know that it came out quite good for the circumstances. I'm working on editing it now.

More about the entire California trip later. Brock, feel free to expound on it.

The Production That Killed Don Quixote

I finally got around to renting Lost in La Mancha the other day (and watching it tonight), and I have to say it’s a tremendous documentary. The fact is that any film is subject to a number of difficulties at any time during its production and misfires litter the Hollywood landscape. This neat little documentary was utterly heartbreaking to watch because Gilliam’s other films tend to be unique, cerebral masterpieces. He’s a fantastic visionary, but I have to say that he came across as a real tight ass in this “un-making of” film.
Every little thing had to be absolutely perfect with him. Now, I know directors have a certain vision that they have to pursue…I’ve experienced that on a much smaller scale, but he was utterly tyrannical in my opinion. He was surrounded with all of these brilliant producers, crewmembers and actors, a true wealth of talent, and yet the second something went wrong he exploded in a blitz of four-letter expletives. He certainly didn’t seem to pose leadership and guidance to his film crew. I think he was, in essence, a mess.

I was disappointed that the film didn’t delve further into his ideas regarding the script though, which seemed to be a revisionist slant to the Don Quixote tale. I was also a little angry that the documentary chose not to delve into some of the conversations and ideas that Johnny Depp shared with Gilliam. There’s a part when Depp first arrives on location and he begins to discuss the script and his character with Gilliam, and then the documentary cuts away to a completely different aspect of the production. I would have really enjoyed seeing how Depp works with other directors (he’s allegedly very hands-on in the creation of his characters and their role in the film) and it was a shame Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe decided not to expand upon that. Or they just didn’t get that footage, whatever.


Gabe, his wife Beckah and I went to see the Casket Lottery in California last week. I won’t say much about it, because I think it’s better Gabe divulge the details (if he feels like it) but I will say Friday’s show at the Ché Café was the absolute best Casket Lottery set I have ever seen. Maybe one of the best gigs I’ve seen.