I Think I'm In Love
Sunday 1 August 2004
In London all day. Set off around 0930hrs, parked up at T's. Really nice weather. Got off at London Bridge tube. Went to the Design Museum. Had an exhibition on Saul Bass. He designed the titles for such films as 'Anatomy of a Murder', 'Vertigo', 'Psycho', 'Casino', 'Goodfellas', 'Cape Fear' (Scorcese version) and 'Spartacus' amongst many others. Opening titles were always bland and drab before Bass. They have never been the same since, although of course, many titles do not meet the high standards set by Bass. Great exhibition. Scorcese lent the Museum some pieces and provided a nice quote for the end of the exhibition. Fascinating to see the original designs. I find that a great way to analyse whether something should be held in high regard is to ask how they conceived and achieved it. If that cannot be answered then the work must be of high quality on some level i.e Pet Sounds - Brian Wilson was 22, I know how he arranged the pieces and I know that the final product sounds amazing and I know why it sounds amazing but I will never know he conceived the songs and melodies and arrangements. Bass' work is similar in that respect.
Went to the Tate Modern, hoping to catch the Edward Hopper. Sold out. So disappointed - looked amazing - bought a great book on him for a fiver though. Saw the Luc Tuymens exhibition. Didn't really get it to be honest. Didn't work for me on an aesthetic or conceptual level. His pieces are supposed to show the banality of evil. He takes images from concentration camps and paints the seemingly dull objects within, such as a lamp. His amateur style is supposed to reflect something or other... I still don't get it... I guess you can't like everything. Just because it's at the Tate Modern don't make it good, so to speak.
Went for a drink in the bar on top floor of the OXO tower. £7.50 for some cocktail with bourbon and apple schnapps. Was nice. Felt good to not give a crap about its cost. I am fortunate in that respect. Would rather spend £7.50 on a well made drink on the South Bank overlooking South London than £7.50 on 3 pints of Stella in Stones in Cannock. I have consciously made that life choice. Shoot it down if you can (you can't) .
Went to the Festival Hall. David Viner was on as we entered. Basically a white guy with electric guitar singing contemporary blues songs with ironic lyrics about wife-beating. I get the impression this guy thinks he's quite a hit. He was terrible. How does a guy like this get signed and get to play a legendary venue like this? Although unrelated, it brings to mind a Spinal Tap quote - "Too much fucking perspective" - I don't why it came in to my head, but its a great quote. Pere Ubu were next up. The lead singer (a huge influence on Tiny from Ultrasound) berated his band members at one stage for fucking up. He basically screams poetry over angular post-rock Sonic Youth-esque backing. Quite effective. Will do some research on them. At several stages throughout the set he put on a kitchen apron. Not sure why.
Spiritualized then came on and played for two hours straight. Similarly to when I saw them in Sheffield, they were really disappointing. I Think I'm In Love was stunning. A few others were great. Light show was great. But this man charges £25 a ticket. Has backing tapes accompanying throughout. No horn section, no string section, no gospel choir. Just him and his session players. The London crowd were predictable as ever. More interested in going to the bar than listening and absorbing. Too busy thinking of moronic things to shout out in between songs. I was disappointed and on the verge of boredom but I wanted it to get better and I didn't travel all the way there to not sit there for to hours. Do all these people have Attention Defecit Disorder? Really spoiled an average evening.
Great day though. The Thames looked great in the sunlight. Had a drink on the balcony of the Royal Festival Hall overlooking the river. Great view. Great city.
In London all day. Set off around 0930hrs, parked up at T's. Really nice weather. Got off at London Bridge tube. Went to the Design Museum. Had an exhibition on Saul Bass. He designed the titles for such films as 'Anatomy of a Murder', 'Vertigo', 'Psycho', 'Casino', 'Goodfellas', 'Cape Fear' (Scorcese version) and 'Spartacus' amongst many others. Opening titles were always bland and drab before Bass. They have never been the same since, although of course, many titles do not meet the high standards set by Bass. Great exhibition. Scorcese lent the Museum some pieces and provided a nice quote for the end of the exhibition. Fascinating to see the original designs. I find that a great way to analyse whether something should be held in high regard is to ask how they conceived and achieved it. If that cannot be answered then the work must be of high quality on some level i.e Pet Sounds - Brian Wilson was 22, I know how he arranged the pieces and I know that the final product sounds amazing and I know why it sounds amazing but I will never know he conceived the songs and melodies and arrangements. Bass' work is similar in that respect.
Went to the Tate Modern, hoping to catch the Edward Hopper. Sold out. So disappointed - looked amazing - bought a great book on him for a fiver though. Saw the Luc Tuymens exhibition. Didn't really get it to be honest. Didn't work for me on an aesthetic or conceptual level. His pieces are supposed to show the banality of evil. He takes images from concentration camps and paints the seemingly dull objects within, such as a lamp. His amateur style is supposed to reflect something or other... I still don't get it... I guess you can't like everything. Just because it's at the Tate Modern don't make it good, so to speak.
Went for a drink in the bar on top floor of the OXO tower. £7.50 for some cocktail with bourbon and apple schnapps. Was nice. Felt good to not give a crap about its cost. I am fortunate in that respect. Would rather spend £7.50 on a well made drink on the South Bank overlooking South London than £7.50 on 3 pints of Stella in Stones in Cannock. I have consciously made that life choice. Shoot it down if you can (you can't) .
Went to the Festival Hall. David Viner was on as we entered. Basically a white guy with electric guitar singing contemporary blues songs with ironic lyrics about wife-beating. I get the impression this guy thinks he's quite a hit. He was terrible. How does a guy like this get signed and get to play a legendary venue like this? Although unrelated, it brings to mind a Spinal Tap quote - "Too much fucking perspective" - I don't why it came in to my head, but its a great quote. Pere Ubu were next up. The lead singer (a huge influence on Tiny from Ultrasound) berated his band members at one stage for fucking up. He basically screams poetry over angular post-rock Sonic Youth-esque backing. Quite effective. Will do some research on them. At several stages throughout the set he put on a kitchen apron. Not sure why.
Spiritualized then came on and played for two hours straight. Similarly to when I saw them in Sheffield, they were really disappointing. I Think I'm In Love was stunning. A few others were great. Light show was great. But this man charges £25 a ticket. Has backing tapes accompanying throughout. No horn section, no string section, no gospel choir. Just him and his session players. The London crowd were predictable as ever. More interested in going to the bar than listening and absorbing. Too busy thinking of moronic things to shout out in between songs. I was disappointed and on the verge of boredom but I wanted it to get better and I didn't travel all the way there to not sit there for to hours. Do all these people have Attention Defecit Disorder? Really spoiled an average evening.
Great day though. The Thames looked great in the sunlight. Had a drink on the balcony of the Royal Festival Hall overlooking the river. Great view. Great city.
posted by Steve State at
17:39
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