June 8-14, 2006
Culture Shock
This Week in A & E
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I still love metal. I especially got lots of mileage out of my Mr. Bungle and Faith No More albums. But Patton's continuous and current level of productivity with a diverse range of collaborators is nearly as appealing as his delivery. I recently caught his live improvised sets with Rahzel, the excellent Italian trio Zu, and Fennesz. But this week he's keeping me busy with two new recordings: his evil wordless John Zorn interpretations, Moonchild, and his equally as creepy pop project, Peeping Tom. And it feels so good, it's like walking on glass.
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Right now I'm preparing for our upcoming production of John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany. Irving's favorite writer is Charles Dickens. Both writers create epic stories filled with remarkable characters and incidents. Deadwood does the same thing. It keeps so many characters and storylines aloft. The dialogue is brilliant—I am always amazed that they are speaking in iambic pentameter. Many of Dickens' novels were serialized, published in chapters for a clamoring public. Deadwood has that same feel—each episode feels like a new chapter of a great novel. It's been said that if William Shakespeare was alive, he'd be writing for The Sopranos. And Dickens would be writing for Deadwood.
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Channel 102 makes life better. I recommend that all the people who appreciate the Internet's power to entertain go to www.channel102.net. Web sites like this one give creative minds an outlet for their genius or at least their boredom, in this case by presenting five-minute TV pilot episodes. They accept submissions from anyone with an idea and a sample video on a MiniDV cassette. Not every pilot is brilliant but the good ones will make you laugh loudly. Thank you, Internet. And thank you too, creators of Channel 102.
June 9 marks the beginning of the World Cup—in my eyes, the sporting event of 2006. Thirty-two country teams are gathering in Germany for the world championship of soccer after four years of grueling elimination matches. Beyond the usual fanfare, this year's tournament has one more compelling story for me. The Ivory Coast qualified for the World Cup for the first time ever. This occasion not only brought on huge celebrations in its capital of Abidjan, but also unified a country wrought with civil war since 1999. A ceasefire has been in effect since the day the Elephants, which have players from both the sides of the conflict, qualified. So root for the Elephants and hope that their success in "the beautiful game" can help bring lasting peace.
