The first thing I thought of to share for this assignment was the book Other Electricities by Ander Monson. It is a collection of short stories that all take place in or are thematically associated with a small town in Michigan that has suffered a couple of notable tragedies that color the lives of all its residents, and the stories are told from many different perspectives and jump around the timeline. Many of the stories were originally published separately in various magazines or journals and then compiled by the author to create this book (much like The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury). They are written in a very emotive and interesting style of language, and present a very human story. The book is also very carefully put together, and has several charts in the front of the book showing the relationships and associations of all the characters, as well as important symbolism in the book.
Here is an excerpt:
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4720049
2.
Blankets by Craig Thompson is a very important book/graphic novel for me. The ideas it presents about growing up, religion, family, and love really struck me at a time when I was trying to figure out who I was, and the gorgeous artwork really made the narrative come alive as well as made me think about what art and drawing could be and what it could do for someone emotionally. It tells a highly personal semi-autobiographical story of someone at the end of high school falling in and out of love, and pairs that narrative with important moments from his childhood. The themes in this book are realized to a stunning degree, and every time I read it I discover something new about it or about myself.
3.
The music of Liz Harris, AKA Grouper, is very unique in that it is equal parts lofi ambient and singer-songwriter. She writes somewhat minimalist guitar, piano and synthesizer compositions that are treated with reverb and delay and recorded to tape, which gives the songs a distinct murkiness and texture. The songs have an eerie but comforting beauty to them, and the atmosphere is totally unique. I have very personal connection with Grouper, as I frequently listen to her music both when I am falling asleep and when I am extremely depressed. The music creates a cocoon of comforting sound that is easy to disappear into. I love her song "Headache" in particular, as the melancholy atmosphere is fully rendered by the wider stereo image and reverb. The single artwork for this song is also much more colorful than most of her other album covers and lends a kind of hope or optimism to interpreting the music. The lyrics of this song (although they are all but impossible to pick out at times) also contain very vivid imagery that I find extremely affecting:
My mother once told me
She walked into the ocean
Didn't want to die
Just couldn't tell where the horizon was
Wanted to have a closer look
Why is this costume weighing me down
https://grouper.bandcamp.com/track/headache
4.
Alejandro Jodorowsky is a very unique avant-garde filmmaker. His films are mainly focused on the bizarre surrealist imagery he creates and the gut reactions they often provoke, as well as the metaphorical and symbolic meanings behind them. He is best known for his first two films, El Topo (1970) and The Holy Mountain (1973). However, this blog entry is for what would have been his third film, an adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel Dune. In 2013, a documentary called Jodorowsky's Dune was released that detailed the creative planning process for what could have been one of the greatest science fiction films ever made had it been released, featuring the creative efforts of H.R. Giger, science fiction illustrator Chris Foss, French comic book artist Moebius, and the visual effects of Dan O'Bannon, who worked on the Star Wars films. The film also would have featured music from Magma and Pink Floyd, as well as acting roles from Salvador Dali and Mick Jagger among others. The reputation of Jodorowsky's films as well as the extravagant cost (and its insane projected length of 14 hours) kept it from actually being made, but the conceptual artwork and storyboards were completely finished, hinting at huge amounts of unrealized potential. The documentary covers all of this and presents an interesting view of what could have been an amazing film.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jg4OCeSTL08
dope
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