Saturday, December 26, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Poetry IV
I recently attended a TFA run poetry and short fiction reading. Annie Zaidi and Saudha Kasim were the readers. I had read some of Annie Zaidi's poems when I found out about Poetry for Prakriti which is being held in Madras and you should check it out if you’re in the city. Poets being featured include: Aditi Machado (who I am a huge fan of), my new favourite- the ethereal Annie Zaidi, Deepika Arivind-whom I find very interesting and many others I wish I could read and will proceed to do so when I have the time. Previous years' readers include Sharanya Manivannan whose poetry can be pretty gut wrenching and raw. I of course, had to in a gut wrenching(not so much) and embarrassing (very much) display of honesty had to tell her so; Meena Kandasamy and Siddharatha Menon-the only male voice whose name stays with me for reasons I think A will appreciate.
I should mention that I am spending much of my time reading these young female, Indian writers more than anyone else. I’m not sure why it’s happening this way but I seem to have developed an ear and eye for female, young and strictly Indian voices. I’m not sure if this is delayed patriotism or just the shared cultural context that makes it easy to relate to, but I find myself being increasingly inspired by them in comparison to other writers I come across in all my blog surfing. But even this explanation is far too simplistic. After all India is a freaking battlefield of cultures-just the last name of a poet has implications on how you read his or her poetry. And though this does not say much about that person’s context as much as it says about your understanding of that context, I find I am being influenced more by the poetry of these writers than anybody else’s. Take PFFA for instance, it is a world of poetry and by world I literally mean world-poets from all over write here and though I get my daily dose of poetry from them I find that a lot of the work posted here doesn’t stay with me.
So my point is: bells just ring in my head when I hear female, young, Indian poet. I guess it could also be because that is the identity I want to eventually cultivate, though I wasn’t aware of it until I wrote this sentence. Talk about your stream of consciousness!
Anyway getting to the reading, I had found Annie’s poems to be very interesting, different in their style and tone when I first read them. There is an underlying tone of humour in her poems- whether she talks about love or pain, the city or the trials of rustic(her words not mine) lovers’ lives. But all this becomes more effective you hear her read them out loud.
I realised what a difference the reading of a poem does to the piece. It links the poet inextricably to her poem. It becomes difficult to separate one's reaction to the poem and the poet. When one reads a poem (like on paper) though much of one's reaction does spill over to the poet it is solely directed at the poem-as a separate entity. Because it stands by itself- tiny inky black figures dreadfully stark against the white blank background with nothing to support them. The mark of a good poem is of course, that it doesn't need you to jump in and explain why.
I always tend to use the mother-child analogy when I think of poets and their poems. Our reading of a poem definitely mirrors how one might feel about a child and though this has implications on how one feels about his/her mother-it’s never the same reaction. (How many times have we willed a bawling child to shut up and gazed with pity at the struggling mother?) Poets and their poems do not get the same reaction. Unless, of course they are terrible! In which case I will judge you by your poem. I judge me by my poems too so I can be forgiven (I hope!).
But anyway, on paper, after a point it ceases to matter whether the poet was a terrible human being or done terrible things. Especially when it’s a great piece of art. Art gets a little divorced from the person. It stands on its own-if good. Now this of course I can see when it’s on paper, or as I have been witnessing it-on the Internet. But my struggle, okay not struggle but that separatedness (I can make up words okay?) seems less possible when the poet/writer reads out her/his own work. Annie’s reading of her own poetry made a difference. I now know these are her poems and though it does not completely stop me from placing myself in them there is a reserve. As she read them, she had her own inflections, lilts added here and there and a sort of musical quality that would be foolish to attempt to get rid off now. But I wonder if this is something that one can move past.
One audience member after congratulating her, promptly asked her why there was a tone of sarcasm in her poems. I was surprised when I heard this. I haven’t read the poems Annie read that day but I wasn’t aware of any sarcasm in her poetry. A great deal of humour displaying a fondness for what she was talking about-that was what came through. Now the reason why I bring this up is because I wonder how much of my seeing fondness and affection had to do with the manner in which she read the poems. Was it the poem or her? If I were to read these poems by myself would they read differently? Will I find that I like them less? I doubt it. Well okay, I hope not. But all this does bring me back to my rather involved point-does the reading of a poem change the way we understand a poem? And how? If for instance say the lady in the audience, had she read the poem would we see a sarcastic, aloof take on love? If so, then how independent are our poems from us? And- do we even want them to be?
I'm pretty sure I had a point here but I seem to have lost it. It seems rather obvious doesn't it?
***
Why did I think I had a point?
I should mention that I am spending much of my time reading these young female, Indian writers more than anyone else. I’m not sure why it’s happening this way but I seem to have developed an ear and eye for female, young and strictly Indian voices. I’m not sure if this is delayed patriotism or just the shared cultural context that makes it easy to relate to, but I find myself being increasingly inspired by them in comparison to other writers I come across in all my blog surfing. But even this explanation is far too simplistic. After all India is a freaking battlefield of cultures-just the last name of a poet has implications on how you read his or her poetry. And though this does not say much about that person’s context as much as it says about your understanding of that context, I find I am being influenced more by the poetry of these writers than anybody else’s. Take PFFA for instance, it is a world of poetry and by world I literally mean world-poets from all over write here and though I get my daily dose of poetry from them I find that a lot of the work posted here doesn’t stay with me.
So my point is: bells just ring in my head when I hear female, young, Indian poet. I guess it could also be because that is the identity I want to eventually cultivate, though I wasn’t aware of it until I wrote this sentence. Talk about your stream of consciousness!
Anyway getting to the reading, I had found Annie’s poems to be very interesting, different in their style and tone when I first read them. There is an underlying tone of humour in her poems- whether she talks about love or pain, the city or the trials of rustic(her words not mine) lovers’ lives. But all this becomes more effective you hear her read them out loud.
I realised what a difference the reading of a poem does to the piece. It links the poet inextricably to her poem. It becomes difficult to separate one's reaction to the poem and the poet. When one reads a poem (like on paper) though much of one's reaction does spill over to the poet it is solely directed at the poem-as a separate entity. Because it stands by itself- tiny inky black figures dreadfully stark against the white blank background with nothing to support them. The mark of a good poem is of course, that it doesn't need you to jump in and explain why.
I always tend to use the mother-child analogy when I think of poets and their poems. Our reading of a poem definitely mirrors how one might feel about a child and though this has implications on how one feels about his/her mother-it’s never the same reaction. (How many times have we willed a bawling child to shut up and gazed with pity at the struggling mother?) Poets and their poems do not get the same reaction. Unless, of course they are terrible! In which case I will judge you by your poem. I judge me by my poems too so I can be forgiven (I hope!).
But anyway, on paper, after a point it ceases to matter whether the poet was a terrible human being or done terrible things. Especially when it’s a great piece of art. Art gets a little divorced from the person. It stands on its own-if good. Now this of course I can see when it’s on paper, or as I have been witnessing it-on the Internet. But my struggle, okay not struggle but that separatedness (I can make up words okay?) seems less possible when the poet/writer reads out her/his own work. Annie’s reading of her own poetry made a difference. I now know these are her poems and though it does not completely stop me from placing myself in them there is a reserve. As she read them, she had her own inflections, lilts added here and there and a sort of musical quality that would be foolish to attempt to get rid off now. But I wonder if this is something that one can move past.
One audience member after congratulating her, promptly asked her why there was a tone of sarcasm in her poems. I was surprised when I heard this. I haven’t read the poems Annie read that day but I wasn’t aware of any sarcasm in her poetry. A great deal of humour displaying a fondness for what she was talking about-that was what came through. Now the reason why I bring this up is because I wonder how much of my seeing fondness and affection had to do with the manner in which she read the poems. Was it the poem or her? If I were to read these poems by myself would they read differently? Will I find that I like them less? I doubt it. Well okay, I hope not. But all this does bring me back to my rather involved point-does the reading of a poem change the way we understand a poem? And how? If for instance say the lady in the audience, had she read the poem would we see a sarcastic, aloof take on love? If so, then how independent are our poems from us? And- do we even want them to be?
I'm pretty sure I had a point here but I seem to have lost it. It seems rather obvious doesn't it?
***
Why did I think I had a point?
Monday, December 21, 2009
The year end.
Every time I start with a blog post there’s always a purpose -I’m not sure whether this ever comes across but I always start with the best of intentions. I’m starting this one without having anything particular to say.
It’s the year end and looking back on what has probably been my most memorable (oxymoronic-I’m getting some secret pleasure out of knowing that I’m the only one who gets this in its entirety) year yet, I am taking some time to contemplate my fingers. And my toes. I feel like they should have changed in some obvious way because they do feel different. My entire body feels different.
So maybe I’ll run through this year, though a lot of it is still in a haze.This is of course very personal and very boring for anyone who doesn’t know me (who am I kidding? It’s boring for those that do as well):
January: Something changed imperceptibly when poetry began in me. Tiny Dancer came alive for the first time and I started something that a lot of people have frequently scratched their heads about since. “You write?? Whaaa? I didn’t know!“ Neither did I.
February:
March: Addictions began to tell their toll and we began faltering for the first time. Though when I think about it… it probably began a long, long time ago.
April: Exams and Vivas should have taken the forefront but they didn’t.
May: A reprise in Shimla. An explosion in
June: Even
July: Employment, finally!
August: Shillong, Shillong Shillong.
September: Work blues. Joined PFFA and began to take writing a lot more seriously. I also had my first real epiphany about what craft is and the bullshit that people pass off as craft. I think this really marked my growing up-if not as a writer then definitely in how I view the world. Contrary to my previously held but flimsy opinion, this did not make poetry any less beautiful to me. Also of importance, this month marked the birth of this blog.
October: Conoor, A Cats eye generated epiphany.
November: Hazy-why can’t I remember? Oh yes-a reunion leaving me itchy. A breakup (?) leaving me dumbfounded. Somehow along the way apathy set in and I am officially disillusioned.
December: Musing on the year end and wondering what I would have changed about it. I wish I could say I had no regrets. But if anything, this year has been filled with events I wish I could erase.
Well this ended up pretty purposeful.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Edna St. Vincent Millay
If I should learn, in some quite casual way,
That you were gone, not to return again --
Read from the back-page of a paper, say,
Held by a neighbor in a subway train,
How at the corner of this avenue
And such a street (so are the papers filled)
A hurrying man -- who happened to be you --
At noon to-day had happened to be killed,
I should not cry aloud -- I could not cry
Aloud, or wring my hands in such a place --
I should but watch the station lights rush by
With a more careful interest on my face,
Or raise my eyes and read with greater care
Where to store furs and how to treat the hair.
That you were gone, not to return again --
Read from the back-page of a paper, say,
Held by a neighbor in a subway train,
How at the corner of this avenue
And such a street (so are the papers filled)
A hurrying man -- who happened to be you --
At noon to-day had happened to be killed,
I should not cry aloud -- I could not cry
Aloud, or wring my hands in such a place --
I should but watch the station lights rush by
With a more careful interest on my face,
Or raise my eyes and read with greater care
Where to store furs and how to treat the hair.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: A New Look
So these days I've been revisiting my teens and watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer all over again. Yes yes I know-how geeky! But I embraced my geekdom a long long time ago. Anyway, now as I am watching it, I realise why I liked it so much. It is a really really good show. Why? Because it always surprised: whether in terms of character development or innovative story lines. But what made Buffy different and what makes it stand out even now is how it addressed story telling. Joss Whedon has made a sincere and mostly successful attempt at changing the way a narrative is relayed on screen. Some episodes have been written so beautifully it is a wonder they haven't received enough credit for them. ( though in the Buffy fan world I think they are definitely revered) Anyway, so I have chosen my top 3 Buffy episodes. Many of them have spoilers so don't read ahead if ..blah blah disclaimer I can't be bothered to type out.
3. Once More With Feeling 6x7
Joss Whedon's musical episode certainly seemed to challenge the actors. No dubbing, just their own voices- some tuneless and some others pleasant to the ear. Okay Sarah Michelle Gellar's (what a long name! henceforth will be referred to as SMG. Sorry I hate it when people do this but well.. too bad!) voice is a little whiny and thin. And out of all the actors it is Amber Benson who has the best voice- quite lovely actually. But all this is immaterial. This episode's strong point is that the actors sang in their own voices. I mean, think about it. If you were in your own musical wouldn't you like to sing in your own voice? Even if your voice made caterwauling cats go deaf? (In my secret musical-often performed in the dark where annoying, squidgy siblings can't reach you with their derisive laughter, I have been Jewel-ya right! and even Tori Amos which doesn't suit me one bit but who cares?) Anyway side stepping that rather long aside-the point of course is, it's your musical so it should be your voice.
What is most interesting is that Whedon chose to do this episode here. This is a pretty rough time for all the characters. So as a musical it is pretty depressing. And well from this episode onwards the characters start losing their grip on things. What happens here is the trigger for what happens later. The story:A demon enters Sunnydale to spread death and destruction(Umm.. duh.) and introduces a little song and dance in the bargain. Good thing? Only thing is, if you dance too long and too hard you burst into flames. Very unwillingly, the characters end up singing about things they would never speak about. Pandora's box opens and the hilarity lasts only as long as the song does. And in some cases not even that long.
I always used to wonder why they never made Alyson Hannigan sing in this episode. All she does is some back up here and there. Then I realised that out of all the characters, Willow is the happiest. Buffy sings about feeling apathetic and well dead to what's happening around her, Spike sings about unrequited love, Tara sings about Willow's betrayal, Giles about his concern for Buffy, Xander and Anya about their marriage related fears and Dawn, well Dawn sings about being a teenager which lets face it, is too complicated to address here. Willow's the only one who is not insecure. She's dabbling in magic she shouldn't be, she's also messing with Tara's head and is in blissful ignorance (rather arrogance) of the consequences to her actions. Actually her arrogance is what makes what happens later so tragic. She also gets her first blow when Buffy reveals that she was never in hell. Anyway definitely one of my favorite episodes. I loved the group song in the beginning. Anya's tirade about the evil bunnies (lol I am imagining innocent little bunnies blinking here) is probably my favorit-est song on this episode.
2. Hush 4x10
Wow! My respect for Whedon really went up (though it was pretty sky high already) when I watched this one. He definitely deserved the Emmy nomination for this one. He might have even deserved to win it. I made my sister watch it recently and she freaked out. How brilliantly brilliantly directed and definitely one of the creepiest episodes ever on the series. So the story is about the Gentlemen- wonderful wonderful make up. So very creepy. From their suits and the perpetually plastered smiles on their faces to the eloquent hand gestures and polite nods they are different from any of the creeps we see on this show. Like my sister said "Monsters should not be refined." So these Gentlemen arrive in Sunnydale to steal people's voices and more. As the rhyme goes:
Most of this episode has no dialogue in it which is what makes it so brilliant. It is absolutely riveting to watch. The characters have lost their voices and the consequences range from hilarious to downright frightening. Take the moment when Xander calls Buffy and realises he can't talk or Buffy who picks up the phone and exasperatedly puts it down when nothing but air comes out of her mouth. Though there is no dialogue there is actually a lot of talking. Violent hand gestures, pithy messages and a hilarious presentation of the case by Giles. The background noise is supplied by dramatic music playing up to whatever is happening in the scene. The music therefore becomes the narration. Of course the scariest thing is that when you scream, no one hears you. I think my favourite parts of this episode have to be: when the characters first realise they are dumb, Xander's misunderstanding with Spike, The Gentlemen floating all over town as if part of some macabre musical and the last part. Definitely the last part. Buffy and Riley finally get to know about each others' identities but when they sit down to talk about it, words fail them as they face each other in what is actually the most silent part of the episode. I don't think I can say enough to do it credit. Watch it in order to understand not just mine but everybody's fascination with it.
1. The Body 5x16
My plan, initially was to have "Hush" top the list but then I watched The Body and I was incredibly moved. I going to try and not gush about this one. I feel like I would do grave insult to the episode by doing this.
This episode picks off from the end of the previous one where Buffy finds her mother lying dead on the couch. The episode is played out in Four Acts. The First Act is done in one long shot. It is a scene that is heartbreaking with its lack of drama (actually the entire episode is) and credit for this must go to SMG. Her initial denial, her regression to childlike behaviour on finding her mother, her panicked phone call to 911, her dazed walk through the house when she is first told her mother is dead to the final scene in the Act when she reacts with horror as she refers to her mother as "the body".
The Second Act relays Dawn's response to the event. While Buffy is put together with cracks showing up in places that hint of a delayed but more devastating breakdown, Dawn's reaction is immediate. She is a child, her mother is dead-her world just falls apart and everybody is there to witness it. I like that Whedon decided to keep the audience away from the dialogue that is going on between Buffy and Dawn when she first tells her what has happened. He allows you to place yourself in that space-what would you say what would your reaction be? Also it is almost like he is doing the decent thing by giving the characters their privacy.
The Third Act shows all their friends' reactions. Of these I find Willow's the most touching. Not only because Alyson Hannigan acts it brilliantly, she was the one I could most identify with. Her reactions: Not knowing what to say to your best friend, panicking about it, not wanting to face it and the endless heartbreaking compassion that one does not want to feel are all essayed brilliantly. This episode is famous for Anya's monologue. Following a spate of inappropriate questions the monologue addresses the confusion and shock we all face when death comes along. Though she is new to being human, Anya has never been anything but when she says she does not know what to do.
The Fourth Act is in the hospital. All the characters have gathered to hear about the cause of death. There is a devastating final scene in the morgue and it is perhaps one of my favourite Buffy endings along with "Hush".
In terms of technique this episode was handled exactly opposite to Hush. While Hush has minimal dialogue it is filled with a dramatic background score. The Body has no music. The only sounds present are everyday noises. So there is the sound of a distant car going by and the sound of wind chimes in the background but otherwise it is a very quiet episode. The technique highlights the fact that death happens suddenly and quickly. The lack of drama shows us how ordinary it really is. It treats the event like any of us might in life. There is no well chosen background music, maudlin speeches or any speeches for that matter or the shedding of manipulative tears designed to choke you. Even the light in the episode is warm and bright. It's so real it is frightening. You don't feel like it is happening in some alternate, unreal universe(which it could have been considering the supernatural theme of this show) it is in fact happening in someone's drawing room, that someone is wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. And it's all real. That is what this episode is saying-this could be you. And in a world of television where every experience is designed to numb you, pull you away from your reality, one that places it back in front of you has to be commended. Especially when done with sincerity and compassion.
3. Once More With Feeling 6x7
Joss Whedon's musical episode certainly seemed to challenge the actors. No dubbing, just their own voices- some tuneless and some others pleasant to the ear. Okay Sarah Michelle Gellar's (what a long name! henceforth will be referred to as SMG. Sorry I hate it when people do this but well.. too bad!) voice is a little whiny and thin. And out of all the actors it is Amber Benson who has the best voice- quite lovely actually. But all this is immaterial. This episode's strong point is that the actors sang in their own voices. I mean, think about it. If you were in your own musical wouldn't you like to sing in your own voice? Even if your voice made caterwauling cats go deaf? (In my secret musical-often performed in the dark where annoying, squidgy siblings can't reach you with their derisive laughter, I have been Jewel-ya right! and even Tori Amos which doesn't suit me one bit but who cares?) Anyway side stepping that rather long aside-the point of course is, it's your musical so it should be your voice.
What is most interesting is that Whedon chose to do this episode here. This is a pretty rough time for all the characters. So as a musical it is pretty depressing. And well from this episode onwards the characters start losing their grip on things. What happens here is the trigger for what happens later. The story:A demon enters Sunnydale to spread death and destruction(Umm.. duh.) and introduces a little song and dance in the bargain. Good thing? Only thing is, if you dance too long and too hard you burst into flames. Very unwillingly, the characters end up singing about things they would never speak about. Pandora's box opens and the hilarity lasts only as long as the song does. And in some cases not even that long.
I always used to wonder why they never made Alyson Hannigan sing in this episode. All she does is some back up here and there. Then I realised that out of all the characters, Willow is the happiest. Buffy sings about feeling apathetic and well dead to what's happening around her, Spike sings about unrequited love, Tara sings about Willow's betrayal, Giles about his concern for Buffy, Xander and Anya about their marriage related fears and Dawn, well Dawn sings about being a teenager which lets face it, is too complicated to address here. Willow's the only one who is not insecure. She's dabbling in magic she shouldn't be, she's also messing with Tara's head and is in blissful ignorance (rather arrogance) of the consequences to her actions. Actually her arrogance is what makes what happens later so tragic. She also gets her first blow when Buffy reveals that she was never in hell. Anyway definitely one of my favorite episodes. I loved the group song in the beginning. Anya's tirade about the evil bunnies (lol I am imagining innocent little bunnies blinking here) is probably my favorit-est song on this episode.
2. Hush 4x10
Wow! My respect for Whedon really went up (though it was pretty sky high already) when I watched this one. He definitely deserved the Emmy nomination for this one. He might have even deserved to win it. I made my sister watch it recently and she freaked out. How brilliantly brilliantly directed and definitely one of the creepiest episodes ever on the series. So the story is about the Gentlemen- wonderful wonderful make up. So very creepy. From their suits and the perpetually plastered smiles on their faces to the eloquent hand gestures and polite nods they are different from any of the creeps we see on this show. Like my sister said "Monsters should not be refined." So these Gentlemen arrive in Sunnydale to steal people's voices and more. As the rhyme goes:
"Can't even shout, Can't even cry
the gentlemen are coming by,
knocking on windows knocking on doors
they need to take 7 and they might take yours.
Can't call your mom, can't say a word,
You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."
the gentlemen are coming by,
knocking on windows knocking on doors
they need to take 7 and they might take yours.
Can't call your mom, can't say a word,
You're gonna die screaming but you won't be heard."
Most of this episode has no dialogue in it which is what makes it so brilliant. It is absolutely riveting to watch. The characters have lost their voices and the consequences range from hilarious to downright frightening. Take the moment when Xander calls Buffy and realises he can't talk or Buffy who picks up the phone and exasperatedly puts it down when nothing but air comes out of her mouth. Though there is no dialogue there is actually a lot of talking. Violent hand gestures, pithy messages and a hilarious presentation of the case by Giles. The background noise is supplied by dramatic music playing up to whatever is happening in the scene. The music therefore becomes the narration. Of course the scariest thing is that when you scream, no one hears you. I think my favourite parts of this episode have to be: when the characters first realise they are dumb, Xander's misunderstanding with Spike, The Gentlemen floating all over town as if part of some macabre musical and the last part. Definitely the last part. Buffy and Riley finally get to know about each others' identities but when they sit down to talk about it, words fail them as they face each other in what is actually the most silent part of the episode. I don't think I can say enough to do it credit. Watch it in order to understand not just mine but everybody's fascination with it.
1. The Body 5x16
My plan, initially was to have "Hush" top the list but then I watched The Body and I was incredibly moved. I going to try and not gush about this one. I feel like I would do grave insult to the episode by doing this.
This episode picks off from the end of the previous one where Buffy finds her mother lying dead on the couch. The episode is played out in Four Acts. The First Act is done in one long shot. It is a scene that is heartbreaking with its lack of drama (actually the entire episode is) and credit for this must go to SMG. Her initial denial, her regression to childlike behaviour on finding her mother, her panicked phone call to 911, her dazed walk through the house when she is first told her mother is dead to the final scene in the Act when she reacts with horror as she refers to her mother as "the body".
The Second Act relays Dawn's response to the event. While Buffy is put together with cracks showing up in places that hint of a delayed but more devastating breakdown, Dawn's reaction is immediate. She is a child, her mother is dead-her world just falls apart and everybody is there to witness it. I like that Whedon decided to keep the audience away from the dialogue that is going on between Buffy and Dawn when she first tells her what has happened. He allows you to place yourself in that space-what would you say what would your reaction be? Also it is almost like he is doing the decent thing by giving the characters their privacy.
The Third Act shows all their friends' reactions. Of these I find Willow's the most touching. Not only because Alyson Hannigan acts it brilliantly, she was the one I could most identify with. Her reactions: Not knowing what to say to your best friend, panicking about it, not wanting to face it and the endless heartbreaking compassion that one does not want to feel are all essayed brilliantly. This episode is famous for Anya's monologue. Following a spate of inappropriate questions the monologue addresses the confusion and shock we all face when death comes along. Though she is new to being human, Anya has never been anything but when she says she does not know what to do.
The Fourth Act is in the hospital. All the characters have gathered to hear about the cause of death. There is a devastating final scene in the morgue and it is perhaps one of my favourite Buffy endings along with "Hush".
In terms of technique this episode was handled exactly opposite to Hush. While Hush has minimal dialogue it is filled with a dramatic background score. The Body has no music. The only sounds present are everyday noises. So there is the sound of a distant car going by and the sound of wind chimes in the background but otherwise it is a very quiet episode. The technique highlights the fact that death happens suddenly and quickly. The lack of drama shows us how ordinary it really is. It treats the event like any of us might in life. There is no well chosen background music, maudlin speeches or any speeches for that matter or the shedding of manipulative tears designed to choke you. Even the light in the episode is warm and bright. It's so real it is frightening. You don't feel like it is happening in some alternate, unreal universe(which it could have been considering the supernatural theme of this show) it is in fact happening in someone's drawing room, that someone is wearing a red shirt and blue jeans. And it's all real. That is what this episode is saying-this could be you. And in a world of television where every experience is designed to numb you, pull you away from your reality, one that places it back in front of you has to be commended. Especially when done with sincerity and compassion.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Books I have to have to get my hands on
So these days I'm always in the mood to read. I haven't felt like this in a long long time. There was a time when you'd always see me with a book attached to my face. Then I guess all that went away when I succumbed to bad TV and the internet *sigh* but not anymore. These days when I see a book my fingers always get a little itchy and I can feel the stirrings of interest that is purely involuntary and it's not something I have to generate. So the other day I went to Bookworm with I (who I am so so happy is going to be in Bangalore) and I died. I was flat broke and there were so many books I wanted to buy. Still, with barely any money in my pocket or in my account(sob! sob!) I bought Murder At The Vicarage by Agatha Christie(I'm obsessed all over again. Someone stop me! Bought a Pocket Full Of Rye only two days later) and The Delta of Venus by Anaïs Nin-this will be my first Anaïs Nin, I've been reading up on her and I find her fascinating. And this will be my first dive into apparently good erotica. Okay now getting to my list:
1. Crooked House by Agatha Christie
2. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
3. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
Ok not much of a list-:s. But still, of the three the first one is going to be very hard to find. I combed through Landmark yesterday and I couldn't find it anywhere. Come to think of it I've never seen it in a bookstore. It's probably her creepiest yet and I searched for it with a desperation that I think creeped out poor I.
By the way, did you know creeped wasn't a word? Apparently I've been taking gross liberties with this language.
1. Crooked House by Agatha Christie
2. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
3. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood
Ok not much of a list-:s. But still, of the three the first one is going to be very hard to find. I combed through Landmark yesterday and I couldn't find it anywhere. Come to think of it I've never seen it in a bookstore. It's probably her creepiest yet and I searched for it with a desperation that I think creeped out poor I.
By the way, did you know creeped wasn't a word? Apparently I've been taking gross liberties with this language.
Graham Greene
my breath is folded up
like sheets in lavender
the end for me
arrives like nursery tea
Playlist
My current obsessions:
1. Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
I love this man. I love this song. Special mention also for :
Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois; They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! (to be loved just for its name); Romulus-I am beginning to love this album more than Seven Swans.
2. We have a map of the piano by Múm
Courtesy the lovely Isa.
3. Pink Bullets by The Shins
I will never get over this song. I think I've been obsessed for over a year now.
4. They'll never take the good years by Wiliam Fitzsimmons
It kills me with its laid back sweetness.
5. 4th Time Around by Bob Dylan
A little gem that I almost missed.
6. Brooks Was Here by Thomas Newman
The haunting background score for Shawshank Redemption's most moving scene spelt out alienation so starkly, you couldn't avoid it. Much like Brooks, this piece leaves its mark on you.
7. Humans are Dead by Flight of the Conchords
Though it may not seem like I have a sense from the humor from the above list, I think mention of this song and is enough to save me from any hasty conclusions.
1. Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
I love this man. I love this song. Special mention also for :
Concerning The UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois; They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! (to be loved just for its name); Romulus-I am beginning to love this album more than Seven Swans.
2. We have a map of the piano by Múm
Courtesy the lovely Isa.
3. Pink Bullets by The Shins
I will never get over this song. I think I've been obsessed for over a year now.
4. They'll never take the good years by Wiliam Fitzsimmons
It kills me with its laid back sweetness.
5. 4th Time Around by Bob Dylan
A little gem that I almost missed.
6. Brooks Was Here by Thomas Newman
The haunting background score for Shawshank Redemption's most moving scene spelt out alienation so starkly, you couldn't avoid it. Much like Brooks, this piece leaves its mark on you.
7. Humans are Dead by Flight of the Conchords
Though it may not seem like I have a sense from the humor from the above list, I think mention of this song and is enough to save me from any hasty conclusions.
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