President Hits New Low (and High):

According to USA Today, George Bush is now the Babe Ruth of presidential approval ratings.

Many of us remember Babe Ruth as one of the greatest home run hitters of all time. His record of 714 held for nearly 30 years until Hank Aaron broke it in 1974. However Babe Ruth also struck out more times than anyone in getting to his home run record. He seemed to be only capable of wild success and eroding failure at the plate.

In the 70 year history of the Gallup Poll, President George Bush has received the highest approval rating (90% in September of 2001) and, as of this week, the lowest, 28%, breaking President Harry S. Truman's record of %29, during the Korean War.

It's a historic day. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. 

SFIFF51 Review: "1000 Journals"

1000 Journals is playing one more time on May 1 at the Kabuki theater. See it if you can. It's a must-not-miss.


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SFIFF51 Review: "Dust"

Dust is playing May 5th and 7th at the Kabuki Theater in San Francisco.


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Thought of the Day: "Endings"

To The Best of Our Knowledge had a short piece this week about the best ending passages in literature. Author Jane Hamilton read the last paragraph of Robert Penn Warren's legendary political novel All The King's Men which just about knocked me to my knees.

"We shall go back, no doubt, to walk down the Row and watch young people on the tennis courts by the clump of mimosas and walk down the beach by the bay, where the diving floats lift gently in the sun and on out to the pine grove, where the needles thick on the ground will deaden the footfall so the we small move among trees as soundlessly as smoke. But that will be a long time from now and soon now we shall go out of the house and go into the convulsion of the world, out of history into history and the awful responsibility of Time."

Isn't that magnificent?

What is your favorite "last passage" in literature?

SIFF51: My Schedule...

Using Sched.org, I've logged a complete schedule of the movies I'd like to see at this year's San Francisco International Film Festival.

What looks good to you? Sched.org is free so put together your own calendar so we can compare.

Double Fine, Double Blogging:

Double Fine game studio, the geniuses behind Pyschonauts, one my favorite games ever, has an in-house blog that I've only just discovered. Which makes me nine kinds of happy. I would drink their bathwater but for now, reading their updates will have to do.

Double Fine is based here in San Francisco, a very small town in the togs of a world class city, so I'm surprised I haven't run into anyone who works there.  The closest I've come is my friend  Anne Larie who owns a Double Fine T-shirt.  Which isn't really close at all.

Anyone from Double Fine out, please make yourself known. I'd just like to say thank for making such awesome stuff.

Walk. Score!

So the Walk Score of my building is 97 out of 100. Which me gives a little self-righteous thrill.

What's yours? (via NY Times)

Portland Needs to Stop Kissing My Ass:

Never mind Portland already has Powell's, Reading Frenzy, the Museum of Contemporary Craft and a bar filled with old video games. Now I find out its home to the Zabar's of Donut Shops.

It's as though someone has built a city in the clouds, just to the north, to cater to my every childish whim. And I don't live there.  It 's Kevin's Disneyland.

What next, Portland? A Streets of Fire-themed dance club? The world's largest drive-thru salad bar? Kevin Day every month? IA high speed-bullet train from San Francisco? Let's get to work on that last one (via my friend Anitra)

Brooklyn 'Hit' List:

Please tell me why we should care (unless we are Mark David Chapman) which section of Brooklyn famous writers live in? Because New York Magazine would like us to believe this is very very important to know.

Without understanding why, I follow their example. At the moment, I am deeply immersed in crafting a similar piece, complete with map, on where the pulsating heart of literary San Francisco takes its dry cleaning. So for all you stalkers out there eager to pawn a lint ball of mine on eBay, please begin snooping at Son Loy Laundry, right here.

I'm usually there in the late morning, surrounded by large Syrian men in track suits whom I call Chaz and Skip. If one is cutting me a line of cocaine on the pants pressing iron, that means go away (via Felicia Sullivan).

SFIFF51 Review: "Ice People"

Ice People will be playing April 26, 28, and 30 at the Kabuki Theater.


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Roger Ebert (Doesn't) Speak:

I was real sad when I read this NY Times article which says that even though film critic Roger Ebert has returned to work after a series of cancer-related surgeries, he is still unable to speak and thus will not be returning to his TV show, "Ebert and Roeper at the Movies", anytime soon.

Which breaks my heart because I tune in every Saturday hoping he will be.

Roger Ebert is one of the major reasons I am a writer. At 12, my best friend gave me the 1985 edition of Ebert's Video Companion and it split my world open. Not only did I get a hand-held glimpse into the richness of cinema's history but understood there was a way to write about culture as a member of the audience, not an expert. That an opinion, expressed plainly and intelligently, was just as valuable as a series of fancy degrees or back-cupboard references designed to baffle rather than illuminate.

It's a philosophy I've tried to  apply to my own work. I start reviewing movies at 15, did some professionally, then took my enthusiasm to books. Nearly 20 years now, I've tried to apply the Lessons of Ebert--simple, dignified, smart and fun. The minute your writing seems like a trudge instead of a dance, leave the floor.

On April 1, Ebert reported he was returning to work at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he'd worked for the last 40 years. Which means I'll be able to read his writing again. Since that's where it all started for me, it's more than enough. For me and the next 12 year-old for more to say that "that movie sucked!"

(Re)Met at SXSW 2008: Ariel Meadow Stallings

This year at SXSW, I met/ran into Ariel Meadow Stallings a fellow writer whose work I came to (and continue to) admire from the pre-bronze reaches of Web 1.0. Neither of us could remember if we had actually met in person before but since we had about 8500 friends in common and it was Fray Cafe, where we had both just told stories, it didn't really matter.

Ariel is one of those people you simply want to check in with every so often because she's always doing something cool. She blogs (for fun and professionally), has written a book, runs events and, in few uncertain terms, has an existence light years more narratively sexy than mine. I'd be jealous as heck if she wasn't so nice about it.

Since I've been going to SXSW for 9 years now, I don't meet as many new people as I used to. Making new friends has become a nice, if rare, surprise, like finding ice cream in the back of the freezer. And when they have a work/life balance going on that I admire, that's like finding two pints. And neither is vanilla.

I'm in the midst of some heavy professional reevaluation now so in addition to bookmarking Electrolicious, I'm keeping an eye on Ariel's projects and the way she makes them happen. She's someone doing it how I wanna be.

The Results from Pennsylvania and that "Elitism Thing"

In looking at the results from Pennsylvania, I'm comforted by one fact, even though my guy didn't win: Should a democrat assume the White House in November, our president, Clinton or Obama, will be much smarter than I am. And that's what I want.

I hear the perhaps accurate/certainly trivial comments that Senator Clinton is not as warm and friendly as we would like and that Senator Obama's "bitter" remark made him seem like a sheltered brat. And I don't care. I don't vote for a president based on who I want holding my hair while I throw up. I'm voting for who will excel int the chair of the most powerful position on earth. So I'm with John Stewart here when I say "Not only do I want an elite president. I want someone who is embarrassingly superior to me."

George Washington presided over the founding of our great democracy despite being a highhanded snob who insisted his soldiers call him "your highness." Abraham Lincoln, despite his own conflicted racial values, steered America through the war that ended slavery. FDR snatched us back from a devastating economic depression but was born a pampered aristocrat.

These are three of America's greatest presidents who wouldn't have lasted a day on the campaign trail if held to today's ridiculous standards of "likeability." So please. Talk of a candidates presentation and personal life if you must. Politics is a dirty game. But can we stop thinking superior governing skills and intellectual capabilities are a curse if that person isn't someone you want to shoot skeet with? Can we start electing remarkable leaders and not remarkable drinking buddies? Because we all saw how that turned out last time.

(via Megan Daum's recent column for the inspiration).

Yay Dan Kennedy!

Maddo props to my friend Dan Kennedy whose new book, Rock On, a memoir of a year spent working at a major record label which I loved, is getting some deserved great press. To wit: he taped a segment for "Fresh Air", the holy grail for authors, last month.

I read Dan's first book Loser Goes First and found it hilarious. On that basis, I invited to contribute to Bookmark Now, which he did via an essay on writer's block. Highly recommended also.

Dan blogged his whole tour which will give you an idea of his style. Sample if that's your pattern. But I say just grab Rock On and wolf it down in your pajamas like I did. Great reading, great fun.

 

SFIFF 51: Almost Forgot

Forgot to mention that, continuing on a theme, I'm really looking forward to seeing Latent Argentina, a documentary the festival describes as such...

When most people think of Argentina, they think of the inflation, poverty and helplessness that plagued the country in the wake of the financial crises of recent years. Actually, argues [filmmaker] Fernando Solanas, Argentina is one of the richest countries in the world. Argentines don’t know that they are the owners of this enormous innate wealth is the result of “mental colonialism.” 

Now that sounds interesting. Especially following up on The Take, a fascinating documentary I caught a few months ago, about the "recovered factories movement" in Argentina where workers reclaim shuttered bankrupted factories and attempt to get them back into business under newer, more enlightened management principles.

Seeing the workers of an old factory reopen it, proud of their work and implementing policies like paid maternity and paternity leave is indescribably moving, like the school nerd becoming principal and outlawing bullying in the halls.

Highly recommend and not just for the angry liberal in your life. Latent Argentina will make a fine follow-up this coming week. The Take is available via netflix and at fine video stores near you.

Welcome back to town, SFIFF

The 51st San Francisco International Film Festival begins this week (Thursday) and I couldn't be happier. I've been part of the press corps covering the festival since 2006 which means I get to see a ton of great movies for free and write about them right here. Oh and go to the fancy pants press conference where the festival committee talks about the movies they're most excited about. That's like listening to the waiter at the French Laundry read you the menu.

In year's past, I've done a series of first impression just-got-out-of-the-screening audio posts (sample using the magic of hipcast). I'll probably do some of that and maybe some writing as well. Since the Kabuki theater, where the majority of screenings are held, is now the Sundance Kabuki with a bar/kitchen/somesuchthing, I may bring my laptop, sit and write between showtimes.

What do I want to see? Since I'm a big ole' documentary ho, I'm easy to please at most film festivals. The last few SFIFF's, I've seen 10-12 films per festival and maybe 80% were non-fiction. I told myself this year I'd try and branch out but no promises. With 250 movies to choose from, I usually choose based on what won't be coming to a theater near me (because if its getting released next month, what's the hurry?), what's in English and under 120 minutes. I'm not so proud of the last 2 but with this bounty, you've got to start drawing X's somewhere.

Enough explaining.

Documentaries: I'm all over Ask Not, a look at the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy 15 years after its installation (Castro, 4/26, 12:00 PM, Kabuki, 5/5 12:00 PM), Glass: A Portrait of Philip Glass in Twelve Parts (Kabuki, 4/26, 8:30 and 4/30, 3 PM)), 1000 Journals about the 1000 Journals Project (Kabuki, 4/26 1:30 PM and 4/28 9 PM)and Dust, about, well dust, which my buddy Dave saw at the Philadelphia Film Festival (Kabuki, 5/5, 6:15 PM and 5/7, 4:15 PM).

Stranded, Umbrella and Faubourg Treme (about black New Orleans) all look real good, too.

Features: Sign me up for Ballast (PFA, 5/2, 6:30, 54, 12:45 PM) which looks an awful lot like George Washington only one of my favorite movies ever. Also The Toe Tactic which I missed at SXSW (Kabuki, 4/26, 3:45 PM, 5/3, 6:45 PM). Vasermil (Kabuki, 5/4, 1 PM, 5/5 6:45 PM) is supposed to be "An Israeli Mean Streets" which is enough to get me there. Touching Home is one everyone seems to be talking about (Kabuki 4/26 5 PM, 4/29 12:30 PM).

The Wackness I'll go to just for the title (Kabuki, 5/3, 7 PM).

That's all I've had a chance to explore thus far. But over the next few days, I'll be cycling between the festival program and sched.org who's got the entire schedule online and downloadable via iCal to your cell phone or iPod.

SFIFF 51, bring it on. Come Thursday, I'll be ready for you.

Thought of the Day: "Failure"

In thinking about my new book project...

"This thing we call 'failure' is not falling down, but staying down."

--Mary Pickford (via The Week)

The Band Comes Home: (Sigur Ros' Heima)

Sigur Ros is a dreamlike mostly-instrumental band from Iceland. Several of their songs are on a playlist I listen to while writing. 

Last year, after a long time on the road, the band decided to play several free shows in their native land, concerts in parks, schools, mountainsides and public fairgrounds. They called the documentary they made of the short tour Heima, the Icelandic word for "home."

I think this is such a neat idea that it got me to wondering where I would stage concerts in my home town should I ever return as a giant rockstar. Probably at the Cube, Michigan Stadium, Gallup Park and my elementary school.

Where would you?

Heima is available for rental and purchase (via James McNally).

UPDATE: Mr. McNally's review of Heima.

It's a very strange day in America when...

The most heated conversation you've heard about race in months takes place at Stuff White People Like.com.

Beverly Cleary is 92 today.

Happy 92nd Birthday Beverly Cleary. Only the bestest children's book author. Ever (via The Writer's Almanac).

After our SXSW Panel:

This is my panel from this year's SXSW being interviewed by Austincast afterward. I can't seen to sit still and am dressed like a dime store televangelist but whatever. Listen for about 30 seconds and you'll get what we were up to.

My esteemed fellow panelists were Dave Thomas (handsome black guy), CC Chapman (handsome white guy) and Carla Borsoi (smokin' woman of the group).

NPR: In Character...

If you haven't checked out NPR's new program "In Character", you must. It's an 8-10 minute segment on a legendary fictional character. Thus far they've featured Catain Ahab, Blanche Du Bois, The Little Tramp, Darth Vader and my favorite episode, Long Duk Dong.

The whole show is podcast so you'll never miss it. The series blog both lets listeners suggest their own characters and explains on the existing segments. The web extra of Cartman answering the questionnaire from Inside the Actor Studio is priceless.

This is exactly what radio should be in the 21st century, he says with all due exaggeration. Participatory, focused, blending high and low, visual and audio. I'm so in.

Regression 2.0: Casey Kasem from the 1970s:

I've spoken previously about XM Satellite Radio's replays of Casey Kasem's American Top 40 from the 1980s which is like getting a liquid injection of my childhood every Sunday morning. Bliss. Now I find they also replay the same program from the 1970s on Saturday morning. Since most were before my time, the music is familiar to me only as the source for elevator soundtracks, commericials, television themes, and porn backgrounds.

Bliss again.

UPDATE: This little portal will lead you to streams of every countdown imaginable. Did you John Tesh had a radio show? Best that stays here.

Thought of the Day: "Our Capacities"

"The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering."

-- Ben Okri (via Criminal Minds)

Gleanings: A whole lotta...

Brain pan empties. On pavement is...

• The Motley Fool: Speculations (great ones) on the Entertainment Industry in 2015.

• Britannica.com: Clay Shirkey on the future of newspaper journalism.

• Time.com: Is customer service going the way of the Dodo bird?

• Philadelphia Inquirer: Another opinion in the endless debate over whether America is an anti-intellectual country.

• The New York Times has a great showcase of 40 years of Al Jaffee's back cover fold-ins for Mad Magazine. As of last month, Mr. Jaffee had illustrated back covers for the last 437 issues of the magazine, more than any other contributor in its history (via Waxy.org).

• Orion Magazine: Rebecca Solnit, ordinarily a very measured cerebral writer, has some kind words about Elvis Presley, the guy in the glittery jumpsuits (via George Kelly).

• London Times: It's perfectly ok to be a big fat sourpuss in the UK. Not so much here.

• Fascinating visual on the evolution of automobile company logos.

• SLIDELUCK POTSHOW: A slideshow/dinner party occasion to show off the work of established and upcoming artists. What a neat idea (via Jen Bekman).

• On name alone, I must spend some time at Madam Talbot's Victorian Lowbrow collectibles site.

Billy Joe Jive, Smart Susie Sunset:

I used to love Billy Joe Jive, boy detective, and his partner Smart Susie Sunset when I was a kid. I may have even had a few books about them.

Looking at some old clips, I think the characters were Sesame Street's early attempt at multiculturalism. But it doesn't strike me as particularly naive of ham-handed. What do you think?

Wikipedia, Baker Style...

I dream often of writing for the New York Review of Books. Then I normally grab a muffin and forget it. But  reading this article Nicholson Baker wrote about Wikipedia. Its warm, its funny, smart. Its like what every "I'd like to say a few words" after dinner speech should be.

Almost all NYBR pieces begin life as long book reviews. The best ones zoom out from there and use the book(s) in question to examine larger socio-cultural trends and issues. Here Baker's ostensibly probing Wikipedia: The Missing Manual but really that's just an excuse for the author to discuss Wikipedia's charms and drawbacks in an ultimately sunny assessment.

A few metaphors, drawn as finely as facets on a gem.

In a few seconds you can look up, for instance, "Diogenes of Sinope," or "turnip," or "Crazy Eddie," or "Bagoas," or "quadratic formula," or "Bristol Beaufighter," or "squeegee," or "Sanford B. Dole," and you'll have knowledge you didn't have before. It's like some vast aerial city with people walking briskly to and fro on catwalks, carrying picnic baskets full of nutritious snacks.

Or...

It was like a giant community leaf-raking project in which everyone was called a groundskeeper. Some brought very fancy professional metal rakes, or even back-mounted leaf-blowing systems, and some were just kids thrashing away with the sides of their feet or stuffing handfuls in the pockets of their sweatshirts, but all the leaves they brought to the pile were appreciated. And the pile grew and everyone jumped up and down in it having a wonderful time. And it grew some more, and it became the biggest leaf pile anyone had ever seen anywhere, a world wonder. And then self-promoted leaf-pile guards appeared, doubters and deprecators who would look askance at your proffered handful and shake their heads, saying that your leaves were too crumpled or too slimy or too common, throwing them to the side.

Baker even creates an account and a mild obsession with editing and pruning articles. For someone who's been known to spend a weekend finding the perfect album art for his iTunes library, I relate. And concur.

Nicholson Baker was the first real big author I ever met way back in 2001. This piece reminded me why I continue to like him.

Read it please. It is good.

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "The Business of Being Born"

The Business of Being Born (2008): "The inevitable result of valuing efficiency above all else who eventually make its way to something as fundamental as the creation of life."

Notes: Thrilling, terrifying documentary about the birth industry in America which has an infant and mother natal injury rate comparable to third world countries. Gives big props to midwifery and contains some squeamish scenes of actual births. Produced by Ricki Lake (that RIcki Lake) and Netflix's Red Envelope Entertainment.

Thought of the Day: "A New Kind of Success"

"There is no formula for success except perhaps for an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings."

--Arthur Rubenstein (via Criminal Minds).

The Start of Something New:

Wherein we discuss creative and professional drought. And renewal.


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Off to Vancouver:

I'm headed to Vancouver to give a lecture at Simon Fraser University. I last spoke there in 2005 while on tour for Bookmark Now.

They're real nice people up there. I'm looking forward to it.

Back Sunday...

'Shot in the Dark'. *Sigh*

They don't do demonic possession in music videos the way they used to. Just sayin'.

Thought of the Day "Out Loud"

"If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud."

--Emile Zola (via The Writer's Almanac on today, Mr. Zola's birthday. The 1937 movie about his life is, oddly, next in my Netflix queue)

Heard About at SXSW: Songza

First day of SXSW 2008: Some guy in the hallway gives me a pin that says "Songza." When I go look, I'm met with a brilliantly simple concept. Search for a song. If its anywhere on the internets, Songza finds it. You can then listen to it or be sent somewhere to buy it.

Here's what I happened when I searched for "Safety Dance"

And when I wanted to listen to it.

That little "share" link let's you Twitter the song, email it to a friend or link to it in a blog post.

That's just plain slick. Simple, effortless and slick. If only all software were this well designed.

Go Songza!

One Sentence Movie Reviews: "Chalk"

Chalk (2006): "Teaching will bring out the best and worst of you but you get to decide which"

Notes: A fascinating film shot documentary style but fictional about 3 young teachers in a middle class high school. Recommended by Dave Thomas, acquired via Netflix.

Preview of the SF International Film Festival

Wherein we discuss all the cinematic goodies from this year's festival. Set to drop April 24th!


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