America, We Stand As One

So whenever Trevor does some blogging, it's usually thought-provoking and good. I'm going to take a stab at that. Today I was driving to work and there was a car in front of me with a big American flag decal in the back. That fad seems to have passed so I was reminded how crazy it was when it was popular. Honestly I was kind of annoyed by the whole thing because I wasn't really sure what purpose it accomplished. The whole nationalism thing has always been lost on me. The especially interesting thing is that in the constitution, it expressly states that no flag should be displayed that cannot wave freely. Thus, by getting caught up in the nationalistic wave, many people were compromising the wishes of the constitution they so wholeheartedly endorse. I wonder in what other cases this takes place. Perhaps the way that the cross has become such a symbol of Christianity when it was a torturous instrument of death. It should cause us grief. I realize Christ's death is one factor in the source of our hope and joy, but the popularity of the cross seems to ignore its brutality.

Point number 2. The current fad is the yellow ribbon on the back of your car to support the troops. I wonder what it means to support the troops. I'm sure that most people who display such stickers would say I don't support the troops because I am a pacifist and non-patriotic. But the thing is, I wholeheartedly support provision for soldiers and their families, especially if they are injured in service to the nation. I don't agree with methods utilized in 'protecting' the country and so forth, but I still certainly support the people involved. I certainly hope that everyone can survive the conflicts they must be involved in, and in return they should be well taken care of. So I don't support the decisions of the leaders of the country, but I support the troops. Also, the ribbons seem to serve a greater purpose than the flags because I think the profits go to assist soldiers (this may be wrong, I just heard that somewhere). I hope this isn't too offensive, but given my knowledge of my readers, I think I'm in the clear (not for you agreeing with me, but at least not being offended). Some may say this is a false dichotomy, but I do not believe this is so. Ultimately my point here is that so many people say to support the troops, but I think this means very different things to different people. This seems to take place often in the world. People can mean such different things by affirming the same concept.

I guess the second point doesn't spout profundity, but the decals are related, so it follows. Plus, this is one of my first attempts at being serious. Enough excuses.

ADM Business Machines

JJay - What are your favorite Arrested Development moments? Mine are when George Sr. teaches George Jr. a lesson about teaching lessons to George Michael, GOB's Chicken Dance (every time he does it, but the #1 is when he does it to Buster on the construction site...Buster's reaction is television gold), and the Hermano confusion (specifically all the times that GOB says brother to Michael in various languages). Sorry to not include you here Trevor. You can borrow the first two seasons if you want. It's up to you. I'm not making you. Quit acting like I'm making you.

Pobre David

Warning: If you like the American version of The Office and haven't watched the original, you should do so, but there also some plot spoilers for what will certainly be coming on the American version...

I'm watching Bones right now (I'm not sure why. I don't really like it, but I'm on spring break so get off my freaking back) and as a special guest star, David Denman is on the show. The odd thing is that his character is engaged to a woman who cheats on him and leaves him.

Perhaps you're thinking, who is David Denman? Let's go over some of his recent work.

-Most notably and recently, he plays Roy on the American version of the Office. In the Office, Roy is engaged to Pam, who is currently falling for Jim, and will eventually leave Roy for Jim (I know that has not yet come to pass, but come on. You know it's coming...between the current build-up going on and Dawn's decision in the original, seriously). Engaged to a woman who cheats on him and leaves him.

-In Film, he played Don Price in Big Fish. In Big Fish, Sandra is engaged to him and then decides to leave him for Edward.

What's going on here? Typecasting? If so, I feel bad for David Denman. He better watch out. There's another David D. who played the same type of role for too long and couldn't get any other roles. How many people have seen House of D? (It's good, by the way). Of course, I don't know if the same can take place when he keeps playing smallish roles. David Duchovny was the main character on a show for years, so maybe it's all a bunch of crap. All I'm saying is, if your name is David D. and you are an aspiring actor, try to mix up the roles. That's good advice from a big silly man.

Greg Cannot Have My Bread

Are you ready for good news/bad news? Let's do good news first just to construct a mess hall out of crude materials. I just found out that Arrested Development Season Three will be available for purchase on June 13, 2006. Interestingly, that date falls approximately three weeks prior to my birthday (for those of you who enjoy a relationship with me that involves gift purchases, feel free to fill in the blanks of my subtleties and draw the conclusion that some things just mentioned are by far number one on what I would enjoy for such a time). Then I can sit and enjoy until you won't believe.

Now it's time for the bad news. The other day I saw a preview for a new show. I don't know what it's called, but it may be Brothers and Sisters (yes, like the under-rated ep from Coldplay). It seems that it is about a dysfunctional family and is supposed to be some sort of subversive new satirical sitcom that changes the way we look at sitcoms (does it seem to be coincidental that this is the exact description/definition one might assign to a certain brilliant long-syllabled show that might be called Arrested Development?). Earlier, when I asked about plagiarism, I now have an absolute ostensive definition. I know I shouldn't wish ill on others, but I hope this show crashes and burns, because it stole the brilliance of a ratings-challenged show that was forced into cancellation way before its time was up. If this show succeeds, it will be sucking from the teet of someone else's mother. I realize I say all this without ever having seen a single episode, but it doesn't matter. Plus, I will never watch a single episode to avoid the misunderstanding that I have any amount of support in my system. I have done all I can to support Arrested Development, and it was all for naught (at least fox is kind enough to share the episodes in dvd form).

So here's to the new Brothers and Sisters show not getting picked up for more than its initial batch of episodes (which is hopefully eight or less, we wouldn't want anyone laying hold to any bragging rights beyond the episode duration of Freaks and Geeks or Undeclared).

Floetic

Most of you know that I really dislike poetry and I have for a long time. This is one of those things you're not supposed to say if you want to sound moderately intelligent, but it's true. I tried to like Kerouac and stuff, but it wasn't happening. However, I realized that I do like poetry that comes from music (I know it's a little late in life for me to realize this, but bugger off). I must clarify that probably 90% of music is not poetry at all.

Anyway, so I was thinking of my favorites, and some of the choices are obvious, but I don't care. Here's my top five, Hornby-style...

5 - Ben Folds - I am often moved to tears by the incredible elegance of his music independent of any awareness of what he is really writing about. Then I hear him talk about its meaning and things become even more incredible. Plus, anyone gets on the list for writing a song dedicated to my number four pick.

4 - Elliott Smith - What needs to be said of Elliott's transcendent song-writing? Someday when I have a kid, I'm going to name him/her after Elliott Smith in the hopes that he will halfway live up to the breathtaking artistry of his/her namesake.

3 - Nick Drake - We all know (yes, this is one of those times where I take what I think and extrapolate to all people in the hopes that someone agrees with me) that to be incredible, artists have to be troubled. If this carries one to the point of suicide, we know it's the real deal. I'm not trying to make light of suicide. In three short albums, Nick touched the world with much more honesty and brilliance than most people can muster in their entire lives.

2 - Sufjan Stevens - First, I have to put him at least in my top five since I'm from the midwest. His masterful song-writing brings me to a place of such intense emotion that I'm generally not completely comfortable listening to him around other people. What great joy and sorrow are wrought by the golden tongue of Sufjan.

1 - Benjamin Gibbard - I know it's grotesque to place Ole' Ben at the top of this list above the others, but we're talking strictly poetry in music here, not music all around. I place him here because his poetic voice is the most appealing to me. I think that he most embodies poet-as-musician for me. This is especially apparent in his four solo songs on Home Volume Four. I also think that his poetic style has developed over the years into such beauty. I say this because the lyrics that grab and shake me the most come from more recent albums. Musically I prefer earlier stuff, but lyrically, the new stuff is crazy touching. I know he can be overly melodramatic, but I really like it (see comments above). For the sake of brevity, here are a few of my favorite lines sans context...

"Sorrow dripts into your heart through a pinhole.
Just like a faucet that leaks and there is comfort in the sound.
But while you debate half-empty or half-full,
It slowly rises, your love is gonna drown." -Marching Bands of Manhattan

"And I'm thinking of what Sarah said
That love is watching someone die
So who's gonna watch you die?" -What Sarah Said

And since it's my favorite lyrically overall, here is all of my favorite Ben Gibbard poem...

Title and Registration

The glove compartment is inaccurately named,
And everybody knows it.
So I'm proposing a swift orderly change.

Cause behind its door there's nothing to keep my fingers warm,
And all I find are souvenirs from better times.
Before the gleam of your taillights fading east,
To find yourself a better life.

I was searching for some legal document,
As the rain beat down on the hood.
When I stumbled upon pictures I tried to forget,
And that's how this idea was drilled into my head.

Cause it's too important,
To stay the way it's been.

There's no blame for how our love did slowly fade,
And now that it's gone it's like it wasn't there at all.
And here I rest where disappointment and regret collide,
Lying awake at night.

So there it is. I made a long one here and you just read it and I appreciate and respect you for it. I know the order of my list has no sense of history and there are plenty of people who should have made the list (Devendra Banhart, Leonard Cohen, Damien Jurado, Dan Bejar, etc.) but it's my top five, and I'm not suggesting that it is the best. It's the best for me, cuz I'm real pomo like that. Deal with that, Enlightenment.

Best MacGyver Ever

I just found out Damien Jurado is coming to the Marquis at the end of March. That'll be splendid. I bet I'll even go. This past weekend, Sigur Ros, The Photo Atlas, and Damien Jurado all played, and I didn't go to any. Euriskw got super-sick, so I stayed home to take care of her. Insert applause here. I can't believe what a good hub-sand I am. Seriously. I deserve a medal or something.

On a similar plane of existence, I got A Long Way Down from the library (finally), so I've been reading that and I really enjoy it greatly. Ole' Nick is quite the beautiful man. Also, I managed to get my hands on TWO DISCS of Sigur Ros live from Grand Rapids. We're talking about beauty that makes the tears form. Geriatric-style

I guess that's all that's new. JELLY