I’ve been fortunate to have the time and desire to watch movies lately. It’s really the only time I give myself to relax. Between knitting, working on music, blogging, exercise, time with friends and family, and sleeping, my life is fairly busy these days.
I wanted to take some time to share a little of what I’ve enjoyed lately . . .
District 9
I really loved this movie. (I also need to add it to my favorites of 2009 list.) On so many levels, this film is incredibly relevant to the ways that modern American society, and maybe humanity, exist today. I sat at the edge of my seat the whole time. I don’t want to give anything away about it. Surely, it is deserving of the Best Picture Oscar nomination it just received. Here is one of several trailers promoting this film. It’s pretty awesome.
The Brothers Bloom
Full of twists, turns, empty promises, and quirky surprises, I really enjoyed this one. There’s also a kick-ass Asian character who barely says a word but makes quite a splash through most of the movie. Actors Rachel Weisz and Adrian Brody are past Oscar winners who give this film about con artists it’s soul and essence. Add some gorgeous cinematography to the mix and you have an effectively engaging film. Here’s the official trailer:
By the way, last Friday I treated myself to a Toy Story marathon. I’ve never seen either film, and I finally did. They were so good and so much fun. I can’t wait until #3 coming out in June 2010:
I have movies on the brain lately. It’s part of an effort to try to relax a little more. I’ll have more to recommend soon.
-g
Recently, I had the pleasure of being introduced to a very wonderful song by Rufus Wainwright.
(I know. I know. I should be shot for not even knowing of it in the first place. Of any artist to have an extensive knowledge of, he would be the one. He’s a charismatic performer who is a talented pianist and who has an unmistakably unique and beautiful voice. I only own two of his CD’s. Shame on me. The thing is I am very careful about not copying other artists, especially other piano players. This is an easy thing to do, but I am not interested in being an Asian/male/whatever version of someone else. Even with various influences, I want to just purely be myself. The consequence is that I wind up missing out on some truly amazing work. I need to rethink this somehow.)
I digress.
This song by Rufus Wainwright is called “The Art Teacher”, and I absolutely LOVE it. I am a sucker for an unrequited love song, and this piece is a lamentation over a connection long lost but still longed for. It presents a very clear narrative from a female perspective. This song is a rich and well-developed piece.
Here is a live performance. I present to you, “The Art Teacher” . . .
Here are the lyrics:
The Art Teacher
Lyrics by Rufus Wainwright
There I was in uniform
Looking at the art teacher
I was just a girl then;
Never have I loved since then
He was not that much older than I was
He had taken our class to the Metropolitan Museum
He asked us what our favorite work of art was,
But never could I tell him it was him
Oh, I wish I could tell him –
Oh, I wish I could have told him
I looked at the Rubens and Rembrandts
I liked the John Singer Sargents
He told me he liked Turner
And never have I turned since then
No, never have I turned to any other man
All this having been said,
I married an executive company head
All this having been done, a Turner – I own one
Here I am in this uniformish, pant-suit sort of thing,
Thinking of the art teacher
I was just a girl then;
Never have I loved since then
No, never have I loved any other man
I really love the line “Here I am in this uniformish, pant-suit sort of thing”. It’s quirky and ingenious. You can find this song on Rufus’ album “Want Two”.
I own Want One, but I never got around to getting this lovely sequel. Geez. Gotta work on that.
I also think I’m gonna add him to my list of performers I want to see live. Looks like he puts on a great show.
I’m grateful for my introduction to this song. It was a blessing all around.
-g
I haven’t posted up a knitting update in a while. So, I wanted to share a little bit of what I’ve been up to. Last week, I talked to my sister Leth who I shall now and always refer to as The Shaolin Master of Knitting (because she is a knitting force of nature), about my dissatisfaction with the knitting bag I’ve been using. I haven’t been thrilled with the look of it, and those sneaky knitting needles keep sliding out!! Uuugghhhh!! (Insert Asian grimace HERE).
So, I turned to my lovely sister and said, “Um, Shaolin Master of Knitting, what in the world should I do?”
She suggested that we do an online search for some cool knitting bags. (Great idea, huh? She’s The Master for a reason.) I was racking my Asian brain over what I wanted–maybe something with an elephant (so cute) or a koala bear (I LOVE KOALA BEARS!!) on it, or something that was piano-esque . . .
Then, as we poured over several prospects, I remembered that I am a huge Transformers fan (even though I thought the last movie was a colossal, stinky man-turd). The Shaolin Master of Knitting then plugged in a search for Transformer bags. There were several that were just too gaudy and tacky. Finally, after about oh ten minutes or so, The Master said “AHA!!! chowchunghetooomng pa, NYE, NYE!!!!!”, and there it was. Destiny made manifest!!! I found what was to be the freaking coolest of knitting bags!!! I ordered it immediately, and it just flew in a couple of days ago.
Wait for it. Wait for it . . . .
TADA!!!!!
More Than Meets the Eye!!!!!!!!!! It’s not just a bag. It’s a knitting bag!!! This means that I can safely transport my knitting projects everywhere with the watchful eye of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and all of those other clunky, gun-weilding, thingy-majigees.
So awesome!!!!
Now, on with the knitting. Lately, I’ve been back to knitting scarves. Wonderful, beautiful scarves!!! This is one of a series that I am working on . . .
Here’s another one I finished. It has a basket weave pattern . . .
Here’s another red basket weave scarf that I made for my dear friend Darrell out in Charlotte, NC. It took me FOREVER to finish.
Then of course, there’s this hat I haven’t finished. I’m dreading the end of it because it requires that I switch out the needles on them to these super teensy-tiny ones. I’m gonna try to finish this one soon.
By the way, my sister, The Shaolin Master of Knitting, has a great blog of her own. Check it ooot right here:
http://lulubellesunshine.wordpress.com/
So, that’s it folks. I’ve got more scarves to finish up before I start on what I hope to be my first shawl.
Who says men don’t knit?
-g
I wanted to take a little time to pay a small tribute to the late actor Heath Ledger. He died two years ago this month, and I remember being as shocked and saddened by his passing as everyone else. He died so young but already left quite a legacy in the movies he performed in. Recently, he posthumously won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his maniacal and sinister portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight/Batman film. He clearly deserved the recognition and all the respect he earned through such a brief but illustrious career.
He also happened to play the lead role in one of my all-time favorite films–a quiet, understated film that also manages to be epic and full of grandeur all at once. It is a film called Brokeback Mountain.
I happen to believe that his portrayal of Ennis Del Mar is Heath’s crowning achievement as an actor. This was a character that was so tightly wound and deeply at such a loss for what he truly desired. Ledger manages to be painfully eloquent with very few and barely understandable words to even say. The film chronicles twenty years in Ennis’ life and in the final scenes, a spirit broken is all that remains.
It’s not the kind of film that is blatant or over the top. It’s the kind of film that hits you many days after you’ve seen it–when the hurt, the heaviness, and the despairing loneliness of it all starts to make sense, when losses sustained were purely, hopelessly unsustainable. Ledger’s performance carried this whole film, and it is all, collectively, an elegant cinematic masterpiece.
I just wanted to take the time to thank Heath and to honor his great work.
This week’s Video of the Week is compiled footage from the film Brokeback Mountain set to the film’s original film score.
Thank you Heath, so much, for everything.
-g
www.gordonroque.com
On Wednesday, January 27, I did my first show for 2010 at The End here in Nashville. I haven’t done an actual show since August of last year, and this was just a chance for me to get my feet wet and back into the swing of things. (The irony hasn’t escaped me. It’s fitting to make a new beginning at The End. Where else should it happen?)
My drummer Tim Good and I pretty much rocked out. I’m blessed that he’s extraordinarily talented and that he knows my songs very well because we were not able to rehearse before then due to another drummer backing out on me. We just went on stage and decided to “wing it” as they say. I’m glad we did because our set was lively and fantastic. Here was the setlist:
1. Mr. Stranger
2. Fear
3. Tears In Savannah (New Version with drums)
4. Villain
5. Gertrude Is a Boy
It was actually just a small set even though we could have gone on far longer. I went with a more rockin’ set because The End is traditionally an indie rock venue, and I’m not really interested in doing too many ballads these days. (Though I have to say that the audience and the whole venue were eerily quiet when I did “Tears In Savannah”. It was kind of amazing. I’m never going to forget that.)
On a side note, I really loved playing at The End. It’s a VERY old venue with a lot of spunk and character. Tim and I also weren’t the only two-piece band to play. In fact, it was the night of the two-piece. Conestyle and Allofher Twitch were also two-man bands who to0k the stage. I enjoyed both of their very intense sets.
Here are some photos:
Now that I’ve gotten my feet wet, it’s time to dive all the way in. There’s gonna be a lot of music going on in 2010. In addition to all of my own work, I’m also lending my keyboard skills to a couple of songs on a friend’s new album. (More on that collaboration soon.) I’m gonna play my little heart out all year.
It’s full immersion time.
More soon.
-g
www.gordonroque.com
My wonderful drummer Tim Good and I will be performing tonight at one of Nashville’s longstanding music venues! I’ll be playing songs from my debut album “Seahorses” along with a new song or two. This will be my first time to play at The End, and I’m pretty stoked! Some great local bands (Conestyle, Samantha Gibb and the Cartel, Allofher Twitch) will also be performing!
I’ll hopefully have some photo and video footage to share with you all once it is said and done.
All of the action starts at 10 PM!!
Big Asian hugs to anyone who attends!
-g
Today, my older sister turns, oh well, I forget. She is another year older, wiser, and better. With four lively, beautiful children and a sweet husband, she’s built herself a life full of love and a wonderful family.
My sis with her hubby
Four glorious kids!
Happy Birthday Sis, from a very lucky and blessed younger brother!
-g
I wanted to take some time to showcase a gorgeous work of art. It is a short film called “The Third and the Seventh”. It incorporates modern art, architecture, design, and uninhibited imagination. The real becomes surreal as lanterns float among trees, huge raindrops hover above the ground, and books flank tall, endless walls. This is visionary. (Of course, there’s also a pretty grand piano featured in a few scenes.)
Produced and directed by Alex Roman, it is an astonishing achievement.
I present to you, “The Third and the Seventh” . . .
Imagination is an amazing thing.
-g
Annie Lennox is one of those hugely talented artists. Her voice is at all times a force of nature–unmistakable, powerful, vulnerable, and rich with feeling.
This week’s Video of the Week is a live performance of what is probably my most favorite song in her repertoire. It’s just her, a piano, and an adoring audience. This is as it should be . . .
As a bonus, here is the album version and official video for this gorgeous track:
Be well my friends,
-g
Okay, now that I have done my run-through of 2009 over the past few posts, I now have one more thing do to before it’s back to business here at Where Pianos Roam.
I wanted to take a little time to look into the future. Namely, I wanted to share insights into what I hope to be doing in 2010. I’ve always been very selective about the projects I take on, and after much thought these are the top priorities over the next 12 months.
First off, here is a list of what I know will be happening all year long . . .
Spending time with family and friends.
Playing shows and selling copies of my album.
Exercising as much as humanly possible.
Reading books
Knitting
Now, here is a run-through of the new works in progress for 2010
1. New Music
I’ve been working on new music for quite some time now, and I’ve more or less mapped out a plan of action to bring this new music to fruition. A formal announcement will be soon forthcoming. Just know that it is most definitely in the works. This is one of the biggest priorities this year, and there is the tallest mountain of work to get started on.
2. Oreo and Buttercup
I have some expansion plans for these two. Not only will there be more episodes, but plans are being made to broaden their online site and create more exposure. This is my wacky little side project, and it’s gotten a great response from just about everywhere. I don’t really understand why, but I think mainly it’s because they’re just so darn cute.
3. Dragon Slaying
In a lot of ways, 2010 will be a year of reckoning for me. There are issues I need to resolve and plans I need to make. I’ll be the first to admit that there are several aspects of my life that aren’t up for public exposure and that I do not discuss on this blog, on stage, or in any public forum. Some things are better left unspoken. Suffice it to say that I will be slaying some dragons this year, and I’m gonna fight to the finish.
I have a lot of other little projects, but I’d say these are the big three. There will be so much to do. I can’t wait to get all of these new adventures started. In fact, I already have . . .
More soon my friends.
-g
