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Sep. 9th, 2022 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatI'm tapped out. (I like that phrase - simple and to the point.)
Also I ache everywhere. So I took two tynenol, heating pad, cold pack, a shower, and a relief cbd anti-inflammatory.
I'm feeling slightly better now.
May crash tomorrow - well after I get money from an ATM somewhere for the car service (I'm not sure it takes credit cards) and call it to reserve a time on Monday morning. I'll pack on Sunday.
ME: Do I need a bathing suit?
Mother: No.
Me: But my brother, sisinlaw and niece are coming down and they may want to -
Mother: They might, but you won't. I know you. Just bring some shorts so you can walk the beach if you want to and wade in the water.
***
Site tour went well all things considered. I left the office at 8:29, got there at 9:10. Everyone else showed up around 9:15. We did the tour.
And...hmmm, how to explain this? They put a ladder on a catwalk that was over the parking area about 20-30 feet below the platforms. So about a 20-30 foot drop onto cars from the cat walk. The cat-walk is between two tracks, one on the south side, one on the north side of the platform. High speed trains travel down these tracks. We had a flagger - whose job was to blow a whistle any time the train was coming. We had two of them. The ladder was placed by the Safety folks on the catwalk. Then Contractors (who had taken the safety training within this past year, and had signed a site tour release form) went up the ladder to examine the roof that was on top of a concrete deck about 20 feet above us.
I looked at the set up, and decided that there was no way in hell I was going up there. The project manager, designer, flaggers, and safety guys agreed with me. There's just one too many things that could go wrong.
The Contractors kind of had to look at it - to know what type of bid they were going to provide. But still.
Then I was driven to the next site, and we basically did the same thing, except this round the ladder was placed on the platform and they climbed up from there.
Then the next, but this round all the could do was climb up the ladder and look at it - they couldn't go on top.
That took about four-five hours (or pretty much the entire morning - I got back by 1 PM). By the time it was over - I ached all over again, and my feet hurt from walking and standing about in Safety Work Boots for four hours. Also my mind didn't want to work any more. That's it. We're done, it told me. I'm tapping out now. So, I didn't get as much done in the afternoon.
***
Twitter discusses how hetersexual men aren't that emotionally supportive of their wives (if they work). Go here if curious.
Friend: "I honestly don't know how straight women survive sometimes."
ME: staying single? (ie. staying single is how I've survived.)
***
Ah more Music Twitter music memes...
* Deborah Harry or Linda Ronstadt?
That one is easy. Linda Ronstadt. (Deborah Harry hung out with sisinlaw's father and parents, and a bunch of entitled artists at RISD during the 60s and 70s, which kind of stains her all by itself. Also Linda has wider range, Harry is kind of limited.)
* What DRUMMER would YOU start a BAND with?
I don't know is Keith Moon a drummer? Who is the drummer for the Who? It is Keith Moon - I looked it up. I'd have done it with Keith Moon.
Per Political Twitter
If Steve Bannon and Donald Trump were in a cage fight - who would you root for?
Me: The tiger - to come into the cage and eat them both. That's not an option? Damn.
Also I ache everywhere. So I took two tynenol, heating pad, cold pack, a shower, and a relief cbd anti-inflammatory.
I'm feeling slightly better now.
May crash tomorrow - well after I get money from an ATM somewhere for the car service (I'm not sure it takes credit cards) and call it to reserve a time on Monday morning. I'll pack on Sunday.
ME: Do I need a bathing suit?
Mother: No.
Me: But my brother, sisinlaw and niece are coming down and they may want to -
Mother: They might, but you won't. I know you. Just bring some shorts so you can walk the beach if you want to and wade in the water.
***
Site tour went well all things considered. I left the office at 8:29, got there at 9:10. Everyone else showed up around 9:15. We did the tour.
And...hmmm, how to explain this? They put a ladder on a catwalk that was over the parking area about 20-30 feet below the platforms. So about a 20-30 foot drop onto cars from the cat walk. The cat-walk is between two tracks, one on the south side, one on the north side of the platform. High speed trains travel down these tracks. We had a flagger - whose job was to blow a whistle any time the train was coming. We had two of them. The ladder was placed by the Safety folks on the catwalk. Then Contractors (who had taken the safety training within this past year, and had signed a site tour release form) went up the ladder to examine the roof that was on top of a concrete deck about 20 feet above us.
I looked at the set up, and decided that there was no way in hell I was going up there. The project manager, designer, flaggers, and safety guys agreed with me. There's just one too many things that could go wrong.
The Contractors kind of had to look at it - to know what type of bid they were going to provide. But still.
Then I was driven to the next site, and we basically did the same thing, except this round the ladder was placed on the platform and they climbed up from there.
Then the next, but this round all the could do was climb up the ladder and look at it - they couldn't go on top.
That took about four-five hours (or pretty much the entire morning - I got back by 1 PM). By the time it was over - I ached all over again, and my feet hurt from walking and standing about in Safety Work Boots for four hours. Also my mind didn't want to work any more. That's it. We're done, it told me. I'm tapping out now. So, I didn't get as much done in the afternoon.
***
Twitter discusses how hetersexual men aren't that emotionally supportive of their wives (if they work). Go here if curious.
Friend: "I honestly don't know how straight women survive sometimes."
ME: staying single? (ie. staying single is how I've survived.)
***
Ah more Music Twitter music memes...
* Deborah Harry or Linda Ronstadt?
That one is easy. Linda Ronstadt. (Deborah Harry hung out with sisinlaw's father and parents, and a bunch of entitled artists at RISD during the 60s and 70s, which kind of stains her all by itself. Also Linda has wider range, Harry is kind of limited.)
* What DRUMMER would YOU start a BAND with?
I don't know is Keith Moon a drummer? Who is the drummer for the Who? It is Keith Moon - I looked it up. I'd have done it with Keith Moon.
Per Political Twitter
If Steve Bannon and Donald Trump were in a cage fight - who would you root for?
Me: The tiger - to come into the cage and eat them both. That's not an option? Damn.
Dark Side of the Moon
Date: 2022-09-10 09:00 pm (UTC)But would I start a band with a Keith Moon? I've heard so many stories about what a pain he could be--a lot of those stories coming from Pete Townshend. Maybe instead of a Moon or a John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) or Ginger Baker (Cream), I'd be better off with someone who's less of a wild man and more of a team player--Ringo, Jeff Porcaro (Toto) or Marty Chambers (Pretenders). But if I had to choose, it would be down to Bill Bruford (Yes, King Crimson) or Charlie Watts. It took a long time for me to appreciate how central Watts was to the Stones' sound. You could slot him in and not have to worry about that part of your band for 50 years.
***************
Ronstadt is the better singer by leagues. But Harry (and her partner/lead guitarist Chris Stein) are remarkable songwriters, pioneers of new wave, constantly mixing in wildly divergent genres into their music: disco (Heart of Glass), reggae (The Tide is High), and rap (Rapture), among others. I am very, very tempted to pick up the upcoming six CD Blondie retrospective, complete with demos and bonus tracks. What's better--Ronstadt's mid 70s albums on Elektra or Blondie's late 70s albums on Chrysalis? (Do I have to choose?)
****************
Trump vs. Bannon. If there's a winner, we all lose.
Re: Dark Side of the Moon
Date: 2022-09-11 02:11 am (UTC)Regarding the last bit? Why do you think I want the Tiger option? ;-)
Re: Dark Side of the Moon
Date: 2022-09-11 03:49 am (UTC)I don't know.
I wouldn't pick the superstars. Too much gravitational pull.
I would pick David Gilmour of Pink Floyd or maybe Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers...
Re: Dark Side of the Moon
Date: 2022-09-11 03:33 pm (UTC)I'm creating the craziest band on the planet. Front man or singer? Elvis.
Superbands!
Date: 2022-09-11 06:37 pm (UTC)Rock/R&B (North America)
Lead vocals: Elvis
Backing Vocals: Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt
Guitar: Jimi Hendrix
Bass: James Jamerson (Motown)
Drums: Neal Peart (Rush)
Keyboards: Stevie Wonder
Sax: Junior Walker
British Rock Gods
Songwriters: Lennon/McCartney
Lead Vocals: Freddie Mercury
Backing Vocals: Adele and Dusty Springfield
Guitar: Jimmy Page
Bass: Jack Bruce (Cream)
Drums: Keith Moon
Keyboards: Steve Winwood
Woodwinds: Ian McDonald (Foreigner, King Crimson)
Jazz
Lead Vocals: Ella Fitzgerald
Guitar: Django Rinehardt
Bass: Jaco Pastorius
Drums: Gene Krupa
Sax: Sonny Rollins
Piano: Thelonious Monk
....and speaking of Elvis....
Date: 2022-09-11 07:39 pm (UTC)To understate things, it's received a wide variety of responses. You loved it. My wife haaaaated it. I was... somewhere in between.
First of all, my wife couldn't take the visual overload. That didn't bother me. It's Baz Luhrmann--if you're looking for subtlety, you're in the wrong theater.
As always with Luhrmann, the costuming and the set design were absolutely spot on. Every era reproduced beautifully.
Austin Butler had to practically BE Elvis Presley to keep from getting lost in the camera's constant motion. He nailed it. His version of "If I Can Dream" had all the passion and the power of the original.
One section early on I really liked were the scenes in Tupelo. Luhrmann showed how Elvis made the link between the blues of the juke joints and the livelier rhythms of the Black churches. (And the callback later--when "Arthur Crudup" was singing Elvis' version of "That's All Right"--showed how Elvis fundamentally changed the music. Very, very nice touch.)
So what didn't I like? Well, basically....Tom Hanks. The fat suit. The weird Dutch accent. (Seriously, what the f*** was he doing? Colonel Parker didn't sound anything like that!) Yes, Colonel Parker was a greedy old bastard who sucked Elvis dry. But I got that in the first five minutes. If Colonel Parker's role was reduced to a "shadowy, behind the scenes figure" with no lines, I don't think it would have affected the final product.
(In general, I didn't learn anything new about the relationships between Elvis and his loved ones. It's not that it was done badly--it just wasn't all that interesting.)
So it was one hell of a highlight reel for Austin Butler. I just wish they focused more on Elvis and his music and less on Tom Hanks' carny sideshow.
Re: ....and speaking of Elvis....
Date: 2022-09-12 12:35 am (UTC)First of all, my wife couldn't take the visual overload. That didn't bother me. It's Baz Luhrmann--if you're looking for subtlety, you're in the wrong theater.
Yup that's what I told Chidi - who couldn't get through it. From his perspective nothing happened. But it is worth keeping in mind, he felt the same way about Everything Everywhere All at Once, and he hated that movie too. I loved it. Curious, did your wife make it through Everything Everywhere All at Once?
Mother weirdly loved it, which I didn't expect - and she talked me into watching it, because as you state Luhrmann can be hit or miss. I hated Moulin Rouge, and skipped Gatsby. Australia - was a mess. But I loved Strictly Ballroom. I was surprised I loved Elvis - but I didn't find it that overwhelming visually. Everything Everywhere All at Once is actually more visually overwhelming. It also helps that I like musicals. It reminded me a lot of Elton John's Rocketman.
There's some visual tracking shots in it - that blew me away. One is the Tulepo Mississippi one with That's All Right Mama - and how they refer to it throughout, and show how Elvis tweaks it to make it his own. There's another one with Hound Dog - and the singer portraying Big Mama Thornton singing it - that tracks Elvis from Beale Street to the Projects to the Sam Phillips Sun Rise Records. That shot gets across what he was doing with Sam Phillips and what Phillips was doing with music with nothing but that - I thought it was subtle and a neat trick. But it may have been too subtle - most people didn't see it. (And I got it - partly because I knew the back story.)
Another one is the Carnival - with Elvis leaving the fun house, Stevie Nicks's song Stranger Things coming on, as they board the Ferris Wheel. The use of music in this movie was cleverly done and rather subtle - I thought.
I liked the first half of the movie better than the second, but I also liked the first half of Elvis' life better than the second. And I thought Lurham got across the exhaustion of the movies and the sheer number of them, all being interchangable or much the same - very well.
The difficulty is you really can't do an Elvis bio-pick effectively without going big. He had become a carnival sideshow act - except on a huge stage. He was visual overload. Actually that was my difficulty with Bohemian Rhapsody - it should have been focused on the act, the music, not the man's personal life (which his band knew nothing about and was all lies and gossip). Elvis in stark contrast focuses on the music or what is known, and as a result is a far more faithful representation of Elvis' life than what anything else (outside of the documentaries), or other bio-pics have been.
I honestly think the only Bio-Pic that did a good job of straddling that line was Walk the Line, and possibly Coal Miner's Daughter.
So what didn't I like? Well, basically....Tom Hanks. The fat suit. The weird Dutch accent. (Seriously, what the f*** was he doing? Colonel Parker didn't sound anything like that!) Yes, Colonel Parker was a greedy old bastard who sucked Elvis dry. But I got that in the first five minutes. If Colonel Parker's role was reduced to a "shadowy, behind the scenes figure" with no lines, I don't think it would have affected the final product.
Well...I agreed with you until I saw the Elvis Documentary on HBO Max entitle Elvis: The Searcher. Up until that point, I was thinking...Hanks is the weak link in this and possibly miscast. But, then I saw the documentaries...
Believe it or not? Colonel Parker sounded just like that. Hanks actually nails him. No one could tell what that weird accent was. He looked just like that. He acted just like that - with that kind of weird everyman good old boy charm, which Hanks can exude, mixed with a creepy Carnival con man undercurrent that I can't quite put my finger on, which Hanks also can exude.. There's another one - This is Elvis made in the 1970s with Parker invovled - that also, yep. And I've watched interviews with Elvis and Parker - and yep. They both nailed their roles.
It's kind of creepy actually.
I loved the Carnival fun house to Ferris Wheel tracking shot...and how he snows Elvis. Also his snow job of him at the Vegas show.
But yeah, I would agree - upon re-watching, I quickly realized how incredibly annoying Hank's character was (to the point that I fast-forwarded over Hank's scenes) - there's a reason that character wasn't in any of the other Elvis bio-pics, but he's supposed to be grating with that insane accent that could be either German or Dutch and no one can quite place. Parker was a grating character even in the documentaries - he actually did sound like that.
Parker's also needed here - for well two reasons, metaphorically 1) because Lurham isn't interested in a straight bio-pic, but social commentary. He pretty much says as much in interviews. Trump is basically Parker, and Elvis is basically the American Public. But if you don't think metaphorically - you won't see it. 2) literally - Parker destroyed Elvis. He turned a highly talented poor boy from Tulepo Mississippi into a carnival side-show act. Did he create Elvis - not really, Elvis was kind of lightening in a bottle - he'd have taken off regardless. And that too is a metaphor of sorts - it's a metaphor of the music business and how it devours talented performers or eats them alive.
ETA:(In general, I didn't learn anything new about the relationships between Elvis and his loved ones. It's not that it was done badly--it just wasn't all that interesting.)
You weren't supposed to. It wasn't a bio-pic. That wasn't Lurhamn's intent. I know, I know, most people thought that. My co-workers didn't like it for that reason too. My mother and I - loved it because it wasn't. I hate bio-pics. It's bad gossip. All the personal stuff in the Mercury one was lies. Think about it - how can you tell that story? It would be like me telling the story of your marriage. It's gross.
Plus, it's all out there. If you want to learn about that - go watch all the other Elvis biopics. They even did a television series. Boring and gross. If the movie had gone into that - I'd have skipped it (actually I was planning to, until I learned it wasn't going to do that...and it focused on the music instead).
No, what Lurhamn wanted to do was to ..metaphorically comment on our own troubled times with a historic figure during equally troubled times. To show how easy it is to be manipulated. I found it brilliant - but I also didn't watch it literally. It haunted me, because I saw the allusions and metaphors.
Off to bed, early flight tomorrow.