It's Cause Of These Things

So yes, we tend to underestimate the simple things, the minor pleasures of life. Often taking them for granted. But there is nothing, absolutely nothing, compared to the satisfaction of taking a Sunday off, have one hell of a (rather expensive) lunch, and drinking a delightful glass of wine in great company, with a view to die for in the city you love the most.

No rush, no preocupations, zero level process on the back of your mind. I have to be careful though, 'cause I can really get used to this.

Cheers!

Messed Up Xmas?

I hate buying people presents on Xmas. Don't get me wrong, because I love to give spontaneous gifts to people (who actually deserve such an act). But it's the "forced" feeling of buying, instead of offering. You give presents to someone you barely know just so they know "see, I'm not cheap".

So today I was with a friend making all the shopping (yes, I'm on of those who buys Christmas presents the day before, at midnight), and we thought of something really cool: wouldn't it be awesome if you had the nerve to give people the most wrong and absurd present to them, based on their personality?

It would be something like offering a Holy Bible to your satanic friend. Or frozen meat to your vegetarian buddies. A playstation game to your old fashioned grandfather. And maybe a coffee machine to the 5 year old next door! But the fun part would come when you said "I really hope you like it, I spent a long time figuring out what you would want". And then see their reaction. Man, I would so love that.

There should be a day like that. Believe me, it would be the greatest way to find the real personality of your friends! Aside from all this crap,

Merry Christmas.

Safe Music

For quite some time I've wanted to have a website about... music. Good music. Music I could share with the rest of the world. If there's something I love to do is to write about the music industry, so yes, my dream job would be the one presented in the Almost Famous movie.

Two years ago I had a blog in which I used to review the albums I loved the most, and the new ones I used to get my hands on. Unfortunately it didn't last long... nobody actually read the blog (like it happens with 80% of all the blogs) and it made me lose my interest.

I'm thinking about creating a small album-review system based on RSS - it wouldn't give me the trouble to actually build a website, only writing the review itself and publishing the Feed... A lot of people use iGoogle and NetVibes now, I could learn how to develop it as a gadget and publish it.

What I'd really love though, would be having more people to write with, kinda like it happens on Indienation (google it). That way I could share my wonderful perspective of the music magical world, and learn with my fellow colleagues. I have 2 or 3 people in mind, but I'm afraid of entering in this sort of projects now... they don't usually work and people tend to forget about them in a couple of weeks.

But my desire is strong, and as soon as I have time I will release the RSS Feed Reviewing. For sure :)

Witches, buffalos and dead ones

This week's recommendations:




Witchcraft - The Alchemist (2007)

[Stoner Rock / Hard Rock / Classic Rock]

[to fans of: Zeppelin, Lynyrd Skynyrd]






Omar Rodriguez Lopez - Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo (2007)

[Progressive Rock / Experimental Rock / Psych Rock]

[to fans of: The Mars Volta]







...And You Will Know Us by the Trail Of Dead - Maddonna (1999)

[College Rock / Art Rock / Noise Rock / Post Hardcore]

[to fans of: At The Drive-In]

[my] (harsh) truth about CONTROL

So I finally got to see Control, the movie about Joy Division, and more specifically, Ian Curtis. For months I've been waiting for it to premiere, and to watch one of the most mysteryously dramatic stories about someone as odd as life itself. I can't say I'm disappointed, but unfortunately I can't say I'm satisfied either. I'll explain.

At the very first minute, you know you're going to get the silent treatment through the whole film. When you think about it, it makes some sense. Ian was a writer and a singer, but definitely not a speaker. You allow yourself to be embraced with a monochromatic silence, and a lack of long straight sequences that won't ever let you dissect whatever the hell was going on there. And yet, there is plenty of time for you to absorb the heat, or the cold, of that specific moment.

And there you have it. Ian Curtis is played by Sam Riley, a young man who's not a perfect match for Ian's looks, and definitely not a target hit on Ian's voice, but... he's the perfect middle term. The movie includes both music played by the original band members, and from the actors themselves, including the lead singing of Sam Riley. His effort is remarkable, but often failing miserably [his interpretation of Isolation is bloody terrible].

The story is straight forwarding. Perhaps too much. The sequences are short, silent, and they're simply too many. If Anton Corbjin's intention was to create frustration out of the lack of communication, he got way more than that. Which is good at some point, but then it just really gets you on your nerves. One hundred and twenty minutes of silence treatment can be harsh, so sometimes you're bombed with what seems to be some kind of an introspective diary, as if Curtis himself had the need to express and explain to you directly what he was going through. And honestly, it's akward. You can (could) get so much out of the facts themselves, that having someone explaining to you makes the whole plot fit together and following the same straight line.

And that, is bad.

Those who have seen 24 Hour Party People will find in Control a whole different approach. I was afraid Anton would make Ian's story into some kind of beautiful fairytale, something people could remember and tell others in a predefined order of events and emotions. And I wasn't completely wrong... the movie can be cruel, but it's not even as raw as those twenty minutes of Joy Division we get to lick in 24 Hour PP. Sean Harris may actually have been a better Ian than Riley, because he didn't call for the use of words. Riley is a closed book obviously, but only with heavy weights on top. Control represents darkness with a cherry on top.

But the main reason of my disappointment is because there could be so much more here. The characters are exactly what you would expect them to be, and you can't exactly love one of them. They don't give that much mystery, maybe except for Annik, which is gorgeous, a stunning woman who had a minor grade of importancy on the general plot... again, there could easily be so much more. It's like each character had their own string pulling them towards the very same end, and just when you think the string is about to break, it doesn't.

At some point, Ian Curtis [Sam] tells Annik that "some things about Joy Division are not meant to be beautiful". This is exactly what Anton should have paid more attention to, because in the end, it's all just a somewhat comprehensive story which doesn't really leave you wondering around thinking "what the hell happened after all?". You're pushed, they give you a puzzle of a thousand pieces and for two hours, they mount the first 950 pieces for you. The beautiful thing about Ian and the late 70's/early 80's Joy Division story is the fact that you simply cannot understand it. It's a back and forth of events, and fortunately this roleplay is pretty well expressed throughout the whole movie.

But the moments do sink in, eventually, and wether they're forced or not, the truth is they hit you. You miss the caption as a whole, but you know it's there. Still, I would rather have a shorter approach 24HPP style, because in this particular case, distancy only means you're getting closer. And if you don't get it, even better.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but the rush just is not one of my side-effects right now. Not even with the unfair "Atmosphere" being played just when Deborah finds Ian hanging, which would hit me like a damn frisbee if it wasn't so unfortunately predictable. But the [lack of] words is there, and they're burnt on wood. Timeless, eternal, just like they were then. But only now the world actually gets them. Unfortunately, the film also misses this final consideration.

Among a whole lot of things which made Joy Division so freakin' good.

Out of Control

Those idiots!

I've been waiting for Control to premiere for quite some months now, and it was scheduled for Novemeber 15th. And it did premiere that day... on only 3 fuckin' movie rooms in the entire country! Two in Lisbon, one in Porto. What a nerve, they keep releasing awful movies all the time, everywhere, for a long time, and when it comes to something not so much known for the masses, they just throw it at the corner. I hate the way the portuguese movie industry works, this is not the first time something like this happens.

Hopefuly I'm going to watch it next week, if it's still there.

Even More Deliveries

Yes, it's another delivery week! One more week has passed, LOTS of new albums, lots of good music. This blog is turning into a music only thingy... that will change eventually. Not now though! So let's get to business.

My week started with two albums from The Replacements, an alternative rock/punk/post-punk band from the 80's who began to rock my world a little bit more. They sound a lot like bands like The Libertines, like some kind of free punk with a lot of an indie scene mixed up. Their 1984 album, "Let It Be", is absolutely delicious. Which pushed me to "Tim", from 1985, and altough not as good, it's still highly recommended!

Still on an 80's mood, I got "Once In a Lifetime" from Talking Heads. And this was more of a revival scene, as I really wanted to hear Psycho Killer again. Still rockin', still making me know why the 80's were so damn good!

Again with the 80's mood, I decided to finally give it a try, to "Yes". And altough "90125" is a good album with the so well known "Owner Of a Lonely Heart", there's still somethig missing... and it doesn't really fulfill my expectations.

On a different mood, I discovered Riverside. They present themselves as a progressive rock / progressive metal band and... well, I'm glad they do, because that's exactly what they are. I'm not a really big fan of metal / hardcore melodies, (no, I don't like "Tool") but Riverside has somehow managed to capture my attention. They remind me of what a hardcore version of Pink Floyd would be, and that's enough to make me happy! "Out Of Myself", "Rapid Eye Movement", and "Second Life Syndrome" are the albums I own right now. The first one is highly recommended.

I also finally gave it a try to Wire, a somewhat soft-punk band from the 70's/80's. They really remind me of "Wipers", with some "Buzzcocks" influence. "154" and "Pink Flag" and the most know albums, and the two I'm currently listening to. The new wave tendency is quite clear, making it very pleaseant to hear anytime!

And I bought "One For The Road: Live!" from Ocean Colour Scene just an hour ago. Why? Well, I sorta like the band, and it costed 1,5€! And I definitely prefer these guys live... good old fashioned rock.

I also got a few more, but I'll leave them for next week. Or tomorrow... depends how bored I will be :)

Deliveries: part II

My god, I can only update this at weekends! College is being quite time consuming, I barely have time for myself, so the blog doesn't really have a word in this. The sad thing is, during the week I have a lot of ideas and cool stuff I want to share here in this blog, but I always forget them...

Well, first things first. The band that's going to introduce the The Cure concert has been announced! They are 65daysofstatic, a nice post-rock band from England which has been raising a big legion of fans for the last couple of years. I only listened to a full album of them yesterday, and I enjoyed it. Yes, they seem somewhat of a Godspeed You! Black Emperor rip off, but still they sound pretty good. And post-rock bands are always wonderful to be seen live, so I'm looking forward to it.

As for new albums, I've been listening to "No Fighting In The War Room", from Harrisons... but it's disappointing. I'll probably even delete it soon. "Dying To Say This To You" from The Sounds has a few good songs, including the so much acclaimed single "Painted By Numbers", and it's recommended for the grrrlriot new-aged fans. I'm currently trying to get albums from Meat Puppets, Yes, and The Replacements, three bands I listened to some tracks during this week and loved them. Can't wait to get the full business!

As for the video industry, I discovered one marvellous piece of stop-motion art, which was even about to get into the Oscar Nonimees! Unfortunately, and I still don't know why, it was rejected. It's funny, bloody, both beautiful and ugly, and it's a somewhat different approach to this kind of art. Highly recommended, it plays for less that 10 minutes and you can watch it here:



As for cinema, I watched the new Planet Terror, which is... amazing! In a very stupid way. The movie managed to compile all of the greatest action movies clichés and punchlines, and mix them with a really rotten kind of horror. A pure bloodfeast, but quite hilarious at the same time. I had a great time watching it, but you really need to be open minded about the whole concept. The role Tarantino played is small but freaking delicious!
I also wached The Messengers... which is the worst horror (horror? where?) movie I've seen in a long time.
The Devil's Rejects is another Rob Zombie movie - and the guy really knows how to build some characters. The plot is weak, but it works well enough to get your attention through all of it.

And for the first time, technology news! My laptop is an authentic oven nowadays, I can almost fry an egg on the top of that thing. On a regular basis, my processor's temperature gets about 79ºC, sometimes almost 90ºC during intense use. So I decided to give a try to Cooler Master Infinite, a very light base support for the laptop... and guess what, 18ºC less! Talk about keeping the technology fresh, it really works. And it's so light, I can carry it around with my laptop as well. It's relatively cheap and it works greatly, not to mention it's really pretty.

I guess that's it for the week.
And I'm listening to Velvet Underground!

Deliveries

Ahhh, the music era is coming back up again. Unfortunately the money is not, so I spent the last three hours just drooling at a dozen cds I had in hand I reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally wanted to buy... but I'm a good boy, and I didn't.

And speaking of music, the new album from She Wants Revenge finally came out! This Is Forever was released only a few days ago, and still already managed to capture my attention. Don't be fooled, this is no debut album like the first one, I don't really think anyone would disagree about that. But it does not mean that This Is Forever can't be a good album - it is, the erotic darkwave premiss can still be heard and felt at the tip of your tongue and raise your body hairs like a television full of electrical static. And that's basically the whole contract... because SWR won't get much further away from that. So it seems like a deja-vu, and you will find nothing really new and refreshing about this new release. The sound and the taste remain the same, which is good, if you didn't get tired of the 2005's debut album.
The track "She Will Always Be a Broken Girl" seems to me like they did some cheating; it resembles a lot like the 2005 track "These Things"... with different beat and lyrics. Maybe they were getting out of their traditional recipee.

Another sensation of the week is the new Babyshambles album, Shotter's Nation. And much like the previous Down In Albion, it's hard not to enjoy it, but it's somewhat difficult to love it. That just might be a general problem with this kind of danceable-post-punk-indie-rock hippie sensation of nowadays; it feels right anytime, anywhere. But you simply don't miss it very often, even though you know you'll shake your booty to it whenever it starts playing. Shotter's Nation presents itself as what you expect it to be, 100% free of complications and confusing feelings attached. It will make us content, tap our fingers in the table, and listen more than once in a day, just because it feels right.

But the true sensation of the week, and probably for the whole month, is In Rainbows, the new "album" from Radiohead. I called it "album" since it's not an official commercial release, at least not in the traditional way we are used to. (yes, you may get it for free online, after a few days of waiting in queue). The very first track from this new release just feels like Radiohead, one would recognize it anywhere, anytime. I must admit I'm somewhat tired of the Radiohead feeling, well, the Thom Yorke feeling actually, so I didn't take this as good news to me. But as I kept listening to the album I found myself enjoying it quite a lot, the same way I enjoy listening to [what I call] emotionally neutral albums which you know it's safe to listen to. And unlike Hail To The Thief, you can safely tag this as the old and delicious alternative rock they made us so afraid to use. Far from being a complicated album, it has a very natural feeling attached and you slowly start to get caught in the middle of the whole processing.
No, it's not an Ok Computer, especially because this is not the 90's anymore... so In Rainbows feels like a Chocolate Cornetto on a rather cold Autumn afternoon. Personally, I've had it with Cornetto's. But I must admit that if I had never tried one, I think I would start to eat them more often from now on. It's just not the right time.

And I already got my ticket to The Cure :)

A Cura

Fuck yeah! The Cure are coming to Portugal next year! And I'm gonna be one of those banging in the first row I assure you \m/. I haven't been this excited since the latest Depeche Mode concert, back in 2006. And The Cure are even returning with a new album - if it's ever so good as the latest, Bloodflowers, it should certainly be more than welcome.

These last few days have been great. Everything in place, everything in order. Nothing but good news and well spent days & nights. I only wished I had more time to listen to music though... but oh well, you can't have it all I guess.

"...raspam a tinta velha das paredes da igreja, como corujas esfomeadas num oásis de cascalho. São bandos singulares, grupos solitários, que tremem como varas verdes a cada rugir daquele telhado podre. Espreitam-se pelas janelas descortinadas, com inveja e nojo do que não puderam outrora ser. Contam as histórias, os velhos pedaços de tinta que lá morrem pela relva seca."

Patti Smith always inspired me. That's because she's also a "Smith", in her own way. And in "Twelve", she sings the most beautiful version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" I have ever heard. She's gone soft, and apparently that's the new tendency! Polly Jean Harvey amazed me with her latest release. It's just like watching a white tiger morphing into a house kitten.

Both are pretty enjoyable.

MIA

Call and I'll answer at home in the lost and found
You say that I'm much too proud
Someone who's taking pleasure in breaking down
Nevermind the mannequins, drunk in their hollow town
Drinking their spoils down, cheap imitations
The revelation is now
You wont find me I'm going MIA
Tonight I'm leaving going MIA
Cause Getting lost in you again is better than being numb
Counting every minute till the feeling comes crashing down
Run when it hits the ground
I'm good at escaping
But better at faking out
Call in unanswered the center becomes blown out
Stuck on the inside now
It's fear I'm embracing
I never could face you down

I had forgotten about how much I loved this old Foo Fighters song, from 1999. I'm currently listening to their new album... but the more I listen to it, the more I want to listen to their old songs instead. So I guess it will take some time until I -only- listen to the new record!

I can't wait for the new She Wants Revenge album, and for the whatever next release of Led Zeppelin will be. Oh, and I finally managed to get my hands on the second CD of "Sketches for my Sweetheart the Drunk" from Jeff Buckley - I only have had the first one for years. It's simply... wonderful. Without a doubt, the second "Grace". Marvellous!

Let's dance

What a night. I missed things that rocked my world... after going through all the shit I've lived with for the past three months, I was truly needing some good stuff. But that's not enough, I won't rest until I feel I got what I KNOW I deserve.

I decided to post three (rather old) photos I took this year, just another few backstage shots that don't deserve more than a quick snap.

Starting with my beautiful cat, Luna \m/




And a gorgeous midnight snap of a backyard flower:


And a curious eye shot, with a fisheye vision to the entire street.


And yes, that's me in my winter jammies ;D

Moving Units

So everyone is starting to get a bit tired of the classic indie-rock. That's understandable, I am too. Not only because almost everything new nowadays is sistematically tagged as indie-rock, but mostly because new bands are simply reusing old recipees which, they think, is quite tasty for the majority of people.

That's what I feel whenever I'm listening to the new tendencies of this gender. I keep the old sparks alive, but in order to develop new ones, they have to burn and crave their names in fire, in my musical heart. And I believe that's what happening with "Hexes for Exes", the new album of "Moving Units".

I was test-driving new bands, and all of them were somewhat dissapointing. I already had a bad taste of insatisfaction in my mouth, especially after listening to the new album of "1990's". But as soon as my player got to Moving Units, a nice sweet flavor of ice cream invaded my mouth immediately. They are not just indie-rock-period, there's more to it. Hexes for Exes shares an aftertaste of a post-punk theme, reminding us what would be a softcore version of White Rose Movement. The opening track "Pink Thoughts" has an Interpol feeling, which subsequently directs us straight to Joy Division. But far away from being nearly similar, the sound is polished like some diamond waiting to be sold in a disco, straight from the dance floor.
Simple, yet straight, like some old 80's revival effort.

I must confess that a big part of all the atractiveness comes from the Pulp-similar singing. This is what a neo-Pulp band would feel like I'm sure, bathed in some kind of synthetic pop which makes you want both to shake your booty and appreciate the small pleasures of slowcore punk. The album will be officially released in October 9th, and I certainly hope it gets the attention it deserves.

I'm more than happy to rate it as a 7 out of 10.

Movie update!

My cinema sessions have decreased lately, mostly because of the money and time shortage. Time and Money, actually two of my favorite songs from Pink Floyd. I bet they didn't go to the movies a lot too. They couldn't, must have been quite sad.

The last movie I saw was Goya's Ghosts. I got really curious about this movie ever since I found out Francisco Goya's paintings, which are the most both bizarre and horrific... a third classifier would be "magnificent". A truly remarkable and surrealistic vision about the Spanish Inquisition, quite surprising especially for it's own time.

The movie features Stellan Skarsgård as Goya, Javier Bardem as an odd brother (Lorenzo), and the beautiful Natalie Portman as Inês / Alicia (she plays two roles). The main plot begins in a very simple way. Inês becomes an inspirational Muse to Goya, who keeps relating her to an Angel. She represents the state of the art of pureness to Goya. But, the inquisition soon declares Inês to be a heretic, against the wishes and fights of both Goya and her family. But the film is not a story of love... in fact, the sequences are as real as they can get. The plot develops mainly around these three main characters, and Goya does not get a major part of the plot here, like one would think.
Goya's Ghosts is not meant to be told, but to be seen. There is much beauty in all the scenes, as they're easily pictured as paintings. It's harsh like life sometimes is, so justice doesn't play a particular role here. You can find more information about the movie here.

We're going through changeeeeeeeeees!

Nevermind the lame title.

I finally moved today! New home! New bed! New shower! Same carpet tough, it's too fluffy to discard.

There's just something about moving. If there's a thing I hate, is looking for an apartment. Seriously, I would rather having some 12 year old kid kicking my ass all afternoon, than to spend it looking for a new home. By the previous July I was forced to find a new place, and found a neat little apartment about a mile away from where I was living before. It's a really small apartment... I'm used to the big ones, with a large living room to do whatever I want there. Now I dont even have a living room, but the room kicks butts. It's awesome!

I don't like the actual moving, but I feel pretty damn excited about it... today, when all the moving business was over, I didn't want to come home. I wanted to stay there already, try out the new place like some little girl plays with her Barbie house all day long. I know I'll be a little miserable there... I'll be mostly alone, with no one to talk to and discuss the day after the day it's over. I will miss that, and still don't know how it will affect me from now on.

Well, I guess I'll try to find excuses NOT to come home...! But until those days come, there's still a lot of work to be done. You better start wishing me luck now, because I'll be needing it badly for the next weeks.

Grace Range

It's only midday and so far a great day. Got back from the hospital, and my tumor may not even be a tumor! Yay for that. But the realllllllllllllly great news are that I finally got my hands on something I wanted for much long: The Jeff Buckley Live In Chicago concert, and the full discographie of New Order.

As for Jeff Buckley, I can't wait to watch the full concert, when I get some free time. I've seen it a little and it's just beautiful, all the songs from "Grace" are there and it's just... uau, so fuckin amazing. I just know I'll be watching this many times from now on, for sure.

As for New Order, I only had two albums and a singles collection, which is a crime for someone who loves the damn band.

Here's a clip from Jeff Buckley's Chicago concert (Mojo Pin).


... and here is New Order's Blue Monday, one of my favorites.

Dream, brother

The nights are so harsh now. I'm afraid I'll just never get over this.

Don't let the bed bugs bite

A few more bug shots.
This little fella on the left stayed with me during the Air Race competition, too bad he didn't talk much. But he behaved pretty well and we got along nicely.

But unfortunately I had to let him go. I think he's dead now ;P






As for this ugly one, it was just a regular fly who was bothering me while I was trying to have my coffee, in the backyard. But my cat killed it, and ate it after.

I like my cat.

Confissões

A while ago I was searching for an old letter from the bank, I needed my account number, and I stumbled with a lot of personal letters I have received over the years. My desk has always been a bottomless pit for memories, everything just goes and stays there, and altough I only open my own desk maybe once a month, everytime I do it I get caught by something.

This time, I spent half an hour reading old letters. Letters from old pen pals, from old lovers, even those long birthday cards people wrote, everything just rushed up to my head again. And then it hit me - my first love letter I ever received. I couldn't find it. I don't know what the hell made me so eager to find it, I really really wanted to read that letter again. I wanted to feel what was, back then, some years ago, the happiest day until then.

I don't keep in touch with that girl anymore, and I don't care, but still I desperately wanted to read it again and see if I could relate at all to those feelings I remeber having. But I couldn't find it... if I still had it, it had to be there, and it wasn't. Strangely, that made me awfully sad. I feel like some part of me was lost, and I didn't even remembered this "part" until now.

I don't know what she would think if she read this, maybe she just wouldn't care, but I feel like I owe her the biggest apologie in the world... I would hate for anyone to lose a love letter of mine, people always put so much effort on them, it must be both the happiest and painful pieces of paper to write. And I feel really bad. Not only I want to have someone to exchange letters with again, but every single word of those letters means so little now. Then, it meant the world. Now, just memories. It isn't fair, and that's the fucked up side of being in love.

The very same goes to photographs. Unfortunately, a somewhat recent accident made me lose thousands of old memories I had, and I don't believe I've ever cried so hard about losing something. It's akward. But it certainly hits us right on the spot. I now want to do something about those letters - something at all - but it's just impossible, of course. It just doesn't feel right leaving them there, waiting to be found again, someday.

Drops

The last few days have been hard on me, so I'm taking advantage of the little time I now have for myself trying to do something useful. Well, not quite useful - pleasurable will do just fine! Of course, music and photography still ocuppy the largest part of it, so that's where I'll mostly focus on.

Yesterday I spent about two hours trying to capture a single photo - of something I always loved to see, and an art that truly fascinantes me. Water drops photography. If you google it, you'll find dozens of wonderful macro shots, beautifully captured. But it's quite hard, requires a LOT of patience, and a good equipment is necessary. But I dont have good equipment and I wouldn't settle for a "no".

Oh if only you could see the mess I did... I've created a system out of hanging bottles with strings that continuously keep dripping at a certain ratio - at the same spot. That would leave my hands free to the real capture. Buuuuut unfortunately, it took me almost 200 shots and two battery packs to capture a few good ones. But as it got dark, I ran out of light, and I lost all the contrast in my pictures.

Which means, a LOT of noise. But I'll share my first one! I was really excited when I got it, it was really hard. The general flash speed isn't enough to freeze the action, so it was a pretty good excuse for the fully manual mode.



The depth of field is really really thin with a macro lens, and with drops smaller than 0,5cm, it can take a lot of patience, believe me. But I enjoyed the result, altough amateur, and Im looking forward to more experiencies with this. It was fun to create the colorful background, but next time I'll try to add some ink to the water and use milk drops for extra texture.

I was going to post more of the Air Race photos, but I'll leave that to another day.

Its cause of these things!

Yes, a few backstage photos. Not all the pictures I take are for artistic and commercial purposes of course, sometimes it's just for the fun of it. But I never get to show them to anyone... so why not use this blog to share some of them? I think it's a supercallifragilisticexpialidocious idea!

Starting with something scary. Has anyone actually seen what a worm looks like? Until a few days ago I thought they were just hundreds of rings, I never even thought about their eyes and mouth. Fortunately, I found a baby one in my backyard and had with me my supercallifr... my wonderful macro lens! So here's what I got:















(You can click to make it bigger.) Scary stuff. Looks like it was taken from an "Aliens" movie.

On other news, today was the practice day for the pilots of the Redbull Air Race, which will take place tomorrow and Saturday, in Porto. Thousands of people are expected to show up, and I will certainly be one of them. Despite the fascination of having planes flying at 200kmh just above my head and slaloming by the Douro river, the challenge of photo-shooting such an event is my greatest invitation. And today, the pilots were practising - and so was I.

I have shot and covered a few sport events - but no one was ever this HARD. It's almost impossible for me to shoot (correctly) an event such as this one, at least not with the equipment I have. The planes are too fast, too close, and too unpredictable. I wanted to take close ranged photos of them and I was totally unable too, they were just a motion blur! And I was shooting at speeds as high as 1/1000 of a second. It was incredible.

Even at 4 frames per second at 1/1000s, I didn't manage to get any close shot. It's well beyond my possibilities, so I just put my camera away and enjoyed the rest of the show. Here are two shots, so you'll know what Im talking about:

















The rush is amazing, a bit scary too. So I guess this is it for today.

Lets play doctors!

Sometimes I just can't believe in the incompetence of people.

I went to see a (new) doctor today, since my family doctor is on vacations, and, like in most hospitals in Portugal, I waited a few hours to get an appointement with this new doctor. Well, I'm used to it, so I didn't mind (much). Because I would finally know what's wrong, right?

I walked in her office, and she asked what brought me there. I quickly explained my situation, and she said "Well, that might just be a tumor". I stared, and asked her to at least take a look! She analyzed me for what, 10 seconds? Afterwards she said "Yeah, maybe. Just go on and do some Eco's and Xrays, and show them to your real doctor when she gets back". And she told me the session was over.

I asked her "well I already knew it could be a tumor, but can you at least tell me what YOU think it is, a bad tumor, a good tumor, what?" And she gave me this look like she was thinking "How am I supposed to know?". SHE'S A FUCKIN DOCTOR!! She said absolutely nothing. Zero. Gave me a piece of paper and sent me away.

Afterwards I had to pay to see a private doctor who actually was able to give me a REAL diagnostic, and the session DID took more that a minute and a half. God damn it, what's wrong with these new doctors? They simply don't care, at all. That woman really pissed me off.
I'm more relaxed now, hurray for money-sucking doctors whose money makes them care.

Sétimo Manifesto

[Portuguese only, sorry]

Estava por aqui a escarafunchar os meus antigos textos, quando me apercebi que perdi a maioria. Sei que devo ter apagado grande parte deles, mas ainda consegui recuperar três dos muitos que escrevi nos anos anteriores (os únicos que chegaram de facto a ser publicados). Durante 2003-2005 escrevi uma série de Sete Manifestos, sete peças distintas de literatura de variados formatos, com a intenção de, bem, já não sei. Mas decidi partilhar um, o último da série. O formato foi completamente novo para mim e, na minha opinião, funcionou muito bem.

Sétimo Manifesto

"chego a casa as duas da manha depois de um dia cheio de trabalho abro a porta devagarinho para nao te acordar fecho a porta ainda mais devagarinho sacudo o guarda-chuva mas deixo-o la fora para nao te dar que limpar limpo os sapatos bem limpos no tapete que compraste la em berlim e empurro-os para um canto e vou para a cozinha encharcado preencher o vazio que sinto ca dentro e abro o frigorifico e ainda nao ha nada para comer e nos armarios tambem nao lentamente tiro a roupa molhada e deito-me no sofa a ver televisao um dois tres quatro cinco seis canais e nada que valha a pena desligo a televisao e oiço a chuva a cair e levanto-me para abrir a janela e deixo o pobre do gato entrar cá para dentro vejo um dois tres quatro cinco seis relampagos e fico na janela mais tempo do que queria mesmo sabendo que amanha celebras os teus magníficos trinta e cinco anos de idade mas desculpa se nao me importo ja sabes que te digo que te amo todos os anos e que te beijo na suave e pequenina testa aquando escorres uma lagrima azul e abres os braços esperançada e eu nao te ligo nenhuma e que volto para a cama ponho o despertador para as sete da manha e nao dou de comer ao animal e nao te dou um beijo de boa noite nem te ajudo a carregar as compras que ainda deixaste na cozinha e vens para a minha beira poes o braço a minha volta e tentas dormir sossegada sabendo que estou contigo - nao eu nao estou contigo e tu sabes bem disso e nao me importo se e o teu aniversario estou cansado de trabalhar no cafe todos os dias a mesma coisa clientes a queixarem-se do pingo estar morno ou do cafe sem açucar e a contar a vida toda desde o alpendre que caiu e os quatrocentos escudos que vai custar a reparar a mulher do joaquim que fugiu com a roberta e todas a noite fecho o cafe caminho pelo passeio onde violinos choram lagrimas musicais e as dez milhas que faço ate casa sao gastas apenas a pensar em ti no que eu te fiz no que eu te faço e no que eu te quero fazer porque novamente nao foste as compras ficaste a ver a telenovela mexicana mesmo quando o comando da televisao esta avariado e te deitas no sofa a olhar para aquela porcaria e no dia seguinte a mesma rotina e feita mas ja nao ha açucar e assim nao posso tomar cafe mas caminho para o trabalho as dez milhas como sempre a pensar em ti, no que te fiz no que te faço e no que te quero fazer - ainda nao compraste açucar e afinal o alpendre do almeida vai custar seiscentos escudos e a mulher do joaquim morreu atropelada mas eu julgo que tenha sido suicidio apos um duro filicidio e quando chego a casa sacudo o guarda chuva descalço-me devagarinho e caminho para nao te acordar vou para a cozinha ainda nao ha açucar mas sabes que mais nao me importo.

nao existes. e mesmo assim eu odeio-te."

ricardo magalhães, 2005 - a última peça escrita até hoje.

Lost... and found!

Those who know me are fully aware of my terrible lack of orientation. I can't really tell where's North and where's South, I can't even find my own car in the parking lot most of the times, and whenever I'm stuck on a new street or city I get highly confused and never get out of there.

Everytime I had to go somewhere, I spent more than an hour visiting the place in Google Earth, taking notes, lots of notes, and still I managed to get confused. But those days are over! I got myself a GPS, and I shall find my way and purpose in life!

Well, maybe not the purpose, but certainly the way... It's a bit awkward having a woman telling me when and where to go, but hey, that's life. Maybe I'll improve my general orientation, but don't worry, I will still be the same old distracted folk you always knew and loved.

(The GPS voice's name is Catarina by the way, and she has a sexy metalic voice :D)

.

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!

Teenage Wristband

I can't stop listening to The Twilight Singers, especially at night. It's the perfect company for a warm night, no matter what your mood is. Since a dear friend of mine introduced me to them, I fell in love with the music style Greg Dulli produces to this twilight package.

Some songs have that teenage rock feeling into them, which I typically hate. But I don't care, they rock, and they're good company when the moon rises.

And I just found out Greg has another band, featuring Mark Lanegan (from Screaming Trees) as the second member! That's promising, must get my hands in that one as soon as possible! The band is Saturnalia. Can't wait to hear it.

Just watch this freakin video, you'll know what I'm saying.

Complaint file #28735

I'm sick of this. Today was just a louzy fuckin' day and the last few days have been and felt like shit. Sometimes I just feel like telling people to shove their own words in their own big fat round asses. But apparently that's imoral...

I'm a very patient person, and I still like to think I'm a decent guy who doesn't deserve most of the crap I have to take. I love people, I would go to the very end of the world for many loved ones and pretty much everyone worth a sacrifice. But sometimes it just feels fucking ungrateful, I don't know why I still feel like I should continue to put up with it.

Morrissey had it right: "In my life, why do I give valuabe time, to people I'd much rather kick in the eye".

And thank god for Pink Floyd, for listening to my ramblings. I'll be just fine tomorrow.

Movies

I've been going to the movies a lot lately, mostly because I'm bored most of the times. Just like I am bored right now, so that's why I'm making this blog entry ;D.

The Simpsons - Not just a long episode of the series, it managed to really become a "movie"! Extremely funny since the very beggining to the very end, it didn't dissapoint at all. One of the greatest animations I've seen, for sure. You can really tell that all the jokes have been given a lot of thought, and they work really damn well. It was a really good surprise, highly recommended.

Hostile 2 - Blargh. Haven't seen such a bad movie in a long time. I honestly thought Hostel was different from the other terror movies, but I didn't see the first one. It's bloody awful! I bet it's the same story as the first one, only with different characters. A lot of hot chicks, summer vacations, they die, yada yada, it would be a nice horror movie in 1990. Fuckin bad movie, it was a waste of money.

Evan Almighty - I really enjoyed Bruce Almighty a few years ago, Carrey did a great job in it. It wasn't a superb movie and definitely not the best movie of the year, but I liked it. And since I've come to love Steve Carell, I was excited about this sequel! The director was the same, so I was expecting more of Bruce Almighty with Carell's charisma. Well, I was wrong. The movie is actually quite poor. Steve does a good job, the man is impossible not to adore. But the plot is weak, the funny parts are rather rare and frankly, rather poor also. It's more of a family movie than the typical comedy, so I'm sure it's gonna be a good movie when you're watching it on TV with your family...

Disturbia - After I saw the trailer I got really curious, it didn't seem like the typical teenage horror movie (*points to Hostel 2 review....*) and I enjoyed the boys' work in Transformers. First of all the movie is quite long, which wouldn't really be a bad thing... if, some action actually happened in the first 2/3 of the movie. 75% of the film is mostly talking and get-to-know-us scenes, which, altough not boring, are not what you expected and paid for! Only the last half hour is in fact, what you want to see. And even that is not so "disturbia" after all... you expected more by the end of it, but in general it's not a bad movie, I actually enjoyed it.

Die Hard 4 - Terrible plot! Must be the worst freakin excuse for a plot I've ever seen in a Die Hard! Remeber "Hackers"? How easy it was to hack whatever you want, from wherever you want, and causing pure chaos just like that? Die Hard 4 has the same premiss. Only we're not in the 90's! Despite that, the action scenes are good, which make the movie worth seeing for the fans. The humour is weak for a Die Hard, and it's ridicusly exagerated. For the fans, only.

Ratatouille - A lot of paint over this animation for the last months. Every single review was good for this latest Pixar animation, and of course I got curious. The movie is about a rat with excellent cooking skills, who wants to practice his art in a restaurant in Paris. And believe it or not, this actually works... greatly. I've never seen such a convincing animation before. You get to watch it mainly in a first person (first rat, actually) style, which makes you really get inside the story. You ARE the rat! It's a wonderful movie, full of rich humourous scenes which makes you eager for the next one. Not only I laughed a lot, but I also smiled a lot like all those children in the room. One hell of an experience, without a doubt one of the best animation movies this year, if not the best.

Shrek III - Just another Shrek. (I'm lazy now. Bye)

Opsye...

I'm listening to way too much music. For the past five or six weeks, the first thing I do when I wake up is set-up the playlist. I have breakfast listening to music on the living room's DVD; I have lunch still listening to music.

When I decide to stay home during the afternoon, no matter what I do, music is always playing. If I decide to go out, I keep listening to my playlist on the car, on the train, on the bus, wherever.

If I'm walking on the city, or just waiting for someone, I naturally plug the earphones.

When I get home, more music. I go to bed everyday at 3am, stopping the laptop's music... but then I fall asleep listening to my mp3 player. I fall asleep to music, and I wake up with music.

All this would be fine if music hadn't such an impact on me. I live my world based on what music makes me feel; so that creates lies, hope, false hope, expectations, pretty much anything one could feel. It's... driving me a little bit crazy. When I have nothing to do, I just keep searching for more music, or read and learn everything I can about my favorites. Silence bothers me for the first time, 'cause there's NO FUCKIN' MUSIC PLAYING!

It's a miserable drug, which sometimes resembles a painkiller, but lately is just feels like it grows emotions I'm definitely not used to have. The worst part?

Tomorrow I'll listen even more. I just can't wait for it.

Hello, my name is Richard. And I'm addicted to music.
The fucking thing keeps calling my name.

Covers

Lately I've been in a marvellous quest: finding all the musical covers artists have made to the songs I love the most. I don't even need to like the covering artists, I just feel like I have to hear their tributed version to whoever inspires them. I already got a few good ones, some of them were a real pain in the ass to find... Others are real rarities, which actually increases the pleasure of having them. Here's what I got so far, and of course I initially focused on The Smiths and Joy Division.

Belle And Sebastian - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (The Smiths)
Low - Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me (The Smiths)
The Smashing Pumpkins - Isolation (Joy Division)
X-Wife - She's Lost Control (Joy Division)
Primal Scream - New Dawn Fades (Joy Division)
Jeff Buckley - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (The Smiths)
Calexico - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Pearl Jam - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana)
New Order - New Dawn Fades (Joy Division)
In The Nursery - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division)
Bauhaus - Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
The Divine Comedy - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths)
The Divine Comedy - Radioactivity (Kraftwerk)
The Divine Comedy - Les Jours Tristes (Yann Tiersen)
The Killers - Shadowplay (Joy Division)
Pink Floyd - Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin)
Death Cab For Cutie - This Charming Man (The Smiths)
Psychedelic Furs - How Soon Is Now (The Smiths)
William Shatner - Common People (Pulp)
The Divine Comedy - Life On Mars (David Bowie)
The Divine Comedy - Vapour Trail (Ride)
The Divine Comedy - John Mathis' Feet (American Music Club)
The Cure - Creep (Radiohead)
Nancy Sinatra - Jackson (Johnny Cash)
Johnny Cash - Mercy Seat (Nick Cave)
Johnny Cash - Personal Jesus (Depeche Mode)
Metallica - Loverman (Nick Cave)
The Smashing Pumpkins - A Night Like This (The Cure)
Supergrass - Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (The Smiths)
Pink Floyd - House Of The Rising Sun (Bob Dylan)
The Smiths - Across The Universe (The Beatles)
Girls Against Boys - She's Lost Control (Joy Division)
Muse - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want (The Smiths)
The Smashing Pumpkins - Never Let Me Down Again (Depeche Mode)


A lot more are still on the list, I'll keep this update!

High

Low, one of the greatest indie slowcore bands ever, is back with another great album: "Drums And Guns". For long I have adored this group, mostly because of the extreme variety of their music style and of how good they can be at every one of them.

Low started in early 1993 as a grunge, post-punk sound, with a major target on the lyrics. Even then the delicious combination of Mimi Parker's and Alan Sparhawk vocal's sounded like heaven, I never heard two singing voices be so good together as these.

By the end of the last decade, they decided to improve which is now their main music style; slowcore. Slowcore can typically be very annoying, but Low had a way of their own. The rythm can be very raw, reminding us of the early post-rock days, sometimes being followed by small electronic touches. They work their music around the voice and the lyrics, and the result it's quite astonishing.

But it's live when Low really show their magic. A live concert of Low is like a zen therapy - perhaps with better results. I'll say no more and leave you with a few great videos.

http://scheduletwo.com/video/qt/low/last_snowstorm_of_the_year

Check them out.

Shadowplay

A lot of my works are inspired in songs. In fact, most of them are. Almost every conceptual work I did took it's meaning from a certain song, or just part of a lyric. Here's my last work;



I was listening to Joy Division on the way over, and Shadowplay hit me like a rock. I'll give a frisbee to whoever guesses where I took the photo from :D

You may find it in my deviantart gallery, as well as my portfolio.

T-shirts!

If there's one thing I have always wanted to do, was my own t-shirts customizations. I always envy the people who wear those clever-phrased tshirts, especially because I never actually found a place who sold them. And for quite some time I've been making a list of all the things I would put on a t-shirt, so that one day I would pick up my own lazy ass from the chair and start working on them.

Meanwhile, almost three years have passed. Lazy assed once, lazy assed forever. A few hours ago I stumbled with an online shop for music related tshirts - another thing I always wanted to have. But I never wanted to spend a lot of money for them - sure, everyone's proud about they really like and love. But paying €25 for it? No sir. If that wasn't enough, the only music related shirts which sell out there are death metal ones... and I don't like death metal. Sorry if you've mistaken me for a nervous headbanger.

So I thought, I have Google! Why not make my own groupie yay yay yay bands tshirts? I've been working on some previews for the last couple of hours, and I truly think this time, will be the time. There's a lot of work involved - most of the images I've found are low resolution, and it will take me a long time to perform some vectorization so I can make them bigger. But, I honestly hope to have most of them ready within a month or two. I'll let you sneak the previews I've made earlier.















Buzzcocks! Don't be fooled by their name; they rock and kick ass.


Mr. Johnny Cash. A tribute to my ol' country side.


Joy Division. Because love can tear me apart.


Ramones, my favourite old style polished punk.



New Order. So simple yet so appealing. Besides, I'll look like a "no" person.


No introducing needed.


I am currently working on Pink Floyd's tshirt. Next on the list are The Divine Comedy. I want so bad to make Jeff Buckley's, The Smiths, Fantomas, Screaming Trees, Depeche Mode, Pulp and Tom Waits t-shirts, but it's difficult to find some good art to work with. Or at least with decent resolution. So any help from these you can give me, I would appreciate. I'll keep this updated as I work on them - there are still a lot of fonts and artwork to vectorize.

Keep rockin'.

Sense Of The World

Karl Rove has quit! He's gone!

Today at Washington DC, the President's political adviser Karl Rove (aka, dumbass jerk) oficially resigned in front of the press. Well it's about damn time. Karl took the high level position at the White House in 2001, and it's now leaving "by himself". Apparently, no one insisted for him to leave, neither forced, he just wants to take his own life.. ops, sorry, his own time, to dedicate to "writing" and "teaching". Well, I think it's a great decision if he is to form an army of sensless republicans. Would he really be the greatest teacher?

I'm sure he would, I mean, after all he can identify secret members from the CIA and tell the world about it... that's something I can't do for sure. After all, he managed to succesfully lose both Congress's houses to Democrats. Bush will now get smarter than a monkey, I'm telling you.

But what do I care, it's not even my government.

So, on a brighter side, I give you this other news;

"An Estonian man who was caught driving a car even though he is blind has been at it again, police said on Monday, and this time he faces jail." (CNN).

Uau, I'm impressed. I bet that one did one hell of a highway chase :)

Death Of

A few days ago, Anthony Wilson (also known as Tony Wilson) has past away, at the age of 57, from a severe heart attack.

Tony Wilson was, among other things, the man behind "Factory Records" and the "Haçienda" nightclub in Manchester, which played a major role in the 70's music business. Tony was the manager responsible for great bands such as "Joy Division", the "Happy Mondays" and "A Certain Ratio". He became a true british legend back in the seventies, promoting what was then the beginning of the new era for the Punk Rock days. The man had ears just like everyone else - but he knew how to really use them.

To anyone curious about his life (which means, his work), I highly recommend a close watch to the 2002's movie "24 Hour Party People", which stars the actor Steeve Cogan as Tony Wilson, a remarkable character who dedicated his entire life to the musical industry.

I will never understand why I'm always so affected by the death of great music artists. I never knew them in person, and still it's just like I knew them my entire life. I still remember what I was doing when I heard about Johnny Cash's death, for example. The same goes for Elliott Smith's death... there was always this heavy atmosphere while I listened to the product of their geniality. And every song I heard felt like a tribute, my condolences to someone I never got to know. Funny feeling... ironic, too.

But I guess it's that exact same feeling that keeps us so close to the music we love. An addicting combination of respect and love for their work, for their minds, no matter how disturbed they may be.

To Mr. Tony, I just have to say "thank you".

The Street Lens

There's nothing as good as shooting someone. With a camera.

So you are on the big city. You're alone, it's a beautiful day and you just feel like walking around a bit. You walk carefully, because you're not used to do such thing alone... And then you realize you really don't recognize a single face you see. That... makes you curious.

...And longing for some kind of silent interaction. You want to get involved, get a piece of their minds, which you know nothing about. But fear keeps you from doing any action. You stare, and even the smallest reaction to your momentaneoum voyeurism kicks up your heart rate like a drug.

You start to be afraid; someone, the most insignificant other in the large world that surrounds you, noticed you noticing them. You expect the environment to feel smaller, but instead, you're the one who does. Everything else grows up before your very own eyes, and your only focus concentrates on the fact that you're watching what no significant other cares about.

And now you're really afraid, even to look at it again. You stop. Why did someone stop in the middle of nowhere? Because, it suddenly became the middle of everywhere.

With your heart rate firing up like a bullet from a Magnum, you reach out for your camera. You spend a few seconds preparing the scene, and it takes just about forever. You press the shutter button, its noisy and metallic sound distinguishes it from the ambience very well. And then you quickly take a look around, waiting for someone to yell at you, run after you, or even punch you.

You walk away like you never even cared. A whole new set awaits you by the other corner, and you know that well. Still, you never forget the very still image from the moment you pressed the camera's button. What you felt for yourself, and what you felt for others.

It just never goes away, grows up with you. And that, dear ones, is street photography. Just like a "Speed" pill inside a tea cup, waiting to kill you in order for you to feel alive.

It's just as beautiful as it's scary.

Today is the greatest...

There is just so much yet to be heard, as I stumble on the triumph of my tired eyes. And I mean it literally, it's not like I get to be a widow by the radio. Well, perhaps an orange one. Today I accidentally made some juice out of it. Here it is, and keep in mind I took the liberty to remove the seeds.

I hate people who talk out loud in the movies.
I hate getting lost in the parking lot.
I love unexpected kisses from people.
I love coffee still at only 50 cents.
I hate goodbyes.
I love trainstations.
I hate the fact that I cook much better when it's only for me.
I love when the most stupid thing makes me smile.
I hate driving alone at night.
I love driving alone at night.
I love underlining the most irrelevant words.
I love when somebody tells me forbidden secrets.
I hate when I'm involved.
I love writing the things I love.
I hate thinking about the things I hate.
I hate neighbours who'll do anything to turn me in.
I love my reasons to be happy.

All of these in just 24 hours. Ain't I a 24 hour party people? Damn those gipsies, they just ruined the movie.

One more to get tired of

My blogging days are over, and yet, their're about to start again.

Actually, the first blog I ever made was created when I didn't even know the concept of blog; it had the shape of a somewhat disturbed diary on a website of mine back in 2001. Only more than one year later I discovered Blogging as itself, and well, the thing just lost it's meaning. I kept updating my own thing, and people seemed to give it more attention. Unfortunately, I was more of a dark kid than anything else, showing to know more about life than what I was supposed to back then.

I made friends and enemies. Now the friends are my enemies, and the enemies are good friends. And it's quite interesting to interpretate that concept into someone's once disturbed mind - especially when the biggest secrets are now to be kept forever. I made a bad start.

I wrote a lot of literature back then. Fortunately, some of it got recognized and it was even published at some literature magazines I loved. And when people started to give me feedback about it, and telling me how they understood me... I stopped writing. Haven't wrote a single life of a poem or prose in 4 or more years. Some months ago, I found all of my text-works on a website, and I went through hell and the end of the world to have it removed for good.

So congratulations if you got my point. I don't know what I'll make of this (yet), but I may be... may be, putting back together some pieces I was always afraid to. At the most primate level of comprehension and misunderstanding, words can tear me apart, and I'm grabbing as hard as I can to that premiss.

Thus, it's been a rough night. I deserve my psychotic break for today.