Displaying post 1 to 50 of 114
from
mefi
A slightly drunken
Momus sings us a song from his living room, then gives us
5000 years of chairs in 5 mimutes.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 11:33 AM on July 20, 2008
(37 comments)
"It's somewhat fitting that a man named
Charles Bird King--a name both eminently European yet vaguely Amerindian--would depict the natives of the American East (Creek, Crow, Seminole, Cherokee, Choctaw, Iowa, Fox, Winnebago, etc) at a time when there was a semblance of parity (parody of parity?) between the Old and New Worlds. This was expressed in the dress of natives as well as many whites who lived among them: European brass gorgets and artfully knotted cravats around the neck of a men with painted faces and feathers in their hair. The synthesis is breathtaking: both fierce and fey. It's a damn pity the European influence eventually crushed the Native--this could very well have become our national mode of dress."
Lord Whimsy.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 12:56 PM on June 25, 2008
(8 comments)
"In this rare documentary, Satyajit Ray talks about his films. Part
1,
2,
3.
Satyajit Ray... is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Born in the city of Calcutta into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and letters, Ray studied at Presidency College and at the Visva-Bharati University. Starting his career as a commercial artist, Ray was drawn into filmmaking after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing the Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves during a visit to London. He directed thirty-seven films, including feature films, documentaries and shorts. Ray's first film, Pather Panchali, won eleven international prizes, including Best Human Document at Cannes film festival"
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 7:04 PM on June 4, 2008
(7 comments)
A very, very funny
Bill Murray guest stars on the first episode of Late Night with David Letterman -- 1982
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 8:56 PM on May 16, 2008
(43 comments)
Ways of Seeing, the BBC documentary written and hosted by novelist and art critic
John Berger, is back up on YouTube. (scroll down for direct links to all four half-hour episodes) "I actually find it rather disturbing that -- despite our claims to be a culture that's increasing freedom of choice all the time -- we haven't come up with anything quite as astute, subversive or beautiful as Ways of Seeing since. Not on the BBC, and not even -- especially not -- on the internet. Download it while you still can."
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 2:06 PM on April 30, 2008
(32 comments)
WithoutWalls
"This video, filmed in April 1994, records the final public words of the genius behind such films as Brimstone and Treacle, Pennies from Heaven, and Dreamchild. It's the last record of a man facing--with dignity, intelligence, and surprisingly good humor--death from cancer. Recorded as a television special by Britain's Channel Four, the documentary can be unsettling. Potter's inflamed hands can barely hold his ever-present cigarette (which he refers to as a "little tube of delight"), and he alternately sips champagne and swigs liquid morphine from an antique hip flask. But for those who have enjoyed Potter's wildly creative work--or those simply interested in the creative process itself--it's a fascinatingly funny glimpse into the mind of a master." (amazon)
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 7:18 PM on March 27, 2008
(17 comments)
The history of the Russian space program in three short videos. The
past, the
present, and the
future.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 3:38 PM on March 21, 2008
(7 comments)
The 400 Million 四萬萬人民 - China, 1938 (53 minutes / sound / black&white / 35mm) Directed: Joris Ivens. Camera: ROBERT CAPA. Parts:
1
2
3
4
5
6
"The Japanese aggression against China in 1937 forced the Chinese communists and Chiang Kai-shek's Kwomintang to take up the joint battle against their common enemy. With modern weapons the Chinese are pursuing their struggle behind enemy lines. This film shows all aspects of a war: the battle, the preparations, refugees, casualties and victims, the fear and distress, the human misery and the courage, and the land under fire."
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 1:13 PM on March 20, 2008
(8 comments)
10 minute documentary describing the cameras and directorial techniques
Kubrick used to create his
masterpiece.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 12:16 PM on March 1, 2008
(29 comments)
Are you an
affected provincial ?
"Affected Provincialism can take many forms, but personally I prefer borrowing heavily from the combined qualities of the naturalist, philomath, dandy and aesthete. Independence, liberality, optimism, playfulness, curiosity, lightness, and generosity are integral to Affected Provincialism; it's modeled loosely on the idea of the eighteenth-century gentleman amateur, as wrongly imagined by a twenty-first-century twit."
via
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 3:15 PM on February 13, 2008
(54 comments)
Cold outside? Gray skies and icy rain? Seasonal affective disorder got you down? What you need is a nice frothy cup of
Hot Chocolate.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 3:46 PM on February 2, 2008
(23 comments)
The
Polypunk mixtapes. "selected in Tokyo, designed in London, posted from Brooklyn, hopefully enjoyed around the world." From digi nikki.
via.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 2:08 PM on January 30, 2008
(6 comments)
Nona Hendryx (wiki) founding member of
Labelle went on to a solo career that included working with The Talking Heads, Material, and Laurie Anderson. Her album
Nona (produced by Laswell) featured the club hit
Transformation which still sounds 20 years ahead of its time even though it was recorded in 1983.
Here she is rocking the house live at the Apollo with
Why Should I Cry and making your spirit soar with
Winds of Change
[warning: one or more of these videos may contain a keytar]
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 7:42 PM on January 27, 2008
(13 comments)
French writer
Alain Robbe-Grillet, one of the most important literary stylists of the last 50 years, the acclaimed master of hyper-realism and the anti-novel, and member of the Académie Française, has devoted his latest novel to kiddie porn. [warning: first link contains excerpts of the novel which many may find truly disturbing.]
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 10:57 AM on January 26, 2008
(135 comments)
THE ROOTS OF CHICHA: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru
"Borrowing the well-known cumbia rhythm from their Amazonian neighbor Colombia, enterprising Peruvian musicians grafted it on to indigenous styles with emerging rock ‘n’ roll from the United States. These cumbias amazonicas migrated to the capital of Lima and their music became known as chicha (named after a fermented corn drink made for centuries and drunk by the working class).
The music compiled on The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru is truly transcendent: instantly hummable melodies getting down with surf-rock wah-wah pedals, farfisa organs, moog synthesizers, and dirty electric guitars, all the while delivered with a raw sensuality and enthusiasm."
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 9:34 PM on November 5, 2007
(31 comments)
Spooky halloween sounds via
wfmu.
"Talk about a budget label classic! I was first introduced to this LP by Jack Diamond. Side 1 is pretty standard horror sounds, but Side 2 is where the magic is found! I love these remarks by a friend which pretty much sums it up:
"Side 2 of this album is unlike other Halloween sound effect records floating around in that it is all theremin! And get a load of those track titles?! It sounds as if someone let a 5 year old kid noodle around for a while. It's super scary!"
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 4:06 PM on October 31, 2007
(9 comments)
In Philip Roth's latest novel,
Exit Ghost, his literary alter-ego, Nathan Zuckerman, exclaims after hearing Richard Strauss's "Four Last Songs" that "the composer drops all masks and, at the age of 82, stands before you naked. And you dissolve."
Renee Fleming performs
Im Abendrot,
September,
Beim Schlafengehen,
Fruhling.
Head Butler provides some interesting background on Strauss and the different performances.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 4:34 PM on October 27, 2007
(7 comments)
Wake up cat
(YT, animated, 1:29) cat owners will understand.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 3:02 PM on October 23, 2007
(93 comments)
Paul Theroux reads Jorge Luis Borges’s short story
The Gospel According To Mark and discusses Borges with The New Yorker’s fiction editor, Deborah Treisman.
mp3
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 4:27 PM on October 8, 2007
(11 comments)
38 versions of Kurt Weill's hauntingly beautiful September Song.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 6:40 PM on September 28, 2007
(24 comments)
New York Stories with Martin Scorsese, Nick Nolte, ROSANNA Arquette, Richard Price, Steve Buscemi, Larry David, Coppolas, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Soho - 1989.
And this
beautiful aurora video.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 5:09 PM on September 26, 2007
(31 comments)
Unfortunately there is not much on the web about the greatest cabaret singer who ever lived, the
wonderful Mabel Mercer. So I am adding this new animated
Guinness commercial
made for the Rugby World Cup to pad out this post.
posted to MetaFilter by vronsky
at 5:15 PM on September 15, 2007
(6 comments)
