You might have heard
Mike Oldfield playing during the Olympic opening and wondered, "What! Why the heck would
Danny Boyle want the
Exorcist theme playing at the start of such a grand event!" Oldfield's kept a low profile for years, so you may not remember him as the man who
literally launched Virgin Records, one of only three artists to ever knock
his #1 record off the charts with
another #1 record (the other two being Bob Dylan and the Beatles). But those teenage successes were merely the start of an astonishing career, one full of
pop music and
prog rock,
sci-fi and
New Age,
film scores and
classical orchestrations — not to mention a spot at the start of
Kanye West's recent album. His magnum opus,
Amarok, is an hour of astonishing sounds and shifting genres which must be heard to be believed. Too overwhelming? Well, there're
[more inside]
posted by Rory Marinich
on Jul 27, 2012 -
62 comments
The Hidden Stanley Kubrick. In the nine years following Stanley Kubrick's death on March 7, 1999, several of his collaborators have written and spoken about their experiences working with this notoriously reclusive filmmaker. Their reminiscences shed light on aspects of Kubrick’s family life, private thoughts and work habits, and make for fascinating reading and viewing. Those who've shared their reflections include
Michael Herr (co-screenwriter, "Full Metal Jacket");
Leon Vitali (actor, "Barry Lyndon" and Kubrick's personal assistant for nearly 25 years);
Ian Watson (credited with the "screen story" for "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence"); and
Brian Aldiss (who helped to develop the story for "A.I."). Peter Bogdanovich gathered together the impressions of
others who worked with Kubrick on various projects over the legendary director's career.
[more inside]
posted by New Frontier
on Mar 8, 2008 -
21 comments
"Even though the challenges to bring the
space elevator to reality are substantial, there are no physical or economic reasons why it can't be built in our lifetime."
Once just a cool sci-fi idea dreampt up by
Arthur Clarke, Space.com reports that a 62,000 mile ride is not only possible, but probable. And cheap at only a couple hundred bucks per pound.
posted by tsarfan
on Mar 27, 2002 -
37 comments
