The Conical Glass: The first day of X-Mess and a guest blog

Thursday, December 21, 2006

The first day of X-Mess and a guest blog

No sooner did I finish cleaning and dusting my desk than I happened across this article in today's New York Times: "Saying Yes to Mess." As is so often the case with me, I am hopelessly behind the times. Clutter is "in"! The co-author of a forthcoming book entitled A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder points out that "[i]t was the overall scumminess of Alexander Fleming's laboratory that led to his discovery of penicillin, from a moldy bloom in a petri dish he had forgotten on his desk." Studies reveal that people with clutter-free desks earn less money than those with messy desks! The article quotes Einstein: "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk?"

I'm going to press on regardless. In the meantime, Joe -- who, incidentally, is responsible for far less of the clutter in the house than I am -- contributes the following:

Hi. Joe, Sue's husband, here. I volunteered to guest-blog about last weekend's events, since Sue's swamped with work and her new-found love for tidying. Naturally, I put it off in favor of...well...not doing it. No longer!

We began the weekend at the Cerrito Speakeasy with THE THIN MAN, a terrific 1934 movie with William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick & Nora Charles, alocholic detectives - or detecting alcoholics - and Asta as his cute, fluffy self. Nick is not the thin man of the title. That is Edward Ellis as Clyde Wynant, scientist, philanderer, and suspected murderer. Another surprise? The Charleses don't arrive until about 15 minutes into the movie. Oh, and they drink constantly, ostentatiously, to the point of hangover. Luckily, they're rich enough not to let that worry them. (Paris Hilton: inspired by filmic events.)

The movie is very funny, even if the mystery's solution (did I mention it's a mystery?) isn't that surprising. There's no way this movie would be made today. Our era's movie drinkers aren't this witty and urbane, without suffering greatly and either cleaning up or dying by the third act.

Saturday took us into the city, to see Amy X Neuburg's THE SECRET LIFE OF SUBWAYS, featuring three cellists - ChiXtet - and Amy on vocals, samples, drum kit, and effects. Sue & I are big fans of Amy, who said she was inspired by the rhythm of the New York subways and its confluence with the rich tones of the cello. The song cycle puts Amy's 4-octave voice through its paces, and combines the three ranges of the cello wonderfully, creating mesmerizing patterns and harmonies. Unfortunately, SECRET LIFE ran only through the weekend in San Francisco, but if she's in your neighborhood, attend!

On Sunday, we saw the latest play at Shotgun Players, THE FOREST WAR. Sue's been a big fan of theirs ever since we saw their TRAVESTIES in 2004, and I'm always stunned by how well they use a small (8' x 10'-ish) stage. THE FOREST WAR was written & directed by Mark Jackson, who wrote Shotgun's first big hit, THE DEATH OF MEYERHOLD, in 2003. The new play is the story of a community sapped by war, whose ruler hands the reins of power outside his family, to a landowner who promises reconstruction. The former ruler's son, who wants to continue fighting the supposedly defeated enemy, plots the landowner's undoing by involving him in a romantic scandal. Allegorical? You tell me.

The play is done in Kabuki fashion, with white face paint & stylized movement. Sounds like that would be a distraction, but after five minutes, I didn't care. The plot is so involving and the acting so powerful, I was completely swept away. The costumes and set are integral to the play, as is the atmospheric music provided by Chris Broderick and Daniel Bruno. THE FOREST WAR runs through January 13th.

SNL surprise/meme of the week: A Special Christmas Box . Vulgar? Yes. Funny? Hell yes, esp. the expression on JT's face on "Hannukah!" Smoove B would be proud. Bonus points: the chorus sounds a lot like Player's "Baby Come Back".

--Sue again: I am very proud to announce that Joe will be serving on the Shotgun Players' board of directors in 2007-08. Finally, that incredibly valuable college theater major pays off!

posted by 125records @ 10:40 AM

2 Comments:

At 5:15 PM, Janet said…

Congratulations, Joe! And Sue, don't let the NYT or anything else, of record or not, dissuade you from this noble and cool venture.

I love The Thin Man. Not least among its many charms is the appropriate size of the many cocktail glasses featured. You don't see Nick & Nora slurping martinis out of those 10-oz conical monstrosities so common anymore. Martinis aren't for nursing.

I'm delighted that my library is featuring The Thin Man as part of Snubbed,a film series of movies that didn't win an Oscar, along with other personal favorites Bringing Up Baby and Double Indemnity, plus Night of the Hunter which I'm eager to see for the 1st time. Anyone reading this in central Ohio and interested in babysitting for 4 Saturdays in a row?
At 2:24 PM, Tim W. said…

Work is the curse of the drinking classes!

Josie and I saw Amy's show on Sunday, and it was seriously, seriously awesome. I think it may be her best stuff yet, which is saying something.