We’re Number Six! (The Music Entry)

It’s official. Fresno was named “Number 6” by Esquire Magazine in a list of "Cities That Rock -- A guide to 10 best cities for seeing and hearing music." Yes, we were all baffled, but come to think of it, a majority of the summer nights of my adolescence were spent cramming into Knights of Columbus Hall and other equally unlikely and small venues to see all ages ska and punk shows and, well, that’s dedication. My intimate relationship with the Fresno scene ended abruptly at the age of 21 when I decided to leave the back room at my parents’ house and venture into the world (ok, grad school and the Bay Area…not quite the real world), so I’m quite sure things have changed since the days of Let’s Go Bowling, Sharon Tate, The NightShift, Black Chickens of Death…the Gout (that was for you, Desmond). However, it would seem that the enduring will to rock out in the Land of Dirt and Raisins has not died.
Last Friday night Desmond, John R., and I all headed back to Fresno for a rock odyssey. Ok, we really went down to see our parents, but conveniently there was an amazing show happening at Tokyo Garden in beautiful downtown Fresno (we Fresnans are really all about convenience) – Adrienne and her band Citizens Here and Abroad were playing in good ol’ Fresno! Ironically enough, Adrienne and I met in the MFA program at Mills and not in Fresno, but she grew up in The ‘No. We were the weirdoes at Mills writing obsessive short stories about the same big-little shitty town in the Central Valley. Naturally, we became quick friends and thesis partners. She’s a damn good writer and she actually turned me on to the short stories of Saroyan. Needless to say, hearing Citizens play songs about Fresno in Fresno was quite transcendent (“…In air-conditioned churches they prey/I’ll try to change my ways…”) Bel and the Dragon and Pink Eye also played with Citizens. They were fun and seemed to be pretty big in the world of the Fresno scenesters. (Check out Fresyes!)
The quote of the evening was Desmond’s declaration: “I love drunk chicks!” I wanted to take the Bel and the Dragon kid in the bowtie home as a souvenir. I finally felt old at a show.
Another highlight of the trip was meeting up with a couple of long lost friends. I caught up with John S.’s life and cars and Mike’s screenwriting projects. Mike burned me the complete “The Adventures of Pete and Pete.” SCORE! Mike – the universe salutes you! PLUS, Dory and I were in the same place at the same time for a few hours.
Back in San Francisco, David and I saw Stereolab at the Filmore, but left early-ish since I was feeling a little strange and I couldn’t stop watching the guy in front of me play grabass with his girlfriend. We went back to my place and David put together my new couch while I sneezed and watched “Pete and Pete.” Today I missed work. This is it – I’m donating my body to science.


PS: What do you know?! Fresno has a Craigslist!

Some days you feel like this:


and some days you feel like this:


What the hell am I talking about? I guess it doesn't really matter. I'm in a strange place right now -- I've just got some great news from Manic D Press about an upcoming anthology, but on the other hand I can't move my neck without crying. All of these mixed emotions call for a couch and a screening of My Bodyguard.

I’m back from Los Angeles…it’s all a blur of sleep deprivation, LA Metro schedules, and on-the-set antics, but I’m pretty sure I had a great time and I was really thankful to have the opportunity to work on Mark’s film. (One can read Fangoria’s short blurb on the film here!)
I found out Friday that I’d be shooting on Sunday, so I bought a ticket and commenced panicking about the unknown variables of the upcoming days (where to stay, how to get there, call time, call place, memorizing lines, getting back to work on Monday, etc.).
My three scenes were shot on Sunday at Asylum’s office, which is in this crazy complex built in the 1930’s called The Crossroads of the World. I read that it was built to be LA’s first shopping mall, but it’s been converted into a bunch of quirky offices and, apparently, several film sets.
After meeting Mr. Baldwin and Mr. Kier, I spent hours in the obsessively talented hands of the make-up artist whose artistic vision exceeded any recovering goth’s fantasies. The rest of the 10 hour day was spent alternating between the make-up chair; crouching around behind Mr. Kier and looking evil; trying to stay out of everyone’s way; and blanking out on my lines out of some sort of mixture of nervous exhaustion, star-induced disorientation, and anxiety about not letting Mark down. But things did go well when the film was rolling.
All in all, the horror film is going to be rad: gore, fire, Udo, Eric as a burn victim…

Tonight I’ll be Terrance Stamp collecting at El Rio’s showing of The Collector, and then off to Café Du Nord to check out LoveMakers’ Tuesday. Jason P. thinks it can’t all be done, that I’ll only succeed in doing half of one of them. I’ll show him.

Film Threat magazine online has just posted a review of Berta, (the body switch movie I made last year with Jose)! It took them eight months, but hey…any press is good press. The critic pretty much hated it, but I can see his points and oddly enough, he liked me. Pleasant is good, right?
Excerpt:
“…the lead actress is such a great new face. Wolfmann as the curious Berta has a great natural chemistry with the camera, and has wonderful comedic timing that goes back to the days of Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. She has a pleasant face and eyes that a man (or woman) could fall in love with. I wasn’t impressed with the film, but I didn’t mind when she was on the screen.”

Speaking of indie films, I should be flying down to LA this Friday to be in Mark’s film. I can’t believe I’m going to meet Udo Kier. Even more unbelievable is that I’ll have to speak German in front of him with my Central Valley accent.

I just got back from seeing a restored print of Piccadilly (1929) starring Anna May Wong at the Castro, which was part of the SF International Asian American Film Festival. It’s the only silent I know of that deals with inter-racial relationships. I was completely blown away that these issues could have been dealt with so frankly at the time…and in England no less. There’s a bar scene in which a white flapper is accosted for dancing with a black man while the very cultured and poised lead couple (Anna May Wong and Jameson Thomas) watch in horror, knowing it’s a parable of their future. Wong’s acting is so subtle and beautiful…definitely in the school of Louise Brooks as opposed to the stagier styles of the time (such as Gilda Gray’s acting style in this film as the psychotically jealous white girlfriend).

From Lisa's Camera: Tingle Tangle 2/29/04

We were pirates. And yes, the show was rated Arrrrr.


Bethanne and I were after Elisabeth and her treasure chest.

For the second half of the Pirate number, we used "Hot Voodoo"
Hot Voodoo, black as mud
Hot Voodoo, in my blood
That African tempo, has made me a slave.
Hot Voodoo, dance of sin,
Hot Voodoo, worse than gin
I'd follow a caveman, right into his cave!
...
Hot Voodoo, gets me wild,
Oh, fireman, save this child
I'm going to blazes, I want to be bad.



Lola Lola, as she's known.

Also...
There's some funny stuff in yesterday's COMMENTS. I highly recommend following all of Rob's links, especially the Jebus Art link.

GOODNESS! Wasn’t I surprised to see myself with Dame Darcy on Othelladub’s list of “Beautiful Women Power-Rankings #4”! I have to admit, being on a list with Asia Argento and the Dame makes me a little nervous! You are much too kind, Mister Othelladub.



Today’s Meditation:
Just in time for the Challah-days: oy.

Our pirate number killed. Too bad everyone was at home watching the Oscars.