Of Late / Stupid and Shallow

So, on the recommendation of a guy who runs a record label in town I finally checked out Section 25 recently. oh wow. did Factory Records ever put out anything that wasn't spectacular?

I've also been diving into more classic French pop of late, especially Jacques Dutronc. He's the perfect pop chansonniste, a Gainsbourg without the sleaze (though that's the best thing about Gainsbourg). Arrogant, insouciant, playful, Breathless as a 3 minute pop song.

... and continuing my love affairs with Art Brut, Antony, and Annie.

On Thursday night I saw the French film Love Me If You Dare (Jeux d'enfants). I was expecting to really like it. I didn't. It tried waaay too hard. It's moments were overpunctuated, it's visual style overwrought, it's potential cuteness overplayed. It made me think of those reviewers who didn't like Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, perhaps because those reviews are where I learned the word 'cloying.' Marion Cotillard, though, was terrific as Sophie. I know she's already a star in France but I've added her to the list of foreign actresses I'd like to 'break' in the States (her role in Big Fish notwithstanding). She's a talented, commanding screen presence, and was the most watchable element of the movie for me (though I'm a sucker for French actresses). I'll certainly remember her, even as I try to forget Yann Samuell's squandered opportunity for a good film.

Later Thursday night I had a series of dreams including a section where Ultragrrrl had a TV show. She was interviewing Larry King.

The recent comments on Ultra's site have me thinking a lot about the relationship between celebrity and envy. She's of course only a peripheral celeb at best, but people can post comments on her blog and she somehow inspires lots of people to say negative things about her. I've been trying to figure out why people would say negative things about her in that venue - if you don't like Sarah why are you reading her blog? It might be because they can actually access her. If the negativos think the Killers are sellouts, they've got no place to tell Brandon about it. But when Sarah says or does something that deep down they wish they could be doing, the haters attack. I don't know how thick her skin is but I hope that it doesn't get to her, because their envy is stupid and shallow. She's lucky enough to be able to make her way in the world doing things she loves, and I've no idea why that should inspire criticism.
Some of it may be fueled by the difference people see between creative production and the mechanisms of distribution. While the vectors of distribution have created problematic cultural/socioeconomic conditions [see A Hacker Manifesto], the micro-distributor is admirable for the risk they take to bring new culture to the masses. And that's the role Sarah has chosen, being a transition point between the music-creators and the music-consumers (through her blog, dj gigs, writing, and the record label). Good for her.