Gloomy Bear Solar Figurine

Here's a polar bear picture which I took here in Los Angeles.


Notice that the bear looks pretty happy, with kind of a sly smile on its face, probably because it is just sitting down to a fine repast. Notice that no blood is visible.

Here's a little video of my birthday present from Leslie, a Gloomy Bear solar figurine:



Notice the splotches of blood on Gloomy Bear's chest, paws and face. Gloomy's pretty vicious, as cute cuddly anime figures go. Notice our cat Crackle who seems oblivious to the danger.

Never heard of Gloomy Bear? Neither had I. Here's a video from something called Japanorama that explains his origins, sort of a pop follow-up to Hello Kitty:



The stuffed polar bear picture is part of a diorama at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where Leslie works. Here's a Mixed Meters article about imaginary animals which stalk the museums noisy vaulted hallways.

Here's an article about a previous birthday gift from Leslie. Thanks, honey.

Polar Bears meet Penguins?

Gloomy Tags: Gloomy Bear. . . solar powered figurine. . . polar bear. . . NHMLAC. . . birthday present

The Simpsons and Samuel Barber

Robert Gable is a blogger who I suspect stays up late - since his posts arrive in my reader very early in the morning. He has documented various appearances of the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber. The tune, funereal, beautiful, morbid, elegant, depressing, easy to recognize and therefore very popular, has obviously become an established "musical icon" in our culture.

Last week Leslie and I caught a new Simpsons episode which we had taped. In it Bart and Marge play online video games while Lisa and Homer get involved in soccer. That is until Lisa watches a DVD (from Canal+) on soccer hooliganism.

Here are four captures from the short clip (inexpertly done directly from the TV into my pocket point 'n shoot) which are accompanied by the narration below.

And the music to accompany this Rambo-like action scene? Why it's the Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, of course. I didn't actually fall out of my chair laughing. Came close.

NARRATOR: Last year in Brazil an onfield scuffle became so violent that locals say a statue of the virgin Mary came alive . . . and beat the holy snot out of everyone.

P.S. Someday I will explain my idea of "musical iconography" here on Mixed Meters - probably when I finally publish my midi-symphony Wagner and Schubert Have Intercourse, which makes use of the concept.

Hooliganism Tags: Simpsons. . . Samuel Barber. . . Adagio for Strings. . . Aworks. . . Robert Gable. . . musical icon

Here's a previous Mixed Meters post on the Simpsons.

One Year After the Big Event - Mozart's 251st

Not much excitement to report concerning Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 251st birthday celebration. Ho Hum. Last year was rather different. I guess the number 250 has a better press agent than the number 251.

Here is where you can read Mixed Meters' Measure of the Mozart Madness back then. And also find out what I used to do in college on Mozart's birthday.


Watch this YouTube clip of a La Linea animation: Mozart plays the piano. La Linea is a fine series of animated shorts by Osvaldo Cavandoli. I'm familiar with it because Leslie gave me a La Linea DVD for my birthday last year. (And it took months for me to figure out that our NTSC player plays PAL format DVD's with no problem. Who knew?)

Prior Mixed Meter Mozart Mentions

The Docker Awards for good and for bad Mozartian Commentary

30 Second Spot - Mozart & Microsoft, Early Death

A Boy Soprano sings Queen of the Night (The video is here now.)

Gilles Apap's Mozart O.T.T. Violin Concerto Cadenza (Scroll Down)
(O.T.T. = Over The Top)

Mozart in Egypt


Wolfie Tags: Mozart. . . La Linea. . . Cavandoli. . . animation. . . music. . . composer. . . classical music. . . Mixed Meters

Follow the Bouncing Balls

This is a very cool music video on YouTube. The accompanying description says this instrument was made of John Deere farm implement parts at the University of Iowa. It also says over 13,000 hours was required to calibrate the performance and that the machine will be donated to the Smithsonian.

As someone who grew up in Iowa, I'm so proud!

No, wait! It's an animation (duh!) - and it came from here. It's included on a DVD of animated music from Animusic. The company is located in Texas. (doh!)

Not fooled? Here's a picture of a typical college practice room instead. Never enough space, right?



I found this picture at Bits & Pieces but apparently it was imported from Belgium.

Speaking of Iowa - here's a high-number Iowa license plate on display in Robins, my local Pasadena barbecue restaurant where the food is good and the menus uninformative.


The number 64 is the year; 21 is the county which issued the plate. Click here for the complete county list. I grew up in 97.

Here's a prior Mixed Meters post concerning both music and toilets. (Also rich people and prison riots and Ojai and Attica.)

Barbecue Tags: Music Video. . . animation. . . University of Iowa. . . Iowa. . . drum set. . .license plate. . . barbecue . . . Robin's . . . Animusic

What's Animated Opera, Doc?

This video of Wagner opera scenes, starring Bugs and Elmer, should probably not be available on Google Video. But it is - and if you've never seen it, click here. It has the one essential quality I demand of all my exposure to Wagner - it's less than 7 minutes.

Here's a video of Fanny Bryce pretending to be an opera diva. (the REAL Fanny Brice - not Barbra Streisand pretending to be Fanny Bryce.)

Here's another opera video previously on Mixed Meters.

If you're not into opera, maybe you'd prefer some animated Japanese soft drink commercials, each one based on a different style of dance & music. Then click here to watch Let's Qoo Dance. I wonder if this is better if you understand Japanese.

Finally, if you're more low brow there's this animated video of a farting pig from a children's show in Belgium It features a tune, sung by a chorus of chickens, which easily qualifies for the "It's A Small World After All Files" (Thanks to Kill Ugly Radio.)

Here's a good explanation of the "real" meaning of the word Belgium.

Music Video

30 Second Spots - The Laptop in Live Performance?

For about a week it seemed that every music review I read said "And s/he used a laptop." The repeated mentions of laptops in concert provided the inspiration for the title. The music itself is something else altogether.

click here to hear The Laptop in Live Performance?
Copyright © March 14, 2006 by David Ocker - 35 seconds

No doubt you can do a lot of different very musical things with a laptop in performance. But the mere presence of electronic equipment to process live sound seems totally unremarkable to me. Over thirty years ago, as a graduate composition student, I even took a formal course in using live electronics in performance.

For that course I wrote a piece called "Voluntary Solitude" for clarinet (me) and live electronics. It involved large panels of Buchla synthesizers which modified the clarinet sound via envelope followers and modulation. The clarinet was the only sound source. I performed it from the center of a large tape loop. It uses a melody inexpertly stolen from Stravinsky.

Voluntary Solitude had only one attempted performance in front of an audience, on a recital I gave as a graduate clarinet student. The performance was a total, complete abject failure. The electronics just didn't work - I never found out why. No sound came out. I started it twice or three times while the audience fidgeted - and finally went on to the next piece. (The complete program is reproduced below.)

A few days later I recorded Voluntary Solitude in a studio and I thought it was completely forgotten. But when I was discussing laptops in performance with my friend John Steinmetz, he still remembered it. And now the recording of Voluntary Solitude is available here for you to hear.

But first ask yourself, "How many composers do you know who would post recordings of their worst student compositional failures on the Internet for just anyone to hear?" I'd be surprised if this becomes a trend.

click here to hear Voluntary Solitude
Copyright © 1975 & 2006 by David Ocker - 784 seconds

Here's a picture of PLOrk "the Princeton Laptop Orchestra" just after nap time. (I'm glad they didn't call it PLO.) Read about and listen to them here.

Here's an academic article about Laptops in Live Performance that I didn't have the patience to read. Would anyone who reads this blog use the word "Performativity"? Not me.

Here's a video of a woman, apparently a respected academic, giving vocal commands to her blender in its native language.

If you're looking for a better piece of music with a question mark in the title, one that involves no live electronics, I recommend Naval Aviation in Art? by Frank Zappa. You can download it here for one thin dime.

Frank wrote that Naval Aviation in Art? "shows a sailor-artist, standing before his easel, squinting through a porthole for inspiration, while wiser men sleep in hammocks all around him"

Yes, to be a great artist you have to go without sleep. And avoid the word performativity.

Here's the program of my 1975 Clarinet recital:

Capriccio (1946) clarinet solo by H. Sutermeister
Madrigal I pour clarinette seule (1958) by Henri Pousseur
Discourses (1968) for solo clarinet by Harold Oliver
In Delius' Sleep (1974) clarinet & piano by Hal Budd
B,A,B,B,IT,T (5/16/66) clarinet with extensions by Donald Martino
Voluntary Solitude (1975) clarinet and electronics by David Ocker
Suite from L'Histoire du Soldat (1918) for clarinet, violin, piano and percussion by Igor Stravinsky
with Cody Gillette, pianist, Eeda Shenkman, violinist, Paul Anceau, percussionist, Leonid Hambro, pianist - "and the spirit of Donald Buchla"
UPDATE!!! - Here's a BBC video news clip showing a more popular form of live electronic music from 1975.

Explanation of 30 second spots

30 Second Spots
Stories
Music Reviews
Cat Pictures

Paying More Taxes

Click here to watch "The Spirit of 1943" starring Donald Duck.

It's wartime propaganda, but it's "good" propaganda 'cause it was for our side.


Google Video calls it a "Banned Cartoon".

Maybe it's banned because it advocates PAYING MORE TAXES.



Let me say that again. This cartoon suggests that it's every American's patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes. Failure to do so helps the enemy.

What a difference 63 years makes.


Today we're "at war" too. But now politicians consistently pander for our votes by promising lower taxes. No one has the courage to suggest that if we want decent government services (fighting a war is a "service", right?) - that we all must pay a little more for it.

One Democratic candidate for California governor is suggesting that we raise taxes on rich people and corporations.
While I'm all for a more progressive tax structure, when a politician mentions higher taxes today it's the same as giving a concession speech.

Of course it doesn't matter who the Dems nominate because Governor Schwarzenegger is going to get re-elected. He'll just lie through his teeth about everything he stands for between now and November. Remember, you heard it here first.

Haven't had enough of the governor?
Here's a Governator Rap video.
Here's a short video of young Arnold toking up.
And this is Arnold's Japanese TV commercial

We're filing an extension.

Update: the L.A. Times ran this article about the effects of our current nearly flat income tax rates. Steve Forbes must be even richer because of it. Plus some interesting history: for example the top rates in 1943 were more than double what they are today.


Politics
California
Music Video

The Real Simpsons

If you asked me to name a perfect piece of music I'd probably say "the opening theme to The Simpsons" written by Danny Elfman. I wish I could write like that.


Someone has redone The Simpsons' animated opening using reality instead of animation. Okay, so Marge doesn't have blue hair and Lisa plays the tenor but I'm not complaining because it's all so wonderful, like the band room scene!!

You know you want to see it. Just click here now. Special thanks to my Aunt Marion & Uncle Ben Shuman in Jerusalem for sending me this.

What I wonder is - just how does Maggie get onto the couch?



UPDATE!!
Seconds after I posted this an email arrived from my friend Janet Davis with this plucked version for quartet and that solo plucked version of the same music.

Music Video

In which Bill Maher is paired with animation

Bill Maher wrote an editorial in todays L.A. Times (which I couldn't find anywhere on their website). It is entitled "We love a good wiretapping."

Here's the paragraph that caught my attention:

"This whole country is one big desperate cry for somebody to listen to me, photograph me, Google me. Read my blog. Read my memoir. It's not interesting enough? I'll make stuff up. Just somebody, please, notice me."

But what if I make things up and they're still not interesting?

While you're not reading the LA Times you might want to go to EatPES - Home of the Twisted Films of PES There are some cool short videos that ARE interesting. I'd recommend KaBoom and especially Roof Sex. Also some Short Short videos; watch Fireworks (25 seconds long) to get the idea.

Media
Music Video

In which David awards another Docker

If you only can see one humorous, animated horror movie this year, you're in big trouble.

We just came back from Wallace & Gromit, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It's funnier than Corpse Bride and it has more chase scenes and explosions. Those are important qualities in a movie, in my opinion.

W&G, TCotW-R had one spot that deserves a Docker Award. If only because I was the only person in the theater laughing out loud.

[Drum Roll Please]

The award for the Best Use of the Music of Gustav Holst in a Bad Pun goes to . . . . Gromit and his marrow.

Movies