A HARRY HALLOWEEN

It's been a long time coming (i.e. in posting), but this year I spent my favourite holiday (Halloween) with my favourite band (Blondie) in the place where I was born (Halifax, Nova Scotia).

This was the third time I'd seen Blondie. The first time was at the CNE in Toronto in 1982. Duran Duran opened. The show was taped for HBO and it is finally available on DVD as Blondie Live in Toronto.

The second time was in the summer of 2008 in Orillia, Ontario in support of the 25th anniversary of Parallel Lines (my favourite album of all time). I was amazed at how fresh the band sounded as they tore through Hanging On the Telephone, Picture This, Sunday Girl, et al. It was an amazing concert.

This year's show was just as terrific, and very, very intimate. Debbie Harry wore a version of the dress that her Barbie doll wears (Mattel is releasing a Debbie Harry Barbie doll this month), and at the beginning of this Halloween show she sported a black eye masque. She was funny, sexy, off centre, and I was reminded of just how diverse her voice really can sound... little girl sexy, jazzy, full throttle punk, radio friendly, bluesy, funky...

I love Blondie. Their music has always been a distraction from the crap of life and a guide to new things undiscovered... punk, rap, art, the underground, things just on the horizon. Sometimes the mix of styles and moods on a Blondie album is like listening to the greatest LP that K-Tel never got around to releasing. Great hooks, impressionist lyrics, all delivered by the most beautiful front woman in the business. To my way of thinking, they still haven't been given the due they deserve for opening doors and delivering the goods. God bless Blondie.

Here's some clips from the 31/10/09 show that someone captured most likely on their cell phone:

Tokyo Transit Dreams

Laura O'Brien and I have collaborated on our first Flash animation. Jeez, what a pain in the ass! Not because of Laura (she is an excellent collaborator), but because our brains weren't built to function the way Flash asks them to. With tips from Beth Scott (whose brain DOES function the way Flash asks it to), however, we were able to get all 52 seconds of mostly repeated motion up on Youtube. The result is "Tokyo Transit Dreams", a simple animation with a simple concept... Do reserved people get wild in their dreams? Mentally blink and you'll miss it.

FAVOURITE COMEDIES

A recent conversation with my friend Rob over at The Annekenstein Monster coupled with watching the special features on the Young Frankenstein DVD (in black & white... no offence) set me to thinking about my favourite comedies. It's interesting to me that all but one of them are American. And Rob, I challenge you to post your own list on your blog.

Any way, for better or worse, here's my list, including guilty pleasures and only straight ahead comedies (no Evil Dead 2 or The 4th Man), no cut off number and in alphabetical order:

AFTER HOURS (1985) Dir: Martin Scorsese




ANIMAL HOUSE (1978) Dir: John Landis



ANNIE HALL (1977) Dir: Woody Allen



BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970) Dir: Russ Meyer



BLAZING SADDLES (1974) Dir: Mel Brooks



BRAIN CANDY (1996) Dir: Kelly Makin



BRINGING UP BABY (1938) Dir: Howard Hawks



A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983) Dir: Bob Clark



DESPERATE LIVING (1977) Dir: John Waters



DR. STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB (1964) Dir: Stanley Kubrick



DUCK SOUP (1933) Dir: Leo McCarey



FEMALE TROUBLE (1974) Dir: John Waters



A FISH CALLED WANDA (1988) Dir: Charles Crichton



HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) Dir: Howard Hawks



JACKASS NUMBER 2 (2006) Dir: Jeff Tremaine



LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) Dir: Terry Jones



THE OUT-OF-TOWNERS (1970) Dir: Arthur Hiller



PEE-WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE (1985) Dir: Tim Burton



RAISING ARIZONA (1987) Dir: Joel Coen



SLEEPER (1973) Dir: Woody Allen



SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959) Dir: Billy Wilder



SOUTH PARK BIGGER LONGER & UNCUT (1999) Dir: Trey Parker



STEAMBOAT BILL JR. (1928) Dir: Charles Reisner



SUPER VIXENS (1975) Dir: Russ Meyer



TEAM AMERICA (2004) Dir: Trey Parker




THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984) Dir: Rob Reiner



UP! (1976) Dir: Russ Meyer




WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (1996) Dir: Christopher Guest



YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974) Dir: Mel Brooks

POOT

My CHIMP bandmate Rob has cut together a video for our song "Poot" using footage from a movie called "A Estrana Hospederia dos Prazeres". Check it out. You can also buy our CD "Thundercrack!" through Amazon.com and CD Baby.