Mark L. Van Name's Blog, page 241
June 22, 2011
The Art of Venjean
As we were checking out the Balticon Art Show late last month, we came across a panel of paintings that were striking for the strangeness of their artist's vision, the classically inspired techniques, and how polished even the smallest pieces looked. I quite liked their surreal nature, though it was very clearly not to the taste of most of the art show visitors, and so I came back a second time, admired them some more, and bought one of the pieces.
In the hallway outside, at one of the vendor tables, I spotted the artist sitting with a few other folks who proved to be members of his family. They were selling copies of a book of his art. I bought one.
The artist is Daniel Venjean. You can check out his work here.
A bit later, his son, Nicolas, contacted me. Apparently, they had also checked me out online. He extended an invitation, which I accepted. As it turns out, Venjean is working on a second, larger, updated edition of his book. It should appear this year, though possibly quite late in the year.
I will be writing an introduction for this new edition.
I've never attempted an art book intro before, and I certainly have no formal training in the area, nor any claims to any relevant expertise. Still, I appreciate their invitation, and I look forward to creating a bit of prose to go along with Daniel Venjean's surreal paintings.
In the hallway outside, at one of the vendor tables, I spotted the artist sitting with a few other folks who proved to be members of his family. They were selling copies of a book of his art. I bought one.
The artist is Daniel Venjean. You can check out his work here.
A bit later, his son, Nicolas, contacted me. Apparently, they had also checked me out online. He extended an invitation, which I accepted. As it turns out, Venjean is working on a second, larger, updated edition of his book. It should appear this year, though possibly quite late in the year.
I will be writing an introduction for this new edition.
I've never attempted an art book intro before, and I certainly have no formal training in the area, nor any claims to any relevant expertise. Still, I appreciate their invitation, and I look forward to creating a bit of prose to go along with Daniel Venjean's surreal paintings.
June 21, 2011
The most interesting man in the world visits our house
You walk into your favorite Mexican restaurant and notice in the small foyer a life-size cardboard cut-out of The Most Interesting Man In the World holding his trademark bottle of Dos Equis beer. Which of the following do you think:
Never one to want to dash a boy's dreams, after a few weeks, several conversations with a waiter who knows us well, and a little folding money, I was able to make that dream come true.
Doesn't he look great with Cone Man?
Of course, he didn't stay in the yard very long. He's now in the house, usually in Scott's room--a freaky sight if you open the door and don't expect him--but sometimes on the balcony; he's not a guy who likes to be pinned down.
I've come to understand that not all households operate like ours, but that's the way it goes around here.
(A) Whatever.If you're my son, Scott, with the gene of weirdness pulsing in your every cell, with a father who owns a cone man, the answer is clearly D.
(B) That guy's taller than I thought.
(C) Does that cut-out really help sell beer?
(D) That thing needs to go home with us!
Never one to want to dash a boy's dreams, after a few weeks, several conversations with a waiter who knows us well, and a little folding money, I was able to make that dream come true.
Doesn't he look great with Cone Man?
Of course, he didn't stay in the yard very long. He's now in the house, usually in Scott's room--a freaky sight if you open the door and don't expect him--but sometimes on the balcony; he's not a guy who likes to be pinned down.
I've come to understand that not all households operate like ours, but that's the way it goes around here.
June 20, 2011
Green Lantern
Go ahead. Ask. I know the question: "What are you doing going to a movie with only a 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes?"
I'm a nut for superhero flicks. So sue me.
I even had a pleasant enough time watching this one. I can't call it a good movie, but it wasn't a horrible one, either. As with so many films, I knew where it was going to go at every turn, but it pulled the audience along in workman-like fashion. Also like so many movies I've seen this year, Green Lantern does not have a story that bears up well under much mental scrutiny. You have to let it wash over you and then move on.
What probably helped me enjoy the film despite all those flaws is the fact that I've loved the Green Lantern character since I was a little kid. It struck the young me that if all you needed to have a superpower was a special ring and a strong will, then I was halfway there. I just needed that damn ring.
Nothing about this movie will challenge you. Nothing will surprise you. Even so, if you like superhero films, odds are that you'll find this one a pleasant enough diversion.
I'm a nut for superhero flicks. So sue me.
I even had a pleasant enough time watching this one. I can't call it a good movie, but it wasn't a horrible one, either. As with so many films, I knew where it was going to go at every turn, but it pulled the audience along in workman-like fashion. Also like so many movies I've seen this year, Green Lantern does not have a story that bears up well under much mental scrutiny. You have to let it wash over you and then move on.
What probably helped me enjoy the film despite all those flaws is the fact that I've loved the Green Lantern character since I was a little kid. It struck the young me that if all you needed to have a superpower was a special ring and a strong will, then I was halfway there. I just needed that damn ring.
Nothing about this movie will challenge you. Nothing will surprise you. Even so, if you like superhero films, odds are that you'll find this one a pleasant enough diversion.
Green Lantern
Go ahead. Ask. I know the question: "What are you doing going to a movie with only a 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes?"
I'm a nut for superhero flicks. So sue me.
I even had a pleasant enough time watching this one. I can't call it a good movie, but it wasn't a horrible one, either. As with so many films, I knew where it was going to go at every turn, but it pulled the audience along in workman-like fashion. Also like so many movies I've seen this year, Green Lantern does not have a story that bears up well under much mental scrutiny. You have to let it wash over you and then move on.
What probably helped me enjoy the film despite all those flaws is the fact that I've loved the Green Lantern character since I was a little kid. It struck the young me that if all you needed to have a superpower was a special ring and a strong will, then I was halfway there. I just needed that damn ring.
Nothing about this movie will challenge you. Nothing will surprise you. Even so, if you like superhero films, odds are that you'll find this one a pleasant enough diversion.
I'm a nut for superhero flicks. So sue me.
I even had a pleasant enough time watching this one. I can't call it a good movie, but it wasn't a horrible one, either. As with so many films, I knew where it was going to go at every turn, but it pulled the audience along in workman-like fashion. Also like so many movies I've seen this year, Green Lantern does not have a story that bears up well under much mental scrutiny. You have to let it wash over you and then move on.
What probably helped me enjoy the film despite all those flaws is the fact that I've loved the Green Lantern character since I was a little kid. It struck the young me that if all you needed to have a superpower was a special ring and a strong will, then I was halfway there. I just needed that damn ring.
Nothing about this movie will challenge you. Nothing will surprise you. Even so, if you like superhero films, odds are that you'll find this one a pleasant enough diversion.
June 19, 2011
Goodbye, Big Man, goodbye
Clarence Clemons, the Big Man, a wonderful saxophonist who was best known for playing with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, died yesterday. When I heard the news first from Sarah, who had heard it via music community connections, I couldn't find any mentions online and hoped it wasn't true. When I read that it was indeed true, that he had died of complications from a stroke, sadness gripped me hard.
I didn't know this man. I never met him. I never even saw him play a solo show, though several times I had the chance and was too busy to take it. I have no real right to this sadness. I'm just another fan who will mourn his passing--but mourn it I will.
I first saw him play during the Born in the U.S.A. tour in 1984, on the band's last show before Christmas. As was his habit on that tour, at some point Springsteen would start running toward Clemons from the side opposite the Big Man, tuck into a knee slide, and stop when the Big Man caught him. On that tour, Clemons would always then kiss him, a sideways slap at homophobes. The chemistry and brotherhood between the two of them was amazing, as it always was.
When Clemons broke into one of his famous saxophone solos, I was enchanted. When he hit the one in the middle of "Born to Run," I had one of those peak moments you get in a live concert when you know it can't get any better than that.
In the following years, I had the privilege of seeing Springsteen, Clemons, and the band several more times. A little over two years ago, in April, 2008, I got to attend their show in Greensboro. Clemons was clearly in some difficulty, and he moved very little, spending most of the show perched on a stool. When it came time to play, however, it was as if the power of the music filled him and came rolling out through his instrument.
It was always like that, come to think of it: When the Big Man played, he became an even bigger man, as the power of music burst out of him and elevated and transformed all around him. I'll always be grateful to him for sharing those moments with so many of us.
Goodbye, Clarence Clemons. I never knew you, but I will miss you.
I didn't know this man. I never met him. I never even saw him play a solo show, though several times I had the chance and was too busy to take it. I have no real right to this sadness. I'm just another fan who will mourn his passing--but mourn it I will.
I first saw him play during the Born in the U.S.A. tour in 1984, on the band's last show before Christmas. As was his habit on that tour, at some point Springsteen would start running toward Clemons from the side opposite the Big Man, tuck into a knee slide, and stop when the Big Man caught him. On that tour, Clemons would always then kiss him, a sideways slap at homophobes. The chemistry and brotherhood between the two of them was amazing, as it always was.
When Clemons broke into one of his famous saxophone solos, I was enchanted. When he hit the one in the middle of "Born to Run," I had one of those peak moments you get in a live concert when you know it can't get any better than that.
In the following years, I had the privilege of seeing Springsteen, Clemons, and the band several more times. A little over two years ago, in April, 2008, I got to attend their show in Greensboro. Clemons was clearly in some difficulty, and he moved very little, spending most of the show perched on a stool. When it came time to play, however, it was as if the power of the music filled him and came rolling out through his instrument.
It was always like that, come to think of it: When the Big Man played, he became an even bigger man, as the power of music burst out of him and elevated and transformed all around him. I'll always be grateful to him for sharing those moments with so many of us.
Goodbye, Clarence Clemons. I never knew you, but I will miss you.
June 18, 2011
Super 8
As we were leaving the theater after watching Super 8, the wide range of reactions to it became readily apparent. Most of us liked it, and a few of us adored it; I was one of the latter. Some, however, called it the worst kind of sentimental schlock, Spielberg with a JJ Abrams monster grafted on.I could not disagree more. As I said, I adored it, and I think it earned every bit of sentiment it displayed. In fact, I think JJ Abrams was working at three very different levels throughout the film, only two of which were immediately obvious.To understand my thinking, it helps to listen to this TED talk he gave. The first and most obvious level at which Abrams was working was indeed the sentimental one that some people hated. Super 8 is a coming of age story with aliens, Abrams' own E.T., but without the divorce focus. His canvas is broader than that earlier film's, but of course quite some time has passed since E.T., and Abrams is working in the world that has seen that movie. The second level was also obvious but very important: the autobiographical. The young filmmaker in Super 8 has the type of camera Abrams had when he was roughly at that same age and is also obsessed with film.If you stop here, you can still greatly enjoy the movie, but if you hate sentiment or you can't stand young teenage boys, then Super 8 will not work for you, and you'll be tempted to write it off.Which brings me to the third level at which Abrams was working. The opening of the train car that contains the alien appears to be the unleashing of the contents of the mystery box, but it's not. It's just the opening of one mystery box. In Super 8, Abrams is confronting a great many of life's biggest, most intriguing mystery boxes: death, love, sex (only obliquely), the Other, creativity, and, of course, the notion of mystery itself. He's inviting us to tackle them with him, and he's suggesting that the best way to appreciate them is via our young selves, via the barely teenage versions of us that have yet to be hurt by a lover who leaves or turned bitter by a bad job or a failed relationship. He's telling us that a certain purity of heart and innocence is appropriate for such explorations, that to truly dig deep into the greatest of mysteries we must use our hearts at least as much as our minds. That is what JJ Abrams is really doing in Super 8. The fact that you don't even have to notice those moves to enjoy the film and his great skill at telling a story that works on all three levels, make Super 8 a movie that will do huge box office and go on to become a classic.
Super 8
As we were leaving the theater after watching Super 8, the wide range of reactions to it became readily apparent. Most of us liked it, and a few of us adored it; I was one of the latter. Some, however, called it the worst kind of sentimental schlock, Spielberg with a JJ Abrams monster grafted on.
I could not disagree more.
As I said, I adored it, and I think it earned every bit of sentiment it displayed. In fact, I think JJ Abrams was working at three very different levels throughout the film, only two of which were immediately obvious.
To understand my thinking, it helps to listen to this TED talk he gave.
The first and most obvious level at which Abrams was working was indeed the sentimental one that some people hated. Super 8 is a coming of age story with aliens, Abrams' own E.T., but without the divorce focus. His canvas is broader than that earlier film's, but of course quite some time has passed since E.T., and Abrams is working in the world that has seen that movie.
The second level was also obvious but very important: the autobiographical. The young filmmaker in Super 8 has the type of camera Abrams had when he was roughly at that same age and is also obsessed with film.
If you stop here, you can still greatly enjoy the movie, but if you hate sentiment or you can't stand young teenage boys, then Super 8 will not work for you, and you'll be tempted to write it off.
Which brings me to the third level at which Abrams was working. The opening of the train car that contains the alien appears to be the unleashing of the contents of the mystery box, but it's not. It's just the opening of one mystery box.
In Super 8, Abrams is confronting a great many of life's biggest, most intriguing mystery boxes: death, love, sex (only obliquely), the Other, creativity, and, of course, the notion of mystery itself. He's inviting us to tackle them with him, and he's suggesting that the best way to appreciate them is via our young selves, via the barely teenage versions of us that have yet to be hurt by a lover who leaves or turned bitter by a bad job or a failed relationship. He's telling us that a certain purity of heart and innocence is appropriate for such explorations, that to truly dig deep into the greatest of mysteries we must use our hearts at least as much as our minds.
That is what JJ Abrams is really doing in Super 8. The fact that you don't even have to notice those moves to enjoy the film and his great skill at telling a story that works on all three levels, make Super 8 a movie that will do huge box office and go on to become a classic.
I could not disagree more.
As I said, I adored it, and I think it earned every bit of sentiment it displayed. In fact, I think JJ Abrams was working at three very different levels throughout the film, only two of which were immediately obvious.
To understand my thinking, it helps to listen to this TED talk he gave.
The first and most obvious level at which Abrams was working was indeed the sentimental one that some people hated. Super 8 is a coming of age story with aliens, Abrams' own E.T., but without the divorce focus. His canvas is broader than that earlier film's, but of course quite some time has passed since E.T., and Abrams is working in the world that has seen that movie.
The second level was also obvious but very important: the autobiographical. The young filmmaker in Super 8 has the type of camera Abrams had when he was roughly at that same age and is also obsessed with film.
If you stop here, you can still greatly enjoy the movie, but if you hate sentiment or you can't stand young teenage boys, then Super 8 will not work for you, and you'll be tempted to write it off.
Which brings me to the third level at which Abrams was working. The opening of the train car that contains the alien appears to be the unleashing of the contents of the mystery box, but it's not. It's just the opening of one mystery box.
In Super 8, Abrams is confronting a great many of life's biggest, most intriguing mystery boxes: death, love, sex (only obliquely), the Other, creativity, and, of course, the notion of mystery itself. He's inviting us to tackle them with him, and he's suggesting that the best way to appreciate them is via our young selves, via the barely teenage versions of us that have yet to be hurt by a lover who leaves or turned bitter by a bad job or a failed relationship. He's telling us that a certain purity of heart and innocence is appropriate for such explorations, that to truly dig deep into the greatest of mysteries we must use our hearts at least as much as our minds.
That is what JJ Abrams is really doing in Super 8. The fact that you don't even have to notice those moves to enjoy the film and his great skill at telling a story that works on all three levels, make Super 8 a movie that will do huge box office and go on to become a classic.
June 17, 2011
Do good and have a good time:
a local showing of Serenity
Each year, the Raleigh Browncoats, a group of fans of the fine film, Serenity, screen the movie and raffle items to raise money for charity. In this act they join similar groups around the country. This year's showing is Sunday, June 26, and I'll be there. In fact, I've signed on as one of the sponsors of the event and will be tossing into the raffle pot a small collection of stuff: a personally autographed copy of the hardback edition of Children No More, plus t-shirts from all three comedy shows. You can read more about the event here. I have not attended any of the previous showings, so it's certainly possible that the screening will trip my "too much fannishness" meter, but I know I will enjoy seeing the film again on the big screen, so how wrong can I go? I also am happy to help raise money for the charities: Equality Now and Kids Need to Read. If you live in this area and tickets are still available--when I last checked, they were going fast--I encourage you to join me and a lot of my friends at this worthy event. You can see a good movie, have a good time, and do some good in the world. Pretty sweet for a Sunday evening.
Do good and have a good time: a local showing of Serenity
Each year, the Raleigh Browncoats, a group of fans of the fine film, Serenity, screen the movie and raffle items to raise money for charity. In this act they join similar groups around the country. This year's showing is Sunday, June 26, and I'll be there. In fact, I've signed on as one of the sponsors of the event and will be tossing into the raffle pot a small collection of stuff: a personally autographed copy of the hardback edition of Children No More, plus t-shirts from all three comedy shows.
You can read more about the event here. I have not attended any of the previous showings, so it's certainly possible that the screening will trip my "too much fannishness" meter, but I know I will enjoy seeing the film again on the big screen, so how wrong can I go? I also am happy to help raise money for the charities: Equality Now and Kids Need to Read.
If you live in this area and tickets are still available--when I last checked, they were going fast--I encourage you to join me and a lot of my friends at this worthy event. You can see a good movie, have a good time, and do some good in the world.
Pretty sweet for a Sunday evening.
You can read more about the event here. I have not attended any of the previous showings, so it's certainly possible that the screening will trip my "too much fannishness" meter, but I know I will enjoy seeing the film again on the big screen, so how wrong can I go? I also am happy to help raise money for the charities: Equality Now and Kids Need to Read.
If you live in this area and tickets are still available--when I last checked, they were going fast--I encourage you to join me and a lot of my friends at this worthy event. You can see a good movie, have a good time, and do some good in the world.
Pretty sweet for a Sunday evening.
June 16, 2011
Quick thoughts on Tuesday night's Barnes & Noble gig
(all photos courtesy of Gina)
When you're on a panel, it's often difficult to assess your audience's honest reaction, so I can say only that it seems to me that Tuesday night's Barnes & Noble event went well. (Of course, I'd prefer they spell my name correctly, but I'm willing to trade that for having a lot of my books on hand, which the store did.)
This is the fourth year we've done this event, so it now operates on a predictable pattern. We introduce ourselves and say what we write. One of our gracious hosts asks the audience for questions. No one offers any. The host asks a question. We each answer it. The audience warms up and start asking questions, and then we're off.
Tonight's queries addressed such topics as genre boundaries, the effects of ebooks on writers, writing processes, and so on. Not all of our answers were the same, but on balance they were generally more similar than different.
After the Q&A period, folks bought books and had us sign them.
In this photo, the signing has just begun--a moment that is easy to spot because it's the one time when Dave does not have the most people waiting on him.
Afterward, a group of us, mostly family, headed across the parking lot for dinner.
They've already asked us back for next year, and I expect we'll probably be there. As long as the others are game, I am.
When you're on a panel, it's often difficult to assess your audience's honest reaction, so I can say only that it seems to me that Tuesday night's Barnes & Noble event went well. (Of course, I'd prefer they spell my name correctly, but I'm willing to trade that for having a lot of my books on hand, which the store did.)
This is the fourth year we've done this event, so it now operates on a predictable pattern. We introduce ourselves and say what we write. One of our gracious hosts asks the audience for questions. No one offers any. The host asks a question. We each answer it. The audience warms up and start asking questions, and then we're off.
Tonight's queries addressed such topics as genre boundaries, the effects of ebooks on writers, writing processes, and so on. Not all of our answers were the same, but on balance they were generally more similar than different.
After the Q&A period, folks bought books and had us sign them.
In this photo, the signing has just begun--a moment that is easy to spot because it's the one time when Dave does not have the most people waiting on him.
Afterward, a group of us, mostly family, headed across the parking lot for dinner.
They've already asked us back for next year, and I expect we'll probably be there. As long as the others are game, I am.
