TSOTSI & MUSINGS

TBM VS KMFDM:


03/24/2006

So Holly and I saw the South African movie Tsotsi (pronounced Sot-see) last night. Apparently the winner of the Best Foreign Movie Oscar (not that it matters), it was a decent little film. I love watching movies in languages I’ve never really heard (try watching Himalaya). I thought the movie would be in Swahili but I may be thinking of the wrong geographic location. The language was in Afrikaans (and recognizably some Dutch and Pidgin English). In fact, it surprised me how much English was thrown here and there into the language.

The movie surprised me at not being sappy. The description of a young gangster who steals a car that happens to have a baby in the back seat makes one cringe at all the ‘Three Men & a Baby’ hijinks that could ensue. But none of that really happened- the movie was mostly a redemptive piece about the title character as he goes from angry youth to a-lesser-angry-youth-but-more-in-terms-with-the-events-of-his-life person. That- and it turned out to be a bit more of a crime drama as well. Some nice composed images and the best parts of the movie for me were the ones there it was silent and you just see his eyes and almost hear the character’s thoughts.

Plus who knew there was such thing as South African Gangsta Rap?

Three Stars!

Been looking up more info on the Birthday Massacre. When I first saw their video, I thought, dude, they’re nothing but minors. To my surprise, they’re mostly my age- with four of the six born the same year I was. At 28, they’ve released an album through a respected label and amassed a small but still considerable following. Me at 28? A little here and there…but then again, I hope that all of my stuff gets really popular after I die and people discover all my short stories and little sketches here and there, my blog gets published in 27 languages including Klingon and my heirs (probably felines) get billions of dollars and live fat the rest of their lives.

Anyway- it’s kinda nice to be at the ground floor of a band that’s getting a little bigger. Well, not the ground floor- more like the second or third floor of an at least thirty story building. I don’t think the band will ever get played-on-KROQ big, but they’ll probably amass the kind of following that VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk or even KMFDM who’ve they’ve opened for (dude, I wish I were at those shows). Then again, they seem to be quite a force on the internet- with a very fan friendly website, forums and then there’s myspace.

Myspace.com is an interesting creature. It seems like all in the world to be a fad- and it is. I’ll be surprised if in five years it’s still around or all the people who are on it are still on it then. I mean, there’s only so much you can do with it. But it does give people like me a presence on the internet for little or no cost- and you can personalize it in various ways. And it gives bands a chance to gain exposure that have no chance of getting on the radio or even itunes.

Ah, the evolving faces of the information superhighway.

Of course, for the Birthday Massacre it all hinges on their second album. Switchblade Symphony had an awesome debut album (which I love to this day) but their subsequent albums just sucked.

Also learning about the totally awesome European music festival circuit. Dude, they have line ups that you’ll never see here- even the more mainstream ones. But festivals like The Monsters of Rock Festival in Bulgaria, Wave Gothik in Germany, Castle Party 2006 in Poland (with VNV Nation headlining!), Summer Darkness in Denmark and especially Mera Luna also in Germany- these shows have lineups that cater directly to my music tastes and would love to go to at least one. Although if I ever do go, the bands I want to see will be all playing at the same times. It’s my curse. Well- one of them anyway.

Ahh…plus the World Cup’s in Germany as well. I wanna see an England match just so I can yell out loud: ENG-A-LAND!

Plus, it’s funny that the members of the Birthday Massacre still have day jobs. HAH!

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