Time Fades Away: Saturday in the Fog and Light

12/05/2009

Time Fades Away: Saturday in the Fog and Light

Today was gray and dreary, which ended up being the perfect excuse to do nothing, if 'nothing' can be defined as blogging, watching teevee and having afternoon tea and strudel.

This week we've been watching 'Big Love,' the series about a polygamous family trying to 'pass' in a suburb in Utah. We're a little obsessed with the character of Nicki Grant -- played by Chloe Sevigny -- an exceedingly and often hilariously tightly wound 'second wife' of the boring husband. Because Nicki grew up on the fundamentalist 'compound,' she is by far the most complicated and compelling character on the show, one who continually struggles with modern (and to her, at least outwardly, morally repugnant) obsessions like credit card debt, gambling and birth control (if being on 'the pill' can be considered an obsession, which it probably could to a religious fundamentalist?). She alone is worth watching the series, although there are some other amazingly 'zany' and conflicted characters (the husband's mother Lois is noteworthy) who are probably only a few steps removed from people we all know and maybe love in our own lives (which is also why the show is fun and painful -- in a good way -- to watch).

At around 4:00 pm, we decided to take a tea-and-strudel break.

Here's Nicki winning at bingo.

Sometimes bad weather isn't really so 'bad' after all.

Like so many people with something to hide, Nicki is the most judgmental character on the show; in some ways she is like a closet-case whose walls are slowly crumbling as she -- often unconsciously -- throws herself into situations that will force her to leave her past behind.

The skies remained heavy over the George Washington Bridge, but for a moment were illuminated with a golden and serene light.

Posted at 08:58 PM in Expression, Reaction | Permalink

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A RADICAL NEW MYTH ABOUT SEX, FAITH, AND THOSE OF US WHO WILL NEVER DIE

A young boy wanders into the woods of Harlem and witnesses the abduction of his sister by a glowing creature. Forty years later, now working as a New York City homicide detective, Gus is assigned to a case in which he unexpectedly succumbs to a vision that Helen is still alive. To find her, he embarks on an uorthodox investigation that leads to an ancient civilization of gods and the people determined to bring them back.

In this colossal new novel from the author of The Metropolis Case, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice collides with a new religion founded by three corporate office workers, creating something beautiful, illogical, and overwhelming. Part sex manifesto, part religious text, part Manhattan noir—with a dose of deadly serious, internet inspired satire—#gods is a sprawling inquest into the nature of faith and resistance in the modern world. With each turn of the page, #gods will leave you increasingly reborn.

Praise for #gods

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The Metropolis Case

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-- The New York Times

Music: Death Culture at Sea and Saturnine

Listen or download songs and records from my indie-rock past with Saturnine here and Death Culture at Sea here.

Music Video: Remembrance of Things Past

Watch the rock opera Remembrance of Things Past written and performed by Saturnine and Frances Gibson, starring Bennett Madison and Sheila McClear.

Video: The Chaos Detective

The Chaos Detective is a series about a man searching for 'identity' as he completes assignments from a mysterious organization. Watch the first episode (five parts) on YouTube.

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12/05/2009