#15: down the street, around the corner, and a couple train rides away from greatness
Welcome to issue #15 of THIS NEWSLETTER CANNOT SAVE YOU. I've almost got too much to tell you about this issue, but that's balanced by the fact that I'm also very distracted working on my Pinterest board dedicated to Gordon Cole, the character played by David Lynch on Twin Peaks, so my time is at a premium. Let's see what we can get accomplished, shall we?
Highlights from Scottoworld
[A jolt of recent absurdity from the Tumblr that started it all, THINGS THAT CANNOT SAVE YOU.]
I was a recent guest on a podcast called the Quotidian, hosted by an old friend and focused on the general subject of the psychology of creativity. I don't have any training in psychology, of course, but I always seem to have a lot to say about the creative spark regardless. The conversation took a few surprising turns; I don't pretend to be a futurist, in part because I don't believe we have one, but the host encouraged a little prognostication and my resulting tiny rant at the end of the podcast might be entertaining if you've got some time to spare.
Here's your friendly periodic reminder that my debut novel, BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES, is available for your consideration, and garnering some really lovely reviews too. AudioFile recently reviewed the audiobook version and praised the adept handling of the book's lead character by narrator Justis Bolding: "Bolding perfectly captures Isobel's quirky personality and snarky tone while also managing frenetic plot twists. Although Isobel's character may not be like that of other pixie girls, Bolding keeps her grounded and believable." And of course, I enjoyed the BookTok reviewer who opened by saying about me, "Whatever drugs he's on, I want them, because they seem like a lot of fun." (Careful what you wish for, friend.)
Scottovision
Some things to look at:
"2022 lightful laser new showroom amazing laser show system" - Purveyors of concert lighting and lasers create fantastic, over-the-top demos of their wares, and you can watch them! Typically in these demo videos, what you see is what you get - no CGI is deployed against the final video imagery. This one's got chops and could be a standout in the annual competitions staged by the industry. I mean, maybe - it's too early to put money down or whatever.
"GET OUT AND SEE THE WORLDS" (2021/2022) - In Denver, the arts collective Meow Wolf established Convergence Station, an interdimensional nexus point slash adult theme park, introduced in this promo video that premiered last September. Since then, they've been busy: promoting their infinite apartment building, the Gyre, with its proprietary intercom system that reveals more than you might like; they've staged alien fashion shows; they've created a pioneering anti-aging product; and for no apparent reason, they've praised good macaroni and cheese. As for their physical incarnation in Denver, this extremely brief walkthrough may provide clues. And if you do go in person, enjoy some local television programming in your hotel.
"Infinite Blue" and "Flow" (2022) - Animator Hideki Inaba landed in the psychedelic video hall of fame with his work on the "Slowly Rising" video for Beatsofreen, but this year he's released a sci-fi music video (co-directed with the video's musical artist, Billain) and an abstract short film that make it clear he's still very much a creative force of nature. "Infinite Blue" shows his wild organic style in the context of a light narrative, and "Flow" is an untethered study of Inaba's inherent creative approach.
"Short Calf Muscle" (2019) - In this short film from writer/director Victoria Warmerdam, a man comes to realize that he's seen as just a little different by those around him for reasons he can't see himself, which is perplexing and ultimately alarming to him. Excellent performances all around in this one.
"I Don't Need A Reason" (2022) - Filmmaker Luke Willis profiles Lady Camden, a contestant on Ru Paul's Drag Race, touching on the role ballet played in providing an escape from bullying for the performer as a child, and how that evolved into an intrinsic love of the art form that no longer needs external justification. It's three minutes of gorgeous dancing with a sparingly used voiceover to provide context and weight, and it's worth repeated viewings.
"Practice" (2019) - The music video "Cellophane" by singer/songwriter/dancer FKA twigs and director Andrew Thomas Huang is a truly remarkable thing to see. I was familiar with Huang's behind the scenes film showing how the technical aspects of the piece came together, but just this week I discovered this separate behind the scenes film shot by AnAkA, and it's extremely illuminating to watch twigs undertake the physical and mental transformation required to master a new physical artform for the video. She's operating at such high levels of artistry and athleticism that even her rehearsals take on a mesmerizing aspect.
"Invader Invader (live)" (2015) - J-pop superstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is playing at Coachella this year. She's had a string of hits in Japan since her breakout, "PONPONPON," as a couple of biographical clips hoped to demonstrate to American audiences. I hope she brings as much spectacle to Coachella as she did on this live version of "Invader Invader" from her 2015 world tour.
"The Darly Boxman Show" (2021) - This animated "local kids show from the 90s" is freaky and hilarious, no spoilers. Brought to you by Gooseworx, maker of freaky and hilarious things.
"Plans We Made (extended cut)" (2021) - Set to a song provided by the art rock group Son Lux, dance crew the Minimalists create an elegiac scene of sad reunion spanning both sides of the veil, so to speak. There's a short music video version that lops off the entire first half of the film, sacrificing the lonely setting of the stage in order to get right into music and movement, but I prefer the slow buildup and careful placement of clues in this version. The dance feels more cathartic after you've been alone with the main character for a time. Directed by Minimalists founder and choreographer Mahdi Mouika.
"Emotional Spa (excerpt)" (2020) - This dialogue-free 3D animated short film feels like you're watching a Twitch streamer playing a sci-fi horror video game, during a long cutscene interspersed with POV from a researcher sent to discover what happened to a high-tech medical facility situated atop a mountain. The story unfolds in a decidedly weird and supernatural fashion. This was included as part of an episode of a Spanish web series from a production team that normally puts out seemingly mainstream pop culture coverage, but they sure took some sharp creative risks on this little segment. Directed, animated, and sound designed by Diego Navarro.
Exit Music
I intended to take you out this issue with a song that I consider to be a nearly perfect slice of pop music: "THE mARTIN SHOW!!" by J-pop group Plus-Tech Squeeze Box, from their 2004 album CARTOOOM! Precious little video exists from this group - the one to check out is this live rendition of "early RISER" on BBC Scotland - but while I was looking for PSB videos, I learned that an offshoot project called Tropico Q, featuring the two core members of PSB, released an album of hard rock covers in 2010, which enabled me to take you out this week instead with this delightfully unexpected J-pop cover of "We Will Rock You." Friends, these are the moments that make it all worthwhile.
Here is the YouTube playlist featuring almost all the recommendations from this issue; a link to the one item that's missing is provided in the description. If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider sharing it with any short-form-media-hungry friends you happen to have. They must be out there... somewhere... I have to believe.
Until next time, I remain your friendly correspondent, thinking of you,
Scotto