#29: complete obliteration
Welcome to issue #29 of THIS NEWSLETTER CANNOT SAVE YOU. Feeling punchy after a prolonged internet outage at our house left us huddled around a single iPhone hotspot for warmth. I can't say for sure, but 3 days without a functioning high bandwidth connection probably feels very similar to an ibogaine cleanse.
Highlights from Scottoworld
At the risk of mirroring this particularly cautionary moment in cinematic history, may I politely share with you my excitement over the imminent release of the BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES paperback edition. Here we see the book enjoying a visit from one of the actual characters in the story:
Scottovision
Despite our malfunctioning modem and the concomitant calamities that ensued, I arrive in your inbox today with news of a world filled with short form video and film. Here are some things you could look at:
"The 7 Levels of the Psychedelic Experience" (2022) - Josie Kins has been working on a "Subjective Effect Index" for psychedelics, and one of the outputs is a new scale "for measuring and describing the intensity of psychedelic experiences, ranging from a subperceptual microdose to the complete obliteration of your ability to remain conscious and process information." Come for the pleasingly nerdy semantic analysis of ineffable states of mind, stay for the intricate visuals from a cadre of enthusiastic visionary animators.
"The Clockwork Elves" (2020) - The previous item reminded me about this short animated film by Nick Cross, in which a newly-minted shaman gets acquainted with the territory. Cross describes it as "a pyschotropic exploration of spirituality and death - or it could be a tale of a little goofball hopped up on goofballs. Either way - it's a cartoon." And it's a mind-bender. If you've already seen this a number of times and need something even edgier and more adventurous, allow me to gently steer you into the voracious, razor-toothed maw of a darker Nick Cross film, "The Pig Farmer," which is a bit of a gory riff on "Reefer Madness."
"Ghosts" (2015) - And that previous item reminded me about this music video from the band Alagoas, in which an alien crashlands on Earth a thousand years ago, and befriends a local tribe that comes to investigate. But even the tribe's shaman is unprepared for the side effects of this encounter. Directed by Dvein, who released a great "making of" video for this one.
"Bot Møther" (2022) - This recent animated music video from DRONE OPERATØR, a "conceptual kleptomaniac post digital free jazz outfit," presents a scenario that you have to admit is pretty unlikely. But if it ever did happen that a grand pianist performing at his instrument was hunted through the skies by predator drones firing missiles, I think it would look very much like this. Of course, free jazz isn't always an anarchic sonic riot; for a more meditative spin on the genre, try the song "song" by Jameszoo, released on the Brainfeeder label (home of Flying Lotus and other quality weirdos), and presented here via an appropriately understated music video.
"Room With A View" (2020) - I've shared this music video by French electronic musician Rone before, but I'm resharing because of new discoveries. This video was actually a short adaptation from an hour-long piece by the same name, using a score by Rone and featuring the same cast (twenty dancers of the Ballet National de Marseille). I recently discovered that a pro recording of the whole show has appeared online. It's mesmerizing, disturbing, and cathartic all at once, a chaotic and sometimes violent dance in the ruins of civilization. If an hour is too much to commit, the company also re-released a half hour adaptation filmed as an Arte Concert, featuring a guest performance from singer Jehnny Beth. Condensing the piece down to a half hour reshapes it into a sharp jolt, with no trace of the dreamy ambient passages that lull you in the full show, heightening focus on the intense attack of the choreography. Both the short form and long form are worth a look.
"Grey Clouds" (2007) - Few electronic tracks are as iconic as the Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds," which makes this self-parody a little more hilarious. Officially released by the Orb on a compilation in 2007, this version features the voice of Alan Parker Urban Warrior (an infamous anarchist character developed by UK comedian Simon Munnery) in place of the Rickie Lee Jones interview samples. This interview does not go as smoothly.
"Entropyyy" (2022) - For the new music video by electronic artist Lorn, animator Sagans produced a cinematic dystopian narrative, taking "a realistic approach" to working with the deep learning platform Stable Diffusion - realistic here meaning the aesthetic, not the storyline, but who can say: the video depicts a future in which humanity's escape into space requires the shedding of its actual humanity in the process. Sagan has a cinematographer's eye for scenic composition; the story easily compresses hundreds of years of robotic evolution into a few vivid minutes.
"Coherence" (2022) - As a counterpoint to the last item, Sagans also recently produced another video, this time as the musician on the track as well, and this one travels through a similarly complex future but with a decidedly less dystopian vantage point. It feels like what the aesthetic of Blade Runner could've looked like if the film had taken place just before sunrise with a steadily brightening blue sky above, instead of the deep darkness of the dead of night.
"Let's Have A Satanic Orgy" (2022) - Recent studies indicate I don't include enough pure sacrilege in this newsletter. Thankfully, a suggestion from Kat arrived in time to fill this issue's quota. Here is a charming animated music video in the classic Tex Avery style for a song by the rock and roll/doo-wop duo Twin Temple. It's not safe for work. Depending on your belief system, it's not safe for your immortal soul, either.
"FDR: A One Man Show" (1987) - Back in olden times, an anthology series on cable called The Cinemax Comedy Experiment handed half-hour episodes over to creators and gave them complete creative control with no executive interference. They gave two different episodes to writer/comedian and Letterman-alum Chris Elliott, who rose to the occasion - his episode "FDR: A One Man Show" is an all-time favorite of mine. The premise, see, is that Chris plays FDR in a one man show, except instead of being boring, it's awkwardly funny. Trivia: I based a moment in my wedding ceremony on a scene from this show, but instead of using "Eye of the Tiger" like Chris does, I used "Far From Over."
Exit Music
Sending you out this week with an excellent piano-driven cover of Björk's "Unravel" by Australian singer/songwriter Brendan Maclean. It sounds like an emotional number that one of the talented but edgier kids on Glee would perform. (I mean that in the most complimentary fashion, by the way.) It's the first song on his EP For Him With Love, which you can snag for free or a donation over on Bandcamp.
Here is the YouTube playlist featuring the recommendations from this issue. If you like this newsletter, consider sharing it with friends. They'll come around to your unique point of view, all in due time.
Until next time, I remain your friendly correspondent, thinking of you,
Scotto
Scotto Moore is the author of BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES and YOUR FAVORITE BAND CANNOT SAVE YOU.