A Weekend of (filming) Music

So it took me a little longer than expected to recap the weekend.  It was a great weekend of music and we got some great footage for the documentary.  The only downside was that working to get that footage left me little time to just sit and listen.

The third 80/35 felt like it really hit a groove.  It's big enough to draw A-list bands but still feels like a neighborhood festival.  We shot a great interview with William Elliot Whitmore, and after negotiating level after level of handlers, and with the help of the amazing Jill Haverkamp, we were able to shoot an interview with Spoon's Britt Daniel.

Mr. Daniel, or Britt as I've decided he'd like me to call him, was very cool and had a real perspective on Daytrotter.  I'm so glad we were able to sit down with him for the film.

After watching Spoon's headlining set on the main stage, Naura and I were both feeling too tired to head to The Mews to catch the always amazing Poison Control Center.  But I must admit my head exploded a little the next morning when I saw this picture from the friends we would have gone to the show with:

Sunday morning, we rolled east to the Codfish Hollow Barn just outside of Maquoketa for the Daytrotter Barn on the 4th Show.  We went in with a few interviews in mind, a few performances we wanted shoot, but aware we wouldn't be able to get everything.  We got everything.

We shot performances and interviews with The Walkmen, Dawes and Justin Townes Earle, as well as performance from Jonny Corndawg with Dawes as his backup band.  We got great interviews and footage of the Daytrotter crew making the whole thing happen. 

But what made the footage so killer was the atmosphere of the event itself.  I've never seen musicians and fans so charged to be with each other.  The Walkmen and Dawes both played afternoon sets in Des Moines and then drove through the rain to play a second show because they wanted the experience of playing a Daytrotter barn show.

We wish we could just throw all our material into the social media stream.  But aspiring to put together a feature as we are, and in the interests of only putting out what we've had the chance to polish, we'll be sitting on it for now.

Once we're happy with the cut of our trailer, we'll be launching our website and Facebook pages, and then we will be posting shorter bits of video and pictures from these amazing shoots.

Several people approached us while we were shooting the barn show with enthusiasm and curiosity about the film.  We look forward to staying engaged.

Dick Prall in a Backyard

Last night, we joined about 50 friends in a backyard for a "house concert" from Dick Prall.

After more than a decade of touring, often with a full band, Dick's put together a tour "from Portland, Maine to the Napa Valley" playing in people's homes.  It's an innovative idea, and it makes for a hell of a show.

Dick played without amplification, but his percussive guitar and booming voice didn't need it.   The pop of a beer can or the rattle of a lawn chair sometimes caused a moment of distraction, but it was all in the spirit.  And it sure beat the cracking pool balls and TV sports chatter of even the most intimate club shows.

He build his set entirely on requests, with someone in the crowd occasionally helping remember a lyric for the more obscure numbers.  Brief gusts of wind and other surprises from the natural world highlighted the organic feel.

And after the show: Drinking.

Today we'll be rolling out to Day 1 of 80/35 and hopefully have enough left in the tank for Poison Control Center tonight.

Rock & Roll Weekend

I'm on the verge of an exciting and diverse weekend of music, and it feels like there's only one thing to do about it - blog.  That's right, blog - as a verb.

The four shows/events range from a multi-day festival to a backyard concert.  All are happening in Iowa, three just in Des Moines.

Tonight I'll be at a small, backyard performance by singer/songwriter Dick Prall.  Dick's doing a nationwide tour exclusively of house parties - a cool concept and an exciting, intimate way to see a show.

Saturday and Sunday bring the ever-awesome 80/35 Music Festival back to Des Moines, with a really killer lineup this year.

If I'm not face-down from exhaustion or otherwise Saturday night, I plan to get over to the Vaudeville Mews to catch a free show from Poison Control Center - great guys who just put out an amazing record.

Then Sunday night I'll be rolling across the state to a barn outside Maquoketa for a 4th of July Barn Show being put on by Daytrotter.  Another unbelievable lineup in an unlikely location.   This will be more of a working event, however, as I'm currently producing and directing a documentary film about Daytrotter.  It's an exciting project we've been working on for some time, but keeping mostly under wraps.  We expect to launch a more public face for the film in the coming weeks.

I'll work to post updates on the shows here throughout the weekend, and will absolutely post more on the documentary as soon as I can.

Black Maria 2010

This weekend the Black Maria Film Festival rolled through town, and I made my annual trek to catch one of its two programs.

I enjoy the grab bag nature of shorts programs, and Black Maria always feels like it contains even more variety.  So many shorts feel like an audition for a feature - be they narrative, documentary, animation.  Black Maria always features some work that lies outside those parameters.

A notable example in the program I caught was Neil Needleman's film Corporate Art Policy, which was essentially a video essay.  I've heard work like this derided at festivals as better suited to a blog or You Tube.  But despite it's low technical aspirations, it tells a story, it's got a point-of-view.  Plenty of more glossy films don't manage to do that.

On the high end of the production scale was the PBS-ready documentary Worlds of Sound: Ballad of Folkways, telling the story of Folkways founder Moe Asch, and narrated by Pete Seeger.  If this hasn't been picked-up for broadcast, I'm sure it will be.  It's a solid, informative doc.

Pickles for Nickels was a unique, hand-crafted piece of animation.  It was so well-done, I wasn't surprised to see CalArts scroll across the credits.  There was a bit of narrative to the film, but also plenty of non-linear elements more associated with art film.  The filmmaker, Danielle Ash's voice comes through very strong and makes the film something more than an audition for Pixar, as animated shorts so often are.

Sebastian's Voodoo by Joaquin Baldwin is more Pixar-like in its computer animation and its storytelling - but in a good way.  The simple story of individual sacrifice elicited an audible gasp when it ended.

As always, this Black Maria program delivered a variety that made it well worth making time for.

Final Thoughts on True/False 10

I was more prepared for the rhythms of True/False in my second year, but no less impressed by event and its films.

I enjoyed every film I saw, which makes it harder to distinguish between them.  Restrepo has stayed with me the most, but given its life-and-death nature, perhaps that's to be expected.  But I largely devoted my time to my favorite kind of doc - focused on a single, eccentric personality.

Smash His Camera and The Invention of Dr. Nakamats both fit well into this niche,  and took distinctly different approaches.  Smash His Camera broadens its perspective on Paparazzo Ron Galella to include wildly differing critical views of him and his work.  Nakamats never steps back from the portrait the subject paints of himself.  It creates a more unified POV, but made me long for the context of Smash His Camera.

One of the richest experiences when attending a festival is drawing connections between the films - something you simply can't or wouldn't do when watching them separately.  My buddy Travis pointed out as we left Waking Sleeping Beauty that the events it chronicles ended 14 years ago, exactly as had the life of the comedian we saw documented in one of the Secret Screenings the night before.  Is 14 years some kind of magical gestation age for a certain historical perspective?  Maybe, but I never would have wondered if I hadn't seen the two films within hours of each other.

If there was one disappointment from the films I saw, it was that they didn't open up to me more.  The experience I most enjoy when watching a doc is that moment the film goes beyond that quirky hook of its subject and becomes "about" something different.  Smash His Camera had moments of this - questions of the nature of art and celebrity.  Probably more than any other film I saw, Restrepo left much to be discovered between the images and the rationalizations of the soldiers involved.

One day after leaving the festival, I wonder about the films I didn't see.  Two of this year's Best Picture nominees screened at last year's fest - but I only saw one of them.  Critic Karina Longworth Tweeted several films she was impressed with last night.  I had seen none of them.

It's a credit to the festival that it can't be fully digested, even spread over four days.  I spoke to filmmakers and attendees alike whose reaction was the same as mine last year - "how did I not know about this?"

Four Film Saturday at True/False

We planned to see It Felt Like a Kiss first thing in the morning, but some schedule confusion led us into the queue for Waking Sleeping Beauty instead.

The doc follows a renaissance in Disney animation and the overhaul in management that took place between 1984 and 1994.  It feels hard not to damn the film with faint praise.  It is essentially a history, and for anyone interested in Disney or the business of Hollywood, and I count myself as one, it's an interesting history.  One interesting choice, noted before the screening by producer and former Disney Exec. Peter Schneider - the filmmakers chose to only use footage from the era itself.  In Schneider's words, there are no "shots of old men talking."  It's a subtle choice, but keeps the film grounded in the moments it documents.

Disney luminaries like Eisner and Katzenberg appear more or less as expected, but I was surprised and even moved by the creative contributions of lyricist Howard Ashman to the production of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

After a couple beers and a couple sliders at Booches, we began our afternoon at the Blue Note venue with The Red Chapel.  The film follows a Danish filmmaker and two Danish/Korean performers he recruits to travel into North Korea under the guise of a cross-cultural performance.  The ruse of the filmmaker's crew is manipulative and even crass, but it pales in comparison to the group performance of the entire population of Pyongyang.

Every action the crew encounters is choreographed to display an image of perfect unity and loyalty to the Great Leader(s).  The crew plays along, even as their North Korean handlers edit their performance entirely into something more appropriate for North Korean audiences.  But the strain on the faces of the people are clear.  Filmmaker Mads Brugger attributes their every action to fear, and it would be hard to disagree with his assessment.

Some of Brugger's actions set my ethical spider-sense tingling, but the film is worthwhile even if just as a window into this hidden society.  It's an often hilarious piece of absurdism, but the fear and tragedy of North Korea lend weight to the humor.

The Invention of Dr. Nakamats brings humor with much less baggage, as it documents the Japanese inventor with the most registered patents in history.  The Doctor's inventions include legitimate technological breakthroughs such as the floppy disk, but it appears from the film far more oddities, including an underwater pencil/notebook and products to stimulate female arousal.

As the title suggests, Nakamats is also meticulous about sculpting his image and orchestrating the events around him, down to a moment he orders his children to redo a presentation of a birthday gift to him.  It's a funny film about a truly eccentric character, but by the end I wished it could have taken me to some deeper level of understanding of Nakamats.

Restrepo was our final film in the standing-room only Blue Note.  The winner of the Grand Jury Doc prize at Sundance did not disappoint.  It's being sold as a true story version of The Hurt Locker, and that's not an inaccurate description - especially in the opening moments when the camera is inside a vehicle as it is exploded by a land mine.

The bulk of the film follows a team of soldiers as they man the most remote outpost in Afghanistan, under near-constant attack from the remnants of the Taliban.  

I heard several people dismiss the film as "good, but nothing I haven't seen before."  Sure, the war doc isn't a new thing - but I don't remember feeling as much a feeling of actually being there as I did watching Restrepo.  The camera is there with the soldiers as they are taking fire, and in the most harrowing sequence, with them on patrol as fellow soldiers are being killed just a few yards away.

Interviews with the surviving soldiers frame and add poignancy to the footage.  It feels like the filmmakers have been true to the words and intentions of those soldiers as they tell their story, but the end result left me feeling that all their sacrifice was done in tragic futility.

We ended our night, as we did last year, with pizza and pitchers of beer at Shakespeare's Pizza - a classic college town pizza parlor, filled with a vibrant young crowd that makes me feel every one of my 31 years.

Friday Night at True/False

Last night kicked off the 10th True/False Film Festival (at least for us).  It's my second year at what I'm already planning to make an annual event.

After gathering our passes and applying some social lubricant, we got into the packed Missouri Theater to see Smash His Camera - a doc which premiered at Sundance and was just picked up by HBO this week for distribution.

The film documents the life's work of Ron Galella, a lifelong paparazzo who was sued by Jackie O. and punched in the face by Marlon Brando.  Galella and a cadre of supporters and detractors narrate the story, from his first work in the late '60s up to today.

Director Leon Gast also directed the stellar When We Were Kings.  While Galella doesn't have the charisma of a figure like Ali (and then again who does?), both films focus on a singular personality whose actions ultimately, and perhaps surprisingly, resonate into the culture at large.

Beyond just the character story of the eccentric photographer, the film raises interesting questions about what constitutes art - particularly in photography.  Galella's work has recently been exhibited at museums, and it's hard to argue that he hasn't taken some beautiful photographs.  His shots are snapshots, often with a prominent flash bulb glare, but the candid, vulnerable moments he captures can be fascinating.  His critics argue that anyone who takes that many shots is bound to wind up with a few good shots, and also point out that it's always the subject that makes the photo interesting.

Galella comes across warmly, though seeing he has applied his techniques to subjects including children can be stomach-churning.  I was particularly struck by his string of photos of Angelina Jolie, going back to when she appeared to be only eight or nine years old.  He argues in several archival interviews that his intention is to show celebrities at their most human.

That argument felt rather thin to me, but there is a fascinating moment late in the film when a young girl, probably in her teens, wanders through an exhibition of Galella's work.  She tries to identify the subjects of the photos - the likes of Onasis, Steve McQueen, Bridget Bardot, etc.  She recognizes almost none of them.  It's subtle but striking evidence of the fleeting nature of fame, and perhaps lends credence to Galella's claim that in the end, he's just capturing images of humanity.

After Smash His Camera, we caught and enjoyed the Secret Screening Black.  But by the request of the programmers, I'll leave my thoughts on that a secret.

Support River Will Take You

My friend, the talented filmmaker Andy Brodie, is preparing to shoot River Will Take You, a short film starring Iowa music icons Greg and Pieta Brown. And he could use your help.

Andy's looking for patrons to help finance the production costs.  In addition to just helping get a truly independent film made, patrons will receive a really nice package of incentives including an invitation to the premiere event, DVD, and more.

Having been lucky enough to read the script and talk to Andy during the development process, I am excited about the film.  Filming will take place around the historic Sutliff Bridge near Iowa City.  The great Iowa blues guitarist Bo Ramsey will create a soundtrack for the film.  It's an impressive collection of elements which should make for a great film.

More details about the film and how to donate can be found here.  You can also listen to John Pemble's piece with Andy as it aired today on Iowa Public Radio:

Short Movie to use Damaged Sutliff Bridge

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Roll Out the Barrel...

Here's some video from our good friend's 1st Annual Backyard Bock Fest. Inspired by the event at Schell's Brewery in New Ulm, MN., it featured kegs of Bock (Shiner), bratwurst, saurkraut, polka music, drunkenness, etc. If you've never had your Bock poked, you're really missing out.

They're also maintaining a Tumblr page documenting the glory of the Backyard Bock Fest. In the midst of a dreary winter such as we've had, it's a hell of a way to spend an afternoon.

End of the Sawdust Trail

End of the Sawdust Trail, a great modern silent film by my good friend, and talented filmmaker Andy Brodie, is now available on DVD. It's funny, thoughtful, and only $5.

The short was shot in black & white on Super 8mm, giving it a very distinctive look. The original score was composed and performed by Jason Webley, who also appears in the film.

In addition to the film itself, the DVD contains several bonus features, including a sound-only track of the film score and a performance from clown Ron "Toto" Johnson, who also appears in the film.

But don't believe me, believe the great Neil Gaiman, who described the film as a "haunting clown-noir."

The Effenheimer

In the hot summer of 1999, I co-founded an online satire mag which took a shot at becoming The Onion of college newspapers. We called it The Effenheimer.

Our crew was mostly staff from the Iowa State Daily or cast members of Grandma Mojo's sketch comedy troupe, and some of us were both - Greg Jerrett, Ben Gran, Dave Roepke, Cartoonist Carmen Cerra and Web Dude Cory Schmitz. We pushed out a new issue every two weeks for about eight months, then the site sat there until the domain expired. None of us thought much about archiving such things, so the whole deal was considered lost ... until we realized a few days ago that a fractured version was still accessible through the magic of the Web Archive.

So it was with equal parts excitement and fear that I browsed the archive last night. We built The Effenheimer from the ground up on a bed of enthusiasm, creativity, modestly priced draft beer and Cafe Beaudelaire's Pommes Frites. It was also something I did when I was 21 years old.

I found some sharp satire, plenty of bad taste and quite a few funny ideas that could have used more revision. It's a fine line between homage and rip-off, and we stood proudly on that line when it came to The Onion. We copped several of their go-to setups, like the straight and gag article written together - Iowans Enthralled by Politics, Barbecued Beef.

Several articles remind me instantly of the experiences they grew out of, like Freshman Coed Confident her High School Relationship Will Stand the Test of Time and Local Band Completely Sucks. I'm pretty sure I wrote both of those, but I have a hard time remembering for sure who did what, and we opted for no bylines for some reason. But I do have to give Ben Gran credit for the still transcendent Conspicuous Consumption for Christ article.

I love the polls, like "Who is your least favorite apostle or Beatle?", or little bits of absurdism like Standings for Effenheimer 9-pin No Tap Bowling League.

There were at least two other college satire startups at the same time, including the fledgling CollegeHumor.com. Greg and I even met some of our "competitors" at a journalism conference in NYC. We were funnier, but they were better organized. Guess who came out ahead?

Of course, it was soon after The Effenheimer I was asked to contribute to the legitimate (paying) satire site Suck.com, and only a few years after that I traded in a fairly successful career as a newspaper and online journalist for the quiet desperation of a screenwriter.

Still, it's with a heavy dose of nostalgia, a bit of pride and just a little embarrassment that I add these remaining traces of The Effenheimer to my archive.

Daytrotter Barnstormer II

I recently was lucky enough to catch the last show of the Daytrotter Barnstormer II Tour, which true to its name, was held in a barn just north of Des Moines.

The five bands/performers each had a strong, unique voice. The whole show felt curated, not just one band after another.

What stuck with me the most - the songwriting of Dawes, the frenetic arrangements of Suckers and the "Nashville Skyline" croon of Christopher Denny. All have sessions free to listen to and download at Daytrotter.

There's a nice recap of the tour at Crawdaddy.

Jewish Eye for the Gentile Guy

Fatherland will be touching another international base when it plays in Israel as part of the Jewish Eye World Jewish Film Festival.

Puzzle Films

I'm a bit behind on this, but I recently learned Warren Buckland, my ol' film studies prof., has edited a new book, Puzzle Films: Complex Storytelling in Contemporary Cinema.

I've already read and enjoyed the chapter on frustrated time in the films of Charlie Kaufman, and look forward to reading the chapter by my fellow Chapman alum Yunda Eddie Feng, among others.

My third ride on the Black Maria

The Black Maria Film Festival made its annual stop in the Capital City this weekend. As has become my tradition, I only made it to one of the two programs.

This year's event was different for a couple reasons. John Columbus, founder and director of the festival, was in town to introduce the program and conduct a Q&A with Arthur C. Smith, director of the doc Ice Bears of the Beaufort.

The program I caught also had much less narrative than past programs. Five of the nine films were docs, one was experimental and the last three were animated. None were what you would call a traditional narrative. I imagine this was more the luck of my draw than a trend throughout the festival.

My favorite was Yours Truly from director Osbert Parker, a noir story animated with photo cut-outs and real objects in a miniature 3D environment. The mix of media is unique and surreal, and while the occasional jumps into impressionism were a little jarring, I enjoyed every moment of it. You can watch it online here.

I was grateful for the chance to talk briefly with John Columbus after the program and thank him for the traveling festival. There's more on him and the fest in this NPR story.

Food Inc. | Big River Man

I'm back home after a five-hour night drive - one of many things to file under "not as easy as it used to be." Sunday, I made it to three more screenings and had a delicious Cuban pork sandwich at the Ragtag.

Food, Inc. is going to be huge. It's a catch-all overview of industrialized food and a strong call for action some of the big offenders. Despite being an episodic advocacy piece, slick graphics, animation and visual panache give it momentum. Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser feature prominently, and if you've read their books don't expect a lot of new ground to be broken.

Playing to a doc film fest audience in a college down, Food, Inc. elicited applause and cheers throughout. Director Robert Kenner said he will be screening the doc for Tom Vilsack, and Kenner, Schlosser and Pollan are all optimistic that the new farm bill will go in a new direction. The film is scheduled to open in LA/NY in June, then expand.

Big River Man is my favorite kind of doc - a profile of a truly bizarre individual. In this case it is the story of Martin Strel, who director John Maringouin described as "an overweight drunk who just happens to be the greatest distance swimmer in the world." The film follows Strel and his media hungry son as Strel attempts to swim the entire Amazon river. What follows is very funny and utterly bizarre.

I also caught O'er the Land, a non-narrative film with some fascinating moments, though also many of the characteristics that turn me off from these type of films. It screened with Bitch Academy, a Russian short about a school in St. Petersburg where women, many of them educated and successful, learn to dress sexy and behave in ways that will make men give them money. It moves from funny to sickening and back, crossing many lines of sexuality, dignity, identity, etc. But by never showing the women or the egomaniacal male instructor outside the classroom environment, it also lacks a certain context.

Bitch Academy has apparently also screened under the English title "Vixen Academy," making it this year's winner of the Indie Doc Which Most Sounds Like a Russ Meyer Film Award.

No Impact Man | Secret Screenings

I went into No Impact Man expecting the story of a man moving completely off the grid, but was more interested to learn Colin Beaven and family's year-long experiment would take place in their NYC apartment. Their year of using less suggests many "necessities" are really no more than "habits." Part of the experiment is clearly publicity stunt, and the family and the film acknowledge that.

As with so many good docs, an even more compelling story emerges underneath the premise. Beaven's wife Michelle is much more reluctant about the experiment, while also trying to convince Beaven to have a second child. Their quiet battles are a poignant picture of the compromises, concessions and gamesmanship in a marriage.

The look of the film seems geared towards television viewing, the focus on clarifying the information. Though, at the Q&A, directors Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein said they used no artificial lighting, in an effort to subscribe to the No Impact ethos themselves.

I also caught two of the festival's "secret screenings."

Secret Screening Silver is a gorgeous looking film. The director's camera exposes and contextualizes things his subjects may not even realize themselves.

As with No Impact Man, the premise (following three elderly greeters of returning soldiers) is more of a framing device for an exploration of aging and loneliness. When greeter Bill confesses his life doesn't mean anything to him, so he tries to make it meaningful for someone else, the note of despair rings as loud as the note of service. As moving as the majority of the film is, by the end it feels like the filmmakers are wallowing in this matter-of-fact melancholy.

A few things about Secret Screening Green kept me from fully investing in the film or its characters. It is a stark look at two Brazillian boys and their families' lives of poverty. The compositions are rich and cinematic, particularly in framing this simultaneously agrarian and industrial world.

But long atmospheric sequences are punctuated with stagey dialogue between characters. These scenes often begin with pre-set camera moves to both characters in perfect frame, engaging in dialogue with self-conscious exposition. I have no categorical problem with a director staging, coaching or otherwise manipulating a scene. But in a film which seems so intent on exposing the reality of these boy's lives, it didn't feel right to me.

That said, many people at my screening, including a good friend of high cinematic standards, were quite moved by the film.

Saturday at True/False

I'm back in my hotel room after three docs and the Gimme Some Truth gameshow. This festival is something else. Throngs of people march the streets, from venue to venue, crowding into restaurants and coffee shops along the way. And for what? To catch a glimpse of Tom Cruise, or see a young starlet get arty/naked? No - these crowds are pumped up to see the true face of war and poverty.

This festival is so much about exhibition done right. I've never seen such challenging films greeted with midnight Star Wars premiere enthusiasm before. I will walk away not thinking "I saw this, this and this," but rather "I experienced this festival." I also experienced Shakespeare's Pizza and several Newcastles, and will now slink into bed.

True/False

I'm sitting at the bar at The Ragtag, waiting for my 2nd screening of
the day.

I'm blown away by the coordination & enthusiasm around this event.
Like the much smaller Siouxland Fest, it's driven more by audiences.
Screenings are full & energetic, not just showcases for other
filmmakers.

I'll post more later in the weekend.

New Toy

Through the miracle of Craigslist (and with thanks to Patrick for the tip), I am now the proud owner of this cherry little Bolex 8mm camera. I bought it from a very nice old gentlemen who bought it new in 1961. He had also made a leather case for it, had extra lenses and some other bells and whistles.

I don't have any immediate plans for what to do with it, but couldn't pass it up. I predict any future short films will include a "flashback" in grainy 8mm.

Who votes for these things?

I jumped into a discussion at Nikki Finke's blog about whether or not the Independent Spirit Awards are too dominated by higher-profile, specialty division films. My take:

The question of who votes gets to the core of why the ISAs drift to the mainstream - access.

Eligible voters are members of LA Film Independent or NY, Chi, MN IFP. These people are filmmakers, though in many cases that may be more aspirational. Fact is, all one needs to be a member is to pay a fee of around $100.

I was a member the last two years, though I let mine lapse this year. I would get the occasional screener DVD, and they’ve tried to arrange others via Neflix and online streaming, plus some screenings in LA and maybe NY.

So it’s up to a membership with fringe connections to see a slate of nominees that are often difficult to find. If you didn’t catch the smaller films during their one-week run at your local art house, and they haven’t been released on DVD, good luck finding them - even if you’re an ISA voter.

The ISAs consistently nominate a stronger crop than the Oscars, and I give them credit for considering some ultra-low budget fare alongside specialty material. But given their voting body, the winners will tend to be the most widely distributed.

The same line of reasoning should be applied to Academy voters - film professionals, but not necessarily experts in a given category and less likely to have seen smaller films, shorts, etc. Critics Associations probably offer the most valid evaluation of a year's films, but their press releases will never be as sexy as the events at the Kodak Theater or on the Santa Monica beach.

Damn right this opinion is sound

So, you know those people who comment at the end of episodes of Sound Opinions? Well, last week I was one of those people. And you thought they were all mumbly hermits, calling from the bowels of their ... wait a minute, that's hitting a little close to home.

Now anyone who's always wanted a recording of me rambling on about Buddy Holly can have it. You know, for posterity.

Seriously though, Sound Opinions is a great show I've been podcasting for years, which now airs on IPR as well.

Romance in Durango

Just when you (and I) thought Fatherland was done on the festival circuit, I've learned it may have a few screenings left. One will be in March at the Durango Film Festival in Colorado. I believe this is the 22nd festival to screen the film.

For those who haven't been able to attend a festival screening, we will hopefully have some other distribution channels open soon. Whether it be DVD, downloads, whatever - I will post details here.

And seriously, "Romance in Durango" as the title for this post? Put a lot of thought into that one, didn't I? If I were still working at a newspaper, I'd slap myself for that.

Fatherland Distribution / O' Canada

Canadian short film distributor Ouat! Media has acquired the rights to Fatherland, and will be seeking outlets for the film. Ouat! specializes in broadcast and Internet distribution.

You can check back to Fatherland's page at Ouat! Media for details in the future. I'll update here as well, particularly if and when the film is available for purchase or download.

Farewell to the Varsity Theater

Last night was the final screening at the Varsity Theater in Ames. Coupled with the closing of the Ames Theater more than 10 years back, this leaves Campustown with no theater and the City of My Birth with only two multiplexes.

The Varsity was built in 1938 by local theater owner Joe Gerbracht, and had been remodeled into two smaller screens in the mid '90s.

Even when the theater was bought by Cinemark, management of the Varsity fought to bring art house fare to the screen. When "family-friendly" Cinemark refused to show American Beauty (of all films) on their major corporate screens, it was the Varsity that convinced their overlords to let them show the film, resulting in the theater's best-ever box office returns.

I moved away from Ames in 2002, and hadn't been back to the Varsity since. But I developed a special bond with the theater while I was film critic at the Ames Trib, and did what I could to promote the joint.

The Varsity was by no means the perfect cinematic experience. The 1990s renovation gave the historic interior a generic feel, and the theaters were split into long and narrow, short and wide, respectively. Many nights the operation was a one-man show, leaving nobody to sell you a ticket or popcorn while the reels were being changed.

But whatever the flaws of the theater, it's where I saw some of the films that I still think about today. L.A. Confidential, Fight Club, Pulp Fiction, Monster's Ball, Gosford Park, a packed midnight screening of the MST3K movie - these just off the top of my head.

More importantly, the theater was in Campustown - a part of the community. I could walk there, maybe stop for a beer or a cup of coffee along the way. That kind of experience was already rare when I was growing up. For my son, it may well be non-existent.

Back in the day, I would have railed against the corporate swine who shut the theater down. Don't they understand that art can't be reduced simply to commerce? Where is their sense of duty to the community? But I've worked enough in the industry to understand the thin margins at all levels, including exhibition. And we true believers can't close our eyes clap our hands enough to bring the local theater back to life.

So it's more in mourning than anger that I raise a glass to The Varsity Theater - a noble venture whose time has sadly passed.

Audience Approval

While Fatherland has likely wrapped its festival run, we learned this week that it was the third-highest rated film by the audience at the Port Townsend Film Festival in September.

Audience awards are notorious for Chicago Machine style ballot stuffing, so this is especially encouraging as nobody affiliated with Fatherland was able to attend this festival. They liked us. They really, really, etc.

There has also been a major development on the distribution front, which I hope to post sometime this weekend.

ISFF Award

Fatherland was named Best Foreign Language Period Piece at this year's International Student Film Festival. The festival ran this weekend in Hollywood. Fellow Chapman film The Vaudevillian took home the Grand Jury Award.

The final scheduled festival screening of Fatherland will be this weekend at the Red Rock Film Festival. In the last year, it has played at more than 20 festivals on three continents. Though I was only able to attend a few of the festivals, it's been gratifying to know that on a given weekend the film is playing in some corner of the world.

As Fatherland winds down its run on the festival circuit, the producers are considering distribution options. We hope to soon be able to announce where the film will be available on DVD and the web.

The Princess of Nebraska

On Friday, Wayne Wang's feature film The Princess of Nebraska was posted on YouTube. If not the first time a full-length feature has been distributed this way, it's certainly the first from a director of this caliber.

So while I had nothing to do with the making of this film, it's a notable moment in film distribution. Plus, I thought it would be cool to embed an entire Wayne Wang film on my website. That said, if you're going to watch the whole thing, do yourself a favor and click over to YouTube to watch the Hi-Res version.

Red Rock Film Fest

Fatherland will screen in competition at the Red Rock Film Festival, Nov. 13-16. Also screening will be The Vaudevillian, an excellent film from another Chapman grad, Bryan Nest, which I was able to see at the Siouxland Film Festival.

Macedonia, Hollywood and nearly Greece

Fatherland will be screening at the International Cinematographers Film Festival in Macedonia at the end of Sept., as well as the International Student Film Festival Hollywood in November.

The film was also selected for the Short Film Festival in Drama in Greece, but won't be screening due to some logistical issues. But hey, it's always nice to be invited.

Kevin Bacon Gamesmanship

My friend, the talented Alex Fernandez appears on this week's episode of The Closer, titled Sudden Death. The episode was directed by Kevin Bacon.

This got me thinking that Alex is now only one move away in the Kevin Bacon game. As often happens, my thoughts soon drifted to myself, and I realized that having directed Alex in Personal, I am now a mere two moves from Mr. Bacon.

I'm coming for you, Bacon.

Big Bear Film Festival

In honor of Fatherland's upcoming screening at the Big Bear Film Festival, here's a picture of a big bear.

Port Townsend Film Festival

Fatherland continues its festival crawl, staking its first claim to the Pacific Northwest at the Port Townsend Film Festival.

Temecula and Europe

A few new bits of Fatherland news: Fatherland will be screening at the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival in September. Also, programmers for several European festivals who saw the film at Cannes have expressed interest, so we anticipate more screenings on The Continent in the coming months.

Cow and Boy

There's nothing like learning someone who's immensely talented has garnered the success they richly deserve. Mark Leiknes, a fellow alum of Grandma Mojo's Moonshine Revival, is now writing a brilliant comic titled Cow and Boy. Sure, you could read it online, but why not buy the collection from Amazon.com?

Given the continued success of former Mojo's, I am reassured that we were the funniest Wednesday night sketch comedy group at Iowa State in our day. Believe it, friends.

Ira Glass on Creative Work

I don't normally post this kind of thing, but this clip from an interview with Ira Glass is so on-the-nose when it comes to struggling to make great creative work when you don't yet have the tools. And I raise my glass to Mr. Glass for playing some of his own less accomplished work. I know there's stuff in my bottom drawer that I don't ever want to see the light of day.

Fatherland dances with Dances With Films

Fatherland will screen July 29 at the Dances With Films festival, at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles.

And with this news comes a flood of memories, as the Laemmle Sunset was our go-to spot for independent films and a few painful Q&A's. (Is there any other kind?)

Walking up from the parking lot, we'd have to pass this gym that was always being used by at least a few really exaggerated "LA types." Think skin tanned like leather and 60-year-old men and women with closets full of spandex.

I can only hope a few of them will step off their elipticals and walk upstairs to watch Fatherland.

80/35 Festival

Naura, Henry and I were able to check out the inaugural 80/35 Festival in Des Moines this weekend and had a great time.

With a great lineup, perfect weather, reasonable prices and manageable crowd (for a festival), it was without a doubt the best music event I've been to in Des Moines.

I caught the Flaming Lips and a bit of Andrew Bird on Friday night, then Frank Black, Drive-by Truckers and Jacob Dylan on Saturday. If I'd have had the time, I'd also have enjoyed seeing The Roots, Pieta Brown, Poison Control Center and The Envy Corps.

For more photos of the Flaming Lips spectacle, as well as the rest of the festival, there's a great Flickr feed.

Interrobang Film Festival in Des Moines

Fatherland will screen Friday and Saturday at the Interrobang Film Festival. We were also awarded an honorable mention in the Pro/Pro-Am Short category.

Screenings will be Friday at 4pm and Saturday at 5:15pm in the Pappajohn Center. Fatherland will be part of a 1 hour block of other professional shorts. Other films screen throughout the three days of the Des Moines Arts Festival, including Andy Brodie's End of the Sawdust Trail. All screenings are free.

As of right now, I plan to attend the Saturday night screening. If you see me, say hello.

George Carlin

NIN Ghosts Video

Nine Inch Nails recently released a collection of instrumentals titled Ghosts, along with a call for filmmakers to create videos to accompany the songs. My friend (and Fatherland director) Robert Warzecha blended one of the tracks with some beautiful footage, gentle Obama advocacy, and created this film.

If you click through to YouTube, you can also watch it in a striking high resolution format.

My own private radio station

I have taken up arms in the social music revolution and joined the irregulars of Last.FM. In other words, if you scroll down the right hand side of this page, you can now listen to a radio station based on my musical tastes.

For those of us who are no longer young, I'll explain that the service works by tracking the music I play on my home computer. So the music you'll hear is not necessarily the high-brow, arty stuff I say I listen to. No friends, this is the stuff I actually listen to. Stephen King recently pondered this gulf in his Entertainment Weekly column, reckoning his "Best of '07" list with what iTunes told him he really listened to.

But please feel free to publicly shame me if you are subjected to something really trivial and awful on "bgodar radio." I, in turn, will counter that it must have been something Naura listened to.

11 Minutes Ago

I worked with Bob Gebert shortly after he shot 11 Minutes Ago, a feature which was filmed in a single day. Despite the notable quirk of its production, the story is smart sci-fi and I'm glad to see its out in the world and getting attention.

Now playing in Jacksonville and Cannes

Fatherland continues its reign over the state of Florida with yet another festival screening - tonight at the Jacksonville Film Festival. I think this marks the fifth festival appearance in The Sunshine State.

This week also begins Fatherland's screening at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner. Helpful tip for anyone flipping through the Cannes website - if you click the Union Jack at the top of the page, it will translate itself into English. This would have saved a lot of time while I was filling out my contact info, trying to figure out if Godar was my nom or my prenom.

My switch from PC (past Parallels) to VMware Fusion

When I switched from a PC to a Mac, I switched to VMware Fusion to keep all my Windows apps running happily inside my Mac. I've been so happy with the results, I put together the video below as part of a contest promoting VMware Fusion.

Newport Beach Recap

Fatherland played to a good sized house at the Newport Beach Film Fest on Friday night, less than half of whom were family, crew or friends of the production. The 8:15pm slot was pretty cherry, though there were other notable films screening at the same time.

We were part of a program of four war-related shorts that the programmers titled "Full Metal Jacket." I was kind of hoping there would be a least a few walk-outs who came expecting the Kubrick film. It was a cohesive program but man, watching that much war is a bit of a downer. I think we could have used a quirky romance somewhere in the middle. As the program ended, everyone dried their eyes and Rob and I participated in a brief Q&A. The filmmakers were all relatively brief and humble, which may be a first in Q&A history.

The festival continues through this week, but I really enjoyed the bit I was able to attend. My favorite film also happened to be the first I saw - a sensitive and suspenseful short from South Africa called Small Killing.

I spent the last part of my time in SoCal visiting good friends that we see far too little of. It was a real thrill to be back in the area, and I was reminded of many of the great and some of the not-so-great things about that place. But as a visitor, it's much easier to just relax and enjoy the things that make Los Angeles unique.

Fatherland at Cannes

I recently learned Fatherland will be screening at next month's Cannes Film Festival, as part of the Short Film Corner. In addition to any scheduled screenings, films in the Short Film Corner are available for viewing on-demand by festival goers.

I just created an online profile with the festival and don't know too many more details at this point.

Ben's new French phrase of the week: Etas Unis - which means United States!

Next week, learn how to say: Your visual flourishes can't hide the complete absence of narrative.

Newport Screening Info

A week from tonight, I'll be in Newport Beach for the Fatherland screening, along with Director Robert Warzecha. For those friends still in the area, we'd love to see you there.

Fatherland screens at 8:15pm, Friday Apr. 25 at the Edwards Two Theater. It's part of a program of five shorts titled Full Metal Jacket, and it appears each is war related. More info, as well as audience reviews, etc. are/will be available through B-Side. You can also buy tickets online.

If you do see the film, please feel free to write a review. In fact, if you've already seen it, or haven't seen it but feel so-inclined, please flood the site with positive reviews - particularly those which focus on the screenwriting.

More South Florida Screenings

Fatherland will be making its third appearance in the Miami area, May 6-11 at the Delray Beach Film Festival. It previously screened at the Miami and Palm Beach International fests.

Eddy Award

Fatherland screened to a great crowd at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival and was awarded the Silver Eddy in the Pro-Am Short category.

I was able to introduce and watch the screening on Friday night, which looked and sounded great. Sincere thanks to those who stopped by to watch. There seemed to be many at the festival to see the films, and not just to support a film they were involved in. That made the screening much more gratifying as a filmmaker.

I regret that I wasn't able to stick around for Saturday and see more of the films, which sound varied and interesting. I hope to go back next year.

More Southern California Screenings

Fatherland will be screening at the Riverside International Film Festival on April 20th.

Also, I've learned the screening at Newport Beach will be at 8:15pm on Friday, April 25th. I'll be at the screening, as will Robert, and would love to see any familiar faces from the Left Coast.

Viva Siouxland

At the last minute, I made it up to Sioux City Saturday for Fatherland's premiere screening in the great state of Iowa.

The Siouxland Film Festival is a great exhibition of work by regional filmmakers and grad students from across the country. Unlike most festivals, it's really more about providing an enjoyable screening for the public. There's no workshops, Q & A's, nor even introductions of the filmmakers. Instead, the films are just screened back to back in the beautiful setting of the Orpheum Theater. I'd estimate the crowd at at least 300, and unlike many festivals, most of those were NOT friends and family of the filmmakers.

I was very happy with how Fatherland looked and was received by the audience. It was the first time I've seen in on the big screen, and I couldn't have hoped for nicer venue. I was also really impressed with the two other films from Chapman University - Making a Killing and especially The Vaudevillian.

Sioux City! Tomorrow Night!

Looks like the Iowa premiere of Fatherland won't be next Friday in Cedar Rapids - it will be tomorrow (Saturday) night in Sioux City, at the historic Orpheum Theater for the Siouxland Film Festival.

In addition to Fatherland, the program includes End of the Sawdust Trail from the talented Andy Brodie, and several films by fellow Chapman Alums. Take that, AFI! That's how we roll, OC style!

Fallbrook Film Festival

Fatherland will be screening twice in Southern California at the end of April. In addition to the Newport Beach Film Festival, it will now be screening at the Fallbrook Film Festival, north of San Diego.

I will be at the CR Film Fest next Friday night (April 4) for the 7:52 screening. I won't be able to make the Saturday screening, unfortunately. I'm also still hoping to make the Newport Beach Festival, but I'm in a holding pattern until the screening schedule is announced.

I just got back from a recreational trip to Cooperstown, NY and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Growing up in Iowa, I thought I'd seen the middle of nowhere. But Cooperstown truly is the middle of nowhere. Still, it was well worth it to drool over dozens of bats, balls, gloves, pants, etc.

Oh, and I also had a drink with Manute Bol at the Detroit Airport. I recommended the Murphy's Irish Stout and he seemed pleased with it.

CR Screening

Screenings of Fatherland at the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival have been scheduled.

It will be shown Friday night, April 4, at 7:52 pm in Theater C, and Saturday afternoon at 2:46pm in Theater A. Further details are on the festival's website.

I'll be there, so if you come out to the screening please say hello. I'll be the guy introducing the film and then evaluating everyone's reaction.

Black Maria Film Festival

I had a chance to see a program of films from the Black Maria Film Festival again this year, and caught a few really exceptional works. Films accepted to the festival tour the country in short programs, playing in classy joints like the Des Moines Art Center.

The Heart is a Hidden Camera is a beautifully shot, moving film in a sort of magical realist style. Not the type of thing I usually go for, but this was really well done.

Phoenix Dance is a documentary about Homer Avila, who continued his career as a professional dancer after losing an entire leg to cancer. It's an 11-minute film smart enough to know that its subject is moving without need for a lot of embellishment. Some of the movements he does are just amazing.

And, if you're looking for a quick laugh that also gives you that warm socially conscious feeling, you could always watch Bodega, available in its entirety at YouTube.

Newport Beach, Palm Beach, Cedar Rapids, Oxford...

It's been a good week for Fatherland, which I've just learned will be screening at several more festivals in the coming months, including Newport Beach and Palm Beach. The schedules aren't available yet, but Fatherland will be screening at:

Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival: April 4-5
Palm Beach International Film Festival: April 10-17
Oxford International Film Festival: April 11-13
Newport Beach Film Festival: April 24-May 1

As of right now, I plan to attend the Cedar Rapids festival and hope to make it to Newport Beach as well. Hope to see you there.

Fatherland in Miami

Fatherland screened this past week at the Miami International Film Festival in Shorts Program 1: Human Behavior. Also among the seven films in the program were Academy Award Nominee Madame Tutli-Putli, and Soft, winner of an International Jury Prize at this year's Sundance festival. It's gratifying to see my work screened alongside such acclaimed films.

I've also just gotten wind of a couple more festival screenings; I'll be posting the details as soon as I can.

Independent Spirit Awards

As a card carrying member of the Independent Film Project, I voted in this year's Independent Spirit Awards. So, if anyone's interested, my selections included:

Best Feature: The Diving Bell & the Butterfly
Best Director: Julian Schnabel (Diving Bell)
Best Screenplay: Tammra Jenkins (The Savages)
Best Male Lead: Phillip Seymour Hoffman (The Savages)
Best Female Lead: Ellen Page (Juno)

For the record, I was not able to see every film in every category in which I voted. After many moments of soul searching, debating the fairness of casting a vote without consideration of all nominees, I decided it would be much more fun to just vote anyway. Besides, it's not like this is a world changing election, like the presidential race or Best Week Ever.

Among the less commercial indies, I enjoyed Great World of Sound, a first-feature about two wannabe record producers sucked into a pyramid scheme. It pulls a bit of a Borat, by shooting some of its scenes with unsuspecting musicians in the "real world."

Festival Screenings

Fatherland screened Jan. 14 in Pune, India as part of the Pune International Film Festival.

It will also screen Feb. 1-3 in the Treasure Coast International Film Festival, and Feb. 28-March 9 in the Miami International Film Festival.

Fatherland (2008)

In the closing days of World War II, a son returns home to his estranged father. Old tensions boil to the surface when the son learns the father's secret, as the Russian front approaches. (German and Russian with English subtitles)

Directed by Robert Warzecha

Written by Ben Godar

Starring FJ Zentner and Olev Aleksander

Official Site
IMDB
All Fatherland Posts

Since its release, Fatherland has screened in dozens of festivals, including the Miami Film Festival, Newport Beach and at the Cannes Short Film Corner. For information on other festival screenings, check All Fatherland Posts above.

For information on Fatherland distribution, visit Ouat Media.

Trailer and Showcase

I just learned that Fatherland will be screening at the Director's Guild of America on Oct. 16 as part of Chapman University's First Cut Screening. You may reserve a seat for the screening by contacting the Chapman film dept.

Also, the trailer for Fatherland is now online.

Fatherland Premiere Screening

There will be a free Fatherland premiere screening Saturday, May 19 at 2:30pm in the Folino Family Theater at Marion Knott Studios in Orange, CA.

The film technically debuted as part of a showcase of short films on May 4, but the May 19 showing is more of an official premiere for cast, crew, etc. I am unable to be there, but wanted to encourage anybody in the area to stop by and check it out.

Fatherland is a short film I wrote which was directed by Rob Warzecha. It's set on a farm in Eastern Germany in the closing days of WWII, and centers on the strained relationship between a father and son. It is in German and Russian with English subtitles.

Following the May 19 screening, the film will likely hit the festival circuit. For more details on any upcoming screenings, check out the official Fatherland Web site.

Fatherland online

The official Web site is now online for Fatherland, a short film I wrote which was directed by Robert Warzecha.

My script is based on an existing story, set in Eastern Germany in the closing days of World War II. The script was written in English and then translated to be performed by a German and Russian speaking cast. It was filmed in the fall of 2006 and is currently in post production.

The Web site already contains stills and other information about the film. It will be updated with a trailer and screening dates in the near future.

Wild Rose Film Festival

My short film Personal will be making its world premiere (outside of Chapman University) at the 2006 Wild Rose Film Festival in Des Moines. Personal stars TV's Alex Fernandez as a lonely man who places personal ads, but then must take action when a woman literally appears on his doorstep.

I've also been nominated for Best Director of a Mini-Pic for Personal. The festival defines "Mini-Pic" as any film less than 10 minutes in length.

But wait ... there's more. My short film The Persecution of Al Kida will also be screening at the festival. Having previously screened at the Cedar Rapids Film Festival and on TV as part of the Iowa Independent Filmmaker Showcase, this should cement the film's star, TV's Dan Cole, as a household name in the state of Iowa.

The festival runs Wednesday, Oct. 18 through Sunday, Oct. 22. Both Personal and Al Kida will screen during a series of short films on Friday, Oct. 20, beginning at 5:15pm. Tickets are available for individual screenings or for the entire festival, with more info at: http://www.ariesworks.com/schedule.html All screenings take place at The Fleur Cinema & Cafe.

New York Short Short Film Festival

The Persecution of Al Kida is an Official Selection for the New York Short Short Film Festival. It will screen at 3:45pm at the Anthology Film Archive Theater in Manhattan.

The festival showcases films of less than five minutes in length. Categories include Music Video, Documentary and Animation. My film will be competing in the Narrative category.

So, if you're in the Lower East Side of Manhattan this Saturday, May 20, why not check it out? Then afterwards, you can mill around the lobby and talk loudly about how great my film was.

TV Script Quarter Finalist

This morning I learned I was a quarter finalist for the Scriptapalooza TV writing competition. My script was a half-hour spec for Scrubs titled "My Grown-up Pants." It's the first television script I've ever entered into a competition, so I'm very happy with the result.

Iowa Independent Filmmaker Showcase

My short film The Persecution of Al Kida is screening on television throughout Iowa as part of the Iowa Independent Filmmaker Showcase. It is featured in Episode 1 of the series, which is airing on the Mediacom Connections channel. The series premeired in January and continues to air in February. Dates and times vary by market, so I suggest checking your local listings.

I also reccomend checking out 'Round Midnight, a short documentary by my friend and fellow filmmaker Andy Brodie, which is featured in the same episode.

A walking tune

I just got aboard the MP3 player bandwagon, and my little white jukebox is taking me back to my college days. And not just because I downloaded a bunch of Guided By Voices.

What’s really taking me back is the fact that I can take my player with me. Walking across campus, running an afternoon trip to the Post Office – I’ve always got music. And that makes listening a completely different experience.

I used to be a Walkman junkie. In fact, my relationship with handheld music boxes goes all the way back to around the third grade, when my parents bought me a little red FM radio. I had a habit of waking up very early in the morning, and the radio and headset were a great companion.

A few years later I entered the workforce as a paperboy, and soon after got my first Walkman. Walking the same route and lugging a sack of newspaper is a dull way to spend an afternoon, but it’s a much more tolerable experience with music. Those were some formative years, and I’m not proud of the playlist. Bon Jovi, NWA, maybe even a little Paula Abdul thrown in. Then there were the three months or so when I listened to nothing but Appetite for Destruction. I still know every lyric and believe Nighttrain is one of the greatest rock songs of all time.

Through high school and into college, my Walkman stayed on my hip just about anywhere I walked. Whenever I remember the long hike between campus and my dorm, the soundtrack is crunching snow and indie rock.

My walking soundtrack ended soon after, thanks to the compact disc. Sure, I bought a Discman. Didn’t you? Not only did I buy one, I bought into the witch doctoring called "skip protection." At least until I walked out the door and my music started stuttering like a teenage boy in front of a pretty girl.

I didn’t go cold turkey, but my music collection migrated to CD and the only way to listen to a CD was to stand completely still. So it’s been a good seven years or so since I’ve carried my tunes around with me.

It’s not just that a well-picked album hits the spot – that’s true on foot, in the car or in the living room. When I’m walking, there’s nothing else to focus on but the music. That leads to those discoveries that make good music a necessity for good living. Ever since I started listening to my MP3 player, I’m reminded of all the discoveries that came while I was walking.

The first dozen or so times I heard "Desolation Row," it seemed like just a series of clever observations. Then one day, I was passing Alumni Hall at Iowa State when I really heard that last verse. I could try to tell you what it means, but I think it’s better if you just listen to the song. And I suggest you listen while you’re taking a walk.

Outside Baseball

I'm proud to announce my affiliation with a new baseball blog, Outside Baseball. We aim to give The Lord's Game the consideration and scrutiny it deserves, but so rarely recieves from the barking dogs of talk radio. I hope you will make it a regular destination.

Tragic Communication

Like many people, I went to sleep last night believing twelve of the thirteen West Virginia miners survived the mine explosion, only to learn this morning they had not. But as I watch network news correspondents asking mine officials what went wrong, I for one want to ask these news agencies the same thing.

It’s obvious there was a tragic miscommunication between rescue crews and the families of the miners. But what about the miscommunication between network news and millions of viewers?

Late last night, NBC (and I’m sure their peers as well) ran a ticker announcing that twelve of the miners were alive. Did that mean they were alive and out of the mine, or alive and still trapped? It was all a bit vague. So I swallowed my better judgment and flipped to CNN for details. Handsome Anderson Cooper stood right beside the mine, but he didn’t know anything else either. Of course, that didn’t stop these news whores from reporting obviously sketchy information as fact and bringing out their resident "experts" for even more speculation.

I shouldn’t be surprised. The transition from "get it right" to "get it first" has been in motion for years, but even at this low ebb of news reporting last night’s events seem pretty egregious.

The Writing Archive

Suck.com
From 2000 to 2001, I was a regular contributor to Suck, one of the first editorial content sites online, under the pseudonym Alice The Camel. My Contributor Page links to my full-length features. I also wrote a number of the brief Hit & Run pieces that ran during that time.

Ames Tribune
You can read any of my columns for the Ames Tribune here. I also wrote movie reviews, arts features and covered the education beat. Those articles are searchable through the Tribune Archive.

Los Angeles Times Community Editions
I covered the police beat in Burbank & Glendale. Those hard news stories have been moved around as the paper has rebranded its local coverage over the years, but can currently be found in this archive.

Iowa State Daily
My weekly column was syndicated by U-Wire. I also served as Arts & Entertainment Editor and covered a variety of beats. You can read any of it in the archive.

The Effenheimer
The online site I co-founded which aimed to be The Onion of college newspapers. Long since vanished from the interwebs, most pieces remain through the Web Archive. I also wrote a remembrance of our little baby and times past.

Other Freelance Pieces
They Love the 60's for Film Threat
Unfortunately, pieces for Feed Magazine, Television Week, MLB.com and others are no longer available online.