Quick Lit Shit #13: Already Dead

I read this so slowly it took me the whole book to realize the fucking cover looks like a goddamned skull. His prose is kind of perfect in a fucked up (too lyrical and bloated, if gorgeous) kind of way that many poets suffer at their own reformed hands. But, he pulls it off despite its troubles. Hell, I wish I could write fiction like that (that well) some times (most times). --RWK

Quick Lit Shit #12: We Don't Live Here Anymore

skip the movie. this is the real deal. perfects that new yorker type of short story/novella writing without falling over itself. 'finding a girl in america' touched my heart. on the real. i'll take dubus over carver any day. --RWK

[I think I was unnecessarily harsh on the film, but I still don't think it'll match the book.]

Quick Lit Shit #11: Lanzarote

meh --RWK

Reclamation #3: You are correct!

Two of my favorite things! So fun! So correct! Say it! --RWK

Throw a neg! #1: Ben Butt

Yesterday I saw this with my new pal, Glenn (who initially wrote this), up in the thick of midtown. It's not that good. Although some of it is good. I left this comment on my new pal Danny's piece:

Finally saw this thing. And, for the most part, I agree it’s a waste. It wastes yet another perfect Pitt performance, and a steady stream of too-fucking-pretty images, all in the service of some kind of fable kind of scare quotes idea of “memory” or of “time” or of “storytelling” — all under the umbrella of that idiot framing device. Ormond is kinda good, too, like Pitt, in her reserves, but, like you say, Danny, she’s not quite right (like a lot of the picture). That said, it makes sense, in a way, that her story be drained of the amber and the glow and washed out (literally in the end). And with THAT said, it’s not quite worth it, really, despite a few genuine moments, because every one of those is undercut by some hokey “ism” line of dialogue. Lucky though we may be for that ten minute segment of the blissful and beautiful years where everything drips sex, and lucky though we may be for all the generosity (and, yes, curiosity) of Pitt’s performance, this thing, on the whole, stinks of Eric Roth’s word processor. That, and, well, Fincher can’t seem to let a shot last very long here; I got kinda dizzy in simple dialogue scenes with all the shot-reverse shot flip flops.

Bah. At least I saw it big. That’s the only way to really appreciate how fucking gorgeous some of these CAPITAL LETTER COMPOSITIONS truly shine and shimmer

I mean, I wanted more of this type of shit, below, but that's just a preference. And yet, that still coulda worked in D-Fincher's little wannabe gemlike nugget-elephant. --RWK

A Question Ive always had has been Answered, unfortunately.

What will rappers who arent of big enough success do in 10 years? Aceyalone was without a doubt in my top 5 growing up. Not just for Freestyle Fellowship, but solo things that followed. I feel bad for him. Not only is this a freestyle I could probably do, hes gotten some neck fat and hes all grayed out. Poor guy, man. Hes also wearing a sweatshirt and heaphones. Im not trying to just make fun, its a real question and it will be a very important question in 15 years when Solja Boy and co are all grown up.

Mos Def is about as old as Acey Id guess. Heres his new single (cant insert) http://www.zshare.net/audio/54096667e89cd2d1/

Encounter #126: Friday Child

This fucks me up. Even out of context. Van Morrison's whine is just pure hurt, the kind of hurt you can feel from your ears (through your heart) to your belly-bowl. This is a clip from yet another Garrel film I have yet to see, btw, called Sauvage Innocence, which is about heroin, of course, and, I imagine, killing yourself. I want to see it. Then I want to dance. Let's go dancing already. --RWK [via Dave's shared list, and this]

Design Poach #6: Weiss

What: A Daniel Weiss photo of a neon wall of imperatives.
Stolen from: This booooooom page, via FFFFOUND!

Goats #4

Design Poach #5: The sea.

What: A John Constable seascape.
Stolen from: An epic post at The Art of Memory that errbody should go eat right this second. --RWK [x-posted on ViH]