Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas 2005 to everyone.

Thanks to all of you who supported this site and read this rambling blog this year. It is a bit crazy some times and your diligence is appreciated.

I am having a fun time with family and friends.

Lets all take a moment to remember those who are alone, hungry and afraid this day and redouble our efforts to make the world a better place, at least in our immediate vicinity, in the New Year.


Love, Joe Nolan

Kong!

"Poor Kong got killed," that's what D just said, sitting on my couch knitting and watching Iron Chef.

Sais parfait, n'est ce pas?

We just saw "King Kong" and it is now 2 in the morning.

The good news is the movie is really good.

The bad news is that it goes a little too far a little too often and I agree with most critics who have cited the 3 hour running time as a weak spot in the film.

I won't say a whole bunch to spoil it for those of you who are still planning to see it.

It is a great movie and the winter in New York showdown makes it sort of feel even more like a holiday film.

Whatching Adrien Brody running down broadway in an overcoat, slipping in the snow, I could've sworn it was Jimmy Stewart.

Merry Christmas Bedford Falls!

Also I have to revise my "best CD of 2005". Although the Lucero CD is that rarest of beasts - great rock 'n roll record - my favorite release of the year is the Silver Jews new album.

"I had a friend named Marc with a c/
His sister was like the heat comin off/
the back of an old TV"

It don't get much better ladies and gentlemen.

In the meantime, if you'd like to support this site please check out the music on the jukebox and buy a CD or 2 for Christmas.



Love, Joe Nolan

Behest of 2005

Ok, so,

In one week I will be flyin'back to Michigan for the Holidays. Wow!

This year was a pretty good one all in all. I am pretty happy with all the progress we have made on the new cd and with all the work I have been able to publish. I feel like I have been able to keep it all together pretty well and have had a good time in '05. I dreaded it a bit, but it turned out ok.

Here are some cultural highlights I'd like to point out.

Best movie - Grizzly Man

Best cd - Lucero "Nobodies Darlings" although it seems there was another close contender I cannot recall at this time. I've been listenin to too much Sam and Dave!

Best acting - the cast of Good Night and Good Luck

Best TV show - reruns of the original Japanese "Ïron Chef", although the American one is getting better and better.

Worst TV show - the american version of The Office.

Best book I read this year - A talent for genius: Oscar Levant

Anyway take some time and leave your highlights in the comments section.

In the meantime, if you'd like to support this site please check out the music on the jukebox and buy a CD or 2 for Christmas.



Love, Joe Nolan

2 weeks 'til Christmas

Ok,

so,

it's almost Christmas.

2 weeks and counting.

What is Christmas exactly? No, no...not what does it MEAN? What is its hisorical truth etc.?

What is it exactly to Americans in America?

I guess it's essentially a mess of stuff all jammed together and called "Christmas", from Christian mythology to pagan revelry and symbolism to unrepentant, rabid capitaltistic overindulgence.

Ultimately, I suppose Christmas is something different to everyone and their friends and family. When I think about Christmas I think about going home to Michigan, looking back over the year that has been, eating surf and turf on Christmas eve, making my famous shrimp scampi on Christmas day, seeing my old home boys and drinking red wine all afternoon into the evening contemplating the Winter Solstice and El Nino.

Nowadays Christmas also involves a movie with the nieces and nephews on Christmas and spending a few afternoons after Christmas at Lorna's coffeehouse, the fist place in Howell Michigan where a man could get a decent espresso and the warm, roasty smells of civilization.

Leave some comments and fill me in on your own tradions.

I the meantime, if you'd like to support this site please check out the music on the jukebox and buy a CD or 2 for Christmas.

Love,

Joe Nolan

Ok, so...

Ok,

so,

I have added some ads to this blog as you can see.

I am hoping they won't be too annoying. Google partners with Blogger and they approved my site last week. I have a certain amount of control over who gets to advertise and who doesn't so I will try to be a good gatekeeper.

In the meantime this program can be profitable and keep the site online. If you'd like to support this site please check out the music on the jukebox and buy a CD or 2 for Christmas.

Both CD's are really good and the 3rd one is turning out to be the best.

Plus this will all help me avoid a life of crime, an online education degree and lunacy.

No one wants that.

Love,

Joe Nolan

Walk the Line

Ok,

so,

I saw "Walk the Line" this weekend. It was really great. Both Joaquin and Reese W. are great in it and do all of their own singing. It was also a blast to see my pal Clay Steakley on the big screen as the drummer in the Tennessee Three.

Check it out!

Here is the weird part. I published this blog and am now back to add this bit. Right after I wrote this I stopped by Bongo on my way to hang some art in this law office and lo and behold there was Clay Steakley and Chris Brown! I almost had a heart attack. I felt like half a dozen Vioxx lawyers on those little black pills old Johnny kept taking in that movie.

Love Joe Nolan

Car Car

Ok,

so,

I got a bunch of junk mail trying to get me to switch to new car insurance yesterday.

Great! Thanks! I have had such a hard time with my insurance companies as of late and I think it is a little ridiculous that people are required to have car insurance, but not health insurance?


What about no cars and public transit etc instead?

Don't you ever get a little tired of this whole system that has been set up to benefit those who control it rather than those who simply must live in it?

Sorry, this is more like complaining than blogging.

I promise to soon return to form.

Love, Joe Nolan

William Gull 3

Ok,

so,

I am just thinking of the menace of birds.

What if William GULL was Jack the Ripper?

What about the deathly allusions we drawn with the Vulture or the Raven, which is also associated with Magic and Witchcraft?

How about the American Indian myths of the Thunderbirds that desceded from the sky and stole their children? Mark Hall insists they still exist! Wow no amount of education, financial recruitment, or martial skill can protect you from that.

What about Hitchcock's "The Birds"? I think that movie is so scary because something we see as gentle and soothing, like a child or a doll, becomes intentionally deadly. It is not so much the threat to life as the threat to perceived reality that makes us scream.

Love, Joe Nolan

William Gull 2

Ok,

so,

back to William Gull.

He really is a fascinating dude, as is "From Hell" and the whole body of "Ripperology" information that has been accumulated over the years.

Much like the murder of JFK, all the convenient explanations never wash and the simple-minded solutions are too numerous to mention. The only thing that can't be found is the truth.

Here are some more interesting links for the interested, the morbid, the mad and those suffering from accutane side effects.

http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/85.html
http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/jack_the_ripper.htm
http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/portrait.asp?LinkID=mp01944&rNo=0&role=sit


Love, Joe Nolan

William Gull

Ok,

so,

William Gull is a prime suspect in the Jack the Ripper slayings.

His gentlemanly status and educated background excuse him in the eyes of the naive as being above such brutal cruelty.

On the contrary, I would submit that the morality of the ignorant and poor mirrors the morality of the wealthy and decadent point for point.

The poor wallow in decadence, drugs and sexuality seeking a respite from their unfortunate lot. The rich and idle wallow in decadence, drugs and sexuality seeking a respite from their unfortunate lot. It is true and it is that simple.

Only the "middle class" succumbs to the yolk of "morality", usually religious & status concious, and lay awake at night worried about their imperfect souls, their lusts, their true desires and their pet id tags.

The solution is to throw away all the rules. This will lead to decadence and damage and loss, but will quickly even out under the ballast of one's own true inner morality.

To check one's actions against the rules and regulations imposed externally by others is the definition of slavery.


Love, Joe Nolan

Move Out

Ok,

so,

Goki and the Phoe are moving today. This makes me somewhat sad, but it seems like "a welcome change", to quote the 11 year old sage who is currently sleeping in my bed, avoiding the chaos downstairs.

The new place is really cool and probably more kid friendly than the Street of Dreams.

I am really happy to be blogging more again. If you don't blog, you should. I use blogger. Gbarr uses Xanga. I have also heard good things about USWeb Blog and others. Myspace offers blogs as does Disinfo.com etc. etc. etc.

It can be anything you want it to be, i.e. it is a creative project with limitless potential How many ways can you waste time at work that can claim that?

Love, Joe Nolan

Bloggity Blog Blog

Ok,

so,

here we are again at the blog.

I watched "From Hell" again this morning. Which is to say I watched about 5 minutes of it before I realized I had to drink some coffee.

I went to bed really early last night. About 10 o'clock. That is really early for me. I had been watching this really funny movie called "The Beast" on the Sci-Fi channel. It is not supposed to be funny. It was written by Peter Benchley who wrote "Jaws". This movie is exactly like "Jaws" except instead of a shark the waters are inhabited by a giant squid.

It really is funny.

I am excited about Brandon's book project. A bunch of friends are contributing to an anthology of poetry, prose, art etc. I am hoping to write a new short story, but having a hard time getting started. I haven't done much prose writing since college, but I have this great image I am hoping to build a story around.

My pal Guinevere is going to be in it as well. She is a fine writer and a friend to the Unicorns.

Maybe I should look into Emily's emails about MFA creative writing programs, or check out more online degrees?

Or go live in the woods with nothing but my good word to live by.


Love, Joe Nolan