Blog Archives
Tarkovsky on Youth
The masterful films of the late Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky were shot-through with a metaphysical seeking that was embodied in the auteur’s unconventional structure and intensely inventive cinematography. No less than Ingmar Bergman said of Tarkovsky: “Tarkovsky for me is the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, [...]
Van Sant/Burroughs
Highlighting the auteur’s earliest days as a filmmaker, this strange, instructional short video presages Gus Van Sant’s later partnerings with William S. Burroughs. Short of the Week gets the drop on The Discipline of DE… For this short, Van Sant choose a wonderful short story by William S. Burroughs (who would later appear in Drugstore [...]
Scorsese, Sedated
When I think of the films of Martin Scorsese, I’m never reminded of the music of the late, great Ramones, but between now and 2016 it’s not likely I’ll be able to make any other connection. It’s just been announced that the great director will be telling the tale of the punk pioneers in an [...]
Radical Sexual Mystic
Ida Craddock was a 19th century champion of free speech and women’s rights who is of particular interest to Insomnia due to the occult mysticism that permeated her voluminous, pioneering writings on human sexuality. Craddock is considered the first great hero of the sexual revolution — she can also be seen as its first martyr. [...]
Mishima’s Mask
This year we remember the 65th anniversary of the publishing of Yukio Mishima’s first novel, Confessions of a Mask. One of my favorite writers and thinkers of all time, Mishima lived and died by the example that art and obsession can make great beauty if also a bloody tragedy. Here’s the Wiki… Mishima’s early childhood [...]
Wild Oates
Warren Oates might not be a household name in 2014, but during the golden age of the New American Cinema, Oates took iconic turns in cult classics like Cockfighter and Two-Lane Blacktop, and became the John Wayne to Sam Peckinpah’s John Ford, appearing in The Wild Bunch, Ride the High Country and Major Dundee. The [...]
Woodstock 45
This past weekend we celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The event was a legendary happening that’s been illuminated from so many angles, it’s hard to shed any new light on the subject. That said, it is — and always will be — a milestone in the establishment of the [...]
The Godmother
Sylvia Robinson was known as Little Sylvia when she started her recording career at the age of 16. Her first taste of fame came when she joined forces with Mickey Baker and Mickey & Sylvia topped the R&B charts in 1957 with their timeless single “Love is Strange.” However, Robinson’s biggest impact on popular music [...]
Birth of Devo
Today we celebrate the birthday of Mark Mothersbaugh, lead singer and co-founder of Devo. While best known for one of the sexiest MTV videos of all time for “Whip It,” the band’s mission as absurdist satirists of mainstream culture is what secures them a place in the rock pantheon. Devo rejected hippie escapism as well [...]
