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In the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004, dir. Michel Gondry), Clementine, character of actress Kate Winslet, comments that she would like to have the job of naming hair dyes. “The job is taken!”, she complains.

I remembered the scene while choosing lipstick colors on sale. Among the nude tones alone, the variety was impressive: cookie nude, (just) nude, nude matte and my favourite one, naked nude. What could be this colour, so mysterious that needed two synonymous words to be described?

Of course, the marketing worked for me and I bought the naked nude lipstick. Given the package received and the pale beige color of the lipstick, this naked nude was nowhere near as glamorous and daring as its name promised. The job is definitely taken, dear Clem!

I have been thinking a lot about the current mainstream pop and I could not help thinking that if I had to add a colour to the scene, naked nude would be a great option. There is a lot of glamour and eccentric names written in capital letters, a lot of pleonasm in the song lyrics, a lot of repetition in the costumes, wigs, and stage mannerisms.

No doubt the result is very colorful and noisy, but at the same time pasteurized and the result sounds as stimulating as a pale beige palette. I do not agree with the theory tahys says this happens because people happen to like the same things. My point is that in order to like or dislike something, first of all, I must be aware that that thing exists.

And here is the problem: always playing the same songs (whether new releases or oldies), radio stations make it very difficult for you to get to know a whole new world of wonderful independent music, which by the way, will not reach the top spots on streaming platforms, because the algorithms suggest… guess what? Mainstream themes!

And what would be the way to break this vicious cycle? Sincerely? I do not know. The mainstream scene is a million-dollar business, which involves many things beyond music. There is always something to do though, and no matter where you are, there is certainly an independent local scene, no matter how small. A local scene that you can strengthen, whether by promoting or attending events.

After all, expanding your taste beyond the “top hit” lists is also up to you.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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This morning I read another report about the sphere inaugurated in Las Vegas with a concert by the band U2. Feedback on the show has been very positive and everyone seems quite impressed with the tons of LED lights and the (poor words, so worn out) immersive experience.

I wonder if these people have ever been to a planetarium in their lives. I remember memorable shows at fantastic planetariums in Osnabrück, Germany and Lisbon, Portugal. And we are talking about the 1990s and 2000s!

Honestly, I am surprised (in a negative way) by the collective mesmerization, in the worst sense of the word, with inventions that, honestly, are nothing new (the true global cult of cars, so harmful to the environment, comes to mind).

It seems that everything that has been done before social media simply never existed. I would say there is a tendence of treating “old” (pre-social media) events as new stuff, or even worse, sometimes they are considered revolutionary, disruptive etc. The very word “experience” has reached a level of overuse by publicity pieces, that it no longer inspires the slightest confidence.

Thge point here is not to question the quality, much less the merit of the band U2 (who, in fact, neither asked nor need my opinion).The reflection I would like to bring today has to do with the widespread use of pyrotechnics in the most diverse musical events.

How much of our already weakened attention can withstand yet another bomb of visual stimuli and still reserve some attention for the music?

Among the artists you know with astronomical numbers of followers, how many people they brought to the stage on their last performance? Hard to rememeber, right? No wonder, with screens that go up and down, dancers with vibrant choreography and costume changes, musicians are just a tiny detail.

I cannot help but thinking that the sparkling lights are taking a place that should be occupied by the music/musicians.. That is, when we are lucky enough to have musicians on stage.

Currently, not only many festivals host attractions whose performances are based on pre-recorded beats, they also consider lip-sync part of the show. And I am not talking about kind-of-hidden-pro-tools-lip-sync”. I am talking about headline performers who would shameless scream words (“Jump”, “Make some noise”) in their mics, while their pre-recorded song goes on.

I am ready to hear any arguments in favor of these resources, I honestly am. However, I fear that any theoretical contortionism will end in some sort of an absolute defense of the concept of entertainment, which I am not opposed to either.

Previously this year, I discussed the difference between large and small concerts, and I am perfectly convinced that there is an audience for everyone. I do not see entertainment as a problem, not at all. The problem is, when there is nothing but entertainment.

Particularly in relation to music, the problem ist that music production has to be reduced to mere entertainment. This is indeed sad, because it means a loss, a decline in its status a form of art. Have you ever heard someone making a comment like: “Well, I did not like that film/exposition, play, because it is sad and I go out to be happy”? I have the impression that this sort of weird reasoning had spread itself throughout society.

Do you know what would really impress me? That people would no longer be hungry and that, at night, everyone would have a shelter. Other than that, honey, there is no sphere giant enough to impress me, and all I can think of all the buzz is: it has been done, babe.

Be seeing you!

G. F.

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The body is constantly talking to us and yet, we still have not learned to listen to it. Sometimes it is even worse for we do listen to it, but we choose to ignore it. Here is the story:

I told you already about a podcast I produce and host about Comic Art research. It is called Comments on the Top and it was supposed to have a single season, since it was part of a grant provided by an institution called IAMCR- International Association for Media and Communication Research.

Now, I had the brilliant (sarcasm alert) idea of doing a second season. Why not? , I thought. What could go wrong?, I insisted to myself, it will show your love for the group and its mentor, my dear friend and comic art research legend Prof. John A. Lent.

Of course, there was a whole plan in my head it it included producing the episodes in advance. I even invested some money in a “podcaster kit“, which reduced editing time a lot, so I really thought I had it all under control, except for a little detail: in the middle of all this planning, there was an element that I forgot to take into account: life.

The reason for the plot twist on my plans was actually quite a nice one. After the pandemic plus a terrible government in Brazil, 2023 brought finally good news for those involved in cultura productions: a series of funds to support culture opened their convocatories, whichmeans a lot of paper work to do. In practice, months of hard work that naturally caused my episode production plan to fall behind schedule.

Sure I could also mention en passant that some guests are slow to send the me their files and sometimes I lose valuable time writing reminders for the ‘deadline ignorers”, but none of these events change the fact that the blame for the delays in the release of the episodes lies solely with me. In the same way that the responsibility rests solely on me for not having known how to reestablish my schedule.

Instead, I tried another strategy: working to the point of exhaustion, including an epic workday last week, which ended four in the morning. I worked resless, despite neighborhood parties, no-stop-barking dogs etc.

Even so, the last episode was released two days late. A few hours after I uploaded the files to the streaming platforms I started to feel sick, with flu-like symptoms, mixed with a general malaise. In other words: burnout.

Fortunately, I am not talking here about a high degree of physical and mental exhaustion, which usually leads to the hospital and often leaves consequences, but rather a degree of exhaustion in which the body asks for a day or two off to recover, whether you like it or not.

At these moments, I always think about the signals my body sent before: tense shoulders, sore eyes, you know, the usual computer problems related to computer over expostion. Did I pay attention to them? No. Looking forlornly at my podcaster microphone covered by the plastic protector, I think that it will still take a few days for my voice to recover so that I can record a new episode.

Was it worth pushing the limits of my body so much? Certainly not. I find some confort though in the thought that there are already enough podcasts running and the world can probably wait a day or two for another episode.

I hope to have learned my lesson once and for all: as difficult as it may be, establishing limits is more than a personal choice. It is a universal right.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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Pillow Talk (1959), dir. by Michael Gordon) is a romantic comedy released in 1959 and starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day, who was an excellent jazz singer, by the way. The title in Portuguesse is quite different (“Confessions at Midnight”), bu tit still keeps the meaning of the the expression, which refers to confessions and secrets, the kind of talk that only happens privately.

It can also have another meaning, referring to the inevitable moment of facing our conscience (and the consequenced of this act). It is possible to hide many things from many people, for a long time, but it is much more difficult to hide things from yourself. At least for long.

My theory is that as years pass by, we tend to find ourselves more and more in situations where we got to, let us say, be real or, as an expression that I like very much goes: “no one escapes from the pillow”.

After telling you how I made peace with my sleep cycle and how I became the BFF with my bed, I thought I should end the trilogy with a little confession: I have never been able to find a pillow that I like.

They say that many of our most ingrained habits come from observing our parents during our childhood. In my case this is completely true at least in this aspect. Just like my mother, I prefer thin, practically imperceptible pillows.

What I did not tell you last week about my super chic bed is that in addition to new sheets, I also bought two pillows, that are now always dressed up like the best haute couture bedding. However, behind the ridiculously expensive pillows there is a small, timid pillow, but despite its obvious aesthetic disadvantage, it is my very favourite one or, better saying, the one that bothers me the least.

Is it too much to ask for a headrest that does not sink? And,p lease, do not try to fool me with”astronaut technology”, copper wires or a weird design talk. I want a pillow, not a space station.

There is an aspect to be highlighted here: when you really like the something, you will find a way to keep in contact with it. The same goes for the work of an artist, I guess. There are many really talented musicians doing their thing, despite of not having huge press coverage.

Their crowd might not be a “fandom”, but they are good, loyal old school fans, and they appreciate what you do. They connect to your music, and they feel part of your community, even if your community is not a loud one.

They will not shout on socials how much they love you, but they will “pillow talk” you, and this is the kind of talk that sticks to you to life.

Be seeing you!

G.F.

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I am not very good at putting things together, but I am great at finding the information I need. This is the reason why, no matter what I do, there will somehow be research involved in it.

Recently (or rather “finally”), I have acquired a microphone stand and a portable recording booth. The purchase happened after a lot of research on models, features and, of course, prices. After a long while, I believed to find a suitable model for my needs. Purchase made and received, it seemed like the end of the story. Big mistake.

Why? What could go wrong?, you may ask yourself. And the answer is quite simple: the assembly. Apparently, the producers think that everyone knows exactly what to do, when it comes to puting the pieces of their products together, and the precise place my unskilled fingers should place each so-tiny-you-can-barely-hold-it piece of metal.

Only a solid belief in the abilities of others can explain the lack of an instruction manual. I looked for information on the box. Nothing. Then I tried the official page of the manufacturers. A lot of bad pictures, but no information about the assembly. At these times I feel terribly embarrased, you know? I mean, I have a PhD, for crying out loud! It should mean something! Okay, my thesis is not about assembling and disassembling sound accessories, but still.

I thought about calling for professional help, but first there was one last thing I wanted to try. The ultimate way to go. After all, I was ready and willing to go to the last consequences to assemble my new appliances! The approaching end of the trying period also counted a little, I might add.

So I decided to go there, rock bottom: I looked for tutorials on Youtube. Nothing against tutorials, in principle, but the fact is that in order to save time, a lot of time is wasted.

This happens because the number of videos whose content does not match the title is huge. Sometimes, it is even worse: the title and description are ok, but the video does not add anything new to your precarious knowledge about the subject. Let us face it: this is a lot of useless content out there.

But bravely I waded through all the click baits and pubs, until I clicked on the one video that actually helped me. In gratitude, I subscribed to the channel and left a sincerely grateful comment. Later, I felt tremendously smart after seeing my stand and recording booth all set up.

This little adventurous got me thinking a lot about the dynamics of the relationship between fans and artists.

Just as I never would have landed on the right tutorial if it were not for a series of more less random search results (a video suggesting another etc), in the same way many people may come to my work (and to yours) through indirect ways.

Will they jump my content or become regular listeners and (ultimate blessing) true fans? There are lots of reasons involved in such a decision, but it also partially depends on my ability to solve a problem they have at that very moment.

An eastern proverb says that a friend is a person who knows how to play the strings of our heart. I think this comparison is beautiful and quite true. Did my song strike the right chord in your heart? Then, a bond emerged between us.

Despite of all the algorithms and paid tricks to get more likes on socials, I still believe there is a kind of fan-artist relationship that is purely instinctive. The kind that, luckly, does not need any intructions to be assembled.

Be seeing you!

G.F.