* “Why won’t you play the game?” Your very-much-lead item today is Scott Woods’s “In Search of Digital Love,” an hour-long audio documentary/review/essay/mixtape/mash-up/sound collage/whatever exploring Daft Punk’s flawless song “Digital Love.” Aided and abetted by critics Brian MacDonald, Michaelangelo Matos, and Nate Patrin, Woods makes some really astonishing sonic connections here, sometimes by simplly riffing off a single word uttered by his interview subjects–a suite of samples from ’70s/’80s songs with the word “Magic” in the title, for example. (This makes me want to make a playlist of such songs, but adding in my twin faves from this ’80s-radio-staple subgenre, the Alan Parsons Project’s “Magic” and Steve Miller’s “Abracadabra.”) Meanwhile, I never would have thought of “Layla,” but dang if that isn’t dead on. And there’s science-fiction content galore in there, as you also might expect. (I’m proud I recognized Lenny Van Dohlen’s voice in the commercial for Electric Dreams simply from remembering him as Harold in Twin Peaks–which is also sampled!) I’m so impressed by this thing it’s not even funny. Take the time and listen to it. (Via Tom Ewing.)
* Recently at Robot 6: How to write comics and Lady Gaga/Beyonce/”Telephone” tribute art.
* In a very fine postcript to Not Coming to a Theater Near You’s Kubrick retrospective, Aaron Cutler talks about Steven Spielberg’s A.I., lingering on the heartbreak of it. I need to revisit this film.
* Tom Spurgeon reviews the John Porcellino King-Cat collection Map of My Heart. I like when Tom discusses what new things he gets out of experiencing a familiar, even beloved work in a new format, and this review is of a piece with his earlier commentary on Fantagraphics’ excellent Love & Rockets digests.
* Always love a Jeffrey Brown superhero piece.
* Eve Tushnet liked Deadgirl, the hot-zombie-woman-as-sex-slave movie. I’m glad to hear it’s about misogyny rather than a function of misogyny. On the other hand, my wife’s admonishment that we’ve had quite enough art told from the perspective of misogynists, thank you very much, continues to haunt me.
* Apparently They’re very happy with the performance of Caprica and want to make more Battlestar Galactica spin-offs.
* Speaking of: I am very late to this game, but I know you gonna dig Katamaran’s mash-up of Battlestar Galactica with the feel of Spike Jonze’s video for the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.” This thing had me laughing out loud, hard, on the train.
I suppose it’s worth pointing out that you could never do this with Caprica. (Via Topless Robot.)
* Twilight Saga: New Moon RiffTrax available simultaneously with the DVD release! BALLS OUT. (Also via Topless Robot, bless his heart.)
* Finally, I took one last dip into last week’s Lost thoughts comment thread. Take a look, then I’ll see you back here tonight!
Point taken re: enough stories from the misogynists’ perspective, and certainly one reason the movie works is that it offers no actual alternative to that perspective. I don’t actually think I’ve seen very many stories which burrow this deeply and consciously into that mindset, but… you’ve watched a lot more movies than I have.
I will dispute the idea that the zombie is supposed to be “hot.” The movie works hard to make all the scenes in which she’s so much as touched, let alone anything else, feel intensely and revoltingly invasive. The violation is not portrayed in a coy or disingenuous, plausible-deniability titillation style; it’s just gross and horrible.
Of all the names I figured on seeing on your blog, Brian MacDonald was not at the top of the list. Fun fact: he produced the only long-form Roswell Incident album (that’s me and Chris Barrus of Ex-Detectives making guitar noise in the 90s). Even funner fact: spent a good couple hours catching up with him before the Emerald City Comic Con, which was a highlight of the trip up.
Suppose I should give that thing a listen if it won’t distract from writing too greatly.
Eve: Did not know that about how the character is portrayed. Thanks, that’s food for thought. BTW, while I’ve heard the Missus make this point about Deadgirl and some other things, she made it most pointedly about something I myself wrote, so that’s why I so took it to heart.
Matt: My tentacles reach everywhere. And yes, you should certainly listen.