The Masterpiece
Zola, by Manet
(by Émile Zola)* Zola wanted to say something about the art world and the seismic shift on western art wrought by impressionism, and he thought he’d plumb the lives and minds of his artistic friends in order to enrich the tragedy of the story. Where that got a bit willing was the central character of Claude Lantier, in Zola’s phrase “a sublime dreamer paralyzed by an inborn flaw”, clearly based in some ways on the author’s lifelong friend, Paul Cézanne. It’s typical Zola, good and fast, lots of machismo, a sweet love story (Claude and Christine), many tortured artistes and arrivistes…
Continue Reading →“Larry…this is real life now”
"The only reason I'm not running for President this year, I swear to God, is I'm afraid no woman would come forward and say she had sex with me."
(Garry Shandling: 29 November 1949 – 24 March, 2016) The American talk-show is one of the weirdest things about America. Canned jokes: a format straight from the days of the music hall: insipid monologues: dumb Q & A’s: dumber sketches: a conga line of actors and singers with a product to plug: barren interaction with the bandleader: in sum, one or two hours so insipid and un-cerebral that it is a miracle things don’t come to a full stop, well shy of schedule. Shandling was born in Chicago (comedy central) and developed an aversion to formulaic comedy. So why would…
Continue Reading →A Not So Good Friday
Glenelg v South Adelaide (Round 1, 2016) All were aboard the bus going south to Noarlunga Oval, described by some as Siberia with face-painting, where cars park along the outer as they do at a country match. The start was good – 3 goals to zip against a typical Noarlunga breeze – but it was evened up by the quarter. It was probably the 2nd quarter what lost it. Two goals each, when we had the breeze, and the Panthers showed how it was done with a 7 goal third term. Coming from 4 goals down, the Tigers had a go but…
Continue Reading →All the Young Dudes
Songs in Our Heart # 4 All the Young Dudes (Mott the Hoople) (Written by David Bowie; released July 1972) [Bowie‘s gift to Mott the Hoople is up there with his best. “Now I’ve drunk a lot of wine and I’m feeling fine Got to race some cat to bed Oh, is that concrete all around Or is it in my head? Yeah I’m a dude, dad“]
Continue Reading →The Lawyer Drinks Alone
(photo by Esther Bubley)
(A recent report in the “Australasian Lawyer” disclosed research suggesting the Legal profession was the most depressed profession, and the highest user of legal depressants). Worse than in “Aubade” We work all day, and get drunk at night. Like Saul Goodman, glum and quiet, Hammering rusty nails, bedight In shame. Sampling the contents Of a bottle in chambers, forlorn, In dark corners, with dark materials, Knowing only, qua Tulkinghorn, Those dark parts of the human soul So that one admits no other. Therefore we look on the bottle As one would a reliable lover. And why not? The days Are measured out in units of six; The…
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