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Kylie Minogue "Especially For You" |
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Hey again. I decided to come back for a little late-night snack this Thursday night/Friday morning. I'm actually not that Last night I was up till 4:30 chatting with Alyssa about Saturday Night Live and people problems and what separates the goths from the emo kids. All in all, pretty scientific conversation. We got started talking at like... 12:30 or so, after I got back from The Siren, a bar that's generally 21 and over. GLBTAU (Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgender-Allied Union) was holding a talent show for charity, I believe. My buddy Donald was performing hypnosis that night, so naturally I couldn't miss the show. Phil called me also asking if I wanted to go... and he seemed to be in an agreeable, less against-the-world mood, so I decided to go with him. Phil and I chilled at Donald's room for awhile, and Phil made sure to notify me immediately that he thought Donald was cool. Throughout this endeavor, Phil was quite well-behaved, which was a delight... and a little bit of a surprise, I'll be honest. Donald was his general quippy, down-to-earth self... which definitely wasn't a surprise. We went to the Siren at like 10:45... which was pretty risque for me and my school-night compulsivity. First of all, The Siren is fucking badass... the steps and railings were kooky, Cruella-De-Vil style chic... and then the talent show itself was a real fucking spectacle. Donald, Phil, and I got to see a hardcore-hip drag queen named Asia Japan (he's Asian... and Japanese... all at the same time) perform "The Greatest Love of All"... and on top of that there was a reading from The Vagina Monologues, a random performance of "Sweet Child of Mine" (?!?), some more drag, a monologue-with-dance... all-in-all lots of general things to whoop at as an audience member. Donald went up last, and any reservation I had about hypnotism was quickly extinguished. He had a bunch of people in the audience who responded to a practice exercise come up onstage to be hypnotized. I was one of the lucky few. Unfortunately, I was the only person onstage who didn't respond to the hypnotism, so I quietly departed from the stage. How-fucking-ever, the person sitting next to me was fucking flipping out at the commands he had to do... as in when he was told to "stir" his hand out of control, he nearly knocked me out of my seat. It was like getting hit by Helen Keller mid-tantrum... (thought I'd throw in a Helen joke for old times' sake). Phil had to leave during Donald's act since he had a bio exam or a Jessica Simpson concert to attend... whichever. I walked home with Donald after his act, but before that happened he sort of fraternized with a bunch of the other people at The Siren. I was a bit jealous; the gay community at Iowa really does seem like just that- a community. Brotherly hugs were happening everywhere. It wasn't at all a cesspool the way I picture many gay scenes to be. Totally enlightening, and Asia Japan was so sweet to me. I was also jealous of him because I think I could do some of the most heel-stomping drag Iowa City has ever seen. I wouldn't go completely glam though... more the Annie Lennox route. More the Dirk Handgun route. Mmmm do I miss that guy.
Anyway though, I decided to update because I wanted to have an entry where I, first of all, can implicate my newfound ability to put pictures in this journal and two, talk about the peeps that I'd consider my personal heroes in the realm of performance artistry. This is already sounding pretty schmaltzy. First of all, my heroes are not all in the entertainment biz... most of them are basketball players. In prison. No, of course not all of my heroes are actors, actresses, or comedians or whatever, but they are people who, in some way, communicate en masse. A lot of people get this opportunity, whether it be through activism or entertainment or merely by being exposed to a nationwide public on accident (I'm looking at you, Kato Kaelin), but I think to be able to really accomplish something profound in the limelight (again ranging anywhere from playing a role in something to activism) is pretty fucking special. It's not that I don't have infinite respect for people who risk their lives daily or have risked their lives at all... for whatever cause it may have been... but if I'm going to be a performer and writer, I figure I need people to sort of be able to guide me intention-wise... people to reassure me that proclamation of individuality and purpose are key in the best art, comedy, drama, music, whatever. I've been thinking about it lately, especially after rereading the short paper I wrote at the beginning of Acting I where I designated the reasons I liked acting and what actors I admired. Without further ado, let's go on a trip through some people I've already talked to you about tenfold and some people I've barely mentioned at all in this journal. I'll start with a member of the first group.
Alanis Morissette
I'm also attempting to use pictures that exemplify the person I'm talking about. In this picture, Alanis is confident, half-smiling, and comfortable-looking. I've perhaps described how much I admire Alanis more than any other musician (even Madonna), but I cannot understate how cool I think she is. I love her now more than ever... now as a person not only reacting to love, loss, relationships, and so forth... but as someone who does all that and THEN owns her feelings and misconceptions. I know I've said before that I think Alanis' songs can be read as prayers, and I seriously believe that. Her songs conjure a sense of oneness... with the world around her, with all artistic and neurotic extensions of herself... all through a frame of light-heartedness. Though Alanis can be pretty Psychology 101 heavy when it comes to explaining herself cathartically, I really don't think she ever hits a point where she's no longer light-hearted about herself. And I lovethat. So many "artists" nowadays do their best to take themselves seriously... to the point where they're pining and begging for respect. Probably self-respect more than anything. People like Christina Aguilera... who really write songs about how you "can't put her in your boxes"... she's just too sexual and mature and ground-breaking for that, I guess. It's shit like that makes me not care that Christina Aguilera (or whomever it may be) has a well-trained singing voice. I think there's a huge difference between talent through physical ability and talent through intention... and Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and most of the time Mariah Carey all seem to be too much of the former without any regard of the latter. Alanis Morissette does not have a marvelous voice... but her intention in her music (the honesty, the purpose, the emotional purge, the output of her introspection) makes her voice much more beautiful to listen to than any popstar contemporary. Not to mention Alanis Morissette became an ordained minister for the sake of being able to marry gay people... how rockstarrish is that? She's also vocal about environmental issues, global concerns, and American politics. I love all of it... talk about someone that we as Americans are lucky to have in the spotlight. She does so much with the opportunities she's given. I will hug her before I die, I hope.
Anderson Cooper
I confess that I my first encounter with the awesomeness of Anderson Cooper was when he hosted The Mole. And we all know how I feel about The Mole. Beyond that, however, there's a much larger story to Anderson Cooper, who currently hosts the semi-awkward news show Anderson Cooper 360. His mother is Gloria Vanderbilt, famous East Coast entrepreneur and rich, rich woman. That's already pretty cool, but Anderson Cooper is a personal hero because of how much he's accomplished for gay culture through investigative journalism and features stories. An openly gay (and handsome) man himself, Anderson's crusade for civil rights has always been compassionate and warm, and never only reactionary. Once called "CNN's new popstar," he's covered gay marriage on a world scale in addition to doing featurettes such as the story of a smalltown high school star football player and the tumult following his openness about his sexuality. Cooper's spirit is also evident through the columns he writes regularly for Details magazine... in one particular column he wrote about the suicide of his brother Carter... his commentary about it was poignant and concise... the ideal of what I want my journalism to be. He said, "my brother was a sweet young man who wanted to be in control. In the end, he simply wasn't. None of us are." Anderson Cooper also studied at Yale... and eventually he studied Vietnamese at the University of Hanoi. All pretty ambitious. And he does it all with a sense of awareness of pop culture and style. A motherfucking classy guy. All I can say is that I hope sometime in my lifetime I can reach out to the gay community and sort of represent the way he does... with such self-respect and poise. I'm at the point where I've gained enough experience with people who embrace homosexuality and also enough people who can't stand to accept homosexuality... and I'm gaining the nerve to do something about that slick divide. And Anderson's take on it all is the direction I'm heading.
Madeline Kahn
A twice Oscar-nominated character actress, a classically-trained opera singer, a Tony-winning stage actress, and an undeniably hysterical comedienne, Madeline Kahn is one of the most striking, unique talents of our time. The woman has some of the most electric, brazen stage presence I've ever seen... and she makes me laugh with how she can be both on top of the world and vulnerable at the same time. It doesn't hurt that she appeared in Clue. There's something so special about Madeline Kahn... her acting is so fun, and I don't say that to trivialize her work... but she has such an elegance and know-how about how to have fun with what she's doing. Her performances in What's Up, Doc, Blazing Saddles, High Anxiety, and Young Frankenstein burst off the screen with such casual brilliance... she can be neurotic, sexy, ridiculous, silly, refined, maternal, and powerful... sometimes simultaneously. I love this woman's work so much... she's an example of someone whose fascination with human nature just shines through with her work. Her appearances on Saturday Night Live are memorable as well... particularly a scene with three other girls at a slumber party. But I'll get to that later. Madeline Kahn was one of a kind... she certainly left far too soon, but her energy is what I strive for in my acting. The energy you get when you're onstage being absolutely ridiculous and absolutely truthful but loving and respecting the cast around you as you do it. She's the best at what she did. "Woof!"
Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper
Seems like these pictures are getting smaller and smaller... the next one will be a fucking mural, don't worry. Anyway, Ebert and Roeper, bickering little old ladies that they are, are two people who simply love what they do. I love their takes on films because I feel they have a strong belief in the power of cinema (which isn't to say this doesn't go for most critics), and they also provide excellent perspective on the film world in general. They're spot-on when it comes to finding trends in mainstream film, and they're able to poke fun at one another. Gene Siskel was a hip cat, yes, but I really didn't get to see much of him. Roeper is a fine replacement... just as yang to Ebert's yin as Siskel was. I also like how Ebert and Roeper never present opinions in overly entitled, condescending fashion... they're simply passionate about what they do... they know what works and what doesn't. And disagreeing with them is half the fun. I always want to join in their banter, and I've always had a heightened respect for Ebert after he lambasted Erin Brokovich for being a Julia Roberts showcase. Not that I'm a bitter, bitter man. Anyway, the casual-but-professional take on movies is really great to see, and I hope if I'm ever a film critic I can be as respectfully opinionated as these two.
Gilda Radner
I think it's rare that heroes from my middle school years have stuck with me until college... but then there's Gilda Radner, a performer so genuine, so truthful, so wacky, so wonderful... it's like you can be either the most experienced performer of all time and love her or be an ADD-infested five year old and love her just as much. In my opinion, one of the best moments in comedic television history is when Gilda played Judy Miller on Saturday Night Live, an imaginative girl scout who made her own TV show in her room... running around, dressing up, screaming, laughing, flinging herself into walls... it's like peeking into the most perfect snoglobe on Earth. Gilda's talent and appeal are extraordinary... you look at the woman and know she's your buddy right off the bat. Her characters are all legendary: Roseanne Roseannadanna (my 8th grade soccer coach IS her), Baba Wawa, Emily Litella, and Lisa Loobner are all such... impeccable, zany, but human characters. I think that's what's most special about Gilda... the humanity in her work. I admire her conviction to character and adore how each character succeeds in being an organic extension of herself. That right there is so big... and I use that idea to propel myself to create characters that make sense to me, that I can portray organically, that are truthful... and magnetic because of how true-to-life they are. Kind of getting ahead of myself here... but Gilda has a very apparent, warm spirit that is simply inimitable. Talk about people gone before their time. I think it's safe to say she was the best Saturday Night Live cast member of all time (ahead of Dana Carvey, Chris Farley, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, my other favorites). I need to read her autobiography again.
Madonna
You knew it was coming. It's really hard to pick a picture of Madonna that really exemplifies her because it's like... Jesus, there are so many pictures of her. It probably goes into the hundreds of thousands, no lie. The dime-a-dozen Madonna retrospective will inevitably say something like, "Madonna is the great pop culture chameleon." What's rarely mentioned is how each Madonna "incarnation" (minus perhaps that whole cowboy get-up) is full-fledged, never half-assed. Each persona represents a new way to convey that ebullient chutzpah... charged with self-empowerment, sexual freedom, and an altogether celebration of the entirety of individuality. That last one makes me wonder why so many new artists who "grew up listening to Madonna" copy Madonna so much. Seems to me a devout Madonna fan determined to be a popstar would learn to find to carve their own trail... it's not a matter of "going through the door that Madonna opened for the rest of us!" It should be a matter of "I'm opening my own damn door." Madonna is that envelope-pushing, and as amazed as her audiences are at how far she go, it's Madonna's personal crusade for truth that keeps the audience amazed consistently. It's easy to say Madonna is as upfront and bold as she is because of how huge a star she is... but if you listen to her first album, a disco album in an era where disco was supposedly dead, her energy is still there. The emotional urgency in "Borderline" proves Madonna's personal stake in the music; the slinky, squeaky "Lucky Star" oozes with the power of a boldly confident starlet putting all her chips into her performance; "Everybody" has a distinct fighting power that commands everyone to arm themselves against self-consciousness. A song like "Physical Attraction" could've been a simple song about a prospective one-night stand... but it simply isn't. No one but Madonna can deliver the line, "Maybe we were meant to be together" with such a heightened drive and hopefulness in the future. It's not a deep song... but it's a profound example of Madonna's truthful belief in what she sings. And she has ever covered the gauntlet. She's been controversial ("Like a Prayer," "Justify My Love," "What It Feels Like For A Girl"), dance-crazy ("Music," "Everybody," "Deeper and Deeper"), devoutly expressive ("Open Your Heart," "Express Yourself," "Frozen," "Crazy For You"), vulnerable ("Take A Bow," "You'll See," "I'll Remember," "Drowned World/Substitute For Love", "Oh Father," "The Power of Goodbye"), and timeless ("La Isla Bonita," "Cherish," "Live to Tell," and the most utterly sublime example of the power of pop music, "Vogue"). It's all in the name of connecting... all in the name of being wholly oneself (or if it is an act... it's a self-constructed act representing more than just imitation). Madonna is proof that human beings have so much to learn from one another... that by revelling in absolutely all of what we are (embracing that self-consciousness... embracing that reticence... embracing that fear), we can transcend those things and become the most expressive, fulfilled beings possible. The concept of Madonna relates to what I want out of everything... writing, acting, improv, relationships, the job market, college... I want to be able to push myself full-force into all of those things, revelling in all aspects of myself by expressing all aspects of myself. I am not "my own Madonna" by following Madonna's career path... I am in the tradition of Madonna by nurturing all artistic extensions of myself and using those extensions to connect with people through my own self-empowerment and love for mankind. How Madonna is with dancing is how I am with writing. She flings herself about onstage the way I fling myself into writing. I think that's where I relate to her most... at all costs, I put myself out there for the sake of conveying my truth... and that's something Madonna, through genius career maneuvering, has turned into a cultural revolution.
And of course there are many more personal heroes... my parents, many of my teachers (Mrs. Saulys and Meredith Alexander especially), many more musicians, many more actors... but those above are really what I'm aiming for in some way. Hope you've enjoyed the trip. There is so much more badassness to come. Hope you will continue to join me as much as I want to be joining you.
With love and our secret handshake, xoxo,
Louis.
P.S. Alyssa and I fucking saw Fat Albert last night. I know. I can't believe it either.
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