Furious Dreams - art blog by Victoria Webb

flashback on youtube

Posted on September 15, 2008 by Victoria

I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Waits at a 1978 concert in Atlanta, tagging along with writer Tony Paris, who reviewed the show for Creative Loafing. Tony was the music editor at the time, later my sister would fill that role.Â Backstage, Waits was disturbed by what he thought was a lack of popularity with the American audiences. Â After the concert we headed over to the Agora for coffee with him and Leon Redbone, who had opened for Waits that night. Waits didn’t show for the coffee, but I found himÂ with his girl of the moment, sitting out in the atrium. I sketched while they sat, but the artwork has disappeared. Luckily his albums haven’t.

Don’t miss the chance to see him and Iggy Pop in Jim Jarmusch’s ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’.Â

there are plenty of his tunes on youtube, this is an early interview… back when you could smoke on talk shows.

Posted in Daily meanderings | Tagged 1978, Agora, Atlanta, concert, Creative Loafing, Leon Redbone, Tom Waits, Tony Paris | Leave a comment

Brazilian music

Posted on September 14, 2008 by Victoria

Luciana SouzaÂ is the daughter of influential Brazilian musicians, the lateÂ Walter Santos and the poet/musician Tereza Souza. The two were composers in the original bossa nova movement, and they later went on to run both a recording studio, Nossoestudio, and a record label, Som de Gente.Â I’ve been listening to ‘Baioa Melody’Â from her 2002 Brazilian Duos CD.Â

Baiao Medley

I’m interested in almost every genre of music and Brazilian bossa nova is one of my favorites. I used Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘Ãguas de MarÃ§o’ as one of the tracks forÂ my video ‘Postcard from Ocracoke’, shown in the 1996 Image Film and Video Festival’s 20th anniversary in Atlanta.

Aguas de Marco

Posted in Daily meanderings, Music | Tagged Baioa Melody, Brazilian musicians, Luciana Souza, Nossoestudio, Tereza Souza, Walter Santos | Leave a comment

hang yourself you’ll regret it, don’t hang yourself you’ll regret it

Posted on September 13, 2008 by Victoria

David Foster Wallace, RIP. What a shame.

Kierkegaard makes an appearance in the film ‘Noi’, but unlike our ambition defeating culture of irony and cynicism, the quote in the context of this film actually means something down to earth and sensible; the issue of how we exist in our worlds.

I normally like AO Scott’s writing, but hisÂ 2004 reviewÂ of ‘Noi’, a 2003 Icelandic independent film written and directed byÂ Dagur Kari, disapppointed me. The film is a snow lover’s fantasy, full of white and blues with laconic characters to match. Nothing much happens, but it reminded me of a less fury filled Cassavetes script. Â It also had me wondering if Craig Gillespie, the director of the 2007 film ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ had lifted most of his plot and script from it, then added a similar deadpan rural Canadian humor.

While the humor isn’t obvious in Noi, and most American audiences would generalize this as a bleak film, I thought it gave a marvelous reading of adolescence on a remote rural island, without the usual over the top cool and hip quotient that is so tiresome with a lot of indies. Â Noi also survives with its own distinct mystery intact,Â without the requisite Hollywood pat ending to which ‘Lars’ resorted.Â

The defined sense of place is my favorite part of this film.

NPR \’Noi\’ review by Kenneth Turan

Posted in Daily meanderings | Tagged AO Scott, David Foster Wallace, film, iceland, independent film, Kenneth Turan, Noi, review | 2 Comments

what I’m listening to

Posted on September 12, 2008 by Victoria

grant writing music:Â Carla Bley -Â The Lost Chords Find Paolo FresuÂ (2007)

here’s a great interview with this fascinating composer. She’s fearless, even as she admits to being insecure onstage.

and Steve Swallow, one of the best bass players alive – who has played with her since the late 80’s.

Posted in Daily meanderings, Music | Tagged Carla Bley, interview, Steve Swallow, The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu | Leave a comment

fun with celebrities

Posted on September 9, 2008 by Victoria

ok, so Gore Vidal it’s not. But Go Fug Yourself is still pretty funny, written by a couple of out of work LA girls. Excerpt:

Clothes are always a statement about who you are, but when you live your life in front of a camera lens, that is writ much larger — what you wear is is a much bigger part of your image and your brand. That’s why we question a lot of it. It’s like, “Did you WANT the world to think you’re the movie star who makes dresses out of Hefty bags?”

I just discovered it from grazing around onÂ Clotilde Dusoulier’sÂ Â Chocolate and Zucchini’s links. A great foodie site if you’re not already aware.

Tube-off; I no longer have my full range of satellite offerings, so I’ve resorted to watching Lovejoy. That would be Mr. Ian McShane of Deadwood to you non-PBS’rs. An erudite bloke with a yen for antiques. Possibly an acquired taste.

Posted in Daily meanderings | Tagged Chocolate and Zucchini, Clotilde Dusoulier, Go Fug Yourself, Ian McShane, Lovejoy | Leave a comment

Studio

Posted on September 7, 2008 by Victoria

if you’re nosy like me, you want to peer into a painter’s studio. Mine isn’t quite as messy as Bacon’s, but almost.

Part of The South Bank Show series, David Hinton directed this 1985 BBC documentary onÂ Francis Bacon, with interviewer Melvin Bragg. Find all the episodes on YouTube.

Posted in Daily meanderings | Tagged BBC, David Hinton, Francis Bacon, Melvin Bragg, Paintings, South Bank Show, studio, victoria webb | 4 Comments

Photos, blogging and light

Posted on September 6, 2008 by Victoria

My house-guest cancelled this weekend, so I’ve not been doing much except writing a grant, reading other artist/designer blogs and figuring out how to optimize my own site. Hopefully the All in One SEO pack will do the trick.Â

I’ve found wonderful interviews with other artists on various sites. A few seem to have stumbled into the world of making art and are already making a living from online sales. A dream come true.Â

We finally got some much needed rain – all day yesterday – from Hanna,Â soÂ my garden is looking perky again. Today was ravishingly beautiful, the edge of fall.

I especially like late afternoon light in winter. This is theÂ second floorÂ hall landing, a shot from last year. One of my mother’s watercolors of a Maine stream is hanging on the wall, a friend’s ‘buddha’ painting is on the table.

another view with shadow.

I used to paint interiors, inspired by this kind of light.

and my renovated bathroom still needs painting….Ikea has the best hardware.

Ikea’s Jetson light. It has a soft glow that’s not overly bright.

the dogwoods are changing color already.

after our big rain yesterday, the Red Sails lettuceÂ grew enough to pick for tonight’s salad!

morning light in early fall.

Posted in Daily meanderings | Tagged artists, garden, grant, Interviews, light, Photography | 1 Comment

Fall means baking

Posted on September 1, 2008 by Victoria

my first sourdough in a very long time. You need to steam the oven for a good crust and I used a pizza stone to bake on. The starter can be bought probably anywhere, but I got mine in San Francisco when I lived there, apparently the dry mix lasts forever. Here’s a site that stocks it.

Final verdict? Almost as good as San Francisco’sÂ Acme Bread!

more fun with almond biscotti…just because I missed Italy and am tired of fake, cakey versions. This is my favorite recipeÂ from Gourmet that I’ve been using for years. I usually have to bake them a bit longer to get the perfect hard, crunchy texture. The pasta bowl is a traditional pattern from Deruta in Umbria.Â