FISCHERSPOONER “We Are Electric” official music video from SUBVOYANT on Vimeo.
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We Are Electric
Tonight is the World Premiere of “We Are Electric,” one of two music videos I produced and co-directed with Jason Cacioppo for Fischerspooner’s new album Entertainment. The video will be shown on Logo’s NewNowNext Music and will have its online exclusive premiere on MySpace this coming Tuesday, June 2.
I have been joking about calling my production company Overnight Productions, as this is the second time I have put together an entire video production in less than 48 hours. The first one was in 2006 for “Get Confused.” In April, Fischerspooner was in residency at the historic Performing Garage in Soho, rehearsing for their tour and preparing for their three open rehearsal shows. A weekend had been set aside for a photographer/director to come and shoot a video, but his plans got rearranged.
Jason and I broke the weekend in two and shot a video each day. Saturday we shot “The Best Revenge” with Casey and eight dancers and Sunday we shot “We Are Electric” with Casey and just two dancers. I think we succeeded in making the two videos look distinct. “Electric” has a tight, Kubrickian/2001 claustrophobic feeling and the other is more expansive: Bob Fosse in a smoky nightclub.
Both videos were shot using the RED ONE camera. Along with singer Casey Spooner, the video features dancers Stephanie Dixon and Vanessa Walters. In the video, Spooner wears the iconic hat featured on the Entertainment album cover created by Nasir Mazhar and Lite Brite Neon. Lite Brite also created the neon sculptures featured as set pieces. Casey wears fashions by Jil Sander, Gareth Pugh and Romain Kremer. Andrew Schneider created the video mouth helmet.
FISCHERSPOONER: “We Are Electric”
Directors: Jason Cacioppo & Adam Dugas
DP: Jason Cacioppo
Producer: Adam Dugas
AC: Patrick Riordan
Colorist: Robbie Renfrow
Choreographer: Vanessa Walters
Stylist: K8 Hardy
Makeup: Tracy Alfajora
Lighting: Ben Kopald
Video Helmet: Andrew Schneider
Production Company: Subvoyant
DI Color Correct and RED Services: Offhollywood
Second Life
Virtual reality has never interested me. Reality is bizarre and challenging as it is and I already have multiple escape hatches that easily become bear traps. SIMS-style identity role play has always seemed like a time-sucking hole; I think I got role playing video games out of my system in the early 1980s.
But I guess the idea of Second Life is that it isn’t really a game so much as an immersive alternate reality. What I had read was that people were spending their real Earth dollars to buy virtual consumer goods in this other dimension, something I found greatly puzzling.
So I was intrigued when I stumbled on this documentary: MOLOTOV ALVA And His Search for the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey. The filmmaker, Douglas Gayeton, spent a year in the Second Life world as this character and filmed the computer screen the whole time, which he edited into a travelogue of this fascinating rabbit hole where people live out their fantasies.
You start by choosing your skin, which many people instinctually design on their own look. But many more use the opportunity to become their fantasy: an anime creature, a sci-fi bombshell, or a giant flower person that plants trees and other greenery.
Molotov meets some fascinating characters and societies along the way. You can build anything you want there, so he finds a gothic wonderland filled with brooding men and women with crows on their shoulders. He joins a group of terrorists who go around destroying property, and meets many other striking individuals.
It has to be seen to be believed and completely understood, but suffice to say it seems you can go pretty deep into Second Life and not get close to touching the center of this crazy lollipop.
ADAM & MIA at Palihouse, May 19, 2009
SET LIST:
Everything in its Right Place – Radiohead
Sweeter Than Roses – Henry Purcell, baroque art song
Bike – Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd
Going Forward – by Mia Theodoratus
Toxic – Britney Spears
Three Ravens – English folk song, 1600s
The Model – Kraftwerk
Rosa Negra – by Adam Dugas
Maid of the Mist – by Adam & Mia
Landslide – Fleetwood Mac-Stevie Nicks
Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen
Dream On – Aerosmith
Posted in Arts, Los Angeles, Music Comments closed
ADAM & MIA: “Going Forward” & “Maid of the Mist”
Mia and I did a short set at the Sweet Thunder Talent Expo 2009 at Starr Space in deep Bushwick Saturday night. All originals, starting with Mia’s composition “Going Forward” and concluding with our first collaborative piece, “Maid of the Mist,” a metal ballad inspired by the film NIAGARA.
Magic at Her Fountain
Magic, my cat with no eyes, engaging in one of her favorite activities: playing with her water fountain to make different sounds. She has always been fascinated by the sound of water. Cameo by Tony Bananas.
“Is He So?”
Saturday night’s Quentin Crisp tribute was a success, and Bangers & Mash were a smash. It looks like the dashing duo of dilly darlings will return at some undetermined future date to mince and make music for your pleasure.
People responded exactly as planned to the music hall-style song Patrick Johnson and I penned, “Is He So?,” raising their glasses and singing along. One person even said that it was like we were holding the memorial for him in that moment, which I thought was appropriate and nice.
There were some great video excerpts of Mr. Crisp, and a raffle of his books, business cards and even a trademark scarf! His writing is quite funny, and stands up to time, I think because he was such a reflective person, truly analyzing himself and thinking his own life through. To be a streetwalking nelly in the 1920’s, that takes guts!
Quentin Crisp: The Naked Civil Servant
I recently watched (on YouTube) the BBC movie adaptation of Quentin Crisp’s autobiography The Naked Civil Servant as preparation and inspiration for a performance I am giving on Saturday night at Santo’s Party House. The show, called The Naked Bon Vivant!, is a celebration of the centennial of his birth (born in 1908) and is a fundraiser to keep his archives alive.
I’ll be performing as Bangers & Mash with the talented Patrick Johnson at my side. We’ll be sort of recreating the nelly 1920’s streetwalking boys seen in this clip.
Ironically, I had just pulled out my copy of Mister Crisp’s book Manners from Heaven, which I purchased in a cut-out bin at the New England Mobile Book Fair (where I spent a fair part of my time as a teenager, perusing the stacks and amassing a library) circa 1988. For some reason, I had never cracked the spine, but felt the urge to learn more about Mister Quentin recently. Within a few weeks, I received a phone call from Joe Birdsong relating the details of this event he was planning and asking should I like to be involved. What a perfect excuse to learn more about this fascinating 20th Century character.
We have written a little music hall-style chorus and interspersed it with writing from Manners, and I am quite enjoying the experience!