The Saranay Motel Performance Piece
Elliott Earls Live at Music Hall |
In this clip we find Elliott Earls and the Venomous Sons of Jonah joined on stage by Les Griffin for Re-arrange Yer Face Fer Free. Les is one half of America's preeminent doom-metal band Horst Schicklegrüber and the Barbecue Army. Les (and his band) are characters from my latest film "The Saranay Motel." Les is played by designer and comic book artist, Joshua-Ray Stephens. Click on the image above to watch video from the evening. |
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Moving from linear narrative to non-linear performance
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In discussing the structure of Catfish elsewhere on this site, I've attempted to show how my work has tended to move across many different forms. In Catfish I took what was essentially a non-linear, non traditional narrative and restructured it to become highly linear. The trajectory of The Saranay Motel seems to be moving in the opposite direction. The Saranay Motel has a kind of simple macro narrative (an archetypal rags-to-riches-to-rags story) that is then cut up and combined with animations, spoken word and pop songs to produce a non-linear performance piece. [ Yes, I realize that a performance by definition has a beginning, middle and end, and that this makes it a linear endeavor. What I'm referring to is a kind of logical/traditional progression from a state of conflict to resolution. ]
Click on the image above to watch the video...
Municie Indiana 9.17.2007
Superman Shot Himself Today
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Monday, September 17, 2007 8:16 AM |
Video from Muncie |
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Possibly the most moving moment I have witnessed on television was a Meet the Press interview with Aaron Broussard President of Jefferson Parish Louisiana, immediately after hurricane Katrina. I was brought to tears by Mr. Broussards' impassioned plea for help. I was overwhelmed by a sense of rage and empathy. As ridiculous as this may sound, my sense of frustration was so profound that I was driven to express this through song. In frustration and sadness I sat down and wrote this simple refrain.
I heard that Superman shot himself today
I guess he finally woke up, and it just blew him away
what should I say to my son when he asks?
It's killing me...
The video posted above is cut together from photographs and footage taken on friday September 12th 2007, at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The video was shot from stage left by Benjamin Teague the mandolin player in The Venomous Sons of Jonah. (Benjamin accompanied me on the mandolin for the gig.) The video attempts to show how the song I Heard that Superman Shot Himself Today is incorporated into the performance.
On a side note
This piece addresses a number of issues that are very important to me and yet potentially problematic within my work. As I have mentioned elsewhere on this site, first and foremost I see my work as a form of cultural criticism. This piece seems to foreground issues that deal with the efficacy of the aesthetic in the social realm. The work is plagued by questions such as: In a very real way how effective is "art" in dealing with political or social issues? Is this piece opportunistic? Does it fetishize tragedy? Does this type of intervention supplant true activism? in other words, if the goal is to be a social agent, wouldn't it be more advantageous to travel to New Orleans and volunteer for real labor?
I believe I have answers for most of these questions. Not to be coy, but I belive the answers are in the work.
Athens Georgia 10.18.2007
The video posted below is a brief snippet from the first of two sets on Thursday October 18th 2007 at Ciné in Athens Georgia. Jordan Dalton joins Benjamin Teague and me on stage for Cluck Old Hen.