Draining people's energy

Co-écrite par Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), What We Do in the Shadows est une série documentaire parodique (un "mockumentary"... façon the Office ou Spinal Tap quoi) dans laquelle on suit les tribulations de quatre vampires collocataires à New York City. Trois d'entre eux correspondent en tout point à l'image qu'on se fait de cette créature de fiction... Et puis il y a Colin, peut-être le plus puissant d'entre tous :

My name is Colin Robinson. And I am what's known as a psychic vampire. Or energy vampire.

This is my office. Also known as the hunting ground. Energy vampires drain people's energy merely by talking to them. We either bore you with a long conversation, or we enrage you. In fact, you probably know an energy vampire. We're the most common kind of vampire. We are day-walkers, not affected by the sun. And we are the only kind of vampire that can drain another vampire's energy. It's very cool.

What We Do in the Shadows, S01E01 (2019)

the Humans are dead

Dans un souci de cohérence, et parce que l'incursion de zombies et robots sur Arise Therefore aura pu surprendre certains d'entre vous, je me devais de revenir sur ce thème. D'abord pour vous rappeler que les premiers avaient déjà déambulés ici dans la rubrique il ne faut pas confondre.

Ensuite pour consacrer aux seconds un épisode de Crossed Covers.

Les robots les plus emblématiques figurent en couverture de disques de Ben Folds Five et the Most Serene Republic :

Même type de modèles chez Ms John Soda, dans le clip "No P. or D."

et la pochette de l'album du même nom :

D'autres robots-jouets...

Impossible désormais de ne pas mentionner Flight of the Conchords, et leur clip The Humans are Dead :

Pendant ce temps là, Yoshimi combat les pink robots :

the Most Serene Republic, Pre Serene: thee oneironauts

(Home of the rebels, 2011)

Ben Folds Five, the sound of the life of the wind (Sony, 2012)

Ms. John Soda, no p. or d. (morr music, 2002)

V/A, the revenge of the robots (Def Jux, 2003)

kalabi - fruity loopy doodles (s/r, 2013)

Flight of the Conchords, the Humans are dead (HBO, 2007)

the Flaming Lips, Yoshimi battles the pink robots (Warner, 2002)

the Flaming Lips, Yoshimi battles the pink robots Pt.1 (Warner, 2002)

the Flaming Lips, Fight Test (Warner, 2002)

Full Of Hell

Comme l'affirme Wikipedia, "Baroness est un groupe de sludge metal américain originaire de Savannah dans l'État de Géorgie". A la guitare se trouve un certain John Dyer Baizley, également artiste graphique.

La première fois que j'ai fait connaissance avec son oeuvre, c'est en lisant la critique du Blue Record du groupe. J'en ai d'ailleurs déjà publié la pochette dans ces colonnes suite à la visite d'une exposition sur le revival de l'Art Nouveau). Je suis sympa, je vous la mets en grand cette fois.

Elle va d'ailleurs de paire avec celle du Red Album (que j'aime moins).

Les premiers visuels étaient plus sobres (lettrage ambiance affiches @ SanFrancisco pendant les 60s):

La deuxième fois, c'était sur le tshirt d'un disquaire de Stockholm (avec le visuel de droite) :

Je ne vous cache pas que je préfère l'esthétique entre psychédélisme et Art Nouveau, que celle typée "hard rock"...

La troisième fois, ce fut à tort puisque je l'imaginais derrière ces disques

La vraie troisième fois, donc, ce fut a posteriori, puisque je me suis aperçu qu'il était l'auteur du visuel du deuxième album de Flight of the Conchords, que je reproduisais par ailleurs là.

L'homme est en effet habitué à travailler pour d'autres (Blacktusk, Darkest Hour, Skeletonwitch... ...et récemment Gillian Welch)

Ceux d'entre vous qui remarqueront que cet artwork pourrait presque avoir été signé Uncle Vania me feront très plaisir, puisque c'est qu'ils auront suivi avec attention ma saga automnale consacrée à quatre talentueux designers de pochettes d'albums: Tous les liens vers les articles précédents dans la page Sagas

Baroness, Blue Record (Relapse, 2009)
Baroness, Red Album (Relapse, 2007)
Baroness, First EP (Hyperrealist, 2004)
Howl, Full Of Hell (Relapse, 2010)
Grails, Black Tar Prophecies Vol.4 (Important, 2010)
Flight of the Conchords, I told you I was freaky (Sub Pop, 2010)
Gillian Welch, The Harrow & The Harvest (Acony, 2011)

à part ça:
www.baronessmusic.com
http://aperfectmonster.com

I told you i was freaky

Flight of the Conchords, I told you i was freaky
(Sub Pop, 2010)
Kumi Solo, My love for you is a cheap pop song
(Clapping Music, 2009)
Björk, Hidden Place (Universal, 2001)

Discs and Circles (Part.4)

Vous avez assisté avec intérêt j'en suis sûr aux trois premiers volets de ma série Crossed Covers, sur les pochettes reposant sur la figure centre du cercle, du disque ou de la sphère, bref, du rond (Je remets les liens, d'autant que certains articles ont été mis à jour: un, deux, trois) Je referme aujourd'hui ce chapitre, d'autant que j'ai tout un tas d'autres thématiques en attente.

On commence par deux très beaux portraits, issus de Flight of the Conchords et Virgin Suicides.

La série suivante, c'est la classe:
Deerhunter, Hot Chip, El-P et Busdriver en tir groupé, il y a du niveau. D'ailleurs, ça me fait penser qu'il faut que j'écoute cette mixtape d'El-P (le boss de feu Def Jux, si vous avez suivi)

On finit par des disques que je connais moins:

Je ne vous mets pas les 8 singles de la série Adult Swim, hein!
(feat. bonnie prince billy, madvillain, LCD Soundsystem, Black Keys...)

Flight of the Conchords, I told you I was freaky
(Sub Pop, 2010)
Air, Virgin Suicides (Source, 2000)
Smashing Pumpkins, Gish (Virgin, 1992)
Medications, Completly Removed (Dischord, 2010)
John Zorn, The Goddess Music For Ancient Days (Tzadik, 2010)
Busdriver, Roadkill Overcoat (Epitaph, 2007)
Hot Chip, Made in the Dark (EMI, 2008)
Deerhunter, Cryptograms (Kranky, 2007)
El-P, WeAreAllGoingToBurnInHellMegamixxx3 (Golddust, 2010)
Digital Mystikz, Return II Space (autoproduit, 2010)
Studio, Various Maxis (Information, 2007-2008)
Various Artists, Various singles (Adult Swim, 2010)

Find the key to her heart !

Une petite réplique, comme ça, en passant, tirée de Flight of the Conchords (S2E09).

Dans cet épisode, Bret essaie de séduire Savannah, la vendeuse du cheap zoo pet shop (animalerie) du coin. Mel le convainc alors, qu'il doit pour cela mieux la connaître.
/Cut/
La scène suivante montre Bret et Mel en train de fouiller les poubelles de la jeune femme, à la recherche d'indices.
A l'arrière plan, on voit alors Jemaine, affairé à la même tâche.

(je donne ces indications de réalisation, pour que toute personne familière des mécanismes propres à la comédie puisse reconstituer la scène)

Jemaine, tout à fait sérieux, et plein de bonne volonté:

- Bret, she loves eggs!
Make her an omelet.

He he he. Hum.
Afin que je mesure l'effet comique d'une telle retranscription,
ami lecteur ou lecteur ami qui a souri à sa lecture,
peux tu le signaler en commentaire?
Sans ça, je saurai avoir fait un bide.

Flight of the Conchords, Wingmen (HBO, 2009)

in love with a sexy lady

Je poursuis lentement le visionnage de la saison 2 de Flight of the Conchords. Mention spéciale pour l'épisode 6, Love Is a Weapon of Choice, feat. Brahbrah, dont Bret et Jemaine tombent immédiatement amoureux.
La femme idéale version "indie" a donc un esprit assez décalé, et du charme (sans forcément être une pin-up):
On se souvient du délicat compliment adressé par Jemaine dans un épisode précédent - You're so beautiful, You could be a part time model.

Bret: I think I've fallen in love with a girl and it's serious.
Jemaine: Oh, that's great news Bret, tell me 'bout that girl that's so serious.
- Oh, well I don't really know her.
- Oh, that don't sound so serious.
- We're serious, I'm delirious.
- Sounds serious.
- Yeah.
- That's cool. I met a new girl too.
- Have you?
- Yeah.
- One of those girls you met on the net?
- No, we really met.
- Well, that's great news.
- What's she like, what does she do?
- All I know, dawg, is that she's careless with her dog.
I'm not sure what she does, but she makes me want her.
She makes me wanna get on top of her.
- Oh, that sounds great, man. That sounds great hey, wait!
- What?
- Maybe I'm crazy but when did you meet this lady? [...]
Are you talking about a girl with a beautiful smile?
- Yeah!
- Like strawberry wild?
- Yeah! Yeah!
- Blueberry track suit pants!
- White chocolate skin!
- And socks!
- That sounds like her!
[...]

Flight of the Conchords, We're both in love with a sexy lady
I told you I was freaky (Sub Pop, 2009)
www.myspace.com/conchords

En vidéo, ça donne ça :

like Prince, if he was just going to the zoo

Je m'apprête à regarder la 2ème saison de Flight of the Conchords (c'est la seule série que je suis, avec Lost). Vu que mes souvenirs de la première remontent à près de deux ans, j'ai balayé ses 12 épisodes en vitesse, histoire de me remettre dans le bain.
Et ça reste très très drôle.

Flight of the Conchords raconte les tribulations d'un groupe d'indie pop fraîchement débarqué de Nouvelle Zélande à New York. Le groupe est en fait un duo, constitué de Brett & Jemaine, qui essayent tant bien que mal de se faire connaître, "aidé" en cela par un piètre mais sympathique manager (Murray).

- Well, this seems like a very very good deal! I'havn't seen many music deals...
- you havn't seen any.

L'humour est absurde, les situations cocaces, les dialogues tordants, les personnages secondaires sont très réussis, et la VO est un bonheur, grâce aux accents des personnages.

Tout autant que pour un livre, je n'aime pas l'idée qu'un passage jugé remarquable sur le moment puisse disparaître à jamais (de ma mémoire)... Je fixerai donc dans cet article quelques bribes de dialogues (extraites de l'épisode 10), comme je l'avais déjà fait il y a quelques temps.

Pas sûr que ça "fonctionne", auprès de ceux qui ne connaissent pas la série.

-

Lors d'un "Band Meeting":

Murray : Good news anyway, we've got a winner for the fan competition!
Brett: Mell?
Murray: Yeah! How do you know that?
Brett: There's probably only one entry
Murray: No! There were hundreds actually
Brett: really?
Murray: Yeah!.. they were from Mell. And one from Jemaine... but he was disqualified.
Jemaine: Disqualied? Why was I disqualified?
Murray: Because! You can't be a fan of the band
Jemaine: Why?
Murray: It's not a good look!
Jemaine: But i'm a fan
Murray: Yeah, but... people look at the fan list, when they say : "Oh look, he's in the band, doesn't he?", "Oh, he likes himself". That's not a good look; You don't see Brett on the fan list.
Brett: Yeah, that's because i'm not fan of the band. I'm more fan of popular bands like the bee gees, pearl jam.

-

Après leur prestation live dans un petit bar,
dans le cadre d'une soirée "musique du monde":

Murray: Hey guys, really good! Different start of song...
Jemaine: No, it's the same
Murray: ah? ok. So ding di-ding dong dong dong ding
Jemaine: We were tuning.
Murray: Ah ok. That was good.

-

Rendant visite à leur pote Dave (vivant en collocation),
afin de lui emprunter des fringues "cool".

Jemaine: I was hoping to dress something like Prince.
Dave: Kind of erogenous, huh?
Jemaine: Yeah, but toned down a bit, like Prince if he was just going to the zoo, or the supermarket.

Après que Jemaine s'est fait refiler un chemisier
de la prétendue colloc de Dave:

Dave: Maybe hide that on your way out, 'cos there's my roommate, she's crazy! She thinks she's my mom!
Jemaine: Well, that is your mom.
Dave: you think i live with my parents?!! [...] The weird thing is that they look like me.
Jemaine: I've seen photos of themselves with you as a kid...
Dave (chuchotant) : I know.... It's creapy. I think they made them on a computer!

-

Brett et Jemaine, en pleine réflexion, dans les toilettes d'un appartement, dans lequel les ont invités deux jeunes femmes entreprenantes.

Brett: They want me in the threesome.
Jemaine: What?
Brett: Yeah.
Jemaine: Well that's not a threesome, that's a foursome.
Brett: I don't know, I've never had a threesome.
Jemaine: I don't want you in my threesome, you don't know anything about threesomes.
Brett: Have you ever had a threesome?
Jemaine: Nearly..
Brett: What do you mean, nearly?
Jemaine: I've had a twosome..
Brett: Wow, what was that like?
Jemaine: Great, I've done it several times man.
Brett: So, just one of you there.. and one of you there..
Jemaine: Yeah.
Brett: Oh n-n-n-no, I've had a twosome, that's just the normal way.
Jemaine: Yes..

Le lendemain:

Brett: Hey, Jemaine.
Jemaine: Hmm?
Brett: Last night, did you... look?
Jemaine: We agreed never to talk about this.

Flight of the Conchords, S01E10 "New Fans"
(2007)

Being thirty - Day One

Wake up
Eat
Watch Flight of the Conchords, Ep.3

Bret: Hey, Jemaine. I've written this love song for Coco
Jemaine: Oh yeah?
- Do you want to have a listen? and give me your feedback?
- Yeah

[...]

- It's a bit long
- Ok
- It's two hours long
- Yeah. Anything else?
- Hum... yeah. ... Ok. "I'd climb the highest mountain". Would you actually do that?
- Probably not
- Well, you're sort of promising that you would
- That's a metaphor
- Oh, is it? ok. What's the metaphor for?
- For... that i'd do anything for you
- Would you climb the highest mountain for her?
- Hum, no, i see. I wouldn't do a lot of this stuff
- Would you swallow a whole sword?
- The sword... I probably wouldn't do that one either
- Maybe you should make more realistic the things you'd do
- Like what?
- "I would hang out with you"
- Oh that's good

Exercise
Shower, et caetera...
Discover Cloud Cult

These moments are brief
When you can truly say you know yourself
You must lose your mind in order to find it
And sometimes you've just got to fall
So you can see the bottom
Or you'll never know what's holding you up

And this life feels like a dream to me
It's beautiful and it's twisted
But for right now, I don't want to wake up

So I guess this dream is for me
I guess this dream is for me

I'd tell you the truth
But my angle's always changing
I'd point the right way
But I don't think there's any such thing
I like to think that it really doesn't matter where you're going or where you're from
The truth is always moving
And it's always where you're standing
We may disagree but no one's wrong

So I guess this dream is for me
And I guess this dream is for me

I lost my way
When I was taught to follow the others
And I lost my mind
When I believed in the truth of my brothers
I believed those who told me I have to die to see Heaven
And those who said Heaven's inside me

It's beautiful that we all see it just a little different
We're the lead role in our own dream

And I guess this dream's for me
And I guess this dream is for me
I guess this dream is for me
I guess this dream is for me

Answer textos. Some not (today)
Answer phone calls. Some not (today)
Thank people
Tell them you're fine

Go outside
Open your mailbox. Thank People
Listen to the Normal Years, by Built to Spill, you've just received :

Kind of upset
but I shouldn't be
when things go smoothly invent problems
in my stupid head
what's wrong with getting by on what gets you by
I know it's no big deal
but why do I feel stupid when my head is happy
what happened to my imagination
how can things be so un-intense?
can I arrange to be deranged
thought I might be there
forgot the shortcut there
I know I won't be there
forgot the shortcut there
thought I might be there
thought I was already there but
forgot the shortcut there
...

Sit on a bench, in a sunny windy park

Visit an art gallery
Listen to an artist explaining why he's actually destroying everything he's done so far: You can no longer paint after Shoah, Hiroshima and 9/11.
Notice Picasso rejected colours while painting Guernica.
Observe the kind of people in art gallery
Do not socialize
Listen to a pianist playing something by Franz Liszt, just in case you've missed something in music.

(time to leave)
(Built to Spill again)
Enjoy guitars.
Go home
Eat an apple

Go to your part time job/hobby (Radio Campus)
Meet and train some rookie.
Eat home made cookies

Take the bus to the cinema
Watch Breezy, Eastwood's third movie as a director: the story of "Breezy", a carefree young hippie falling in love with Frank Harmon, a divorced, middle-aged real estate agent, during the 70s.

Breezy: Is it always here?
Frank Harmon: what?
Breezy : the black cloud over your head?

Listen to Frank "Black Cloud" Harmon breaking up with her, because "he can't cope with [this relationship]". He'll change his mind.

Relate Cloud Cult, Built to Spill to Alice "Breezy" Edith together, and definitely agree with them

(back home)
Eat
Change your clothes

Go to a (birthday) party in a theater
(lapin machin 's on stage)

My Parents Died Last Night and Now I Feel Alright

Party. i.e. : Drink, Dance, Socialize (in no particular order)
(on and on)
Share a taxi
Say Goodbye
Try to Sleep
Do not think
Sleep

Wake Up
...

Flight of the Conchords
www.hbo.com/conchords/

Cloud Cult - I Guess This Dream Is For Me
Aurora Borealis (Earthology, 2004)
www.myspace.com/cloudcult

Built to Spill - Shortcut
the Normal Years (K, 1996)
www.myspace.com/builttospill

Andre Elbaz - Les Urnes
www.andreelbaz.com/

Clint Eastwood - Breezy (1973)
www.imdb.com/title/tt0069822/

Lapin Machin

www.myspace.com/lapinmachin