De la creation

Je dois avouer que je n'ai lu aucun bouquin de Christine Angot. Je ne sais meme pas si j'aimerai son oeuvre. Mais j'ai vraiment apprecie ses interviews sur Radio France (emission A Voix Nue) : de la relation entre l'ecrivain, sa creation, son inspiration, ses lecteurs, raconter vs. ecrire.

F. Sagan passed away.

Router + Wireless

I've just installed my wireless connection with my Linksys router. i had a lot of problems to do it, but thanks to this page, everything seems to work ! Yeehee ! And thanks to the author of this page !

Penn Station underground

Les rats ont disputé aux habitants du New York sous-terrain les détritus de Penn Station pendant plusieurs décennies. Jusqu'en 2000, quelques 75 personnes ont vécu dans les tunnels de Amtrak, bâtissant une communauté insolite de homeless. Trouvant plusieurs pieds sous Manhattan leur propre home sweet home. Entre fumées d'échappement des trains, maladies véhiculées par les morsures de rat, addiction au crack. Le jeune Britannique Marc Singer, vivant lui-même dans le tunnel, aidé par les membres de cette communauté, a filmé le quotidien du tunnel dans « Dark Days », rencontrant tour à tour ces pairs Dee, Ralph, Tommy, Ronnie ou... les rats. La Caméra super 8 était prêtée par un magasin, le projet plus ou moins financé par une dizaine de cartes de crédit non aliméntées, Kodak a donné les dernières pellicules pour terminer le film.

DJ Shadow - plus James Lavelle - y ajoute mes tunes préférées de Endtroducing.
Cela fait un doc à l'esthétique léchée - pourtant improvisée et débutante- romanticisant parfois la condition du homeless, mais clairement super poignant.

Welcome to New York, New York.

The Dears vs. Death cab for Cutie

Ben Gibbard was very ironical about the Montrealais 'The Dears' in the NY Times today. Quotes:

" On 'No cities left', the Montreal band is dramatic to the point of overbearing [...], [the album] is riddled with some questionable production calls and heart-on-sleeve lyrics more emotionally draining than a night out with your mopey, Smith-obsessed friends. Let's hope that the next time out, the Dears will have learned how to turn that frown upside down. "

PJ !

I got my ticket for Polly Jean Harvey's show at Hammerstein Ballroom, on 10.06.04. That's so cool !

Kinshasa, Zaire. October 30th 1974.

It was on this African piece of Earth that an astonishing event of the American (world?) history happened. Depicted as the "rumble in the jungle", or as "the fight", the boxing bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman was a sport event between two titans. But it represented more: a political, sociological and gigantic manifest of the Black culture.

On the one side: Muhammad Ali, the charismatic, newly converted to Islam. As fast as the bee, the ring dancer represented the Black emancipation. Ali was the challenger.

On the other side, George Foreman, the Christian. He had sometimes been accused of being an Uncle Tom waving the American flag during the 68's Olympics, while Smith and Carlos had raised their black-gloved fists as a symbol of black power.

Leon Gast made a an Academy Award winning documentary "They were kings" on this subject. After 22 years of mixing, this movie is the odyssey of the fight. Soul music, boxing, Africa, 70's. Ali muba ye (Ali, kill him) !

I conclude by repeating a very good anecdot narrated by one of the reporters (G. Plimpton) in the movie.
In 2000, Muhammad Ali gave a speech in front of some Harvard students. At the end of his talk, someone asked for a poem.
Ali said:

"Me,
WE !"

This became the shortest poem in English that ever existed !

Bring me some sake !

Japan, fusion cuisine, and tutti quanti

En vrac,

- tremendous restaurants in Manhattan: Asiate and Riingo.
- A sake bar I like: Decibel on Ninth street.
- Yummy: edamame + warm sake !

Senser

The band of my post high school years has released a new album. It seems to be more metal than before. However, Haggis is still one of the fastest MCs on Earth. Respect man.

Absence

M. has left for France, and this gives me a vague impression of emptiness in my NY life now.

We went to a Caribbean club last Saturday, during one hour, and then I left the place. She cried a little bit. I tried not to show my sadness. She was one of my only friends in my American environment. I'm gonna miss her. I know, like every year, that fall is the real season of renewal. Back to work...

Stomp

Back to the essence of music: PERCUSSIONS. Using pieces of scrap, bins, and their own body, Stomp performers play an incredible show (Orpheum theater in East Village). For a sample, check this out !

While hearing this, one eaily realizes how mankind naturally responds to drums. Jungle, Fest noz, Amazonian tribes, African roots: ew're all the same. (How naive I am !)

Rear window

My personal top 3 spots to watch the sunset in NY :

(1) Top roof of the Metropolitan museum. Just enjoy a little cocktail and check the southern view of Central Park Jungle. Wow.

(2) Manhattan skyline when observed from Williamsburgh, Brooklyn. Take Metro L to Bedford avenue then north 7 to reach the shore.

(3) My bedroom ! Violet sunsets on the Hudson river. Sailboats and Tarrytown. chic.

Guantanamo on the Hudson

In the Metro North train that brought me back to Tarrytown this evening, I heard a dreadful story from a guy sitting behind me, and actually witnessed a strange scene. This guy called her wife, and was explaining her what he had done this afternoon. This person appeared to be a priest, or something, and had gone this afternoon to Pier 57. This place is actually used by cops as a detention center for protesters against the republican convention. It seems that the arrestees don't have the right to access lawyers, hardly find water, and are confined in poor security conditions. Tremendous democracy ! WOW ! Thanks to a special NY state law, the priest seemed to have the right to enter the jail, and to see the protesters.

The curious thing about this scene: the guy on my right, who also heard the conversation, was a cameraman from Channel 4 NBC. He gave his cell phone to the priest, and asked him if he wanted to tell his story to the TV.

The media: a dangerous tool against and for democracy. I hope that everybody will know that anyway... This is really sad.