Hrrundivbakshi,
Your feelings are important to us. Although typically think of you as our moral compass and expert on the teachings of the Holy Trinity of Rock and all matters regarding guitar tone, we care about how you feel. We know that hippies typically don’t make you feel good about yourself or the state of humanity. I suspect that the following videos might make you feel worse. My aim is not so much to see if I can annoy you, but to provide us with an opportunity to empathize with your reactions to the following “interviews.” How do the things being said make you feel? How does the fact that someone filmed these “interviews” make you feel? Our feelings are important. Sometimes it only takes the expressed feelings of one Townsperson to open the rest of us up to our own feelings. I look forward to empathizing with your feelings and, possibly, sharing some of my own. I or some other Townsperson may even determine who a certain “Vito” is and share nerdy facts about his existence or the circumstances surrounding these important video findings.
I thank you in advance for the depth of feeling you are likely to share with us. Here goes!
First, an off-camera David Byrne (?) “interviews” Chris Frantz.
Then, David “interviews” someone only identified (as far as I can tell) as “Vito.”
PMGBv6-hSmc]
Our feeling ARE very inmportant. I too would love to hear how Hrundi FEELS about the interview. And Hrundi, know that if there is ever, EVER, anything I can do for you, should you need a helping hand, etc., just lean on me. Lean on me, brother.
Sincerely,
E. Pluribus
Birdy num nums.
Do you get the sense HVB is holding back? Come on, man, that’s not cool. It will do you no good to suppress your feelings. I jumped through a lot of hoops to posts these “interviews” for you. Please step up to the plate and let it all hang out. Some of our more repressed brethern await your emotional emancipation. Lean on any one of us.
Hmmm.
Just wanted you to know I’m thinking — no, FEELING — about these “interviews.” Look for more tomorrow. I won’t let you down.
HVB
I knew we could count on you! The emotional health of Rock Town Hall will benefit greatly from the sharing of your feelings. Thanks, man. I feel better than ever!
These interviews make me feel like going back to bed.
They make me feel like smoking.
They remind me that I”m going back to work on Monday…
I too await Hrundi’s response. I’m expecting a breakthrough not unlike Lennon’s during his Janov led primal therapy. Just let go, Hrundi. Those feelings have been imprisoned far too long.
Peace,
E. Pluribus
Moderator,
Am I right to assume that RTH Labs is the responsible party for this groundbreaker?
Though I’ve been an RTHer for quite some time, I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t know much about the actual day to day activities at the Lab. If you could give me some sort of idea about what goes on there, I’d really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
E. Pluribus
RTH Labs is a continuation of the work started by our old friend Mike Fingeroff, who established groundbreaking research in the areas of notes-per-second, notes-per-solo, faces-per-solo, and faces-per-note-per-second. Fingeroff also worked toward the development of the headless, fretless, stringless guitar, Strat-o-Matic Rock ‘n Roll, and other unfinished concepts. Sadly, he switched careers, moving into falconry and even horse whispering. Work at RTH Labs was formally cemented by hrrundivbakshi and his team of researchers, including mockcarr, alexmagic, and the Australian guy who used to post stuff here about digital compression. To date, much of RTH Labs’ work is more conceptual than practical. Some critics of RTH Labs charge that HVB has dabbled in the occult, with his focus on the Holy Trinity of Rock and its influence on guitar tone. We stand behind them, however, confident that they will reunite the scientific and the mystical, as Rock’s natural order was intended.
Mod — you don’t drink or smoke, do you? I wonder how on Earth you deal with idiotic, self-absorbed windbags who blather on and on about shit you don’t care about, or think is downright stupid. You know the types: they corner you at a party and think you have an interest in, say, ELO or ZZ Top — just because you run a music blog!
They open things up well enough: “Hey, I hear you run a music blog.” But attentive listeners will notice that’s a statement, not a question. And so goes the rest of the “conversation.” They hold forth with an opinion — usually stupid, or otherwise worthless — and rock back on their heels, waiting for you to (presumably) agree with them.
But here’s where smokers and beer drinkers have the upper hand. I’m telling you, there’s no randomness to the moments when we light up, or stub out, or take a drag, or (very telling) take a swig from the can. Watch for these things. The next time you tell a perfect stranger how great Motown records were because they successfully tamed the wild urban R&B groove and boxed it up in an appealing, MOR, kid-friendly formula — at that very moment, the guy you’re talking to will take a hefty pull from his beer. What the swig is actually saying is “asshole,” or “idiot,” or “sheezus, will you shut – the – fuck – UP.”
Really, I don’t know how you deal with these idiots without having the unspoken beer and cigarette language to work with.
No, I don’t smoke or drink, hrrundi. I face this stuff with both feet planted and looking people squarely in the eyes. I also face my feelings, and that’s what we’re asking you to do. You’ve made a good start; it’s clear something is nagging at you. Now tell us how you feel, my friend. We’re here for you.
Has RTH become EST?
Ladymissrroyale,
You’re damn good. I was going to mention EST in an earlier post concerning Hrundi’s participation, but you beat me to the punch! In a more perfect world, I envision the RTH crew, blocking the exits and entrances of a rented VFW post where Hrundi, standing in the center of a large crowd is forced to watch further David like interviews while the Moderator’s voice, amplified at eardrum destroying levels, demands that Hrundi express his feelings about characters who have insightful questions and/or ideas like Vito’s. In a perfect world, I envision Hrundi’s breakthrough. Hrundi falls to the floor, unconscious, flopping around in his own wastes, begging the Moderator to help him connect with those, like Vito, who he feels have classified him as not cool enough to be a part of their lot.
The seeds have been planted. Know that it’s been a joy to watch this thing grow. I’d call it an intervention, but that would devalue the work of RTH labs by giving the whole thing a clinical ring. There is truly magic here, and I for one, am stunned that such a thing can happen in this day and age where the existence of magic is usually denied.
Sincerely,
E. Pluribus
As usually happens when RTH schedules an intervention for me, I suspect I’m meant to say or think something that will make the Moderator’s day in some fashion. And, as usual, I’m clueless about how to please him in this regard.
But perhaps this is *my* problem — yet another manifestation of the issues I have, at least according to E. Pluribus Gergley. So why don’t I just set my psychic defense mechanisms to the “off” position, load the bong up with something that will at least make Plurbie *think* I’m getting high, and tell you what you want to know.
These interviews are peculiar, for many reasons. Why does this Frantz guy not lunge across the table and punch Byrne in the nose? Why don’t Vito and Frantz enter into an actual dialog with Byrne — or at least tell him to shut the hell up? What kind of beer is Vito drinking? Why didn’t Frantz get any?
The possibility that these interviews might be attempts at super-clever-ness, where Byrne said to Frantz and Vito: “hey — I’ve got a super-clever idea… why don’t we just turn on a camera and talk about nothing? People who watch it will be dumbfounded, and will tear their hair out looking for meaning where there isn’t any!” Well, that makes me *feel* irritated.
The likelihood that these are just what they appear to be: six minutes of grainy, B&W footage of people talking about nothing — who have no Warhol-ian pretensions; who are just bored and drunk enough to turn on the camera — makes me *feel* anger and irritation at the fawning fan-boys who think this means something, and who post it online for the world to “discover.”
I also, in a meta- kind of way, *feel* irritated at Mr. Mod and Plurbie for expecting me to lash out in some amusing fashion. They know I’ve lost a good half-hour of my life typing this — not including the six minutes I *completely* wasted watching this stupidness.
Have I shared enough? Can I take this contraption off my head now? The blinking lights are scaring me.
HVB
What Fritz said.
HVB, I am heartened by your response. Getting this off your chest is not only good for your own emotional health but for the emotional health of the RTH community. This experience will stick with you longer and resonate more deeply than you might expect, but we will not be responsible for your actions in the presence of a political candidate should an image of “Vito” appear before your eyes. Thanks, man, you owe me one.
Byrne in these clips seems like one of those challenged characters Jon Wurster plays when he calls Tom Scharpling on WFMU, except here Frantz and Vito respond by not responding in the straight man role, so it’ll be sort of like art.
By the way, the mystery Vito guy is the crazy artist, Vito Acconci. I think he might be the lunatic that once shot himself for art. And I think the beer is Schaefer.
Good spot, douqep. I don’t see anything about him shooting himself here on Wikipedia, but the description of his Seedbed piece is crazy enough:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vito_Acconci
You can see some of this guy’s films, including a film of Seedbed, if you must, here:
http://www.ubu.com/film/acconci.html
Yeah, think I got Vito mixed up with some other lunatic…