What a crazy week it's been.
Anyway, we're back home, power is on, and the internet is working....at least for the moment. I imagine Cox [the local ISP] will find a way to screw it up soon enough.
Fyi, Cox may be the only ISP to ever establish an official 'apology' line....a special number to call when you felt the need to hear a pre-recorded apology for their lousy service. This was after Katrina. Truth.
I couldn't help but notice various recent news reports about how folks in Louisiana are "whining" about the lack of power in the aftermath of Isaac. Just so ya'll know, complaining about our local utility service is a time honored tradition. I might also point out that we enjoy a general level of "service" which many of you would find appalling. Making a fuss is often the only practical recourse. Truth, yet again.
Oh yeah, to add to the weirdness of the past week, I finally saw two complete episodes of "Treme". My apologies to those who like the show, but I thought it total trash. For all it's laudable use of local color, every single time the possibility of 'realness' raises it's head the show's production team falls back on cliches and canned sound.
Seriously ya'll, "Treme" and "Glee" are not that far apart. Get a grip.
New Orleans, land of dreams [and a million false projections].
...............................................................................................................
I'm about to quit buying records through the mail. It's not really necessary, and I'm getting very tired of receiving broken 45s. Three, in the last few weeks.
This is one. It's now cracked when it used to be a very nice original copy. Apparently a USPS drove a truck over it. I suppose I should be happy it wasn't delivered in 16 pieces.
Hope ya'll enjoy........
thank you
ReplyDeleteone more great harmonica by Lazy Lester
Glad you are well, and glad to hear your comments about Treme. I tried to watch a few minutes of it and just thought "here's that same old fake Disney take on the South, with lots of porkpie hats, bad accents and someone's fantasy of what it's like downhome." Even Trueblood totally leaves out the real flavor of Louisiana, even though it's only supposed to be a little bit of fun. Body-shaved Australians and Englishmen try their hand at local talk, but it's just based on what they heard on Dukes of Hazzard or Dallas. Hawaii 5-0 has the same problem- the name exploits the place but local culture, accents, terminology and people are absent or mutated.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I listen to music much, much more than watch the boobtube!! Have a good rest of the summer-Johnny
What I find distasteful about Treme is that for all the emphasis on how stressful/fucked up the situation was, the folks in charge of the production honestly have no interest in portraying anything close to the reality. They consistently go the easy 'heartwarming" route while playing lip-service to some bastard idea of "authenticity".
DeleteShit, even the stupid theme song sets my teeth on edge. "Just living and having fun!!!". Jeeze, WTF is that?
On a slightly less ranty note, I'd like to point out that every bit of music in the show is recorded in the studio. Not a bit of it live. All of it is lip-synced...even when there's really no point to it....even when a touch of 'live' might help with the 'authenticity problem'.
I have never in my life heard the Treme Brass Band sound anything less than funky, yet these buffoons managed to do just that. Presumably the drums had to be mixed down so that the sequence wouldn't sound 'messy'.
Lord, if there's any place in the U.S. where 'messy' is part of the gestalt, it's New Orleans.
All in all, I don't expect much from a TV drama, but now I see why some in the community were/are upset with the show.
That why I used to call the cable company Cox-Uckers. Now, you can too!
ReplyDeleteAs for Treme, well, if it makes people who are not from NOLA remember the Federal Flood and its debilitating, PTSD-ridden aftermath, then it may be doing good.
Cheers - d.