Sunday, December 16, 2007

Mesmerizing Video

The most mesmerizing video on YouTube:



Music by the gentleman below, incidentally.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The Yin and the Yang



I find this eminently fascinating. So I was journeying through the internet in search of entrancing music for the spirit and came across this site:

http://cdxonline.co.za

... and the album that's previewed there--15 YEARS OF SHANTI MUSIC. I play the sample selections and they are some of the most beautiful music I have heard. Most of the selections are by Oliver Shanti. As this is someone I have never heard of, I do a Google search on the name and find there's a brief Wikipedia entry on him:

Oliver Shanti (Born Ulrich Schulz 16 November 1948 in Hamburg), later known as Oliver Serano-Alve, is a New Age musician. His group "Oliver Shanti & Friends" has recorded several CDs, including "Circles Of Life" - The Best Of Oliver Shanti (1997), "Tai Chi", "Seven Times Seven, "Alhambra", "Listening To The Heart", "Medicine Power", and "Rainbow Way".

Two tracks by Oliver Shanti & Friends were featured in the Buddha Bar compilations: "Onon Mweng (Rainbird)" in the Buddha Bar II compilation produced by Claude Challe and "Sacral Nirvana" in the Buddha Bar III compilation.


Then there is this amazing last line:

In 2002, a warrant for his arrest was issued in Germany (English version), with a €3000 reward offered.

A link provides a PDF of the arrest warrant:

http://www.polizei.bayern.de

Ulrich Schulz, aka Oliver Shanti, aka Oliver Serano, aka Oliver Serano-Alve, a man who is "extreme overweight" at ca. 308-374 pounds, is being sought for... "serious child sexual abuse."

Then there's this:

From the ThinkSpain website, dated April 20, 2007:

Spanish police hunt German 'chill-out' star accused of child abuse

The Fugitives Unit of the Spanish National Police are looking for Oliver Shanti, a 58 year old German musician who is also the leader of a sect believed responsible for sexually molesting over a thousand young children. Shanti himself is accused of abusing over a hundred children during orgies at a mansion owned by the sect in Germany where Shanti used to lived with dozens of minors.

Investigators are focusing their efforts on the south of the Galicia region close to the Portuguese village where the singer now lives. Shanti is somewhat of a local celebrity in Vila Nova de Cerveira, where he has been honoured for his generosity after donating a sculpture and funding several ambulances.

German police have circulated a photo-fit description of Shanti and offered a €3,000 euro reward for information leading to his capture.


And much more here:

Tenerife News

Though the crimes were different, why am I reminded of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh?

Sunday, December 9, 2007

The Joy of Writing Liner Notes



I've been writing DVD liner notes for a number of years, and they always are a unique challenge. Somehow, one has to fill up a certain amount of space with text that is informative and hopefully interesting. The past year I've been busy doing liners for BCI's Deimos line of Paul Naschy and Spanish horror DVDs, and as these appear as foldout six pagers, there's much that can be written, if I like. I'm not mandated to write a certain length, but I have a goal of at least a thousand words. The reality is that once I get going, I proceed much further than that, nearing the two thousand mark on occasion. At times, these liners write themselves--meaning, the ideas and background information flow freely. At other times, at the beginning, I wonder how I will be about to write one hundred words, let alone a thousand or two. Both scenarios presented themselves with the liners I am finishing off now, both for Naschy films--HUMAN BEASTS and BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL. It may be a case of burn-out, but I just didn't know what I could write about BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL. I felt that HUMAN BEASTS would be the easier of the two, as I knew I would want to write about Naschy's involvement with Japan and Japanese capital. But even then, there would be serious work ahead. Well, as it turned out, while mulling over the BLUE EYES "angle," I had an inspiration of just what I wanted to do with the piece, and now I've more text on BLUE EYES, the supposed difficult assignment, and less on HUMAN BEASTS. No matter. I am thankful for the burst of inspiration, wherever it comes from, wherever it goes.

Today (Sunday), I managed to get one more detail into my HUMAN BEASTS liners: the English translation of the Japanese title of the video release. I went to St. Mark's Place, here in Manhattan, which nowadays has been taken over by Japanese food shops, restaurants and sushi bars, and many Asian kids, not all of them Japanese. I thought I would have an easy time of it, and with a copy of the Japanese cover of HUMAN BEASTS, I approached several store clerks... to find that none knew how to read Japanese! Either they were almost too young to care about ever learning the language, except maybe in talking it with their parents, or they were not Japanese. Disappointed, I made my way home, determined to stop in one last place--a Japanese restaurant on Second Avenue that was closer to home. I always see female waitresses there, so I was hesitant about going inside and showing the rather brutal and gory video cover. I still wasn't certain I would go through with my intention, when I saw a young Japanese guy cleaning up the floor near the entrance. So I rushed in before he could escape into the back and politely asked him if he would translate the writing on the cover. There was still a chance he wouldn't know either Japanese or English well enough to do the job, but he did it perfectly, adding that the film was in the horror genre, as his translation of the title was rendered with a little amused embarrassment. Thanking him "very much," I left the restaurant, but in turning a corner, I decided to go back and ask him to write down his name, as I wanted to acknowledge his help with a thanks at the end of the liner notes. And so, the translation of the Japanese title will appear in the liners, as will this young man's name.

So it goes. Piece by piece, these liners get filled up with factoids and research and some opinion. And it can take two hours of pursuing someone who reads Japanese, or two hours to translate an article in an old Spanish cinema magazine, for the gift of a single sentence.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Philadelphia Scenes









A city with many dreams for the offering if you walk down the right streets/allies. Photographs can barely hint at quite atmosphere, warm with melancholia and spirits of another time.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

The Pan Within

The Waterboys. I believe in the Pan within. Fauny video, too.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Home is Where the Heart Is?

[Written away from home.]

Being away for a longer period of time from what was one's adult home for nearly two decades makes one reflect on what a home is and its value. Particularly after a nasty, but symbolically rich dream in which one was never able to get home. (A dream that would make a splendid, absurdist European movie.)

As a person gets older, the roots are dug deeper into what constitutes home, till finally, it seems, the senior citizen merely dozes in his or her favorite chair by the electronic warmth of a TV monitor. There is contentment to an extent, though shadowed by the anxiety of impending death. We are born into security, seek change and adventure starting in our teens, and then, once past our forties, become ever receptive to being at home, cozy and snug with the possessions that give us comfort by their familiarity and evocation of nostalgia. I don't know if this inevitable fate is the one I want for myself, but I feel these impulses, which are, after all, natural to the human condition. I'd replace the TV monitor with a crackling fireplace and a book resting on my lap--and I'd be set. Still, even in such a passive old age, I'd want some excitement. But would dreams be excitement's only channel?

More to come....

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Life Changes



September was a time for a couple of considerable Life Changes. The biggest one was the departure of my son for college in Washington, DC. I was a Mr. Mom to my son, so his departure was emotional for me, and a life passage for the both of us. Though I've been a long-time proponent of independence and striking out on one's own, when you experience the absence of someone you love dearly, someone you have raised and have had great fun with--well, you get a different perspective, and start thinking how natural it is for families to live under one roof or at least in close proximity. And then, if you've had only one child, you also think if it wouldn't have been more natural and healthy to have an extra one or two. Maybe a dozen to make up a sports team. The reality would be, of course, that such a situation would prove very costly and that any goals one might have outside of raising and supporting a family would probably vanish.

Anyway, here's a toast to my son's new adventures in a new life. I know I was eager for the same things when I was in my late teens, and he should enjoy life to the fullest. Youth cannot be, should not be, wasted.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Talking to Helga Line



So yesterday, about noon, I talked to Helga Line. I came home from some household chores to find Helga Line's voice on my answering machine. Previously in the week I had given her maid or housekeeper my phone number, but I never expected a call, as I thought communications were at a standstill, either due to a failure to communicate or simple disinterest on the other party's side. But it was Line's voice on the machine, and since she spoke English, I could fully understand her. So hoping that she would still be at the number she gave over to the answering machine (a different phone number than the one I had been calling), I dialed and found myself speaking to Helga Line a moment later.

I briefly explained who I was and about my interest in interviewing her, not forgetting to mention that I was writing liner notes for two films she had starred in, whose DVDs would be released later in the year in the United States. The first film I mentioned, in my best Spanish, was LAS GARRAS DE LORELEI, and Line's reaction was immediate and surprising. (What she said will be revealed in my liners for the DVD.) Later, after I made sure I had a bit more from her about the film and its director Amando de Ossorio, we talked briefly about the next film of hers that would be released on DVD in America--EL ESPANTO SURGE DE LA TUMBA, or in English, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, with the by-now legendary Paul Naschy. Her reaction to Naschy and the film was--well, it pleased me, but her responses will also have to wait to see the light of day in another set of liner notes.

I went over her career in a quick overview, starting with her work as a child in the circus, where she was a contortionist. There were not that many surprises along the way, and Line could not offer specifics, as she's done an incredible amount of films and most of these were about three decades ago. I made sure at various instances to inform her how beloved she is by cult-movie fans in the United States, and asked her if she was aware of her status among a segment of film fans.

"I don't understand this," she replied modestly, but undoubtedly with a smile on her face that I could not see but could feel over the phone and the distance between us.

I didn't want to overstay my welcome, as it were, and I wasn't that prepared to interview her fully at that point, so we said our farewells, with Line saying that since I was so very nice and complimentary, she would give me her address in Argentina (where, I assume, she lives a good deal of time) and also her phone number there.

Of course, I hope to contact her again, this time prepared to explore her life and career with the thoroughness it deserves. But what a day, I thought afterward. I just spoke to the Helga Line, one of the most renowned actresses in euro-cult, and one of the most elusive.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Calling Emma Cohen



It is worth noting that yesterday, about noon, I called Emma Cohen. Emma Cohen is a Spanish actress (and authoress), who is most known in the United States among euro-cult fans for her roles in such films as HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, CUT-THROATS NINE and, possibly, CANNIBAL MAN. Her resume is far lengthier than that, of course, but such is fame that one finds it sometimes in the least expected places--at least for the actors and actresses who starred in genre films once upon a time. They may have forgotten about these films, but we haven't.

My call, with my Spanish-speaking friend Louis assisting me, came after a third attempt last month to contact Helga Line, another euro-cult actress. I wasn't expecting to reach her, but the person who picked up the phone was a female--and, yes, she confirmed that she was the Emma Cohen. After a frustrating time talking to Helga Line's maid (if it was her maid and not her), talking to Ms. Cohen, however briefly, was refreshing, even exhilarating. Her Spanish was spoken with precision and kindness (Louis and I tried to confirm her e-mail address several times, and Ms. Cohen exhibited lovely patience with us), and her voice was clear, youthful, sensitive and intelligent.

She had guests, so I was not able to interview her at that moment (I wasn't prepared, either), but with her e-mail received, I was sure to approach her again with questions about her life and career.

Now the dilemma is whether Emma Cohen will want to respond to questions about the films she is most famous for here in the United States. I said to her, through Louis, my interpretor, that I wanted to interview her about her career, so she doesn't suspect the specific direction many of my questions will take. (Though, obviously, I will address other parts of her career in some measure, too, not just that horror stuff.) In my next introduction to her, via e-mail, I will be upfront about my reason for interviewing her--research for my book on Spanish fantaterror films and for DVD liner notes.

As far as I know, Emma Cohen has never been interviewed about her genre films. Considered an intellectual, she may not be interested in going down the memory path of films she may think beneath her nowadays. But, then again, her voice was so lovely and her demeanor so casual, that it may not be that much of a big deal to her.

We shall see. As beauty can be deceiving, so can voices be.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

The Henryk Sienkiewicz Collection



Or perhaps more appropriately called "The Miroslaw Lipinski Collection," as I want to donate my collection of Sienkiewiczania to a library or educational institution in the United States. For a while now, I've wanted to do this, and my collection, acquired through a few decades, is without doubt the largest and most impressive collection of its kind in the world, focusing on the many English translations of Sienkiewicz's work published here around 1900 after QUO VADIS became such a huge bestseller for Little, Brown & Company in 1896. As at the time Poland did not officially exist and there was no copyright agreement between the United States and Russia (one of the masters of divided Poland and in whose territory Sienkiewicz lived), publishing houses in this country were legally free to issue their own translations of Sienkiewicz's work. I don't have the exact count at my fingertips, but at least half a dozen different translations of QUO VADIS were published, and the Philadelphia publisher Altemus issued the bookend parts of Sienkiewicz's Trilogy (that is, WITH FIRE AND SWORD and PAN MICHAEL) in translations done by Samual A. Binion. These translations competed with those done earlier by Jeremiah Curtin for Little, Brown & Company, located in Boston. (Curtin introduced Sienkiewicz to the English-speaking world and was Sienkiewicz's foremost English translator during Sienkiewicz's lifetime.) Altemus also tried to release as quickly as possible a translation of Sienkiewicz's KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS, the first historical novel Sienkiewicz wrote after the international success of QUO VADIS, directly competing with Little, Brown & Company, who persuaded Sienkiewicz, without much problem, to "sanction" and approve their Curtin translation of the book. As Sienkiewicz was serializing KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS in a Polish paper, both Little, Brown & Company and Altemus released their respective books in parts--Little, Brown in two volumes and Altemus in three. With its connection to Sienkiewicz, the Boston publisher naturally beat Altemus in getting a complete edition of KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS out on the American market, resulting in Altemus' third and concluding volume to be published when interest had died down. (This rarer third volume is generally not included in online book sales of the Binion translation, causing readers to be irritated by the lack of an ending to the story once they conclude reading volume two of the Altemus edition.)

Anyway, I have in my collection at least seventy-five American-produced Sienkiewicz books, in various editions from various publishers in various translations--most of them over a hundred years old. Included in this grouping is a Little, Brown & Company edition of THE DELUGE, Sienkiewicz's second book in his Trilogy, signed by Sienkiewicz himself, and an Altemus edition of WITH FIRE AND SWORD signed by its translator, Samuel A. Binion. These books need to be cared for better than I can and should be archived for scholars and researchers, and made freely available to interested parties.

My collection also includes many photocopies of old ads and reviews for Sienkiewicz's English translations, themselves telling a fascinating story of Sienkiewicz's reception in the United States. I spent countless hours, days, weeks going through microfilms and collections at New York's Public Library on 42nd and Fifth to find these ads and reviews, and I doubt anyone will ever go through the same trouble again, which would mean being afflicted by the same bibliographic madness I was at the time.

As someone who is always interested in film, I also have stills, posters and pressbooks from various films based on Sienkiewicz's work, including the little seen and intriguing 1963 Italian production of WITH FIRE AND SWORD, starring Jeanne Crain and Pierre Brice. (I also have a black-and-white 16mm TV print of this film.)

Then, of course, there is my own work and papers that deal with my Sienkiewicz translations and revisions published by Hippocrene Books.

I've read that the acceptance of collections and papers to libraries and universities can be a complicated, even frustrating, endeavor. It would be a pity if that would prove to be the case here.

The Hip Bone Connected to the Thigh Bone



Your toe bone connected to your foot bone
Your foot bone connected to your ankle bone
Your ankle bone connected to your leg bone
Your leg bone connected to your knee bone
Your knee bone connected to your thigh bone
Your thigh bone connected to your hip bone
Your hip bone connected to your back bone
Your back bone connected to your shoulder bone
Your shoulder bone connected to your neck bone
Your neck bone connected to your head bone
I hear the word of the Lord.

These are the appropriated and appropriate lyrics to the song "Dem Bones," a spiritual whose lyrics are taken from Ezekiel 37:14 and whose melody was written by James Weldon Johnson, a black American scholar and author.

For the past weeks, I've been acutely aware of dem bones and dem muscles and how one muscle group affects another, because I've been suffering from either a severely pulled muscle or a herniated disc. (Or could it be a "pinched nerve"?) At first, I could almost not get out of bed, so painful was my lower back and right leg when any movement to do so was attempted. Gradually, in baby steps, matters progressed more favorably, but the basics for a while--sitting, sleeping, relaxing--were impossible. And you can forget about walking. For the pain, I took Tylenol, then Advil, and finally Aleve, aware of the warnings possible side effects, including stomach bleeding--and a heart attack! (I guess the companies that manufacture these must cover all bases.) Hot and cold compresses helped, as did hot baths. (Ah, very soothing, though initially it was difficult to bend down and get in a tub.) I know I've had this trouble before, perhaps twice or even more times in my life, but this time the trouble has lasted far, far longer.

A chiropractor saw me early on and did acupuncture on me, my first real experience with that ancient Chinese remedy. The acupuncture made me sweetly relaxed, but in the long term of just another day, whatever benefits were gotten didn't seem to have a lasting effect.

Of course, once one starts limping to prevent pain on one side of the body, a strain is put on the other side, and soon enough aches and cramps are spread to areas hitherto unaffected. The hip bone is indeed connected to the thigh bone.

Lately, as I've gotten better, I've pushed myself to do more physical work around the apartment (like cleaning it up; see a previous blog entry) and have started going back to the gym again, obviously doing a less intensive workout than normal. Physical activity and the gym helps by stretching and strengthening muscles which have become rebellious or like steel tubes of searing pain wedged inside sore flesh.

I've also been getting a lot of help and care from an Arabian goddess who visits me frequently to make sure my needs are taken care of. The pampering is just right.

The last couple of days I've been able to walk for longer periods of time (try ten seconds and sometimes more) without needing to stop, grab onto a pole or a tree, as I'm wincing in increasing pain. I'm getting there, but the process is too leisurely and combative. I certainly think I've heard the word of the Lord several times in this ordeal. And the word, in the long term of life/death, mobility/immobility, ain't good.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Amy Winehouse

Contemporary music doesn't do much for me, but then I heard her a few weeks ago--





Big in England, where she's from, and getting big here in the States. This time, I'm with public opinion.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

A Clean Apartment and Organization

"Order is light, peace, inward liberty, free command over oneself; it is power.... It is aesthetic and moral beauty, it is well-being, it is man's greatest need."

I wouldn't go so far as Henri Amiel, when he wrote the above in his Journal Intime, but order is certainly welcome in my life, though rarely achieved. I really can't be bothered to put things back into their proper place, if they ever were in a proper place to begin with, so my apartment is filled with disparate mountains of sheets of papers, coming from my computer printer or from my own hand (which I, so disordered in penmanship, can barely read) and stacks of research material such as magazines, photocopies of pages from rare film books, videos, DVDs.... This disorder carries with it confusion and much time wasted when I try to find something I know I have, but don't know where.

Finally, enough is enough, and the apartment must be cleaned, and the disorder/discord eliminated. Will success ever be achieved, however?