Jeffrey Dale Starr's Blog

The 10 Greatest Songs of Neil Young

2012-01-27T06:02:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

10. "Look Out For My Love"
Album: Comes A Time

This song perfectly encapsulates the dichotomy and wonder of "Neil Young music". I read a great quote from Lou Reed one time- the interviewer asked him what kind of music he made, and he replied "I make Lou Reed music." Which is an apt description of what Neil does. You really can't compare it to anyone else.

The song starts off with acoustic picking that matches the folk-y looking album cover. And then it builds. And builds. And builds. Adding harmonies, distorted guitar, strange sounds. And best of all, very mysterious lyrics that seem to be straightforward at first...but in retrospect, when you try to piece it all together, you realize that it's as unique and bizarre as an ee cummings poem.

This is definitely "Neil Young music".

9. "I Am A Child"
Album: Last Time Around (Buffalo Springfield)

The first time I heard this song when I was in my early teens it had a huge impact on me. I was very much a rock-n-roll guy (like most teen boys) and I was first attracted to Neil Young for his blistering rockers such as "Like A Hurricane".

Then my brother Sean bought the "Decade" album and I first heard this song. I was blown away by how quiet, how soft, it was. This was the most gentle song I had ever heard by anyone...a "Clair de Lune" of rock.

And to address a touchy subject like racism in such a beautiful way. It really opened my eyes to another side of power. I knew the power of rage, but this song taught me the power of beauty.

It would make a nice one-two punch of powerful beauty if paired with "That's The Way" by Led Zeppelin.

8. "Star of Bethlehem"
Album: American Stars 'n Bars

Some die-hard Neil fans might find this to be a curious choice. "Star of Bethlehem" isn't epic like most of the songs on this list, and the lyrics aren't his most poetic.

But this is probably the most soothing song I've ever heard not made by a band called The Innocence Mission.

If you are ever feeling stressed out by anything, pour a glass of Merlot and put on this song, and I guarantee you that all of your anxiety will drift like a whisper out the window.

A combination of minor chords, harmonic guitar highlights, wire brush drums, a harmonica solo and gorgeous harmonies create an atmosphere of complete calm.

Who needs Zoloft? We just need more songs like "Star of Bethlehem".

7. "Down By The River"
Album: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

I was only 4 years old when this song came out in 1969, but I can't imagine what a shocker it was. This is the first song on my list that I would describe as EPIC.

The song is patient, haunting, and thoroughly believable. Neil has said that when he wrote this song and "Cowgirl in the Sand" he was suffering from a 103° fever. It sounds like someone going through trouble...a precursor of a Cormac McCarthy to come.

Allowing the song to build slowly really creates the vibe of a horrific moment; listening to the song today you feel like you're watching an episode of "Cold Case Files" being played out.

This was also the first time that we were exposed to the unique distorted glory of Crazy Horse.

This song can be traced as a direct link to some of Wilco's darkest stuff like "Sunken Treasure", "She's A Jar" and "Bull Black Nova". Definitely an influence on other bands like Pixies and Kings Of Leon.

An absolute masterpiece.

6. "Thrasher"
Album: Rust Never Sleeps

This one is on the list mainly for the lyrics. The music and singing are very nice, but this is one of Neil's strongest songs lyrically. The greatest lyrics can stand alone as poetry, and "Thrasher" is probably his most poetic song of all.

I was 14 when this album came out, and it had a great impact on me and was quite an education regarding what lyrics could be.

The passage that really grabbed me:

I searched out my companions
who were lost in crystal canyons
when the aimless blade of Science
slashed the Pearly Gates

That whole "aimless blade of Science" bit hit me like a ton of bricks. It still does. And I think it led to an appreciation of words in general, and to a passion for writers like William Faulkner and Joseph Conrad who use language and words like expert musicians and craftsmen in complete control of their utensils.

As a poem, "Thrasher" stands up with the best of Pope and Yeats. It is really a fine example of how great lyrics can transcend the mere primal urges of rock and roll.

5. "The Needle and the Damage Done"
Album: Harvest

A perfect mixture of beautiful words and music.

This song contains some of the trickiest guitar work that Neil has come up with- the picking and runs are simply ethereal.

Again, this song was an education for me. I guess I was used to lyrics matching the songs - Simon and Garfunkle's "Bookends" sounded sad even if you didn't know the lyrics; you would know that The Beatles' "Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da" was a fun song even if it had no words.

But "The Needle and the Damage Done" is such a striking contrast. It could actually have happy lyrics about someone relaxing in a meadow; or maybe be a love song.

But using such beautiful, seemingly happy music to be the foundation for a song about heroin addiction killing people is a real punch in the gut.

Especially now that I'm older and have seen the needle do its damage to some close friends.

On top of it, it's one of Neil's shortest songs...so we'll never be satisfied, never tire of it.

4. "Campaigner"
Album: Decade

Another lyrical masterpiece.

I know Neil Young had a beef against Richard Nixon, and I really don't care about that. To me this isn't a song about politics...it's about human frailty and the fight against ourselves.

This song has so many lines that have affected me as a writer; things I have aspired to after being shown what words can be.

The section that had the strongest impact on me:

Roads stretch out like healthy veins
And wild gift horses strain the reins

I have always been amazed at that collection of words. Not only the poetic imagery, but the rhythm of the complementary lines. Getting goosebumps just writing this. "Strain the reins". Man, it gets no better than that.

3. "Powderfinger"
Album: Rust Never Sleeps

In my mind, I always think that "Powderfinger" is a movie. I know it's not a movie, but it is so vividly spelled out in the song that I feel like I've experienced it visually.

I used to play this song with my band, and I eventually had to quit performing it because I would choke up while singing the last couple of verses. Don't really know why, but this song has tremendous power to me.

Plus, it's probably the best example of the Crazy Horse/melodic-crunch-distortion sound. I called "Down By the River" epic...but these top 3 choices are positively Wagnerian.

Side note: It's my personal theory that Alt-Country bands like Wilco and The National exist specifically due to this song.

2. "Cortez the Killer"
Album: Zuma

I can't believe I'm not listing this song at #1, but the top slot could go to no other.

That being said, "Cortez the Killer" is such an epic masterpiece and transcendent work of art that maybe it could be considered a tie.

What makes this song so amazing? Three things: 1) the music is a symphonic tour-de-force the equal of the great classical composers, 2) each line of the lyric is pure poetry and 3) it has a plot twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan.

The music is so patient as the lazy chords lay a foundation for beautiful, flowing leads that seem to be painting an impressionistic setting for what will come.

Once the singing starts, the individual lines tell a story of Montezuma and an idyllic past reminiscent of Xanadu and Shangri-la.

Then comes the twist...the greatest twist I've ever heard in a song.

After spending 7+ minutes talking about Cortez and Montezuma, Neil suddenly says:

and I know she's living there
and she loves me to this day
I still can't remember when
or how I lost my way

Chills.

It's like finding out that Norman Bates is his mother.

Neil is Cortez. Is the killer.

100% work of art.

1. "Will To Love"
Album: American Stars 'n Bars

My favorite movie of all time is Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life".

"Will To Love" is Neil Young's 'Tree of Life'.

I'm sure a lot of people hate it. At the same time, I know there are a lot of people out there who love it as much as I do (probably Neil himself among them).

The music is strange and slow. The recording makes you feel like you're wandering through some underground cavern with a dripping pool and a crackling fire.

Neil's singing is like a whisper through a flanger...everything has the feeling of waves or being under water.

Which is fitting...because this is a song where the singer is comparing himself and his love to two salmon swimming upstream.

If you think that is strange, you then get to the ending when the two fish leave off this mortal coil and go swimming off into space with each other (I actually did a painting depicting this part of the song).

Like I said, I know this song isn't for everyone.

But this opus, clocking in at over 7 minutes, is such a courageous statement of creativity, it wins my heart for first place.

Just missed the list: Hey Hey My My, Only Love Can Break Your Heart, Harvest Moon, Shots, After The Goldrush

Jeffrey Dale Starr is a Dallas-based Expressionist oil painter who concentrates on themes of Japan, Dreams, Europe, Texas and California. His work can be found in private and public collections around the world.

http://www.jeffreydalestarr.com/

[Poem]: The Life-Bit is of the Change

2012-01-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

The Life-Bit is of the Change

My friend said he was comfortable
In his untilled-soil
In his stagnant pool
In his stale air
I suppose there is a measure
of comfort
Like the mesmerizing angler fish
Like the hair-stroking Venus fly trap
Like the Black Angel's soft dark wings
"Every seven years!"
says I
"Every seven years!"
Till the soil
Run the oxygenating waterfall
Rush the cleansing breeze
The life-bit is of the change
The death-bit is of eternal same.

Caravaggio Exhibit at the Kimbell

2011-12-28T04:51:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Yesterday we finally got out to Fort Worth to see the exhibit "Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome" at the Kimbell. There were quite a few Caravaggios on display but even more paintings by artists who learned from him and imitated his style.

One of his most famous works was there, "The Cardsharps":

My favorite Caravaggio of the bunch was a painting of John the Baptist in the wilderness. I thought the shadowing (especially on his face) was amazing:

After the Caravaggio exhibit, we wandered to the other half of the museum where some of the Kimbell's permanent collection was on display. I was thrilled to see a Van Gogh, which I was not expecting. They had his "Street in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer":

Near the Van Gogh was a wonderful Cezanne entitled "Peasant in a Blue Smock":

Hands-down, though, my favorite painting on display was the haunting and gorgeous "Portrait of May Sartoris" by Frederic Leighton:

All in all, a magical day of art, food, and friends!

Oh, How I Despise Foul Language

2011-11-21T08:16:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I was just reading an interview with some young actors about a movie they recently finished filming.

As these adolescent thespians expressed themselves, their speech had to be continually bleeped for curse words being used as adjectives and adverbs.

It's one thing to have words you've never uttered come out of your mouth when, say, you slam a car door on your fingers. Even then I don't think it's OK, but it is somewhat understandable.

But these kids were just talking casually about life on the set and what they do in their spare time. And they repeatedly used vulgarity when any number of intelligent words could have been utilized.

It seems to be a common pattern with young actors to spew foul language to somehow legitimize them as serious performers...to give them street cred and gravitas.

Hogwash.

One dictionary defined 'vulgar' this way:
characterized by ignorance of or lack of good breeding or taste

That sums it up nicely. Bad language is lazy, boring, boorish, and tiresome.

Hating foul language does not make one a Pollyanna or prude. It means that you are going to desperately fight for intellectualism and decorum.

Jeffrey Dale Starr is a Dallas-based Impressionist oil painter who concentrates on themes of Japan, Dreams, Europe, Texas and California. His work can be found in private and public collections around the world.

http://www.jeffreydalestarr.com/

The Slow Death of Elegant English

2011-11-07T04:48:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Let me begin by making one thing clear: I have no problem with slang, idioms or colloquialisms.

In fact, I think they can be quite fun and expressive. I have always had a soft spot for the jazzy banter of the Rat Pack - calling someone a "cat", "all that jazz", "chick", etc. And don't even get me started about the Joys of Yiddish.

But the other night when I was reading "Sanctuary" by William Faulkner, it really struck me that a certain kind of poetic English is slowly disappearing.

The passage that had such an effect on me was describing an accused killer as he waited in his jail cell for his punishment to be administered:

The last trumpet-shaped bloom had fallen from the heaven tree at the corner of the jail yard. They lay thick, viscid underfoot, sweet and oversweet in the nostrils with a sweetness surfeitive and moribund, and at night now the ragged shadow of full-fledged leaves pulsed upon the barred window in shabby rise and fall.

How could any lover of language not be enraptured with such gorgeous, elegant prose?

I think I could read that paragraph for the next decade and still discover things to love - "thick, viscid underfoot", "sweet and oversweet", "ragged shadow", "shabby rise and fall". On and on.

And those are two sentences from a 300+ page novel.

Also, with Faulkner you get the sense that he's not showing off - he's not stretching to try to sound erudite. It was simply who he was. This is how the man thought and spoke in everyday life.

This is the sort of elegant English that I think is dying.

And I believe that Pop Culture, to a large extent, is to blame.

As I said in the outset, I don't mind everyday speech being peppered with slang. Language is alive and has been evolving since the beginning of time.

But these days it seems like the form of language taking root is lazier...less structured. If you eavesdrop in on a conversation between two individuals who only communicate via PopSpeak, you'll notice that the interchange doesn't involve any work. In the Faulkner quote above, admittedly it takes some real brainpower and analysis to appreciate what is being said. And that mental stimulation will encourage future lovely speech from the participants and listeners.

In PopSpeak, however, everyday speech becomes very mundane.

"Did you try that new restaurant?"

"Yeah, it was good."

"What did you like about it?"

"I dunno...everything I guess."

This is the kind of unimaginative, stale conversation that has taken hold of the world. If you think about it, this simple interchange offered all kinds of opportunities to be creative, expressive, interesting, passionate (who of us doesn't have strong feelings about food in general and restaurants in particular?)

I also think texting is a contributing factor.

Again, I have no problem with abbreviations and brevity.

But a generation is being raised speaking only in OMGs and TTYLs and ROTFLs.

Like all muscles, when your creative speech center is not challenged it will atrophy, break down and disappear. I fear this is happening before our eyes (and ears).

I do declare.

A Few Albums That Are Like Fine Wine

2011-10-30T06:06:00.001-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Wilco's new album "The Whole Love" came out a few weeks ago and I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop.

And a funny thing has happened - the more I listen to it the more I like it. Some songs that were just fine when I first heard them, are now becoming all-time favorites that I can't get out of my head.

It got me thinking about other albums that have had the same effect on me over the years.

The Cardigans
Super Extra Gravity

This album was a real shift for The Cardigans. Unlike their earlier alt-pop stuff (which I also love), this record has a lot of minor chords and serious themes. It took a little while to get used to, but now songs like "Godspell", "In The Round", and "I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer" have me coming back again and again.

Chris Difford
I Didn't Get Where I Am

I initially bought this album because I was hungry for some new Squeeze material. I always preferred Glenn Tilbrook's singing to Difford's, but I thought I'd give it a shot. I was in a for a big surprise. Chris Difford's three solo albums probably get more play on my iPod now than any other artist. His songs are quite different from Squeeze - they are quiet, thoughtful and mature. A telling indicator of a great album - I feel like he's singing about my life.

Ivan Moravec
Chopin: Nocturnes

People who don't listen to a lot of classical music might find an entire album of solo piano to be a bit daunting. Especially when the album features the work of a single composer. But this can be deceptive. On the first few listens, these works by Chopin did blend together for me a bit. But on repeated listens, the nuances of each individual piece came to the forefront. And I am hooked. This is one of the main albums I listen to while painting.

Them Crooked Vultures
Them Crooked Vultures

This album did not take a while to get used to. I loved it from the start. I raved about it immediately. I thought it was the best album of the year. And now...I love it even more. This record is definitely in my top 5 all time. I think it's the best Queens of the Stone Age record, the best Foo Fighters record, and one of the best Led Zeppelin records (which makes sense, considering its members). Adding to the insanity, I'm finishing up a huge painting of Venice right now called "Gondoliers", and whenever I say the title I immediately think of my favorite song on the album, "Bandoliers". Awesome, awesome, awesome album.

Weekend in New York

2011-09-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

This last weekend we went to New York to attend the Gilead graduation.

Patterson was beautiful in its full-foliage, late-summer/early fall green.

We were given the royal treatment by our friends and hosts, Sal and Josefina Cutrona.

After morning worship, Josefina gave us a tour of the Art, Translation Services and Computer departments. Gayle from the Art department showed us the Costume and Prop department, and I tried on this helmet (becoming some weird time-traveling Roman soldier in a modern suit).

When touring the Gilead area, Starr and I were able to sit in one of the class rooms while a graduating couple explained some things they learned to their visiting family members.

After the morning tour, we enjoyed lunch with Sal, Josefina, Ted from Audio/Visual (center) and Matt from the Computer Department (right).

After lunch, Josefina took us to the Brotherhood winery in the nearby town of Washingtonville. It's the oldest winery in the United States.

The next morning was the Gilead graduation. It was a great privilege to not only be invited to attend, but to be able to sit inside the auditorium. The majority of attendees watched the graduation via tv monitor.

One of the graduating couples that Starr and I were able to meet were from Japan. We were able to speak to them for a little while in Japanese and tell them about our Japanese service group in Dallas.

After the graduation we headed into the city to take in a show. Since I love reptiles, I was happy to see this restaurant called Iguana.

Heading over to the theatre, Sal said something that really cracked me up. I can't remember what it was, but it was obviously funny.

Before the show we had dinner at the Carnegie deli, as seen in one of my favorite movies, "Broadway Danny Rose".

We enjoyed their insanely massive sandwiches, as demonstrated by Sal.

After dinner we went to the Gershwin Theatre to watch "Wicked".

The show was great in every way: great songs; funny; and spectacular sets.

The next morning was very relaxed. After sleeping in, Sal drove us to Brooklyn for a nice Thai lunch at Joya and then back to the airport. Surprisingly, for being the 10th anniversary of 9-11, things went very smoothly at the airport.

Can't wait to get back to Patterson to visit our friends the next time!

A Lovely Manga: "Kimi Ni Todoke"

2011-08-02T04:20:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Out of the dozens (hundreds?) of manga titles that I've read over the years, there are two that stand out at the top of the heap: "Maison Ikkoku" and "Marmalade Boy". For the longest time, I didn't think it was possible for any manga to even approach the greatness of "Maison Ikkoku", but then "Marmalade Boy" came along and I had to admit that it contained the same emotional punch as Ikkoku and was just as cherished.

Since reading "Marmalade Boy" about 5 years ago, I've read many other manga titles that were quite good: "Ai Yori Aoshi", "Sand Chronicles", "Kare Kano". While each of these manga had their great moments, none of them had the consistency and emotional impact of "Maison Ikkoku" and "Marmalade Boy".

And then came "Kimi Ni Todoke".

This manga is a real fooler. In the first few pages, you'll get the impression that it's sort of a gimmick. The main heroine, Sawako, has a very dark look to her. She seems like a gloomy, goth type and the other kids nickname her "Sadako" (a character from a horror film). So I wasn't enamored right away...I was thinking, 'this is going to be an endless series of misunderstandings where the scary girl is actually nice and sweet'.

Well, the scary girl is actually nice and sweet, but that isn't what makes "Kimi Ni Todoke" amazing.

What develops in the subsequent pages and volumes is the most honest portrayal of human emotion I've ever read in a manga (and few other literary avenues). The elation that the characters feel seems 100% genuine. The heartbreak is sincerely devastating. The moments of grace are quiet and solid.

I'm currently on Volume 6, and so far I haven't made it through a volume without crying at least once.

This title is passing the ultimate test...I'm dreading reading the final page because I never want it to end.

Weekend in San Francisco

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

We recently went back to San Francisco for the weekend with our friend Julie Nguyen. She hadn't been to California before, so we had a nice time seeing everything again through her eyes.

The next day, when we got to Chinatown they were having some sort of festival and we saw this guy in an awesome dragon costume. The eyes looked especially real.

It was cold and foggy (as usual), but we had to see the ocean since we're landlocked now. We were all well engaged in sand-dollar hunting.

The water was freezing but we adjusted after a while. The surprise was seeing quite a few dungeness crab just below the surface that were big enough to eat. Fortunately for them we were on vacation...or they might have been dinner!

We stayed with beloved old friends Darryl and Yumi.

The always-breathtaking view from Twin Peaks.

The sky cleared up and we were able to catch the hang gliders out at Fort Funston.

Next day we took a cruise of the bay on the Blue & Gold Fleet.

Not sure if you can tell from this picture, but it was a little windy out on the water...

Headed over to Pier 39 and Julie flirted shamelessly with this mellow surfer dude. She couldn't seem to get a reaction out of him, however.

Further down the pier we visited Candy Baron, possibly the greatest candy shop on the planet.

Can't visit San Francisco without a sugar overload via Ghirardelli's.

Julie hanging out of the cable car, looking like an ad for a travel agency.

It was a short trip, but we had a ball.

Baby Bunny

2011-06-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I was watering the flowers this morning, and out from under a bush hobbled a tiny, tiny creature. Couldn't tell what it was at first, but upon close inspection it was an adorable baby bunny!

A perspective shot showing how little he really is:

EUR11 - Day 13 - London

2011-06-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Since today was our last full day in Europe, we decided to treat ourselves to room service for breakfast. 'The Full English', as they say.

After breakfast we headed over to the famed British Museum, probably the greatest archeological museum in the world.

One of the first things we saw was the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone is an Ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek. Because it presents essentially the same text in all three scripts (with some minor differences between them), it provided the key to the modern understanding of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Human-headed, winged bull and genie from Assyria.

One of many rooms containing Assyrian friezes portraying the aggressive lion hunting and military ruthlessness of the 7th-century B.C.E. world power.

When looking at Greek antiquities, I saw this horse head that looked really familiar. Then I realized it was pictured on the cover of the Wire album, "A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck".

Terracotta foundation document, from Nineveh 694 BCE. This is inscribed with a record of Sennacherib's campaigns, including his siege of Jerusalem in 701 BCE.

In the Egyptian wing, there were a lot of mummies. I was most fascinated with these cat mummies!

The Cyrus Cylinder. Describes how Persian king Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BCE and returned deported people to their homes.

After the museum, we decided to get a nice English lunch at a nearby pub named The Plough.

Fish and chips, mashed peas, and a lovely beer called London Glory. Ahhhh.

After lunch we took a short walk to Covent Garden.

Starrina found a cute shirt with a cute lamb on it.

We returned to a candy shop we found on a previous visit to London.

I'm making this corny face for Starr's benefit. She can't stand violet-flavored candy and I love it.

We keep walking past this amazing dress at Harvey Nichols when we travel from the Underground station to our hotel. It's by Alexander McQueen and is made entirely of feathers. Looks really cool in person.

One final piece of foreign candy before closing out the European Vacation portion of my blog. A funny claim on the wrapper - this was the first candy to go to the top of Mt. Everest. Apparently, Edmund Hillary had some of this stuff on him. I guess that's a selling point.

Tomorrow - heading home. Thanks to everyone for reading!

EUR11 - Day 12 - London

2011-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Sort of a relaxed, laid-back day in London. The main thing we wanted to do was get to the Sherlock Holmes museum.

Headed out toward the museum. On the way, we saw this store that we thought had a funny name considering its product.

As we headed into Hyde Park, we spotted this sign that had meaning for us musically on multiple levels. First, there's Battersea, as in Morrissey's "You're the One for Me, Fatty": all over Battersea/some hope and some despair. Then there's Paddington, as in the Catatonia song "Londinium": Euston, Paddington, train station please....
On top of it all, our hotel butts up against Sloane Square. Busy, busy.

One of the many, many majestic trees in Hyde Park.

At the entrance of the park is this massive horse head statue.

Finally we arrived at 221b Baker Street, home of the Sherlock Holmes museum. They have faithfully recreated the interior according to the details provided in the books & the version of the TV Show starring Jeremy Brett. The building itself is about 200 years old. The address "221B", which is between 237 & 241 Baker Street, was assigned to the building when the museum was opened on March 27, 1990 (just five days after we were married).

Starrina does a Jeremy Brett impersonation in the minute she had to pose on an original chair used in the show. Watson was in his chamber upstairs packing for another adventure while Mrs. Hudson was preparing their dinner.

On the top floors of the museum, they have recreated scenes from the books. Pictured is Irene Adler and the King of Bohemia, as featured in the classic "A Scandal in Bohemia".

We tried to catch an early dinner at the beautiful Fortnum & Mason, but we were too early. Only sweets were available, and for the past few days I've consumed my yearly allotment of sugar.

Next, we went and saw "X-Men: First Class". It just may be my favorite comic book movie yet, and for a nerd like me, that's saying something. Starr and I continue our list of foreign countries in which we've attended a movie at the theatre: England, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, France and Italy.

Back at our hotel...pretty flowers and a beautiful girl.

Tomorrow - museums.

EUR11 - Day 11 - London

2011-06-03T16:47:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Our day began by being transported to the Venice airport via water taxi. There were a lot of big ships this morning, so we had some exciting moments of cutting through their wake.

In our taxi heading from Heathrow to Central London.

Our room at the Sheraton Park Hotel in Knightsbridge. From the left window you have a clear view of Buckingham Palace.

Before our trip, I hoped to find something with a really dreadful version of Will & Kate emblazoned on it. The worst we saw so far is these busts of them. Kate already looks 50, and she's only been married a few weeks. I won't buy anything, though, unless it's laughably bad upon immediate viewing.

A typical scene in the neighborhood in which we're staying.

We decided to see a play in Piccadilly Circus, so we grabbed dinner at nearby Leicester Square at a place called Angus Steak House.

Everything was great, especially the desserts. Starr got a raspberry parfait that was dreamy, and I tried something called fig shortbread. My expectations were low, but it was delicious.

The play we saw was "The 39 Steps" at the Criterion Theatre. It was funny, exciting and highly original.

The Criterion was cozy and beautiful.

On the way back, Starr posed under our subway station sign.

Tomorrow - more London.

EUR11 - Day 10 - Venice

2011-06-02T16:30:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Our day began by crossing the historic Rialto bridge.

Walking through one of the squares, we caught this perfect moment of a Venetian kitty looking at us from a second-story balcony.

It was a good day for animals. After the kitty, we saw a dog drinking from a public fountain.

Next we were taken to a mask shop. The woman on the left is the owner, and the little girl to her right is her daughter. The daughter was really cute and shy (though you can't tell from this picture).

After meeting the owner, we were taken to her shop and all of us made our own masks. Since I'm most comfortable with landscapes, I just painted a landscape on my mask.

Starrina painted a mask with a swan theme.

After creating our masks, we spent the afternoon exploring all of the beautiful vistas of Venice.

We also acquired this fabulous piece of licorice that was the size of a garden hose.

Since it was our final night together, the tour provided a special dinner for us that featured a classical trio and a very entertaining host dressed in 18th century garb.

We were also taught to dance the minuet by these classical dancers. Afterwards, we were shown slides of our trip together. Everybody got a little choked up when it was time to say goodbye.

Tomorrow - on to London.

EUR11 - Day 09 - Venice

2011-06-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Today it was time to pack up and leave Tuscany to head north to Venice.

Our transport would be a high-speed Eurostar Rail train. Much like the Japanese Shinkansen, these trains zoom along at hundreds of miles per hour.

From the moment we arrived in Venice, we were given a gondola ride. Very soothing and a great way to be introduced to the city.

The first thing you notice is how quiet Venice is. There are no cars, motorcycles or bicycles so noise is greatly reduced. And these glorious views were endless.

In the background is the Grand Canal. No photo can convey how breathtaking it is in person.

While touring the city, our guides led us down this obscure, narrow alleyway.

On the other side of the alleyway was a small patio where we were greeted by an actor portraying Marco Polo. He gave us his life story in the first person, and it was entertaining as well as educational.

Our final group photo, in the historic Piazza San Marco.

After our walking tour of Venice, we are transported to our hotel via water taxi.

Our first view of our hotel, the Venice Molino Stucky Hilton, from our water taxi.

Our room.

Tomorrow - more Venice.

EUR11 - Day 08 - Florence

2011-05-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Today was a day trip to Florence.

On the way to Florence, our tour guide Marco explained why Florence was considered the birthplace of the Renaissance and how art and culture changed so dramatically there.

Our first stop was the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's David. This 17-foot masterpiece is very impressive in person. Cameras aren't allowed in the museum, so these pictures are from the interwebs.

After touring the Accademia, we moved toward the center of town.

We moved past the Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge") heading on to the public square Palazzo della Signoria.

Once we reached the Palazzo della Signoria we saw many original statues that are displayed right out in the open. These are considered some of the most significant pieces in the history of sculpture, since they implemented layouts and techniques never previously attempted.

Another impressive, beautiful (and disturbing?) statue in the square.

Some more sculpture.

After lunch, we decide to cross over the Ponte Vecchio and check out that part of town.

We decided to tour the Palazzo Pitti, a grand building that is now a museum. The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and became the chief residence of the ruling families of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. It grew as a great treasure house as later generations amassed paintings, plates, jewelry and luxurious possessions.

In the late 18th century, the palazzo was used as a power base by Napoleon, and later served for a brief period as the principal royal palace of the newly united Italy. The palace and its contents were donated to the Italian people by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1919, and its doors were opened to the public as one of Florence's largest art galleries. Today, it houses several minor collections in addition to those of the Medici family, and is fully open to the public.

Among the many famous paintings we saw was "Il Canto di Uno Stornello" by Silvestro Lega.

I was also pleasantly shocked by seeing the huge and awesome "Ecce Homo" by Antonio Ciseri (one of my all-time favorite paintings).

A funny side-note: our ticket allowed us to also go to the "Modern Art" section. Since I'm no big fan of modern art, we almost didn't go...but decided to anyway, as we already paid for it. We get into the "Modern Art" section and it contains 19th-century masters like John Singer Sargent and Pisarro. I guess when you're 500 years old, 'modern' is a relative term!

Next we toured the grounds of the Palace. Starrina got a bittersweet reminder of our little guys back home.

The grounds of the Palace are almost as impressive as the interiors.

Everywhere you looked was manicured and pristine.

More landscaping awesomeness.

Yet another feline friend we've made in Italia. This fat little guy lives la dolce vita right on the palazzo grounds.

A great view of Florence from this spot. Plus, it has pretty girls sitting on walls.

After the museum, we got gelato from the most famous gelato shop in Italy, Grom. Starr got pistachio and lemon in a cup and I got pistachio in a cone (and, ordered it properly, I might add: pee-STOCK-ee-oh).

Before leaving Florence we grabbed some dinner. Starr had penne with truffles and mushroom sauce and I had ravioli with meat sauce. Interesting tidbit: I have yet to see spaghetti and meatballs on a menu. I'm getting the feeling that it's an American concoction.

Tomorrow - On to Venice!

EUR11 - Day 07 - Tuscany, Pisa

2011-05-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

More Italian snacks. The bag of cookies are somewhat Pepperidge Farm style; can of coffee a tasty latte; the Crostatine is a delicious little mini-pie; the Figolu is like a better version of a fig newton.

Today started off (after getting to sleep in late) with making some pasta. We made it from scratch! Just flour, egg, olive oil and some spinach. Rolled it out and ran it through the machine.

Pasta chef #2.

After making pasta we headed to lunch at the resort restaurant. We had this stunning view of the valley from the restaurant windows.

One of my favorite meals yet: pasta, pasta, pasta. The spinach fettuccine was especially tasty with a mushroom sauce.

Found the kitty from last night (we've nicknamed him Figaro from Pinocchio). He did not like being held.

He did walk with us wherever we went, however, and let Starr pet him as he rolled around.

After lunch we toured the grounds of the main Medici mansion.

In the background is the small village that is within walking distance of the resort. We were planning on just hanging around the resort today, but then it was mentioned that a small group was going to make a side trip to Pisa (about an hour away). We decided not to miss it, and were really glad we went.

The classic "holding up the Tower of Pisa" pose. Not so classic - my huge, pasta-filled belly.

From a distance you can really get a sense of the extreme tilt of the tower. In person, you can't believe that this thing hasn't fallen over yet. It's very, very impressive.

Saw this cute scene of daughter attempting classic tower pose and baby sister trying to copy older sister.

More culprits in the Case of Jeff's Expanding Waistline. Italy makes the best ice cream.

Starrina bought a cool bracelet from this guy who makes jewelry from silverware. The bracelet she's wearing was made from a dessert fork like the one he's holding in his mouth.

After returning from Pisa we had a fabulous dinner featuring Tuscan barbeque. I'll worry about the belly when I get home. Just too much good food here.

Tomorrow - Florence!

EUR11 - Day 06 - Tuscany

2011-05-29T13:37:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Today we left Rome and started to head northeast. Our first stop was the ancient Etruscan city of Orvieto.

Orvieto is positioned high on a cliff and was established by the Etruscans, people who were in Italy as early as 700 BCE and predated the Romans. The town has narrow, winding streets that all seem to lead to a massive ancient church, the Duomo.

I found this kitty and taught him to say 'buongiorno' to everyone.

Apparently Betty Boop is over 3,000 years old.

An incredible view of the valley high from Orvieto.

Starrina found a modern-day Geppetto on a backstreet of Orvieto. He hand-makes toys from olive wood. We bought a cool Pinocchio from him.

Wild boars are all over this area, and many of them were displayed throughout the town.

Saw this beer bottle on a wall and the name cracked me up: "Beer of the Demons".

This dog was the size of a small horse. It was getting warm and I guess he was enjoying the cool cobblestones.

For lunch, Starr had a calzone and I had a porchetta panini...one of the boars we saw earlier?

More foreign candy. The "Pixel" was really good. Strong, natural fruit flavor.

We saw a couple getting married at Orvieto. The bride is wearing purple!

After driving further north, we came to our hotel for the next few days...a resort high in the hills over Tuscany in a small village called Artimino. We are staying at the Hotel Paggeria Medicea, an estate owned by the Medici family that is basically a vineyard/olive grove (they own like the whole mountain). Pictured is the main Medici family estate. Our hotel, not pictured, is to the left and was formerly the servants' quarters.

Our room.

Our room.

After settling into our room, we were all taken to a wine tasting featuring the wines and olives produced on the grounds.

Dinner was another 5-course feast featuring risotto, fried potatoes, fava beans, salad, bow-tie pasta, turkey, pork and chocolate mousse for dessert.

Once we got back to the hotel, we found this D'Artagnan cat walking the grounds. He was just as aloof as our little man back home.

Tomorrow - kicking back at the resort.

EUR11 - Day 05 - Rome

2011-05-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Today started out at the Colosseum.

This is a massive structure that seated 50,000+. Standing inside, you realize that it's the same size as many modern sports stadiums. Underneath the main stage was a mini-underground city where gladiators and wild animals could be moved into the arena without being seen.

This "gladiator" was outside taking pictures with tourists. Quite a few of the ladies in our group visibly drooled at his manliness.

After the Colosseum we walked toward the Forum. On the way, we passed the famous Arch of Titus.

Plainly visible is the depiction of Titus' conquest of Jerusalem in 70, showing the menorah from the Temple being carried off.

We also passed a bay leaf tree! I didn't realize that these come from a massive tree containing what look like normal leaves. I began craving spaghetti (again).

The Forum. The 6 columns to the right were part of the official entry gate to ancient Rome.

Part of Capitol Square, our final stop before lunch.

An amazing bridge we passed on the way to lunch.

Roman-style pizza for lunch. The Roman style is very thin and crispy.

After lunch we visited the legendary Trevi fountain.

Like so many of the things on this trip, a photograph cannot accurately convey the size of this fountain. Take however big you think it is, and multiply times a hundred.

Starrina captured this great photo. The door was only open for a second, but it's perfectly framed.

On to what is considered the greatest ancient building on Earth, the Pantheon.

Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

The artist Raphael is entombed there.

After the Pantheon, Starr found the biggest Pinocchio yet.

Our tour group. The Steve McQueen-looking guy in the middle, laughing with a white shirt, was our local Roman guide.

In the evening, Starrina and I went to the movies ("Pirates of the Caribbean 4" ... in Italian). We saw these people in ancient garb posing in front of this fountain. Couldn't figure out if they were on their way to a costume party or something else.

Finished the day with yet another great meal. Appetizer of bruschetta, lasagne for me and calamari pasta for Starr. And of course, wine.

Tomorrow - On to Tuscany!

EUR11 - Day 04 - Rome

2011-05-27T13:07:00.001-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Early start today.

This morning was spent touring the Vatican. This is one of those cases illustrating the advantages of being part of a tour. When we got to the Vatican Museum, the line went around the block and looked to be about a 4 hour wait. We went straight in. Same thing happened later with St. Peter's Basilica, which looked to be about a 2 hour wait.

There were a lot of great statues in this hallway, but it was the incredible paintings on the ceiling that kept grabbing our attention.

One room had dozens of these huge, priceless tapestries (considered to be the finest in the world). Each piece is roughly 10 feet tall by 18 feet wide. Some of them took 30-40 years to complete.

More of the mind-blowingly ornate ceilings. These ceilings go on forever like this.

After the museum we entered the Sistine Chapel and got to see Michaelangelo's famous ceiling and also his massive wall painting depicting Judgment Day. No picture can convey the size and scope of this room.

Next we entered St. Peter's Basilica. Words cannot describe the immensity and opulence of this structure. We've seen a lot of impressive buildings in our travels, but everything pales in comparison to this place. Your brain can hardly even process the size of the pillars, statues, domes, artwork, and luxury in this place. One indication: this one church can seat 50,000 people.

Adding to the surreal feeling of the building, it contains at least 3 mummified Popes that we saw.

The front of the Basilica. The balcony two windows to the right of the statue of Peter is where the Pope stands when he speaks publicly.

A more distant view helps to understand the scale of these structures.

Next it was time for a traditional Italian lunch at this restaurant named "Terno Secco". Our tour guide said the name is taken from a card game where you say terno secco! when you have the equivalent of "gin!"

Family-style "appetizers" that were more than a meal in themselves. Our guides kept saying "Eat, eat!".

This was a complete 4-course lunch. Shown is saltimbocca (veal with prosciutto). Interestingly, the name "saltimbocca" means jump in the mouth. Not shown: a huge piece of pesto lasagne and many desserts. Sooo delicious. Sooo full...

After lunch, Starrina and I went out to Rome Bethel via taxi. We discovered, thankfully, that cab rates are quite a bit lower in Rome than in Paris. Bethel is kind of out in the boondocks, but our cab rate was very affordable. Same thing with the Metro: in Paris, minimum rate was like 3 euro. In Rome, 1 euro to go anywhere.

Our guide was Beatriz, a very nice Sister who was fluent in Italian, English, Spanish and Russian. That's one thing about Europeans...we haven't met anyone that doesn't speak at least two languages.

This very funny and nice Sister showed us how she uses this machine to iron sheets. While she was giving the demo one of the young Brothers behind her who was folding clothes said, "Well, the capable wife mentioned in Proverbs 31 didn't have one of those machines!"

This picture is not only cool because of the scale model of Solomon's Temple, it's also cool because of the little boy eating a piece of bread the size of his head!

We met these really nice Sisters from Cleveland on the Bethel tour. They had taken the bus from Rome, so we headed back with them to the Metro station. I'm sure we were really loud on the bus, but they were all very funny and we couldn't help it.

After we got back to our side of town, we had dinner at a restaurant nearby (on the sidewalk, of course). I had fettucini with lobster and Starrina had some roast chicken. Our waiter was very entertaining, as are 99% of the Italians we meet. Lots of personality and star quality around here.

Our friend Tom Morales told us before this trip that the gelato in Italy is like nothing you've ever tasted. He was not wrong. Absolutely delicious in an almost indescribable way. Much more flavorful and less rock-hard than typical ice cream.

More foreign snacks. The San Carlo potato chips are excellent...a lot like Lay's. Ringo is also good. They're like Oreos with a chocolate cookie on one side and vanilla on the other. The Tabu licorice is another matter. So so so strong as to be inedible. I'm not even sure my brother Sean (who loves strong licorice) would like this stuff.

Tomorrow - Colosseum, Forum and more.

EUR11 - Day 03 - Rome

2011-05-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Still not adjusted to the time change, we didn't fall asleep till almost 2:00 AM. Plus, we were in the heart of a city that doesn't sleep. And we needed to get up at 5:00 to catch our plane to Rome.

This is what 3 hours of sleep and no coffee looks like.

For the flight to Rome, Starrina bought some exciting Hollywood gum! (tasted like plain old Wrigleys).

Our driver from the Rome airport to the hotel was Francesco. He was very charming and a great conversationalist. He actually goes to Japan a lot so we were able to speak to him in Japanese too (sooo many languages on this trip already...)

Our room.

View from our room.

The piazza in front of our hotel in daytime.

We had a few hours to kill before our introductory dinner with our tour group, so we walked down a few blocks to the famous Spanish Steps.

At the foot of the Spanish Steps was this guy dressed as a Centurion posing for photos.

A view of a typical crowded street in the area, with huge pillar.

Some cool architecture a few blocks down the street from our hotel.

We saw this free-running spout in an open area of the sidewalk. Couldn't figure out what it's for.

A million Pinocchios and a handful of Vito Corleones. Every little souvenir shop has a bunch of stuff with the Pope or the Godfather on it.

This cool shell fountain is right across the street from our hotel.

Lobby of our hotel.

Also in the lobby of our hotel is this huge tapestry that takes up the entire wall. Even the hallways have chandeliers and artwork everywhere.

View from the roof of our hotel.

Starr's patting my stomach trying to calm it down, knowing that it is craving pasta.

Our tour guides, Tina and Marco, give us a very entertaining overview of what to expect on our trip throughout Italy.

Just some of our exquisite dinner.

Our hotel at dusk.

Tomorrow - The Vatican and hopefully Bethel.

EUR11 - Day 02 - Paris

2011-05-25T14:29:00.001-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Got a late start today. We were totally exhausted and slept till 11:00. Started walking down the Champs-Élysées to head toward the Orsay Museum.

Passed a Toyota dealership with this futuristic car, plus a car attached to the wall!

Due to a lack of time, we could only marvel at the exterior of the Grand Palais as we walked past on our way to the Orsay.

Stopped on a bridge over the Seine to double-check the map and verify that we were heading the right direction.

Finally we arrived at the fabulous Orsay Museum. It used to be a train station, and is one of the most gorgeous buildings we've ever seen.

Some of the outrageously famous paintings we saw today first-hand. Everywhere you turned was another Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpiece that you've seen your whole life. It was amazing.

The entrance of the museum.

We were, in fact, able to see "The Tree of Life" after the trip to the museum. The movie isn't for everyone, but it's already in my all-time Top 5. Next, we headed over to the Eiffel Tower. Next door is a merry-go-round that had some great paintings on it. Starrina especially laughed at this monkey smoking a cigar and playing cards.

While we waited for the sun to go down to see the tower light up (it doesn't get dark until 10:00!), we ordered a crepe from this place that was a favorite stop on our last trip here.

Chocolate and banana...mmmmm.

It's a good thing we order Coke Lights with our crepes!

Found this cool spot on a nearby bridge to wait for the tower lights to come on.

Très magnifique!

After we got back to the hotel, we were treated to some delicious, complimentary champagne.

Tomorrow - on to Rome!

EUR11 - Day 01 - Paris

2011-05-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

After months of waiting, the start date for our 2011 European trip finally arrived.

As is typical, we were maniacally busy up until the moment we left. Starr hadn't slept in 40+ hours when we arrived at the airport.

This our hotel in Paris, the Hotel Splendid Etoile. It's located right across the street from the Arc de Triomphe at the end of the Champs Elysées.

Our hotel room.

View of the Arc de Triomphe from our window.

View of a cafe from the opposite window.

After getting settled in we decided to go to the top of the Arc to get a panoramic view of Paris.

The elevator was out, so we had to walk to the top! It's the equivalent of a 15 story building. I counted the steps on the way back down. All 230 of them.

After the Arc de Triomphe, we walked to the Parc Monceau (kind of like a Paris version of New York's Central Park...or vice-versa? This park was built in the mid-1800s). Anyway, when we first walked in all of these school kids were running around like crazy having fun. It was really nice.

Inside the park, we stopped to grab a quick bite at a snack bar there. In my ignorance, I ordered this panini-type thing (can't remember the name in French) thinking it would be a sandwich. Instead, it was one of the most delicious lunches I've had in a long time. Also had my "Coke Light", the European version of Diet Coke. Actually prefer it to Diet Coke...tastes almost exactly like the original.

Cool pond area inside the park. This pigeon was posing like royalty.

Loved these old-fashioned Metro signs.

After the park, we went to the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House). This is the building that was the setting for The Phantom of the Opera. To fully appreciate the grandeur of this magnificent structure, look first at how small Starrina is next to these huge statues. Then compare how small those statues are compared to the entire building in the next picture.

The Palais Garnier.

Since we had walked quite a way from our hotel, we decided to take the subway (Metro) back to our hotel.

When we were about 2 blocks from our hotel I was shocked to see a movie theatre with this written on the marquis. As many of you know, Terrence Malick is one of my favorite movie directors and I recently finished a painting featuring the man. I thought that they might be showing his new movie, "The Tree of Life", but instead it was a mini-festival featuring three of his previous films ("Days of Heaven", "The Thin Red Line" and "The New World"). I plan on seeing "The Tree of Life" tomorrow (two days before it's released in the U.S.!)

Starrina and I are continuing our tradition of trying strange new sodas and candy in foreign countries. The Lion Bar was excellent...like a Twix with Rice Crispies and caramel. Fit for the king of the beasts!

Had dinner at our hotel's restaurant. This was literally the best wine I've ever tasted. Hoping I can find it in Dallas.

Starrina had steak, I had prawns...both were exquisite.

View from room after dark.

View from room after dark.

Tomorrow - museums!

Spring Comes to Parkshire Drive

2011-04-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Leaves are yawning and stretching!
Flowers are singing!
Turtles and bunnies are rubbing the sleep from their eyes!
Spring has arrived!

The appearance from hibernation of our most gregarious box turtle, Yertle, let us know that spring had indeed arrived. His siblings Othello, Desdemona and Iago have been seen here and there. Generally, they stay under the tool shed.

Yertle didn't move much on the rocks, so I caught him scampering (well, as much as a box turtle scampers) in the grass.

We planted our wisteria late in the summer last year so we didn't get to see any flowers. But there has been a lot of growth and flowers this spring, so we have high hopes. Eventually we'd like to have an overhanging trellis full of these purple beauties.

For about a month or so we were privileged to be visited by migratory birds heading back up north. We had dozens of brightly colored songbirds enjoying our birdbaths and the couple of birdhouses we have in the backyard.

D'Artagnan noticed our temporary friends as well.

The knockout rose bush next to the driveway is in full bloom.

Speaking of migratory birds, a few weeks ago I glanced out the front window while writing code and was shocked to see this duck walking around in the front yard! That was a first.

The pansies survived the winter and are still doing well.

It seems like the final pomegranate just fell off the bush, and already the new batch is starting to bloom.

The roses along the back fence are much fuller than last year.

The needles (leaves?) are returning to the bald cypress.

The honeysuckle bush has an incredibly strong fragrance right now. It's a shame, because in a few weeks we're going to install a new fence and this bush is going to have to be cut down (temporarily).

Well, that's it for now. But some of the most exciting plants have yet to bloom: the huge moon flowers, the hibiscus, all 4 of our crepe myrtles, the hydrangeas...it's a true joy to watch this ever-changing parade of creation.

Hooray For The Penguin

2011-03-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

This is a video that our friend Julie sent us that really made our day.

In fact, this put me in a good mood all week!

Trees In Bloom

2011-03-15T10:08:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Spring is almost here and a couple of our trees are gloriously in bloom.

I'm glad I took these pictures when I did...the blossoms on the Bradford Pear are already starting to fall (fighting my Irish Joycean urge to wax dismal at the brevity of existence).

The Bradford Pear at the center of our backyard.

The Redbud tree that guards our driveway.

In a few weeks I'll have an extensive post of all of the flowers and plants that are just now poking out from the dirt.

I forgot how brief winter is in Texas. No complaints!

A Century By Any Other Name...

2011-03-11T07:41:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

"Two-thousand eleven"

"Twenty eleven"

"Two-thousand eleven"

"Twenty eleven"

"Wabbit season"

"Duck season"

Have you noticed that we're in a colloquial transition phase when it comes to our century? Half the people refer to the current year as "twenty eleven" and the other half prefer "two-thousand eleven".

I actually think this happens every century.

Think about the previous century: every year was "nineteen-" whatever.

"Nineteen ninety-eight", "nineteen seventy-five".

But if you hear some old timer referring to the turn of the century (say, in a movie from the 1930s), he'll say, "Why, that was back Nineteen hundred and two".

So it seems like up until the first double-digit year, we have a tendency to use the long version of the century.

To illustrate: it would be awkward to pronounce the year "2007" as "twenty-seven". And "twenty-oh-seven" uses an extra syllable and sounds rather anachronistic.

On the other hand, pronouncing "2010" as "twenty-ten" makes perfect sense. And in our electronic, lightning-speed information age, every syllable counts.

"I don't have time to say 'two-thousand eleven'! I'm missing Jersey Shore!!!"

I think over the next few years the "two-thousand" pronunciation will disappear and the "twenty" will become the norm.

Interview with International Art Scene

2011-02-09T06:01:00.001-08:00

The online art magazine International Art Scene just published an interview they did with me:

Click here to read

Thanks for reading!

-Jeff

Painting In Progress: "Vilshofen, Germany"

2011-02-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I currently have 10 paintings in various stages of completion, but the one that is most interesting to me is a piece entitled "Vilshofen, Germany".

It's the largest painting I've ever done: over 7 feet wide and nearly 5 feet tall.

The piece is a commission for my friend Brad Phillips, whose family is from Vilshofen and who has a rather large space that needs filling over his living-room sofa.

At first I was afraid that this was going to be one of those paintings that took 6 months, but since there really aren't a lot of overlapping areas (and thus, less drying time between sessions) I think it might be done within a month or two.

In the meantime, I should be completing 4 or 5 new paintings within the next month.

Mysterious Footprints in the Driveway

2011-01-13T08:47:00.001-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

One of the unexpected joys we've experienced by moving to the outskirts of Dallas is that, even though we live in a residential area, there is still an abundance of wildlife that makes its way through our neighborhood.

This morning, when I was bringing the trash cans back up from the curb, I saw these footprints on the driveway:

They were coming from the direction of the hedges that we have on the western side of the house.

So what caused them? Raccoon? Opossum? Coyote?

Doesn't matter - all animals are welcome at Chez Starr!

Winter Comes To Parkshire Drive

2011-01-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

The glorious and exciting change of seasons here in Dallas continues.

The latest surprise was real snow that actually stuck! The closest we got in 14 years in San Francisco was some hail that took a while to melt. Of course, we could always drive to Lake Tahoe, but that's completely different from seeing snow in your own yard!

After a couple of hours of promises by the local weathermen, the snow finally began to fall.

An hour later our big crape myrtle out front took on an ethereal look, draped in white.

Starrina checks out the cap of snow on one of our lanterns.

D'Artagnan investigates the strange white substance for the first time. His verdict? Me no like.

Once the flurries subsided the roof, lawn and trees were completely covered. It will all probably melt away tomorrow, but today was like magic.

Painting In Progress: "Inokashira"

2011-01-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Making slow but steady progress on one of my new paintings, "Inokashira". This was a painting I started in a demonstration at Spring Creek Gardens.

It's taking a little longer than some of my other paintings because there are multiple layers and I'm liberally using Lamp Black (which, for some reason, takes forever to dry).

My Japanese girl in the foreground is anxious for me to finish...she wants to show off her fancy yukata!

A Banner Year for Animated Films

2011-01-02T05:24:00.001-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

With all of the talk this time of year about possible Academy Award nominees, I got to recollecting which movies I personally enjoyed the most in 2010.

Surprisingly, 4 of my 5 favorites were animated.

Aside from the live-action, glorious "Inception", the rest of my top 5 were "How To Train Your Dragon", "Tangled", "Toy Story 3" and "Despicable Me".

So what accounts for this? What makes these films exceptional?

Solid Story

One thing all four of these animated films have in common is a strong storyline (including solid character development). Since the past decade has brought an avalanche of animated films, I think the producers/writers/directors have realized that simply putting a talking animal on the screen isn't going to cut it. And the initial wonder at cgi has subsided - so now it's down to the nitty-gritty: how good is the story?

All four of these movies have well-thought-out plots and perfect pacing. So often you'll hear moviegoers complain about a movie 'dragging in certain sections' or 'feeling rushed'. None of these movies have either of those problems. "Toy Story 3" in particular sets the table slowly and quietly as the toys get acclimated to their new surroundings and then finally builds to a manic, thrilling conclusion.

Morality

Mankind's baser natures might be stoked by violence and sleaze, but deep inside humans prize honor, loyalty, fidelity. All four of these animated films demonstrated those qualities.

It was a joy to watch the villain Gru's heart gradually transformed by the three orphans. The same goes for another excellent animated film from 2010 - "Megamind". The idea that people can change, that we're not locked into unalterable roles. These are heady concepts that, ironically, seem to only be addressed in movies that the general public seems to label as "kid movies".

"How To Train Your Dragon" addressed prejudice.

"Tangled" dealt with self-determination, redemption and sacrifice.

"Toy Story 3" tackled many issues, not the least of which is the desire everyone feels to be needed.

"Despicable Me" portrayed the importance of parental love and the long-term, negative affects of neglect.

The Pixar Effect

It's safe to say that the majority of these high-quality animated films wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Pixar.

Back before "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles", animated filmmakers had gotten lazy. Even the great Disney studios seemed to fall into a slump. After modern classics like "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast", they produced the stinkers "Treasure Planet" and "Brother Bear".

Then, suddenly, Pixar started releasing movies that were not only great animated movies, they were great movies...period.

This has raised the bar for all animated films. Moviegoers have been wonderfully spoiled by the top-notch fare presented by Pixar, and it's forcing the rival studios to deliver the goods.

I'm hoping that trend continues for a long time.

Bird Of Prey On The Back Fence

2010-12-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Starrina and I were eating lunch today and from my peripheral vision I saw a bird on the fence. We always get doves and starlings and various songbirds sitting on that fence so it didn't really grab my attention at first. But then I noticed that this bird was quite a bit larger than normal. Plus, he was staying in the same spot for a long time, which is unusual for our normal winged visitors.

Then we looked closer and saw that it was an unusual bird indeed:

This was definitely some sort of bird of prey, but we're not sure which one. Maybe a falcon or an osprey or some sort of hawk? Or eagle? Whatever he is, he was eating some prey that was thankfully out of view on the other side of the fence (at one point a sinewy piece of organ meat attached to some sort of tube was yanked upward).

I tapped on the back window to get him to look our way:

We had no idea that we would meet so many cool animals when we bought a house in Murphy Texas!

The Current Concern of Our Curious, Carnivorous Cats

2010-11-30T10:24:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I was walking past the front living-room a few minutes ago and saw Yuuki and D'Artagnan staring intently up at the roof.

I kept hearing a strange mumbling-type sound followed by clicking and then found the source:

D'Artagnan was licking his chops, but I think (hope) he's still too much of a domesticated kitty to harm an adorable squirrel.

The Maddening Misuse of the Apostrophe (and other Grammatical Peccadilloes)

2010-11-19T07:09:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I call them peccadilloes because in the grand scheme of things they really don't matter.

And in learning Japanese and a few other languages I discovered something - pronunciation and grammar are very fluid things. Language is alive and ever-changing, so it's kind of silly to get too worked up over any of our arbitrary 'rules' that we try to enforce.

That being said, there are a handful of linguistic offenses that drive me ape.

The Constant Misuse of the Apostrophe

I believe I understand the thinking behind most apostrophe-related crimes, I really do.

I think most people view the apostrophe as a 'separator', a way of singling out the noun (as in the case of the "Oreo's" sign shown).

What drives me crazy isn't so much the guy who created this sign...it's the massive amount of people who don't realize that it's wrong and why.

Basically, an apostrophe is used in two scenarios: 1) to signify a contraction and 2) to show a possessive form of a noun [not a pronoun].

Contraction Example: can not => can't
Possessive Example: it was the dog's bone
Pronoun Possessive Example: a leopard cannot change its spots
Pluralization Example: half of the CEOs we polled agree

That last pluralization example is the most common misuse of the apostrophe. People feel compelled to write "CEOs" as "CEO's". Like I said earlier, I think they're trying to isolate the noun for easy reading. It's a noble thought, but it's wrong. And it creates confusion. Since "CEO's" could only mean two things: denoting the ownership of something by the CEO or a contraction of "CEO is", then the sentence half of the CEOs we polled agree would become confusing.

But deep in my gut I have the feeling that decades from now this particular misuse of the apostrophe will be accepted by grammarians. -sigh-

Preposition Stranding

I know that avoiding preposition stranding can be taken to the extreme, but the misuse has become so commonplace that I find myself going out of my way to not be guilty.

Example: This is the store that we were heading to.
In this case, the heading to part seems incomplete (thus, stranded). You have to think about where they were heading...and then you come back to "oh yeah, the store".

Ironically, preposition stranding has become so common that this incorrect sentence actually sounds more correct than its proper structure:
This is the store to which we were heading.

I fear this too is not a winnable battle.

Uttering The Silent Possessive Apostrophe

This isn't so much a grammar issue as it is a pronunciation one, but it dovetails nicely with our earlier discussion of the apostrophe.

What do you do when a noun ends with an 'S' sound and you read aloud the possessive form? Example: We all enjoyed Tess' recounting of the events.

Maddeningly, even network anchorpersons will pronounce this Tesses, feeling compelled to pronounce an 'S' that isn't there. In truth, there's a reason why it is not spelled Tess's...you don't pronounce that extra, awkward 'S'. The possessive of Tess should be pronounced exactly the same as the singular name Tess.

In reality, I know I'm a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to these things. For every "nuke-u-lar" and "I could care less" that I avoid, I'm a sucker for slang and idioms.

I'm sure a true linguistic expert like Harold Bloom would cringe at the sound of my speech.

But it's fun to talk about anyway, right?

The Current State of Comic Books

2010-11-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

When something has been around as long as American comic books, there are bound to be ups and downs. Peaks and valleys.

Since I read a bunch of titles every month, I thought I'd share my observations on what the high points are on the comic scene at the moment.

The New Spider-Girl Is Great

I love girl-superheroes, and here's why - when the 6'3", totally buff Batman arrives on the scene (with his scary costume), everyone expects him to win...even the villains. But when the 5'4"ish Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Kara Zor-El, and now Anya Corazon shows up, the bad guy invariably underestimates them. And it's great to see the small girl round up the criminal.

This new Spider-Girl, the aforementioned Anya, has all the qualities I love in a comic character. She's real, down-to-earth, clever, flawed, and trying to figure out what she's doing. At the same time, she's brave and has her heart in the right place.

As most people who know me on a comic-nerd level are aware, I was seriously bummed when Cassandra Cain was no longer Batgirl (still am).

But the Stephanie Brown Batgirl and this new Anya Corazon Spider-Girl are helping to ease the pain.

Jonathan Hickman Is A Master Storyteller

When I first started reading comics, I always focused on the artwork. I wouldn't read comics if I didn't like the art, and I would read dreck if the pictures looked nice.

Since then it's been a complete 180. I'll put up with bad artwork for great writing any day.

That's not even a concern with Jonathan Hickman's current books Fantastic Four, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Secret Warriors. But it's the writing that truly shines.

No comic has endured more ups and downs than Fantastic Four. At its best, the title occupies a unique space in the comic world: a family comedy rooted in true science fiction. Various writers have had varied success when it came to this delicate balance. Hickman is an absolute master. Like the best Sci-Fi, Hickman's Fantastic Four is full of those golden moments: you turn the page and your jaw hits the floor. High concepts that are so high that you get goosebumps. But rooted in enough reality to seem plausible.

This is also seen in his genius title S.H.I.E.L.D.. What can you say about a comic that seriously presents a secret organization located beneath Rome that is thousands of years old and claims as current denizens Leonardo Da Vinci and Isaac Newton?

Mind-blowing.

The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes On Disney XD

There have been great animated versions of comic books: Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League, even great moments in the strange Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

But to me, none of these have ever felt like a comic-book come to life. They were close, but there was always something missing. Like some network suit demanded a change to appeal to more than just fanboys.

For the first time, with the arrival of The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes airing on Disney XD on Wednesday nights, I feel like I'm watching comics straight from the page on the screen.

The stories are dead-on (very similar to the original run of The Ultimates), the voices are dead-on, the artwork is dead-on.

I would have never guessed that I would be so anxious for new episodes to air of an animated version of a comic. This one is perfect.

J. Michael Straczynski

JMS is one of those guys that everyone knows is great.

He's in the same league as Mark Millar, Geoff Johns, Ed Brubaker and Brian Michael Bendis. And with these great writers, there's a tendency to overlook them - "Oh yeah, they're great, everyone knows it, etc etc".

But what Straczynski is doing on both Superman and Wonder Woman is nothing less than astonishing.

I have read hundreds and hundreds of issues of both titles. I love both characters, but if I'm honest, I must admit that there were times when I was simply suffering through the issue out of a sense of loyalty.

JMS has made these characters vital and alive again.

Last year there was a minor uproar when word got out that in JMS' run on Wonder Woman Princess Diana would be wearing slacks instead of her traditional bathing suit. "Heresy!" people cried.

Except they were ignoring the fact that despite being part of DC's Big Three, Diana's sales were abysmal (even with the incredible Gail Simone writing). As someone who has read the past 300 issues of WW, I can tell you why: the story is too convoluted. Diana had become too aloof. JMS has brought her back to her core qualities.

Which is exactly what he's done for Clark Kent. His current run on Superman is the best I've read. Clark decides to go walking across the U.S. instead of flying. On the way, he's interacting with everyday Joes, and showing why he's still the best hero of them all. What makes Superman great isn't his powers, it's his heart.

Straczynski did the same thing for Peter Parker on his landmark run on Amazing Spider-Man.

In conclusion, there are low-lights in comics right now (the average price of $3.99 an issue is insane; Judd Winick; the continuing praise of the Emperor's New Clothes named Grant Morrison), but there are many things to be happy about.

Star Wars and Star Trek Repackaged

2010-11-17T04:53:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

These are really silly, but they cracked me up. "Star Wars" presented as "Dallas" and "Star Trek" presented as "The A-Team". Geeks rejoice!

Autumn Comes To Parkshire Drive

2010-11-12T11:05:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

When we first got back from Lost Maples last Sunday, I noticed that some of the leaves were changing right here on our street.

This morning I noticed that they're changing in full-force, so I wanted to take some quick pictures of them before all the leaves are gone.

The bald cypress in our backyard is turning a beautiful mixture of orange, red and copper.

The tree next to our driveway is turning a bright yellow.

The huge Bradford Pear tree that's in the dead center of our backyard is getting some gorgeous maroon leaves that are spreading.

The white flowers are gone from our hibiscus, and the leaves are turning bright green and yellow.

Our neighbors across the street.

Our neighbors a few houses down.

I have to admit - after 14 years in San Francisco, I'm really enjoying the change of seasons.

Weekend At Lost Maples

2010-11-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

A lot of people don't realize that there is a beautiful park in Central Texas that in the fall comes to resemble New England and Yosemite. It's called Lost Maples, about 100 miles from San Antonio.

I wanted to do a series of paintings depicting the changing leaves, so Starrina and I planned a weekend hiking/photography trip to the park.

The Friday morning before we left, we received a funny shock. Lately, D'Artagnan has become more brazen in his outdoor adventures (hopping the fence, visiting neighbors' yards). This was his latest derring-do:

Artagnan on the roof" alt="D'Artagnan on the roof" />

A rebellious cat on a roof (still haven't figured out how he got up there...maybe from a tree limb?)

When we arrived in San Antonio, we met Starrina's parents' new dog, Fluffy. She is very sweet and affectionate. We considered bringing her with us, but after what we experienced it's a good thing we didn't.

On the way out to Lost Maples, we drove through Castroville - home of the greatest beef jerky on the planet. We bought a lovely bag of chunky jerky from the glorious Dziuk's Meat Market.

Once we arrived at Lost Maples, we parked and walked to the TrailHead. We decided to walk the East Trail this trip.

Starting the hike. Starrina's Dad, Vern, needed to use his walker and had a rough time with the gravel trail. He was a trooper though and made it a good mile and a half or so before needing to turn back.

Our first view of changing leaves.

We came upon this spyglass that was pointed up toward a cliff wall. Turns out there was a large eagle's nest that could be seen perched on the craggy face.

Starrina crossing the river.

Another beautiful view.

After about 2 miles of hiking we came to this sign. We had no idea how true it would be. This is what I alluded to earlier about Fluffy. We had a hard enough time getting ourselves up the side of this hill without carrying a dog.

You can't really tell from this picture, but this part of the trail was almost straight uphill. And every time we turned a corner, we thought our Sisyphean toil had ended. We were wrong.

On the way back down the mountain a snake that was about 4 feet long casually crossed the trail. Guess he's used to hikers.

As we started to get near the trailhead, we heard a steady knocking sound. After looking around we finally spotted this cute woodpecker doing his job.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend. I was hoping to get one or two good shots to paint. As it turns out, I may do as many as 10 paintings from this trip. Everywhere we looked there was another pristine visage.

Spring Creek Gardens Exhibition

2010-10-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

About a month ago I was contacted by a lovely woman named Kerri Etminan who is the Executive Director of Spring Creek Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care Community here in Plano. She told me she was a fan of my art and asked if I could pay them a visit and talk about my art with the residents.

So yesterday Starrina and I dropped by and had a nice time with some of the residents.

Front entrance of Spring Creek Gardens.

They even made a nice flyer announcing the day! (click for larger image)

After speaking for a little while about myself, I gave a demonstration of my painting technique. I painted the sky and water of a new work entitled "Inokashira" (yet another park in Japan).

We also brought a few paintings to exhibit. In response to their kind invitation, I donated "McNay Art Museum, San Antonio" to the facility.

We were able to get some of the residents to pose with us. I believe a good time was had by all. If you look close, you can see Starrina taking the picture in the mirror's reflection.

The Soundtrack of My Paintings

2010-09-27T14:09:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Music and painting go hand-in-hand.

Most artists I know listen to music while creating...probably a combination of inspiration and just enjoying the music. My brother Sean sometimes paints listening to the same song over and over and over again.

For me, mood is a big part of the process.

I thought it might shed light on some of my paintings to know what sort of music I listen to while decorating the canvas and why.

Here is a sampling of some of the songs on my iPod "Art" mix and the effect is has on me:

"Lost Message"
AIR
Pocket Symphony

I have a lot of AIR on my Art mix. Just a very relaxing blend of piano, and a lot of minor chords (which is always good for my painting mood).

"Atmosphere"
Joy Division
Substance

A beautiful song from one of my favorite bands. It's great for my mood because it has very lush keyboards and beautiful chords, but also contains Ian Curtis' desperate, repetitive cry "don't walk away / in silence".

"All Delighted People"
Sufjan Stevens
All Delighted People EP

How to describe Sufjan? I really can't. But his music being included in a blog entry that has the word "soundtrack" in it is very fitting. It sounds like he's writing music for movies or operas that exist on another planet. Perfect, exhilarating art mood tune.

"Eldorado"
ELO
Eldorado

This is an extremely underrated band and this is one of their greatest songs. Humongous in scale, it is a heartbreaking song that inspires me to try to create something bucolic and towering.

"The Other Man In My Life"
Chris Difford
The Last Temptation of Chris

Strangely enough, I have very little Squeeze (one of my favorite bands) on my Art mix. But I have almost every song from Chris Difford's two solo albums. From an art-mood perspective, Difford's solo songs put me in a very relaxed, thoughtful frame of mind...perfect for painting (especially highly-detailed pieces).

"Free Falling Divisions"
Wire
A Bell Is A Cup Until It Is Struck

Weird band, weird song, great for making weird paintings. I especially like esoteric lyrics when painting...helps me stay in the "representational" frame of mind.

"The Impulse"
The Flaming Lips
Embryonic

Also have a lot of Flaming Lips on my Art mix. "Race For The Prize" and "Do You Realize??" also put me in a nice place. But "The Impulse" sounds like a depressed robot trying to get someone to listen to his plight. Ahhh. Think I'll go paint a little...

"More Than This"
Roxy Music
Avalon

This whole record is on my mix. To me, the most soothing rock album ever recorded.

"Wishful Thinking"
Wilco
A Ghost Is Born

I have about 25 Wilco songs on my Art mix (no surprise...they are my favorite band still recording). "Wishful Thinking" puts me in the most 'Wilco' of moods - seems straightforward at first; on repeated listens you discover layer upon layer upon layer...and the deep emotional makeup of Jeff Tweedy.

"Migration"
The Innocence Mission
Small Planes

Anyone who has read my blog knows how much I love The Innocence Mission (I'll always be indebted to my friend Colin Nasseri for introducing me to them). This song is pure Karen Peris - beautiful, spiritual, sad, uplifting, bleak, hopeful...all in one. Impossible you say? Get to know the band.

"Amazing Life"
Matt Pond PA
Auri Sacra Fames

This is an album that I'm finding myself listening to more and more. Poetic and atmospheric; like an ethereal sonic fog that fills the room gently.

"Lady Sweet"
Big Star
In Space

"In Space" isn't my favorite Big Star album, but "Lady Sweet" is a perfect song. The chord progressions and background harmonies energize me to keep on working.

"Yes, The River Knows"
The Doors
Waiting For The Sun

There's a lot of debate as to whether Jim Morrison was a true "poet" or not. No debate in my mind. He was a poet in every sense, and this is one of his best. The whole Free fall flow, river flow/On and on it goes/Breathe under water/'till the end part is wonderful and makes me want to equal the sentiment in oil.

"Sons Of The Silent Age"
David Bowie
Heroes

Bowie's one-two punch of avant-garde weirdness "Low" and "Heroes" would make difficult listens if you were just laying on the couch with headphones. But as background music for artistic endeavors, nothing could be better.

"Two Weeks"
Grizzly Bear
Veckatimest

Like Sufjan Stevens, it's tough to try to describe Grizzly Bear. Strange combinations of sounds like you've never heard, but lovely as it is weird. Gets you to think outside the proverbial box.

"Come Back To Camden"
Morrissey
You Are The Quarry

All of the Morrissey on my Art mix is mellow ("I Am Hated For Loving", "I'm Not Sorry", "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell"). Of these quiet songs, "Come Back To Camden" is the most melancholy and satisfying.

"Knives Out"
Radiohead
Amnesiac

I have tons of Radiohead on my Art mix. Epic, exhilarating, disturbing, gorgeous; I could go on all night about their greatness. As much as I get a rush from "Paranoid Android", "Let Down", "Black Star", "There There", etc., I have to put "Knives Out" at the top of the list. Not only does it give me the biggest charge while painting, I think it's Radiohead's finest moment period.

Well, I hope that gives a little insight into what's swirling around inside of me while I'm putting oil on canvas.

Great Bands with Great Names, Great Bands with Terrible Names

2010-08-31T15:17:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

There is one criteria for this list: imagine that you've never heard of the band. It's just a name on a list. With no preconceived ideas, try to decide if you think it's a good name or not.

Amazing when you think of how your perception of a name changes once you learn the individual(s) it represents.

Great Bands with Great Names

10. The Fall
A weird, minimalist band deserves a weird, minimalist name. This moniker (and the imagery it evokes) perfectly suits Mark E. Smith and company.

9. Galaxie 500
Back when I was in an alternative rock band, the name of this band made me really jealous. It's perfect. It not only references an awesome muscle car, but also conjures up thoughts of some distant sci-fi world: a galaxy so far away, it's labeled galaxy '500'.

8. Joy Division
'Joy Division' sounds like a cool name even if you don't know the etymology or the band. Knowing those two things makes the name even better. A fitting name for a band with a song entitled "Atrocity Exhibition".

7. The Clash
No explanation necessary.

6. Camera Obscura
A classy, dreamy name for a classy, dreamy band.

5. Wilco
When I first heard of the name Wilco without hearing the band, it made me think of Americana-of-days-gone-by. An apt name for the most important American band working today.

4. The Innocence Mission
If you were to come across "The Innocence Mission" on that unknown list of band names, you might assume that they are either punks trying to be ironic, or that they make beautiful music. It turns out to be the latter: they are the most lovely, ethereal, and touching band of the past 30 years.

3. Pixies
When I think of pixies, I don't have a clear feeling - just a vague notion of dank woods, glowing sprites, a mysterious, unsettled, maybe euphoric vibe. What better way to describe the band that gave us the wild mania of "Planet of Sound" and the delicate beauty of "Ana".

2. Led Zeppelin
Album covers with no titles or liner notes ("IV", "Houses of the Holy", "Presence"); song titles that don't seem to make sense ("Black Dog", "Four Sticks"); strange lyrics ("seems like the wrath of the gods got a punch in the nose / and it started to flow / I think I might be sinking"). What other band should have the mysterious name "Led Zeppelin"?

1. The Smiths
I have to admit - this name has the potential to be so-so. If the name was for, say, a bluegrass band comprised of the family Smith - it would be nothing special. But as the name of the most important alternative band of all, with the greatest guitarist/songwriter, and the most outrageous and literate frontman, it's pure genius.

Great Bands with Terrible Names

10. Roxy Music
"Avalon" is still one of the most gorgeous, intelligent albums ever recorded. Bryan Ferry is the coolest dude to ever croon in a suit. That name stinks.

9. The Beach Boys
"In My Room", "God Only Knows", "Good Vibrations". These are great songs. If I had never heard of The Beach Boys and I saw one of their records, I would assume that it was some terrible, junky cover band doing terrible, junky covers of songs like "Moon River" and "Mack The Knife".

8. Gilbert O'Sullivan
"Alone Again (Naturally)" is an absolutely perfect song. Its brutal, tragic honesty paved the way for guys like Morrissey and Robert Smith of The Cure. But that name is dreadful. A corny mash-up of 'Gilbert and Sullivan'? Oy vey.

7. U2
Back in the early days of MTV, I remember the video for "I Will Follow" coming on. I looked in the lower corner and saw that name 'U2' and laughed. I thought it was horrible. The song was great, and the rest is history. Still think that name is horrible.

6. Gene
Oh, Gene. Greatest concert I've ever been to. Absolutely electric. Martin Rossiter is a superstar, and 99% of their songs are great. But that name is awful. When you try to recommend them to people, the reaction is "Gene?" (and not in a good way). Is it some guy? 'Gene' as in DNA? When you have to go through that much trouble, you know you've picked a bad name.

5. Echo & The Bunnymen
Probably the second-greatest band of the 80s after The Smiths. "Ocean Rain" is a masterpiece by any measurement. Ian McCulloch's voice is a booming wonder. And when people hear their name for the first time, they giggle. Not good.

4. Squeeze
Some of the most beautiful, intelligent, insightful songs ever recorded. Difford and Tilbrook are one of the greatest songwriting teams in history. That horrific name conjures up...what? Dirty funk? Nasty punk? Some other assorted sleaze? Certainly not the band that recorded "His House Her Home" and "Vicky Verky".

3. 10,000 Maniacs
I know this name is terrible because every time I recommended them to someone back in the 80s, I had to immediately say, "their music isn't anything like the name...they're really nice!" Again, a name shouldn't force the fans to go through that rigmorole.

2. XTC
"XTC. Get it? Ec-sta-sy! Ha ha!" Sigh. How lame. For a band that is truly clever, this name is a cheap pun that doesn't do justice to the geniuses who gave us "Yacht Dance", "Miniature Sun" and "The Wheel and the Maypole".

1. The Beatles
I know, I know...musical heresy. But really - pretend you've never heard of them. 'The Beatles'? With B-E-A-T like 'drum beat'. Super lame. Yes, they're the most important rock band of all time. Just goes to show how truly awesome they were...to make people think that lousy name is cool. (and yes, I love The Beatles).

A Song That Changed My Life

2010-08-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Sounds a little ridiculous to say that a song changed my life, but in this case I think it's really true.

In 1977 I was 12 years old and (like everyone that age) was in the process of finding out who I actually am what I actually like and dislike.

It was an exciting time artistically - the movies featured a mix of gritty realism (ala Scorcese, Lumet, etc) and glossy, larger-than-life fare ("Close Encounters", "Star Wars").

Same thing musically. There was still the dominance of 70s rock acts like Led Zeppelin and Judas Priest; but there was also exciting new music from acts like Talking Heads and Elvis Costello.

And there I was - a kid in the middle of it all (in San Antonio, Texas no less) trying to figure out what was really me, what spoke to me.

One day I was scouring the $1 bin of 8-tracks (!) at a local K-Mart, and found the Neil Young release "American Stars 'n Bars". At the time, the only Neil Young I knew was what they played on the radio. I ended up buying the record because it contained "Like A Hurricane", the song that had gotten radio play.

It turned out to be a really good album, containing one of my all-time favorite Young songs "Star of Bethlehem".

But that isn't the song that changed my life.

The 7th track came on and hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Will To Love" is a true poem, comparing the writer and his love to two salmon swimming upstream. Through the struggles of survival, they eventually reach a place where they transcend the mundane. At the end of the song, they rise out of the water into the upper atmosphere where their 'scales shine'.

It was the weirdest thing I had ever heard.

The music is very mellow, mainly acoustic guitar with reverb on the vocals, with some light background vocals. There are also strange ambient sounds that are like crackling fires and other faint noises you might hear in a cabin somewhere. Along with organ or xylophone or whatever it is creating low haunting tones.

And this is what made it so weird - I had heard strange music before. Captain Beefheart, Pere Ubu, Frank Zappa. These guys hang their hat on strangeness.

But this was Neil Young.

The guy who sang "Heart Of Gold". Was part of Buffalo Springfield. A normal guy 80% of the time.

This isn't someone who acts weird as a cry for attention.

He wrote this song because he had to.

He couldn't convey what he wanted to convey any other way.

It shattered my 12-year-old mind. It struck me that this was Art with a capital "A". The purpose of art. To convey what couldn't be conveyed through common prose or discussion. To evoke a feeling.

To put Person A's emotions into Person B's heart.

An amazing, amazing thing.

This led me to explore other artists who worked in the same way: ee cummings, Terrence Malick, Salvador Dali, Federico Fellini.

And it has led to many of my adult favorites: Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Akira Kurosawa, Sufjan Stevens.

Every time I heard the song "Will To Love", an image entered my mind of those two salmon swimming into space. I finally set this image to canvas:

And for those of you who don't know the song, here are the lyrics (but I would highly recommend giving the song itself a listen):

It has often been my dream
To live with one
who wasn't there
Like an ocean fish
who swam upstream
Through nets,
by hooks, and hungry bears.

When the water grew less deep
My fins were aching
from the strain
I'm swimming in my sleep
I know I can't go back again.

Got the will to love,
the will to love.
I'll never lose it,
never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like
something from up above.

I can be like
a fire in the night
Always warm
and giving off light
But there comes a time
when I shine too bright
Oh, I'm just a fire in the night.

And now my fins are in the air
And my belly's
scraping on the rocks
I still think
someone really cares
And I'll keep swimming
till I stop.

Got the will to love,
the will to love.
I'll never lose it,
never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like
something from up above.

I'm like a singer on the stage
With the golden lights
and liquid rage
Down from the mountains
to the sea
Cool running love
keeps cleansing me.

It keeps my gills
from getting dry
But it distorts things
in my eyes
Sometimes I see
what really isn't there
Like my true lover, and I care.

Got the will to love,
the will to love.
I'll never lose it,
never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like
something from up above.

Sometimes I ramble on and on
And I repeat myself
till all my friends are gone
And get lost in snow
and drown in rain
And never feel the same again.

I remember the ocean
from where I came
Just one of millions all the same
But somewhere
someone calls my name
I'm a harpoon dodger,
and I can't, won't be tamed.

Got the will to love,
the will to love.
I'll never lose it,
never lose the will to love,
Never lose the will.
It's like
something from up above.

Baby, if I see boredom
in your eyes
I'll know my river has run dry
But I won't turn back
with that lonely tide
I bought that ticket
and I'll take that ride.

If we meet along the way
Please sway beside me,
let us sway together
Our tails together
and our fins and mind
We'll leave this water
and let our scales shine
In the sun above
and the sky below
So all the water
and earth will know

It has often been my dream
To live with one
who wasn't there.

Productive = Happy

2010-08-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I love math.

In school I hated math.

Recently I was able to figure out why, and it has helped me to understand a more general fact about myself that I think will be valuable information.

Remember getting math work to do in school? Maybe it was a sheet full of problems to solve: add a bunch of numbers, multiply fractions, find the square root of numbers - whatever. Or there were the type of problems that told a story: "One train leaves St. Louis for Los Angeles at 150mph and another train leaves Kansas City for L.A. at 175mph, who will get there first?"

I was good at these kinds of problems.

Got straight-"A"s in math.

And hated it.

Hated, hated, hated it.

But why? Now that I'm a software engineer, I get paid to do math and love it. I've explained to friends in the past that Starrina and I basically do algebra all day: formulas, functions and methods are basically algebraic equations and the parameters are the variables. And I love every minute of it.

So what's different?

It hit me this week because Starrina has been in San Francisco for 9 days now, leaving me with a lot of boring time on my hands.

I now realize that the one thing I can't take is doing nothing...being non-productive.

And that's what those math lessons and tests were: non-productive.

Was the teacher asking me to solve some real-world problem? Nope. Pure fiction. What happened to all of our papers when my fellow students and I diligently solved these logical dilemmas? Either tossed in the trash, or shunted away to a filing cabinet (to be tossed in the trash at a later date).

Now, back to that "train math" problem-

This time, instead of being given a nonsense scenario, a representative from the Ohio Transit Authority (or Texas Transit Authority, past age 12) approaches the young me and says, "Son, we understand that you're good at math. We need your help. We need to figure out the most efficient routes for our trains, so we need you to compute scenarios based on our Express Line that has 4 stops vs our Regular Line that has 12 stops, broken down by different engine types and number of cars to create a spreadsheet that we can use to schedule our trains."

I would have been elated (I know, I'm a nerd).

But what is the difference?

In this case, my work would be used. I would literally be productive, creating something that would have real value.

It changes everything.

And so it is with every aspect of my life.

Sitting around doing nothing drives me insane.

But "busy work" drives me equally insane. It's like "Cool Hand Luke" and prison/P.O.W. camp movies of that ilk where they have a guy dig a hole just to fill it back up.

You can't fool me into thinking I'm being productive when I know full well it's nonsense.

And I don't think I'm alone. I think most of us feel this way - it's the way we're made.

I do not dream of retiring on a desert island lounging in a hammock all day.

I dream of building a city on that island.

Some Of My Favorite Paintings

2010-07-14T07:38:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

People will often ask me about my artistic influences. It's funny, because when I start to talk about my favorite artists and paintings, I find that there is very little correlation between the paintings I love by others and the paintings I produce. But there are specific elements of individual works that have had a lasting effect on me.

Here are a few of the paintings that have really grabbed me over the years and an attempt to explain why:

"The Discovery of America by Christopher Columbus" (1959)
Salvador Dalí

"The Persistence of Memory" may be Dalí's most famous work, but I think he really hit his stride later in his career, when the 'realistic' element of his surrealism became more, for lack of a better word, realistic. This painting was burned in my subconscious from the first moment I saw it.

First is the Rubenesque portrayal of Columbus and the various standard-bearers. Then the craziness of Columbus' flag of Gala draping down around him and then toward the ship. And all of the religious imagery: what is Dalí trying to say? That Italy/Spain were driven by God to find the New World? Or that they thought they were?

And then the colors - the whites, greys and cool blues. Majestic.

This painting became even more awesome to me later when I found out its massive dimensions - this sucker is 14 feet tall!

"Cafe Terrace at Night" (1888)
Vincent Van Gogh

Color and light, color and light, color and light.

This painting probably is the clearest link to my work. I first saw this painting when I was maybe 6 years old, and it had an impact on me even then. Of course, at that age I didn't know bupkis about art, but I knew that I liked this picture.

Now that I'm a little older, I think I know why I like this painting so much.

First of all, let me say that I have a great deal of respect for Photorealists (painters that create works indistinguishable from photographs). Technically, it's very, very impressive. But personally, the biggest thrill I get from a painting is when it's evocative of a feeling, a sense. Not reality, but more than reality (much like the poetry of ee cummings).

Well, "Cafe Terrace at Night" is more than reality. You feel that light coming from the cafe. You feel the dark shadows down the street. You can almost feel the light from the ridiculous stars in the sky.

Better than any photograph could, Van Gogh transports you to this place in this moment in time and you are there.

"Nonchaloir (Repose)" (1911)
John Singer Sargent

No-one painted people better than Sargent.

The most amazing thing to me is the deceptive nature of his technique. From a cursory glance, your first impression is that the painting achieves its realism by being highly detailed. But upon closer inspection, you see broad, rough brushstrokes. Streaks of rough white...unfinished sections in shadows.

Completely incredible.

I am in utter awe at his ability to walk that line of creating a feeling of a specific reality, and at the same time leaving no doubt that this is a painting and an indisputable work of art.

A true master.

"Freedom From Fear" (1943)
Norman Rockwell

I love paintings that tell a story.

And there is no better storyteller in paint than Norman Rockwell.

This painting, created at the height of World War II, tells a chilling story. What seems more vulnerable than a couple of little kids being put to bed at night? But look at the headlines of Dad's newspaper: bombings, horror. Things no little kid should be exposed to. And you know in 1943 there was a real fear that those things would reach domestic shores.

And that ominous shadow on the wall giving you a feeling of dread is no coincidence.

"Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher" (1785)
Thomas Gainsborough

Man, I love Gainsborough.

When I was a kid, we had a print of "The Blue Boy" on the wall. That painting mesmerized me, but I didn't know why. It was just a painting of a guy standing there in a blue suit. But somehow it fixated me.

Now that I'm an adult and a painter I think I know why. It's like a dream version of reality. Looking at life through a glorious lens.

This painting, "Cottage Girl with Dog and Pitcher" is an even better example of this than "The Blue Boy".

Even though she's pitifully poor, there's something magical about this girl and her life. The ground she's standing on seems golden and alive. The trees seem like dancers. The sky is a field of lilacs.

You get the sense that even though she's broke, it doesn't matter - this kid has her dog and family and friends and a wondrous pastoral lifestyle.

No words or camera could convey what this painting does.

"L'etoile" (1878)
Edgar Degas

I don't know where to begin with this one...there are so many things I love about it.

First and foremost, is the luminescence of the ballerina. She positively glows (which is fitting, since "L'etoile" is French for "The Star").

And the sense of motion - just a slight blur around the edges to give the sensation you experience watching moving objects.

Then there's the rough, almost brutal, brushstrokes of the background. It's almost as if Degas is saying angrily, "this part back here doesn't matter - look at the dancer!!"

And then finally - the space. The wondrous, wondrous space. Most painters are afraid to leave such a big hunk of the canvas essentially blank (I'm referring to the stage floor). But Degas was very clever in leaving all of that space on the painting...it really gives you the sense of loneliness and vulnerability of being the prima donna. She's all on her own out there.

Show Don't Tell: The Power of the Parable

2010-07-12T06:11:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

in the voice of Michael Buffer: "We welcome you to an intellectual battle to convince you, dear spectator, of the preeminent bliss of chocolate ice cream. In this corner - a 1,200 page document detailing the properties of the taste bud; the chemical make-up of chocolate ice cream; the history of chocolate; and graphs and charts showing popularity trends of the main ice cream flavors. And in this corner we have a spoonful of chocolate ice cream!"

There are those who would be convinced more by the document.

But I would venture to say that most people would be swayed to the merits of chocolate ice cream by tasting it.

Which isn't to say that either is right or wrong.

Some people prefer a clinical approach to things, and I can respect that.

My personal preference, however, is to be given an example rather than an explanation.

This is especially true when it comes to what has been dubbed "the human condition". To me, people are way too complex and nuanced to be summed up in a clinical way.

I have a lot of respect for guys like Kierkegaard, W. E. B. Du Bois and Max Scheler. And I understand that for some people, reading the work of thinkers like these is very fulfilling.

But I feel that an intellectual analysis of human nature will never capture the full scope of what it means to be human (just like describing the flavor of chocolate ice cream or explaining color to the blind).

Detachment is one thing, but how far should that detachment really go? How can you talk about the 'human condition' without acknowledging that the author is himself human and that his readers are human? Is the work being written for extraterrestrials?

Yet, that is how some sociological authors write. They take a cold, distanced approach as if they're studying the chemical makeup of a rock.

What is a vastly superior tool to study what it means to be human, in my opinion, is literature that shines a light on humanity by telling the story of an individual (or group of individuals).

An excellent example is the William Faulkner classic, "The Sound and the Fury".

Not only is the novel a glimpse at a Southern family in a very specific period in American history, but the book is told from the perspective of various characters.

The most intriguing section is the opener, where the reader is told the story by the brain-damaged Benji.

It's one thing to be given a clinical explanation of someone's particular ailment; it's quite another to inhabit his skin and think the way he thinks, feel the way he feels, experience the disjointed thoughts and time-jumps and frustrations.

By telling us what the character is thinking, we are given a huge amount of information. Not just what they do, but why. And since it's in the form of fiction, we're left to come to our own conclusions. In the characters of Quentin and Jason we get a glimpse into their thought processes: their justifications, their insecurities, their causes of pride. These are the nether-regions of the human makeup. They cannot accurately be described by mere words. We know deep within us what they are and what they mean. The try to quantify them minimizes and cheapens them.

And that should be fine. We are humans reading words written by humans. That should be enough.

Who cares if E.T. wouldn't understand? He doesn't exist anyway.

The Troubling Rise of the Antihero

2010-07-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

"The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones."
-William Shakespeare

If The Bard were alive today, someone might rebut: "But Bill, what is this evil of which you speak?"

For generations the roles of hero and villain were clearly defined. True, most 'heroes' have some flaws (in fact, some of their personal failings are what make them heroic; example - the coward who overcomes his fears to save the day).

But that has all changed. This is the era of the Antihero.

More than a mere outsider or rebel, today's Antihero blurs moral lines. And you don't even have to understand his motives.

It's one thing when the head of the homestead took on the bandits in the Old West. Maybe he did some things he wouldn't normally do. Maybe it got a little ugly. But most people understand that he was a good man protecting his family (and in the strictest moral sense, even those actions aren't acceptable).

But the Antihero? He might kill because - why? He can? He's just a cool guy? The people he's killing are jerks?

A case in point is the current mania known as "Twilight".

When Bram Stoker first wrote "Dracula", there was no doubt - the Count was a villain.

How could a vampire not be? He is a predatory, cannibalistic parasite. He destroys the lives of others just to continue his own. He is a fraud: appearing to be debonair, his charm is a facade to catch his prey off guard. The vampire never introduces himself to someone by saying, "Hello...I'm a vampire. I feed on human blood. Nice to meet you."

In the Bela Lugosi days, Dracula was a straight-up villain. Charming, yes; sophisticated, yes; but an amoral killing machine first and foremost. We are meant to cheer when the girl gets away. We are meant to cheer when he is stopped by sunlight. We are meant to cheer when the beast is finally destroyed by a stake through the heart.

Now, we get "Twilight". And "True Blood". And "Daybreakers". And on and on and on.

Yes, they're vampires. Yes, they suck blood. But they're so...proactive? Cool? What? As a society, we look up to archetypes because we aspire to be them. Role models embody qualities we want to emulate. So what - a large segment of society admires the extreme narcissism and hedonistic drive of immortal cannibals?

Speaking of cannibals...

In 1981 Thomas Harris created a villain for all-time in "Red Dragon": Hannibal Lecter. He was smart. He was charming. But no doubt about it - he was a villain. Will Graham is the absolute hero of the book, and it is a gratifying feeling when both the evil Dr. Lecter and Francis Dolarhyde are bested by Agent Graham.

Then a curious thing happened. In "Silence Of The Lambs" (especially the film), Lecter was made to be a little more sympathetic. Still monstrous, but his fatherly interest in Clarice was meant to show a softer side and after all, he only preyed on those who deserved it (or got in his way).

This was followed by one of the most egregious promotions of the Antihero, "Hannibal". Apparently Harris was catching wind of the fact that people actually liked Lecter and so the author made him the star. Disgusting, amoral and sadistic, this book led us toward our current (and worse) crop of Antiheroes.

Antiheroes On The Small Screen

The glorification of the Antihero may have started in literature and migrated to movies, but now is becoming prevalent on TV as well (such as the aforementioned "True Blood").

When the storyline of "The Sopranos" was first announced, many were shocked and skeptical (a mere 11 years ago). How could you make a show about the mafia? Who would watch it? Who were people supposed to root for?

The fanatical following that arose alleviated all of those concerns. Tony Soprano is now viewed as a beloved character in the history of American entertainment. When "The Godfather" came out, people weren't supposed to think that Vito was cool. Like Count Dracula, what makes Corleone so scary is his facade of being a nice guy. He's not. He and his ilk are ruthless and a menace to society.

Then there is the award-winning Showtime series "Dexter".

Here is a partial summary of the show, excerpted from WikiPedia:

Orphaned at the age of three, Dexter Morgan is adopted by Miami police officer, Harry Morgan. After discovering that young Dexter has been killing neighborhood pets, Harry believes that the boy is a sociopath and teaches him to channel his violent urges towards people who "deserve it". Dexter's victims must be killers themselves; people who have killed the undeserving with no remorse. He must also have proof that the criminals are guilty and that they intend to kill again before he takes action.

And of course, the actor who plays Dexter, Michael C. Hall, is handsome, charming and interesting. And, after all, he's only killing those who deserve it.

Why This Is Troubling

Changing people's viewpoints and ethical beliefs is a slow process. Like trying to make a large ship reverse direction, an individuals core beliefs need to be whittled away slowly over time.

The first step is familiarity. It's one thing to denounce all criminals. But what happens when your best buddy down the street turns out to be a criminal in his spare time? That changes things. Now it isn't some guy doing it, it's Frank. I know Frank. He's a good guy. I don't condone crime, but Frank is a great father. He has a beautiful lawn. Maybe I've been a little closed-minded about this crime thing.

The next step is relation. After a while, you're not only excusing Frank, but you're relating to him. You understand. With how tight you've been financially, and considering how much money the government wastes, I can understand how someone would start stealing. Plus, I just need to support my family.

The final step is emulation. Frank becomes the blueprint for carrying out your own desires (which have grown over time). Frank also becomes your character reference. "I'm not the first guy to do this...in fact, everyone's doing it!"

I'm not saying that everyone who watches a show about a serial killer becomes one. But it would be naive to claim that regular exposure to this kind of thinking doesn't change a person.

And multiply that change by millions.

To quote the villain (yes, villain) of "Heart Of Darkness", Mr. Kurtz: "The horror, the horror!"

Nerds 'R' Us

2010-05-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Anyone who has read my blog knows two things: 1) I am a nerd and 2) I love LOST. So when the series finale arrived, a great opportunity for Extroverted Nerdiness arose: dressing up as our favorite character while watching the show.

Me as Locke, my brother John as Hurley, and John's wife Holly as Vincent. (I know it looks like a swimming cap, but I did buy an 'official' bald wig!)

Starrina was really crunched for time, but couldn't pass up an opportunity to make a LOST cake. Highlight: Edible Foot Of Statue.

Great minds think alike? Turns out Starrina and Holly both came up with the idea of dressing up as Vincent (or as Holly calls him, "Walt's dog").

Eating dinner and watching the episode adorned in semi-costume.

D'Artagnan and his sweet tooth enjoy the next-day leftovers.

If Terrence Malick Can Do It, So Can I

2010-03-08T06:32:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

A lot of my friends have expressed shock at the news that I'm moving back to Dallas.

And I don't blame them...over the years there has been no bigger cheerleader for San Francisco than yours truly.

The simple fact is this - my housing situation changed dramatically and my beloved city has become unaffordable for Starrina and me.

Needless to say, I have experienced moments of sadness and emptiness since making the decision. Every time I drive on Skyline near Daly City and see Ocean Beach, Cliff House and the Headlands from the top of the hill; driving at night and seeing that ethereal effect of lighted hills seemingly aloft in the fog; enjoying my favorite Bay Area eateries: a Little Lucca sandwich, a House Of Prime Rib dinner, a roast crab at Thahn Long.

Sigh.

But I read something the other day that gave me great encouragement.

For decades, my vote for most artistic movie director has always gone to Terrence Malick. In fact, in a blog entry from last year I chose his film "The New World" as the most beautiful movie ever made.

Beauty and poetry pervades each of his four movies - "Badlands", "Days Of Heaven", "The Thin Red Line" and "The New World" (and advance word on his upcoming "Tree Of Life" sounds equally breathtaking).

Here's the thing - Malick grew up in Waco, Texas. Waco. For those of you that have never been there, Waco makes Buffalo, NY seem like Paris.

And even now, after his incredible success and career, Terrence Malick lives in Austin. Now, I used to live in Austin years ago and it's not a bad town.

But my gut would tell me that Malick can live anywhere, anywhere, he wants in the world - London, Paris, Milan, Tuscany, Tahiti...anywhere. And he chooses to live in Texas.

It gave me pause.

And then it got me to thinking about the merits of The South. All of those southern writers that I love: Flannery O'Connor, Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner. The manners and thoughtfulness that are still of high value. Belief in right and wrong. Cherishing silence.

Don't get me wrong - I have spent the majority of my life in The South (Texas in particular) and am well aware of its warts and faults.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't also unique assets to that area of the country that deserve appreciation.

San Francisco will most likely remain my favorite city. And I will always love Paris, London and Prague.

But I can also be quite content having a home base in Texas.

If it's good enough for Terrence Malick, it's good enough for me.

Best In Role

2010-01-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Lately Starrina and I have been hooked on the ITV "Sherlock Holmes" series from 1984-1994 starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes.

I thought Robert Downey Jr. did an excellent job in the new movie, and I've always been a fan of Basil Rathbone's interpretation, but I have to confess that the Jeremy Brett version is my favorite.

So it got me to thinking about roles that have been filled by multiple actors over the years. For various reasons, these are my favorites:

Sherlock Holmes
Jeremy Brett

Bruce Wayne/Batman
Christian Bale

Hamlet
Kenneth Branagh

Fitzwilliam Darcy
Colin Firth

Superman
Christopher Reeve

Robin Hood
Errol Flynn

Captain Bligh
Charles Laughton

Fletcher Christian
Marlon Brando

Jedi
Ewan McGregor

Musketeer
Oliver Reed

Man's Innate Desire For Paradise

2010-01-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Like most painters, I'm very much influenced by music while I paint. Over the years I experimented with listening to various styles and artists - Chopin, Radiohead, Beethoven, The Flaming Lips. In the end, I found the band that suited me perfectly - Electric Light Orchestra. The beautiful, moody, dramatic compositions give me real inspiration for what I'm trying to achieve on canvas: striking portrayals of beauty and serenity through bold colors and stark contrast between shadow and light.

So when I start painting, I go to iTunes, select ELO, put the songs on shuffle and let it roll. Over the past few months, a couple of favorites have risen to the top as sources of my artistic inspiration: "Shangri-La" from A New World Record and the title track of Eldorado.

These are beautiful, dramatic songs that feature soaring strings, descending minor chords, and glorious dynamics. They also share the same theme: paradise. That also goes for the soundtrack they did for the movie "Xanadu" (terrible movie, awesome album).

So I started to think about how often man talks or thinks about paradise.

There are the obvious choices: Milton's Paradise Lost, the corresponding works of William Blake, "Lost Horizon", Ponce DeLeon's search for the fountain of youth, references to Utopia.

Then there are references in pop culture: the Rush song "Xanadu" from A Farewell To Kings, various idyllic planets visited on "Star Trek", just about any album by Yes, and most recently, the inhabited moon Pandora from "Avatar".

But as I was formulating these thoughts in my mind, it struck me how deeply the desire goes. It's found in our own vernacular. What do we call an ideal situation? Paradise.

We use the word paradise to describe intense romantic love, a peaceful life, a beautiful locale, financial security.

I don't think this is a coincidence.

We have craved paradise since our original parents lost it.

A life without sickness, crime, financial worry, unknown threat. Lush plantlife, pure water, peaceable animals.

This thought has been passed on from generation to generation within every culture and language on earth, which is not hard to understand - the idea springs from a single source.

On Allegory, Literalism and Emotional Detachment

2010-01-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

A couple of weeks ago I was going on a trip, so I went to the bookstore to find something to read on the plane. After randomly browsing through multiple sections, I found the collection of Flannery O'Connor short stories, "Everything That Rises Must Converge" (it particularly caught my attention as the book that Jacob is reading when John Locke is thrown out the window on "LOST").

I must admit my embarrassment at having waited so long to discover this author. I can't figure out how our paths never crossed.

Never mind.

Needless to say, the book had me gripped. Each story a perfect little capsule, parable and allegory to illustrate the great potential of man and the intrinsic flaws that hamstring us and hasten our collapse. Reading each tale I was reminded of the scripture at Hosea 8:7: "For it is wind that they keep sowing, and a storm wind is what they will reap." Although dark and often ugly, I found the stories to be, in the end, encouraging and uplifting, in that they serve as warnings to resist our baser instincts.

I told a friend of mine, "you're going to love this book!"

How wrong I was.

The friend and I are very, very much alike. We have almost identical tastes in music, food, movies, TV; we both love to travel; we have very little interest in material things.

But one area in which we differ has to do with Allegory and Literalism in literature, song and film.

To illustrate:

Take the Aesop fable "Androcles And The Lion". This is the story wherein the slave Androcles removes a thorn from the paw of a lion and is later spared by the lion in the Colosseum for the good deed. When I read this story, I have no emotional attachment. I take a couple of steps back and view it as an allegory - not to be taken literally, but to drive home the point that generous acts today may reap unexpected rewards down the road. My friend, on the other hand, digs much deeper and asks questions like, "How did the lion get the thorn? Did Androcles hurt himself while pulling it out? I wonder if Androcles had a wife?"

My favorite story in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is titled Greenleaf. In fact, I loved the story so much that it inspired me to capture one of the characters, Greenleaf's bull, on canvas. So I had my friend read the story.

And my friend remarks, "These people are awful!"

Me: "I know."

Friend: "I don't sympathize with anyone in the story."

Me: "Me neither."

Friend: "Then how can you like this story? There's no-one to root for."

My friend had a point. All of the characters in the story were seriously flawed. In fact, that goes for every character in every Flannery O'Connor story I read. So then I began to wonder, why didn't I catch that point? Why don't I care that the stories contain no true protagonist?

It's because of the emotional detachment that I apply to allegorical stories. Since I'm concentrating on the moral of the story, I don't dig beneath the veneer of the main characters. My friend, on the other hand, finds the details of the individuals inseparable from their actions and the overarching meaning of the story.

A real-life example:

My friend used to work for a pathologist and was exposed to corpses daily. Didn't bother my friend in the least. I don't think I could handle it. I would keep viewing that body and thinking about the life they had lead, their dreams, the brevity of our current life-span, etc etc. My friend looks at the body and says, "this is not the person. It is a lifeless piece of flesh. The person has ceased to exist."

And my friend is right. And I think I'm right, too. Maybe it illustrates the importance of, and balance achieved by, having varying personalities and perspectives.

I think an extreme example of my way of thinking is seen in the writing of Kurt Vonnegut. The older I get, the more I think that his writing is detached to the point of being cynical and sterile. When I first read "Breakfast Of Champions", I was excited by the writing style...it unapologetically viewed life as a ridiculous farce - that nothing matters because everyone and everything is stupid. My friend would say, "can you imagine having a son like Bunny Hoover?" The thought would have never occurred to me...Bunny Hoover is such an outrageous character that I never thought about him literally.

In the end, I don't think either view is right or wrong. An overly philosophical view of life is bound to leave heartache in its wake. And a too-literal reading of all situations would be like living in the constant glare of a 400-watt bulb.

Hmmm...call it a balanced, Renoiresque lens.

The Chemistry of "LOST"

2009-12-28T18:39:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Ever try describing someone by saying, "he's a mix of blah, blah and blah"?

My wife and I are always doing that with "LOST". I guess it's natural because there are so many interesting characters on the series (plus, it's my favorite TV show of all time).

So, enjoy the silliness:

TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time

2009-12-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

A couple of months ago I wrote an article titled "Some TV Shows Don't Know When To Quit", concerning shows that went well past their prime and descended into dreck.

This list is the exact opposite: shows that were canceled at their peak or just as they were hitting their stride.

Pushing Daisies
This not only tops my list of premature cancellation, this show would be on my top 5 favorite TV shows of all time. There has never been a more beautifully filmed, quirky, and cinematic work of art to grace the small screen. Individual frames of this show could be hung on the wall as art. Can't complain too much - herculean efforts were made to save the show, but the great unwashed gave a collective 'meh'.

The Tick
Eight episodes. This work of comic genius only made it to eight episodes. The great Patrick Warburton, the brilliant Nestor Carbonell (Richard Alpert from "LOST") as Batmanuel, Captain Liberty. Don't know what happened. It had great cinematography, acting and writing. My guess is that, like many of the shows on this list, it was a comedy without a laughtrack. Maybe the public has become Pavlov's dog that doesn't know something is funny unless a nonexistent audience tells them so.

Futurama
The loyal following that "Futurama" has engendered since its demise proves the prematurity of its cancellation. On Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and then via sales of 4 DVD releases, multitudes of Planet Express fans made their voices heard. In 2010 new episodes will air, hopefully not just on Comedy Central (their inconsistency in airing original episodes has me worried about their dedication to the series).

SCTV
When "SCTV" originally aired, my brother Sean and I thought it was much funnier than "Saturday Night Live" and ABC's version, "Fridays". 30 years later, that belief is stronger than ever. Instead of cheap catch-phrases and characters beaten into the ground well beyond their humor expiration date, "SCTV" featured fully-realized characters that interacted with one another to the point that a simple look from one of them was hilarious. Guy Caballero, Bobby Bittman, Count Floyd, Bob & Doug, William B. Williams, Johnny La Rue, Sid Dithers...just writing these names is making me crack up. Unlike anything "SNL" has aired in 10 years, this stuff is pure genius. Oh, and Dave Thomas does the best Bob Hope ever.

Roswell
These days, "Roswell" is probably a footnote mention on Katherine Heigl's resume. Or it is discovered by a "LOST" fan looking up Emilie de Ravin (Claire) on Wikipedia. In reality, "Roswell" was one of the most intriguing sci-fi/teen romance series to ever hit network television. But as is often the case, the show was given a too short heads-up to finish the series, and the ending was rushed and suffered because of it. Still worth catching on DVD.

Everwood
There had never been a show like "Everwood" and there hasn't been one like it since. World-famous neurosurgeon Andy (Treat Williams) moves to a tiny Colorado town from New York after his wife dies. Kids are miserable. They slowly acclimate to their new surroundings and learn a lot about themselves in the process. It was quiet, elegant, thoughtful, beautiful...of course it was doomed!

Journeyman
This series involved a newspaper reporter who is inexplicably skipping through time. As each episode progressed, it became clear to him that in each time trip he had a specific task to complete before returning to the present. As if this weren't intriguing enough, he stumbles upon an author who knows he's time-skipping and he knows why. Now it's getting really interesting! And then - canceled. -sigh-

Phil Of The Future
I love Disney Channel. My wife loves Disney Channel. We have no children. I make no apologies. "Phil Of The Future" was one of the best series to appear on the network. The cast was impeccable, from the title character (Ricky Ullman), his comic-genius sister Pim (Amy Bruckner), Phil's girlfriend Keely (Alyson Michalka, from Aly & AJ), to the funniest character on the show, Vice-Principal Hackett (the brilliant J.P. Manoux). Like I mentioned earlier, this is a comedy that didn't have a laughtrack. So obviously, people didn't realize it was funny. It was hilarious. Even worse, while "Phil Of The Future" was being canceled, the unwatchable "That's So Raven" was being renewed for yet another season (don't get me wrong - the first season of "Raven" was great...but star Raven-Symone's ego made the show unbearable in time). "Phil Of The Future" ended abruptly and in a very unsatisfactory way. But we can still enjoy the re-runs at 3:00 AM.

A Day At Yosemite

2009-12-07T08:09:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

After a couple of false starts, we finally made it to Yosemite this weekend. As you might expect, pictures do not do this incredible place justice (even if the photographer is Ansel Adams).

Our first view of El Capitan.

Starrina's parents, Rosie and Vern.

Kayleigh finds the long, lost pet pine cone she misplaced as a toddler.

A view of Yosemite Falls from the valley. In the springtime when the snows are melting the falls are at their full volume. In December they dissipate.

The black bear that the Valley Store employs as a security guard mistook Starrina for a shoplifter.

View of Cathedral Rocks.

Starrina at the base of Bridal Veil Falls.

Sean showed off his Samson skills by lifting a 9-ton rock.

Not to be outdone by my brother, I was compelled to karate chop this fallen log in twain.

The documentary filmmaker Ken Burns says Yosemite is the most beautiful spot on earth. I agree with him.

Next up were the Giant Sequoias.

Don't know if you've heard, but these trees are big.

Kayleigh and Sean in front of the roots of a fallen sequoia.

On the way home we stopped by our beloved Andersen's restaurant.

Kayleigh and Sean enjoying European home cookin'.

After all the hiking we did, I enjoyed this food guilt-free.

Yuuki and D'Artagnan were happy to see us arrive home safely.

Music Review - "Them Crooked Vultures"

2009-11-18T10:41:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

This album has me giddy. I feel like a 13-year-old girl about to describe the merits of Jonas Brothers. I haven't been as excited about a debut album in a long, long, long time.

The eponymous "Them Crooked Vultures" is by no means a typical 'debut' album. Comprised of John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Joshua Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age) and Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters), the band is a glorious conference of Heavy Melody.

Heavy. Heavy heavy heavy.

It's that rare, wonderful mix of being both familiar and brand new. Grohl resurrects Bonham-"When The Levee Breaks"-style monster drumming that is pure bliss to rockers in general and drummers in particular.

Not surprisingly, parts of songs sound like QOTSA, parts sound like Zep, parts sound like Nirvana/Foo Fighters. But as a whole? You've never heard anything like it.

The opening number, "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I" starts off innocently enough...sounding like early 70s rock (which is a great thing). But half-way through...half-way through...it turns into one of the most awesome, beastly, evil robot gone amuck, "Iron Man" meets Sisters Of Mercy, plodding Metal Giant, musical pleasures I've heard in many years.

At over an hour, it is also a very generous album. Not a stinker in the bunch. This album will be viewed as an all-time classic, guaranteed.

Favorite: "Bandoliers", with creative Far East chord changes and string bending that is up there with, dare I say it, the coolest heavy song of all time, "Kashmir".

My rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Video: Cat Beats Girl At Wii Bowling

2009-11-15T23:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a silly video Starrina and I made. The cats always watch us play Wii, so I began to think, "what if they started practicing when we're not home?..."

Frisbee Dog. You Heard Me...Frisbee Dog.

2009-11-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Blame our friends Darryl and Yumi Bennett. Blame the Nintendo Corporation. Blame the Wham-O toy company. Blame the first guy who ever thought that if he threw a frisbee to his dog that the dog might go and catch it.

Someone is to blame for my addiction (except myself, naturally).

I am hooked - hooked on the new Wii Sports Resort game "Frisbee Dog". The premise is so simple but so incredibly engaging - you're on a beach and you throw the frisbee out to a target and the dog runs and catches it.

Sounds simple, but I cannot stop playing this game.

When I was a teenager I was a hardcore frisbee enthusiast, and I can tell you this - the gameplay is perfect. The Wii reacts identically as if you were snapping your wrist with a physical disc. And the little puppy is adorable!

If time is important to you, play at your own risk.

Video: Painting In Progress - "Sensu"

2009-11-04T16:13:00.000-08:00

Mellow Gold

2009-11-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

No, dear reader, the title of this entry does not refer to the 1994 sardonic classic by Beck.

Don't like the taste of wine? Afraid of the side-effects of Zoloft? Too pooped to run on the treadmill to get that endorphin smoove? Have no fear, Ye Stressed-Out Ones...the following euphonious recommendations will soothe the savage breast and lower thy heart rate.

Album: The Innocence Mission - We Walked In Song
Mellowest Gold: "Love That Boy"
Comment: The voice of Karen Peris could get a foaming pit bull to take a nap.

Album: Ivan Moravec - Chopin: Nocturnes
Mellowest Gold: "Nocturne for Piano in B flat minor, Op. 9/1, CT 109"
Comment: Even if you don't necessarily dig classical music, you'll dig this.

Album: Carla Bruni - Comme si de rien n'était
Mellowest Gold: "La possibilité d'une île"
Comment: Don't be discouraged by the fact that Carla is the first lady of France. She was an awesome singer/songwriter long before she met Sarkozy.

Album: Roxy Music - Avalon
Mellowest Gold: "To Turn You On"
Comment: The smoovest of smoove.

Album: Melody Gardot - My One And Only Thrill
Mellowest Gold: "If The Stars Were Mine"
Comment: Sounds like it was found in a hip time capsule from 1961.

Album: Willie Nelson - Stardust
Mellowest Gold: "Moonlight In Vermont"
Comment: This album should be played during prison riots. Everyone would end up embracing in tears.

Album: AIR - Pocket Symphony
Mellowest Gold: "Mer Du Japon"
Comment: Music to calm time-travelers and robots.

Album: A Girl Called Eddy - A Girl Called Eddy
Mellowest Gold: "Did You See The Moon Tonight?"
Comment: The greatest torch song album ever.

Album: Donald Fagen - Morph The Cat
Mellowest Gold: "The Night Belongs To Mona"
Comment: All three of Fagen's solo records outside of Steely Dan are great...this one is the best.

Album: Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours
Mellowest Gold: "When Your Lover Has Gone"
Comment: If you're ever up in the middle of the night nursing a broken heart, this is the balm for you.

In Defense Of The Maligned

2009-10-26T07:24:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Ah, critics. In most cases, the Critic is not a creator himself. In fact, a lot of critics are failed writers/artists/directors so they harbor a resentment deep inside for the medium they claim to love. And this buried regret manifests itself when writing a negative review.

Once the negative review is out there, it becomes "conventional wisdom", and the recipient of the criticism has almost no chance of redeeming himself.

So here are some entities that have received unfair (or overly harsh) criticism:

The "Star Wars" Prequels

The hatred that is out there for the "Star Wars" prequels ("The Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones", "Revenge of the Sith") is absurd. It is not based on the merits of the films. Full disclosure: I am a Star Wars nut who has literally seen each movie at the first showing first day. I've seen all six movies dozens, if not hundreds, of times. So I know of what I speak.

From what I can tell, the hate is based on two main things: 1) Sentimentality over the original trilogy and 2) hatred of Jar-Jar Binks.

So, when it comes to sentimentality over the original trilogy: Wake up, people. If you can, pretend that you've never heard of any of the six movies. "A New Hope", "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" are far from perfect. If your standard is perfection, then the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy blows "Star Wars" off the map. What all six movies have in common are heroism, adventure, great fight scenes (of which the prequels are superior, because you get full-blown Jedi action), sometimes lousy dialogue, incredible special effects. Kids of the future won't be able to distinguish the six movies apart - except for the fact that the effects are so superior in Episodes 1-3.

As far as Jar-Jar goes...sure, we all hate him. But be honest, do you hate Jar-Jar more than the Ewoks? Not me. As annoying as he is, at least Jar-Jar is believable as a living character. Who over the age of 5 watches "Jedi" and suspends disbelief enough to view an Ewok as anything besides a kid in a teddy-bear costume. Dreadful, simply dreadful. And the extended musical sequence in Jabba's lair? Pure horror.

Summation: The prequels (especially "Sith") hold their own against the original trilogy - awesome moments, crummy moments, pure entertainment bliss.

"Panorama" by The Cars

I could write as much about The Cars being an under-appreciated band as I could this particular album, but I also realize there are whole lot of people out there like me who love them.

I've been a fan of the band since they first came out and thought that they were much more talented and diverse than some of the more admired New Wave bands of the early 80s. But "Panorama" has always been my favorite of their records. It's the weirdest, and sometimes darkest, but the most singular in vision and execution. Some of my all-time favorite Cars songs are on this record: "Gimme Some Slack", "Up And Down", "You Wear Those Eyes" and the title song.

I'm not going to belabor the point because I know a lot of the readers of this blog don't care about some band from 25 years ago, but I just wanted to go on the record.

Summation: "Panorama" is not only a good record, I think it's The Cars' best record.

Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish

I know what a lot of people's initial reaction is going to be: "but I love Norman Rockwell (and/or Maxfield Parrish)". But you, dear reader, represent the public. This issue has to do with the art critic.

There is a ridiculous term in the art world: "Fine Art". What constitutes fine art? Whatever the art critics decide, that's what.

So, to a lot of snooty art critics, Rockwell and Parrish weren't 'artistes', they were simply 'illustrators'. What's the distinction? They weren't deigned by the Great Art Gods to be Artists with a capital "A".

I don't really know the standards for legitimizing art. Personally, the only thing that kind of dismisses the work of a particular artist for me is if it seems to plagiarize another artist (but even then, how can you know?). At the boom of the Impressionists the original original seems to be Monet, but what of Manet, Renoir, Cassatt, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley? They were certainly feeding off of each other creatively.

So why have some art critics been reluctant to give Rockwell and Parrish their due? Because the former worked for The Saturday Evening Post and the latter mainly illustrated childrens books? How does that diminish the value of the art?

A more recent example of this is the comic book artist Alex Ross. His work is absolutely stunning, and is highly valued and appreciated by comic book fans around the world. But will the art world give him his due? Hopefully in time.

Summation: The art critics need to stop ignoring works that don't fit into their pigeon-hole preconceptions about what constitutes "Fine Art". If the viewer is moved in some way, then the art has accomplished its purpose.

The Top 10 Comic Book Heroines

2009-10-24T08:06:00.001-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

This isn't a list of the most powerful heroines, or the prettiest, or the most important. It's a combination of all of those factors. Simply put, these are the heroines that you want to read about. When they appear in an issue, you're excited because you know that regardless of where the story takes them, these women will make it interesting.

Note: Here's a few that just missed the cut- Huntress, Supergirl, Storm, Raven, Jean Gray.

10. Ms. Marvel
What I love about Carol Danvers is how real she is. Whether she is depicted in her personal life or in the middle of an intense battle with The Skrulls, Carol is still her down-to-earth, wisecracking self. Sort of a beautiful Peter Parker. What also makes her cool is the fact that, like Hal Jordan, Carol was a hero of sorts before she ever got her powers.

9. Power Girl
Of course, everyone snickers about Karen Starr's "assets". And that's a shame, because there is so much more to her beyond her physique and ridiculous uniform. Like Carol Danvers, Power Girl is a straight-talkin' tough broad with outrageous powers. Her confusing origin story aside, there is great drama and pathos in her persistent feelings of loneliness and isolation.

8. Zatanna
OK, OK...the "talking backwards spell thing" is kinda goofy, but I have to admit I have fun deciphering them like a little kid (which I guess was part of the strategy). Back when I first started reading comics, it sort of bothered me that there were characters that used magic. Now I love it. It's the great equalizer among insanely powered beings. There's something cool about the fact that heroes like Zatanna and Dr. Strange might be ignored in a room full of super-beings, yet may be the biggest threats of all.

7. Emma Frost
She's still one of the good guys, right? Well, it's just a matter of time! And this tenuous hold on Emma's "goodness" is one of the things that makes her so intriguing. There are few characters in the world of comics that seems so fully realized. In every way, Emma Frost seems like a 100% authentic person. Her icy demeanor, elegant facade and nasty dark side make for a fascinating mix. And it's really saying something that hundreds of powerful mutants cower in her presence.

6. Black Canary
What an amazing pedigree Dinah Lance has. Respected throughout the DC Universe, Black Canary is one of the original originals. Her adventures with Barbara Gordon as one of the Birds Of Prey made for some of the greatest comic stories ever written. Now that's she's finally married to Oliver Queen and running the Justice League, Black Canary is being honored in the way she deserves. All of this, and she is probably the 3rd greatest martial artist on Earth (after Cassandra Cain and Lady Shiva).

5. She-Hulk
Jennifer Walters is so very fun to read. Especially when being written by the great Dan Slott. It's a testament to the strength of her character when you consider how Shulkie began. If you look at those early issues of "The Sensational She-Hulk", you'll want to cringe. John Byrne treated Jennifer like a throw-away character that he could dismiss as a joke. It didn't work, and she's still going strong today. A brilliant attorney with those powers is 100 times more interesting than a mindless brute breaking stuff (you can't pick your family).

4. Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
I admit it- Cassandra Cain is my favorite person in all of comics, bar none. But as much as I love her, I have to be objective and realize that to a lot of fans she's a fairly obscure, and dare I say it, supporting character. That's everyone else's loss. She has the greatest origin story in the history of comics (IMHO) and is more complex and conflicted than just about any other hero. And I'm sorry, but there is something ultra-awesome about a little girl who can simultaneously take down 20 thugs with her bare hands. Never gets old.

3. The Invisible Woman
Ben Grimm is the heart of the Fantastic Four. Reed is the brains. Johnny is the comic relief. But Sue is hands-down the strength of the quartet. Which is ironic, considering how they began. When you read those early issues of FF, Thing is smashing stuff, Mr. Fantastic is stretching into incredible shapes, Torch is flaming through the sky and Invisible Girl is...is...uh- invisible. Zzzzzz. That all changed when it became apparent that Sue could project constructs with her mind...and made her one of the most powerful women in the Marvel U. And since she became a mother to Franklin and Valeria, Susan is stronger than ever (from without and from within). With all of these glorious qualities, she even remained loyal to her husband under a relentless assault from that Atlantean lothario, Namor.

2. Oracle
If you go to various comic book message boards (particularly DC Comics), you'll invariably run into whiners who cry for the "glory days" of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl. Let's set the record straight - the character of Batgirl was a gimmick created by the TV show to try to boost ratings. As a character, she was OK. Just OK. The only interesting angle was the fact that she was operating under Jim Gordon's nose. But so what? Jim is friends with Batman, so it's not that shocking. It would be different if J. Jonah Jameson's daughter was dating Spider-Man or something. In the comics, it became increasingly clear that the writers didn't know what to do with her. She wasn't an acrobat like Dick Grayson, no superpowers, just cute and smart. Then that monster Joker shot her and turned her into something wonderful. The creation of Oracle was a stroke of genius. Considering how much she helps the entire DCU with her intel, Barbara Gordon is possibly the most irreplacable character in comics today.

1. Wonder Woman
A testimony to Wonder Woman's greatness is the fact that she's survived one of the most messed-up origin stories in all of comics. The simple version is awesome - she was created by the gods from water and dirt of Paradise Island. But it got really, really horrible - Hippolyta was WW during WWII; Donna Troy was WW for a while; WW traded places with her mother; Artemis became WW for a while; Diana lost her powers and became a mod judo lady; on and on and on. Sigh. Doesn't matter. She's gorgeous, elegant, regal, brilliant, ultra-powerful, dignified and a brutal warrior. No one can touch her. She's not only the greatest heroine in comics, she might well be the greatest hero period. The team of Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman is absolute literary perfection.

The 10 Most Powerful Rock Songs Ever Recorded

2009-10-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

In this context, definition of "powerful": gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, no matter how many times I hear it.

Just missed the cut: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, "Olympian" by Gene, "Plainsong" by The Cure, "Race For The Prize" and "The W.A.N.D." by The Flaming Lips and "100%" by Sonic Youth.

10. Sabotage
Beastie Boys

Even without the video, it's awesome. Especially the quiet break with the bass line leading into the all-out screaming.

9. Achilles Last Stand
Led Zeppelin

"Presence" is kind of an odd album, but this epic monster is one of Led Zeppelin's greatest moments.

8. This Corrosion
The Sisters Of Mercy

Operatic, ostentatious, apocalyptic, glorious.

7. Stigmata
Ministry

How often does a song scare you? This song scares me.

6. Debaser
Pixies

"I am un CHIEN Andalousia!!!!"

5. Immigrant Song
Led Zeppelin

What a massive, crazy song. Jimmy Page's driving rhythm, Robert Plant's lyrics steeped in Norse mythology, all with the melody of South Pacific's "Bali Hai".

4. The Light Before We Land
The Delgados

If you've never heard this song, find a way to hear it. Today. It's an epic 3-hour mindblowing film condensed into 5 1/2 minutes.

3. Never Let Me Down Again
Depeche Mode

The first time I heard this song it gave me chills. The 10 millionth time still gives me chills.

2. Planet Of Sound
Pixies

When I first heard this song, I have to admit - I didn't really get it. It seemed like a massive wall of noise. Now I know the truth - it is an explosive, charging, manic, grinding wall of noise. The most rocking song ever recorded by anyone ever.

1. Kashmir
Led Zeppelin

No matter where I am or what I'm doing, if this song comes on I stop and listen. This and "Clair de Lune" are my favorite songs of all time. Beautiful and transporting.

Japan Trip 2008

2009-10-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

A lot of people haven't seen the photos from our last trip to Japan in March/April of 2008, so I decided to stick a link here for those who would like to see them:

Japan 2008

Review of The Flaming Lips - "Embryonic"

2009-10-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

In 1991 my favorite band in the world, hands-down, was Pixies. Ask my wife. "Bossanova", "Surfer Rosa" and "Doolittle" were the only cassettes in my car. I listened to them over and over and over again. They are still my favorite band to this day (although, The Smiths will always be right there).

Here's the thing - in 1991 Pixies released "Trompe Le Monde". Of course, I bought it the day it came out. I rushed out to the car and stuck it in the cassette deck and listened. I wanted to like it. It was difficult. On first listen (especially in 1991 when distortion hadn't yet come into vogue) it sounded like a bunch of noise. And on second, third and fourth listen. I was starting to worry - was this the Emperor's New Clothes? Had Black Francis lost it?

And then one day an interesting thing happened - it clicked. I finally understood it. The music was so new and groundbreaking that my brain had to rewire itself to grasp it. Suddenly songs like "Distance Equals Rate Times Time" and "The Sad Punk" made perfect sense...like a jigsaw puzzle that had assembled itself before my eyes.

And now "Trompe Le Monde" is my favorite Pixies record.

Which brings us to "Embryonic".

The Flaming Lips have not always been an easy listen. Their earlier records like "Transmissions From The Satellite Heart" and "Clouds Taste Metallic" take a few listens before you get into the groove.

That changed with "The Soft Bulletin", an absolute masterpiece from 1999 (and up until now, my favorite Lips record). Even though it's still strange, songs like "Race For The Prize" and "Waitin' For A Superman" are catchy right off the bat. This trend continued with "Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots" where numbers like "Fight Test" and "Do You Realize??" (their biggest hit) grab you from the get-go and didn't take a lot of effort to understand.

Their 2006 effort, "At War With The Mystics", was slightly more experimental but not really difficult. "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" and "The W.A.N.D." would appeal to even straight-up AOR rocker types, and "The Sound Of Failure" is simply beautiful.

But now Wayne Coyne and The Lips give us "Embryonic". This double-length opus is every bit as strange and difficult as "Trompe Le Monde" was in 1991.

First, there is the production. The Flaming Lips had made a name for themselves as being geniuses in the studio. In fact, in one interview Wayne Coyne said he considered the studio itself to be an instrument. "The Soft Bulletin" and "Yoshimi" are recorded with such care and precision they are like vector files of music...no matter how large you expanded the sound it would still be crystal clear and resonant.

The production on "Embryonic" is something else altogether. Some of the songs sound like they were recorded on a broken Walkman. The first time I heard "Convinced Of The Hex" on a preview EP a few weeks ago, I thought the recording was messed up. It sounds like someone poured Diet Coke on the microphone. But I have to admit...after 15 listens now, it's one of my all-time favorite Lips songs and I think the style of recording is one of the key reasons why.

The entire album is about mood. I don't think there is a real "single" on this record. A radio station would think they received a damaged copy. But for mood, it's becoming my favorite album on my iPod.

This is a record that is designed to be listened to from beginning to end. I guess you could compare it to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" (except that album depresses me...sorry Bill). Listening to "Embryonic" is an experience. Songs like "Silver Trembling Hands" and "The Ego's Last Stand" will stay with you long after listening. It feels like pure genius at work.

The highlight to me is a song called "The Impulse" that sounds like, of all things, a robot singing a torch song. I know that seems nutty, but it's the number that grabs me the most every time I hear it.

To sum: most people won't like this album at first - but be patient. In time, I have no doubt that "Embryonic" will be viewed as The Flaming Lips' masterpiece.

My rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

The Top 10 Screamers In Rock

2009-10-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I have to admit - I'm a sucker for a great scream in a rock song. It kind of epitomizes the whole spirit of rock and roll: as Iggy Pop would call it, raw power. These are my 10 favorites. I realize that I'm excluding some bands that do nothing BUT scream, but where's the real power in that? As Charles Thompson would tell you- you can't have light without dark and you can't have loud without quiet.

10. Paul McCartney
Best Scream: "Helter Skelter"

9. John Lydon (Public Image Ltd.)
Best Scream: "Public Image"

8. Prince
Best Scream: "Let's Go Crazy"

7. Bon Scott (AC/DC)
Best Scream: "TNT"

6. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
Best Scream: "Immigrant Song"

5. Al Jourgensen (Ministry)
Best Scream: "Stigmata"

4. Janis Joplin
Best Scream: "Piece Of My Heart"

3. Joe Strummer (The Clash)
Best Scream: "White Riot"

2. Jim Morrison (The Doors)
Best Scream: "Light My Fire"

1. Black Francis (Pixies)
Best Scream: "Tame"

Some TV Shows Don't Know When To Quit

2009-10-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

The phrase "jump the shark" was coined thanks to "Happy Days", a perfect example of a TV show that didn't know when to quit. In one of the later seasons, trying to capitalize on the success of "Jaws", the writers had Fonzie zoom through the air with his water-skis over a shark (while wearing a leather jacket). Sigh. If that was the first episode of "Happy Days" you ever saw, you would think that it was the worst show ever made. Truth is, the first season of the show was one of the best ever made, which is why it became a big hit. Fonzie was a true hoodlum with no superpowers, the laughtrack was tasteful and subdued, and Richie, Ralph and Potsie were normal teenagers trying to figure out life. It was actually great. And then it turned into a ridiculous display of catchphrases, comic book style abilities for The Fonz, and worst of all, an alien named Mork. Good rule of thumb: only watch episodes that begin with "Rock Around The Clock", not the later "Happy Days Theme" (one of the worst songs ever written since the invention of music).

So here are some examples of other shows that have overstayed their welcome and why:

Heroes
It pains me to write this first one. "Heroes" is one of my all-time favorite TV shows, and I do still watch. But if I have to be completely honest, it should have ended after Season One. And here's why: logically, they have patterned the story structure of the show after comic books. There is a 'story-arch', where a problem is presented in the first act and then there is a middle act where the problem is addressed and then the final act where the problem is resolved. The trouble is, "Heroes" followed that arch in one season ('Save the cheerleader, save the world'). We found out that Claire was the cheerleader, that Peter saved New York, that Nathan was really an OK guy, that Sylar was the ultimate villain...it was perfect. And then Season Two comes around and it's like the writers are saying, "Um...what do we do now? I know- we'll make Nathan evil again! And we'll take away Peter's powers! And Noah will...wait, is Noah good or bad?" Urrggh. They threw out all of the progress the characters had made over the first season just to juice up the story. It seemed forced, fake and lazy. Personally, I think they should have followed the lead of the greatest TV show of all time, "LOST": one long, continuous story that just builds on itself. If Season One of "Heroes" had been stretched to the life of the entire series, it would still be a perfect show. If it had ended after Season One, it would have been a perfect show. It's still entertaining, though!

The Office
Like "Heroes", I still watch "The Office" and it still makes me laugh. But last season I started to get a little nervous. Michael Scott started to be a little too 'Michael'. Dwight Schrute started to be a little too 'Dwight'. Jim and Pam started to seem forcibly cute. Not coincidentally, the one character that still seems really fresh is the newest cast member, Andy. The show is still funny...each episode is good for one or two guffaws...but the magic seems gone. The absolute zenith of the show was when Michael was dating Jan (the greatest episode being the Dinner Party of Terror when Jan and Michael began arguing in front of everyone). If the show would have ended with that episode, with not knowing whether Jim and Pam marry; not knowing what happens to Jan and Michael; not knowing if the Scranton branch would shut down - that would have been artistic gold. The longing would have made "The Office" legendary in the minds of fans. Instead, we're going to get a neat little package, which doesn't seem to suit a subversive show like this. I have a great fear that Dwight will soon punch a jukebox to turn it on.

Smallville
Unlike "Heroes" and "The Office", I've never really loved "Smallville". I've wanted to...oh, how I've wanted to. I love Tom Welling as Clark Kent (think he's even better than Christopher Reeve), I love Michael Rosenbaum as Lex, I love the character of Chloe, I love comics in general, I love "Superman" in particular, I love the production values of the show, I love the whole cast. But I hate the writing. Hate, hate, hate the writing. This could have been one of the greatest shows ever, instead it's one of the greatest disappointments ever. In the first couple of seasons, kryptonite had the ability to do just about anything. The logic was horrible - in a town of 10,000 people, someone is dying every week of mysterious, freaky causes (yeah, that wouldn't raise a red flag to the Feds). The stories established from the comics were thrown out the window (the comic has only succeeded for 70+ years...why follow that thing?). And, perhaps worst of all: Lana likes Clark, Lana doesn't like Clark, Lana likes Clark, Lana doesn't like Clark. Zzzzzzzzz. Who cares?!? Especially when Chloe obviously was in love with Clark. To have Clark constantly stand up Lana and weekly break Chloe's heart makes him look like a chump. What makes Clark awesome in the comics is his unwavering devotion to Lois, Ma and Pa Kent. "Smallville" makes him seem like a wishy-washy flake. And then this ridiculous mantra of "No Flights, No Tights" that Millar and Gough came up with. Yeah, no "Superman" fan wants to see him in his iconic outfit flying over Metropolis. What is this, Season Nine of "Smallville"? It has gone on 8 seasons too long.

The Top 10 Superhero Movies Yet To Be Made

2009-10-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Everybody makes these lists, and, being the comic book nerd that I am, here is mine. We all know the obvious choices: Batman, Superman, Spider-Man. Yet there are many more comic book properties that would serve as the basis for excellent films. Thankfully, "Iron Man" proved this year that a lesser-known character can produce a hit movie as long as the story and film-making are strong.

That being said, the main criteria for this list is not "who are my favorite comic book characters". Instead, I tried to objectively list the comic book heroes who would allow for the most engaging cinematic depiction.

10. She-Hulk
I know, I know - we've already had 2 Hulk movies. But for my money, She-Hulk is far more fascinating in the comics than her cousin Bruce. In her books, Jennifer Walters is a brilliant attorney who represents characters in the real world. When in "Hulk" mode, she still has all of her faculties and is quite charming and clever. And I've never heard her say, "Hulk smash!"

9. Black Panther
This one kind of goes without saying. We don't have enough movies with superheroes of color (let's all forget the disastrous "Hancock"). Black Panther not only has one of the coolest costumes in all of comics, but his backstory provides sets and dynamics rarely portrayed on the screen. And if we can get Halle Berry to be his wife, Storm, we've got a surefire hit on our hands.

8. Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)
We all love Ted Kord...still get sad at the thought of his death. But the latest Jaime Reyes version of Blue Beetle would make the best movie. I lived for many years in West Texas and let me tell you...it is a BIZARRE area of the country. Again, this is a demographic and region that have not been portrayed in any superhero movies thusfar and would be very entertaining. Plus, the whole teenager-with-powers thing was a decent success for the movie about guy bit by a radioactive spider.

7. Nightwing
I love, love, love Nightwing. Dick Grayson has many of the physical and detective skills of his adoptive father, Batman, but with one significant difference: Nightwing is a nice guy! Plus, the stories can be lifted straight from the Chuck Dixon era issues: reading those books was like enjoying a great movie every month.

6. Birds Of Prey
I know, I know - there was a TV show. I watched every episode. It was terrible. Why? Because they changed a perfect story! Again, during the Chuck Dixon run BoP was hands-down my favorite comic to read. It was like James Bond, with Oracle sending Black Canary and Huntress to exotic locales all over the world. It is the PERFECT setup for a movie. One good thing about the series- Dina Meyer made a spot-on Oracle...she could reprise the role for a film.

5. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan)
This one is a no-brainer. With today's awesome CGI, a great Green Lantern movie could finally be made. As for story, simply use Darwyn Cooke's "New Frontier" storyline...it is flawless.

4. The Flash (Barry Allen)
Ditto with the Darwyn Cooke "New Frontier" storyline. Back in the 90's there was a Flash TV show, but again was hampered by a low budget and weak special effects. As long as the story has a focus on character, it should be excellent. And The Flash has one of the best Rogues Galleries in all of comicdom.

3. Wonder Woman
It's insane. They've been trying to make this movie for over 10 years. Just about every actress in Hollywood has been mentioned for this role: Jennifer Connelly, Lucy Lawless, Liv Tyler, Angelina Jolie, Monica Bellucci. Joss Whedon wanted to direct, then Brian Singer. Enough already! Just make the movie! You have a built-in fan base, she's part of DC's Big Three, it's crazy!! Of current actresses in the right age-range, my current pick would be Megan Fox.

2. Captain America
Like the Fantastic Four, poor Cap has had some terrible films made in the past bearing his name. This egregious crime must be corrected. Not only is Steve Rogers Marvel's answer to Superman, he is one of the coolest heroes in all of comics. Considering the current international political climate, the timing couldn't be better for an awesome Captain America movie. Plus, it sets the table for every fanboy's dream: The Avengers Movie.

1. Batgirl (Cassandra Cain)
More than any other character on this list, the story of Cassandra Cain is perfectly suited for film. For those not familiar with her origin, Cassandra was raised since infancy by the assassin David Cain. He committed one of the most vile acts in all of comic history - he shielded his 'daughter' from all forms of speech and language to make her a more effective assassin. He theorized that she would be a more effective killer if she could read body language without the distraction of speech (and he was right). She is eventually redeemed by Batman, but her transition to human being is a slow and painful process with many lapses into animal instinct. This story is dark, dark, dark and is the perfect follow up to "The Dark Knight". My dream director would be David Fincher.

Another Great New Manga: "Monkey High"

2009-09-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

A few weeks ago I told you about a new manga that I was very excited about, "Sand Chronicles". Well, so far so good...I just bought volumes 3-5 last night and can't wait to find out what happens next.

But I also discovered a wonderful new title via my wife, Starrina. Never has the old adage been more true not to "judge a book by its cover". Starrina showed me the cover to "Monkey High" and my basic reaction was, "meh". The title sounded silly to me, the cover was a little too brightly colored, and it had the feel of a goofy Ninja-chef-foodie-French-maid kind of manga (I think you know what I mean).

How very, very wrong I was. I was out of reading material and needed to take BART downtown to buy some art supplies at Pearl. Out of desperation, I grabbed "Monkey High" as a superior alternative to staring eye-to-eye with some vagrant on my way down to Powell Street.

I was very surprised to find that it reminded me of two of my all-time favorite manga, "Imadoki!" and "Marmalade Boy". Without giving any plot points away, let me just say that the art is exquisite, the writing is mature and clever, and there is a genuine, genuine plot twist regarding the overall story.

See my previous post of my Top 10 Favorite Manga, and you'll get an idea of what I like. And I give "Monkey High" 5 stars.

My 10 Favorite Funny Movies

2009-09-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Humor is highly subjective. It's like saying "chocolate cake is delicious!" To a lot of people, maybe, but not to everyone. It's hard for me to believe that anyone would disagree with the choices on my list, but then again, there are so-called 'comedy classics' that I just don't get. Every few years I'll rewatch "Caddyshack" and stare at the screen (and I'm a golf nut!). Just isn't that funny to me. Same with "Animal House". I love Bill Murray and John Belushi. Those movies just don't make me laugh.

These, however, make me laugh my head off:

10. Airplane!
This movie should be named "1001 Cheap Gags", except there are a lot more than 1001 gags in it. I don't recall this method being applied before- just keep throwing out one joke after another and a few are bound to stick. Of course, quite a few of the jokes fall flat, but so what? Five seconds later you're gonna get another one.

Favorite bit:

"This woman is very sick, we have to get her to the hospital immediately."

"The hospital, what is it?"

"It's a big building full of patients but that's not important right now."

9. Napoleon Dynamite
Back to the chocolate cake analogy, this may be the most polarizing comedy in film history. The people that like it, love it. Those that don't are left scratching their heads. For me, it connects on a visceral level because I used to live in a small town in West Texas and I feel like I personally knew half the cast. I've rubbed shoulders with my own Napoleon, Pedro and Uncle Rico. Brrrrr.

8. Love And Death
For me, many Woody Allen movies could have made this list: "Take The Money And Run", "Bananas", "Broadway Danny Rose". But to me, "Love And Death" has the most quality jokes. To parody great Russian epics was a masterstroke...the overly earnest seriousness is an easy target. And he wore those anachronistic modern frames!

Favorite bit:

"You have such beautiful skin."

"I know...it covers my whole body."

7. Dumb And Dumber
The Farrelly Brothers are very funny. At times, though, they seem like 12-year-olds with no boundaries or sense of self-control. That's why I view "Dumb And Dumber" as the best of their films. There are a handful of gross-out jokes (Jeff Daniels in Lauren Holly's bathroom is the epitome of 'bathroom humor'). But there are also a lot of genuinely funny, and even sweet, moments. Which is why I also like the underappreciated "Kingpin".

Favorite bit:

"What's the soup of the day?"

"The soup du jour."

"Mmmm....sounds good. I'll have that."

6. The Freshman
On paper, this movie shouldn't work. Marlon Brando acting like Vito Corleone in a comedy? Sounds awful. Instead, it's one of the funniest movies ever made. The Matthew Broderick character, Clark Kellogg, reminds me a lot of Alan Arkin in "The In-Laws". He's just this regular guy dragged into a crazy situation with truly crazy people. With all the wonderful acting by Brando, Broderick and Bruno Kirby my favorite character is still the outrageous Maxmillian Schell as "Larry London". I've seen it 20 times and will happily watch it 20 times more.

5. Blazing Saddles
A lot of people would put this at the top of their list. I do think it's very, very funny. I just think "Young Frankenstein" is Mel Brooks' true masterpiece. But there are a bunch of great gags (and a bunch of clunkers- wouldn't be Mel Brooks otherwise). As usual, Madeline Kahn steals every scene she's in. Gene Wilder seems kind of subdued throughout, but does have my favorite bit in the movie: showing how calm his hand is, but then admitting that he shoots with shaky other hand. Also love Mongo punching the horse.

4. The In-Laws
What a glorious, unexpected gem this movie was when it came out. Back in the 1970s, a lot of movies seemed to just show up at the theater with no fanfare. Unfortunately, not a lot of people saw this movie in the theaters (even though my father and I passionately tried to get people to see it). Alan Arkin's deadpan genius was a great precursor to Tony Shaloub's Monk. As Peter Falk continues to drag Arkin into increasingly dangerous and bizarre situations, Arkin seems to get more blase and almost catatonic. Two words say it all - "Serpentine, Sheldon!"

3. Young Frankenstein
Mel Brooks has made some of the worst movies in history. He has also made a few of the funniest. Maybe because he was following the blueprint of "Son Of Frankenstein", he was unusually disciplined making "Young Frankenstein", and the result was his best film. Not only does it look beautiful, but has dozens of truly hilarious lines and scenes. I never get tired of it. If it's on TV, I'm watching it. Another clue to the unusually funny script: it has been rumored that Gene Wilder came up with some of the best bits.

2. The Big Lebowski
The most quotable movie of our generation. The Coen Brothers had an explosion of creativity with this one - fully realized characters spouting off one great line after another. The simple fact that The Dude, Walter and Donny would be pals is a hilarious foundation that allows the wonderful dialog to flow. "They're nihilists!" "You want a toe? I can get you a toe by 3:00. With nail polish." "You're out of your element, Donny!" On and on and on.

1. Monty Python And The Holy Grail
There will never be a funnier movie than "Monty Python And The Holy Grail". Ever. It's official. If you removed 90% of the funny things in this movie, I still might have it at the top of my list. Like all great art, it blows my mind to consider that one year this movie didn't exist, and then the next year it did. It may be a cliche for nerds to mention this movie, but try to view it with an open mind, pretend you've never heard of it. It's incredible. Just the killer rabbit scene alone is worth the price of admission. Favorite line: When accusing a woman of being a witch, the wise man asks what floats. Someone in the crowd yells, "Very small rocks!". Ahhhhhhh.

(Just missed the list: "Duck Soup", "Waiting For Guffman", "Nacho Libre", "Midnight Run").

Deliciousness Is In The Mouth Of The Masticator

2009-09-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

The other day we went to a very authentic Chinese restaurant in the Richmond/Sunset district. Very authentic. Most of the food was quite tasty, but some of the items were very strange to my palette. There were colors, textures, and aromas to which I've never been exposed (and I've lived in San Francisco for 13 years and have traveled to a number of different countries). As a dead giveaway, 99% of the customers were Chinese.

Which brings me to my point. We are very much conditioned to certain foods by our cultural upbringing. What you may find as delicious and irresistible, someone from another culture or country may view as weird or disgusting.

For example: cottage cheese. To most Americans, cottage cheese is a cool, refreshing, low-fat snack that is tasty and good for your bones. To many parts of the world, it is rotten milk and vomit-inducing.

Here are some of the stranger foods I've been exposed to:

Natto (Japan)
What can I say, natto grosses me out. It consists of fermented soybeans and is slimy, gooey, sticky and smells like gym socks. It's supposed to be very healthy. It ain't worth it.

Tripas (Mexico)
Small intestines. Why would someone even begin to think of eating the intestines of animals?!? Don't they know what intestines are used for?! My wife was raised on the stuff and loves it. My stomach is turning just thinking about it. If you ever have the displeasure of smelling tripas while they're being boiled - that smell will trigger the proper mental response: "Run away!"

Haggis (Scotland)
Haggis is a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's stomach for approximately three hours. You might be thinking, "it can't be as gross as it sounds". You're right. It's much, much grosser.

If I have offended by listing one of your favorite foods, I apologize. Now I must retire to eat some salad with extra chunky bleu cheese dressing.

Great New Manga: "Sand Chronicles"

2009-08-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I just started reading a new manga series about which I'm quite optimistic.

It's called "Sand Chronicles". I'm halfway through the first volume and so far, I love it! Like my favorite manga in the past ("Maison Ikkoku", "Marmalade Boy", "Ai Yori Aoshi"), "Sand Chronicles" has the wonderful mix of romantic comedy plus some tragedy and overarching life lessons.

The name is derived from the fact that hourglasses have played a large part in the heroine's life. Early on is a great metaphor for life using an hourglass: the top section is the future; the narrow middle where the grains fall is the present; the bottom section is the past.

I also like the fact that the story seems to be covering a large section (if not all) of the protagonist's life (halfway through Volume 1 she jumps from 12 to 14). And looking back in her mother's diary, Ann realizes that mom was "young once...just like me". I'm hoping that's a foreshadowing of what's to come.

Hopefully I'll be just as excited at the end of the series!

My 10 Favorite Lyricists

2009-08-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

There was a time when poetry was read and poets were acknowledged as cherished members of society. Nowadays, no-one reads poetry except other poets, academics and students cramming for an exam. I still love poetry, but what's the point of compiling a list of Walt Whitman, ee cummings, Dylan Thomas, etc when nobody really cares?

Not to mention the fact that if some of these guys were alive today, they would probably be singing their verse while fronting some alt-rock band anyway.

Which brings us to my top 10. Looking over this list after compiling it, I realized one thing they all have in common - the lyrics could stand on their own in a book of poetry. So, I guess, this list could also be called "My 10 Favorite Singing Poets".

Just missed the cut: Kurt Cobain, John Lennon, Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), Robyn Hitchcock, Suzanne Vega, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Jim Morrison (The Doors).

10. Andy Partridge
XTC

20 years ago, Andy would have been much higher on this list. But as we get older, our tastes change. I still find his lyrics to be very clever. However, I now put great stock in honest, straightforward emotions. A lot of times it seems like Mr. Partridge is hiding his real feelings behind tricky wordplay. But then he'll turn around and write something like "Hold Me My Daddy" which is gut-wrenchingly honest. And the last two XTC records "Apple Venus" and "Wasp Star" have a more confessional style than the songs of his youth.

9. Elvis Costello

An almost word-for-word assessment of Elvis Costello that I had for Andy Partridge. Outside of rap, I don't think anyone has written more words than EC. But brevity is the soul of wit, and sometimes it seems like Elvis is trying to spit out as many words as he possibly can. That being said, he is an absolute genius at pretzel lyrics and puns. Like Andy Partridge, though, my favorite EC lyrics are when he strips it down and says what he feels. "Watch Your Step" from "Trust" is a personal favorite, because it pulls off what I believe is the most difficult thing to do lyrically - write what appears to be simple but is in reality profound.

8. Natalie Merchant
10,000 Maniacs

Merchant's lyrics are simply beautiful. I think lovely phrasing just comes 100% naturally to her (her grocery lists are probably elegant). Thoughtful little stories (sometimes personal, sometimes general observations) are presented in a way that always goes down easy. One of my favorites, "The Lion's Share", deals with monetary inequity in a way that doesn't seem like you're having someone's opinion hit you over the head:
"The lambs go hungry/Not fair/The biggest portion/Is the lion's share/There must be/some creature mighty/as you are"
Gives me goosebumps just writing it. A good sign.

7. Neil Young

One of the original originals. I would guess that every other person on this list would cite Neil Young as an influence. And I would have to say that he has been the biggest influence on my own lyrics. What makes Neil Young so awesome to me is that he doesn't seem like he's trying...the genius seems effortless. Whereas so many other people are trying to prove to you how smart they are, Neil seems like he tries to keep convincing everyone that he's just a regular guy (which, I assure you, he is most certainly not). I could go on for days listing examples of his genius, but I'll limit it to two. First, "Cortez The Killer". In this epic 7 1/2 minute masterpiece, Young spends the first 5 minutes talking about the conquistador Hernan Cortes and his decimation of Mexico. Then he throws the greatest lyrical curveball I've ever heard: "And I know she's living there/and she loves me to this day" and you realize that he's comparing himself to Cortes. Subtle, brilliant, haunting, genius. The other example is one of the most beautiful and courageous songs you'll experience- "Will To Love" from "American Stars 'n Bars". Another 7 minute epic, he compares himself and his love to two fish swimming in a stream, and ends with them ascending into the air. It's 100% sincere, 100% strange, and 100% breathtaking.

6. Black Francis
Pixies

As a solo artist, sometimes Frank Black got too cute for his own good. He started getting the Costello/Partridge "clever" disease. But in the Pixies, Black Francis was always dead-on. You just knew that the words were hitting the page as quickly as they entered his brain...which usually accounts for the best verse. He's at his best when he's at his rawest (see "Tame"). I think my favorite from him lyrically would have to be "Gouge Away", where he compares himself to Samson (who, because of his relationship with Delilah, ending up getting his eyes gouged out). Thrilling in its imagery.

5. Chris Difford
Squeeze

Difford is a true "songwriter" in the way of Cole Porter and Oscar Hammerstein. I still think it's very impressive that in the late 70s/early 80s when New Wave bands were trying to out-quirk each other for attention, Difford and Tilbrook were putting their efforts into quality music that would stand the test of time. Almost 30 years later, little vignettes like "Up The Junction" and "Vicky Verky" are holding up quite nicely.

4. Karen Peris
The Innocence Mission

When it comes to certain things, I tend to cry rather easily. It's usually beauty...when I experience something truly lovely I bawl for some reason. The Innocence Mission makes me cry every single time I hear them. Without exception. It's a combination of things: the music, Karen's voice. But the strongest pull is her lyrics. Like my favorites on this list, she has that special gift to state simple things in a way that is eminently profound. The one song that makes me cry without fail is "Song About Traveling", and this snippet in particular:

A man said Why, why does traveling
in cars and in trains make him feel sad,
a beautiful sadness.
I've felt this before.
It's the people in the cities you'll never know,
it is everything you pass by,
wondering, will you ever return?

3. Gord Downie
The Tragically Hip

Gord Downie is a poet, plain and simple. Take just about any Tragically Hip song, and you'll find one or two classic, classic lines that most writers never achieve in their entire career. Like Natalie Merchant, with Gord you just get the feeling that this is how he thinks, how he talks in real life. He can't help it - everything about him is lyrical. Personal favorite: "Nautical Disaster" from "Day For Night", where he evokes chilling imagery to describe the scramble as the ship sinks:

One afternoon,
four thousand men died in the water here
and five hundred more were thrashing madly
as parasites might in your blood.

2. Jeff Tweedy
Wilco

Maybe more than anyone else on this list, Jeff Tweedy's lyrics can be published in a book straight-up as poetry. He has taken the torch from Neil Young and gone to a whole new place with it. Like Young, Tweedy wants you to believe that he's just sort of a regular, down-to-earth kind of guy that might be a farmer if raised that way. Don't believe it. There was nothing country about Uncle Tupelo (Tweedy's previous band) or Wilco...banjo and slide guitar can't hide the dark genius of this true poet. On songs like "Sunken Treasure" from "Being There", you realize that Tweedy is the perfect artistic mix - a soft-spoken, humble guy who harbors very dark thoughts deep inside. A nice person constantly at war with himself. Favorite line (maybe by anyone) from "Shot In The Arm":

Maybe all I need is a shot in the arm
Something in my veins
Bloodier than blood

It's that sort of ee cummings poetic grammar that grabs me the most. Saying something, conveying a thought, that normal speech patterns cannot impart. Isn't that the whole point of poetry?

1. Morrissey
The Smiths

I was a teenager when The Smiths came out and they changed everything I thought about music, and especially lyrics. Until I heard The Smiths, the lyricists I admired were either very precise and calculating (Neil Peart of Rush), or political and angry (The Clash), or going out of their way to be clever (Elvis Costello, Steely Dan). Then I heard "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" and this guy saying I was looking for a job/and I found a job/and heaven knows I'm miserable now" I was stunned. Can someone say it that plainly? Are you allowed to be so simple? Getting back to my earlier "brevity is the soul of wit" comment, it can be said that Morrissey is the master of brevity - the king of the one-liner. Some examples:

Is evil something you are or something you do?
"Sister, I'm A Poet"

I've seen this happen in other people's lives
Now it's happening in mine
"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore"

She said, "Eh, I know you and you cannot sing"
I said, "That's nothing
You should hear me play piano"
"The Queen Is Dead"

Will nature make a man of me yet?
"This Charming Man"

How can you stay with a fat girl
who says "oh, would you like to marry me,
and if you like you can buy the ring",
she doesn't care about anything.
William, It Was Really Nothing

On and on and on and on. A record by The Smiths or Morrissey is a feast for the mind. I've listened to these songs thousands of times and still get hit by the lyrical depth (that amazingly, seem straightforward on the initial hearing).

Painting In Progress: "Burnt Coat Harbor Lighthouse At Hockamock Head"

2009-08-05T14:42:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

This is one of four new lighthouse paintings that I'm working on simultaneously (since they tend to have the same colors, it's efficient to do more than one at a time).

I really like the angle on this one- it gives the house and tower that Hitchcock/Nancy Drew sense of foreboding...so intimidating up on that hill.

Since I paint in oils and use medium-length driers, I'll usually wait a few days between coats. That means that these four paintings will be done in roughly 3 weeks.

Painting In Progress: "Side Street In Hydra, Greece"

2009-08-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

I currently have 5 different paintings in the works, so over the next few days I'm going to post up photos of the paintings in progress.

The first is a painting of Hydra, Greece. This is based on a photo I took of my wife, Starrina, walking down a side street. One thing I thought was cool about the shot was the composition - since this part of the city is built on a hill, the architects had to make a lot of concessions when it comes to walls, doorways, windows, you name it. It almost gives everything the appearance of being made out of cake and slightly melting in the sun.

In this close-up picture you can get some insight into my technique. First, I'll sketch my drawing with a light-lead pencil (in this case a PrismaColor Turquoise 4H). Next, I go over my pencils with a fine Marigold color Sharpie and erase my pencils. Normally my next step is to paint any sky or water, but since this one has neither, I painted the walls and streets. Next, it's all about layering as I'll fill in the lowest layers and come back till I finally reach the foreground.

Since I paint in oils and use medium-length driers, I'll usually wait a few days between coats. That means that this painting will be done in roughly 3 weeks.

The Power Of Beauty

2009-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

So many different things stir our emotions in various ways.

We are thrilled and exhilarated on a rollercoaster, terrified by a scary movie, driven to laughter by something humorous...etc etc.

But one of the most powerful external forces on us has to be beauty.

What makes this thought difficult to understand for a lot of people is the subtlety of beauty. The effects run so deeply that they touch us at our core...maybe even on a molecular level.

We've all heard the old quote from William Congreve, "Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast". I say the root of that 'soothing' comes from the beauty in music. One of my favorite bands, The Innocence Mission, are masters at this. If I am stressed out, anxious, upset - all I have to do is put on one of their CDs and everything calms down. The stress begins to vanish. I start to feel better physically.

Which leads to my previous comment about affecting us on a molecular level. Have you ever noticed how calm we become when viewing a sunset, a field of flowers, listening to beautiful music, seeing people display kindness to one another, and the like? We become physically soothed. It's like the "runner's high", the release of endorphins while exercising.

I think the most beautiful music ever written is "Clair de Lune" by DeBussy. When I hear that piece, I am overcome with the same sense of well-being that I get from vigorous exercise. Same thing when seeing beautiful plants, animals, people behaving beautifully, incredible celestial bodies, etc.

This shouldn't be surprising - in the Bible whenever heaven is described, it is in beautiful terms...gemlike, radiant, peaceful. There is great power in beauty.

On the other hand, what society tends to value these days is like the rush of a heroin addict: it might provide a temporary energy boost, but the after-effects are destructive. Things like Death Metal, Ultimate Fighting, and various perversions might provide a quick jolt to the system, but leave in their wake self-loathing, despair and a poisoned outlook.

Whereas the cheap ugliness of modern society is bombastic and proud, true beauty is quiet and subtle.

But in the end, beauty is what will survive. And what a world that will be...

Manners Matter (or, Manner Matters)

2009-07-23T07:19:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

At no time am I more aware of the importance (and lack) of manners in society than when on vacation. Living in a tourist town like San Francisco you get to see the mindset of the vacationer - 'this is my vacation....I've been waiting for this...I'm paying a lot of money for this...get out of my way!'.

We saw some appalling examples of lack of manners on our recent trip to Europe. While waiting in line at Madame Tussauds (which has a famously slow line), we experienced both people cutting in line and a guy who insisted on smoking even when those around him were repeatedly driven to coughing. Offenders in both cases were obviously tourists. Would they behave that way at home? Maybe. But one thing's for sure - their attitude was "I'm on my vacation...placate me!!".

In reality, the attitude should be just the opposite. When Starr and I are visiting a foreign country, our attitude is this - we are guests of these people. While they're having to go through the drudgery of work, traffic, laundry, etc we're sightseeing carefree. How should a proper houseguest behave? Would you rummage through the fridge without permission? Would you jump ahead of your host while he was heading to the restroom? Would you talk loudly when your hosts were being quiet? And yet, that is what many foreign tourists do.

Why do bad manners bother us so much? I've boiled it down to two things: justice and respect. Cutting in line bothers us because it is unjust, not just because we're being inconvenienced. Proof of this: imagine that you are sitting on a park bench and across the street you observe people waiting patiently in line. Suddenly you see some guy obviously cut in line. It bothers us all the same, even though we're not personally being affected. It offends our innate sense of justice.

And then the matter of respect. If you consider the feelings of others before your own, it will prevent you from behaving in an obviously obnoxious manner. But that's the heart of the problem...the feelings of others aren't being considered at all. "I'm tired....I'm hungry...this line is slow...that's dumb...we don't do it that way at home...blah blah blah" We've heard those kind of comments far too many times. You're on vacation on the other side of the world!! A lot of people dream of being able to travel and the opportunity never materializes. Quit being such an ungrateful baby.

Eur09 [Day 19] London, England

2009-07-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

This is the penultimate day of our trip, and the final entry in my trip blog (since tomorrow is basically going to be spent going in and out of airports, it would make for a pretty boring entry).

Our hotel is next to Hyde Park, so we decided to walk north from Knightsbridge toward Regent's Park since we hadn't gotten to see much of that section yet.

The section of Hyde Park we saw was quite lovely (we wished we had had more time to go a little west to see the Kensington Gardens section, with its statue of Peter Pan).

"The Huntress" fountain in Hyde Park:

Huge, huge statue of Achilles in Hyde Park:

Here's a very helpful aspect of London: at most crosswalks you have this "Look Left" or "Look Right" painted on the street in front of you. Since they drive on the left here, your first inclination is to look the wrong way! This saved my neck a couple of times...

A hand-painted sign for Sean. Plus, an example of something Starr and I both love here: the style of naming things. "Lamb And Flag". So simple and strange, and poetic all at the same time.

By now we were in the Marylebone district, thus the Marylebone pub.

A view of Marylebone High Street. We enjoyed some pastries and Italian ices at a little shop here before moving on.

When we got to Marylebone Road and rounded the corner, we saw this cool engraving/plaque on the wall:

POP LITERATURE QUIZ: Can you pick out the 6 Dickens works portrayed on the carving?

Since it was nearby, we decided to visit Madame Tussaud's.

Starr met Samuel Jackson inside, but couldn't get a word out of him.

This was a funny coincidence: this morning, when we were trying to figure out what to do today, I saw an ad for "Waiting For Godot", which is playing at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End. Starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen!!! I excitedly called the theater and asked if tickets were still available. He said there were, but only with highly-restricted views. Waahhh! Could have seen Captain Picard and Gandalf live (or Professor Xavier and Magneto, for that matter!). Oh well...meeting the wax figure eased the pain a little.

Starr kept hanging around this hippie dude, whoever he was...

I gave Tiger my sage golfing advice...and he missed the cut at the British Open.

Starr and Van Gogh swapped painting techniques.

Fidel asked if I could help with lifting any embargoes. I told him I would see what I could do, for all-I-could-eat ropa vieja. He said "no dice, senor".

Saw this on the walk back toward the hotel. I don't want the job emptying it.

We saw this nifty little car for sale. Man, I would love to own it!

We ate dinner at this great little crepe place:

Starr's was Mexican style with a lot of chili and cheese, and mine was chicken and mushroom in a white wine sauce. Both were magnifique!

One final hand-painted sign for Sean:

Well, this concludes the journal of our Europe Trip 2009. Thanks to everyone for reading, and hopefully I kept it semi-interesting.

Eur09 [Day 18] London, England

2009-07-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

Since we are going to be in London for only a few days, we decided to take a tour that would show us all of the key spots.

Started off by seeing Westminster Abbey and our first view of Big Ben.

Some of the insanely ornate architecture of Westminster Abbey:

Next we went to see the Household Cavalry.

St. James' Park:

Our tour guide, Tony (left) and our bus driver, Bob. Tony was the best guide we've had on any of these city tours we've taken. He was a mix of Anthony Hopkins and Morrissey, very charming, very dry wit.

Here's where we ate lunch near Covent Garden:

A hand-painted sign for Sean:

This statue of a Highlander is supposed to be holding a flask of whiskey. Guess some Scotsman filched it.

Another hand-painted sign for Sean:

Some candy we bought at a candy shop in Covent Garden. They were all good, but the winner was this big block of nougat that had almonds and raspberry. Yummmm.

View of the Tower Bridge from the Tower Of London:

Outer wall of the Tower Of London. Very interesting place to visit, and the highlight was seeing the Crown Jewels. They were so magnificent that it's hard to believe that you're looking at real stones and gold. They had a huge, ornate, gold punch bowl that was about the size of a bathtub.

This Beefeater gave us a great tour of the castle by guiding us through the moat. A lot of interesting historical facts and clever jokes too.

Next, we took a boat ride on the Thames from the Tower of London to The Eye.

When we got over by The Eye (the huge ferris wheel on the banks of the Thames), they had statues advertising their Dali exhibit. Unfortunately, the exhibit was closed by the time we got there.

Next, we rode The Eye. Takes 30 minutes for a full revolution, and the view is fantastic.

Our tour day was done. On the walk back to our hotel, we ate dinner at this restaurant named "The Red Lion". Best fish and chips we've ever had.

We had circled around so much on the tour that we didn't even realize that our hotel is only 2 blocks from Buckingham Palace. Got a beautiful twilight view:

Eur09 [Day 17] London, England

2009-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

by Jeffrey Dale Starr

We were heading out of Athens this morning, but not without one last adventure! We were already running a little late when the bus took a side street and got stuck. Somebody was double-parked on the side of the road so the bus couldn't make the turn and at the same time a bunch of cars backed up behind us. After several minutes of trying to figure out what to do (including all the guys on board talking about lifting the cars out of the way), the bus driver ended up driving in reverse for like 3 blocks on a very, very narrow road!

Every morning we considered the daily text as a group. This morning was my turn, but since everyone was kind of nervous about making their flight on time I kept it brief.

Our flight from Athens to London went up the coast of Italy, and we got a great view of Venice from the air:

We took the Piccadilly train from Heathrow to get to our hotel.

Our room at the Sheraton Park Tower hotel in the Knightsbridge area of Central London.

Our hotel is right next to Harrods.

We ate dinner at a great Italian restaurant called La Dolce Vita.

Since we were eating at an Italian restaurant I thought I should put on my Vito Corleone face.

We made it back to our hotel ready for some rest (the whole airport/customs/security thing can really wear you out). We booked a city tour for tomorrow where we'll get to all of the famous spots.