sirens and silence

hey all,
so here it is, my first real blog. i will continue to personalize my page a bit more, add pics or whatever, but for now theres something im really excited about that i wanna share with you. not sure where to start....
some of my Maya'sMom friends who read my journals will know that i went to see a linkin park concert recently (06-24-08) and i REALLY loved it. It got me to start listening to linkin park again.....religiously... so like the good fan i am, i went online to check out the LinkinParkNetwork, i tried to join LPunderground but they wont accept my credit card (STOOPID APO!) i found the awesome widget you should be able to see somewhere here on my page and most importantly, i stumbled upon Mike Shinoda's Blog (www.mikeshinoda.com). i dont think i need to tell anyone that this guy is a friggin genius, but just in case, i'll do it anyway. Mike Shinoda is a friggin genius. so now you know.
on his page i discovered that, not only is he a musical genius, but he also paints. and pretty damn good. now im not particularly fond of art in general n(because i cant paint to save my life lol), but i can appreciate other peoples talent and vision. so very soon, Mr. Shinoda is gonna have an artshow (starting july 11th at the japanese american national museum in LA, if you live there GO! and take pics for me!) a few days ago he posted a video called "sirens and silence" here's the description he posted (and the video if i can figure out how to post it)

GLORIOUS EXCESS: SIRENS AND SILENCE Running Time: 13 minutes "A short film I shot and edited on tour, spliced with other footage i obtained. This is a visual compliment to the nine new paintings that make up my GLORIOUS EXCESS (BORN) art show, running from July 12 to August 3 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. For directions to the show visit janm.org. For a sneak-peek at the art, visit mikeshinoda.com."


i really wanted to write down my thougths on the video. so here goes.
im watching the video as i write this.(watch the video before you read on or it wont make much sense)

the article at the beginning of the clip totally stunned me, not because it was all THAT exciting, but because it was almost the EXACT same thing i had recently written in my notebook (i write down random thoughts and later rip 'em up and throw 'em out) so after reading these thoughts, so similar to my own, the video had my full attention. i wasnt a big fan of the red carpet scenes, but then again, i stopped watching tv to avoid this kind of crap. and im still undecided on wether or not i like jessica alba. one of the great mysteries of this life.... the scene when he gets on a plane, made me laugh because i had to think of a clip of stewie (family guy) that i saw a few days ago (also on MS's blog) the view from the plane was breathtaking, reminded me of flying to germany alone with my cat...lol
the hotel room. i loved it. A) because it was a REALLY nice room and B) i have always LOVED staying at hotels (except maybe for a pretty sad experience i made when i was 15...) and that bed looked really comfy! and that view! i dont know what city it was but i love city lights at night! brings out memories of some of the places i lived.... (funny how much of this clip i can relate to my own life, even though its COMPLETELY different!)
now for the funny part: insomnia! oh how many nights have i spent sitting in front of the tv, watching those adds for what we call 0190 numbers (most of them start with different area codes now, but they used to all start with this one) the one in the video is pretty tame, nothing compared to "Sexy women over 60" or that kind of stuff (NASTY! LOL) but what really made me laugh was the music clip! Hier kommt die maus!? i havent heard that song in ages!! i never really liked it, but i gotta admit 2 things, the guy who sings it (stefan raab) is REALLY funny (has his own tv show, proly the most popular show in germany, called "tv total" and its funny as hell!) and the other thing i have admit is that, the show that the song is based on (it was written to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show i think) called "die Sendung mit der Maus" (the show with the mouse, how original..lol) comes on every sunday at 11.30 (right before the sunday fairy tale, im such a dork) and i actually still watch it from time to time (its very educational! LOL, ten times better than any kids tv show i ever saw in the US) anyway, getting off the subject now (im good at that) back to the video...
something thats absolutely unimportant, but im gonna mention anyway is that im pretty sure this footage was shot pretty recently, because "ich hab dich lieb" is "Schnuffel's" new single. yeah, that creepy animated bunny, he's had a few songs before that one, all themed around lovey dovey-ness and cuddling and stuff, im not a cold person but this sh*t makes me gag. (one of the many reasons i dont watch tv anymore)
back to the video again, THE EVENT:
whats up with the screaming? seriously? i get screaming at the concert, you know, cheering, singing along that kind of thing (been known to do it myself, but not that high pitched girly screaming...well, maybe once or twice....) but when someone walks by, no matter how famous or good looking he/she is, i suppose screaming at them at the TOP OF YOUR LUNGS will not make them wanna come over and talk to you (JMO) but i guess its good lung exercise, so scream away..... but wait, it gets worse...
THE AIRPORT
first thing i noticed was the little sign that said speed limit on those little cart thingies. made me smile because, well, lets just say it put a funny image in my head of the band members racing around in those things, running people over and stuff.... (i think i need to slow down on the caffeine for today...)
so we get on another plane, another hotel room..another beautiful view from the hotel window (dear mike, should you ever read this, which i doubt you will, next time you make a video, try to hold the camera just a tiny bit steadier, all that shaking is making me nauseous, or it could be the 2 big Mugs of coffee i just drank, proly both...)
at this point, i would really like to know what mike was thinking when he shot this. because this scene could be interpreted in so many ways. i see serenity, peace and quiet in this moment, coming into the room, away from the noise and the chaos of the hectic world out there. then again, if watched this scene on a day when im feeling sad, i would proly see loneliness, after all, who if not me knows how it feels to be seperated from your family, in a foreign country, you cant even call your spouse because they're in a different timezone and probably asleep right now.... but since im a cheerfull person, i dont wanna look at it that way and i dont like to think that thats what mike felt when he shot this.
the next article is oh-so-true. i could go into a full blown speech about why so many people think they NEED to be famous and why that is so rediculous yet understandable at the same time, how IMO its human nature to wanna be noticed, because, lets face it, if no one ever noticed us or acknowledged our existance, our lives wouldn't mean much and we'd probably lose it.... but i wont, because this isn't about me, this is about mike's video. :D
i like how the German voice over (whats up with all the german anyway, wasnt this shot in asia?) makes the "girls next door" sound even dumber and faker (is that even a word?) than they really are. and, i dont know if mike knew what they were saying (since you really couldnt make out the english words under the german) but that short clip fits well into the overall feeling of the video. (no i dont feel like translating because that would mean i'd have to listen to them AGAIN! an i dont feel like sacrificing anymore braincells today)

now this is were it gets uncomfortable. the bits about deranged fans. my Maya'sMom friends may remember the news link i posted a few months ago about chester (yes, the one from linkin park, such a coincidence..lol) who had a stalker who was sentenced to 2 years of prison and we all made our jokes about how we're gonna try to be less agressive and/or obvious in our efforts to stalk our favorite celebs...
we all wondered how people can get so obsessed (a word i use too lighly i think) with celebrities.
i mean, im sure we all have people that we admire and look up to, that inspire us and influence our lives. their art (be it music, photography, movies or any other form of entertainment) lifts us up or provides comfort. they give us so much of themselves, (yes, they get paid well for it, but thats not the point) so what gives us the right to demand even more?
ok, i think im rambling again. my hands are shaking, need more coffee...

ok, got fresh coffee, lets tackle the rest of the video before i fall into a caffeine induced coma, shall we?

see, this one is tricky.... the crazy fan screaming "chester i love you".....i can totally see her side of this. its not often that you get the chance to be this close to someone you admire (as im sure she does admire Chester and Mike and hopefully the rest of the band) and i guess in her mind, asking for an "autogram" (he he) isnt exactly a crime, on the contrary, it really is a compliment! and since she probably paid a few bucks for the bootlegged copies of hybrid theory, meteora, reanimation and mintues to midnight, she no doubt owns, she feels she has a right to get that autograph she so politely asked for. what she doesnt think about is that, Chaz, Mike and the rest of them just got off a plane, dunno how long they flew, they're exhausted (presumably) and really just wanna stretch thier legs a little, get to the hotel, maybe take a shower and eat a bite. they appreciate the love they're shown (im sure of this!), but they're being rushed onward by people, trying to get them out of there (the middle of an airport i proly not the safest or most comfortable place to be)and if they did stop to sign one autograph, they'd get swarmed by even more people. i understand the girls disappointment, i really do, but scraming "f*ck you" at them, was kinda uncalled for. thats something you say to your husband when he tells you that the dinner you cooked tastes like old ass...;) not something you scream at someone you claim to love, just because he doesnt obey your every wish (unless of course your married to that person, then its ok :))
i'm not a shy person per se, but i could NEVER walk up to a celeb and scream that i loved them. on the few occasions when i met a celeb (all german) you couldn't get a word out of me (shocker, huh?) this isn't so much me being shy, but more the fact that, no matter how familiar they are too me and how well i can relate to what they stand for, i realize that, to them, i am a stranger. and i know i wouldn't feel comfortable if a stranger came up to me and started acting like we are best friends, yk?
ok, if anyone actually read all of this, you deserve an award! lol and you will be rewarded for your patience! here's what Mike has to say about this video. (check him out at www.mikeshinoda.com!)


July 1, 2008 53 Comments

regarding the "SIRENS AND SILENCE" video i posted in the videos section: i wanted to have a little fun with you when i posted it, so i intentionally put it up with almost no description, and left it up for a few days in order to give you a chance to watch it, pass it on to friends, and post your thoughts about it. now that you've had a second to absorb, let me tell you more about it!

this piece, although based mostly on first-hand perspective footage, is not necessarily about me. in fact, i made a conscious effort to keep it the piece open to different "celebrity types"--i edited out a great deal of our faces, voices, and any LP related imagery (there's still a little bit, but not much) because i wanted it to be versatile; to be able to be applied to many different types of person who might have this experience.

this could be a piece about a movie star, a TV celebrity, a musician. it's about the frenetic pace, the travel, the potential for ups and downs, ego and depression, humor and darkness. i don't travel by private jet all the time, i don't stay in hotel rooms that look like the ones pictured all the time, and i don't get swarmed by fans at airports all the time. some people do...and this piece is about their lifestyle as much as it is a personal video journal (without the talking).

some of you commented that the piece gave you a feeling of "loneliness." i found that really interesting, because while some could say the hotel scenes looked cold, another might see the hotel scenes as the moments of peace and warmth. while the "insomnia" bit felt frustrating to some, others might see it as funny (i do!). that's what i love about a piece like this--a large portion of it is wide open for interpretation, and all of us project our own feelings and experiences into it.

i added the more obvious commentary to was the end, because that was a universal "be careful what you wish for" element, and it felt good with the door closing (which, again could feel like a warm escape from the insanity, but just as easily could feel dark and foreboding). the dynamic between the loud "siren" parts and the "silent" parts are what gave the piece its name.

enjoy...more to come this week, as we set up for the show!







now im gonna go post a comment on his blog and thank him for giving me something to ponder over the last few days. (i could go on wriiting forever, but Lee will wake up from his nap soon and i really need a shower, plus im sure you've read enough of my thoughts for one day...)
dont worry, more ramblings to come.