Confessions on a Secret Dancefloor

So, Madonna overload today.

I got up at an unearthly hour to watch the internet stream of Madonna's concert at the Koko Club in London (where she made her London live debut some 22 years ago...) but, of course, none of the codecs or plugins or whatever I needed were working properly, so it wasn't to be. Instead, I went back to sleep.

Then I met the Mexican and we went, at last, and bought the album in HMV Shibuya. I made a splash and bought the Japanese edition, so I have the Obi and the Japanese booklet with all the lyrics... After lunch, we went back to my place to watch "I'm Going to Tell You A Secret". Which is interesting right until the very end when she goes to Israel.

Am now getting through who knows what number repeat of the album, which I love.

The FMcG School of Elocution

I think we all know how much I admire/respect/love/crave Ms. M L V Ciccone, but did anyone else think her accent during her interview with Parky was a little peculiar? Or downright bizarre?

There again, how many Irish people have gone to live in America and returned ten years later with a drawl - or indeed, gone to England and picked up something of the accent there. But for many of these people it was a survival technique. I suppose Mrs. Richie can do and say what she likes (however she likes) - she'll still have us talking about it nonetheless.

I happened upon a 2nd Hand Bookstore in Takadanobaba (near to my university) on Friday and decided to have a look, on the basis that there are so few well-stocked English-language bookshops anywhere in Tokyo. I found a copy of The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon - which, believe it or not, is like a 1000 year old blog. In it, the acerbic and charming author - of whose name we aren't really certain - notes the day-to-day ephemera of court life in Japan. She sometimes discusses trees, flowers, even insects, sometimes complains about lapses in manners (which she never misses) and sometimes just gives lists, like "Hateful Things" or "Things that Make One Smile" or "Things that Make Ones Heart Beat Faster". Obviously I want to make a play about her...

I hear that Confessions On A Dancefloor is already on sale in Dublin, but I shall be waiting until its release here on Wednesday. I imagine I'll like it...

See Saw Marjorie Dawes...

I saw Saw II yesterday. I really don't like horror films - it's official. The violence in that move is so clever and so relentless it's very upsetting. The conceits of it are all fascinating - human instinct and so on - but really, I don't need to watch that for entertainment...

Afterwards I went and finally got a digital camera. It's just lovely. Pictures will follow.

Thursday's bus trip to the base of mount Fuji (a lovely little town called Kawaguchiko that was stunningly beautiful in all its autumnal glory) was terrific. Nicky, Angela and I convened far too early in the morning, got the bus (and giggled all the way there at snoring fellow passengers at whom we wanted to throw peanuts, while we listened to Nicky's iPod...) and eventually arrived at the museum.

The reason we went on Thursday was so that we could catch the special performance that was scheduled. It's basically a little Japanese dance, conceived to showcase some of the kimono from the museum. We were expecting Noh or something, but NO. Instead we got hilariously tacky Japaneseque "dance". Lips were bitten. Surreptitious tears were spilled. And Nicky got bitch-slapped by a nasty old Japanese man for taking photos. (As soon as I get my hands on them I'll post them here...) I should say that I'll be dragging anyone who gets anywhere near Tokyo to this museum. The kimono are just awesome, and the setting is extremely beautiful.

Back in Tokyo, I saw my first real Noh performance at the Kanze school, where my friend Midori's brother Takanobu was making his debut. Whew. Heavy stuff. I take solace from the fact that some friends I met there (the directors of Company Izuru, a theatre group I'm kinda sorta involved with ish) understood about as much as I did.

Today is fun things like laundry and grocery shopping. But with very cool music, obviously.

Unproductive Wednesday

Today was a blow-out. Having been up until 7am for no good reason, I slept through my rollerblading lesson and missed most of the day.

In the afternoon I went on some errands (successfully accomplished, in Japanese - I'm starting to actually feel confident with this language. Slowly) and then returned my videos (on time! hah!) and other such banal things.

I had plans to write a whole scene of my play today and even learn some new kanji, but none of that happened. Instead I listened to lots of cool music and lamented my tattered life for 2 minutes. And then thought hey, I could be in Paris in a riot. Or any number of worse things. I could have bad plumbing and rats.

I'm going to have to buy a bigger iPod. The Shuffle, cute as it is, is no longer enough for me.

Argh, it's 4am and I have to be on a bus at 8.30 to go to a kimono museum tomorrow. What's worse, I will have to cut short the day trip because I am also supposed to be at another posh performance tomorrow evening, back in Tokyo. My friend Midori's brother is performing in Funa Benkei, a very famous play - and I really cannot miss it. Oh Noh...

Ooh, everyone should watch "Callas Forever". The story is a ludicrous fantasy rewriting of Callas' last days in Paris in 1977, but Zeffirelli's stagings of Carmen - with the remarkable Fanny Ardant - are gorgeous and worth the rental alone. Plus you get to hear that voice singing beautiful arias - not least "Casta Diva".

The Body Acoustic

I've recently become a much bigger fan of Cyndi Lauper. It has been quite an oversight on my part not to have been into her until now. I got her new offering "The Body Acoustic" today, and it's quite an Alanis-esque acoustic revisiting of some of her biggest songs. Her voice is as big and brassy as ever.

If anyone DIDN'T already hear Alanis' acoustic remake of "Jagged Little Pill", go get it! It's wonderful!!

An introduction

I want to mention a rather awesome singer called Idina Menzel here. She was the original Maureen in Rent on Broadway, and she's in the movie too.

I've heard her in Rent, Wicked, and The Wild Party, and she has a song on the Desperate Housewives soundtrack.

We LOVE her!!

Curious George

I'm sorry. George the pharmacist in Desperate Housewives is toooooo creepy. It's enormously unpleasant - good tv, I suppose - but really. In that street, SOMEONE should've shot him by now. Maybe the gay son might come back from re-alignment camp (a whole OTHER issue...) and run him down.

Please leave a message after the tone, and Ms Ciccone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Have you seen the new Madonna video yet? I can't make head nor tail of it. I really love the song, and the absurd retro dance routine, but what's the deal with the rest of it?! Mind you, I sincerely hope to be as in shape and in control when I'm her age. I just don't get why it couldn't be a PRETTIER video.

The remixes on the single are pretty good, and I loved her performance in Lisbon. Even if she did lose her voice...

If you like the song, check out Goldfrapp's newest album, or a bit of Depeche Mode, or - best of all, almost-unknown singer Juliet's album "Random Order", which was produced by Stuart Price - aka Mr. Confessions on a Dancefloor. Even Kelly Osbourne has gone all electro-pop now. Hurrah!

Spreading the News

How appropriate - that title is like a cross between Lady Gregory and Liza Minelli...

Check out these various pieces of press junk for "Arcadia" - before I lose the links!


http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20051008vk.htm

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fq20050930a4.htm

http://www.japan-zine.com/page1.php?id=422

http://www.weekenderjapan.com/index.php?page=feature

http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/601/agenda.asp

What dreams may come

I think I should put up a list of all my music. It's something I've been meaning to do for the longest time now. It'll be vast but fabulous. Maybe as a subpage of my other website.

And I wonder if I shouldn't include also some of the funniest websites I've found or been sent to...

Any suggestions?

Candy Perfume Boy.

So I've moved here. Cian and Jennifer both seem to love it, and so far so fabulous, I agree...

I spent much of the weekend running around, but the results are good - I've filmed a sneak peek of my Trojan Women performance in Greek and English, gotten Madonna's new single, had coffee in Yokohama with a dear friend, dinner in Shinjuku with another, and got drunk with three of my wonderful actors on Saturday night over posh nosh courtesy of our resident film star!

Hawaii happens in a little over a week. Shall be tons of fun. I just wonder if I'll get lei-ed... Hyuck hyuck.