another thing i dug from lynch's book was his discussion of the magic of cinema, and actually going to the cinema to truly experience films (he doesn't mention imax, but i have to imagine he'd appreciate the additional immersive power the format provides). this despite the fact that i recently watched the first oscar winning best picture, wings (1927), the only silent film to win a best picture, on my ipod while on the treadmill. i was a little surprised that even back then there was product placement (hershey's and ford), and more surprised that while not exceedingly graphic, the film, which is about world war i air force pilots, does not romanticize war, and in fact unexpectedly delivers a tragic occurrence which easily could've been written as a storybook triumph instead. and i can't take for granted that "for many years, wings was considered a lost film until a surviving print was found in the cinémathèque française film archive in paris and quickly copied from nitrate film to safety film stock.", nor that i can hold a tiny square in the palm of my hand which displays a film one previously could only see on the silver screen. but i'm gonna stick to audiobooks and podcasts for running for the most part.

and speaking of the magic of the cinema experience, i despair at the damage being done to it by the dwindling appreciation for experiencing movies there rather than at home, the latest salvo being the availability of movies for rental 60 days after their theatrical release (for a premium) which directors like james cameron are speaking out against. low costs for arts & entertainment are subsidized by mass participation in purchasing/attendance, and anything that works against that is quite detrimental.

jeremy irons speaks eloquently about the same type of thing happening to broadway as it's slowly killing itself.

and speaking of audiences subsidizing artists, even one of my favorite bands, margot, is turning to its most ardent fans and asking them to donate far more than one would normally pay for a cd (and receive some sort of perk that doesn't really cost the band anything) to subsidize the creation of their next album, in order to continue to work outside of the major label system which normally covers the cost through mass sales.


and speaking of daffodils and bliss and jeremy irons, here's jeremy irons reading daffodils: