South By South Death
As a cheesy tattoo reality show once said, "Every body has a story." I know at least some of you have studied mine. Can each curve, bump, puffy lip and turn of ankle tell something essential? Is there a side my friends don't see when we get wasted and they watch me stumble towards my ever-solidifying destiny of holy goof-ness?
As I write this, I'm sitting in a motel in Flagstaff, Arizona, downing Emergen-C with my Miller Lite and nursing multiple battle injuries. I'm in the bathtub so as not to disturb my sleeping companions, who've just informed me I go at the keyboard like I have a grudge against it. As always, South by Southwest happened so hard and fast I'm still trying to figure out if I dreamed it all. I threw out my bag of SXSW crap. Pictures glow from the screen, but what I can touch is my body. I see its marks, I feel them, and, when I press on them, they fucking hurt. Maybe they can map a way back into this rapidly receding thing. After all, I'm pretty sure I was there.
Bruise on Top of Left Foot
This happened when I saw HEARTSREVOLUTION at Beauty Bar. Their sexy electro had all the drunks jumping up and down so joyously no one noticed if they stomped on a foot or two, least of all mine. Leila Safai is the ultimate party pixie, packing mondo energy into her tiny frame, then shooting it at you. Am I allowed to quote myself? Oh well, I'm doing it anyway.
Distorted female vocals plus guy hunched over machines pretending to do stuff is going out of vogue again what with the swift, inevitable Crystal Castles backlash. Guess what? I don't care because it makes me want to drink five vodka Redbulls and jump around and shriek unintelligibly and kiss boys and get my tits out and write down brilliant ideas until I pass out.
Source: The New York Press
The chance to get those tits out came swiftly in the form of a surprise run-in with my old friend Merlin Bronques. Naked in the bathroom at Beauty Bar just like the old days. I almost shed tears of nostalgia, it was such a throwback. Merlin makes me look pretty even when I'm not wearing concealer and haven't slept or put down the bottle in days. Kind of busted but in a hot way, maybe? I love that man.
Scrape on Upper Right Thigh
This happened when I was jumping a fence in an attempt to climb up on the roof of Ms. Bea's to see Health pound out a fitting finale to Todd P's orgy of unofficial rocking. Regular clumsiness worsened by hits off someone's joint, that evil fence caught me in the ass-thigh just when I thought I'd cleared it. It also caught my nice new American Apparel pencil skirt (please send free shit), revealing my purple leopard print undies to all. A good Samaritan helped free me and didn't even stare at my ass, that I know of.
From the roof a panoramic soundscape unfolded. For two minutes, all was sheer noisy bliss, with breezes and crackling sound currents intermingling. Then Todd yelled at us to abort before the scrap wood shanty that is Ms. Bea's collapsed. Like a cat in a tree, I spun all gears puzzling over just how to get down. Unlike that cat, I showed more people my ass before falling unceremoniously into the underbrush.
Bruise on Left Buttock
Followed by:
Assorted Thigh Bruises, Leg Abrasions
It's hard to recall just when and where each of these occurred. I know I woke up with some on Sunday, some Monday, so it's a good bet to say the first group of friends came to me as I floated into the numerous bony people and assorted unforgiving obstacles at the Vice party. When I arrived, Titus Andronicus were playing. Their noisy, anthemic rock with shaky vocals reminds me simultaneously of early Bright Eyes and Bruce Springsteen. I pushed up to the front and went to town. Unlike most afterparties, I didn't feel like shit by the end. This was due to the fact that the only free booze was tequila, which falls out of my mouth like poison, and beer, which I can only drink so much of. Despite missing my old pal whiskey, I sampled a veritable thali plate of Hunter's little helpers, which interfered with one another and cancelled each other out until I was so fucked I wasn't fucked at all.
The next night I went to the most awesomely terrifying party the world has ever seen. Bike punks, fireworks and broken glass spelled F-U-N. More bruising was a given but I counted myself lucky to have escaped with my face intact. I'm a tad neurotic about the ol' shana punim, as I know it'll be my primary dick-bait when I get fat.
Mega Scrape on Left Knee
Somewhere along the line I managed to meet a boy who likes all the same weird things as me. When he asked me to ride on his handlebars (no mustache) I thought my wee heart might pop. We felt it would be best to let Asobi Seksu cloak us in their layered mass of sound, with loud whispers of Cocteau tumbling from Yuki Chikudate's pretty mouth. Afterwards, I rode again with squeals of failing to be serious and coy until an unscheduled date with pavement (no Malkmus) ended it. The blood poured down into my dirty boot but I couldn't stop laughing at its sheer red ridiculousness. It keeps on cracking and sprouting little beads, but I don't mind since I know it'll heal eventually and it helps me remember how much I love that goddamn music festival.
Hunter is a Brooklyn-based writer currently contributing to Vice, The New York Press, Impose, and The L Magazine. If you email her at hunter.suicide AT gmail DOT com, chances are she'd love to add your publication to that list. Seriously, she's got some time on her hands.
Martin Atkins' Tour:Smart / SXSW Survival Guide
Preparation (lose the 'h')!
It's almost that time of year again and as I start to prepare myself and my crew for another event at SXSW, I thought it would be a good idea to spend my next two columns throwing out some tips, early warnings, general advice, and usual paragraphs of waffling bullshit you have come to expect from yours truly.
Train for SXSW!
People train for everything. They train for marathons (of course), they train for driving tests, they train for hotdog-eating competitions. Why on earth wouldn't you train for something as huge, dangerous awe inspiring, and potentially rewarding as this? How much money are you spending to go to Austin? Of course you're going to be weak in some areas. You might be a great guitarist, but lack people skills opening your shyness to misinterpretation as aloof standoffish-ness. You might be amazing with people but a crap drummer. Anything (except perhaps the economy) can be fixed. You have time to work on this NOW but first you need to understand that it is possible. Put together a personal plan and a band plan to diligently, incrementally work towards that goal. The first and most vital part of solving any problem area is an awareness of the problem. It is worth sitting down, thinking this through, observing your band mates, taking the time to share your horrifying observations with them, and they will surely, in turn, reciprocate. Don't let the opportunity of SXSW slip through your fingers like the guacamole/tequila/cheap beer/sweet corn'/don't-remember-eating-that vomit surely will on the first crazy night.
Don't bleach your hair the day before!
Although it's always a good idea to destroy hotel towels instead of your own you don't want to drastically change your look right before a big event. The new aerodynamics of your head or some long floaty extensions will distract you.
I cut off my dreads a few years ago before a HUGE meeting with some big wig financiers (and I can't even remember what it was for). I found myself intimidated. The main thing I had going for me was ME and I wasn't me at the meeting. In trying to fit in I had fucked myself.
The night before my first day on the job for the UK government (yes, 1976 or so!) I bleached my hair forgetting that I had put henna in it a couple of weeks beforehand. The result was, basically, fluorescent CARROT TOP -- so, beware. Do hair and body stuff a couple of weeks beforehand.
Bring a portable press kit
I tell anyone in a band or anyone managing a band to do something super-cool with your press kit. However, at SXSW, portability is the key. Put it all on a disc, a flash drive, or a fancy DVD business card thingy. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR NAME, THE BAND NAME, AN EMAIL ADDRESS, AND A CONTACT NUMBER IS ON EVERYTHING - EVERYTHING! Have these with you AT ALL TIMES.
Help someone
Go to SXSW prepared to HELP someone - a band, a random person, a promoter, anyone. At times of high stress and high stakes, people will appreciate it more. A sweaty, damp extended hand is nothing more than germ explosion - unless you are dangling off a cliff; then it's a life saver. It's all perspective and circumstance. And the longer you're in this business, the more you appreciate what goes around comes around, so make sure the karmic shit you put out there is good, and you'll be surprised at the unexpected ways in which you're rewarded.
Do something!
Don't sit in the hotel room watching Righteous Kill or reading Tour:Smart. Get out there and do it!*
Don't buy new equipment the day before you leave
Don't mistake an investment in brand new equipment for actually doing something that might help. At least you KNOW just where to hit your crappy tube amplifier to get it working again. A brand new one acquired a few hours before the first show might have other characteristics you aren't prepared for. Last minute improvements might not be improvements at all. If your equipment is falling apart and it's fucking up your vibe, your show, your hands, then NOW would be the time to get something so that you can break it in.
Talk to other bands
I'm going to hazard an insane guess that you are thinking you want to get signed at SXSW. OK...., well, that's just NOT going to happen. In looking for that one person that you think is going to make a difference don't overlook the fact that this is an opportunity for you to do some concrete, real things to move your career forward:
* Seek out and meet bands from different cities across the US and around the world. Tell them about your show. Quietly hatch a plan to rave about each other's shows or at least SHOW UP and double the size of each other's audiences. Focus on the little things - not on playing to a full venue (you won't) but on NOT PLAYING TO NO-ONE!
* Kick start your band networking right now! Are you emailing bands with whom you are sharing a bill? Are you sharing costs in printing posters? Did you even print posters? There's no excuse to go in blind and unaware - it's 2009!
Shoes
The same philosophy about hair applies to brand new shoes!** You are going to be walking for several miles a day. If you aren't lying in bed at night crying and massaging your swelling ankles and knees then this is a sign that you are not taking FULL advantage of the event! So, the other very last thing you want to discover is that your brand new Doc Martens are really uncomfortable to walk in - BANG! There's a horrifyingly piss your pants blister on the heel of your right foot! You just don't need it. Go with the comfy, worn out shoes you are used to. If they are really bad and fucked up spray paint them black! Have one of those professional shoe people (they were once called cobblers) re-hab your shoes. They can work wonders and are sometimes at the airport. Make sure to tip 'em extra for the horrifying shit you are asking them to deal with.
Add your favorite SXSW tips in the comments section below. I'll send a Tour:Smart e-book to those who submit my favorite ones! And, remember, there's no such thing as obvious or a "no-brainer" when it comes to stuff like this. Don't wait until you're standing on stage in five-day old underwear with your luggage in Hawaii, your audience someplace else, and your brand new guitar shredding your fingers. Get busy now.
Come see me at SXSW - I have my own Tour:Smart event on Wednesday, March 18 at 4:30pm in Room 18.
Here's the wrap up from last year's SXSW:
Before we dive in, a quick shout out to GWAR who I saw at NAMM and also to Slipknot, who were stunning last Friday night.
And, finally, I'm back on the road:
Friday, February 6 - St. Paul MN
Closed lecture for McNally Smith students.
Sunday, February 8 - La Crosse, WI
FREE Tour:Smart seminar at The Warehouse, 328 Pearl St. @ 7:00 p.m.
MANDAORY FOR ALL LOCAL BANDS - SEATS LIMITED!
RSVP NOW!
Monday, February 9 - Madison, WI
FREE Tour:Smart DIY Seminar at the Madison Media Institute, 2702 Agriculture Dr. @ 1 p.m.
SEATS LIMITED! RSVP NOW!
Thursday, February 19 - Tampa, FL
FREE Tour:Smart DIY Summit and Dean Factory tour with Martin Atkins and special guests Josh Malony and Curse Mackey at Dean Guitar Headquarters, 4924 W.Waters Ave. @ 2 p.m.
Registration is extremely limited. REGISTER NOW!
Thursday, February 19 - Tampa, FL
Martin Atkins / Curse Mackey Pigface DJ set at Czar (vodka bar), 1420 East 7th Ave. @ 10:30 p.m.
Friday, February 20 - Tampa, FL
FREE Lecture on the Beijing Underground punk scene with Martin Atkins at University of South Florida, Marshall Student Center @ 3 p.m.
RESERVE your space NOW!
Friday, February 20 - Tampa, FL
Tour:Smart / Martin Atkins book signing and free mini-consultation at Vinyl Fever, 4110 Henderson Blvd. @ 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 21 - Gainesville, FL
Keynote Speaker at the University of Florida Entertainment Law Conference: 12-1 p.m. keynote / 3-4 p.m. Q&A.
Click HERE for more info.
Saturday, February 21 - Jacksonville, FL
FREE Tour:Smart DIY seminar at 331 Café, W. 331 Forsyth Street @ 7 p.m.
Limited Seating - RSVP NOW!
Sunday, February 22 - Orlando, FL
FREE Tour:Smart DIY seminar + FREE appetizers courtesy of Marks Street Music at the Dandelion Café, 618 N. Thornton Ave. @ 7 p.m.
RSVP to reserve your space NOW!
Upcoming events in McComb, IL, Normal, IL, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, London, Traverse City, MI, and more on the way!
*Of course, this is a hilarious joke. SXSW is a great time to sit in a hotel room and really get to grips with Tour:Smart. Available now via Amazon.com.
**Unless, of course, you are planning on buying some 6" heels. That's a GREAT idea - stick your legs in the air and send me pics -- NO! NOT you, Brian!
Martin Atkins has drummed with PiL, Killing Joke, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and The Damage Manual, among others. As owner of the now 20-year old Invisible Records, he has worked with artists such as Thrill Kill Kult, Einsturzende Neubauten, Chemlab, Chris Connelly, Sheep On Drugs, Murder Inc, and Psychic TV. Martin teaches a course on Business of Touring at Columbia College in Chicago, IL, and has written a survival guide for touring bands, Tour Smart: And Break The Band, which features contributions from Henry Rollins, Cynthia Plastercaster, The Enigma, the Suicide Girls, Zim Zum (formerly of Marilyn Manson), Kevin Lyman, and various other managers, journalists, venues, agents, sponsors, radio personalities and the like.
Watch SXSW Performances and Interviews including Lily Allen At iFilm.com
Are you missing this year's very awesome South By Southwest Festival? Well, iFilm.com has got you covered with a daily updated video blog. The blog includes performance clips from the Austin, TX festival and exclusive interviews with several of the artists performing.
The featured clips from from Day 1 include Lily Allen with a lackadaisical yet fun ride through her single "LDN" and an interview with Beirut's Zach Condon, among others. There is also a rather hysterical if not sad clip of The Bravery vying for credibility with an attempt at a toned down performance and look. Day 2's coverage so far includes performance clips by Bloc Party and teen hyphy outfit The Pack. iFilm is also hosting dozens of promo videos by artists from this year's line-up.
The website will continue to publish updates throughout the course of the festival. Fingers crossed for some drunken Amy Winehouse.
Further Recommended Viewing:
A brief clip of Lily Allen's SXSW peformance of "Everything's Just Wonderful" via YouTube.
In the above clip of "Wonderful"'s second verse, Allen dishes on body image. Here's some footage of her discussing the song and her feelings on the media's obsession with weight loss. This is why it' s so easy to get crushed out on her.
Chris Gores Footage Fetishes: SXSW Film Festival 2007
South by Southwest (aka SXSW) has firmly established itself as a film festival with its own identity. From the original selections of movies, to the panels, to the parties free of Hollywood elitism, its the most fun you will ever have at a festival. The problem now is that the world has noticed and more folks than ever before are making the annual trek to Austin, Texas to experience the best in independent film from all over. Its crowded, but in a good way.
What I love most about what program director Matt Dentler has done with South-by is remaining dedicated to seeking out original programming. Most festival programs are populated with depressing family dramas or indies bordering on cliché. Dentler is as open to a zombie-comedy as he is to a romantic comedy. The result is a festival program that satisfies on all levels. Some credit is also due to the audiences in Austin who are savvy filmgoers who are proudly unpretentious in their love of all things movie-related.
I spent a short weekend in Austin and followed my tried and true festival rule to catch as many documentaries as possible the reason being that these movies will not be hitting a theater near you anytime soon. Heres a round-up of the docs I saw at SXSW along with a glimpse into the greatest party festival on the planet
Confessions of a Superhero is a revealing portrait of those costumed folks on Hollywood Boulevard.
Confessions of a Superhero
This documentary, by director Matt Ogens, follows a group of real-life misfits dressed as costumed heroes on Hollywood Boulevard who pose with tourists for pictures to make a few bucks. Some have called them panhandlers while others love the heroes. Exploring an odd cast of characters including Christopher Superman Dennis, Maxwell Batman Allen, Jennifer Wonder Woman Gehrt, Joe Hulk McQueen, the film is both ridiculously funny and moving. Ogens gets very intimate with his subjects as we see them go through their morning ritual to prepare to hit the boulevard in full superhero regalia. Christopher Dennis owns 14 Superman costumes and does look strikingly like Christopher Reeve. Hes also had his share of drug problems, but had an epiphany when he discovered a love for all things Superman. Dennis Maxwell, the Batman, has had his own share of difficulties when he reveals his life as an enforcer for criminals in Texas and actually confesses to a murder that he tells his psychiatrist will never be solved. Jennifer Allen is quite stunning in her Wonder Woman attire, and we see the toll her life takes as her acting career falters and her marriage crumbles. Joe McQueen was homeless until he donned a Hulk costume and joined the group to make a living. While there many hilarious moments, each is followed by something touching and sad about the life these people lead. Ultimately, each emerges better for donning their costumes and the journey we take with them is a touching portrait of what life has in store when you really pursue your dream.
Hell on Wheels documents the rebirth of roller derby in Texas.
Hell on Wheels
I was too young to experience roller derby in its heyday, but it could not have been nearly as cool then, as it is now. The sport has had a resurgence with all-female teams and Hell on Wheels documents the rebirth and the struggles of the league in its infancy. Director Bob Ray followed the roller derby in Texas for nearly five years now and the result is an epic doc.
In addition to seeing woman dressed as angels, devils, schoolgirls, cowgirls mashing it up on the track, we see a group of powerful women clash as they attempt to start a real business. Their struggles to establish the sport as a seriously good time in Texas has reverberations around the world as leagues pop up all over the globe, but it all started here. In excruciating detail, we see the battles between rival leagues of the Lonestar Rollergirls and the Texas Rollergirls in the form of meetings where the players are pitted against the management, each ill-equipped in dealing with all the problems facing the re-emergence of the sport. Its fast, fun, and inspiring.
Michael Moore's methods were taken to task in Manufacturing Dissent.
Manufacturing Dissent
Canadian filmmakers Debbie Melnyk/Rick Caine take on the methods used by Michael Moore as they attempt to expose the documentarian as a fraud. Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine, Roger and Me) has built a career criticizing the right and laying blame for problems without providing any hope. And it seems this is a very lucrative venture for the man in the ball cap.
The doc contains interviews with John Pierson, Noam Chomsky, Harlan Jacobson, Dave Marsh, Ralph Nader, as well as respected documentarians Albert Maysles and Errol Morris as each begin to question Moores methods. The most shocking revelation is that in Moores movie Roger & Me, he actually did interview the Roger in question during shooting. Twice, in fact. This is a blow since Moores film is built on the premise that he cant actually get an interview with Roger Smith, the chairman of Ford at the time. While the movie brings up many questions about Moores movies and their truthiness, what is disappointing is that filmmakers Debbie Melnyk and Rick Caine seem to use exactly the same methods in making their own movie. The doc is sure to cause plenty of debate and thats the important part this issue should be discussed further, but one should question the motivations behind the makers of this film as much as Moores.
The King of Kong is not just the greatest video game documentary, it may be one of the best docs of all time.
The King of Kong
Director Seth Gordon lucked into a great story. The story of Steve Wiebe, a bright-eyed middle school science teacher in his fight with hot sauce mogul and video-game legend Billy Mitchell in a battle for the Guinness World Record score on the arcade classic Donkey Kong. But it takes talent to tell that story well, and Gordon has delivered not just a great doc about the world of gaming, but one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Gordon actually found a way to make watching someone play a video game look exciting. It's amazing. And any other description would not do it justice. Four times during the screening, the audience broke out in applause and cheers I have not seen since the original Rocky. It's that good. A standing ovation followed the climactic finale. This doc will be getting an theatrical release in August, so prepare for an uplifting good time at the arcade.
I was in Austin to promote the screening of a short I recently produced called A Sim-ple Romance featuring actress Niki Foster.
A Sim-ple Romance
This is the third time I have attended SXSW as a filmmaker. This year I came with a 16mm short I produced, which was written and directed by Sally Foster. Its sometimes awkward to be at a film festival that I am covering while also promoting a film I was involved in making, but I made the best of it. Luckily the short was programmed to screen in front of The King of Kong and it played to a packed house on Saturday morning and received a great response. I also appear in the short in a bit part. If you know the game The Sims, youll enjoy this cute short. Anyway, I shouldnt really say anything more since my opinion is completely invalid; suffice it to say that youll have a chance to see it at other festivals throughout the year and can judge for yourself.
These friend requests were accepted! The SG girls were in force in Austin as they made new friends at the Film Threat party sponsored by our pals at Red Bull. (L-R) Napalm, Chris_Gore, Posh and Selket.
The Film Threat Party
I teamed up with Red Bull to put on a party (an event not officially affiliated with SXSW). Suicide Girls from Austin and abroad were in full force to join in on the action. Its not an exaggeration to say that this was the best party Ive been to at South-by. It really got going after midnight when the pouring rain forced many into the Hi-Lo Lounge off Sixth Street for what turned into a love-fest. Literally. It must have been the Texas heat that got the girls kissing other girls. This lip-smacking good time went on for the rest of the night
No surprise... it got out of hand in a very good way. Smiling on the right is SG girl Illyria.
And I cant think of a better way to end a festival than that.
Gore gone.
Chris_Gore is an author, a filmmaker, the creator of Film Threat, and considers Austin a liberal oasis in the midst of Texas.
