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the thirty day meme, day two
Day 01 → Your favorite song
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite television programme
Day 04 → Your favorite book
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy
My favourite movie in the whole wide world* is Velvet Goldmine.
The first time I ever heard about this movie was when I was fourteen years old. That was the year I started listening to Placebo, and I was in love with them in a way that is, in retrospect, deeply embarrassing but still kind of awesome. I read everything I could find about them- which, granted, wasn't a lot since I was in Nova Scotia in 2003 and not London in 1997, but whatever- and listened to all their albums on repeat and did a class presentation on them.** Somewhere in all this general alternabrattery I found out that they had appeared in a film. A film! "By Jove!" I said to myself, utterly enchanted (and British). "I must find this work of cinematic genius and clutch it to my bosom forever!"
(That it was a work of cinematic genius was already a matter of course for me. I mean, it had Brian Molko's face in it.)
Unfortunately, it proved to be rather difficult to find. Most stores don't go crazy stocking vaguely experimental queer films from the 90s, for some reason. But after about a year and a half of looking I finally found it in the bargain bin at CD Plus. I may have squealed. There may have been a dance. And this was all before I'd even seen the damn thing.
That night I watched it in my room and felt like the top of my head was being blown off in a shower of joy and glitter.
I love Velvet Goldmine. Oh, dear God do I ever love Velvet Goldmine. I love the stupid costumes and the questionable hairstyles. I love the sneaky Mary Poppins references and the not-so-sneaky 1984 references. I love the easy way Toni Collette switches from a British accent to an American one. I love Ewan McGregor's casual nudity. I love Eddie Izzard's natty suits. I love Jonathan Rhys Meyer's visible acne, which is a weird and unfortunate thing to love. I love everything about Christian Bale, especially the fact that this is pre-Batman Christian Bale so I don't have to be distracted by the fact that he is possibly not a very nice person. I love the soundtrack and that they snuck on a Lou Reed track that has David Bowie singing some very obvious backup. I love that David Bowie hates it, because I am 99% sure the reason is that it paints him in a pretty unfavourable light.*** I love Todd Haynes. I love Michael Stipe for getting so into the production of the film that he wrote a five-page letter to Bowie begging him to let them use his music in it. I love that it is Adam Lambert's favourite movie.**** I love that it is the only movie in the world in which Henry VIII, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Batman are all gay for each other. I love that every time I watch it I feel happier than I did before I put it on. I love... you don't have to say it, mate.
I know that it is a very flawed movie. Intellectually, I mean, I understand that it is not the most ambitious or experimental or critically acclaimed thing ever committed to film. I know that, and I don't give a shit for the same reason that I don't give a shit how ridiculous and cliched Brian Molko's lyrics are. Because when you love something enough- and when I love a thing I love it a lot- the things that are wrong with it just don't matter that much. It's kind of like how mothers can love ugly babies. They don't love them in spite of their ugliness- they don't even see it, because dude, that's their BABY. Velvet Goldmine is my ugly baby.
... I was kind of hoping this would end on a more poetic note. Oh, well.
Tomorrow: my favourite television programme! Spelled with two m's, so I'd better choose something classy and not Celebrity Rehab. (But the catfights!)
* And man, that sucker is WIDE. Also, full of movies!
** Said presentation also included references to the Discworld and Boy Meets Boy. It is nice to know that my interests have not significantly changed since middle school.
*** I also love David Bowie, but dudes, have you ever read any of his biographies? The guy was a total dick for a long, long time. Maybe he still is! I don't know, ask Iman.
**** If I ever meet him we can bond over this fact. And then be wed.
Day 02 → Your favorite movie
Day 03 → Your favorite television programme
Day 04 → Your favorite book
Day 05 → Your favorite quote
Day 06 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 → A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 → A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 → A photo you took
Day 10 → A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 → A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 → A fictional book
Day 14 → A non-fictional book
Day 15 → A fanfic
Day 16 → A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 → An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 → A talent of yours
Day 20 → A hobby of yours
Day 21 → A recipe
Day 22 → A website
Day 23 → A YouTube video
Day 24 → Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 → Your day, in great detail
Day 26 → Your week, in great detail
Day 27 → This month, in great detail
Day 28 → This year, in great detail
Day 29 → Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 → Whatever tickles your fancy
My favourite movie in the whole wide world* is Velvet Goldmine.
The first time I ever heard about this movie was when I was fourteen years old. That was the year I started listening to Placebo, and I was in love with them in a way that is, in retrospect, deeply embarrassing but still kind of awesome. I read everything I could find about them- which, granted, wasn't a lot since I was in Nova Scotia in 2003 and not London in 1997, but whatever- and listened to all their albums on repeat and did a class presentation on them.** Somewhere in all this general alternabrattery I found out that they had appeared in a film. A film! "By Jove!" I said to myself, utterly enchanted (and British). "I must find this work of cinematic genius and clutch it to my bosom forever!"
(That it was a work of cinematic genius was already a matter of course for me. I mean, it had Brian Molko's face in it.)
Unfortunately, it proved to be rather difficult to find. Most stores don't go crazy stocking vaguely experimental queer films from the 90s, for some reason. But after about a year and a half of looking I finally found it in the bargain bin at CD Plus. I may have squealed. There may have been a dance. And this was all before I'd even seen the damn thing.
That night I watched it in my room and felt like the top of my head was being blown off in a shower of joy and glitter.
I love Velvet Goldmine. Oh, dear God do I ever love Velvet Goldmine. I love the stupid costumes and the questionable hairstyles. I love the sneaky Mary Poppins references and the not-so-sneaky 1984 references. I love the easy way Toni Collette switches from a British accent to an American one. I love Ewan McGregor's casual nudity. I love Eddie Izzard's natty suits. I love Jonathan Rhys Meyer's visible acne, which is a weird and unfortunate thing to love. I love everything about Christian Bale, especially the fact that this is pre-Batman Christian Bale so I don't have to be distracted by the fact that he is possibly not a very nice person. I love the soundtrack and that they snuck on a Lou Reed track that has David Bowie singing some very obvious backup. I love that David Bowie hates it, because I am 99% sure the reason is that it paints him in a pretty unfavourable light.*** I love Todd Haynes. I love Michael Stipe for getting so into the production of the film that he wrote a five-page letter to Bowie begging him to let them use his music in it. I love that it is Adam Lambert's favourite movie.**** I love that it is the only movie in the world in which Henry VIII, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Batman are all gay for each other. I love that every time I watch it I feel happier than I did before I put it on. I love... you don't have to say it, mate.
I know that it is a very flawed movie. Intellectually, I mean, I understand that it is not the most ambitious or experimental or critically acclaimed thing ever committed to film. I know that, and I don't give a shit for the same reason that I don't give a shit how ridiculous and cliched Brian Molko's lyrics are. Because when you love something enough- and when I love a thing I love it a lot- the things that are wrong with it just don't matter that much. It's kind of like how mothers can love ugly babies. They don't love them in spite of their ugliness- they don't even see it, because dude, that's their BABY. Velvet Goldmine is my ugly baby.
... I was kind of hoping this would end on a more poetic note. Oh, well.
Tomorrow: my favourite television programme! Spelled with two m's, so I'd better choose something classy and not Celebrity Rehab. (But the catfights!)
* And man, that sucker is WIDE. Also, full of movies!
** Said presentation also included references to the Discworld and Boy Meets Boy. It is nice to know that my interests have not significantly changed since middle school.
*** I also love David Bowie, but dudes, have you ever read any of his biographies? The guy was a total dick for a long, long time. Maybe he still is! I don't know, ask Iman.
**** If I ever meet him we can bond over this fact. And then be wed.
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dude i still need to see this movie. what is wrong with me :(
also, i may need to steal this meme.