Violinist, violist and the creator of the profoundly pleasant Bargemusic classic music series in New York City -- via the New York Times.
Bargemusic from GVP Selections on Vimeo.
Interesting, overlooked, and significant obituaries from around the world, as they happen, emphasizing the positive achievements of those who have died. Member, Society of Professional Obituary Writers.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Jeno Paulucci aka Luigino Francesco Paulucci
Food magnate; inventor of Chun King prepackaged Chinese food, and the pizza roll! -- via the New York Times. Thanks to the genius of Stan Freberg, the commercial for Jeno's Pizza Rolls will live forever (see below).
Ken Russell
Film director -- via the New York Times. One of the strangest and most controversial of the "great directors," his most popular works include "Women in Love," "Tommy" and "Altered States." Most people don't like his work -- it is over-the-top, vulgar, graphic, sexually obsessive, blasphemous, deliberately and gratuitously controversial. Even for those who count themselves as fans, his films are extremely problematic, hit-and-miss.
However, his movies are passionate and beautiful, and contain brilliant insights. It's largely forgotten that he reinvented the documentary film in the late 1950s and early 1960s, using devices such as dramatic reenactments and nonobjective passages set to music. He could do commercial, genre film -- "Billion Dollar Brain" and "Lair of the White Worm" -- but his best good-crazy stuff were hallucinogenic runs at the barriers of good taste and consensual reality. My faves: "Mahler" and "Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World."
Here is a link to a good general introduction to his work on video -- it is neither family-friendly nor safe for work! Of course, how could it be -- it's Ken Russell!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpZagdBC8v8
However, his movies are passionate and beautiful, and contain brilliant insights. It's largely forgotten that he reinvented the documentary film in the late 1950s and early 1960s, using devices such as dramatic reenactments and nonobjective passages set to music. He could do commercial, genre film -- "Billion Dollar Brain" and "Lair of the White Worm" -- but his best good-crazy stuff were hallucinogenic runs at the barriers of good taste and consensual reality. My faves: "Mahler" and "Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World."
Here is a link to a good general introduction to his work on video -- it is neither family-friendly nor safe for work! Of course, how could it be -- it's Ken Russell!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpZagdBC8v8
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Nisio Gomes
Indigenous leader and shaman -- via the BBC. Forty masked gunmen murdered him after his took his tribe back to ancestral land stolen by Brazilian ranchers.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
"Michigan Mike" Torpie
Nice photo by Eric Abramson! |
Friday, November 25, 2011
Gary Garcia
Musician and songwriter -- via kotaku.com. Half of the duo of Buckner and Garcia, his big hit was "Pac-Man Fever."
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Eva Monley
Legendary film location scout -- via the New York Times. Worked on everything from the Stewart Granger "King Solomon's Mines" to "The African Queen" to "Exodus" to "Lawrence of Arabia" to "Out of Africa" to "Mississippi Masala."
Gregory Papalexis
Frankfurter king -- via the New York Daily News. Owner of the ubiquitous Sabrett chain of hot-dog carts in New York City.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Paul Thomas
Blues/funk bassist -- via azcentral.com. He played with such names as Bo Diddley, Ike Turner, Carol Fran, Kim Wilson, Pinetop Perkins, Henry Gray, Jimmy Rogers, Nappy Brown, Lynwood Slim, Rick Estrin, Kid Ramos, Junior Watson and Louisiana Red.
Bruce Kellman
Photojournalist -- via the Tacoma News Tribune. Here's a great quote from him: "When the shutter is open, it's like I hear music."
Bruno Rubeo
Excellent production designer -- via the Hollywood Reporter. For some random reason, here's a fun video of Bruno doing some major-league bargaining with a Shanghai merchant.
Bruno gives a lesson in haggling in Shanghai from Raymond Prado on Vimeo.
Bruno gives a lesson in haggling in Shanghai from Raymond Prado on Vimeo.
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