11.9.04: "Stasiland", "I (heart) Huckabees", etc.

Been reading Stasiland, a book by an Australian journalist stationed in former East Germany who investigates personal stories involving the notorious agency.

Her perceptions are wonderful — she spots the bizarre and oppressive not only in the detaining, spying on individuals and unexplained deaths, but in things like a weird sexless popular dance (the Lipsi) that the government attempted to insert into popular culture as a kind of immunization against Elvis' rock and roll gyrations.

There were massive "files" that consisted of jars of smells of suspected subversives. Jars filled with scraps of clothing, preferably underwear, that had been secretly procured. In some cases if clothing could not be found an agent would wipe the seat where a suspect had been seated and preserve the rag, labeling it by name of suspect and how long he or she had been seated on said chair.

It goes on... there's a beautiful Kafkaesque scene where a woman, denied employment for suspect activities is called in:

"Why don't you have a job?"
"YOU tell me."
"You’re a smart woman, surely you can find employment."
"No, I am unemployed."
"That can't be; there is no unemployment in the people’s republic…"

Went to see I (heart) Huckabees last night. A Brazilian woman seated a couple of seats over saw our show in São Paulo. She pulled out her camera and took my picture before the movie started.

Nonesuch does want to do another record with me. We are also in discussions with them about re-releasing the My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts record through them in North America.

David W. and I talk about music biz models fairly often, like a lot of us do, I imagine. The traditional model seems to not work anymore. We noticed that in the last year I made a lot more money on my little soundtrack through Thrill Jockey than I will ever see from Nonesuch. Granted, Nonesuch gave me an advance that allowed me to pay a producer and the cost of string players etc., and on the soundtrack that was paid for by the film... but this kind of alt model might be the future. Or one possible future.

I also think that acts will need to be self-sufficient live, and good performers. Lip-synchers will need to put on a good visual show or give up.