retro sci fi artwork

via Pinterest. Artist name not available. But very cool. It reminds me of H.P. Lovecraft's writing. 

happy new year

2023 started off a bit crappy for me but I ended up having a fantastic summer vacation, a successful fall semester at our university, and now a really good Christmas holiday.   Don't let the bullshit keep you down.  As Henry would say: Get Some, Go Again.

Wishing you fools the best 2024. 

Prisoners

Last night we revisited 2013's Prisoners, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Jay loved it and of course I was thrilled that this was the case.  I consider it to be one of the finest films of the last decade for all the usual reasons: an excellent who-dun-it plot, top notch acting by both leads (the way Gyllenhaal pulls back from Hugh Jackman's hyper intense, sleep deprived father of a missing girl creates a powerful on-screen presence) and superb photography by Roger Deakins.  I love it when a film doesn't give you generic characters; the whole movie has you asking what you would do in such a precarious situation.  To combine all of that with a genuinely enthralling mystery and creepy antagonists (Paul Dano and David Dastmalchian) is no easy task.  Great movie and worth a rewatch.  

"let down your guard, honey"

I recorded a new track: Let Down Your Guard. 

The background for this track: I was listening to Bob Seger's corny but energetic "Breakdown" from Beverly Hills Cop 2, which also featured a score from the amazing Harold Faltermeyer (a massive influence on my love for 80's electronic music).  It was the line "Let down your guard, honey, just about the time you're thinking it's alright" that for some reason kept at me. That line played through my head a few days ago at the same time I was working on simple aggressive, arpeggiating synthesizers.  So it just sort of happened that way.

I love the classic Juno and Jupiter synths...the work of Faltermeyer, Jan Hammer, Vince DiCola and, of course, Vangelis have always meant so much to me.  I'm transported into a world of police procedurals, fatal romances and intense chase sequences. 

christmas horror jams

It is absurd that as a movie lover, particularly an 80's horror movie lover, I had never seen Silent Night Deadly Night until last night!  I remember seeing it on display at the video stores in my youth in the mid to late 80's. I never thought to rent it because I thought it looked like a cheap mess.  But I had always planned to get around to it.  Yesterday was the day...this is what winter vacations are made for, right?

Last night I made myself some tea, put on my Christmas lights, set my feet up on my new, comfortable blue sofa recliner and began my journey into...a gigantic pile of dogshit.  But truth be told I enjoyed every moment of it.  The story is simple: a young boy witnesses the murder of his parents by a man dressed in a Santa Claus costume.  Shortly thereafter he is placed in an orphanage where more Christmas-related traumas occur.  Years pass by and as a teenager he goes on a killing spree and murders numerous people in a small town, some of them half-nude women.  It's the kind of movie made for me:  a gory, bloody slasher with nice titties and bad acting.  I grew up on this kind of stuff, and when combined with that gorgeous 1980's (here half-remastered in a director's cut) film stock, it becomes my immediate comfort food. I live for this shit.

But let's be clear, this is no Black Christmas.  When I discovered that brilliant work just last year (I was super late to the party), I knew that I had stumbled upon a genuine masterpiece in filmmaking (the soundtrack, photography, claustrophobia, and even Olivia Hussey's manic portrayal of Jess...it's all so well done).  If you haven't seen that movie make it a priority. But anyhow, Silent Night Deadly Night is cheap fun and my guess is that it will be rewatchable down the line.  

Christmas Day

Christmas 2023.  I love her so much and she has made me so proud.

new kicks

Air Force 1 Retros 💚

well, this was bound to happen

As I was doing some Christmas shopping today near the bookstore I decided to purchase myself a novel, Children of Dune (1976). This is book three in the Dune saga.  I always try to get as much reading in during my vacation time. ✌

today's sketch

rambling on about Dune and fiction

More than two years ago I decided to finally read Frank Herbert's 1965 book Dune.  It had been on my reading bucket list for a while and it's a beast of a novel, no doubt. I then followed that up with the Villeneuve flick, though I must admit upon first viewing it was rather...dry.  Repeated viewings have given me a much more favorable outlook on the movie.  I even picked up the 4k this week!  

 The books are praised for their world building, but one can easily get confused and lost in the sea of characters, fiefdoms and philosophies. It's definitely my wheelhouse though, and I adore the creativity. Anyhow, this summer I read his follow-up, Dune: Messiah (1969), which I also greatly enjoyed. I even rewatched the Lynch movie (completely absurd and goofy but still entertaining). There was just something intriguing about those massive black worms, the drug-like spice and the ever mysterious Bene Gesserit.  

While I can appreciate all genres and styles of writing, I have found myself particularly enjoying older fiction these days.  It's interesting how I will go through long periods, often lasting several years, where I will dive into a specific style of writing.  In my twenties it was mostly academic work for my uni and nonfiction.  In my thirties it was a lot of linguistics-related writing (mostly for graduate school and my university teaching job).  And then it was true crime (I am obscenely and oddly knowledgable about the OJ Simpson murders), and then Buddhist writings (Joseph Goldstein and Thanissaru Bikkhu).  These days it's been dark fiction (Philip K. Dick, H.P. Lovecraft, Margaret Atwood, Mariana Enriquez and, of course, Frank Herbert).  

It's fun to dive into fiction again, and I will defend the genre to the end.  I know there are those who dismiss or have little appreciate for it, but I like the Alan Moore school of thought which can apply to all genres, including fiction:   

"I believe that magic is art and that art, whether it be writing, music, sculpture, or any other form is literally magic. Art is, like magic, the science of manipulating symbols, words, or images, to achieve changes in consciousness. The very language about magic seems to be talking as much about writing or art as it is about supernatural events. A grimmoir for example, the book of spells is simply a fancy way of saying grammar. Indeed, to cast a spell, is simply to spell, to manipulate words, to change people's consciousness. And I believe that this is why an artist or writer is the closest thing in the contemporary world that you are likely to see to a Shaman."

 Live long and prosper

fever ray

I recommend going to 38:40 at the above video.  Fever Ray is fantastic (as was The Knife).  This type of creativity is very inspiring. "I'm Not Done" is such a great song.

So I lost my head a while ago
But you seem to done no better
We set fire in the snow
It ain't over, I’m not done

digital doodles

A sketch I made early in the year.  Inspired very much by the lyrics to this song.

Oh burn, motherfucker
Carry the carcass and throw it on
Pull up a chair and watch
The flies come roaring out
And will surround the entire world
And blacken out the sky and every last one of you
Like a plague of locusts
Like an exit, like an end, like an end, like an end, like the end

I am forgiven, I am free
I am the field on fire
I am forgiven, I am free
I am the field on fire

Received a nice bit of appreciation today

 

I put a lot of effort into my lessons at my university, so it’s always a nice feeling when I get a little recognition.  

God damn, The Hard Times doesn’t hold back

 

An interesting analysis on Clive Barker's finest work

 

A surprisingly sharp analysis of Barker's book The Hellbound Heart, the Hellraiser films, and especially the philosophical ideas behind the Cenobites and The Order of the Gash.

A very niche topic of interest, but she breaks this down really well.  I have always been fascinated with these films and their perspectives on hedonism and enlightenment.  

Waves away

New track I worked on called Waves Away.

Combines a mix of soft pad virtual synths (Reason’s Europa, Arturia’s Jupiter 8 and the Solina).  For the bass I went with the Jaco Basstorious patch from Arturia’s amazing Pigments synth, a bass sound I use very frequently.  

The track was inspired by a beach trip some time back I took with a lovely woman. That’s all.

words of wisdom

 Two separate phrases I heard this week which I thought humorous:

"The next time I'm opening up is during my autopsy."

and

"The dildo of consequences rarely arrives lubed."

back in the day

 

we were young

sharing more of my music

I deleted my Soundcloud and then restarted it (it was at capacity and I was having some small technical issues).  While my Bandcamp is the proper way to listen to my music (I like how it arranges full albums and I have better control of the sequencing), Soundcloud is great for just throwing out individual tracks and testing them out.  So here is that:

https://soundcloud.com/david-wellbaum

I am obsessed with recording music and exploring sound, particularly experimental ambient tracks, and this is basically my daily meditation. Nothing is more fun for me than having a strong coffee in the morning and building tracks.

For me this type of music is not about having a proper verse/chorus dynamic or particular melody.  I'm looking to find a specific mood and tone within a synthesizer, which means a lot of tweaking and applying effects units.

I remember one night, years ago, listening to Steve Roach and Kelly David's album (free, so download it!!!) The Long Night.  I was riding on a bus out in Namyangju, tired and trying to meditate, and I just got lost in the textures of the record.  With my music, I hope that it has that sort of effect (on me and other listeners ideally).  I know it isn't everybody's cup of tea, but it's the kind of work I enjoy listening to...so that's why I make it.  

aram at the temple

 

necronom iv

 Necronom IV by H.R. Giger (1976)

more movie thoughts...

Jay visited two nights back and we watched Once Upon a Time in the West (1968). I've seen it more than a dozen times, the first being with my older brother in Boston in 1995.  It is the single greatest western ever made and holds a very firm place in my top 10 films of all time.  

It is absolutely flawless in direction, acting, plot and especially in Ennio Morricone's score. I remember the first time I saw Charles Bronson's "Harmonica" and was utterly hooked.  I had to know this man's motivations and it kept me on edge the whole flick.   Anyhow, Jay also loved it and sent me this Korean poster from 1970 where it played at the Piccadilly Theater in Jongro (not far from where I live now).

남양주

 

warm waves

I just put my new ambient mixtape Warm Waves on my bandcamp site.  Have a listen if you enjoy experimental ambient and electronic music.  All very amateurish recording but I'm happy with what I have created over the years.  My To The End ambient music project has been one of my life's greatest pleasures.

the long read

Probably my favorite book I read this year, though originally released in 1985 (I slowly read it over my summer vacation...it's a beast at over 1,000 pages).  Kind of a surprise that of all the Stephen King I have read over the years, I never tried this one on account of its size.  Of course I had seen the three films (generally like the made-for-TV version and I have pretty mixed feelings on the more recent parts 1 and 2).  But I enjoyed the book much, much more.  Such thoughtfully created characters and one of the greatest horror plots ever conceived.  This is way up there for me. 

calm day

Winding down a good semester in my office.

gaming in the office

Bought the recently released Super Mario Brothers Wonder for the Switch.  I might be an old fella but this stuff is still very fun for me. Great game so far.

Underrated gem

It is not often that a horror remake puts a big fat smile on my face. They often fail to capture the energy of the originals or don’t typically add anything new.  But 2022’s Hellraiser exceeded my expectations.  It was well-acted, sharply directed and most importantly, it paid respect to not only the source material (Barker’s fantastic The Hellbound Heart), but also to the first two films of the original series.  The subtext of the movie strongly focuses on hedonism and desire, and making the lead character (Odessa A’zion’s frantic and struggling Riley) a woman dealing with substance abuse was a nice touch.  

The film didn’t get great reviews and I don’t hear a lot of people singing its praises, but I’ve watched it a few times now and have really enjoyed each viewing.  

It has DW’s recommendation…especially around Halloween time!

mellow and/or weird vibes

As a very big ambient/experimental electronic music lover and frequent creator of such tracks, I just thought I'd throw some solid recommendations at you. I am always listening to these records and being inspired by them.

-Steve Roach: Structures From Silence 
-Cocteau Twins: Victorialand 
-William Basinski: The Disintegration Loops
-David Bowie: Low (the B side of this album is hugely influential for me)
-Windows 96: One Hundred Mornings
-Squarepusher: Feed Me Weird Things
-Aphex Twin: Selected Ambient Works Volume 1 and 2

prison is the best thing that ever happened to me