Let's Hang in Los Angeles
Folks, I'm heading out to LA with Kristin 4/25-5/2, and I'd love to hang and, most importantly, soak up the dang sun. I never want to be cold ever again.
I can't wait to pop into Amoeba and spend too long combing through the records. What other record stores are great in LA? What bar has the best jukebox? Best place to hike? Any good shows happening that week that you're going to? What's your favorite thing to do there, and would Kristin and I like to do that? I want to know.
Until then, I'm going to be working on next month's mixtape and listening to this VERY SPECIAL mixtape that Jaime Lutz and I bring to you now. Jaime approached me with a challenging and incredibly exciting concept, and I really think we did a great job with it. She'll explain below. Would love to hear your thoughts!
And hey, if you like it, why not share the mix or this newsletter with a friend?
The Princess of No-Moon
Created in collaboration with Jaime Lutz for the hero's journey.
A few words from Jaime:
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SUMMARY:
From across the Sapphire Seas and over the Bogbash Mountains comes visionary director Ulric Ziegler’s epic tale of wonder and terror… THE PRINCESS OF NO-MOON.
There is no moon in No-Moon, nor sun or stars… which is just fine for Achero (Brian Noakes, The Incredible Shrinking Woman), a sailor who makes his money trading Silvergrass. Goblins give this precious grain, which needs no light to grow… in exchange, King Sourkiss (Donald Sutherland) arranges the marriage of his daughter Lila (Julie Hammon, Moonraker) to the Goblin Potentate. But then Achero finds Lila far from the Goblin Lands — claiming she knows how to bring light back to the Kingdom.
You’ll meet fantastic creatures like Sora the Swamp Witch, Myoco the Humbear, and Big Farling the Sky Seer as Lila and Achero’s journey takes them far across No-Moon and into a story out of your wildest dreams! Romance, fantasy, and childlike delight combine in the hit movie that Gene Shalit calls “spectacular… beautiful in terms of costumes… story”!
RATED PG - MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
xxx
This is a mixtape idea I've had kicking around in my head for years. It's inspired by the aesthetics and music of fantasy films from the 1980s (ish): Excalibur, The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, Legend, Willow, The Lost Unicorn, etc. Almost all the films I just named are not very good (with maybe one or two exceptions... I'll let you guess what those exceptions are), but they have a fantastic look and soundtrack. Tangerine Dream, for instance, did the soundtrack for Legend (a movie that scared me a lot as a kid). The composer Trevor Jones practically defined this sound — he scored Excalibur, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, the 1998 miniseries Merlin, and also contributed to the soundtrack of Time Bandits.
I don't really have a solid plot idea for The Princess of No-Moon, but if someone wants to write it, I insist that it must contain unicorns. Not ironic unicorns, not Lisa Frank unicorns, and definitely nothing involving, ugh, "unicorn poop," which is a disgusting perversion of the entire idea of unicorns. Unicorns are about purity, and they should be fucking beautiful.
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Love you all. Hope you enjoy!
Join Me: Office Hours in Los Angeles
Look, you think I'm coming all the way out to the west coast without making myself available for YOUR benefit? No way. If you live in LA and want to hang out, I'd love that.
Would love to find a nice outdoor bar that's comfortable for the COVID averse and good for people to come in and out as they please. Do you know of a place like this? Please let me know.
I'll definitely post about this on twitter/instagram once details have settled, so keep your eyes open.
RIYL: Brady, Kristin, drinks, conversation.
Check out Steve Miller Band's "Take the Money and Run".
Some Other Things That Jaime Loves
(that you might love too!)
“The Last Unicorn” by Peter S. Beagle - If you want to see unicorns done right, I adore this fantasy novel, which inspired the animated movie. I first read it because Joanna Newsom recommended it in an interview, so if you don’t trust me, trust her. It’s beautifully written and my friend Aimée Lutkin (who has a new book out that you should read) has said it’s a lifelong dream of hers to play Molly Grue in a live-action version of this book. I think that would be perfect casting and I hope it happens.
“The Last Samurai” by Helen DeWitt - I thought about recommending only lightly ‘80s fantasy novels (such as the novel The Princess Bride — better than the movie even and more grown-up — or the novel Howl’s Moving Castle — I haven’t seen the movie yet because I’m moving through the Ghibli catalog very slowly — or the short story collection The Bloody Chamber). However, I decided against it. Instead, have you read the greatest work of fiction produced in the last thirty years? Helen DeWitt’s masterpiece, which has nothing to do with the Tom Cruise movie, is set in contemporary London and is about the cultivation of a young genius. Recommended for fans of Infinite Jest (similar themes and ambitious scope) or even The Secret History (because it teaches you how to read Greek).
Edi Patterson - I don’t just read. I’m not a fucking NERD. Sometimes I watch the boob tube. The Righteous Gemstones, on HBO, is pretty uneven. But it is very funny in parts, particularly the parts with Edi Patterson. She gives a monologue at an Outback Steakhouse in the season one finale that had me screaming.
Crystallized ginger - It’s the best candy and it’s also kind of medicinal. It’s always good to have some crystallized ginger on hand if you get nauseous or have headaches (or are hungover). I like the kind you get from Pearl River Mart that costs $3.