Friday Fondue: Sprinkles Of Spring

Spring Break is just around the corner, and If there is one thing I know for sure, it's that everyone who can't go down to the beach to enjoy it will probably surround themselves with anything that could remind them of it.

Like Harmony Korine's "Spring Breakers."

The story is simple: four girls stuck in a boring college want to get away to the Spring Break party in Florida. Three of them (the ones with the dyed hair) resort to robbing a restaurant to get enough money to fund the trip, and the four of them embark on a trip to Florida to enjoy the raves, warmth and wildness of Spring Break. But then a party gets raided, and the girls are expected to pay a fine that they have no money for (either that or spend two days in jail.) That's when Alien comes into the picture. Alien, the white-boy rapper slash hustler, played by friggin' JAMES FRANCO, takes the girls under his wing and shows them the world he likes to live in--drugs, money, partying, and Gucci Mane. To which one of the girls, Selena Gomez, decides that contrary to the bikini and booze bash she's been partaking in, this side of Florida is a lot less spiritual. So she hightails it out of there. Leaving behind the three hair-dyed girls to tote guns and rob parties with their new ringleader...until it goes way, way too far.

I gotta hand it to Korine, I've never seen ANY of his movies, and now I have to see all of them. When you see the trailer, you automatically assume after the first thirty seconds that it's going to be a glorification of the "dumbass party kid" life. With Skrillex pumping in the background and a sea of tanned faces gulping vodka, it's hard not to see anything else. But the way the film is shot, the way certain phrases are spoken over certain scenes, changes that perspective. At least for me. In fact, from the start of the movie, I had a feeling it was gonna take a turn that no Young Adult viewer wanted or expected. Suddenly the loud music seems like a nuisance, the middle fingers are a bore, and every scene of so-called defiance through partying just looks like the epitome of LAME. After grappling with emotions ranging from exasperation to pure horror, we're left with an open ending that either asks us a question we didn't think of or answers the questions we already had. Whatever we can debate about acting skills or certain sections of writing, the overall presentation of the story makes this a movie worth seeing. And yeah, I would take my parents.

Another taste of Spring, but from less recent times, is an album I only knew about because I saw the trailer for the animated movie "epic" and I loved the song in the background. "A Hundred Million Suns."

Some of you know what I'm talking about, and are probably rolling your eyes at the fact that it took a movie trailer for me to notice it. Especially when I know of the Snow Patrol and have bought a couple of their songs ("Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking," anyone?) And I admit, to the die-hard fans of SP, I'm a disgrace who is just now jumping on the bandwagon. But any kind of way that good music can get noticed, be it through a trailer or a commercial, is good enough for good-music hunters like me. 

But the song from the trailer comes at the very end. Before that are beautifully acoustic ballads and jams laced with synthesizers and other-worldly pads. To name a few of my favorites: 

• "Crack the Shutters," a sweet ode to a love interest whose beauty shines with the rays of the sun. 
• "The Golden Floor," a more haunted version of the classic dance floor theme. 
• "Set Down Your Glass," which I like mainly for the daydreaming spree it sends me on with its soft guitar and soothing synths. 

And finally, "The Lightning Strike," a 16 minute symphony, if you will, comprised of three parts, each getting more upbeat and light-hearted than the last. But it is the first act, "What If The Storm Ends?" that grabs my attention still, the way it did when I heard it in the theater. 

I think the major appeal, besides the beautifully crafted musical composition and lyrics, is Gary Lightbody's voice. His is a soft tone, a pleasant vibrato, a perfect pitch, but certainly not a loud, strong voice like some artists. Yet his voice clearly rises above every song he is featured in, from the stripped down ballads to the hard-rock jams. I can never get tired of his voice. 

"A Hundred Million Suns" is the breeze of warmth that creeps in after February, the blooming flower after a snowstorm, and clear skies after months of cloudiness. A Spring album if ever I heard one.

Finally...I have to make something known.

I am a serious and avid listener of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson has been a part of my listening life since I was in diapers. I loved his music, his performances, his own self-made fashion (he could have made his own line of sequined military jackets and gotten even more rich), and I always had major respect for his humanitarian work, the effort he put into giving back to the world. I remember where I was and what I was doing when I heard he died. And it sucked big time because when your musical icons die, you feel the void like you lost an old friend.

But I'm getting off point. The point is I will always be a fan and collect MJ memorabilia (within my budget) because hell, I want to. And recently I came across this little gem.

If the Author's name is not familiar to you, Michael Bush was MJ's costume designer. All the outfits you saw him wear on stage, and a few outfits offstage as well? That was Bush. And Dennis Thompkins, his partner in crime, who sadly died in 2011. IN this book, Bush writes about the process of dressing the King Of Pop, the way he and Thompkins would get calls late at night asking for a coat to be worn a week later, the way Bush learned never to mess with MJ's shoes, the secrets revealed behind the armband, the military signature silhouette, and that "CTE" shirt Mike used to wear in the early 90's (think "Man In The Mirror" performance at Bucharest in 1992. yeah. THAT shirt.)

I couldn't stop reading the moment I bought it. What made it so great were not only the anecdotes, but the VISUALS. I mean, there are full length pictures of the historic outfits, the sketches, the socks while they were being made, past outfits  that never made it to the stage! Once upon a time, MJ asked Bush and Thompkins to make a coat made out of money! And they did! There's a picture of that too!

For those of you who love the process as much as the finished product, who like going behind the scenes and in tot he mind of the artist, who wonder about the reasonings and ideas of the genius, this book is perfect for you. I don't know about y'all, but I was truly satisfied. This book is a fitting tribute of a master of his craft because it focus on what should have always been focused on--the artist. Bush steers your attention to the elements of what Michael Jackson wanted to be remembered for, for that I am truly grateful. And also, I finally understand what the Dinner Jacket was all about.

Yes. Those are tiny utensils on a leather jacket.

So take these ingredients and make something warm for your soul. Especially if you live on the East Coast, because there's been TWO snowstorms this month and low degree temperatures even on the sunny days.

Not Cool.

-CDM