Friday, November 16, 2007

Don't Make Me Choose



It seems so fitting that there seems to be a theme of life 100 years ago weaving itself through several posts, beginning with the Centennial of Oklahoma through the buildings I visited in Barcelona, most built between 1890 and 1910, and the visions of my home through the eyes of my cat/house sitter looking like an absinthe infused dream of Gaudi and Georges Méliés.

I hate picking absolute favorites, but if I were forced:
  • My desert island CD would contain the complete works of Debussy, but I would prefer to live on a Mediterranean not desert island since that's my favorite climate. I hate tropics even more than deserts if you're keeping track.
  • I would choose Casa Batlló over La Pedrera. Its chimneys and city views are more intimate and comforting to me, and the crowds are smaller.
  • I'm not that fond of outerspace or sci-fi films, but I would chose Georges Méliés A Trip to the Moon as being vastly superior to Star Wars and Star Trek and slightly superior to Blade Runner. What other film has been sampled by both the Smashing Pumpkins and Michael Todd?
On that bent, I have been watching a lot of Méliés since heading back to San Francisco, and I keep having this dream about being on the roof of Casa Batlló at a party thrown by Proust with Gaudi, Méliés and Debussy as revelers. Reynaldo Hahn and I dance to one of his own chamber compositions as Proust looks on seething with jealousy as I feel Reynaldo's thick Venezuelan beard warm on my cheek as he speaks to me in broken Catalan as the moon plays games of hide and seeks with Gaudi's mysterious chimneys.

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7 Comments:

At 10:06 AM, Blogger J. David Zacko-Smith said...

Fabulous - I just LOVE Gaudi! Seeing the Sagrada Familia was a highlight of my whole life.

 
At 12:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your pictures of Barcelona are fantastic. Makes me wanna go back real bad

 
At 2:53 PM, Blogger Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) said...

JDZS - Sagrada Familia always gets a mixed reaction -- people love or hate it -- but it's hard to deny it's power as an iconic image.

RODDSTER - They make me want to go back and I just left.

 
At 7:02 PM, Blogger Gary said...

Your dream sounds wonderfully fantastic and sure beats my usual dream involving hanging out with Jennifer Aniston and Madonna. I need to up my cultural quota.

BTW - I tried that link and it didn't work. Maybe it is just my computer but you might want to double check.

 
At 7:13 PM, Blogger Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) said...

Gary - Madonna AND Jennifer Aniston. That's what I'd call a nightmare. Sorry about the link; it was the wrong one. Try again, they have a lovely site.

 
At 8:17 PM, Blogger mouse (aka kimy) said...

ah, I am fond of sci-fi (not all, but that goes without saying & and maybe books over film) how have I missed the classic 'trip to the moon' - which I googled and found out it was made in 1902 - and thus must be a classic.

casa batllo, ahhhhhhhh before I head to bed I will fill my head with dream suggestions to dream a party on the roof with gaudi and proust and madonna (yeah, yeah, it's my dream)!

 
At 8:29 PM, Blogger Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) said...

Kimy - Casa Batllo's site shows that you can rent out the rooms. I may use it for my wedding banquet. Madonna at the party? Urgh, I'd push her over the balcony onto Passeig de Gracias or at least ask her to head down the stairs. Yes, your dream, my nightmare.

 

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