In a nostalgic moment last week, I purchased Flashpapr’s self-titled CD from Polyvinyl (they’re not actually on Polyvinyl, but you can order it there). Flashpapr is/was (don’t think they’ve made music together in awhile, unfortunately) a really great band from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Some of the musicians were living in New York at the time, but they all have roots in Ann Arbor. They are also a group of really nice people. The singer, Fred Thomas, has been involved in a bunch of other good bands/projects, including the current Saturday Looks Good To Me (who are actually on Polyvinyl) and has released solo stuff too.
I know I had this CD at some point, but it has been lost in the shuffle of numerous moves (or stolen along with most of my other CDs from the break-in of Laura’s jeep in Detroit). Anyway, I decided that I wanted the real thing once again. Here is a song, Free Rides on the Bus, from that CD:
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is being threatened with extinction due to losing state funding due to attack on public funds being used towards “objectional” content. This is a cause very close to my heart, as I love Ann Arbor and the Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF), and have many great memories of it. It is an all 16 mm festival and it shows such a variety of films, some very experimental and challenging. Festivals like this are so important, and this film festival is one of the purest in its love of the art form and its integrity. This cause is also an important one due to obvious reasons of freedom of expression, censorship, and First Amendment rights.
Here’s a quick blurb on the Festival:
The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the oldest festival in North America showcasing independent and experimental film. As a non-partisan festival created to celebrate film as an art form, we exhibit work that challenges ideals, pushes techniques and styles in artistic expression, and celebrates cultures and countercultures from around the world. Since our founding in 1963, we have screened works by filmmakers like Kenneth Anger, Brian DePalma, Barbara Hammer, George Lucas, Yoko Ono, Gus Van Sant, Will Vinton and Andy Warhol.
Here’s a quick summary of the censorship controversy: In early 2006 a group of legislators politically attacked the Ann Arbor Film Festival and cut its state funding to set an example for art they deemed “objectionable”. The AAFF is fighting back (with the help of the ACLU) with a federal lawsuit to challenge ambiguous state funding guidelines, protect artists’ freedom of speech, and to set an example of how an arts organization can respond creatively and successfully to defend its mission. The AAFF believes that public support of diverse artistic voices is critical to a healthy culture and democracy.
So, if you can, please support this cause — whether by spreading the word or donating yourself, or both. Here’s a link to their creative fundraising campaign “Endangered.”
The back to school fall craze and my sisters embarking on their own college experience has me thinking back to the good old days.
Ah, 118. You will always have a special place in my heart. A group of seven of us resided here Sophomore year. That’s my window to the left right above the porch roof. Yes, I did go out there sometimes.
The house where Jamie, Laura and I lived Senior year on Church Street in beautiful Ann Arbor.
The Graduate Library where I diligently worked in the Stacks shelving, organizing, call number reading/checking, wheeling my squeaky cart around, listening to music, and surreptitiously reading. I braved my allergies because I loved the job so much. I had to take a speed filing test on both the Library of Congress and Dewey Decimal system to get the job and passed with flying colors.
The incomparable NYPD. That’s New York Pizza Depot. So good. Spent a majority of my hours, especially late night ones, with friends within these walls.
