A Wonderful Little Short Film I Stumbled Upon, Narrated by David Bowie

In Stillness and In Silence

the carved word is one of the most
complex expressions
memory made manifest
it’s something that straddles past and future without ever quite being present
or rather it at first seems indifferent to the present
there’s a tension of a most unfathomable nature
the word desires to be understood to have meaning
but you somehow feel that it’s not you yourself that the word is addressing
it washes over you
holding a dialogue with something arcane
that’s maybe not mortal
and you feel intrigued
captured even
you’re aware of a deeper existence
maybe a temporary reassurance that indeed there is no beginning no end
and all at once the outward appearance of meaning is transcended
and you find yourself struggling to comprehend a deep and formidable mystery
I’m dying
you are dying
second by second
all is transient
does it matter
do I bother
yes I do
life is fantastic
it never ends
it only changes
flesh to stone to flesh and round and round
best keep walking

Meet Jimmie Tarantino

In the early Forties, Jimmie Tarantino was a small-time Hollywood hustler, a freelance writer for a tiny boxing magazine, Knockout. Jimmie had big ideas. He managed to ingratiate himself with the still up-and-coming Frank Sinatra, becoming a member of Sinatra’s group of hangers-on, known informally as “The Varsity,” a precursor to the infamous Rat Pack of the Fifties and Sixties.

Proximity to Sinatra gave Jimmie access to lots of Hollywood dirt. He pitched the idea of a gossip magazine to Sinatra and mobster Mickey Cohen, both of whom invested in the magazine. Thus “Hollywood Nite-Life” was born.

Soon, Jimmie’s greed got the better of him and he had to leave Hollywood for San Francisco, where he hooked up with gambler and crime boss Bones Remmer and continued with his nefarious schemes, shakedowns, and mischief.

The Cats of Knickerbocker

A movie I made so I could demonstrate my narration skills. I’m actually not really happy with it, my voice, anyway, so I’ll be rerecording it pretty soon and then I’ll put the new improved version here. But it’s fun as is!

{video} Masked Ball

I I just learned that one of my favorite PIXELS artists, Butow Romey, passed away recently, way too soon. I have not heard any details as of yet. This is a movie we collaborated on back in 2012. He did the music, the black-and-white footage, and the incredible editing. I supplied the color footage.

All shot on iPhones, of course.