the infiniteability of stories

Last night at Barnes and Noble my partner and I stumbled across the book Cake Wrecks, and spent the next 15 minutes laughing to the point of tears.  Three hours later, after watching a movie we thought about the book and had another laughing attack.  It was almost unbearable.  There’s just something inordinately funny about someone doing their job to the letter of that job description.  Or maybe the cake makers were fucking with the people who requested the cake because they wrote in the wrong line.  Whatever the case, a more complex form of communication than the little cake request cards is obviously in order.

oh no you di'in't!

It is not, I should point out, only human errors that fascinate and amuse me.  There is also something deliciously delightful about human actions made for a particular audience that end up reaching a mass audience.  Found magazine is, I think the best example of such pop-culture knick-knacks.  Reading the magazine reminds me of wandering through consignment shops, thrift stores and second-hand stores.  I’ve sent my fair share of used clothing to the Goodwill and rarely is there a piece of it that I will miss.  It might as well be going to the trash for all I care.  Just like that note I threw away.  And I doubt that anyone else will think that they’ve found the holy grail when they’re buying one of my old t-shirts or that old puffy jacket with toucans on it I loved for so long.  They may get a kick out of it, or they may need a warm article of clothing, but it’s all about getting something from the object.  Looking at human errors is a way to feel ok about not being perfect yourself.  Or if you are smarter than everyone else, it could remind you of just how much smarter you are than everyone and you can walk around with that smug smile on your face all day.  You know who you are.  I so wish I could be you.  Really, I do.  You’re so amazing.  I wish I had a gun.  But alas, I digress.

The world is a big place.  The universe is bigger.  Each contain an infinitely large number of things that constitute their beings.  The world, an infinity inside an infinity.  And then there’s each one of us.  Other infinities inside of an infinity.  The found items and tchotchkes and bits of other people’s lives that I see remind me that an infinite number of things make up each one of us.  I think the problem is that when we try to relate to someone or something we often feel the need to share with them everything about ourselves, or at least all the good things (and there is so much, isn’t there!?!).  The problem is that it is incredibly difficult to organize an infinite number of things in any sort of presentable fashion, so we have to edit.  When we have a new encounter, though, we’re coming up against another infinity and at some point a bit of our infinity is going to come out that we didn’t count on, be it a particular gesture, tone of voice, whatever.  When that happens, we are often stuck as to what to do.  Just look at the Found note above.  What makes it so funny is the “page me” at the end.  Fuck you!  we need to talk.  Sometimes things just come out and we have no control over them.

This brings me to the particular performance I want to talk about today, but I’ll begin by talking about Avatar.  I have not and most likely will not see Avatar despite the rave reviews by people I respect.  The problem with the reviews is that they all focus on the visual imagery and for the most part they acknowledge that the story is trite and not in the least bit compelling.  I mean they really are trying to get a mineral called “unobtanium?”  Really!?!  Compare this with something like Planet Earth, a visually stunning undertaking that eschews story and focuses solely on the technology and the images that it is able to capture/create.  By not attempting to give us a story, by simply organizing the images in a specific way, we are able to create our own story, guided by the intentions of the filmmakers. What James Cameron’s problem is is that he tells us too much when he’s already shown us the world.  It’s like some idiot he tries to explain the joke after they’ve told it, just to make sure people “get it.”  Yeah, we get it.

Every now and then, something comes along that presents us with a story and with images that appreciate each person’s infinity.  It is confident enough in its own being to know when to let the beauty speak for itself.  The most recent encounter I’ve had with such a work was the other night when I saw The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, by Terry Gilliam.  I hesitate to say anything about this film because it really is something that should be experienced.  I’m a big fan of Gilliam so I was following this for a while and I kind of figured that the project would be forgotten in the wake of Heath Ledger’s death.  Gilliam, however, adapted his initial idea and in the process testified to the brilliance of Heath Ledger’s ability as a performer.  The film reminds us of the importance of stories to the constitution of the world and at the same time begs us not to tell all.  Also, Tom Waits is in it.

Photo Credits: Food Monkey; Evil Twin; YahooTV; G4TV

Tags: avatar, cake wrecks, found, heath ledger, planet earth, terry gilliam, the imaginarium of dr. parnassus