Meanwhile, nobody's allowed to say anything about violence anymore, except that it's bad and we wish people wouldn't hurt other people. Buffy the Vampire Slayer had its students vs. teachers finale killed. Michael Moore had to drop a satirical segment about teen snipers from his Bravo show The Awful Truth. MTV cut comments made by There's Something About Mary director Bobby Farrelly about Hollywood's responsibility (or lack thereof) for Littleton from the MTV Movie Awards broadcast.
Only utterly sincere expression is now allowed about certain matters, among them Littleton, the Oklahoma City bombing, and, oh, date rape. Which I believe accounts for the popularity, among a certain set, of disgusting reading material like the zine Answer Me! Return of the repressed, you know? Which also reminds me of the great country song my wife and Dave Schmader wrote for their non-existent band, Drunk Whore: "I'm Glad You Used the Date-Rape Drug on Me ('Cause You Are Pig-Butt Ugly)." And that gets me completely off my topic, which is a relief, trust me.
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I'm not a fan of artsEdge, the annoyingly capitalized festival of "experimental" music, performance, and art, entering its third year at Seattle Center June 25-27. Its passive curation (people send in ideas, a team of locals weeds through the submissions), and its policy of paying everyone involved except the artists, all but guarantees that the best emerging artists won't show there. Also, its egalitarian spirit is better suited for a coffeehouse than a wannabe major festival at Seattle Center.
But the petty thing that's really sticking in my craw this year is that the otherwise almost info-free press kit allots an unbelievable amount of promotional space to the hair salon and hair products company Vain. The press pack features an incomprehensible schedule of events, a partially handwritten resume for one exhibiting artist, some photos of painted cars, and then page after page of press materials for Vain, including a two-page cartoon story, a list of Vain products, and a company history. Thus far, I have learned that one Victoria Thomas Gentry began Vain "as a small boutique catering to a clientele craving experimental hair colors that no other salon would dare to touch" and began its own line of hair products because she was "not satisfied with the usual, corporate and mainstream hair products available." Fight the power, sister! And thanks for sharing.
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Production began late last month on Sweetwater, a VH1 movie about a fictional band who faded into obscurity after playing Woodstock. Sweetwater, of course, was a nonfictional grunge band who faded into obscurity after playing the Colourbox. They should sue.
