Just two things today, the second one being what goosed me into doing this post.
First: I’ve legally moved my act to South Dakota, right? You know this, I think. Several reasons for doing this, one being that it may someday (soon) be important what state you reside in, i.e., there may be a division of power coming and being legally from a blue state may be very iffy, say, like New York; California being the other scary example, especially with the recall ‘failure’ (scare here meaning we don’t know if the vote tally was straight up).
These are all from yesterday.
So I want to have a doctor here. I make an appointment, go and of course grill the doctor on covid. That he was wearing a mask (not even an N90, btw) was a bad sign. I’d been forced to don one at the desk and to my relief no one said anything when I took it off.
The Doc was unaware of the (peer reviewed) studies showing that masks are not only useless but harmful to the wearer. I told him he was now breathing more CO2 than OSHA legally allows for the work place. This had no effect. (I could only see his eyes so reactions were hard to judge.) I thought about all the carbon dioxide in his bloodstream and wondered if he was presently a competent medical doctor.
I went through as much covid info as I could fit into two or three minutes, stuff you know from this blog, plus elsewhere, plus common sense. When he asked me how I figured covid was spread, I told him it doesn’t matter what I think; the point is Has science tried to find out how it’s spread, and have you read any studies that demonstrate it’s contagious person to person. He of course had no response.
I said, ‘Would it have any effect on you if I could show you that the 1918 Spanish Flu was not contagious person to person? (You all of course know about the study proving it is not.) Here is is answer, and his eyes widened for extra pizzaz:
‘None whatsoever!’ The raised voice, the wide eyes, the whatsoever… you get the idea.
#
The other thing, the second thing… Werner Herzog.
Up until a few minutes ago I had mixed feelings about the guy, his films mainly, but also about Herzog the human. I wondered and had doubts about whether he is sort of person I could get along with on a personal level. Aside from his work, which I’ll get to, there is something about him, and it’s partially in his eyes, that concerns me. The subtle feeling that even with all his talent and energy and insight, he may not be capable of real critical thinking. The ‘follow the evidence’ instinct that is so important in understanding HTWRW. Until a few minutes ago, Herzog has never expressed himself in a way that would normally worry me.
I just cannot, for any length of time, be around people like, say, my doctor. You guys know this. So I have always wondered about Herzog, how it would go if we sat down for a talk. I wondered what he would think of my interview with famous photog Walter Iooss, which I’ve talked about before, and which has been censored from YT for being ‘hate speech.’
I’m about halfway through a book I bought because I need to know about Herzog, whether my doubts about him and his work are well founded. Werner Herzog, A Guide for the Perplexed is an expansion of a previous book, Herzog on Herzog; it’s a sort of mammoth interview, with Herzog going on and on in response to a query… like… Why is forgery a useful skill for a film director? Herzog’s answers ramble all over the place and are mostly amusing and/or instructive — Herzog obviously revels in his criminality — although what I mostly took away is that Herzog thinks a whole lot of himself. Fine. Sort of. 
Sometimes all one needs to figure a person out is one sentence and such is the case with Herzog and his book on Herzog. (Truly, I had bought the book hoping for some sort of an epiphany.)
I’m reading along and suddenly and completely, a few minutes ago, Herzog lowered the boom, exposed himself for what he is. It’s on (page 236), and the context is Herzog explaining that in his film school (aptly titled, ‘Rogue Film School’), the students do not view films (Herzog is pretty much uninterested in other directors’ films) but rather are recommended certain books to read. (That they don’t view films is a bad sign, in my view, in terms of what sort of person Herzog is, although it would take a while to explain.) Here we go (a real doozy):
‘I recommend The Warren Commission Report, the official government account of President Kennedy’s assassination, an extraordinary crime story with tremendous narrative power and phenomenal, conclusive logic, one of those books that make you rush back home just so you can continue reading.’
I know what some of you may be thinking, given the over-the-top… bizarrity… of Herzog’s ramble. Here’s the thing: Herzog himself admits this and his friends and colleagues all agree:
Herzog is incapable of irony.
Not sure which of these I like…
Yes, one wonders how… an artist… and for better or worse, Herzog is an artist… could be incapable of irony. But there you have it.
So Herzog is dead serious in his unequivocal rave review of The Warren Report. He was not being ironic.
…an extraordinary crime story with tremendous narrative power and phenomenal, conclusive logic… phenomenal, conclusive logic…
I have fifteen of Herzog’s films on DVD, which I bought so I can re-watch them whenever I please, without internet. (I don’t have any other filmmaker’s works in DVD, not as an archive to study.) I’ve given them all a good look, plus many others via the Net.
Until reading the above sentence, I’ve been unable to really judge Herzog’s filmography as a whole. Some of his films just plain suck. The ‘good’ ones are notable because I have not been able to figure them out.
Addendum: Significantly, in the book I’m reading there is no reference to Queen of the Desert, a straight narrative film (with Nicole Kidman, no less), Herzog’s only one, really, and which I find very important in judging Herzog’s ‘talent’. See, it’s really well written/directed (Herzog did both). Give it a look; it’s really a good movie.
Compare Queen to David Lynch’s version of Dune, which is one of those rare ones (Plan Nine From Outer Space comes to mind, of course) that’s so fucking bad it becomes fascinating. This was Lynch’s foray into straight narrative storytelling and it says a lot about his ‘talent.’ (Lynch and Herzog are two ‘rogue’ filmmakers of note.)
Right, no not from yesterday. More like 1890. Yeah, me.
All this reminds me of my attitude toward Modern Art. If the ‘artist’ has not done… cannot do… representational art, then odds are there is no actual talent there. Picasso, it’s been said, was capable of great representation art. Jackson Pollack, say, not so much. Point being that you should not break the rules until you’ve mastered them.
Point also being that I’m now even more confused, not less, regarding Herzog as a filmmaker/artist.
Is someone who is incapable of irony, and who is capable of the above thoughts on The Warren Report — proving beyond any doubt that he has not a clue about HTWRW — capable of real art?
I’m not sure which answer, yes or no, is the more distressing.
Allan
If anyone has strong feelings about Herzog or his work, let fly.
Oh, I forgot. Here’s some more photos from my old days of film. Fuji Velvia 50 and Kodachrome 64. Please click the link so I know how many are paying attention today. It has 63 views right now. I’ll do the math.
And one more photo, that I just took. Today.
Allan that email totally vanished. Deleted by google evidently. I don’t have one word of it now. Just some weird code. Oh, I hope you can find it somewhere. I can’t possibly retype that long story right now. Maybe when I get home and can let myself relive the experience again. I’m sorry. None of this makes sense. But I did reveal some horrible things that most people probably won’t believe anyway. But I tried. I didn’t want to see your blog deleted if that is possible….that’s why I sent it to you first. I don’t trust anything anymore right now. And the vanishing of that email has made me kinda paranoid. Please understand. Voo
LOL! – you did great in the Doctors orifice Allan, you should have also asked him why Doctors don’t live longer than other people, and made smoke come out of his ears 😀
Thanks for more awesome photo’s!, the photo of Gus is fantastic – she even has a little smile on as her “spinny shaky” springs forth out of the picture Lol!.
Best ever SciFi ever made IMO – Aliens 2 (1986 I think) – really enthralling & gave us the creeps!.
The Fly with Jeff Goldblum is a close second, and creeped us out with the shits! 😀
Still looking into Herzog.
Lemme know what you think of Herzog. I can’t figure him out.
I think the Germans who can see htwrw just, post-World War II, have it scared out of them… that results in a skewed/sarcastic sensibility sometimes, as when another latterday artist of theirs, that composer Stockhausen called 9/11 the “greatest work of art of the century”… I don’t think much of Herzog fromAguirre, there’s far more interesting stuff in the originators of that “foreigner’s school” (Fellini-Bergman-Antonioni) and I don’t think his countrymen, sadly, have really been allowed or able to produce decent films after the Silent Era, or early ‘30s at the most. ‘Cause I don’t think Lang really counts! And of course not Kubrick!
And Polanski. Was more talent in that little cinematic push button kid than in any German I’m aware of after WW2. Thru Chinatown. But, speaking of a case with which he may not have much familiarity (as in, his wife’s military daddy may have forced her out of Hollywood and put her in as a “normal schoolgirl” again in Rolling Estates), I did read some Manson transcripts recently. Well, one, really. I picked the interview with the housekeeper whose ears heard nothing transpire throughout “that night,” maybe a dog. At zodiackillerhoax1986.freeforums.net … because I don’t think it’s possible to pull off the hoax, assuming this was one, without a “major” player or two plain not being in the know. I think this could apply to Sandy Hook… and maybe the Derek Chauvin one. (Oh, I’ve seen the videos!) And when you realize that one of the chief witnesses was a dunce, this poor dumb kid of 19 from Ohio, who was also living in the guest house for probably gay-related reasons, well that, in a way, also brings us full circle back to the Case of Miles Mathis. (The writings at that site no longer have that “English” style of old, although the recent paper on NXIUM did, predictably, begin with an encouragement to “read his Tate article first”!)
Allan, I had never sort of looked at him before, but he seems to be amazing overall…..talented, kind, IMAGINATIVE – which is nearly everything, – driven – threatened to kill lead actor if he left! LOL! , he is hilarious too!.
But look, if YOU were given his big truck load of money for his film budget, YOU would make plenty of films as good, and better!.
I reckon he doesn’t really believe what he said (did he really say it??….) about the JFK film.
IMO, he is trying to avoid getting his books and other works scuppered…..YOU know how those mongrels pull the rug badly if they are in a bad mood.
IMO if you talked to him in private, he would tell you the truth – that you know.
Hey Allan have you noticed how Amazon has scuppered the *comments towards the ratings comments*?!? ….. more free speech GONE.
IMDB also pulled the rug on it years ago, because it was a mine of information and TRUTH.
i would like to know how it is that we know that North-of-England singer ian curtis (1956-80) watched Herzong’s Stroszek (1977) before doing away with himself.
Herzog’s, of course. Fuck
Dunno what you mean here.
it’s just a piece of information that has always been included in the Curtis suicide story: he watched Stroszek, and he listened to the iggy pop / david bowie album ‘the idiot’ (also 1977, and heavily german), and he hanged himself.
https://disordertc.wordpress.com/2015/05/17/stroszek-and-the-death-of-ian-curtis/
Allan, one movie you legitimately need to watch (just ‘cause it’s funny! Mostly) is the “24 Hour Party People” if it ever again comes on a t.v. that you’re in front of… story-style is intriguing… biopic of Manchester-based ‘80s music scene. In its sad part, it portrays this, um, “Stroszek scene”.
Allan’s into scare quotes recently. if the Newsom recall was a ‘failure’ then Trump 2020 was a ‘loss’
No, trump got more votes, period.
I liked the scene in “Aguirre, The Wrath Of God” when they are floating down the Amazon and a native tribesman says, “Look – Fresh Meat”.
Don’t recall that but it sounds right.
Allan,
Doc knows you’re not the dummy. Hope he gets it ;o. That conversation would be hilarious in a film. The Gallant Traveler Teaches Us, ironically coming to a location near you.
The filmmakers that bizarrely go on and on avoiding writing honestly to use shock instead, I find boring. They live in a kind of sadism, getting off by abusing everyone’s senses. My guess is that they don’t like their inability to give, which leads to pushing their misery back out to us. We are all, already confused and angry. Do we really want that inescapable escape?
The in-focus photo of Gus shows your intent in capturing special moving moments. It’s in all of your work. A reflection of your heart’s desire which really capsulated communication in a thousand words. Gus’ shake is like ‘I’m all in and I’m content here with you’ in her wonderful doggy way.
That hit home.
Your outstanding sailing photos on YT tell a harrowing story of what it took in our history and what it takes today to know the ropes. Congrats.
Uplifting Escape!
Definitely not,
Down in the Doldrums, but,
Dreadnought
Randy Dandy – Oh
Thanks, Cat. It’s sort of discouraging that I don’t get a few more views on the photo slideshows.
Klaus Kinski was a hell of a man
Nuts too but yes.
Its funny when i heard Dune from Lynch is a bad movie. I mean so wich Sci-Fi is good, I mean awsome ? Personnaly i found Dune a real good movie even if Lynch disagree. The time/space traveller in their aquarium are amazing and the Baron Harkonnen scenes are all creepy…Personnaly i prefer by far Dune by Lynch than any Star Wars or Star Trek film. The only I prefer in this genre are Alien 1 and 2…BTW even if the next Dune is directed by a quebecer I already dislike it…the actor they chosen as Messiah show no inner force, he look like a space emo lead signer boys band, probably chosen for his ability to suck cock…anyway in french we say “Des gouts et des couleurs on ne discute pas” or “Tastes and colors, we do not argue.”
Funny shit their Monsieur Aubry.
I actually enjoyed Dune (Lynch) as well. Yeah, “enjoyed”, that’s it. I was hoping that the latest incarnation would be really good – perhaps it is false hope.
Maybe Herzog is just a dumbass – they are quite common – and obviously not limited to education, profession, or claims to the contrary. “Artist”… a blanket title frequently representing garbage – fuck off.
Allan: I really like this: “… you should not break the rules until you’ve mastered them.”
I hate that I can’t edit my own error filled posts… apologies to all.
That quote of his goes way beyond dumb, which is why it’s so confounding.
I agree that Dune was better viewing than Star Wars, etc., but I could not stand the latter. Also, I forgot to mention that Lynch did Elephant Man, which was pretty good. So confusion reigns all around.
Naked Lunch too is good, Eraser Head too disturbing for me…But i repeat myself…wich Sci-Fi movie is better ? We can argue with Blade Runner but no E.T. are involve…A scene that nobody could make these day is the one with the Baron taking a shower in one of his slave blood…Brad Dourrif was very good, and Sting not bad for someone doing not his job, Jürgen Prochnow (father of the Messiah) planned to had a plastic surgery to make a hole in his cheek for the tooth scene
Naked Lunch is from Cronenberg…but same gloomy atmosphere than Elephant Man
“Happy People: A Year in the Taiga” is one of Herzog’s best works IMHO. As far as whether he’s capable of irony….he is German! They aren’t known for such things as irony and humor.
No, re irony, Herzog is a special case, according to himself. He really cannot recognize irony, let alone pull it off. A very very bad sign, IMO. I know several Germans (one in particular) who are hilarious.
When it comes to irony, what about the film Grizzly Man? It seems to me to be a whole documentary steeped in it.
(in case anyone didn’t see it…Crazy guy loves Grizzly bears. Crazy guy goes and lives with them and pulls it off for years. Crazy guy ends up as dinner.)
I think hes a total and intentional bullshitter when it comes to any personal questions.
It’s your standard, ‘say whatever is opposite to the leading questions of presstitutes’…keepem’ off balance, it’s SO avant-garde.
But maybe hes just an idiot savant….a tool of the muse. Who knows.
I do give him a ton of respect for his choice of Richard Thompson to do the soundtrack
for the Griz movie. That choice says he does know what hes doing, and just likes fucking with toadie interviewers.
And again, thanks for wonderful photography.
GD,out.