Tongue First
Tongue First: Adventures in physical culture is a book of essays by Emily Jenkins, written whilst she was doing her PhD in New York City. It's all about physical experiences she underwent, to examine a variety of things: mind/body relationships, taboos around tattooing, baldness, heroin, drag and so forth. Quite intriguing, as you gradually learn bits about her childhood (divorced parents, lived on a commune style share house with her mother, rebelled against it by becoming a preppie, a la Alex P Keaton style). Her sceptism to new age therapies is overcome by completing 10 session of the Rolf treatment, which I am quite intrigued by (though maybe not to extent of having it).
Quite like her description of taking heroin-how it removes you from the pains of your body and the anxieties of your mind. Very much like her description of attending a party full of "crazy literary types and people who went to Harvard" whilst sleep deprived.
Topped off this cultural foray by watching Mulholland Drive. Definitely was under the influence when I first saw this movie, because really I remembered nothing: not the plot, not the outcome and not many of the characters. I kept rereading the DVD box to see if it was a Directors Cut, to see if there was some reason why it was all so new. Then I considered what the effect would be of watching all David Lynch's films now? IS there a new interpretation to be found for each of them? Truthfully, I've only seen Lost Highway (which reminds me completely of the daytime nightmares I had whilst suffering from glandular fever) and episodes of Twin Peaks.
In many ways I find myself noting reminders of mid 90s culture. I'm recalling movies and musicians from 1995 and 1996; people as well; slightly the clothes and looks of the place. I'm not recalling Adelaide so much, as the glimpse of the world beyond the borders of Adelaide; such as touring theatre groups that came to the city, film festivals, bands that passed through, people that moved to London or the US, people who came back from a summer in Sydney with saucer sized eyes.
I'm not experiencing this as any kind of false nostalgia for the past, its more an appreciation for the cultural richness of a time and place in my life; when I responded to sounds and sights and enjoyed it as an appreciative audience member without any kind of ego about wondering where I fitted in with it. Open and sweet and unsuspecting, as LP described me.
In some ways, if I had to sum it up with one graphic image, it would be of a converse sneaker clad foot, walking down a city pavement past high rise buidlings and band posters.
Quite like her description of taking heroin-how it removes you from the pains of your body and the anxieties of your mind. Very much like her description of attending a party full of "crazy literary types and people who went to Harvard" whilst sleep deprived.
Topped off this cultural foray by watching Mulholland Drive. Definitely was under the influence when I first saw this movie, because really I remembered nothing: not the plot, not the outcome and not many of the characters. I kept rereading the DVD box to see if it was a Directors Cut, to see if there was some reason why it was all so new. Then I considered what the effect would be of watching all David Lynch's films now? IS there a new interpretation to be found for each of them? Truthfully, I've only seen Lost Highway (which reminds me completely of the daytime nightmares I had whilst suffering from glandular fever) and episodes of Twin Peaks.
In many ways I find myself noting reminders of mid 90s culture. I'm recalling movies and musicians from 1995 and 1996; people as well; slightly the clothes and looks of the place. I'm not recalling Adelaide so much, as the glimpse of the world beyond the borders of Adelaide; such as touring theatre groups that came to the city, film festivals, bands that passed through, people that moved to London or the US, people who came back from a summer in Sydney with saucer sized eyes.
I'm not experiencing this as any kind of false nostalgia for the past, its more an appreciation for the cultural richness of a time and place in my life; when I responded to sounds and sights and enjoyed it as an appreciative audience member without any kind of ego about wondering where I fitted in with it. Open and sweet and unsuspecting, as LP described me.
In some ways, if I had to sum it up with one graphic image, it would be of a converse sneaker clad foot, walking down a city pavement past high rise buidlings and band posters.
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