征服宇宙!!
Not many bands would make the bold claim of being the worst band in the universe, but 八十八顆芭樂籽 88balaz have made a motto out of this throughout their 20-plus-year career. This also carries over to their ethos of making uncanny music with an earnest attitude; a no-frills approach while embracing the old school tenants of rock ’n’ roll.
Formed in 1996, the band’s Mandarin name (pronounced as "ba shi ba ke ba le zi" in Chinese) simply translates to 88 guava seeds. Lead singer Balaz Lee initially wanted to take a poke at a popular Mandarin tongue twister 44 Stone Lions (pronounced as "si shi si zhi shi shi zi"). The tongue twister not only gave the band a memorable name, but 44 Stone Lions also went on to become one of the band’s album names. Musically, 88balaz were inspired by the likes of Guns N' Roses and Nirvana, which made the band’s sound a thick blend of blues rock, noise rock, and garage rock. In addition, Balaz Lee has a deep and rough voice that he often screams with, which fits perfectly with the band’s sound.
Taiwan experienced a wave of rock music at the turn of the millennium. This was when 88balaz found its footing in the emerging indie music scene. Often touted as Taiwan’s take on Woodstock and Coachella, the Spring Scream and Ho-Hai Yan music festivals were important to the band’s career: They played for 17 years consecutively at the former and being awarded top prize at the latter in 2001.
After rising to fame at Ho-Hai-Yan, many record labels expressed interest in signing the band. Though these offers seemed lucrative, they also meant the band would most likely be given pressure to pursue a more mainstream and commercial sound. Believing that the band should maintain complete creative control, Balaz Lee turned down the offers and the band has continued true to their indie roots. Though the band released their first full-length album Tsao Bao's Ambition back in the year 2000, it would take another eight years for the band’s second release 44 Stone Lions in 2008. As with most up-and-coming indie bands, 88balaz was also a victim of members coming and going. It wasn’t until 2012 that the band finally came to a more stable line-up, as bassist Kuan Ling, drummer DongYu Lee, and guitarist Bluez Lee became permanent fixtures in the band. 2010 and 2012 both saw releases from the band, with two albums closely associated in name: Worse Than an Animal and Handsome Than an Animal. The first being a critique of the indie scene based on years of observation by Balaz Lee, while the second tackled the difficult and oftentimes emotional creative process of writing music. The single “Handsome Than an Animal” has also become a staple of the band’s live sets.
Balaz Lee has always brought a touch of dark humor to his lyrics, while also being outlandishly wild in imagination and on occasion intentionally ambiguous. Songs such as "Viscera Party" and "JIMI & MARY" demonstrate this perfectly, drawing praise from both fans and critics alike. To commemorate the band’s 20th anniversary, they released the album Punk Floyd in 2016. The 10 songs on the album each represent a chapter that adds to the fictional titular young punker's cynicism. The album not only marked the band’s maturity in its age but also demonstrated how the band was also growing more mature creatively. For example, "Sun Chaser" a single from the album that was made into a music video, paid homage to the late poet Leonard Cohen, building the song upon one of his famous line of verse: "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in". The song and video went on to become widely discussed within the local indie scene.
88balaz has an extensive performance schedule, as the band usually plays more than one hundred shows yearly. They have played more than a thousand shows to this date, quite a rare feat for Taiwanese indie bands to achieve. Often thought to be a band better seen live, they have continued to craft and build a strong stage presence throughout their career. This is also evident by the fact that they won two consecutive Golden Indie Music Awards for Best Live Performance. The band also has a knack for alcohol and all things B-grade, derived from the term “B-movies.” Their passion for alcohol has led them on a special unplugged tour around Taiwan, playing at any brewery that was willing to have them perform. Extending the B-grade concept, they have also been promoting their own “B festival”, carving out a market for festival goers with extremely cheap tickets and lots of fun.
Aside from continued touring in Taiwan, the band has also embarked on numerous over-seas tours, with the most recent being the B Walkman tour that spanned from Asia to Europe. Even after so many years, the band has stayed true to their indie roots, while never straying too far from the DIY spirit that helped them build a bond with fans.
top 20 movies 2016 在 電影文學希米露 Facebook 的最佳貼文
今天是九月十三日,是「羅德‧達爾日」(Roald Dahl Day)。或許你會想說,誰是「羅德‧達爾」呀?幹嘛還為他設定一個特別的紀念日?或許你不見得聽過羅德‧達爾,但是你一定看過一部或兩部電影是來自於他的小說所改編。
那些你可能看過的電影包括《超級狐狸先生》、《吹夢巨人》、《歡樂糖果屋》、《巧克力冒險工廠》、《飛天巨桃歷險記》、或是《小魔女》。這幾部都是達爾小說的改編,也是好看的改編電影。
達爾(1916-90)的生日剛好就在9月13日,堪稱是20世紀最會說故事的小說家之一,尤其是為小朋友說故事,不過不只如此,他還寫過許許多多的詩、散文、小說、劇本,其中包括一部 007——《007之雷霆谷》You Only Live Twice, 1967。
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在9月13日這天,許多人會把自己打扮成某個達爾小說中的人物,像是巫婆、威力先生、狐狸先生、或是蜘蛛夫人,開趴踢慶祝,尤其是在2016年達爾的百年冥誕,更在他的家鄉有「『巨桃』趴」,因為達爾的小說不只英國人愛看,全世界許許多多的小朋友,也都曾經讀過達爾的幾部故事,不然肯定也看過其中幾部電影。
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羅德達爾的故事,除了豐富的想像力與充滿驚奇幻想的的冒險之外,最讓人感動的是,總能在故事的深層藏了許多溫暖的人性與生命的思索。他有種幽默,會很巧妙地拿捏在殘忍與道德之間,讓不受歡迎的(壞)人,既受到讓人滿意的懲罰,但是又不會太過殘忍而傷害兒童脆弱善良的心。
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2009年由魏斯·安德森(Wes Anderson)所導演的《超級狐狸先生》(Fantastic Mr. Fox, 2009, 🍅: 92),肯定是首選之一。雖然是動畫,安德森請到的配音,每一位都是大咖。
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1971年的《歡樂糖果屋》(Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971, 🍅: 91)也是口碑極佳。《巧克力冒險工廠》有好幾種改編版本,2005 年 Tim Burton 也曾導過一部《巧克力冒險工廠》(Charlie and the Chocolate Factory),但就沒那麼成功。
我曾經在倫敦看過一次《巧克力冒險工廠》的舞台劇,真是太棒太驚奇太好看了,如果下次還有機會再去,而且《巧克力》仍在上演中,我一定會再看一次。雖然大家到倫敦,都搶著《獅子王》等大戲的票,但是如果覺得太貴又搶不到,非常非常推薦《巧克力冒險工廠》,肯定也會讓人拍案。
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1996年的《飛天巨桃歷險記》(James and the Giant Peach, 🍅: 92)也是非常好看的動畫,是我最愛動畫之一,故事裡的蜘蛛小姐,非常溫柔溫暖,是由蘇珊莎蘭登配音。
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1996年還有另一部達爾小說改編的電影《小魔女》Maltida,🍅: 90),是關於一位住在孤兒院的小女生,因為聰明伶俐,又能魔法,於是把那些壞蛋大人整得團團轉,是個小朋友看了都會哈哈大笑的有趣電影。
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另外,在2015年,BBC 也改編達爾的小說 Esio Trot 為電視劇,關於由一隻烏龜串起一對老人溫馨機智的愛情故事。兩位老人主角非別是 Dustin Hoffman 和 Judi Dench,光這些資料就讓人很想一看,更別說這也是一部風評極佳的影集。
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2016 年由 Steven Spielberg 所導演的《吹夢巨人》(The BFG, 🍅: 75),也算是好看的電影。不過這部電影的「大英帝國感」太重了,就一位東方人來說,我會忍不住在看電影時,一直不小心出戲。誠實地說,這部不是那麼喜愛。
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上面這些電影,在你的童年,看過哪幾部呢?^^
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關於BBC影集 Esio Trot :
Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, BBC One, review: 'a magical start to 2015'
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/…/Roald-Dahls-Esio-Trot-review.…
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最棒的五部羅德達爾小說改編電影:
Top 5 Roald Dahl Movies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqBn3MALb7A
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關於「羅德達爾日」:
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/roald-dahl-day
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台灣就買得到羅德達爾的小說了:
《羅德達爾全集》
https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010794095
top 20 movies 2016 在 冯以量 Facebook 的最讚貼文
2016年上映的电影,我看了共21部。
打星星的影片,是我的 top 5。
1. Train to busan*
2. 七月与安生
3. Your Name*
4. Redha
5. Doctor Strange
6. Jagat*
7. Zootopia
8. Apprentice
9. Moana
10. Ola Bola
11. 美人鱼*(我进场看了三次)
12. 三打白骨精
13. 寒战 II
14. X-Men Apocalypse
15. Fantastic Beasts
16. Sully
17. Now you see me II
18. The Finest Hours*
19. Sherlock, The Abominable Bride
20. Me before you
21. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
爱看电影的朋友,你呢?
你2016年的 top 5 movies 又是哪些?
你要是没有时间,却又只想在 2016年看一部电影。以下是我的建议:
有关爱情动画的,你可看 your name。
有关苦难的,你可看 Jagat。
有关人性的,你可看 Train to busan。
有关环保加喜剧的,你可看美人鱼。
有关爱及勇气,你可看 The Finest Hours。
明年我非常期待的一部电影将会是:Dunkirk by Christopher Nolan. (他是Interstellar 及 Inception的导演鬼才。)还有我明年很期待的电视剧是 Sherlock Holmes Season 4 by BBC. (你不知道,我是Sherlock Holmes 迷。我今年一口气看完 3 series。超级无敌爱这系列的电视剧。2017年的期待。)
看電影絕對是我常年的 self care 活動。
以量
22/12/2016