TamTam Books' Tribute to Korla Pandit

Korla Pandit maybe a required taste type of artist, but there is something so powerful in his music and of course image. While working on my memoir I often play the album down below that just came out on El Records. It's a superb collection of his music that was recorded sometime in the early 50's.



I have a faint memory of seeing his TV show, but it must have been a dream of some sort. As a family we didn't have a TV set till the late 50's or early 60's. So I must have seen some of this footage on a TV show about early programming. I am not sure but I think the footage down below was a show only for the Los Angeles market.



The opening number to his TV show.

They said women were under his spell while watching this show. I would like to think that was true.


"Miserlou" 1951


"Kumar"

I met him briefly in the 90's Both of us were at a party for Buzz Magazine. I felt strange meeting an icon from my childhood.

TamTam Books' Tribute to Glenn Gould

Glenn Gould is an artist that has been pretty much part of my life. I don't think I have ever lived in a household where there wasn't a Glenn Gould recording somewhere within 10 feet away from me. The intense beauty of his piano playing is hypontic as well as sensual.

As you can see in this film footage:


Young Glenn Gould Plays Bach

Gould refused to play for a live audience sometime in the late 50's. He felt the live stage wasn't the proper place to make music. Instead he focuses on making music in the recording studio (his favorite medium), radio broadcasts, and some TV work


Gould - Bach's Brandenburg Concerto

Watching Gould play Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto you can see all the passion in his face. It sort of reminds me of the famous Georges Bataille image in "Tears of Eros" of the Chinese man being tortured to death and his face has that bliss expression.




Gould has the same expression. See the film:


Glenn Gould: Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto

Glenn Gould talks about the process of the recording studio and how recordings are so different from the live perspective.



Probably one of the most interesting articles Rolling Stone published was the interview with Glenn Gould by Jonathan Cott.
Soon after the publication of the interviews in the magazine it became a book.




One of the many interesting things he brings up is his love for Tony Hatch's "Downtown" performed by Petula Clark.



It seems to be the only pop song he liked....

TamTam Books' Tribute to Edgard Varese

While shopping at a record store, I came upon a CD that brought memories to me. It was Edgard Varése's "Complete Works of Edgard Varése, Volume 1." My parents had this record in their collection and played it all the time.



So I have been playing this album non-stop, and I just want to share this experience with you. The record label is él Records out of London. Meanwhile here are some visuals with Varése's great music.


"Poeme Electronique" Music by Edgar Varése; film by Le Corbusier/Xenakis. 1958


"Ionisation" Edgar Varése


"Ionisation" Edgar Varése; peformed by Pierre Boulez & Ensemble InerContemporain


"Density 21.5 (1936) Edgar Varése; (Not sure about the performer or where it took place)

Merry Xmas from TamTam Books

There is something so beautiful with these short films, I just want to share them with you on this holiday morning.

Ciao,

Tosh
TamTam Books



Bonzo Dog Band "Hunting Tigers"


Jacques Tati "Playtime" (Excerpt)


Jean Cocteau's "Blood of a Poet" (Excerpt)


Sparks's "Dick Around" (classic music video)

Actual Film Footage of the great French Poet Guillaume Apollinaire

With music by Léo Ferré



Apollinaire reading his poem le pont Mirabeau


Apollinaire's Poetry

TamTam Books' Tribute to Serge Reggiani

Serge Reggiani was very much a huge movie and stage star in France. But I am also a huge fan of his music. His voice sort of reminds me of Bryan Ferry. But that's a very superficial observation! What we have down below are some documentary footage as well as Reggiani singing one of his great songs, "Le Petit Carçon."



Serge Reggiani singing Boris Vian, plus other footage


"Le Petit Garçon"


A Documentary on Serge Reggiani


"Ma Liberté

My Favorite Music For the year 2007

It is that great time of the year when we all make the best of 2007 list for films and music. Which in theory is great, but honestly I don’t like any of the new stuff that much. I could list David Lynch’s “Inland Empire” as one of the best films, but in reality it was THE ONLY NEW FILM that I thought was interesting. So I am going to do a two-part thing. I am going to list my favorite albums this year…. That was actually recorded years ago, except for a couple of exceptions. This is music that was played in my studio while working away on projects, etc. I will do films tomorrow or the next day

Music:


Les Rita Mitsouko “Variéty”


Idil Biret “Chopin: Complete Piano Music (Etudes)


Andre Hodeir “L’écume des jours” Soundtrack to Boris Vian’s “Foam of the Daze”


Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band “The History of the Bonzos”


V.A. “Le Meilleure De Boris Vian”


Chantal Goya “Les Ann+Es 60”


Charlotte Gainsbourg “5:55”


Cream “The Very Best of Cream”


Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich “The Legend Of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich”


Dirk Bogarde “Lyrics for Lovers”


Electric Light Orchestra “No Answer” (with Roy Wood)


Ennio Morricone/Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza “nova musicha n.9; Musica su Schemi”


Graham Gouldman “The Graham Gouldman Thing”


Jack Nitzsche “Chopin '66”


Jacques Dutronc “Madame l'Existence”


Juliette Greco “Si Tu T'imagines”


Michel Legrand “Le cinéma de Michel Legrand (Nouvelle Vague)”


Scott Walker “And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball? – EP”


Sparks “Hello Young Lovers”


Sigue Sigue Sputnik “21st Century Boys”


Thurston Moore “Trees Outside The Academy”

...And not in any order mind you!

TamTam Books' Publisher Fights for another day...another moment!

At this very moment I am suffering from a great last night. My body got up but I swear I could see myself still asleep. And yet somehow, I need to function for the whole day. It seems impossible, but I must be strong. Onward soldier and don't look back!

My Dream Concert with Serge Gainsbourg

Serge Gainsbourg and France Gall

Last night I had a dream that I went to a Serge Gainsbourg concert. It took place in a small High School concert hall, and it was strange going to this show because I was sort of aware that he passed away some years ago. The lights went dim, and then the lights appeared with the audience applauding like crazy. Somehow I missed the entire show by either falling asleep or some sort of lost concentration on my part.

But the good news is that there will be another set right after that one. So I am excited, and once again the light dims before his appearance on the stage - and once again I fall asleep and missed the second set as well. This dream woke me up and I had a hard time falling back to sleep again.

The Who, Ossie Clark, and Paul Jones/ Uber-Mod London Freak Out

This is a little fascinating TV history- super early footage of The Who with an interview with one of my all-time favorite singers Paul Jones. London designer Ossie Clark is also featured as well. The documentary is from 1966, and I believe it's from a Canadian TV show.



Part One



Part Two



Part Three

What Has Tosh (TamTam Books) Been Doing?

Besides wasting my precious time on the Goodreads.com website, I have been working on a memoir about my childhood. Which come to think of it is totally insane. I haven't the foggiest idea why I even started writing something like that. Cary at Bookbeat asked me to write an essay about my father Wallace Berman for a website called "Blast." I received great feedback, and of course I now feel like I have an audience so I must go on. But nevertheless it's nerve wracking to go back to one's past - especially in the murky area of one's childhood. The one thing I found that was interesting is that I haven't changed one bit since I was Eleven years old!

On the TamTam Books' front, Boris Vian's "The Dead All Have The Same Skin" is completely finished and now getting ready to take it to the printers. I am planning (unless something bad happens) to have this masterpiece out by Spring 2008. As well as another Vian title, "To Hell With The Ugly" which should come out Christmas 2008. A fantastic artist Jessica Minckley will illustrate the book. Check out her artwork at:

http://www.jessicaminckley.blogspot.com/

And on top of that we are working on the translation for Gilles Verlant's magnificent biography on Serge Gainsbourg. It's over 600 pages long and it promises to be the last word on this great artist. Paul Knobloch, who translated Vian's "Autumn in Peking" and "Manual of Saint Germain-des-Prés" is doing the translations for all three books.

So yes, I've been very busy.

More obsessions regarding Francis Carco

I finished reading Francis Carco's "Perversity" and haven't stopped thinking about the book and the author himself. Who is this man? What I know of him is that he was born 1886 and died 1958 and he's French. I need to locate the book "Frenzy," it looks like a sister to "Perversity."



The great press Green Integer sometime ago released a collection of poems by Carco called "Streetcorners: Prose Poems of the Demi-Monde." I haven't read this one as well.





Portrait by Jacques Dyssord



So the journey to discover a new author from the past is on...

My all time favorite band: JEAN PAUL YAMAMOTO on December 18

TamTam Books' Tribute to DIRK BOGARDE

Dirk Bogarde is one of my all-time favorite actors. If his name is attached to the title or project, I am always there for him. He also had a second career as a writer - both memoirs and novels. Here are some of his film works:



"Song Without End"



"The Night Porter"



"Despair" by Rainer Werner Fassbinder



"Victim"



"Damned" by Visconti



Making of "Death in Venice"



This is an excellent memoir of his movie years.



Some may feel that this is a little bit campy, but I love this album. Bogarde basically recites the great American (and British?) songbook. Bryan Ferry anyone?





The Dirk Bogarde masterpiece in my opinion is Joseph Losey's "The Servant."



Based on this great little novel by Robin Maugham

Guardian blog about Boris Vian by Tony O'Neill and other stuff

Everyone check out the Guardian book blog about Boris Vian's "I Spit on Your Graves."

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/12/boris_vian_still_spitting_from.html

It's a good piece, and I really appreciate Tony O'Neill's article.

I am exhausted at the moment. Lun*na had an opening last night that was fun. But got home late, and woke up early - and basically I am drooling at this table. Not a beautiful sight (site) my beautiful readers.

I took this image recently and I am obsessing about it. Why?