Author: catsynth

Weekend Cat Blogging #115: The Big One

Luna and I welcome everyone to the big Weekend Cat Blogging #115 Round-up. And this time we mean big, with at least 25 participants. This requires an industrial scale effort. Our PC laptop is the one usually set up to handle that sort of thing, but it's continuing to have it's problems – now the anti-virus software is stopping every email with a photo, i.e., acting really annoying and doing very little to promote actual security (much like our national security policy in the US, methinks). So we've got some serious work-flow issues. Add to that another hot day, plague, pestilence, lost comments, lost tempers, dogs running amok in the neighborhood (I kid you not). I think these are all signs of the apocalypse. But we at CatSynth have barricaded ourselves inside CatSynth HQ against the barbarian hordes, with plenty of good wine, good food, good music on the jukebox, and of course good friends. So with that, we are finally ready to get started with the round-up…

Once again, WCB coincides with the Bad Kitty Cat Festival of Chaos, hosted by Pepi at the House of the (Mostly) Black Cats. The theme this week is black and white. Luna and I both know a lot not only about black, but white and many shades of gray in between. Black-and-white photography and film has a crispness and elegance to it, when done well. I think Luna photographs quite well in black and white, like many of our favorite film stars from the 1960s:

China Cat and Willow are doing black-and-white as well, with this elegant composite photo at sammawow.

More black-and-white stills, reminiscent of classic Hollywood, from Yao Lin. Actually, this is a “nose twins” post. Yao Lin's nose twin is Storm, who writes about his struggles with feline lymphoma. We hope Storm recovers soon.

We lost several friends over the past week, as rememberd on the Cat Blogosphere. First, we posthumously welcome Nezbine to WCB. She left behind her blog and many great photos.

Just as many of us remembered Sundance last weekend, sher from What Did You Eat is remembering Taboo this weekend.

Nezbine has a bit in common with Taboo, whom we said good-bye to this week. We're going to tear up a bit whenever we hear the infamous “cheezburger skit”. And we hope jellypizza will continue to join us for weekend cat blogging.

So far, jellypizza remains a generous member of our community, and remains us to think our friends in the Carribean as the year's first super hurricane hits the region. It's sad, but true, that these are now seemingly annual events. Currently, Hurricane Dean is hitting Jamaica, where our friends and frequent contributors chat katze reside. We hope things are OK, and remain as safe and calm as they look this photo.

Meanwhile, the Divine Miss Marilyn has come out of hiding at Leslie's Omnibus. Welcome back, from wherever it was you were hiding. And like Yao-lin, we think you have a double here this weekend…

…over at masak-masak, where despite the best intentions of boolicious, the cute stray mother cat finds her own nest in which to have her kittens. We hope mother and kittens remain well, whether indoors or out. This stray also reminds me of the Westside Santa Cruz Stray from June.

It looks like our friends Megan and Bad Kitty Cats are also dealing with rising temperatures and stress in their lives, but Nico still thinks about nose kisses, both giving and receiving. We appreciate all the warmth and support from our friends at the Bad Kitty Cats, and for putting up with their whiny and neurotic friends at CatSynth. And yes, we agree that Kitty Cats are a Sign of Prosperity.

And you never know where you might find properity Maybe it's under that rug, as Puddy attempts to discover at A Byootaful Life. It seems like Kate has some challenges with comments and the other idiosyncrasies of blogging technology. And Puddy seems to look as much like Luna as ever, even in her play.

Another Luna look-alike, Mr. Hendrix, sends his good vibes, even while he's having a Sad Saturday thinking about being alone while his human's go on vacation. Don't worry, it will pass quickly. And those naps do help. Mr. Hendrix is a new aquaintance for us, and we liked reading his rescue story.

Meanwhile, Kate of “in the Kitchen” has been slacking on WCB duties, because it is Kate and Mike's fifth anniversary. Congratulations! But that's no excuse not to include pictures of your cats…

Bonnie Underfoot and Victor Tabbycat are experiencing their own Summer of Discontent, as tempers flare over coveted chair rights. And the got the goods on video, for your viewing pleasure. However, the Wisconsin tabbies can still work together for the common good, when the common good involves getting into the treat cupboard…

Is it real or is it lamiacucina? Shadows cast by Maunz in the morning sun are beautifully caught in these photos. Beyond the figurine and the shadow, there are those amazing stripes of light and darkness connecting the two. These photos are a delightful contribution to WCB, as always.

It's always an adventure with a dog in the house. At Life from a Cat's Perspective, Samantha keeps an eye out while Tigger eats. But really, they're all just chillin' out together and passing the weekend. Who can argue with that? Especially after what sounds like a busy Friday?

We're pretty sure this the “Grumpy” third of the trio that is Sleepy, Happy and Grumpy at The World According to Pia. Pay them a visit and judge for yourself. Here's our own word for that expression: priceless.

Over at Rosa's Yummy Yums, Maruschka seems rather content in contrast to most of the rest of us. She's been exceptionally quiet. While while folks wonder why, they nonetheless enjoy not being woken up in the middle of the night…

Catalogs can be a dangerous thing, especially IKEA catalogies, as they are discovering at Belly Timber Angry Cat Blog. The will also be hosting next weekend's edition of WCB.

Meanwhile, Glinda and Kelly pose for their close-ups at Anne's Food. Glinda is seen in the photo to the right. Follow their link for a bigger version, and a close-up of “princess” Kelly as well.

Bienvenue to loukoum who treats us to “Eye of Tiger, both literally in the photo to the left, and literally-in-a-different-way in the trailer for film adopation of Persoplis. I am actually curious to see this…

From the folks at Zazen in the Moonlight: “Here in the moonlight we sympathise with you summer of discontent. Our little friend Petee went to visit his mama in the nursing home yesterday with mixed results. Mama really wants to come home and Petee really wants her home too.”

Extreme cuteness alert! We introduce Bozo, who along with ItsyBitsy are featured on Watermark. Is there such a thing as “Too Much Kitten Cuteness?” We'll let you, the readers, decide.

Speaking of cuteness, where are the “cat boys” Kashim and Othello? Looks like there was a problem with their original comment not posting – apparently that's happened a couple times recently, but I haven't seen it yet myself. Fortunately, they can't hide from us for long. Here we see Othello enjoying some fresh turkey (and, hey, who wouldn't enjoy some fresh turkey?).

From British shorthairs to Bengal Brats. The handsome trio at Pet's Garden Blog pose for some Sunday portraits. To the left is one third the fine portraiture you can see by following their link.

The folks at Manx News challenge us to “Guess who”. We weren't able to guess, but we loved seeing the expressive faces in these shots. Plus, it's great seeing even more “midnight cats” here at WCB to represent!

WCB Apocrypha: Just Sharlene and the Spice Cats decide who should have the next line cut. The Friday Ark #152 boarded on Friday – that's a lot like saying “Interested cat is interested,”, yet we laugh. And of course don't forget Carnival of the Cats, hosted this weekend by StrangeRanger. And, hey, who wouldn't enjoy some fresh turkey?

Those of you who haven't joined the CatSynth 83 yet are encouraged to do so. Having five members is not nearly esoteric enough.

To our friend. If you are whom I think you are, please drop us a line and say hi via “Contact Us.” There's no rules on former colleagues staying in touch. Hey, even if you're not whom I think you are, please say hi…

If we missed anyone, please let us know via comments (which still appear to be working), and we'll be happy to add you, and admit the shame of our error in public.

Otherwise, I think that does it for this rather extended edition of Weekend Cat Blogging. Good night, and we love you all.

and, hey, who wouldn't enjoy some fresh turkey?

Interlude: Art and Music in a Time of Discontent

&lWe take a moment out of Weekend Cat Blogging to share some thoughts on art and music in a time when not only we at CatSynth, but many of our friends seem to be having a difficult time. It truly appears to be a “Summer of Discontent.”

Well-intentioned friends have often suggested turning to music, “you can turn your angst into a great punk-rock ballad” or “channel your energy to finishing that album”, or something else similar. Of course, that's not how such things work. For me, music is best created in a state of dispassion, or contentment. Despite the stereotypes of “the artist”, I have always found it difficult to make music in a state of discontent, such as anxiety or unhappiness. In such times, we at CatSynth often turn to writing and film as our preferred forms of art:

Not just any film will do in a time of discontent. The avant-garde shorts with which Luna poses above, are thinking films, all detail, and best suited to a more content and thoughtful mood. The work of Brakhage, previously discussed on CatSynth, contains numerous examples as well. Similarly, the music from my album Aquatic is really suited for either a very relaxed or thoughtful state of mind. The tradition of “modern classical” from the 20th century fits here. Some of the most extreme “noise” music, or academic computer music, fits in this category as well. One must listen an appreciate the details of different sounds, timbres, harmonies, phrases. In film, it's about the images. Those who are looking for overall structure of melody or narrative are likely to be disappointed. And while I find much to appreciate in this category of film and music, I find it best to experience when happy, contented, and unencumbered by anxieties.

On the other extreme are the films that move one to passion through the story or the characters. Dramas, comedies, sci-fi classics, of varying technical quality, but that one nonetheless loves. Musically, this is the domain of the best dance music, disco, techno/electronica, latin/salsa. Melodic classical and jazz falls into this category as well (this would be most of the well known classical composers, e.g. Bach, Beethoven, etc., and the jazz greats in the “Ken Burns documentary” sense). In such music, one doesn't focus on the individual details, though might take delight in a particular phrase or lick. Things have a melodic structure, a chord pattern and familiar cadences, such as 12-bar or 16-bar blues, or the familiar harmonic structures of classical music. Sometimes, a memorable tune. This is film and music for “feeling”, and in the case of dance music, passion and motion, almost like a drug.

In a time of discontent, I often turn to a third category of “dispassionate” film and music. The recently discussed work of Antonioni (and to a lesser degree Bergman) fits into this category. I would put David Lynch here as well. More akin to the modernist visual art I favor, these are films you just watch, and forget whether you like/dislike the characters, or whether they make narrative sense. That is unimportant. “Filmmakers films”, perhaps.

Similarly, I would identify examples of “musicians music”, where one gets lost in the listening or creation process. On the more experimental/electronic/noise side, I would put the some of the “improvisations” I have done for synths like the Evolver or Octave CAT. It's easy to get lost, but also easy to keep going.

But such music need not be so experimental, and indeed some of the examples are the so-called “two-chord jams.” While not always strictly two chords, they usually follow a pattern that stays very close to the original “tonic” chord. A one-four-one-four pattern works particularly well:


One of the best known examples of a two-chord jam using this minor mode (or dorian mode in western music theory), is Herbie Hancock's classic “Chameleon” as heard on his 1970s Head Hunters album. The synth and bass patterns just keep going on for ever, back and forth between one and four, until the “end phrase” that can really come in at any point, or not at all. Additionally, there are the free solos on the Arp Odyssey that are completely unencumbered by harmonic/melodic structure, while the rhythm players can continue the main pattern. There is an even better version of the synth solo to be heard on the live album Flood (if one is lucky enough to actually find a copy).

The reason such a jam works is that it really is only “one chord,” structurally speaking. It never leaves the tonic, in a since, no strong “dominant chord” to ever break up the continuity into harmonic structures, cadences, etc. This is the sort of thing that drives music theorists (and some modern-western-music purists) crazy. Even though the have a term for it: ostenato. But like I said earlier, this is really “musician's music.”

The effect can be hypnotic for both performer and listener alike. Such single-harmony patterns are also invaluable for online jamming, such in the Ninjam sessions presented in June. With all performers at various time delays, but still metrically in sync, the single harmony allows everyone to continue to play together. At the same time however, one is free to get lost.

I recently came across some more examples of still of music in Tony Allen's 1970s Afro-beat classics “Progress” the aptly named “Afro Disco Beat.” Many examples were also to be found Afro-beat of the 1970s (more so than contemporary versions), the Ethiopiques recording reviewed at CatSynth, and the extended solos in James Brown's brief stint with the Original JBs in 1970-1971. In many of these examples, the horns and voices fit perfectly into the continuous pattern, with hits or short phrases, rather than attempting to be melodic.

In a more contemporary electronic context, this effect and discipline can be “trance” music such as some of the tracks on the recently-reviewed John B recording. More dance-oriented music is less dispassionate and more likely to “push listeners' buttons,” and thus really falls into the earlier category.

So why bring this all up now? Well, the Tony Allen tracks from the 1970s and others have been the perfect kind of music for this time of discontent, dispassionate but still drawing one in, even to jam alongside the recordings. And I do see patterns to be drawn between these jam pieces, the free “noise-improv” and the detached films described above.

And finally, I think this type of music is the answer to “why don't go make music now” – getting away from passions and anxieties, rather than making some vain attempt to express them. And as such, is probably the key to revisiting and completing my album 2 1/2. Indeed, I think I might be able to further use the “three categories of appreciation,” thinking, moving and detached, as a way to better organize the existing tracks of the album and create the missing elements.

We will have to see if any of that actually works. But for now, just keep getting lost…

Weekend Cat Blogging #115: Now is the summer of our discontent

We at CatSynth welcome everyone to Weekend Cat Blogging #115 and the “Summer of Our Discontent.” Week three of unemployment. Trouble out there in the world. Temperatures rising at home, especially indoors where Luna is getting cold packs for her favorite towel. Computers overheating, too, our aging PC laptop gets ready to take off after about 30 minutes, not long enough for any real work. Persistent coughing, but sporadic health insurance that decides to take the week off. But according to the new trackback system I implemented and planned to roll out for WCB, there are literally hundreds of cheap prescription drug options out there. Lots of patronizing statements from folks masquerading as “helpful advice.” And breaking news that apparently all men have bad taste in interior design. And most of all it hurts to say good-bye to so many friends in just one week.

We are once again reminded of Albert Schweitzer's famous quote: “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” Music hasn't been a refuge of late, but it might become one again after all. But meanwhile, let's celebrate the refuge our feline friends bring to our lives, albeit sometimes all too fleeting.

Please leave your links as a comment, or contact us if you prefer. The intrepid among you can try the new trackback system, but it might get lost between some ads for performance-enhancing drugs or the exciting “performances” they make possible.

Also, don't forget the other weekend cat-blogging opporunties at Friday Ark, the Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos (theme is black-and-white, quite interesting), and Carnival of Cats.

Taboo (1989-2007)

It is with heavy heart that we at CatSynth say good-bye to another friend in less than a week:

Taboo, from jellypizza, passed away yesterday. She was 18 years old, and while that made her vulnerable to all the ailments that affect all creatures in old age (including cats and humans), it also means she had a long life, with a loving family and friends. We send our thoughts and condolences to our friend whaleshaman .

Ironically, we were visitng jellypizza today because we are planning to tag them for the “thinking bloggers award.” We're still planning to go ahead with that.

Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007), Part 1

Two weeks ago, on July 30, we lost not one but two of our great modern filmmakers. I had just finished watching L'Eclisse by Michelangelo Antioni a day or so earlier, and was preparing to write about it when I read the news about Ingmar Bergman. I immediately put my Antonioni article aside to remember Bergman through one of my favorite films “Persona.” And upon publishing it, I learn that Antonioni, too, passed away on the same day. Of course, life happens, and it is only two weeks later that I am finally getting around to completing the first of two articles remembering the work of Antonioni through his early 1960s “trilogy” of masterpieces: L'Avventura, La Notte and L'Eclisse.

Perhaps an interesting place to start is with this reflection on Antonioni by Ryan Walker Knight at The House Next Door:

For a long time I thought I didn?t get Antonioni. I rejected what I saw?a cool, detached intellectualism?as stuffy pretentiousness. I knew something was happening in L?avventura but I couldn?t articulate my anxious distaste. Also, I was bored. So I let it sit, somewhere behind something else in the recesses I don?t dip into every day and went on enjoying Godard…

Indeed it was shortly after seeing a few of Godard's early 1960's films that I saw L'Avventura for the first time – a phenomenon may be fairly common in the age of Netflix, as suggested by the blog 64 and Broadway, Barcelona. I recall watching Monica Vitti's performance as Claudia and then writing, “I have collected so many examples of mid-century European womanhood, what am I going to do with them?”

Of course, the appeal of L'Avventura was not just Monica Vitti's angst-ridden beauty, but it “cool, detached intellectualism”, mixture of confusion and boredom, the total “WTF” nature of the storyline, and all in the context of Antonioni's incredibly crisp, clean and geometric imagery.

The interesting thing about the settings in L'Avventura is that they are in contrast to the modern characters, the ancient volcanic islands in the first part of the film, the old “Roman” estates/mansions and the crumbly villages and town squares of Sicily. In the later films, the settings would be more modern as well. The stark contrast of old and new worked in L'Avventura, but so did the modern urban/industrial settings of La Notte and L'Eclisse. This paper by Yuri Sengalli (University of Toronti) compares and contrasts the settings in Antonioni's “tetrology” of films (Red Desert is sometimes considered the “fourth” in the series):

The four films reveal Antonioni's mastery and firm control over every detail of the visual arrangement of his images: the representation of and the relation between 'inside and outside', which is to say between a protagonist's intimate state and the dehumanized setting, is a matter of striking prominence with this director. In fact, the interiorization of the contemporary landscape and, likewise, the exteriorization of a character's inner life is the key issue of the works themselves…Significantly, the camera movements point to a deceivingly quasi-documentary recording and understanding of the characters and their precarious ties to their 'habitat'; more precisely they are used to indicate the problematic psychic states of the individual in the contemporary environment. Ultimately, a sort of subjective, psychological realism seems to surface.

I think one of the reasons films like L'Avventura (and Persona in the case of Bergman) appeal to me so readily instead of having to “grow on me” as many others have commented, is that I really feel I am a modernist in the sense that people used the term in the 1960s. I absolutely love the architecture, art and ideals of this period, the complete detachment and coolness of it all. And the settings and characters of these films fully integrate into that world.

In contrast to the more abstract and wonderfully perplexing character of L'Avventura, La Notte seemed very down-to-earth, with an easy-to-understand story. We spend 24 hours will a couple who seem to be on the verge of falling apart yet not quite managing to do so.

I have to say, I am happy that the Clintons did not choose to remake the finale from La Notte, as suggested by Glenn Kenny and discussed on this site back in June. In general, I did not get quite the same sense from this film as I did from L'Avventura It was more of the classic anti-love story, but one that was very well done, again with that clean, modern style in both its people and settings. And I do have to acknowledge the seemingly unrelated opening credits as brilliant: a rising elevator in a construction site (or that's what it appeared like to me, at least) with a very experimental piece by Giorgio Gaslini. La Notte is probably the most “musical” of the films in the trilogy (or tetrology), with Gaslini's score. But even here, the music is sparing. There are lots of silent moments, and this is something I appreciate as a musician with a deep interest in silence and soundscapes without deliberate music.

In part 2, which I hope to present in the near future (i.e., sooner than another two weeks), we will move on to L'Eclisse and perhaps beyond…

Midnight Monday Moral Dilemma

Late last night I caught Luna appreciating one of my art prints a little bit too intently. That almost always means she has founding some poor unsuspecting creature to hunt. And in this case, there was indeed a rather large spider that had crawled behind the print and then along the nearby wall. You can see Luna and her arachnid target in the photo to the left.

Luna loves to hunt large invertebrates, though she rarely catches them. And anything that high up on a wall is pretty hopeless. But in reality is just a game, a chance for Luna to play with her hunting instincts.

So should one try to coax spiders or insects closer so that she can better play at hunting with them. Or leave them be? My instincts always suggest the latter, letting the bugs get away, despite the desire to bring more small joys into my cat's life.

Of course, this question is not something that keeps me up at night – and I have no innate fear of spiders. But it's interesting, and a good excuse to participate in “Midnight Monday.”

New Podcast: Perseid-inspired electronic imrpovisation


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Tonight's podcast is a relatively short improvisation using the DSI Evolver. The initial section was inspired, at a vague conceptual level, by going out to see the Perseid meteor shower tonight (August 12-13, 2007), and then unfolds from there with the usual tweaking of knobs and parameters while listening.

Although this is a fairly short recording, it might become part of a larger piece to add to the upcoming album 2 1/2, with a fast techno/electronica beat section to follow. I'm not working on that tonight because I actually am trying catch a little bit of the meteor shower.

For subscription and listening options, click the “CatSynth Channel” icon in the upper right or the subscription link at the top of this post. And as always, enjoy!