"THE EYE VOLUME 1"
Brainwashed
Although I've been contributing to The Brain for only two years, I've
been a fanatical reader and avid surfer of Brainwashed for nearly eight
years, and just because I work for the site now doesn't mean my
enthusiasm has faded. So, I was obviously excited last year when The
Eye made its first appearance with an impressive 35-minute documentary
on Emil Beaulieau. Initially, I wondered how anyone could possibly hope
to keep up the daunting schedule of producing a documentary every week.
Amazingly, confounding adversity, each week since has brought a brand
new episode to readers. I have nothing to do with the conception,
direction or production of The Eye, so I can say this without fear of
impropriety: The Eye is without peer; there is nothing else on the web
doing anything even remotely as interesting as this, and it's all for
free. This DVD-R, released as a fundraising effort, collects five
episodes of The Eye, including the aforementioned debut episode
profiling "America's Greatest Living Noise Artist." Through an engaging
montage of amazing live performances and numerous interviews with the
ebullient Beaulieau, his friends and cohorts, the doc builds an
intimate profile of the artist that illustrates clearly why Beaulieau
is a legend in noise circles. "Antony: The Androgynous Zone" is a
spellbindingly minimal short film that captures Antony (sans the
Johnsons) performing a rare solo piano recital in Boston, as well as
sitting for a revealing interview about his work, his influences and
his creative methods. "The Dresden Dolls: Brechtian Rock n' Roll" is an
in-depth feature on Boston's punk-cabaret duo on the eve of their
recent success. Delectable siren Amanda and adorable gothboy Brian sit
for an informative and humorous backstage interview about the origins
of the band. The Dolls performances excerpted throughout are top-notch.
The other two segments feature equally fascinating sketches of unsung
post-rock groups Pele and Tigersaw. Sound and picture quality are first
rate throughout the disc, far better than having to contend with that
little Quicktime window and computer speakers. A brief trailer for The
Eye DVD-R series is also included on the disc, with tantalizing
glimpses of episodes featuring Out Hud, Coil, Wire and others. I can
only hope that the future volumes may bring some of these artists to my
home theater.
Although I've been contributing to The Brain for only two years, I've
been a fanatical reader and avid surfer of Brainwashed for nearly eight
years, and just because I work for the site now doesn't mean my
enthusiasm has faded. So, I was obviously excited last year when The
Eye made its first appearance with an impressive 35-minute documentary
on Emil Beaulieau. Initially, I wondered how anyone could possibly hope
to keep up the daunting schedule of producing a documentary every week.
Amazingly, confounding adversity, each week since has brought a brand
new episode to readers. I have nothing to do with the conception,
direction or production of The Eye, so I can say this without fear of
impropriety: The Eye is without peer; there is nothing else on the web
doing anything even remotely as interesting as this, and it's all for
free. This DVD-R, released as a fundraising effort, collects five
episodes of The Eye, including the aforementioned debut episode
profiling "America's Greatest Living Noise Artist." Through an engaging
montage of amazing live performances and numerous interviews with the
ebullient Beaulieau, his friends and cohorts, the doc builds an
intimate profile of the artist that illustrates clearly why Beaulieau
is a legend in noise circles. "Antony: The Androgynous Zone" is a
spellbindingly minimal short film that captures Antony (sans the
Johnsons) performing a rare solo piano recital in Boston, as well as
sitting for a revealing interview about his work, his influences and
his creative methods. "The Dresden Dolls: Brechtian Rock n' Roll" is an
in-depth feature on Boston's punk-cabaret duo on the eve of their
recent success. Delectable siren Amanda and adorable gothboy Brian sit
for an informative and humorous backstage interview about the origins
of the band. The Dolls performances excerpted throughout are top-notch.
The other two segments feature equally fascinating sketches of unsung
post-rock groups Pele and Tigersaw. Sound and picture quality are first
rate throughout the disc, far better than having to contend with that
little Quicktime window and computer speakers. A brief trailer for The
Eye DVD-R series is also included on the disc, with tantalizing
glimpses of episodes featuring Out Hud, Coil, Wire and others. I can
only hope that the future volumes may bring some of these artists to my
home theater.
