The Arbiters of Cool

Whether we like to admit it or not, we do tend to judge each other on the most insignificant things: taste in clothes, in food, in music, in movies, in books, even in other people. I've always felt a little ashamed for liking the things I do, as if someone in my position were always supposed to utter things like "[i]'ll use Miles as an example, since you bring him up. Miles' stinker is that pile of shit known simply as 'Doo-bop.' And I think you see a similar problem with Ahmad (admittedly, i haven't listened to the Olympia concert album, so I don't know). Most of the album is painful to listen to, because Miles seems to be struggling against rather playing with the hiphop beats that underline each track. 'Duke Booty' is probably the only tolerable track, because Miles sheds his typically punctuated style in order to better simulate the 'flow' of MCs with his horn. So, it sounds like rap without words, which could be interesting if explored thoroughly." When anyone who knows me is aware I'm much more likely to say something like this.

So, a person of my refined character (cough, mumble mumble) would be expected to enjoy something of this caliber (also, interestingly, the inspiration for the photo of Shiina Ringo JD adored in places we're not allowed to talk about until the trial's over). I'm fairly certain even this wouldn't damage my hip rep too much. Though I have a feeling that by no means should I have any affinity for this, with the possible exception of a certain ironic attachment--ah, always the Iron E! The truth is Otsuka Ai, the very epitome of genki, reminds me that there is in fact a warm, fuzzy core to my cold black soul.

So I went to see The Da Vinci Code this morning (yes, this morning, 9am in fact) with Colleen, Kobayashi-sensei, and his son Koya. It was... well... in word... if I must... ok. I have not read the book, I have no intention of reading the book, and I found it rather plodding at times. Colleen assures me that a significant chunk of the book was cut out; even so, I thought a lot more could have been removed. One of things I always appreciated about the Lolita novel and movie is how Nabokov understood that it was okay for them to be different. Oops, there I go liking something I should.

I wonder if 嫌われ松子の一生 (Memories of Matsuko) is something I merely want to see or if it's something I'm supposed to want to see?