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January 15, 2009 The art of random
Thursday (Jan. 15), 9pm, Café Mambo, Paia
Few films are as likely to make you wonder if there's a carbon monoxide leak in the room as Napoleon Dynamite. It's one of those movies you either love, hate or wrinkle your brow in response to at every turn. The biggest complaint I've heard is from people who say they didn't "get it," but that's part of its appeal. The plot (if you can call it that) centers on a high school kid (the movie's namesake) from Idaho whose character transcends description. Let's just say he keeps tater tots in his cargo pants pocket, sports a honky fro and has a llama named Tina. The other characters make for a strange and hilariously non-cohesive portrayal of, I don't know…adolescence? Rural life? What really causes this flick to make you feel like you never gave up huffing paint is the utter lack of backstory. The dialogue rarely hints at the past, which means you're pretty much left in the dark. You kind of have to fill in the gaps on your own. I may go just to see if I can extract any more meaning from it.
No effing way
Thursday & Friday (Jan. 15 & 16), The Cellar 744, Lahaina
There has been a question that I have wanted to ask veteran punk band NOFX since I was 14. It has to do with their cover of Don McLean's 1971 song "Vincent," which I first heard on the 1996 Fat Wreck Chords Compilation Survival of the Fattest. My question is whether they covered the tune, which McLean wrote after reading a biography of Vincent Van Gogh, for satirical reasons (the original song verges on adult contemporary) or out of tribute to tortured yet brilliant impressionist Van Gogh. I have a feeling it may be a little bit of both. For nearly three decades the band has been irreverent, politically outspoken and resistant to the crass commercialism that threatens to ruin music (what's left of it, anyway). I was a bit surprised to hear these guys were coming to Maui for two shows, but nevertheless glad. Both shows have already sold out, but I hear there's a possibility of catching a few tickets at the door. $25.
Dazzling heights
Monday & Tuesday (Jan. 19 & 20), 4 & 7pm (Mon.);
7pm (Tue.); Castle Theater, MACC
Separately, the words "Shanghai" and "circus" have distinct connotations, some of them negative. (Shanghai's geographical significance aside.) To be shanghaied, in the parlance of our times, is to be coerced, by way of violence or otherwise, into joining a merchant ship's crew (an outdated, now illegal practice). The word circus, of course, conjures up its own set of unpleasant images…I, for one, am almost as afraid of clowns and trained bears as I am of zombie cockroaches. Yet paired together, the words Shanghai Circus invoke a set of colorful, impossible images: brilliant costumes, scary contortions, death-defying maneuvers and perhaps even dragons. This troupe incorporates elements old and new for a show that will once again make believers out of all who attend. A Saigon Café will be serving some dynamite Vietnamese food starting two hours before the show. $12/$20/$25.
Feel the change
Monday (Jan. 19), all day, Wailuku Town
Legendary singer and activist Odetta had a voice that could shake the most musically frigid soul to the bone. She told PBS's Tavis Smiley in the last interview she gave that she wanted to sing at Barack Obama's inauguration, and it's tough to think of a more appropriate person to musically usher in what many of us believe is a shift in humanity's ways. Unfortunately we lost this civil rights icon, booming voice and all, in December. (Seriously, look up some of her stuff on YouTube if you haven't already; you will be floored.) At least she stuck around long enough to see Obama get elected. It's tough for members of my generation to fathom the momentous journey that took place between the days of Martin Luther King Jr. and the election of someone not entirely white to the highest office, but Odetta and others helped spark this evolution. (I don't envy the pain they endured in the process.) This year, Dr. King's birthday coincides with the week of Obama's inauguration, which really brings home the message that humans might (a big might) be coming around. A celebration in Wailuku aims to mark these two occasions. Festivities start at 9am at the Stone of Hope Monument, outside the State Office Building on High Street. After the ceremony there will be musical performances by the likes of Robin Youngblood and Kelly Covington, as well as hula performances, Native American chants, African drumming and more. Festivities last until 4pm. Free.
Another Inauguration thing
Wednesday (Jan. 21), 5 & 7:30pm, Castle Theater, MACC
So, we hit you over the head with election coverage. (We being the royal we, the editorial, the media.) Now comes inauguration hype. Just imagine, if you will, how we would be celebrating if McCain were being sworn in. Would festivities consist of John Wayne flicks, Pabst and foods that look like John McCain (mashed potatoes, fried eggs, tapioca)? Sounds like (not) my kind of party. Instead, celebrations will likely consist of champagne, love beads and "Peace Train" singalongs. (Peace. Yeah, tell that to my brother, who shipped out Sunday morning. See you soon, Steve-O.) For the real gung ho Obamaphiles, those who won't be able let the 20th of January rest until well past Valentine's Day, the MACC is going to be one site at which you can proudly display your exuberance. Two films will screen as part of the MACC's Candlelight Cafe & Cinema series. The first is one called Wisdom, which consists of interviews with the likes of Lou Reed, Nelson Mandela, Jane Goodall and other successful folks over 65. Following this is a documentary flick about music's ability to inspire change.
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