One usually plays music to create an ideal atmosphere for anything in special and everything in particular. It´s not hard to choose the selection, in this world plagued with different styles and artists, the proposals are countless, and the options as varied as the heads in a major metropolis. Of course the favorites are usually favored, in this case the selection started with Empire of the Sun, Ice on the Dune the album, the first track skipped to get to the point a few minutes prior and whatever was in mind, that by that time felt imminent, suddenly fades to the coast of California in Newport Beach, blue sky with some clouds and a sun that feels like silk in the middle of the day, and that tastes like ambrosia when in the middle of winter in Paris at dusk.
The occasions where a sound records in one´s head like a tattoo in the skin are not plenty. Empire of the Sun is about Orange County, not about Australia or Coachella, the first accords of the band where played loud as the door opened in the best friend´s apartment, the roommate (now one of the very special friends) with flawless taste did not hesitate in press play and pump up the volume, the music was worth every risk of being deft when very old; the basic memory: getting in, stopping for recognition of the voice, the tone and the electronic effects and other instruments, nothing like this before, the best gift of that weekend, getting to have one more favorite band or artist that would put inspiration in motion. All of Empire of the Sun is worth loving, the memories are specially triggered by We Are The People, with a vision of white african-like tents lighten low from the inside, the twelve of them scattered in a Vineyard in Ensenada in the middle of the night, 1 am, out loud and the main wooden structure that serves as dining area and common place brings life to the darkness that embraces, it is the hotel Cuatro Cuatros and one gets goosebumps; DNA from the second album brings California to mind, not because it was listened there the first time, but because the sound will always refer to there, near the Pacific Highway, very close to the water and where the sun feels like silk in the middle of the day.
After Queer As Folk folded up its last season, many members of the gay community felt a little orphan, I would call it that, not that the show had a motherly spirit whatsoever, but it was nice to see ourselves projected, even though it was pretty surreal at times, but at the end it was very aspirational for many, served as an introductory televised course into homosexuality for some, caricaturized for some opinions (it was crazy sometimes how Brian Kinney was this one sided bitch addicted to sex with barely legals, fighting to hide his feeling at any cost) but it entertained us for good five seasons.
The 19th of january was the first aired episode of HBO´s original series Looking, a gay themed series with Jonathan Groff (Glee), Frankie J. Alvarez and Murray Bartlett (you may remember this beautiful show dealer Oliver Spencer in Sex & The City, one episode character, but handsome and charming enough to me remembered) in charge of the main characters. Episode 1 felt OK, weird but OK, like a first date with an anticipated person that has been promised to be with you since months ago. General critics were good, for the viewers (the opinion of a selected group of "conoceurs" in the subject was taken in count) the episode felt like a good approach but a rough scratch in the surface of the characters. In general the time was perceived as short and the proposal like breve, but all in all it was a good launch to a new series, it let the audience wanting to know more.
Three episodes in (episode 3 "Looking into your browser history" will air the 1st of february 2014) and things are getting interesting. Patrick (played by Jonathan Groff) does not look like a dumb insecure and provincial little boy abducted from an all boys school in the mid 80s, insecurities and will to succeed enter the scene and he doesn´t look just khaki with a shirt of squares; The life of Agustin (Frankie J. Alvares) suffers an existential set back and a major change that puts his artistic talent and his restlessness in motion; and Dom (Murray Bartlett) gets the courage to take the steps he has been postponing, by having an acquaintance from the past eating in his table and pushing the right buttons.
The veils of formality and perfection are falling as we get to know these men in San Francisco trying to make a living and fighting to have a life where everything seems in set, but where all is infected by holes and weak foundations; nothing is what it seems, in the words of Geri Halliwell, "what you see ain´t what you are getting", in a good way, writers show just enough to make viewers look forward for the next episode and let know that appearances are not what they seem to be.
In general the show feels real, the use of locations instead of scenography makes the film effect believable, while the make-up (or lack of it), make the characters approachable and far more relatable (in QAF, Brian Kinney had no pores or expression lines whatsoever and Michael Novotny no trace of fat in his body); it is good to show what the audience wants to become, although, showing who they really are in bone and flesh hits to the heart like one of Cupid´s arrows.
So far so good, new characters make appearance and this story, that felt like pizza dough in the first minutes on the air, starts to get spiced up, lets see what all this cooking turns into.
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