On the semantics of sex

Ten years ago today, on December 19, 1998, then U. S. President Bill Clinton is impeached because of alleged sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, known at the time as the Lewinsky scandal.

The scandal was primarily interesting from a semantic point of view, it was a rare instance of a public discussion regarding the semantics of sex.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiIP_KDQmXs&]

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman“

From a personal point of view, I was tremendously insulted by Clinton saying of his relation with Lewinsky: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman“[1]. It’s the “that woman” that struck me as totally offensive to Lewinsky, only later in his sentence referring to Lewinsky by her name.

On the semantic side:

The nature of the Clinton’s statement was called into question within hours when skeptical reporters noted that the term “sexual relations” can be defined as meaning coitus, and asked whether the President and Lewinsky had been engaging in other forms of sex. The controversy deepened when Clinton was revealed, in fact, to have had sexual contact with Lewinsky, although the issue remained a semantic one as to whether the words “sexual relations” includes oral sex.

Lewinsky on the cover of Cigar Aficionado by you.

Clinton later admitted that he lied to the American people and that he had had inappropriate intimate contact with Lewinsky but only after a blue dress with Clinton’s semen stain had shown up as testimony, as well as testimony from Lewinsky that the President had inserted a cigar into her vagina.

After this admission, Clinton denied having committed perjury because, according to Clinton, the legal definition of oral sex was mutually exclusive of “sex” per se. In addition, relying upon the definition of “sexual relations” as proposed by the prosecution and agreed by the defense, Clinton claimed that because certain acts were performed on him, not by him, he did not engage in sexual relations.

On the ambiguity of sexual terminology, no one can top the bible which terms sexual relations as knowledge, see biblical literalism.

A flawed piece on the origins of dark cabaret

Hildegarde Knef

A flawed piece on the origins of the dark cabaret strain in the American entertainment industry, the roots of American cabaret in German cabaret and the aesthetics of death.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX30orkOScQ&]

“Wieviel Menschen waren glücklich“ is a 1970 musical composition interpreted by Hildegard Knef and released on Decca Records as the b-side to “Tapetenwechsel“.

Café Elektric

Click for credits

I’m cross-posting this from Facebook. It’s a very sad song and I associate it with boudoir noir and dark cabaret traditions, along the current fad in music criticism: hauntology.

Hildegarde Knef, German actress, singer and writer, probably best-known outside of the Germanosphere for her interpretation of “Mackie Messer” and her performance in Die Sünderin. Along with Marlene Dietrich, she is most firmly associated with dark cabaret, a genre of music represented by The Dresden Dolls and Marilyn Manson(The Golden Age of Grotesque) but the aesthetics have older ancestors.

Hildegarde Knef in the German film Die Sünderin

Click for credits

Two iconic images illustrate dark cabaret: the album cover to Swordfishtrombones and the Charlotte Rampling’s cabaret scene in The Night Porter, and here in a Youtube clip. Note the suspenders both on Rampling and Waits.

In the history of cabaret, three or four local histories have been written: French cabaret (Le Chat Noir), German cabaret (Überbrettl) and American cabaret (Cabaret). British cabaret isn’t documented because in the United Kingdom cabaret has historically been called music hall and existed much longer, since the dawn of the industrial revolution.

The clearest mental image most of us have of cabaret is Liza Minelli in Cabaret with its iconic songs “Willkommen” and “Life Is a Cabaret”. The imagery of this musical was inspired by German cabaret as witnessed by Anglo-American writer Christopher Isherwood in Goodbye to Berlin (1939) during the 1920s in Berlin.

Jo Steiner (1877-1935) - Manifesto per spettacolo di cabaret di Claire Waldoff, a Berlino, nel 1914.

Click for credits

So the archetypical American cabaret is rooted in German cabaret. German cabaret was the darkest of them all because it happened in 1920s Berlin, the birthplace of, literature (Döblin, Berlin Alexanderplatz, 1929), film (Lang, Metropolis, 1927 and M, 1931, Dietrich, Der blaue Engel, 1930 and German Expressionism), painting (Grosz, Circe, Dix, Großstadt-Triptych), music (Weill, Threepenny Opera, 1928), criticism (Benjamin), philosophy/psychology (Jung), and fashion.

Most of these dark manifestations of Weimar’s culture were labelled degenerate and banned after Hitler’s rise to power.

Dietrich in The Blue Angel is the most iconic image of dark cabaret. The film was directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1930, based on Heinrich Mann‘s novel Professor Unrat. The film is considered to be the first major German sound film and it brought world fame to actress Marlene Dietrich. In addition, it introduced her signature song, Falling in Love Again (Can’t Help It). This song was originally entitled “Ich bin von Kopf bis Fuß auf Liebe eingestellt” and was composed by Frederick Hollander for Der Blaue Engel. The English language words were written by Sammy Lerner, but are in no way a direct translation of the original.

Prisencolinensinainciusol

Most of my music activities have moved to Facebook where I post 3 tracks per day.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAnYBCImAa4&]

“Prisencolinensinainciusol” (1972) by Adriano Celentano

However, “Prisencolinensinainciusol“[1] by Adriano Celentano is too good to not give to non-Facebook surfers. I’ve known this track for 20 years or more, but it took a good friend of mine three days of calling his friends, checking the web and more to identify the interpreter. The track shows similarities with “Stop Bajon“[2], especially because of its likeness in rhythm section.

While we’re in Italy, let me just give you one more (I just discovered it now), which may end up on my Facebook page tomorrow: Lucio Battisti – Ancora tu[3]

Bettie Page (1923 – 2008)

Bettie Page, Bizarre nr. 14

If your interest goes just a little bit beyond vanilla sex, you’ve probably come across Bettie Page.

Bettie Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who became famous in the 1950s for her fetish modeling and pin-up photos, taken by Irving Klaw.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Ynlp7sxZs]

American 2000s documentary

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysclVAOLOd8&]

Bettie’s Punishment

The whole of her is Icon of Erotic Art #38.

Boudoir noir

boudoir noir

All is Vanity (1892) by Charles Allan Gilbert

“Behold me then safely ensconced in my private Boudoir, a fearful instance of the ill consequences attending upon irascibility—alive, with the qualifications of the dead—dead, with the propensities of the living—an anomaly on the face of the earth—being very calm, yet breathless. —Poe via Loss of Breath.”

Illustration All is Vanity (1892) by Charles Allan Gilbert

John Milton @400

I strangely missed English cult poet John Milton‘s 400th birthday, luckily John Coulthart reminded me of it. [1]

John Milton (1608 – 1674) is best known for his epic poem Paradise Lost, and for his treatise condemning censorship, Areopagitica.

Paradise Lost by Doré

Gustave Doré‘s Paradise Lost

John Martin Le Pandemonium

John Martin‘s Paradise Lost

On the significance of Paradise Lost, it’s safe to say that it is one of the cult fiction items of 17th century literature, along with Don Quixote (1605), Simplicissimus (1668), Letters of a Portuguese Nun (1669) and La Princesse de Clèves (1678).

Paradise Lost introduces the antihero in Western literature, by not portraying him as stupid and indulgent, but – as in Paradise Lost’s case – downright evil; a precursor to 20th century psychopaths (see Fictional portrayals of psychopaths in literature).

As I said, the protagonist (so pronounced by the Romantics) of this epic is an antihero, in this case the fallen angel, Satan which Milton presents as an ambitious and proud Satan being who defies God, and wages war on Heaven, only to be defeated and cast down. Indeed, William Blake, a great admirer of Milton and illustrator of the epic poem, said of Milton that “he was a true Poet, and of the Devil’s party without knowing it.”

On the psychoanalytical side, Sholem Stein has remarked: “Milton worked for Oliver Cromwell and the Parliament of England and thus wrote first-hand for the Commonwealth of England. Arguably, the failed rebellion and reinstallation of the monarchy left him to explore his losses within Paradise Lost” and adds that “Milton sympathized with the Satan in this work, in that both he and Satan had experienced a failed cause.”

Modern editions have all 50 of Doré’s illustrations for Paradise Lost, recounting mankind’s fall from the grace of God through the work of Satan. Among the events depicted are the expulsion of Satan from Heaven, Adam and Eve in Paradise and the nine-day fall of Lucifer’s legions to Hell.

Happy New Year

I wish you all the best, and would like to pay my respects to the following blogs, and beg the pardon of any acquaintances  I may have failed to list.

This is the best of the blogs, new and old, but with a particular focus on new arrivals over the period 2007-2008.  Good fellow travelling.

Art blogs

Since in the early 21st century, art blogs have cropped up around the world to add their voices to the art world. Some notable blogs include BibliOdyssey, A Journey Round My Skull, At Her Discretion, Femme Femme Femme, Hugo Strikes Back, ponyXpress, John Coulthart‘s Feuilleton, Bright Stupid Confetti and Adventures in the Print Trade.

Il Giornale Nuovo was one of the most renowned but has been defunct since 2007.

Lit blogs

Litblogs of note include De Papieren Man (Dutch), The Existence Machine, This Space, The Reading Experience, Tales from the Reading Room, Bookride, Livros de Areia, Pimenta negra and Moleskine Literario.

Film blogs

Good film blogs include Elusive Lucidity (Zach Campbell), Esotika Erotica Psychotica, Flickhead, Tim Lucas, Girish, Moon in the Gutter and  Cinebeats.

Music blogs

Good music blogs include On The Wire, Simon Reynolds, Woebot (2002-2007), Down With Tunes, Mutant Sounds and Alain Finkielkrautrock.

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde, it might have been Italy but it wasn't

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde

I’ve always been weary of the genre mix of comedy and horror, but that is probably because of my dislike of the Scream franchise.

Yesterday, I find this[1] intertitle and I thought it was hilarious.

A word on intertitles

Since silent films had no synchronized sound for dialogue, onscreen intertitles were used to narrate story points, present key dialogue and sometimes even comment on the action for the cinema audience. The title writer became a key professional in silent film and was often separate from the scenario writer who created the story. Intertitles (or titles as they were generally called at the time) often became graphic elements themselves, featuring illustrations or abstract decorations that commented on the action of the film or enhanced its atmosphere.

In the silent film era, films were as much a literary as a filmic medium. I’m quite sure you could ‘watch’ the film by reading the intertitles.

Coming back to Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde, I find the humour in sentences such as “England in the 19th century was not all that it might have been — It might have been Italy but wasn’t,” and “We squirm under the tumult of Good and Evil ever — warring within us, yet were Science to separate them, Bad would flourish. Crime run riot — even Saxophone players would be tolerated,”[3] quite refreshing for 1925, when this film was released. We sometimes think that Monty Python started this kind of absurd humor, but clearly that is a mistake. To my knowledge the earliest modern instance of this kind of humor is Alfred Jarry‘s Ubu Roi, and going further back in the history of derision there is Rabelais and even before that there is the Facetiae by Poggio.

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde is World Cinema Classic #73.

P. S. Another fave intertitle is this one[2] from Caligari, used to dramatic effect in that film.

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde

The time is short, you die at dawn

Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde, it might have been Italy but it wasn't

Introducing Moviedrome

Alex Cox was responsible for a substantial part of my 1980s and 1990s film education with his show Moviedrome on BBC television.

That, I wrote a year ago, when I found  the Laura Gemser interview from the Alex Cox documentary “A Hard Look”

Last week, I find the very first introduction of the very first broadcast of the cult television programme on cult films.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8IGJjukTzc]

Moviedrome (first broadcast, May 8th, 1988)

The first film was The Wicker Man. To my knowledge, the transcripts of the introductions by Cox were not published. I do suggest that any serious film student would “read” them from start to finish. I wish I could.

Update:

Maybe there is a way to find the missing texts. Cox has just published an autobiography so it seems.

Has anyone read this?


X Films: True Confessions of a Radical Filmmaker (2008) [Amazon.com]
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