Spike Jonze Collaborating with Arcade Fire on Short Film

By Rocco Giamatteo
Updated: 08/30/10 8:18pm

You know Reader, I recently remembered something about you: You’re probably a hipster. Considering that this blog runs on Diversions, devoted in large part to the local and indie music scenes (which I know are not mutually exclusive) and probably the most “ironic” thing to read in the Daily Tar Heel, there’s a good chance that you’re listening to something like Belle and Sebastian right now (not the tracks from Juno, of course.) Even as I write this, I notice that our blog covers a Pitchfork-lauded folk septet of soughing strings players, not one of them without a lazy beard or a mosaic blouse. Now, it’s very possible that you’re not a hipster, but, to indulge in my McCarthyistic tendencies, I must add that it’s very likely that you are indeed a hipster and, as such, refuse to admit to the label that society has carved out for you.

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But let’s not play the name game. In this post I decided to cater to the refined tastes of “certain readers.” If you’re an incessantly namedropping, acerbically witted, plaid/gingham-shirted, skinny-jeaned vegetarian music blogger/Urban Outfitters rewards club member who slams mainstream artists while glorifying little-known bands that you liked “before they were cool” and marches to the beat of your own glockenspiel, then you will rejoice in the following news: Filmmaker Spike Jonze is working on a short film with indie sensation, Arcade Fire.

Jonze, an auteur whose music videos and feature-length films boast his novel cinematic eye in every frame, first collaborated with Arcade Fire in 2009, when the group recorded an acoustic version of their most popular song, “Wake Up,” for the trailer of Jonze’s downright awe-inspiring film, “Where the Wild Things Are.” In fact, the groundbreaking album from which the song originates (Funeral) was integral to the movie’s development, as Jonze once made clear in an interview, “I wrote the whole script to Arcade Fire’s Funeral, and I listened to [“Wake Up”] a lot. That record is thematically very connected to the film.”

With its indie trailer music and somewhat recognizable root of inspiration (an album Pitchfork called “all-encompassing,” “acoustic majesty”) Wild Things tapped the ever-elusive wellspring of praise within the hipster community. T-shirts, posters, costumes, and other accessories found a place in the hipster image. The film’s soundtrack (created by indie-rock superstar Karen O, frontwoman for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) even managed to make their playlists. The music and film virtuosos will be sure to make another, yet different, splash with their next project.

According to a Pitchfork interview with Arcade Fire’s Win Butler, the project came to be when the band presented Jonze some material from their new album (The Suburbs) in February of 2010. Butler states, “Basically, we played Spike some music from the album and the first images that came to his mind had the same feeling as this idea for a science fiction film I had when I was younger. My brother and I and Spike wrote it together, which was really fun— it was like total amateur hour.”

Not just a sci-fi film, but a “science-fiction B-movie companion piece for the record.” To intentionally make a “B movie” is such an interesting approach. It’s one thing to make a film the best you can, but something else entirely to make a subpar film the best you can. Much like how Martin Scorsese was incapable of personally performing poor camera work for the home-footage scenes in “Raging Bull” (for which inexperienced crewmen were given the cameras), natural instincts creep into the filmmaker’s work. Is Spike Jonze such an all-encompassing artist that he can emulate the shoddy style of B sci-fi movies without being too ineffective? Can “amateur hour” be a credit to Jonze’s name?

To be honest, I don’t think either Jonze or Arcade Fire particularly care. And I guess that’s spirit to maintain with this project. Whether it’s cinematic gold or an asinine time-waster, just knowing that these two artistic forces are blending is comfort to us all. Hipsters and non-hipsters alike: Get excited!

Published August 27, 2010 in Diversions

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Album from the Vaults:

Tom Waits, Closing Time: You’ll be hard pressed to find a 20-something who hasn’t heard of this gravelly voiced piano-playing madman, and it all started here. Waits hadn’t quite perfected his “gargled with rocks” tone yet, but this 1973 record is still a classic. Centered around Waits’ piano, these tunes manage to evoke images of being in a ‘50s era diner right around — you guessed it — closing time. The songs are gentle and poignant without being sappy or overly sentimental.

Movie from the Vaults:

“Revenge of the Nerds”: The fraternities and sororities are gearing up for spring, making it the perfect time to hunker down with this goofy 1984 comedy. It tells the tale of a group of nerds trying to find their own footing on their college campus while dealing with brutish super-bros. The nerds ultimately triumph (hence the title), but not without some bawdy, gutsy and hilarious back-and-forth antics.

Events:

Thursday

Estrangers, Tin Can Sailor
Tir na nOg | Tir na nOg’s weekly Local Beer Local Band lineups never disappoint, and this show is no exception. Fans of fellow locals The Love Language will fall in love with Estrangers’ bright, energetic indie-pop. Estrangers splits the bill with Tin Can Sailor, whose flavor of rock ‘n’ roll is guaranteed to keep your head bobbing.10 p.m., free.

“From the Back of the Room” Screening
The Pinhook | At its peak in the 1990s, the Riot Grrrl movement was a force to be reckoned with. From it, we got bands like Bratmobile, Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill — some even argue that Riot Grrrls started third-wave feminism and were responsible for the “girl power” movement of the mid-’90s. This movie captures the history of the movement and the women who made it happen. 9 p.m., $5

Friday

Justin Robinson and the Mary Annettes, Dark Water Rising, The Tender Fruit
Local 506 | Former Carolina Chocolate Drops frontman Justin Robinson has gathered his Mary Annettes and put out a record, so naturally a celebration must follow. Expect spooky folk tunes featuring the autoharp, some viola, violin, and cello, all tinged with the slightest hints of bluegrass and hip-hop. Dark Water Rising and The Tender Fruit open with their own styles of sometimes folksy, sometimes rocking, always excellent tunes. $8/10, 8/8:30 p.m.

Tuesday

Samantha Crain, American Aquarium
Local 506 | Samantha Crain rolls into Chapel Hill with Raleigh natives American Aquarium in tow. The Oklahoma native’s gentle acoustic tunes have folk roots, but she’s not your standard swishy-skirted singer-songwriter. Her songs are honest, easy and original. American Aquarium’s slightly boozy tunes blend a little bit of country with a solid chunk of rock ‘n’ roll, creating a distinctly Southern but easily enjoyable sound. $8/10, 8:30/9 p.m.

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