For All Mankind

As a kid, I was mildly interested in space. I was much more interested in time travel. And Doc Emmett Brown and Marty McFly and flying Deloreans. After watching Al Reinert's 1989 film "For All Mankind", I'm rethinking all of this. 

This is an 80 minute documentary consisting of footage culled from all of the Apollo space missions. The film is sequenced as if the audience is witnessing a trip to the moon from start to finish. The film begins with the astronauts boarding the ship and ends with them returning to earth. The footage captured of and by these Apollo space missions is the only thing used in the film. The dialogue is a mix of interview clips with the people involved in these missions and audio taken directly from the missions as they were happening. There are no talking heads and the narrators remain anonymous. Just stunning visuals with very interesting and very relevant narration. 

I was totally entranced by this documentary. It makes you realize as a human living on earth, just how small you are in the bigger scheme of an entire galaxy. Not only is the footage from space absolutely beautiful, but the accompanying music is perfect. Brian Eno is responsible for the breathtaking score and I've been on a huge Brain Eno/ambient kick lately, so it was the right film/music at the right time for me. 

I won't continue to attempt to put into words the feelings this film gave me. I'll simply say, if this sounds at all like something you might be into, check it out. I told my wife after watching this documentary that I wanted to go to the moon. This film had that kind of impact on me.

Buy the film HERE

Aquarium Drunkard comments on Charles Manson

Over at one of my favorite blogs, Aquarium Drunkard, Marty Garner has reviewed/commented on Charles Manson's record "Lie". It is a pretty excellent piece of journalism and has sparked quite an interesting debate in the comments section of the page. Whether or not you choose to listen to the music that accompanies the article, it is worth a read. Check it out.

Click Here to see the article.

Fantasies of Time Travel

Ever since I was very young and became obsessed with the "Back To The Future" Movies, I've been fascinated by time travel. I've spent plenty of time day dreaming about where and more importantly WHEN I would go if I could travel through time. Unfortunately, I have yet to build a flux capacitor. Hence, I'm still in the present, whenever that is. 

I'm currently reading Chuck Klosterman's new book "Eating The Dinosaur". He has some pretty interesting things to say about time travel and I thought I would share a little excerpt:

"Here's a question I like to ask people when I'm 5/8 drunk: Let's say you had the ability to make a very brief phone call into your own past. You are (somehow) given the opportunity to phone yourself as a teenager; in short, you will be able to communicate with the fifteen-year-old version of you. However, you will only get to talk to your former self for fifteen seconds. As such, there's no way you will be able to explain who you are, where or when you're calling from, or what any of this lunacy is supposed to signify. You will only be able to give the younger version of yourself a fleeting, abstract message of unclear origin. 

What should you say to yourself during these fifteen seconds?"

I read this earlier today and have been thinking about it pretty much non stop all day. I still don't have a definite answer to this question. 

What would you use your fifteen seconds to say??

Buy "Eating The Dinosaur" HERE