The Return of Red

So it's been a long long time, and for a while it seemed like .Big Hair, Small Hips. might have come to an end. But I think what I really needed was a long breather. Before my hiatus I had been blogging almost everyday for over a year. It didn't feel like I was out of ideas per se, but more like my ideas needed to fester in my mind for a few months before finally being unleashed. So I think their good and ready now.

In mid-October I had the pleasure of visiting London for the fifth time, but instead of roaming the streets like a clueless tourist I got an insider's look into the Big Smoke. My host was none other than ex-Tracer Phoebe Lovatt, a born and bred Londoner and in many ways a long lost sister. With her superpowers at my disposal my tour of London was unlike any of my previous visits. I saw the real London: a community of vibrant, creative, impassioned individuals from every background imaginable. I realized that New York City really is a city of foreigners, a city where everyone is clawing their way to the top. Londoners are just as ambitious as New Yorkers, but have a different connection to the city since it's more often than not their hometown. All that to say as an antsy New Yorker, walking the streets of London felt like a traipse through Candyland. Not one person exuded that anxious, go-go-go undercurrent that is felt in New York. It was as if I had stepped into a parallel dimension where impatience had been replaced with spirited understanding. And I liked it, a lot.

Now with that inspiration in mind, it's time to get my creative juices flowing once again.

The Video Vault

With all this talk about the new Runaways movie starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, I started thinking about women who rock. One of the first names to come to mind is the strangest: Siouxsie Sioux. She's been brandishing her own style of in-your-face-rock since the 70s, and everyone from The Cure, to PJ Harvey and Radiohead have sited her band Siouxise and the Banshees as an influence. So what's all the fuss about? Check out a video of their first single, the 1978 classic "Hong Kong Garden." There's nothing like some good ole rock 'n roll to smother the winter blues...

A Journey Through Time & Space

Upcoming feature alert! Coming soon: my interview with The Mighty Boosh for VenusZine.com.

The Genius of the Japanese

I'm one of those people that nurtures obsessions. From a really early age I realized that when something captivated me, it was all over - it would become the focus of my existence. It happened when I discovered The Beatles in fourth grade, and listened to 'With The Beatles' over and over again on my yellow Walkman. It happened again after the onset of puberty, when I realized that boys were exceptionally cuter when they had British accents. I became obsessed with everything British - I was the most hardcore anglophile Montreal had ever seen.

My latest longstanding obsession is Japan. It started in college once my status as an anglophile had receded, and I was working at the Fine Arts Library at UofM. I discovered all these books about traditional Japanese tattooing, and Samurai armor and I was hooked. Then came the kicker: Japanese horror movies! I'm thoroughly convinced that the East produces the best horror films in the world. And obviously I'm not the only once since almost every popular Asian horror film of the past few years has been redone in the U.S. (The Ring, The Grudge, One Missed Call, The Eye). Of course the originals always blow the remakes out of the water (sorry Naomi Watts! Love you.)

Next up from Japan is the ridiculously kitschy RoboGeisha. Yes, the film is exactly what you would expect: robotic Geishas with all kinds of killer appendages. Gorey, shocking, and seriously funny.