This weekend I watched one of my favorite movies of all time Joe versus the Volcano. It had been awhile since I ve seen this great work of art and it reminded me how much I love symbolism and hidden meanings and how metaphors reach people on so many different levels. This movie to me is about waking up... about living and not leveling... about conquering your fears and exploring your curiosities... about believing in miracles and living for them. This movie is brilliant! And I want everyone to watch it... again!
Joe lives a life of misery "I'm losing my soul" he says when asked whats wrong, thinks its is almost over because of a brain cloud "so I'm not sick? except for this terminal disease?" thanks a nameless God for it "Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life," falls in love "I love you too! I've never been in love with anybody before either! It's great! I'm glad! But the timing stinks. I gotta go," takes a leap of faith "We'll take this leap, and we'll see. We'll jump, and we'll see. That's life, right?" and then...
"...almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know. Everybody you see. Everybody you talk to ...only a few people are awake and they live in a state of constant total amazement."
After the jazz big win on fridays chilly night me and my friend whiskey Jake decided to celebrate so we took the straight and narrow road to wendover. Its a road where songs are sung, stories are told, and the feeble try to conquer their thoughts on life all while fantasizing of winning the pot of gold that lays ahead at the roads end. Miracles can happen! Under a moonless sky, after a few Neil Diamond sing alongs and whiskey Jakes take on dating and sex and what should come first and why, we started talking about metaphors and deeper meanings and hidden truths. He explained the meaning of a line from one of his songs Butter for Burns, "Im your convenient floatation device disguised as a seat, you never think twice, if this plane goes down Im saving your life..." he explained that for him it meant taking your loved one for granted until you really need them.
After the jazz loss on sunday me and my friends Garrit and Rachel took a quick trip down the crooked road toward St. George, a place upon arriving that Garrit would affectionately describe as my "fortress of solitude." The sun was shining as we left and after a crash course on 80's music for Rachel and after I discovered that comic books actually have some pretty hot girls in them we arrived not knowing exactly what we were gonna do. After alot of food, alot of laughs and alot of sun we ended our trip up at the red rock cliffs over looking the city. Rachel tip toed towards the edge where I obnoxiously yelled "dont do it! Its not woth it! You have so much to live for!" she replied without looking back at me, "Im not jumping silly, Im just looking."
Using his expensive baggage as a floatation device as his woman sleeps in a coma, Joe awakes from his solitude...
Whether I be on the straight or crooked path, swelling in bright hot days or dwelling in cool dark nights, win or lose if this plane goes down I won't think twice... I want to live as tho I'm always awake even in a moonless shadow and forget the floatation device... I'm not looking I'm jumping! "Take me... to the Volcano!"
Other notable quotes:
Waponis Chief: We are the children of children and we live as we are shown.
Joe Banks: What's that? A teddy bear?
Waponi Chief: It's my soul.
Joe Banks: Oh, I hope you don't lose it.
Waponi Chief: Me too.
Luggage Salesman: This is our premier steamer trunk, it's all handmade, only the finest materials. It's even watertight, tight as a drum. If I had the need, and the wherewithal, Mr. Banks, this would be my trunk of choice.
Joe Banks: I'll take four of them.
Luggage Salesman: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.
Roger Ebert: 'At night, in those corners of our minds we deny by day, magical things can happen in the moon shadows. And if they can't (a) they should, and (b) we should always, in any event, act as if they can.'
Jakes band The Devil Whale: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=6647855
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4 comments:
mike i had so fun on our trip this weekend... im really glad we ended up going... it was really nice to just play and relax with you and garrit... i needed it!
We should watch Joe vs The Volcano over at my new place. And Brinton is playing at Velour on Tuesday.
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