Things According to Beth

Feature story with Ian Crocker

2007-11-27T12:06:00.000-08:00

Olympic Swimmer Ian Crocker

With the Olympics looming around the corner, I thought I’d catch up with friend and Olympic Gold Medalist, Ian Crocker. His boyish features haven’t changed one bit in the months we’ve seen each other, but he somehow looks tired. His clear blue eyes shift lazily as he welcomes me in to his home and he whips his head to the side to get his blond hair out of his face. He forces a smile, not with frustration but with ambivalence. As he bends down to scoop up one of three of his beloved feline friends, Dina, he apologizes because he hasn’t eaten yet and will be having dinner as we talk.

He doesn’t much like talking about swimming, “It’s like, when I leave the pool, I sort of turn off swimming” he says. So, I decided to focus on different things that he likes…and maybe include some stuff about swimming.

Well, he’s a man of many talents - cars, animals, music, movies, writing and food. His parents have instilled in him the value of back up plans. They wanted him to love many things, not just swimming, so they made having hobbies an important mindset. “When I started swimming, I got a little bit of self-worth, like, alright, I am good at something” he explains. “It was a lot of work though, so I found that I need diversions on a day to day basis and I just developed a ton of other hobbies.”

Surprisingly, Mr. Crocker isn’t a bad writer. I read his blog on swimroom.com and was impressed. “I would love to write in some capacity. When I want to relax and just be, to stop and focus on the little things, writing helps me communicate what I’m feeling. It just comes off better than talking.”

Even though his Olympic career is coming to a close (this will be his last Olympic Games to participate in) swimming has been his life for years. How many people can say they have earned Olympic Gold medals? How many people will be remembered in history books for holding world records? “I think I enjoy the fact that I’ve won medals and hold records because those were goals that I set for myself, and now I’ve achieved those goals. The reality, after you have the record, is that the spotlight is on you and it takes much more to retain that record. It’s just a new stress that you have.”

Even though children are not in the foreseeable future, Crocker thinks about his legacy in relation to his future kids. “I also kinda worry for my kids, you know? I hope the don’t feel like, dad did all this and if I don’t do something similar then he won’t be proud of me. I think about that, I mean, it’s a nice legacy but…I don’t know. (laughs) I’ll stick with my cats for now."

With the exception of a few athletes, Olympiads are rarely involved in scandalous publicity. I wondered: Is there a code of conduct these athletes live by? Crocker thinks, “It comes down to a few things. For the more amateur sports, swimming, track and field etc., there aren’t millions of dollars on the line, which provide less incentive to cheat. I think the more mainstream sports lack the ethical mindset and the athletes don’t feel the need for excellence at all times. Swimming is not an entertainment sport, you’re not going to get super famous. So, if you’re not doing it to improve or get better over a long period of time or to reach goals, then there’s really no point because you’re not going to end up a multi-millionaire.”

What will he be doing when swimming isn’t his main focus? “I don’t know. I’ve got ideas on some things, maybe stay involved with swimming. Like opening up a swim school for kids from infant ages to six or eight years old. You get them comfortable with the water in an instructional pool and then feed them into a swim team environment all the way up to high school swimming in order to prepare them for college. I think this can not only be financially lucrative, but also rewarding to be working with the kids and sharing your philosophy on life and sport and everything. I would also like to open a restaurant, but it’s such a hard risky business to get into and be successful in.”

Toward the end of the interview, I put on my James Lipton mask and did a rendition of the sequence he does at the end of every “Inside the Actor’s Studio.”

What is your favorite Bob Dylan Song?
“Isis…”
Favorite lyric in “Isis?”
“What drives me to you is what drives me insane” (laughs)
What is your favorite movie?
“Probably “[The Big] Labowski” – it’s just hilarious!”
What’s your favorite time of day?
“Eight or nine in the morning, right after morning workout.”
Favorite book right now?
“Heat” by Bill Buford. It’s sort of a chronology of this chef’s journey.”
What’s your favorite restaurant in Austin?
“Vespaio. Uchi is damn good, but Vespaio is just…”
Favorite sport?
“I don’t know how I feel about sports…” (laughs)

With that said, we can only conclude that it might be time for Mr. Crocker to drive down a different avenue. His talent has force fed him into Olympic Gold Medal status and he might be too full for any more. From one to the other,
“Being noticed is a burden. Jesus Christ got crucified for getting himself noticed.
That’s why I disappear a lot.” –Bob Dylan

"A Christmas Story" on repeat -

2007-11-27T11:34:00.001-08:00

"You'll shoot your eye out, you'll shoot your eye out!"

It's official, Christmas time has come. "A Christmas Story" written by Jean Shepard is back on the air.

I guess I didn't expect this movie to come on so soon. As I watched, at first with disdain, all past Christmas memories came floating back to mind. Ah yes, pink bunny pajamas, my grandma's yellow, fluffy, floral bathrobe. Visiting Santa in the mall, my sister screaming, crying and terrified of Santa. Ralphie getting his Red Ryder BB gun, me, getting my totally awesome Huffy with a red bag to put on the handlebars.

So, unexpected/slightly expected holiday spirit? "A Christmas Story" which will no doubt, be on every night, twice a night from now until Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Gory Isn't So Scary -

2007-11-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

The horror film genre is so popular and has been for so many years. From the early "The Blob" and "Night of the Living Dead" to "The Omen" and "Rosemary's Baby" there has been a distinct difference between the somewhat comical gory horror and the true, seemingly real life scary movies.

The graphics and artistic advances to come with time have almost made the old-school gory horror movies a little bit better than they used to be, but for me, I find them more funny than scary. I recently saw "Hostel" by Eli Roth and was disappointed when I found myself laughing (out loud) while watching a man burn out one of the victim's eyes. The acting was atrocious as the first three quarters of the movie exemplified the idiotic, horny, pothead American boys visiting Amsterdam. Every stereotype one fears while touring as an American is the focus of this movie. So, when these American boys are thinking with their "heads" it's no surprise they get tricked and sold as torture victims for businessmen. As I said before, the "scariest" parts were funny at best and as the end of the movie neared I kept hoping for just one twist in plot, something to screw up the hero...something scary!

I am by no means addicted to the art of scary movies but I do love the adrenaline rush that comes with a good startle and a freaky plot twist. Before I watched "Hostel" my sister and I watched "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." I've seen it before and I can safely say, I want to cry every time I see it. (My leg actually charlie-horsed from the tension.) There's something about watching something horrifying, like possession, happen to people. There's the element of real-life, that, "Could this happen to me?" factor that is especially scary.

I wonder when the next scariest movie ever made according to Beth will come out. I can't wait, and hope to not be disappointed.

Recommendations for SUPER SCARY MOVIES:
A Tale of Two Sisters (Korean film)
The Omen (the original)
The Exorcist
Saw I
Rosemary's Baby
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Ringu (Japanese version of The Ring)
28 Days Later
Amityville Horror
Children of the Corn
The Shining

Oh, Sweet Nothing -Lou Reed

2007-11-01T11:41:00.000-07:00

I pride myself in still reading as much as I can. With TV, ipods and...computers, it's hard to still find time to read. I do, and I have just finished "High Fidelity" by Nick Hornby written in 1995. It was made into a film in 2000 starring John Cusack and was nominated for an Acadamy Award in 2001.

It's about a guy, Rob, who owns a record shop in Holloway, England who has just broken up with his girlfriend. This tragedy forces Rob to re-examine all his past relationship and throughout his self-absorbed views of life comes to the pleasant conclusion that - the world does not star Rob.

I guess I should have known that "High Fidelity" was going to be one of those every-so-popular books about nothing. Seinfeld has REALLY taken over. Frankly, I'm sick of them. Where did the fun, imaginative, quirky, escapist sort of fiction go? I know people are wierd and insecure and anxious but the Ally McBeal-esque "all in your head" character is too predictable.

I suppose I've just read this book at the wrong time (amidst all the Chuck Klosterman's, David Sedaris's and Augusten Burroughs's) because I could not connect with the humanly emotional Rob, his true to life overbearing parents and his run ins with the American singer-songwriter from Austin, TX.

No, I suppose that I just miss the sort of fiction that lets you escape to an imaginary world the writer has created instead of the exact play by play of everyday life and everyday emotion. Let's have a little excitement back! With the constant and immediate progression of technology people are quickly losing their ability to imagine and create. We are used to things being created for us.

Yes, I miss the days of "Animal Farm" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" where throughout the fiction the reader can form his/her opinions about government, race, death and human interaction and thought.

The "Face"

2007-10-16T13:20:00.000-07:00

Facebook vs. Myspace. I confess, I like Facebook, especially after I checked my profile this morning!

I received a video message on my FunWall (a place where your friends can post videos on your page) from my sister. It was a clip of comedian Aries Spears (MadTV) at a radio station doing impressions of rappers LL Cool J, Snoop Dogg, DMX and Jay-Z.

During this radio show, the DJ asked Spears to do one of these impressions, but he decided to give us a medley.

I was completely blown away!

The first part of this clip Spears shifts from the saucy, lip-licking LL, to the smooth, west side swagger of Snoop D-O-G-G. Not only are his impressions right on, but his improvised rapping is incredible. "Snoop" then calls on DMX to join the show. Spears growls, barks and grunts as only the true DMX does.

Last, but most certainly not least, Jay-Z enters the mix. As a fan of Jay-Z, I was not aware of how different his voice is. While a strong rapper, Jay-Z's voice, well, isn't. It is high pitched, kind of whiny and buried with his Brooklyn accent. The second time I watched this video I closed my eyes and forgot it wasn't Jay-Z. Again, Spears "flowed" as naturally as most professional rappers do and I caught myself thinking, he's really good!

So, as for Aries Spears, if comedy doesn't work out, he should try rapping. I'd buy his CD!

Check out the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP3qL4UG1TI

A Midsummer Night's Dream?

2007-10-02T11:45:00.000-07:00

On September 29 my sister and I attended the Ballet Austin performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream". As lovers of the ballet, we were especially excited to see this hilarious story combined with beautiful dancing.

The opening scene began with Puck (Anthony Casati) and Cupid (Anne Marie Melendez) flitting about the woods of Athens when Oberon (Jim Stein), who is King of the Fairies, valiantly enters the stage. The warm tones of hunter green and golden yellow echoed from the backdrop to the costumes, which were made of chiffon that followed every body movement. The enchanted forest filled with fairies and sprites is displayed within Alexey Korygin’s costume choices and Stephen Mills’ simple yet energetic choreography.

During scene two, Demetrius (Paul Michael Bloodgood) enters the stage quickly followed by Helena (Allisyn Paino). She is deeply obsessed with him but he has no interest in her, for he is betrothed to her friend Hermia (Ashley Lynn). Paino’s comedic performance in this ballet was outstanding! When she latched on to his ankle as he was trying to get away to right before they left the stage as she jumped on his back, she never hesitated to go all the way in portraying the infatuation Helena has for Demetrius.

Oberon observes the interaction between Helena and Demetrius and decides to take love and fate into his own hands. He tells Puck to pick a special flower with love nectar and sprinkle it in Demetrius’s eyes so that he will fall in love with Helena. Jim Stein, who played Oberon, while lacking in the physical “wow” factor that a male ballet dancer usually possesses, he made up for it in his charisma on stage and princely demeanor. He commanded attention and eloquently moved around the stage.

Scene three shows couple number two, Hermia and Lysander (Frank Shott) in a slow, intimate pas de deux filled with elegant partner work and chemistry between the two dancers that entranced the entire audience. Ashley Lynn dances with grace and fluidity and Shott’s strength and agility showed as he easily scooped her up into his arms making partner work look as easy as pointing your foot.

Puck’s careless nature is shown when he accidentally sprinkles the love nectar over Lysander’s eyes, who as a result falls in love with Helena. Demetrius also catches some of the nectar and falls in love with Helena. Again, Stephen Mills’ choreography captures “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” comedy exceptionally well considering there are no spoken words. With this newfound attention, the overwhelmed Helena tries to get away from the two doting men.

At the beginning of the next scene, the audience is transported back into the Kingdom of the Fairies, The Mechanicals, a young acting group tramps into the forest and Puck decides to transform one of them, Bottom (Reginald Harris) into a donkey. The humor in Bottom is portrayed as Harris pranced around the stage with vanity, arrogance and a bad case of fleas.

At the end of the first half Oberon sets the love triangle straight by sprinkling the nectar from the flower so that each man will fall in love with the woman who loves him.

The second half of the ballet begins with a wedding ceremony between Duke Theseus (Eric Midgley) and his bride Hippolyta (Aara Krump). The two couples, Helena and Demetrius and Hermia and Lysander are wedding guests. This second act was unfortunately a collection of boring dances, only for the sake of dancing.

While Aara is an exceptional dancer, she made no connection with Midgley, making it difficult to believe they were in love. Aara’s costume was white chiffon with puffy sleeves and silver sequins around the bodice. It was completely unflattering and made her look 10 pounds heavier than she is.

Stephen Mills excels in contemporary, modern and comedic choreography. The first act displayed his innate ability to convey a message with dance, but the second act intensified his inability to recreate classical ballet dancing.

While the first act of the ballet deserves much appreciation, the second act was unneeded and the audience would have been satisfied, even pleasantly amused to leave after the first half.

"We Own the Night", a movie by James Gray

2007-09-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Family ties are broken as one brother decides on a life of drugs, clubs and money and the other following their father’s footsteps as a committed New York police officer.

The crowd dances up a storm while the lights illuminate with strobe light flashes the dramatic gold, fuchsia and royal blue costumes of the ‘70’s. Blondie plays at the club giving it a Studio 54 feel as the owner of the club, Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix), and his girlfriend (Eva Mendez) passionately kiss.

The scene quickly turns from all night partying to the serious New York Police Department during an award ceremony. The police chief, Burt Gruinsky (Robert Duval), congratulates his son and fellow cop, Joseph Gruinsky (Mark Walberg), on his dedication to the force.

The police violently raid the club after a suspicious Russian gangster is seen lurking about the place. Bobby then must choose between his family and his fast paced lifestyle.

"We Own the Night" is a drama filled film where two brothers from different worlds decide to work together as they are reminded of the importance of family, honor and forgiveness.

A Cabaret of Music

2007-09-25T13:28:00.001-07:00

When you walk in, you first notice the regulars: The ones sitting at the bar ranging from age 40 to 60 who are usually singing along to the jukebox or chatting up the bartender. After all, that's what Deep Eddy Cabaret is, Austin's "Cheers".

You then notice how magnificently cheap the beer is; $6.80 for a pitcher of Lonestar, it can't get any better. Even though the beer selection is limited to 5 and a single bottle of red wine, Yellow Tail Merlot, more than that and the simplicity that is Deep Eddy would be ruined.

The actual bar lines the left side and on the other side are a hodge-podge of tables cluttered together making it hard to gracefully weave your way to a two-top. Neon beer signs spatter the walls as well as UT football posters and pictures of B.B King and Elvis Presley. Photos of staff past and present hang behind the bar alongside handwritten notices threatening underage drinkers to a severe beating if they try and drink.

About three fourths of the way down "The Eddy" is the jukebox. It illuminates from the corner and is the most wondrous anomaly to typical indie pop obscure-ness. This jukebox unifies Otis Redding with Buddy Holly and Peggy Sue with The Clash. Nowhere, under one roof, would there be such a great compilation of different tastes. It is the best jukebox in Austin!

Of course, like most bars in Austin after the smoking ban passed, Deepy Eddy magically made space for an outside area to accommodate their smoking patrons. While not strictly enforcing the smoking ban, they have created a small two picnic table outside area where the heavenly music can be heard underneath a canopy of trees.

Having been there numerous times, I experience the best of Deep Eddy. From the bartender who never forgets my name or what I want to drink to playing my favorite 5 songs on the jukebox, these simple pleasures are what I appreciate most.

Deep Eddy Cabaret
2315 Lake Austin Blvd.
78703

Twin Peaks

2007-09-20T09:34:00.000-07:00

My sister bought the Season 1 box set of Twin Peaks, which is a TV show written by David Lynch and Mark Frost that aired from 1990 to 1991. It was the most popular show in the early '90's winning the Emmy, Peabody and Golden Globe awards.

I remember hearing about it but was too young to watch it when it was on television.

I can confidently say it is one of the weirdest, most disturbing shows I've seen.
The whole show is focused on the murder of a teenage girl, Laura Palmer, and her finding out who her killer was.

The story is pushed forward through the eerily eccentric townspeople and FBI detective Dale Cooper's dreams. Agent Cooper, played by Kyle Maclachlan, differs from the ordinary FBI agent because he bases much of his detective work on intuition and dreams. He uses his "6th sense" to weed out potential suspects and narrow down the perpetrator.

In one particular dream he sees a one-armed man named Mike who recites a poem:

"Through the darkness of future past/

The magician longs to see/

One chants out between two worlds/

Fire walk with me."

Mike tells Cooper about another man named Bob and how they killed together.

Agent Cooper then finds himself twenty-five years later in a mysterious red room where he encounters a small man who intones clues to Cooper in strange phrases while dancing to a jazzy beat.

(clip of Cooper's Dream)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gMXjjHFz__A

The character Bob is played by a man name Frank Silva who at first only worked on the set of Twin Peaks.

During one of the scenes Frank was accidentally caught in a shot behind Laura's bed and was so frightening that Lynch asked him to play the character BOB.

This is the accidental
shot that got Silva in the
show.

After seeing this first glimpse of Bob I was horrified.

Sarah Palmer, Laura's mother, sees him and freaks out...as did I.

I am a baby and got nightmares from the few episodes that I've seen so I haven't seen any more. Kirsten is trying to coax me into letting her rent them on NetFlix...but it's going to take a lot more than a pint of Half Baked Ben and Jerry's.

misty, water colored memories...

2007-09-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

Austin City Limits Festival 2007!!

So I've been trying to write this blog for almost an hour now.

I've come up with really cool ideas...but can't seem to focus.

The first one was just to remember all of the fun things that happened during the ACL weekend, but that quickly became BORING.

Next one was to write a song about ACL.

Cute, huh?

Only problem was...it came out sounding more like a sarcastic poem containing lines like:

"It seems like it was never here."

Well, it was here!

Now it's gone.

I am sad,

and all alone.

Friends were here,

so were the bands.

We danced like crazy,

to Clap Your Hands.

Andrew Bird whistles like a canary.

Bjork's show was genius...and kinda scary.

LCD SoundSystem put me in a trance,

and The Arcade Fire took a chance.

Cold War Kids got their pardon,

The Decemberists were indeed meant for the stage.

Ben Kweller did not need a tampon,

and Bloc Party rocked...THEY should've made front page.

Now that it's over,

and as I look back,

this ACL was the best...

until next year's live music attack!

hmmmmmm...

Ode to pop-culture

2007-09-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Oh pop-culture!
Last night I was out having a few beers with a friend of mine and we started talking about the Harry Potter books.
I am currently reading the fourth one and have really enjoyed the series!
My friend or "He Who Must Not Be Named", does not.
He says that they are elementary and fluff reading.
While parts of this statement are true, the later books in the series mature with their characters, and the imagination J.K Rowling conveys is remarkable.
After this debate about Harry Potter, the coversation quickly escalated to all things popular.

He continued his rant regarding bands such as Coldplay and Snow Patrol who have gained worldwide phenomonal success.
Austin City Limits Music Festival is coming up, and I of course have tickets.
My friend does not because he:
1. Didn't have any money.
2. Claims that the audiences of these bands are complete "posers" who only know "That one song on the radio".
I of course had a problem with reason number 2.

Yes, I understand that I am getting older, and the large portion of my fellow concert-goers are 4-5 years younger than me, but their piercing screams and limited knowledge of "that one song on the radio" does not curb my enthusiasm for my favorite band.

Now, my friend, "He Who Must Not Be Named" says that he refuses to conform to popular culture because he thinks that makes people all the same.
My response is this: Go with what you like!
When you start lying about what you like to be different, you lose who you are.
Don't be afraid to like things other people like!
Things are popular because they are good!

I confess, I like Harry Potter.
I like Coldplay and Snow Patrol.
I played the first Third Eye Blind CD until I had to throw it away because it wouldn't play anymore!
I didn't know who Modest Mouse were until I heard 'Float On'.

There you have it, everything I've been too embarassed to say out loud.
Forgive me, for I am a victim of the pop-culture movement!