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David Licata
The island off the coast of America known as Manhattan.
He's a writer. He's a filmmaker. He's a writer. He's a filmmaker...
Interests: this, that, the other.
Recent Activity
I know when people recommend I listen to a podcast, I never get around to it. But honestly, give this one a listen. Seriously. Maybe at the gym or something.
My time should be freeing up soon, so when I think of something to write I'll post. Then we have to get that Yearley guy involved
My Tug of War: Consistency vs. Change
This year I'm newly focused on consistency, specifically in terms of my schedule. As a independent artist and freelance teacher, I'm starting to see that imposing consistency on my weekly schedule has its value. I'll give you one example: A little more than a year ago I took up Transcendental M...
Great post. It has inspired me to play guitar facing my window.
I recently listened to a podcast very related to this. It's a story about Keith Jarrett and his refusing to perform a concert because the piano was in such bad shape, and David Bowie and Brian Eno recording their Berlin records. I will leave it at that and not spoil it.
I think you will like it very much. (It's 30 minutes.)
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/pushkin-industries/cautionary-tales/e/66123572
P.S. Nice to see the ol' E.C. back in action. And I like the new design, too.
My Tug of War: Consistency vs. Change
This year I'm newly focused on consistency, specifically in terms of my schedule. As a independent artist and freelance teacher, I'm starting to see that imposing consistency on my weekly schedule has its value. I'll give you one example: A little more than a year ago I took up Transcendental M...
Inspiring. Thank you Rolando.
My Wish For You in 2020? Serendipity
Woke up early this Christmas morning with you on my mind. You, my fellow artists -- writers, actors, directors, songwriters. For most of us, a professional life in the performing arts calls on us to balance two equally important roles -- creative player vs. career steward. These two essential...
Beautiful. Thank you for writing this.
The Playwright Has Left The Planet (And Who Do I Want By My Side?)
So a cool pal of mine who will not want to be named here (because she is genetically predisposed to modesty and discretion) managed to snag me a "plus one" invite to today's memorial for the greatest playwright of our time, Edward Albee. If you occasionally visit Extra Criticum, then you know...
Really beautiful, Roland. We should all have such encounters with such people.
The Death of Edward Albee and Possibly Some Part of Me
When the news broke that our greatest living playwright was no longer living, my social media filled with people sharing it. And as I watched the comment threads on facebook unfurl I did not add one word. Why not? Hard to say. Certainly anyone who knows me knows that I adored both the man and...
Really beautiful, John. Thanks for writing this.
Still Life with Bus Driver
Back when I was an undergraduate, approximately a million years ago, I visited my friend Miles in Boston. We had shared a house together in England the year before and were currently finishing up college, he at Boston University and I at Sarah Lawrence. So one weekend, with no part...
Make Mine Horizontal!
Posted Aug 13, 2015 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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Nice choices! The Ten Commandments surprises me. I thought you might be more of a Cleopatra man!
The Wolfpack Game
This is not a review of the documentary The Wolfpack. But I will say it’s excellent and you should see it. Seriously, go see it. But no, instead of reviewing it I’d like to pose a question inspired by the film. First, a little context. If you don’t know, The Wolfpack is about a group of br...
The Wolfpack Game
Posted Jun 23, 2015 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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Love it! Thanks, Bruce.
Pet Peeve - A Haiku
Foreign film trailers No dialogue, no subtitles Who are they fooling?
Feh, my second line has 8 syllables instead of 7. I could have written:
Dialogue? Subtitles? No.
But screw it. Staying as is.
Pet Peeve - A Haiku
Foreign film trailers No dialogue, no subtitles Who are they fooling?
Yeah, I really don't get it. It's like online dating, when the person on the other end posts photos of themselves 10 years and 50 pounds less ago. How do they expect the person to react when the reality presents itself?
Pet Peeve - A Haiku
Foreign film trailers No dialogue, no subtitles Who are they fooling?
Thank you, Amy F.
Such high praise, I'm not worthy.
I blush. Bow my head.
Pet Peeve - A Haiku
Foreign film trailers No dialogue, no subtitles Who are they fooling?
Pet Peeve - A Haiku
Foreign film trailers No dialogue, no subtitles Who are they fooling? Continue reading
Posted Jan 18, 2015 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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Thanks for reading, John. It's a good film and well worth the 96 minutes it runs.
If you haven't seen Antonio Gaudi by Hiroshi Teshigahara, check it out, it's really special. No talking heads until the very end. Just Gaudi architecture and music and a virtuoso behind the camera. Kind of stunning.
Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation - A Film Review
Would you like to contemplate time, continuity, community, creativity, and spirituality while seeing beautiful images of an architectural marvel? If yes, have I got a film for you: Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation, directed by Stefan Haupt. Sagarda Familia, the cathedral that began its life...
Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation - A Film Review
Posted Dec 20, 2014 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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John, when I'm not consumed by jealous rage because you're such a talented writer, I am inspired by you.
On Courage and Inspiration
In my younger and more vulnerable years I spent a lot of time with my friend, Carol, smoking and drinking in various venues in Brooklyn. We lingered long and tipped well, so they were always glad to see us (“Norm!”). Carol was then in the midst of making her first documentary, the superb Camp...
"When a long, consuming writing project ends, that safe space disappears for a while. More terrifying still, I have to take the thing I wrote in that warm safe place and send it out to be judged by the world. It is a prospect that fills me with dread. I feel exposed, a little raw."
Good god, is that ever the truth. There some kind of grief thing that happens with me. Or maybe it's akin to sending your child off to college (not that I'd know). There's a what-do-I do-now-that-you're-gone feeling.
Between Projects
Sometimes I get sad and I don’t know why. This happens to everyone, of course, and can be caused by anything from hormones to weather. The idea that sadness is a problem – that you are supposed to be happy every minute of the day and if you aren’t there is something wrong with you – is a parti...
Weekend at Rolo’s
When Roland Tec asked if I’d be interested in spending a weekend in CT with him and John Yearley, writing, I was onboard. I liked the idea from the start, but I also wasn’t sure what... Continue reading
Posted Sep 14, 2014 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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Thanks, Roland.
I'm excited to see where this story goes from here. Will Kyu work for said educational institution again over the winter break? Next summer? Will he pursue his interest in film after he graduates? He's smart and talented and has the whole big world at his feet. It'll be interesting to witness the decisions he makes.
Stay tuned.
A Good Idea
Speaking of ideas, here’s a good one: write emails to people (friends, people you’ve fallen out of touch with, friends of friends, complete strangers, anyone, really) who work in fields you're interested in pursuing and ask them for professional advice. Last year I wrote a post about an ema...
Great piece and great comments. I really have nothing to add except, you know, this blog is wonderful. Still and always.
The Artistic Souls: Robin Williams, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and the list goes on.
The death of Robin Williams has left me in a state of suspended animation. I didn't know the man. But I knew the artist. And I was so often deeply moved and shaken to my core by elements of his creative output, that he was one artist I was not hesitant to call a genius. But whenever a creative...
A Good Idea
Posted Aug 20, 2014 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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How many times and how many ways can I say it: I love your writing, John. This piece is an inspiration. Maybe I'll start watching those films I've not watched for whatever reason. Wild Strawberries being one of them.
And sometimes that one image is enough, as we discussed about Monika and her gaze into the camera.
Thanks, my friend.
My Late Night Cinematheque
Movies are the easiest art form to catch up on. If I decide I want to read one of the many classics I’ve neglected (Moby Dick, Remembrance of Things Past, etc.), it’s a pretty major commitment. Even at the rate I read, we’re talking about a couple of weeks. On the other hand, if you want to se...
I'll have to add this to the ever expanding list of books I will probably never get around to reading, just because that list is so damned long and my life is so damned short. And because I'm a slow reader.
I wish I had something more to say about your comment, other than, as always, thanks for the thoughtful comment.
Gimme Some Truth: Conversation with Essayist Randon Billings Noble
I met essayist Randon Billings Noble at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. As I remember it, all of our conversations were either about music (she studied classical violin and plays piano) or "nonfiction." That's how it is at residencies, and man, am I missing that now. Anyway, back i...
Gimme Some Truth: Conversation with Essayist Randon Billings Noble
Posted Nov 14, 2013 at EXTRA CRITICUM
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