Mary Van Notes

This week, amongst many other things, I fell in love again with the one shot music video.  I was on my MGMT Pandora channel when this super catchy song came on by Vampire Weekend.  Eeeyuuuuck… what is that?  Some teeny booper band?  What a horrid name!

Yes, it may be teeny booper and horrid, but OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!  They’re music video for Oxford Comma got me all excited:

Now, one shot music videos aren’t new to me.   I went on a youtube Michel Gondry binge months ago.  Gondry is one of my favorite directors and he had his start with some amazing music videos.  He did my favorite Bjork song btw (Hyperballad).  The video that most blew my mind of his was Kylie Minogue’s Come Into My World which is located here since it won’t let me embed in a playlist.   I still don’t know how he made it.  To me, it’s just magic!  What I love about it too, is that it reminds me so much of Jacques Tati–which makes sense since Gondry is French.  Surely Tati influenced him (long wide shots and one takes).  What attracts me so much to the one shot is the choreography and the amount of rehearsing and planning to create it, it’s so inspiring to me.  Each action and visual is so calculated like brushstrokes in a masterpiece painting.  So it’s not surprising to me that some of the most watched music videos on youtube are all one-shot: Beyoncé’s – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) (located here) and OK Go’s Here it Goes Again (located here).

1. Gary Jules – Mad World Dir. by Michel Gondry — The last visual in this video, is so, so stunning.
2. The White Strips – Denial Twist Dir. by Michel Gondry
3. Lucas – Lucas With The Lid Off Dir. by Michel Gondry — Again Gondry blows my mind.
4. Vampire Weekend – A Punk

I guess this is becoming a web series. : )

I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, and I finally got around to attempting a pincurl hairstyle on Saturday.  I was really pleased with the outcome.   The pictures don’t really do it justice.  Let me just say that if I was in black and white, you’d think I was dead.  That’s how 1930s authentic it was.  I’m looking forward to doing this more, and getting better at it.  There’s something about putting on makeup in a vintage slip with your hair set in pincurls that makes you feel so glamorous and feminine.

Dress: House of Vintage in Portland, OR
Cardigan: F21
Shoes: Vintage via Seconds to Go in San Francisco, CA

For the first installment of I heart vintage, I’d like to treat you all to a video of a 16mm home movie showing San Francisco in 1958 (via vimeo).  What warms my heart the most when seeing this is realizing how little things have changed since then.   If it weren’t for the fashion and old cars, you wouldn’t know this was shot in 1958.   It also makes me think of my family and of their roots here.  I like thinking that they could’ve been in this footage. They could be in one of those cars on the bridge, or at a table next to the guy smoking a cigar…

I’m really excited about doing my hair these days, and being more vintage in general.  My camera’s batteries died so I ended up making a video for my outfit post.

song: Rue St. Vincent by Yves Montand (on the Rushmore soundtrack)
Dress: Vintage via Ebay, Sweater: Mervyn’s, Shoes: Kensie, Tights: Walgreen’s

I took this video right before I went out to perform at Club Deluxe.  That day at work I drew this comic.   It seems that’s how I write these days.   I don’t sit down and write jokes like some other comedians I know, I draw these comics.  And sometimes jokes form out of them.  Such is the case with a joke I wrote that day and performed that night.  Now, since this was a new joke, I was sitting at the back of Club Deluxe writing it out and rehearsing it as the show was going on.   In walked a hot guy I definitely eyeballed.  He was this hot guy, to be more specific.  I could tell he was a rockabilly/punk type, and he definitely voiced how much he appreciated my style and look in his thick English accent.  This leads into a thought I could go into about the type of guys who appreciate vintage, but I’ll save that for another post.  Anyway, this guy saw me writing in my notebook and he was surprised to find out I was a comedian.  As I’m sure anyone would be when they see a girl in a vintage dress and ringlet curls.   I kind of wish I knew how he felt about me after he saw me perform.  I probably freaked him out.

I rarely ever post my standup because I think it’s always better live. But there’s something special, exciting and electric that happens when you do a joke for the first time, especially if it’s based in real life experiences that happened the very week before. ; ) I’m excited about this joke. I see it expanding and changing for the better over time.  Another side note is that this is a real case of a joke that only a girl could get away with.  Can you imagine a guy telling a joke like that?  And that’s what makes it funny, I know… I’m this sweet looking, feminine girl and essentially I start talking and expressing myself rather aggressively and masculinely.  But this is very true to who I am.  I am a feminine girl doing a very masculine thing by getting up on stage and telling jokes.

I wonder if any of the vintage style bloggers I read have a side to them that surprises people.  I like surprising people.  I like the reactions I get from people when I tell them I wrote Mixed Martial Arts For Dummies, or that I perform standup.  But it can also be annoying.  Like why does it have to be such a shocker that I do standup?  And in my own insecurity-ridden head, sometimes I feel like these contrasting sides of myself can be a turn-off and hence why I’m single (I expressed some of this sentiment in this comic – Translation: guys aren’t typically attracted to comediennes).  I’ll just blame my lack of a love life on my favorite excuse: I intimidate men. : )

So that’s what’s been going on in my life and head. Thanks for listening!

Why does all this cool stuff have to happen while I’m gone?  Oh right, there’s always cool stuff happening here.  Well here’s the rundown of what I’ll be missing while I’m gone, and of which you should see if you live in the Bay Area.

múm

They’ll be at The Independent on Nov 5th.  I’ve been into them since I first got my hands on Finally We Are No One.  And I love, love, love their first album Yesterday Was Dramatic – Today is OK. I still haven’t seen them live, and you know those Icelandic pop experimental bands don’t come around that often. Here’s a pretty awesome stop motion animation (my favorite) recent music video of theirs:

Kristen Schaal

My gods, Kristen Schaal is headlining at the Punch Line Nov 5-7. If you don’t know this woman, get with the program. She was the recipient of the Andy Kaufman award, she’s the women’s issues correspondent on the Daily Show, and she’s Mel on Flight of the Conchords. Please, see this woman. You will fall in love with her instantly. The hilarious Kurt Braunohler is featuring so it’s a possibility that you might witness Kristen Schaal is a horse:

DEVO and Reggie Watts

Umm, FUCK. I’m too sad about this because I was lucky enough to see Devo at SXSW and Reggie at the Hemlock a month or so ago, but damn, together?!?!?!?! Devo was awesome. Watching them made me wish I was around during their hey-day, because what band is as fucking artsy as they are? I love it!

Reggie Watts is also a recipient of the Andy Kaufman award. He is incredible to watch. I have to go on youtube every now and then to get my fuck shit stack fix:

Devo and Reggie will be at the Regency Ballroom on Nov 6.

Mitch Fatel

Nov 11-14 Mitch Fatel will be at the Punch Line, who I still haven’t seen. I’ve been wanting to see him ever since someone said we were a bit similar. I suppose we both talk about sex a lot in an innocent way… and we’re both HILARIOUS ; )

DV8 Physical Theatre

And last but not least the people that brought you the following awesomeness will be performing at the YBCA Nov 12-14.

If I can’t be there, some of you should be. I expect a full report on my desk when I get back.