Have Accordion, Will Travel / haveaccordion.com

The Hurt Locker

I watched The Hurt Locker again last night. It’s a compelling story. But especially in terms of filmmaking, it’s fascinating.

Kathryn Bigelow, the director, doesn’t waste a detail. Every shot is efficient; every camera movement draws our attention to what Bigelow wants us to see. The tired blink of Sanborn’s eye as he mans the sniper rifle in the desert, which James observes… he asks for the juice box, which, based on his prior selfishness, we assume is for himself… and the camera tracks its progress as James quietly hands it over. It’s the juice box here that is significant, as it symbolizes that James’ character is perhaps more complicated than we had thought.

Or how about the scene in the beginning when James is about to defuse the first bomb. We hear his heavy breathing inside the suit as he approaches the IED, we see a brief shot through the visor, we pull back to see him walking alone, we view the scene through the metal grillework of an apartment window. There’s a terrific sense of context. We sense just how many people are viewing this scene, and we are conscious of their perspectives: James, the other soldiers, the Iraqis in the apartments alongside. And since Bigelow’s efficient style has already signified to us that no shot will be wasted, we know that something as seemingly innocuous as the view through the grillework signals a potential menace; someone must be looking through that viewpoint. Indeed, that initial shot, uninhabited and peaceful, eventually reveals itself as the perspective of a man hustling downstairs to detonate his bomb.

Bigelow accomplishes everything — creating suspense, furthering plot, revealing character — through details like these. And the handheld camerawork and quick zooms mimic how an actual bystander would view the action. As a result, we (sitting comfortably on our couches) feel like we’re actually there. We get enveloped in the film. And then, an occasional sustained, zoomed-out shot punctuates what has just happened, like a period at the end of a sentence, and reminds us that this is just a story.

But, of course, that’s the genius of this forceful Iraq war film: it’s not a story. It’s real.

Six months later…

Halfway into my time in Ireland, I’m going to start up the blog again.

Now, though, it’s more about what I’m thinking than what I’m doing. I might post about music I heard, a movie I saw, issues I read about in the news, who knows. This is mainly a chance for me to write.

And even if I’m doing this mostly for myself, it’s always better to share. Leave comments, feedback, rants in the box below each post.

I’ll start tomorrow… really!…

Summer’s End

Wow. I haven’t posted anything for weeks now. Sorry about that. Here’s the belated wrap-up.

Istanbul, as you can see in the last video, was different and unforgettable. I had finally reached the edge of the Middle East and it left me wanting more. Sometime, someday, eastern Turkey beckons.

So I made it to Istanbul. When I take a step back, I realize that is something in itself. The journey there was harder than I thought, that’s for sure. I made some huge planning mistakes - two and a half months of European capitals turned out to be an exercise in masochism. Sure, each one is beautiful. But when everywhere you’re seeing is beautiful, it all starts to blend into sameness. I should have mixed in a few crappy destinations. Because then, you have something to judge by. Still, I saw some wonderful things. And even more importantly, I hung out with some wonderful people. To my friends both old and new, thank you so much.

The busking was not as smooth as I’d hoped. It got better as I reached France and Austria, but never did I make more than 20 euros or so. I wonder if the days of “busking across Europe” are over. Nevertheless I played in almost every city I visited. I met plenty of people and - how’s this for seeing the upside? - I got over any apprehension of playing in front of indifferent crowds. Which is not to say that people didn’t enjoy the music. Many did. From their reactions I learned that Irish music has a reputation across Europe and a distinctive energy that is all its own.

Over the many hours I spent playing on the street, visiting artists, listening to concerts, seeing museums, and hearing Beyonce piped into sidewalk cafes, I came up with a few general ideas and guidelines for a life in art:

• Good music has the power to be heard all over the world
• Make your house your own and it will improve your creativity
• Don’t be afraid to branch out and shake things up
• Do work that can stick around, ie. recordings and compositions

I learned some other things, too, mainly lessons about being self-employed. For numerous reasons I’m not going to mention them here. But suffice it to say that this was the Summer of Lesson Learned.

This summer, more than what to do, I learned what not to do.

And that can be a valuable thing.

-    -     -

I have no idea who’s reading this, but if you are or did, thank you! I hope you enjoyed following along on the trip.

Right now I’m currently settling into a year in Galway, Ireland. I’ve had great adventures even in the last week, but you know what? I’m ready to be off camera for a while.

Keep an eye on this space and on my other website, dangurney.net. I’ll post updates from time to time, and maybe even videos, once I’ve had some time to recover! I have a few big things in the works - a new music-oriented website that will be related to a U.S. tour this winter, a new book, and, most of all, TONS of music.

After all, that’s why I’m here.

Keep in touch, thanks for reading, and all the best,

- Dan

Istanbul!

Fast-forward one surprisingly painless night bus ride, and here I am in Istanbul.

It was really tough to leave the farm, especially since a couple great new volunteers had arrived and things were getting better and better. But I said goodbye to that little corner of Bulgaria, pushed the five kittens off my lap, and got on the bus for Istanbul.

Luckily, Istanbul is awesome. I had a somewhat idealized expectation of “East meets West” but you know what? It’s mostly true. On the tram ride to my hotel, I caught a breathtaking glimpse of the Blue Mosque glistening in the morning sun. It was one of those moments that you know will stick with you even as it’s happening.

Today I walked around Sultanahmet and some of the area across the river, and it’s easy to see how Istanbul has been the center of the world for quite a long time. All kinds of influences mix together here. I feel like I’m seeing a bit of everything - a little Asia, a little Western Europe, a little India, etc.

And for 22 euros, I have a real hotel room, with a bathroom and - this is a first - A/C. Tomorrow I’m going to explore the Grand Bazaar and try out a Turkish Bath.

Now: bed.

Tech issues

For some reason the videos aren’t showing up right now … I think it’s something to do with the fact that I’m in Turkey, where Youtube is outlawed. I’ll see if I can fix it, but more likely it will fix itself in three days once I’m in Ireland.