About Betrayal, Human Behavior, Mike Nichols and Me

In one of Mike Nichols' films there is this character called Betty, played by Catherine O'Hara. Betty is this short talkative woman, no... talkative would be an understatement her mouth is like a motor and her favorite subject is other people's marriages, better saying other people's marriages' failures. Someone's always having an affair and her main goal is to find out with whom, oh and of course tell her friends, who happen to be most of Washington D.C.'s population. Betty is friend of the couple Rachel Samstat and Mark Forman [played by G-ds Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson]. Rachel was pregnant of their second baby when she finds out in a very silly way that Mark has been having a romantic affair with another woman. She flies back to her dad's home in NY with their baby girl Annie. Now here's where things get juicy.

Like everyone, especially women, who is not sure of what they're speeching, Rachel talks too emphatically to a long-time friend how her marriage is definitely over, therefore she must be at home in case her husband calls. The thing is, it's obvious Rachel still loves her husband, they got maried in a fever and despite the recent cold shower the temperature was still high. While she waits for him to call she does what every other human being who doesn't have an artichoke where should be the heart, she cries. We modern kids all cool and hip about things and [I must vehemently add] outsiders, probably can't understand why's she letting that motherfucker hurt her that way. If you [stupidly, I must add again] keep that thought you'd be angry with the fact that she does return to him, even though it's clear she can't trust him ever again.

That is the particular thing that amazes me the most; I'll quote a song now: "I know nothing stays the same, but if you're willing to play the game, it's coming around again." The screenplay of Heartburn was written by Nora Ephron based on her novel, but it was Mike Nichols who directed it. And that makes the film even more special, because Nichols' films tend to have a mouthdroping and shocking accuracy about human behavior. I doubt that any of the readers of this blog failed to see a little [euphemism] movie called Closer. It's not only the fact that both were directed by Nichols that makes these two mentioned films like brothers; in both of them we feel dazed and confused by the characters' choices and actions. Worst! We reluctantly see ourselves in them. But what Nichols majestically does, with a humbleness that all those Eastwoods, Spielbergs and Haggises should watch and learn, is to show us how we've been leading our lives and dealing with people close to us and mainly with ourselves. How we thoughtlessly go from one thing to another and for a second seem to consider that our actions might affect, not always in a good way, the person living with us. But we keep playing the game don't we?

The song I quoted above is "Coming Around Again" by Carly Simon. The song wasn't written for the movie Heartburn but it's not only part of the soundtrack how it is the fundament of the film's score. By the end of the film Rachel is with her kids and she's singing with her older daughter that children's song "Itsy Bitsy Spider". Please I'm no lecturing here but try to think the spider as us human beings, I'm not much fan of that thought since I despize spiders but there we are crawling up the water spout. We know it's bigger than us, we know it'll wash us out but we're always willing to play the game, especially because the sun will always come out and it will be coming around again.

You don't feel angry with any of Heartburn's characters; maybe poor Rachel for going back to her unfaithful husband, but you kind of understand her. That is because Nichols is not worried in judging his personages, so you never feel like it either; and probably because you're not wasting time judging their actions you feel you can relate to them easily [after all we shiver with the idea of being judged even by ourselves]. So here comes the confessional part of the text: I don't say I will never betray a person whether a friend or a boyfriend but I will always work myself not to. For only one reason: I, in my great comfort sometimes [another euphemism] horny zone can never approach, even if I become the best of statisticians [never gonna happen], how much of my actions can affect other people.

[Song: Coming Around Again/Itsy Bitsy Spider - Carly Simon]

Bitchy Talk

In 2007 I decided to interview bloggers I read, friends and people I admire. Actually it's not a convetional interview and it's more of a conversation between two friends. Since this is a blog about Lucas [moi] bitching about life and everything else, there is of course a bitchy outline on the talk [then the post title - lame, I know].

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As my first guest I chose Marcela, from The Dark Girl's Rhyme. If it weren’t for the ho we would have never known each other, but he’s not the only thing in common between us. The girl behind the dark rhyme is this lovely Honduran Gemini who instantly caught my attention with her intricate and auto-analytic posts mixed with pop-culture elements and Architecture [!]. Her intelligence and talent are always prominent on her words, sometimes inspired and/or swayed by geniuses like Tori Amos, Björk and Damien Rice. Marce’s in the search of her own voice and place in the world [*hi5* Marce!], she’s always friendly but when she feels bored she breathes and look inside herself to pick the next road.

A while before we started this she was listening to Judy Garland’s The Man That Got Away. I asked “aren’t you dying” and she agreed how amazing it is. We have the same story with the song: the first time we ever heard it was on a Gilmore Girls episode and it instantly took and broke our hearts; we didn’t even know the existence of each other back then, but somehow it got us connected.

)( Lucas Bradshaw)( I'm looking in the space...: 1st lemme start by my usual question: what are u listening right now?

words are trivial: nothing! it’s awful, I wanted to concentrate on your questions.

LB: ohh don’t mind me, I bet Jose scared u. I’m not gonna make u cry like Barbara Walters.

WAT: he told me exactly that!

LB: I know he did that bitch. Then tell me about the bitchy part of your routine, the moments you most feel like a bad girl.

WAT: well, to be perfectly honest, my bitchy moments are tiny innocent things, like in my group of friends I’m always deciding what we are going to do. I’m a control freak, but I fight with it. I’m very bossy with people around me. I try to be all zen, but yeah it’s hard.

LB: we should make a club, some sort of ACF = Anonymous Control Freaks; and do daily meetings.

WAT: yes!!!

LB: well, it prolly wouldn’t work you know...

WAT: everyone would want to impose their views.

LB: what do you most dislike in people?

WAT: I don’t like people who are arrogant for no reason, I mean when they don’t have the talent or intelligence to back up their pretension (I confess some people are very confident, and that’s very appealing). I hate when someone doesn’t stick to their word.

LB: do you always stick to your word?

WAT: I can’t say I always do, but when I fail there’s always something bigger than me, that’s not on purpose.

LB: I admire that on people too and always try to follow that premise as well. What I most admire is that when one admits they’re wrong; it's not as hard as it seems and it should be done always… we'd all get along better.

WAT: I totally agree with you. It shows a level of humility so rare in people.

LB: you’ve said things I read on Jane Fonda's autobiography. She says that we should find our voices and speak for ourselves; what do you think of Jane Fonda, Marce?

WAT: well, all I know about her is what I learned on her E! True Hollywood Story. What struck me the most is how passionate she is about things; she puts all of herself without holding back… she commits. She develops a kind of confidence that you can’t help but gravitate towards her.

LB: do you have any film obsession? [Confess, you saw that coming!]

WAT: I kind of expected it. Closer, I have watched it a million times. I think it’s very accurate about human nature and the cruelty in love relationships. It doesn’t hurt that the film is beautifully done either.

LB: I totally agree. When I first watched it I felt shocked, the emotions are so intense and everything goes through our eyes in such a rapid [but still slow] pace that you at first don't know what hits you.

WAT: my favorite thing about it is that it concentrates on average people, there are no great impossible circumstances here. And it’s 99% dialogue, I love that!

LB: I don’t even have to ask if The Blower's Daughter is your favorite song. Do I?

WAT: actually it’s not.

LB: I miss… Which is your favorite song then?

WAT: Björk’s Hunter.

LB: uhg I never heard it.

WAT: you have to listen to it, it’s perfect! It’s so empowering, yet humble and the beat is kind of architectural. So great! I’m sure you’ll love it.

LB: I neglect Björk a lot, some people gave me traumas about her. [Like: I was Björk friendly, until I knew some fans of her and they were so annoying I transferred it to the poor woman.] Do you have any crazy trauma? Or am I the only wacko like that?

WAT: you know you’re not the first one who tells me that about Björk. I know her whole image can be a little over the top, but she’s actually a great musician. She rejects the whole folky guitarsy thing and wants to create something completely different.

LB: that’s what I initially most loved about her, she reinvents herself in ways no other does. Do you have big dreams Marce?

WAT: yes, of course! But they are always changing.

LB: what are the current ones then?

WAT: right now I dream of becoming a great architect and a huge writer. I don’t know how that will be combined, but I want to be a Latin American Zaha Hadid, the nowadays greatest female architect. She’s a Deconstructivist, a style so hard to handle: it’s like architecture with psychological problems with poetry in them.

LB: OMG! How genius! Tell me more.

WAT: this kind of construction is made with metallic materials [titanium, zinc], because the shapes are pointy, aggressive. And there’s one more thing: this kind of architecture doesn’t always respect the rules of function.

LB: how does all that apply to Marce's life? Not only Deconstructive architecture, but the whole art itself.

WAT: it’s very simple: it’s a vivid image of who I want to become.

LB: do you have a hero?

WAT: yes! My hero is Tori Amos.

LB: she’s sure great! She has some imaginative lyrics and I love her crazy piano, the way she sings like she’s fucking the mic. What’s your favorite song by her?

WAT: I can’t just pick one, it’s impossible! I can give you five, is that ok?

LB: Yaay lists!! Gimme!

WAT: it’s in no particular order, my life just wouldn’t be complete without these songs. 1) Cornflake Girl; 2) Playboy Mommy; 3) Father Lucifer; 4) Muhammad My Friend and 5) Crucify. They’re all amazing! Her story is incredible, do you know it?

LB: I read something a while ago. She’s daughter of a priest or something like that and she was raped as a teenager and that’s a frequent subject in her songs.

WAT: and how every record revolves around a theme, etc.

LB: Marce, I’d like to ask you a pic or an image that you would relate to yourself in the moment and explain why, of course.

WAT: well, it would have to be Klimt’s “Portait of Mada Primavesi.” I kind of look like her, but also she looks like a little girl, surrounded by all things ethereal. Her stare is so serious, like she’s been around the world and knows what the deal is about. That painting is so straight forward about her intentions.

LB: that’s a great insight! Oh there’s a last question I was always meant to ask you but I always forgot: your blog’s title, “The Dark Girl’s Rhyme”, tell me about it. Is it inspired by something?

WAT: it’s a Dorothy Parker Poem. Can you guess where I met Dorothy Parker?

LB: uhh… a Tori Amos’s song?

WAT: no, Gilmore Girls. Don’t you remember, it’s one of Rory’s favorite authors. The name of Amy Sherman-Paladino’s production company is “Dorothy Parker Drank Here”. You have to read her, I’m sure you will love.

LB: omg it’s true and I had noticed that a while ago, wondered who parker was but forgot to wiki her; thanks to you I’ll do it.