It Is Not Entirely My Own Fault

Following on from yesterday's Chomsky snippet, here is an article asking Can You Teach Your Kid To Have Taste? The premise is that a classical music reviewer has been dragging his ten-year-old son along to work and has begun wondering how that influences his son's taste in music/art/literature. The kid likes Tolkien, Russell Crowe westerns and visiting museums - maybe not the most average boy - but has that to do with his parents' (evidently highbrow) taste or is it something inert?

Unsurprisingly the writer does not come up with an answer, but the article made me reflect upon my own taste. I can pinpoint why I like Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Cole Porter. I can also tell you why I enjoy reading Georgette Heyer and watch the Eurovision Song Contest religiously. But I come up short when I reflect upon my weakness for films like Roeg/Cammell's Performance and Todd Haynes' entire oeuvre. And what about my love of modernist poetry and early twentieth century abstract art? Not to mention my love of very, very bad sci-fi films? What has caused this odd pick-and-mix of things I grew up loving and things I have encountered later in life?

Can you trace how your own taste was formed?

Making Conversation

Work: "Hi! How are you? Hope you're feeling better. Just to let you know, we're implementing some new anti-fraud measurements. So, HR needs to know where you were working between October 2006 and February 2007?"

Me: "Er, I was working for you guys.."

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A few completely unrelated and random links:

+ Is this cake scary or awesome? I just cannot decide.
+ I had a long conversation about the Theremin the other day.
+ Renewable clothing by Fernando Brízio. Art or not?
+ This page makes me so, so happy. I'm clearly weird.
+ Doctor Who: I Love the World. Heavy spoilers for Season 4, so beware.

And, yes, Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is up and running.

Dedicated Follower of Fashion

Kamicha of Yarned makes me feel that I should a) go through my entire wardrobe b) reconsider my aversion to blandness neutrals c) reconsider my decision to avoid bulky knitwear d) reconsider my decision to avoid shapeless dresses e) forget about my hypermobility and dig out my high-heeled shoes f) re-invent myself as a sophisticated fashionista

but I think I'll continue with my faded cords, wacky colours, fine-gauge knits and slightly disorganised style. In my head I'm sort-of preparing myself for a sewing machine purchase down the line and I'll have a go at this dress at that point. Not very fashionista, neutral or refined but I think it's awesome.

Called You Last Night from Glasgow..

This is one of the funniest film reviews I have ever seen. I heart Mark Kermode. Stay tuned for his attempt at being Swedish.

Stay Awhile And Listen

No word on release date (of course), but there's actual footage now: Diablo III is finally happening. Quick, are frogs falling from the sky?

Addendum: it feels weird adding this to a post on a computer game, but Danish author, Jacob Ejersbo has passed away.

Fa fa fa fa fashion

I like everything to be clean, and gray is clean. Gray is between black and white, so it’s a noncolor, almost. I feel messy and unclean if I wear other colors. - Five New Yorkers Who Only Wear One Colour.

I bet you can find Copenhageners who only wear beige. Or navy.