Track 11

In the choice between quality and quantity, I choose quantity because quantity remains, while quality fades.

- Michel Gondry

Michel Gondry is probably the most interesting person I know nothing about. He directed a bunch of my favorite music videos.

And even though it's not a particularly good version of the song, or even a very fun video, included, for the sake of David Aldridge:

He also directed the Charlie Kaufman penned scripts Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The first is OK, but the second almost criminally underrated. (I think there was some Jim Carrey as a serious actor backlash. But it has Mark Ruffalo! According to McManus and Hornaday, that should make up for any deficiencies.) He also directed The Science of Sleep which stars your least favorite actor of all time, Gael Garcia Bernal, followed by Be Kind Rewind, which is a movie with a thin premise, but is kind of fun. (Even if you don't like Jack Black (I do), who doesn't like Mos Def?) He then directed The Green Hornet, which, while I haven't seen it, seems to have worked out as well as Jean-Paul Jeunet directing Joss Whendon's script for Alien: Resurrection. (Meaning not well. Lesson: You probably shouldn't trust established or potential movie franchises to artsy French directors. Of course, we could just blame Seth Rogen and Winona Ryder. "Most Good.")

Basically, Michel Gondry inhabits a world of Legos, dancing robots, Kylie Minogue clones, psychedelic funhouse mirrors, and stop motion animation. He also stands at the cross section of about everything I loved about the late nineties and early aughts. He seems to have worked with all my favorite bands and my favorite screenwriter (Charlie Kaufman had me forever at Being John Malkovich.) Basically, Michel Gondry and Spike Jonze fought a Battle Royale over my blossoming hipsterdom. Michel Gondry had The Chemical Brothers, so Spike Jonze retaliated with Fatboy Slim. Spike Jonze had The Beastie Boys, so Michel Gondry raised him Daft Punk, but eventually had to cede them over to James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem). (I played it for all the rock kids at CBGB's. They all thought it was crazy.) Michel Gondry may have gotten the final laugh with The White Stripes though. (I don't think anything had a bigger affect on how I consumed music than when I heard "Fell in Love With a Girl" on the radio for the first time. Well that, and MuchMusic Megahits. And later on TheCoolTV.)

Spike Jonze directed two Charlie Kaufman movies (Adaptation and Being John Malkovich) and so has Michel Gondry. Eventually, at some point, I had to say, "Guys, enough! You can both have me." But the big difference is that despite the fact that Spike Jonze would prefer being a reclusive skater weirdo, I probably know pretty much everything about him. Lost in Translation was at least partly about him. Giovanni Ribisi's character as the emotionally detached husband is essentially supposed to be a takedown of Mr. Jonze. And supposedly the subtext for the movie Her is that it's supposed to be, in part, his rebuttal. (How does Scarlett Johansson keep getting caught in the middle of all this? I wonder if Her is worth watching?)

Meanwhile, all I know about Michel Gondry is that he's French and he says weird shit like the quote at the top. He's probably just a normal guy otherwise.

In this universe, I think I'd prefer to be Michel Gondry, but worry that I'm actually Spike Jonze.

In other news, I miss listening to The Chemical Brothers. They are fun enough to dance to and trippy enough to get high to. Sometimes I wish I danced... and other times I wish I was on drugs... (but only the fun kind, maybe some mild hallucinogens. No needles.) Maybe if I did drugs, I'd be more willing to dance.

In conclusion: The movie Hanna is criminally underrated. Now that should been a movie franchise. But I suppose albino-ish looking actresses can't stay 16 forever...