Sæglópur....

Ya, you read it right. Just don't ask me to pronounce it.

And I don't know what it is with Iceland and the etherial.

Moving on though - Sæglópur is the name of the Sigur Ros song in this video, kindly uploaded to Youtube by another attendee (and by far the best quality vid I could find posted). I was too chicken to take my camera for once - and was kicking myself because we were perfectly positioned for stealth filming as it turns out. Oh well. Sometimes it is good just to watch. And this is a 7:00 minute video, so be warned. But if you do watch, hang in for at least half of it. It was a really really good gig - I have to admit being a bit disappointed that they didn't bring their string and brass section with them, but oh well. They sure managed to fill the (wonderful, wonderful Chan...oh how I love you) space without any extra help. And extra big cudos to the very, very attentive audience. There was a pause of about 30 seconds in the middle of one song, and you could have heard a pin drop. No calls, or whistles, or whoops, or 'yeaaaaahhhhhhs' to break the silence. Tomorrow night: Weezer. Saturday night: Hayden. Which is why I am posting this now, however brief, or I will not get around to mentioning it as I will have too much else to talk about.

This is actually my first night at home in a week...or more come to think of it. VIFF is finally wrapping up, and I saw about a dozen films. Quite by accident, most of them had to do with either music or blindness. Hmmm. There were so many more I wanted to see, and it pains me as I know it was most likely my only chance for many of them. It's hard for me to pick a favorite, but a few stood out:

Largo : outstanding film about a small club in LA - it is entirely performance footage, largely musicians (Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird...) but some comedians as well (John C Reilly's story about Burt Reynolds and the filming of Magnolia a highlight...). Nothing big budget, and so beautifully intimate it drew you right in.

Throw down your Heart: Banjo king Bela Fleck and his brother made this great documentary following Bela's travels through Africa to find the roots of the banjo. And you know how much I like banjo.

Passage: John Walker's beautifully shot, beautifully structured documentary about one of history's unsung figures, John Rae, who brought back news about the Franklin expedition that no one in Britain wanted to hear. Brits after all don't usually snack on eachother.

As Slow as Possible: Love the idea of this documentary. A Canadian man who is going blind travels to Germany to witness the changing of a note in a 600+year playing of a John Cage composition, "As slow as possible" - and does an amazing job of explaining his experience of the world, and of his situation. How much do I love the fact that a group of Germans decided to dedicate a church, and an organ, to playing the same song for over 600 years? How much do I love the fact that the first note was in fact a rest that lasted 18 months? A lot.

There were more worth mentioning, but I am running out of steam.