Emperor X -- "Sig Alert"

CARMAGEDDON! This is a video for "Sig Alert" made in commemoration of the closure of Interstate 405 between Interstate 10 and Ventura Boulevard on the weekend of July 16th and 17th, 2011.


Director of photography:
Stephanie Gonot
http://www.gomargot.com/

Dancers:
Sarah Brin
Alina Nguyen
Omar Romero
C. R. Matheny


"Sig Alert"

We deplooyed in annoying cloying defenseless staggering hordes.
We advanced unencumbered and free.
We ran out of grenades.
All the lamps on the 405 were knocked out.
It was freezing and no one could see.
Hold up! Hold up! Our rent's not paid,
and all Westwood's on lockdown.
The med center generator's out.
There's no honor in striking the wind.
Blowing isotopes on the harbor freeway to win the short-term fight
would form counter-productive debris.

"Hold up!" the congregation sang.
"Revival! Hosanna!
We have no systems left to shock,
and we're awestruck!
Raise your hands, because there's hope
that we'll hold them back at La Brea
where we can cope with an influx of new refugees from the war!"

Hold up! Hold up!
Alarming ping and aplastic anemia
held your shoulders down.
Your girlfriend laughs at the tag on your sleeve.


Note:
Omar Romero, the dancer with the awesome mask, recently emerged healthy and victoriously from a battle with aplastic anemia. Much of this song was slant-inspired by unrelated things like Los Angeles infrastructure, wrecked relationships, and recurring unstoppable daydreams of alternate universe urban combat. But it was also slant-inspired by Omar's grueling fight, his unwavering courage, and his insistence on listening to black metal, obscure '90s emo, and even more obscure '00s and '10s noise pop from a tape deck he hung from the IV cart that he towed behind him on daily walks around the immune disorder ward at the UCLA medical center in Westwood. He and his family invited me there to visit a few times as they struggled together, and I will never forget it. Thank you for showing me what courage looks like, Omar Romero. You are a giant, and so is everyone in your family.



-030-
-CRM-

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Emperor X
• sig alert
• sigalert
• carmageddon
• aplastic
• anemia

[fattygoatshoulder]

pitchfork = daily thom yorke report and bon iver handjob. fuck that noise

[tomsenkus]

Now, for MGMT or Deerhunter, Arcade Fire or Les Savy Fav, ad finitum, I judge them on the meritocracy of their purpose. If you consider them innocuous, what's wrong with that? You could easily criticize someone like Brian Eno for kowtowing to produce U2's Joshua Tree, disregarding that the money from that (and other "commercial") endeavor(s) makes some of money-hemorraging insolvent fringe efforts possible. So, I reiterate, he should be on Pitchfork!!!! GIVE HIM YOUR MONEY!!!!

[tomsenkus]

...powers that be that need grist for the mill. I believe Chad's lo-fi aesthetic is a product of his self-imposed Luddism and practicality--could you imagine "Raytracer" without some of tape saturation? I certainly think some of the underdog-against-all-odds pretext certainly enhances my opinion of Chad's music, and without that, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

[tomsenkus]

@fattygoatshoulder Pitchfork is hipster-lifestyle shite, but it serves a function that Rolling Stone and other music publications have served in the past. I think its a way of lifting a person out of obscurity who's done their touring due-diligence and at least getting those whom deserve their just-desserts. To say that Mr. Matheny would be "corrupted" would be more of a slight to his own savvy than lecherous...

[fattygoatshoulder]

@tomsenkus pitchfork is shite and i hope chad never gets mixed up with that riff-raff. there is a huge difference between people into music like MGMT and people into stuff like emperor x. and actually emperor x got some love from pitchfork around 2005ish and thats how i heard about him so...i don't really know what i'm saying here. pitchfork sucks now but it didn't back then

[tomsenkus]

How is Chad not on Pitchfork??????? He should be making thousands!

[MemphisEmphasis]

just read the description. thats beautiful man. you're welcome and you're definitely part of our family!

[alecjahn]

Oh, you re-uploaded it. That's where it went!

:)

[brandonbales]

Need!

[FsharpAsharpInfinity]

HELL YES