Matthew

A favoured story of mine happened on the bus from downtown back to my neighbourhood. I'm sure I wrote about it it here, but again -

Empty bus, late nite, me, an old guy, maybe two others, silent bus....... and then the voice, in that clipped "rock radio commercial reader " voice:

"Rocking Radio V 106 - the Home of the Hits!!"

Strange, just some guy fucking off......

Seven minutes later, same voice, same local, same saying

"Rocking Radio V 106 - the Home of the Hits!!"

Strange, but i realised we had a jibberer on board. Seven minutes later...

"Rocking Radio V 106 - the Home of the Hits!!"

By now, like Ahab waiting for that deeply regular sounding of the sperm whale, I knew that in a about, say, seven minutes, this guy would spout out again and I would be able to chuckle to myself .....so I waited...... and waited..... and then........again he sounded with his "Rocking Radio V 106 - the Home of the Hits!!" , and again I chuckled, and again ten years later I wrote about it......

So, finally I saw Pasolini's 1964 "Gospel of Matthew". I liked it a lot. A real lot. Not that I will go out and crucify myself or whatever, but I have it on loan still and maybe will re watch it before I have to return it. I'm not sure that I could recommend it for everyone - there is no context, words are shouted forth quickly sometimes - but it has lots to recommend. Roger does as well.

Well, first there is the gospel. Partly @ this point, I wish to read or experience the gospels a lot in a rote memorization sorta way. Having the Gospels always around for me helps when I try to argue w/ those.....you know, the evil ones..... It helps to have the material @ ones fingertips/brain tips, etc... The photography was excellent - I liked the stark black and white. The acting - done mainly by non actors and the fact that the script was the bible opened to Matthew was kool as hell. I noticed not everything was actually in order, but it was great. Jesus was kool - barking @ the camera.

And then there was the music. Old baroque classical stuff, some pop jazz blues....and a deeply infectious song which to ths minute I canna get out of my head. Internetted up finally on this day - a few after I'd seen the film - I find that my mystery song is a 'traditional african drumming' or something. It was an African song - think of a group of kids singing, and a kool beat on the drum. When Jesus was convieved and born, this song rocked out. Joyous, wondrous, great - if you've seen the movie, I hope you'll remember. Then, when jesus cured the leper - again it was played.

So, as I sat there, hioping for this wonderous song would come on again. It was played @ three occasions - the conceptio , the birth, and now a miricle. As I sat there, i knew if i waited long enough, that yes, there woould be a playing of the song again: See, I've read matthew, and rememeber that it ends, basically, with a Resurrection.

"Rocking Radio V 106 - the Home of the Hits!!"