This blog post is my way of remembering how, in our lives, we choose which artists we welcome inside our heads and hearts to help us think things through, share our days; we decide for ourselves what’s beautiful, what’s good. I’m glad I’ve been off on jaunts, had enjoyable conversations, and provided a bit of life to my classes through the music of Fatboy Slim and the films of Spike Jonze.

Thank you Norman Cook and Adam Spiegel. I like what you do.

I’d also like everyone to vote for my essay on Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” at link below from 9AM March 14 (Arizona/US time) to 9AM March 15! Thank you! Voting will be live for 24 hours at https://marchxness.com/2ndrd-nellyvsfatboy/

The voting should be contentious for this round two matchup! “Weapon of Choice” a song by Fatboy Slim, whose video is directed by Spike Jonze, lyrics and voice by Bootsy Collins, and starring Christopher Walken!

Teaching Notes: Weapon of Choice

If it were not for this essay contest, I probably would not have stopped to realize that Fatboy Slim has been part of my teaching repertoire for over 20 years.

First, I’ve been using “Weapon of Choice” as a way to quickly identify twelve points a decent film critic would touch upon when reviewing a film. Sure it’s a music video, but it is also an award-winning bit of cinema.

This is the critique worksheet I give my students. Before critiquing a longer film, I assign pairs of them one of the 12 items. We watch the Spike Jonze video twice, and then they share what they noticed when they focused on one criterion.

Teaching Notes: The Theban Trilogy

Another connection to Fatboy Slim came about when I started teaching the Theban Trilogy by Sophocles. I wanted to make sure the students who were about to undertake Oedipus Rex or Antigone had a full awareness of the context: Apollo’s prophecy, the Oracle at Delphi, Laius’s horrid past, the family tree and settlement of the Theban city-state. I put together a video full of artistic representations of the myth, with subtitles from my copy of the play and its editorial summary of events. The soundtrack begins with…. “Right Here, Right Now” by Fatboy Slim. I collaged this on a mac laptop circa 2009.

Teaching Notes: I’m Here

The third way my teaching has brushed up with the “Weapon of Choice” universe is via another short film by Spike Jonze, I’m Here. It was sponsored by Absolut vodka (confirmed, as the orginal URL for the film–http://www.imheremovie.com/— now lands directly on Absolut’s splash page), but it’s a sweet and sad story that fulfills a common theme in Jonze’s work: tragic sacrifice. Done robot style, and only 30 minutes long, it is perfect for a student needing to either make-up work or to complete an alternate essay assignment.

When I’m Here originally came out in 2011, this super-short was only available to be viewed on the web, and had limited screenings online. The catch was it only screened or was available to be viewed every 2 hours, so you kind of queued up and waited for a curtain to open. 

Here is the assignment I use:

And here is a link to the film. If you’d not seen it, it’s a strong forerunner to Her.

So, I don’t know if today’s the day my March Danceness 00s journey will end. Will “Weapon of Choice” overcome the great essay and song for Nelly? I don’t know but I’m shooken, as my Irish grandmother would say.

I hope if you have a moment you read the essays, think about the songs, and vote with your heart. Vote for Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” at link below from 9AM 3/14 (Arizona/US time) to 9AM 3/15! Thank you! https://marchxness.com/2ndrd-nellyvsfatboy/

Vote for Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” at link below from 9AM 3/14 (Arizona/US time) to 9AM 3/15! Thank you! https://marchxness.com/2ndrd-nellyvsfatboy/

C O N T A C T