it seems like all of a sudden I have nothing to say. does anyone read this?
The three cupcake theory.
In life and art, I subscribe to the three cupcake theory of awesomeness. There are different ways to say it but core philosophy is simple: The point of all things love and be loved and the easiest way to ensure you are loved is to overwhelm people with joy every now and then. Or in short form; Just be a little bit better than people can handle sometimes.
Picture if you will; a person. Throw this person a cupcake, because everyone loves cupcakes, and they have a cupcake and are happy. Throw them another cupcake and now they are thinking wow, two cupcakes is the only thing that is better than one cupcake and i have two cupcakes now. And then you throw a third cupcake and you blow their mind. They already have two cupcakes, one in each hand, and they super happy to have so many cupcakes, and then you throw the third and there is that moment, that spit second of elation as the third cupcake is flying towards them and time seems to slow down as their brain just can't temporarily handle it all, the happiness and the love and the trajectory but it doesn't matter because it could be 3 cupcakes or 3 million, just so long as it's one more than they have hands to catch with then they will be overwhelmed with joy and love you forever and that memory for even longer.
I have been exposed to several examples over the past week. Obviously no one really goes around throwing too many cupcakes at people, but sometimes they make music or movies that are just for a few seconds everynow and then, sometimes just for the blink of an eye, are more amazing than anyone can fathom.
My roomate has been learning guitar for the last few weeks, and was intructed to start with back in black by ac/dc. This kicked off a whole week of watching ac/dc clips and concluding that they are one of the fucking best bands that ever was and ever will be. The amount of energy that band outputs every single show is amazing. Like, flooring. Seeing them at a stadium now is apparently still pretty great, but all the video indicates what is now a super tight rock legend was at one time the most explosive good times bar band ever. Watching clips like this I can't imagine what it would have been like to see them in a club in Australia in time when this type of song wasn't a cliche. The band itself is cupcake one, angus young and bon scott's swagger is cupcake two, and the pagpipe solo, the bagpipe itself is cupcake three, the thing that is just so awesome that you just give up.
Also three cupcake awesome and also one of the best bands out there is les savy fav, who we saw on saturday. Tyler had only heard a few of their songs before hand and had been saying all day how he didn't really want to go, as we'd been playing lego star wars and drinking all day and that had been at least two cupcake and why are we adventuring through the snow to see whatever whatever bands. The openers didn't change his mind at all, and a posse of douches seemed poised to ruin the show with the sheer small minded frat agression/sense of self entitlement/sheer dickbag-osity. Apparently they kind of ruined girl talk too. We were debating whether or not to fight them. Anyway, point of the story is three notes in tyler had his third cupcake in the air. Tim Harrington, the lead singer, is comedy genius who just happens to be one of the best post punk frontmen ever. He came out dressed in a chilean poncho with a fake plastic nose and a winter hat with side flaps, and a huge furry mitten on one hand and the microphone hidden inside a broken kettle. He is also a bald fat guy, atypical of almost all bands that want to be sexy.
The first note of the first song just sets off an a-bomb in the crowd, everyone is instantly engaged and has two cupcakes. The second song is we'll make a lover out of you and the dance/moshpit exlodes and the third cupcake is well in the air. Joy has now been achieved, and i proceed to get the shit beat out of me in the pit. I'm getting old so i can only stay for about the first third, then off to get water and rest, then back in for the last third. Throughout the show more cupcakes keep upping the joy level, Tim wades through the crowd, girls rub up against you, they play super well, and his stage banter is basically him writing loose poetry and short stories as they come to him, and they are weird and funny and about buying fireworks in madison with all her summer money, and shooting them out her bedroom window, or whales and satellites and them requesting songs. They played the sweat descends. it was awesome. In fact I figured it was pretty much the most cupcakes you can have thrown at you in a show, until he says "after this we're going to pretend like we done then come back and play three more songs." and then there's a sing along, and then they say this one is a special request and they play "rodeo", which is my absolute favourite song of theirs but also the first single they ever released, and not a common live song. The night day as a whole has about 9 cupcakes in the air at that point and I'm exhausted. Les savy fav are maybe the third most solid rock band I've ever seen. not quite third best show ever, but fuck they're amazing.
also three cupcakes, lego star wars return of the jedi speeder level, because it's cute, then it's fun, then it's just way to fast to control at all and it's joyous.
also so many cupcakes is the movie "no country for old men". Easily the best movie I've seen all year. every scene is like a third cupcake. woody harrleson is at least two cupcakes on his own, and the cohesive thematic elements and javier bardem being just scary as fuck are just three cupcakes the whole way through. The last scene too, with TLJ bringing it all together (thematically speaking), just left me floored.
Courtenay and I just watched black snake moan and it was three cupcakes. Being a good movie: one cupcake, the music: two cupcakes, every single shot of cristina ricci looking just so ultra hot is more than anyone can handle. It is joy. sam jackson yelling the line, "tell me you love me motherfucka!" followed by smashing a beer bottle next to his brothers head then marking him with his blood and righteous anger is also a cupcake all to itself. and justin timberlake was in it. it's great.
give them joy, then give them more joy than they can understand. it's about being transcendent, or like I was saying to Brad, it's better to blow one mind than amuse a million.
only 2 cupcakes, but also pretty great
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