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The End Of Cinematics

by Mikel Rouse

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1.
Prelude 01:51
2.
THE AMERICAN DREAM As I was dating… As I was dating the American Dream As I was saying… As I was saying what I never believe. It’s how you’re livin’… How you’re livin’ on the edge in between It’s what you’re given, and it’s a given that you’ll never be seen. And when you pull out you’re pullin’ more than just a couple of legs And what you’re about… About to face another basket of eggs. Life among the trees: Life when you wanna go down and go down deep Life in the movies, Like it’s the only life you wanted to keep. As I was dating… As I was dating the American Dream As I was saying… As I was saying… Everybody wants everybody Everybody wants me. Everybody wants everybody Everybody wants me.
3.
WOMEN ARE MEN Stay, whadaya say on the way? Stay, whadaya say on the way? I didn’t think, I didn’t dream. I didn’t think, I didn’t dream. I didn’t think. I didn’t dream. I saw the body and the body it seemed: Left over light; left over scars Women are men. Men are from Mars. Out go the bad air, in come the good. This is the story of the engine that could. Too much T.V. Too many bars. Women are men. Men are from Mars. And when I think of goin’ down I didn’t think of very many parades. And like a broken magazine I pitched the story of the life that I laid. I put a finger on the button and the button didn’t pop so I stayed. And when I think of goin’ down I just remember all the beds that I’ve made.
4.
DROP THE BALL You could say you caused my head to spin but you don’t get to do that again. You could say the writing on the wall was the kindest letdown of them all. You could say your love was Heaven sent but that don’t explain the money spent. You could say my life was something to believe in ‘till I fell for you. My intake on love is briefly: Take a number, float upstreamly Be awake and try to have it all Clear out of the office early. Break for dinner and a movie. Make up for mistakes and drop the ball. You could cross a river out of sync underneath the bridges on the blink. You could fake a pass and then agree that the only hesitation’s me. You could string along a turkey shoot but that don’t explain the missing loot. You could say my time was coming up, my number was your number too. You could say a lot of other things that cancel all remaining dreams. You could say above beyond the call is where the last dividers fall. You could call my name alone out loud. You could call my name out in a crowd. You could say my life was something to believe in ‘till I fell for you. My intake on love is briefly: Take a number, float upstreamly Be awake and try to have it all Clear out of the office early. Break for dinner and a movie. Make up for mistakes and drop the ball.
5.
COME UP TO BREATH Come up to breath, come up to breath Come up to breath, come up to breath Set in my time, set in my ways Settle this bet: the one with the legs Econoline bridge set up the shoot A pilot, it seems, gave me the boot. And promises live where others have gone. The deals come around so we die at dawn. Soap in the bath, soap on the wheels Marital aids, marginal meals. I flip at the sight and wonder at sound. I come up to breath the money-go-round. Econoline bridge set up the shoot A pilot, it seems, gave me the boot. Up under the wave in your World Wide Page Gone, gone are the days when people will say: Love, love conquers all; indestructible. Rise before the fall. Give nature a call. In love interlope, flood money to cope. Capture heart with hope. Give heart enough rope.
6.
G.O.D.O.O.C. I never wanted to see you alive I never wanted to see you alive. God out of control this world. God out of control this world. A gold ring, I made it say C’mon top baby go away. A black eye, a ruby lip. C’mon top baby such a trip. A new dress, I made it say A lose fit in the Milky Way. Before now and yesterday The last gift that you give away. God out of control this world. God out of control this world. I never wanted to see you alive. I never wanted to see you alive.
7.
I Can't 05:48
I CAN’T I can’t judge the light in the morning and hoping I bring something. And I can’t tell the right from the wrong thing. I’ve been longing for nothing at all Can’t bring the night overall thing but watching something almost. And who can’t say he might not belong here? It’s so clear I bring nothing at all. And when you hold the answer, hold the answer home. And when you dupe the master do it on your own. And when you feel the bottom out of pleasure tap yourself alone. Can’t forget your special calling and yawning, comfort closing. And in place of the light in the morning, I’ll bring something like nothing at all. And if you miss a measure no one else will know. And even with the muscle everybody goes. And when you feel the bottom out of pleasure tap yourself alone. I can’t find the light in the morning and hoping I bring something. And I can’t tell the right from the wrong thing. And I’ve been longing for nothing at all.
8.
THE TREATMENT I didn’t know this was a treatment. I stepped aboard for entertainment. This fuel is fine, so magically aligned. I kept my head, my head about me; a credit check of what I should be. I’ve made enough for both of us combined. Pity the mind, the mind that wanders. I can’t imagine any longer a single life so singularly refined. I care enough to watch and listen, carry the only gift I’ve given, make minor changes just to keep in line. Who says abort imagination? Intel Inside Entire Nation What’s not ahead is usually behind. Pity the mind, the mind that wanders. I can’t imagine any longer a single life so singularly refined. So the girl and the guy they’re like…um… Overcast – you know, they don’t even have a clue. And when the neighbor gets involved, it’s like this triangle… (And explosions, lots of explosions)… So that when everyone wakes up it’s like it was a dream: And now they can see how hurt they’ve been – like all those broken promises – but nobody meant to do it. And then…he walks into the sunset… yea…the sunset…that’s good.
9.
BE MORE REALLY Well Puerto Rico is an idea that I’ve never seen The missing bank books is a reason to look up And nestled deep inside my heart there is a money tree And at the bottom of the tree’s where I give up And Puerto Rico is an idea that appeals to me But what appeals to me is not worth looking up And when you’re walking on the beach And you’re holding your hand Don’t be thinkin’ ‘bout the master of the one night stand You gotta pay before you go It’s just a couple of days But if you’re waiting to return to the magic maze You gotta be more really For the second show You gotta be more really baby, Gotta go Down at the bottom of the harbor is a history And if you float upon the waves you’ll get along But if you sit beside yourself man it’s the third degree And everybody who agrees with you is wrong And Puerto Rico is an idea that appeals to me But what appeals to me is nothing like the song And when you’re walking on the beach And you’re holding your hand Don’t forget about the master of the one night stand You gotta pay before you go It’s just a couple of days But if you’re waiting to return to the magic maze You gotta be more really For the second show You gotta be more really baby, Gotta go
10.
G.O.D.O.O.C. 02:01
G.O.D.O.O.C. A left hook, I made it say About face baby here to stay About now, I’m over it But good God the alternative… The next life, I made it say A free ride to the Milky Way. Before now and yesterday A black eye that you give away. God out of control this world. God out of control this world. I never wanted to see you alive. I never wanted to see you alive.
11.
Movie Money 04:24
MOVIE MONEY Set in my time, set in my ways Settle this bet: the one with the legs Econoline bridge set up the shoot A pilot, it seems, gave me the boot. And promises live where others have gone. The deals come around so we die at dawn. Soap in the bath, soap on the wheels Marital aids, marginal meals. I flip at the sight and wonder at sound. I come up to breath the money-go-round. Econoline bridge set up the shoot A pilot, it seems, gave me the boot. Throw the harpoon; a broken relief Society wails: a marginal thief. Set in my time, set in my ways Settle this bet: the one with the legs Come up to breath the movie money Come up to breath the money. Up under the wave in your World Wide Page Gone, gone are the days when people will say: Love, love conquers all; indestructible. Rise before the fall. Give nature a call. In love interlope, flood money to cope. Capture heart with hope. Give heart enough rope. Up under the wave in your World Wide Page Gone, gone are the days. Gone, gone are the days.
12.
Cindy 04:06
CINDY Cindy when you comin’ out Cindy when you comin’ out Cindy when you comin’ out with me? Cindy take it very slow. Prest-o-change-o, what a show. Cindy when you comin’ out with me? Cindy when you comin’ out Cindy when you comin’ out Cindy when you comin’ out with me? Fairly certain that your size has changed so you don’t get anything confused. Bottom line is that you rearrange any idea of anything, idea of anything to lose. Comin’ out. Comin’ out. Comin’ out. Comin’ out. Always know that your address will change so you don’t miss anything at all. Early morning says to act your age any idea of anywhere, idea of anywhere to fall. Comin’ out. Comin’ out. Comin’ out. Comin’ out. Cindy when you comin’ out? Cindy when you comin’ out?
13.
MEN ARE WOMEN A forward pass on bended knee. Another myth another movie to see. A brain that flip beyond the stars. Women are men. Men are from Mars. Out go the bad air, in come the good. This is the story of the engine that could. Left over light; left over scars Women are men. Men are from Mars. And when I think of goin’ down I didn’t think of very many parades. And like a broken magazine I pitched the story of the life that I laid. I put a finger on the button and the button didn’t pop so I stayed. And when I think of goin’ down I just remember all the beds that I’ve made. I didn’t think, I didn’t dream. I didn’t think, I didn’t dream. Stay, whadaya say on the way? Stay, whadaya say on the way?
14.
THE AMERICAN DREAM (Reprise) And it’s the American Dream And it’s the American Dream And it’s the American Dream And it’s the American Dream Everybody wants everybody Everybody wants me. Everybody wants everybody Everybody wants me. Everybody wants everybody Everybody wants him. Everybody wants everybody Everybody wants him. As I was dating… As I was dating the American Dream As I was saying… I was saying what I never believe. It’s how you’re livin’… How you’re livin’ on the edge in between It’s what you’re given, and it’s a given that you’ll never be seen. And when you pull out you’re pullin’ more than just a couple of legs And what you’re about… About to face another basket of eggs. Life among the trees: Like when you wanna go down and go down deep Life in the movies, Like it’s the only life you wanted to keep. As I was dating… As I was dating the American Dream As I was saying… As I was saying… And it’s the American Dream, and I’m all wet.
15.
WHITE/BLACK/YELLOW/BAT Blockbuster I took a mental come what may ignoring what I oughta say. Because the wind that blows today is like a mobile hide-a-way. And if you hang around too long and someone notices you’re gone, you’ll curse this island that you’re on. You’ll hear them singing this here song: White man bringin’ me down White man bringin’ me down White man bringin’ me down Then there’s the motive kicked around, it gets confusing with the sound, as all the theories that abound get refiled in the lost and found. As common sense is shown the door you kick around what’s kicked before. And as you reinvent the poor You hear them crying out once more: Black man bringin’ me down White man bringin’ me down Inside is where I want to be. It’s where the helpless ride for free. It takes the money outa me and opens up a pharmacy. Look here: The world is like a book; it’s just the language where you look. Selected stories someone took. A way to let you off the hook Yellow man bringin’ me down Black man bringin’ me down White man bringin’ me down Batman bringin’ me down Yellow man bringin’ me down Black man bringin’ me down White man bringin’ me down

about

Drawing on the richness of the good old days of cinema with live music and a thoroughly modern, “hyper-real” film experience with multiple screens and surround sound, Mikel Rouse’s The End Of Cinematics examines the 21st-century phenomenon of viewing media content in fragmented form. From channel surfing to MTV to formulaic Hollywood films and sitcoms, we’re accustomed to—and adept at—filling in the details of storylines, of grasping an idea and determining its conclusion.

Inspired by Susan Sontag’s 1996 New York Times article “The Decay of Cinema” and her 1997 essay “A Century of Cinema,” Mikel Rouse adds to the discourse on the art of cinema. Drawing on the history of cinema from its early days with live music to today’s sophisticated sound and effect experiences, as well as our familiarity with music videos and MTV, Mikel Rouse asks if film experiences challenge us the way they once did. He asks if the communal cinematic experience still alters our existence or if it impacts us in other ways.

As a dreamlike meditation on the possibilities of cinema, The End Of Cinematics reflects on the way corporate entertainment has transformed the art of cinema and suggests that plot and screenplay have become artifice. Mikel Rouse elevates the pop-tinged musical score to a position of prominence; by favoring sound over image and dialogue, The End Of Cinematics examines but one of the many possibilities afforded filmmakers, performers, and videographers at the beginning of the 21st century. By adding elements of form and structure, and by juxtaposing music and lyrics, images and narrative, live performance and video, Mikel Rouse creates an immersive, sensual experience that embodies a thoughtful and creative approach to 21st-century art.

The End Of Cinematics is the third part of an “opera verité” trilogy consisting of Failing Kansas and the critically-acclaimed “talk show” opera Dennis Cleveland. Each of these works combines live performance with original music and video/film; each makes use of Rouse’s counterpoetry technique, the use of multiple unpitched voices in counterpoint to create a layering effect with multiple textual meanings. The works are linked thematically in that they refer to American popular culture and how America looks at religion and spirituality.

Failing Kansas, based on events surrounding the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, was inspired by Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. Using diaries and letters of the murderers, trial transcripts, and fragments of well-known verse, Mikel Rouse performs with preacherly gestures against an abstract film backdrop by Cliff Baldwin, overlaying the text on his pre-recorded score to create a beguiling counterpoint.

As it highlights the ritual function of the television talk show, Dennis Cleveland breaks the “fourth wall”—the divide between performers and audience—allowing for interaction between everyone involved in the performance experience. Mikel Rouse performs as a combination of talk show host and master director, leading on the talk show guests and testifying audience members. As it comments on the packaging and content of the contemporary cinematic experience, The End Of Cinematics presents original film footage manipulated through computer generated imaging to provide video backdrops or stage sets for live performers. The performers and backdrops are then captured live on video and montaged onto a front-projected scrim, creating a live, 3D film right before our eyes.

credits

released September 12, 1998

EXITMUSIC 1009
Written, arranged and produced by
Mikel Rouse
© 1997 Mikel Rouse
All rights reserved.
Published by Club Soda Music (ASCAP)
EXITMUSIC RECORDINGS

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Mikel Rouse New York, New York

Mikel Rouse is a New York-based composer, director, performer and recording artist hailed as “a composer many believe to be the best of his generation.” (NY Times 2002) His works include 25 records, 7 films (including Funding and Music For Minorities), and a trilogy of media operas: Failing Kansas, Dennis Cleveland and The End Of Cinematics. ... more

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