SOUNDTRACK: INFINITE JEST-“Determinism, But I Mean It When I Say It” and more (2012).
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admit I didn’t know this band existed until I Googled Infinite Jest music about five minutes ago, because, yes, I wanted to put a thematic song here. Imagine my surprise that there’s a band called Infinite Jest (and that they are based in Boston).
Infinite Jest are an electronic duo (their site says they specialize in live shows with mind-bending visuals). All of their songs are available for download on their site. I picked this one because I liked the title (I was honestly hoping for a song title or two that referenced the book, but alas).
All of the music is electronic, but it’s not bass-heavy dance style–it’s more spacey electronic (the kind that I like). I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the genre, but i like it from time to time and most of this stuff is pretty cool. I rather prefer the instrumentals, although some of the songs with processed and autotuned vocals are okay. The track “Fuck” uses a sample of a scream which I would have guessed was Trent Reznor, but I assume anyone can scream like that. They’ve even made a video for their song “Cuddling.” Like Infinite Boston it shows scenes from around Boston, only set to music. You can hear and see it all at their website .
[VIEWED: July 2012] Infinite Boston
For fans of Infinite Jest, William Beutler has created a very exciting project: Infinite Boston.
Infinite Jest is set in the Boston Area, specifically in Enfield, a fictional town that is located around Allston and Brighton, MA. Many people have taken photos of interesting locations (fictional and otherwise) in the Brighton area, but none have approached this task with the steely-eyed determination of Beutler.
In his inaugural post (written July 15), he writes:
In July of what might have been Year of Glad, one year ago this week, I traveled to Boston, Massachusetts with the express purpose of visiting as many of the landmarks and lesser known precincts that appear in, or provide inspiration for, the late David Foster Wallace’s 1996 novel Infinite Jest as I could manage on a Thursday–Sunday trip.
All photographs were shot on a Lumix GH2 steadied on a Manfrotto monopod, but also by a declared amateur (me) so I make no promises of groundbreaking work. Plus, given the tight itinerary—I investigated more than 100 specific places over my four days’ visit—the next waypoint always beckoned.
About each I will write some 300–500 words, endeavoring to say something interesting about the role a given location plays in the story, how it appears in the present day, and what it was like to visit.
He has been posting every day or so—a number of photos with some interesting, informative and funny comments. My favorite so far is the Father & Son market, a location that I actually know.
I lived in Brighton when Infinite Jest came out, and it was great fun to be amidst the events of the book. Had I been more adventurous, I would have undertaken something very similar (although back then it would have cost a fortune in film). At the very least I should have wandered around looking for some of these locations, rather than just being excited when I read something I knew about.
Warren Street T Stop
As you can see from the two examples I’ve given, these aren’t “professional,” touched-up photos trying to make things look beautiful, these are simple, real pictures from everyday life, the kind of scenes that Wallace would have noticed, the kinds of things that would have left an impression on him. And that’s pretty cool.
I’m really looking forward to the rest of the pictures—both for seeing what Wallace saw (admittedly nearly 20 years after Wallace was writing it) and for seeing how many locations I recognize.
So subscribe the tumblr account!
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