Can't Be Real
My favorite band, as any regular reader will have been made painfully aware, is U2.
My second-favorite superhero, and a childhood obsession, is Spider-Man.
And one of the most revelatory moments the arts have given me over the years is Julie Taymor's remarkable vision in the musical The Lion King - the opening parade of animals moved me like precious little art has.
So.
So why does the news (news I'm still inclined to think is some kind of hoax, by the way) that a Spider-Man musical, with music and lyrics by Bono and the Edge and book and direction by Julie Taymor, so fill me with discomfort?
I mean, if I--a man who is passionate about musical theater, comic books in general and Spider-Man in particular, and the music and lyrics of U2--think this is a dodgy idea, then who exactly is rooting for it?
Puzzled. very puzzled.
Until Whenever
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Friday, April 13, 2007
Doin' the Friday Shuffle
1. "Batman Theme" - Danny Elfman - Batman (Film Score)
One of the best character-specific themes in the annals of film music. Just absolutely right.
2. "Electioneering" - Radiohead - OK Computer
Probably the most direct, straight-ahead rock song on the album. And a line on at that.
3. "You Turned to Me" - Elvis Costello - North
Sweet, with a happily surprised sweet tone.
4. "Miracle Drug (Live)" - U2 - Vertigo Tour Anaheim 2005
Kind of crappy quality actually.
5. "Melinda" - Lerner and Lane - On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Original Broadway Cast)
A old-fashioned, sweeping, grand ballad.
6. "Stars and the Moon" - Jason Robert Brown, sung by Audra McDonald - Way Back to Paradise
This song has over the past decade become a cabaret staple, and it's easy to see why. It's a beautiful piece of songwriting that tells a very clear, bittersweet story about a woman who passes on love and adventure for money and material luxury, with the obvious but well-executed twist at the end being that, of course, after she finally gets her riches and life of comfort she wishes she had taken "the moon" after all.
7. "Seasons of Love" - Jonathan Larson - Rent (Original Broadway Cast)
This rousing, inspiring anthem of hope and life can come across as a bit too obvious, but sometimes isn't that just fine?
8. "Act 4, Scene 1: "Look . . . through the port comes the moonshine astray!" - Benjamin Britten - Billy Budd (Opera)
A sweet and slow aria.
9. "That'll Show Him" - Stephen Sondheim - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996 Broadway Cast Revival)
Lesser Sondheim, with its central joke (the ingenue slave will "show" the captain who has purchased her by pretending as she makes love to him that he is really her true love) falling mostly flat.
10. "Savages (Part 2)" - Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - Pocohontas
The song part (this track is fronted by a good minute of scoring) is a little on the nose, perhaps, but Menken is pretty much incapable of writing a boring melody, or Shwartz a lyric without at least something to recommend it.
Until Whenever
1. "Batman Theme" - Danny Elfman - Batman (Film Score)
One of the best character-specific themes in the annals of film music. Just absolutely right.
2. "Electioneering" - Radiohead - OK Computer
Probably the most direct, straight-ahead rock song on the album. And a line on at that.
3. "You Turned to Me" - Elvis Costello - North
Sweet, with a happily surprised sweet tone.
4. "Miracle Drug (Live)" - U2 - Vertigo Tour Anaheim 2005
Kind of crappy quality actually.
5. "Melinda" - Lerner and Lane - On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Original Broadway Cast)
A old-fashioned, sweeping, grand ballad.
6. "Stars and the Moon" - Jason Robert Brown, sung by Audra McDonald - Way Back to Paradise
This song has over the past decade become a cabaret staple, and it's easy to see why. It's a beautiful piece of songwriting that tells a very clear, bittersweet story about a woman who passes on love and adventure for money and material luxury, with the obvious but well-executed twist at the end being that, of course, after she finally gets her riches and life of comfort she wishes she had taken "the moon" after all.
7. "Seasons of Love" - Jonathan Larson - Rent (Original Broadway Cast)
This rousing, inspiring anthem of hope and life can come across as a bit too obvious, but sometimes isn't that just fine?
8. "Act 4, Scene 1: "Look . . . through the port comes the moonshine astray!" - Benjamin Britten - Billy Budd (Opera)
A sweet and slow aria.
9. "That'll Show Him" - Stephen Sondheim - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1996 Broadway Cast Revival)
Lesser Sondheim, with its central joke (the ingenue slave will "show" the captain who has purchased her by pretending as she makes love to him that he is really her true love) falling mostly flat.
10. "Savages (Part 2)" - Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz - Pocohontas
The song part (this track is fronted by a good minute of scoring) is a little on the nose, perhaps, but Menken is pretty much incapable of writing a boring melody, or Shwartz a lyric without at least something to recommend it.
Until Whenever
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Music Morsels Vol II - "Check It Out"
Back when I first started to get into music, when my music collection was still small but had started to gain some mass, I made a list of my 100 favorite songs (blogging impulses were clearly there long before there was blogging). And as time went on, I would periodically revisit the list, adding in new songs I had discovered and shuffling others as my tastes evolved. And yet every time I made my list, one song always took the top spot. Now, if I were to compile such a list today (and I just might!), I'm not sure that John Mellencamp's "Check It Out" would still come out on top. But it just might.
The Lonesome Jubilee remains, 20 years after its release, Mellencamp's best album. It's a distinctive, unified album that features a singular combination of county and rock elements that he's never since really combined in the same way. And "Check It Out," which was the second single released, I believe, is easily the album's highlight. The song starts with a crack of the snare a split second before the band comes in. We hear strummed guitar, bass, and drums, the meat and potatoes of rock music, but the primary element is not the electric guitar (which if it's present at all is doing rhythm work along with the acoustic) but an electric fiddle playing a high melody. It's this melody that forms the core of the song, and it's a gorgeous one - a sad, yet hopeful lyrical piece of music that speaks volumes in its quiet simplicity.
When Mellencamp comes in, after the fiddle has finished a complete rendition of this primary theme, it's over confident guitars and drums kicking out a steady beat:
A million young poets
Screaming out their words
To a world full of people
Just living to be heard
By future generations
Riding on the highways that we built
I hope they have a better understanding
This isn’t a verse, or early showing of the chorus, but rather a refrain that will reappear at the end of the song. The song, in fact, features no standard verse/chorus form – it’s structure is instead ABBA, with those central B sections comprising repetitions of the band-shouted phrase “Check it out!” with Mellencamp-sung pithy pictures in between.
The content here is familiar ground for Mellencamp – the changing of the guard that happens as one generation ages and another matures. My high school yearbook quote comes from Mellencamp, from the liner notes to Scarecrow actually, and it neatly encapsulates this recurring theme of his: “There is nothing sadder or more glorious than generations changing hands.” “Check It Out” is about this theme. That “I hope they have a better understanding” gets called back at the end of the song when Mellencamp repeats it five times, alternating the “hope” with “maybe.” The message is clear—while we all may like to believe that our children will learn from our mistakes and improve their lot and the world’s lot, that’s hardly a guarantee. You can hope for it, or look to its possible fruition, but you can’t bet on it.
The “verses,” for lack of a better word, paint a typical Mellencamp picture of lower-middle class life in the Midwest.
Go to work on Monday
Got yourself a family
All the utility bills have been paid
Can’t tell your best buddy that you love him
The music here is simple but effective, very American rock-based, with open chords and contended strumming. But after these lines the fiddle comes back and the chords darken, as Mellencamp questions the happiness of his typical family:
But where does our time go
Got a brand-new house in escrow
Sleeping with your back to your loved one
This is all that we’ve learned about happiness
Here that plaintive, searching fiddle theme repeats before we get to the second “verse” with middle-aged life being questioned. At the end of this verse comes one of my favorite Mellencamp lines: “Soaring with the eagles all week long/And this all that we’ve learned about living.” Here the strumming dies down and the guitar instead picks out an introductory bit of business that leads up to the fiddle reaching up to a high note, not once, not twice, but three times, each time it’s ascent halted by a gunshot drum blast. This leads into what in reality is a pretty conventional guitar solo that restates the main melody, but that in practice is actually very effective, this being the first time in the song we’ve really noticed any electric guitar. It’s also important to note that the tone of that solo is almost resigned, not triumphant at all.
After the break, we get that repetition of the A section again, with its final five-time repeat of the “understanding line.” And the tension Mellencamp achieves here, with each unresolved (lyrically and musically) “hope (or “maybe”) they’ll have a better understanding,” is quite effective. You can hear the weariness and the wariness in his voice as he keeps repeating the question, until he can’t take it anymore and the core fiddle melody returns to close out the song. That the question is never resolved is important, I think, and central to the song. After all, how well or not future generations fare is not something we really ever get to see for certain.
I still do love this song greatly, and while it’s “all-time top” spot would probably go to “Where the Streets Have No Name” these days, it’s still way, way up there.
Until Whenever
Back when I first started to get into music, when my music collection was still small but had started to gain some mass, I made a list of my 100 favorite songs (blogging impulses were clearly there long before there was blogging). And as time went on, I would periodically revisit the list, adding in new songs I had discovered and shuffling others as my tastes evolved. And yet every time I made my list, one song always took the top spot. Now, if I were to compile such a list today (and I just might!), I'm not sure that John Mellencamp's "Check It Out" would still come out on top. But it just might.
The Lonesome Jubilee remains, 20 years after its release, Mellencamp's best album. It's a distinctive, unified album that features a singular combination of county and rock elements that he's never since really combined in the same way. And "Check It Out," which was the second single released, I believe, is easily the album's highlight. The song starts with a crack of the snare a split second before the band comes in. We hear strummed guitar, bass, and drums, the meat and potatoes of rock music, but the primary element is not the electric guitar (which if it's present at all is doing rhythm work along with the acoustic) but an electric fiddle playing a high melody. It's this melody that forms the core of the song, and it's a gorgeous one - a sad, yet hopeful lyrical piece of music that speaks volumes in its quiet simplicity.
When Mellencamp comes in, after the fiddle has finished a complete rendition of this primary theme, it's over confident guitars and drums kicking out a steady beat:
A million young poets
Screaming out their words
To a world full of people
Just living to be heard
By future generations
Riding on the highways that we built
I hope they have a better understanding
This isn’t a verse, or early showing of the chorus, but rather a refrain that will reappear at the end of the song. The song, in fact, features no standard verse/chorus form – it’s structure is instead ABBA, with those central B sections comprising repetitions of the band-shouted phrase “Check it out!” with Mellencamp-sung pithy pictures in between.
The content here is familiar ground for Mellencamp – the changing of the guard that happens as one generation ages and another matures. My high school yearbook quote comes from Mellencamp, from the liner notes to Scarecrow actually, and it neatly encapsulates this recurring theme of his: “There is nothing sadder or more glorious than generations changing hands.” “Check It Out” is about this theme. That “I hope they have a better understanding” gets called back at the end of the song when Mellencamp repeats it five times, alternating the “hope” with “maybe.” The message is clear—while we all may like to believe that our children will learn from our mistakes and improve their lot and the world’s lot, that’s hardly a guarantee. You can hope for it, or look to its possible fruition, but you can’t bet on it.
The “verses,” for lack of a better word, paint a typical Mellencamp picture of lower-middle class life in the Midwest.
Go to work on Monday
Got yourself a family
All the utility bills have been paid
Can’t tell your best buddy that you love him
The music here is simple but effective, very American rock-based, with open chords and contended strumming. But after these lines the fiddle comes back and the chords darken, as Mellencamp questions the happiness of his typical family:
But where does our time go
Got a brand-new house in escrow
Sleeping with your back to your loved one
This is all that we’ve learned about happiness
Here that plaintive, searching fiddle theme repeats before we get to the second “verse” with middle-aged life being questioned. At the end of this verse comes one of my favorite Mellencamp lines: “Soaring with the eagles all week long/And this all that we’ve learned about living.” Here the strumming dies down and the guitar instead picks out an introductory bit of business that leads up to the fiddle reaching up to a high note, not once, not twice, but three times, each time it’s ascent halted by a gunshot drum blast. This leads into what in reality is a pretty conventional guitar solo that restates the main melody, but that in practice is actually very effective, this being the first time in the song we’ve really noticed any electric guitar. It’s also important to note that the tone of that solo is almost resigned, not triumphant at all.
After the break, we get that repetition of the A section again, with its final five-time repeat of the “understanding line.” And the tension Mellencamp achieves here, with each unresolved (lyrically and musically) “hope (or “maybe”) they’ll have a better understanding,” is quite effective. You can hear the weariness and the wariness in his voice as he keeps repeating the question, until he can’t take it anymore and the core fiddle melody returns to close out the song. That the question is never resolved is important, I think, and central to the song. After all, how well or not future generations fare is not something we really ever get to see for certain.
I still do love this song greatly, and while it’s “all-time top” spot would probably go to “Where the Streets Have No Name” these days, it’s still way, way up there.
Until Whenever
Just Wrong
Can anyone tell me why this whole Imus thing is getting swept under the rug? I mean, it's as if the news outlets are deliberately trying to ignore it. It make me sick to my stomach. I mean this should be much bigger news than it is. I really can't fathom it. My office, if you can believe it, is still open today. As if I can be expected to work in such a time of crisis. It's unbelievable. I just wish more people were talking about it, that more stories were being written about it, that TV news was devoting more air time to it. You know? Why hasn't the President weighed in? What's wrong with him? And the worst part? That Imus himself is still out there. Walking around. A free man. And not in jail for life. Or worse. The sheer lack of attention this thing is getting is just a disgusting state of affairs, and sad, sad commentary on our priorities..
Until Whenever
Can anyone tell me why this whole Imus thing is getting swept under the rug? I mean, it's as if the news outlets are deliberately trying to ignore it. It make me sick to my stomach. I mean this should be much bigger news than it is. I really can't fathom it. My office, if you can believe it, is still open today. As if I can be expected to work in such a time of crisis. It's unbelievable. I just wish more people were talking about it, that more stories were being written about it, that TV news was devoting more air time to it. You know? Why hasn't the President weighed in? What's wrong with him? And the worst part? That Imus himself is still out there. Walking around. A free man. And not in jail for life. Or worse. The sheer lack of attention this thing is getting is just a disgusting state of affairs, and sad, sad commentary on our priorities..
Until Whenever
On the Nightstand
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov
This was pretty much a "I should read a classic, haven't done that in a while" read, and a worthy one. I've read from many, many sources over the years what a gifted, effortless prose stylist Nabakov is and the hype was well-deserved. Dude can write. It's not a new observation, but it's impressive how creepy and disturbing the book is given that Nabakov never gets dirty or explicit at all; there are no cheap sex scenes, no "erotic" writing, just the eminently believable and horrifying story of a pedophile. What's really amazing is how well Nabakov manages to straddle the line between making Humbert sympathetic and downright evil. While we understand him, we don't really sympathize with him either; Nabakov never lets him off the hook for his actions but at the same time makes sure we understand them well. A neat trick.
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
As an atheist, I apreciated much of Dawkins' methodical, reasoned, and passionate arguments for reason and enjoyed the book, although I do feel he gets a little, well, too evangelical in spots - especially where he likens the teaching of religion to a child as abuse. His near-hysterical insisitence that it's the height of horror to refer to a child as a "Christian" or "Jewish" child, when of course a child has no real conception of what those words mean, has a core of reason to it, but he blithely ignores the fact that religion is deeply cultural as well. Parents who teach their children about the Christmas story, for example, do so for many reasons, and the idea that the literal truth of the story is to be accepted as the basis for their belief system is, at least for many, pretty far down the list (or not on it at all). Dawkins pretty much ignores the fact that cultural identities and traditions and religious beliefs are so irrevocably tangled together, and treats religion only as a rigid belief system, which is why his arguments can sometimes ride off the rails. Still, I appreciated much of what he’s put forth here and recommend the book.
Until Whenever
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov
This was pretty much a "I should read a classic, haven't done that in a while" read, and a worthy one. I've read from many, many sources over the years what a gifted, effortless prose stylist Nabakov is and the hype was well-deserved. Dude can write. It's not a new observation, but it's impressive how creepy and disturbing the book is given that Nabakov never gets dirty or explicit at all; there are no cheap sex scenes, no "erotic" writing, just the eminently believable and horrifying story of a pedophile. What's really amazing is how well Nabakov manages to straddle the line between making Humbert sympathetic and downright evil. While we understand him, we don't really sympathize with him either; Nabakov never lets him off the hook for his actions but at the same time makes sure we understand them well. A neat trick.
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
As an atheist, I apreciated much of Dawkins' methodical, reasoned, and passionate arguments for reason and enjoyed the book, although I do feel he gets a little, well, too evangelical in spots - especially where he likens the teaching of religion to a child as abuse. His near-hysterical insisitence that it's the height of horror to refer to a child as a "Christian" or "Jewish" child, when of course a child has no real conception of what those words mean, has a core of reason to it, but he blithely ignores the fact that religion is deeply cultural as well. Parents who teach their children about the Christmas story, for example, do so for many reasons, and the idea that the literal truth of the story is to be accepted as the basis for their belief system is, at least for many, pretty far down the list (or not on it at all). Dawkins pretty much ignores the fact that cultural identities and traditions and religious beliefs are so irrevocably tangled together, and treats religion only as a rigid belief system, which is why his arguments can sometimes ride off the rails. Still, I appreciated much of what he’s put forth here and recommend the book.
Until Whenever
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Very Brief Thoughts on Movies I've Seen in the Past Few Weeks
The Prestige - I'm one of the dummies that only suspected the twist with Christian Bale's character at the end and didn't assume it, so it worked for me pretty well. What really impressed me about this film though was how well-constructed it is, how tightly written and precisely acted. Definitely one of those films I'll have to watch again, to see how some of the last-minute revelations are hinted at throughout.
Casino Royale - Immensely entertaining, and Craig is as good a Bond as advertised. I did find the third-act love story stuff a bit forced but in the end I didn't mind much. I do wonder how that torture scene (naked Bond tied to a chair and his genitals beaten) managed to elicit only a PG-13 though.
Little Miss Sunshine - Steve Carrell was great, and showed that he has real range as an actor - his character here was nothing like Michael Scott. Arkin was a whole lot of fun, if not really Oscar-worthy. Abigail Breslin was Oscar-worthy - a great child actor performance. and Greg Kinnear and Toni Collete did a fine job at limning (especially in her case) fairly underwritten characters. The writing was punchy and funny and fat-free and had me laughing throughout. But that ending? How we are supposed to connect Arkin's grandfather character with the routine he came up with for his moppet grandchild just completely eluded me.
300 - A perfectly realized vision. The computer-generated backdrops and blood and skies and action is used very deliberately to create a specifically non-realistic, stylized, and impressionistic style that works wonders. If this was done "traditionally," with an army of extras out in the real desert it would never have worked as well. A gorgeous live action cartoon of a movie. (And the criticisms of that cartoonishness I've been reading continue to puzzle me - do these critics not realize that the effect is intentional, and not a sad by-product of CGI?)
Until Whenever
The Prestige - I'm one of the dummies that only suspected the twist with Christian Bale's character at the end and didn't assume it, so it worked for me pretty well. What really impressed me about this film though was how well-constructed it is, how tightly written and precisely acted. Definitely one of those films I'll have to watch again, to see how some of the last-minute revelations are hinted at throughout.
Casino Royale - Immensely entertaining, and Craig is as good a Bond as advertised. I did find the third-act love story stuff a bit forced but in the end I didn't mind much. I do wonder how that torture scene (naked Bond tied to a chair and his genitals beaten) managed to elicit only a PG-13 though.
Little Miss Sunshine - Steve Carrell was great, and showed that he has real range as an actor - his character here was nothing like Michael Scott. Arkin was a whole lot of fun, if not really Oscar-worthy. Abigail Breslin was Oscar-worthy - a great child actor performance. and Greg Kinnear and Toni Collete did a fine job at limning (especially in her case) fairly underwritten characters. The writing was punchy and funny and fat-free and had me laughing throughout. But that ending? How we are supposed to connect Arkin's grandfather character with the routine he came up with for his moppet grandchild just completely eluded me.
300 - A perfectly realized vision. The computer-generated backdrops and blood and skies and action is used very deliberately to create a specifically non-realistic, stylized, and impressionistic style that works wonders. If this was done "traditionally," with an army of extras out in the real desert it would never have worked as well. A gorgeous live action cartoon of a movie. (And the criticisms of that cartoonishness I've been reading continue to puzzle me - do these critics not realize that the effect is intentional, and not a sad by-product of CGI?)
Until Whenever
Friday, April 06, 2007
Makes Puppies Look Like Slackers
I have pretty much zero interest in hockey, and one of the things that I dislike about the sport most is the ridiculous fighting. No other sport tolerates fights (except boxing), so why does hockey? It's just lame and pathetic. And yet. This is easily the cutest thing ever.
(With a tip of the hat to ALOTT5MA)
Until Whenever
I have pretty much zero interest in hockey, and one of the things that I dislike about the sport most is the ridiculous fighting. No other sport tolerates fights (except boxing), so why does hockey? It's just lame and pathetic. And yet. This is easily the cutest thing ever.
(With a tip of the hat to ALOTT5MA)
Until Whenever
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A Call for Help
I remember seeing a movie as a very young kid that struck a deep chord with me, that I've always remembered, but that I've, as an adult, been unable to find any info on. The problem is that I can't remember the title, or who was in it, or much of anything, really. Just the premise (of which I very easily could have some details wrong):
In the future the earth has become inhospitable and a group of schoolchildren (all girls?) must live on a planet where it rains all year. All except for one day, one glorious day of sunshine, that the kids look forward to all year. Some mean girls lock the main character in her room on the sunshine day and she misses it. Very tragic and very upsetting to young Tosy. After the sunny day is over, the mean girl(s) feel badly.
Anyone know what movie (TV movie?) I'm talking about??
Until Whenever
I remember seeing a movie as a very young kid that struck a deep chord with me, that I've always remembered, but that I've, as an adult, been unable to find any info on. The problem is that I can't remember the title, or who was in it, or much of anything, really. Just the premise (of which I very easily could have some details wrong):
In the future the earth has become inhospitable and a group of schoolchildren (all girls?) must live on a planet where it rains all year. All except for one day, one glorious day of sunshine, that the kids look forward to all year. Some mean girls lock the main character in her room on the sunshine day and she misses it. Very tragic and very upsetting to young Tosy. After the sunny day is over, the mean girl(s) feel badly.
Anyone know what movie (TV movie?) I'm talking about??
Until Whenever
Seven Songs
Roger has (mildly) tagged me with this round-making meme, in which I am to list seven songs I have been listening to this week. So:
1) "Overture" - Merrily We Roll Along (Original Broadway Cast)- Stephen Sondheim
This has just been remastered and released and I took the opportunity to get it, seeing as how it was one of those albums I had on tape and listened to hundreds of times and yet still never managed to get on CD. The overture here is one of my favorites, a bright and brassy slap pf energy featuring some wonderfully loud and exuberant drumming. A wake-you-up-in-the-morning kind of piece.
2) "Hurley's Handouts" - Lost (Season Two Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino
Finally got the second release of Lost music and I have been enjoying it more than I even expected. This track, a slow, piano- and guitar-based piece, is a real standout. Something about the music is sweet and casual, and offers a definable different sound than most of Giacchino's work for the show.
3) "The Gathering" - Lost (Season Two Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino
Another favorite from the soundtrack, a longer, more momentous piece. Giacchino's work for this show, as I've said before, is simply wonderful; I really do think he's working well above any other TV composer.
4) "All's Forgiven . .. Except Charlie" - Lost (Season Two Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino
A simple-sounding piece, but one that works as its own piece of music better than a lot of the material on this album. A slow introduction leads to some lovely, understated ukelele stuff. Slow and sad.
5) "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
The praise and hype wore me down and I finally got this much-acclaimed album. Have listened to this first song more than any other and like it (and the album) well enough, if not so much as to really understand the undying praise I've read.
6) "Nightswimming" - In Time: The Best of REM - REM
Just got this (REM is a perfect best-of band for me; Automatic for the People aside, I've never really been turned on by any of their whole albums, and yet I like some of their songs very much) and have been reminded by it of what a gorgeous piece of songwriting this is.
7) "City of Blinding Lights (Live)" - Vertigo: Live in Chicago - U2
As the weather had started to get nice late last week (it's since regressed) I would drive home with the window down, enjoying the spring air, and blasting this live version of one of my favorite U2 songs as loud as I could stand it. Epic arena rock at its best.
Until Whenever
Roger has (mildly) tagged me with this round-making meme, in which I am to list seven songs I have been listening to this week. So:
1) "Overture" - Merrily We Roll Along (Original Broadway Cast)- Stephen Sondheim
This has just been remastered and released and I took the opportunity to get it, seeing as how it was one of those albums I had on tape and listened to hundreds of times and yet still never managed to get on CD. The overture here is one of my favorites, a bright and brassy slap pf energy featuring some wonderfully loud and exuberant drumming. A wake-you-up-in-the-morning kind of piece.
2) "Hurley's Handouts" - Lost (Season Two Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino
Finally got the second release of Lost music and I have been enjoying it more than I even expected. This track, a slow, piano- and guitar-based piece, is a real standout. Something about the music is sweet and casual, and offers a definable different sound than most of Giacchino's work for the show.
3) "The Gathering" - Lost (Season Two Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino
Another favorite from the soundtrack, a longer, more momentous piece. Giacchino's work for this show, as I've said before, is simply wonderful; I really do think he's working well above any other TV composer.
4) "All's Forgiven . .. Except Charlie" - Lost (Season Two Soundtrack) - Michael Giacchino
A simple-sounding piece, but one that works as its own piece of music better than a lot of the material on this album. A slow introduction leads to some lovely, understated ukelele stuff. Slow and sad.
5) "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
The praise and hype wore me down and I finally got this much-acclaimed album. Have listened to this first song more than any other and like it (and the album) well enough, if not so much as to really understand the undying praise I've read.
6) "Nightswimming" - In Time: The Best of REM - REM
Just got this (REM is a perfect best-of band for me; Automatic for the People aside, I've never really been turned on by any of their whole albums, and yet I like some of their songs very much) and have been reminded by it of what a gorgeous piece of songwriting this is.
7) "City of Blinding Lights (Live)" - Vertigo: Live in Chicago - U2
As the weather had started to get nice late last week (it's since regressed) I would drive home with the window down, enjoying the spring air, and blasting this live version of one of my favorite U2 songs as loud as I could stand it. Epic arena rock at its best.
Until Whenever
Monday, April 02, 2007
Random Top Ten
Random Top Ten!!
Top Ten Superheroes
10. Beast - I've always had a propensity for those "super-agile" heroes. I guess some unformed part of my psyche always wanted to be a gymnast.
9. Daredevil - The "blind" angle should really by all rights be a lot cheesier than it is. Not sure how they pulled that off.
8. Wolverine - A canny creation that has probably been overused to the point of no return at this stage. Still, it's not his fault.
7. Superman - The foundation from which all else sprung. I put in my fair share of hours running around the house with a bath towel tucked into my shirt for a cape.
6. Batman - The gadgets angle could get contrived really quick, but the iconography of the character (the costume, the cave, the origin) is hard to beat.
5. Iron Man - I used to daydream about having an Iron Man suit in a briefcase that I carried with me. I love the character, but the "technology is magic" angle can get overused - whatever they have going know with his armor being some kind of liquid that comes out of his skin is clearly over the top.
4. Green Arrow - Inerrant marksmanship is just cool as all get out. It's why Bullseye is one of my favorite villains.
3. The Flash - He's always been my favorite DC superhero and I've never quite understood why Marvel has never been able to tap into superspeed as an elemental power in as cool a way as DC.
2. Spider-Man - Dress up as Spider-Man for Halloween. Had a Spider-Man cake. Religiously watched The Electric Company, mostly for Spider-Man. I was hooked as a little one.
1. Captain America - Anyone have the over/under on when his "death" becomes less-than-permanent? The good Captain has always (well, since I started reading comics anyway; as a wee lad my favorite Superhero would likely have been Spider-Man) been my favorite. Not really sure why; some combination of the moral certitude, the indestructible shield, the status as the world's greatest fighter, and that iconic costume just always spoke to me.
Until Whenever
Random Top Ten!!
Top Ten Superheroes
10. Beast - I've always had a propensity for those "super-agile" heroes. I guess some unformed part of my psyche always wanted to be a gymnast.
9. Daredevil - The "blind" angle should really by all rights be a lot cheesier than it is. Not sure how they pulled that off.
8. Wolverine - A canny creation that has probably been overused to the point of no return at this stage. Still, it's not his fault.
7. Superman - The foundation from which all else sprung. I put in my fair share of hours running around the house with a bath towel tucked into my shirt for a cape.
6. Batman - The gadgets angle could get contrived really quick, but the iconography of the character (the costume, the cave, the origin) is hard to beat.
5. Iron Man - I used to daydream about having an Iron Man suit in a briefcase that I carried with me. I love the character, but the "technology is magic" angle can get overused - whatever they have going know with his armor being some kind of liquid that comes out of his skin is clearly over the top.
4. Green Arrow - Inerrant marksmanship is just cool as all get out. It's why Bullseye is one of my favorite villains.
3. The Flash - He's always been my favorite DC superhero and I've never quite understood why Marvel has never been able to tap into superspeed as an elemental power in as cool a way as DC.
2. Spider-Man - Dress up as Spider-Man for Halloween. Had a Spider-Man cake. Religiously watched The Electric Company, mostly for Spider-Man. I was hooked as a little one.
1. Captain America - Anyone have the over/under on when his "death" becomes less-than-permanent? The good Captain has always (well, since I started reading comics anyway; as a wee lad my favorite Superhero would likely have been Spider-Man) been my favorite. Not really sure why; some combination of the moral certitude, the indestructible shield, the status as the world's greatest fighter, and that iconic costume just always spoke to me.
Until Whenever
Friday, March 30, 2007
Doin' the Friday Shuffle
1. "No Place Like London" - Stephen Sondheim - Sweneey Todd Live in Concert 2000
From the Lincoln Center concert, featuring opera and musical theater performers. The concert's balance got unfortunately shifted too far to the musical theater side when Bryn Terfel had to pull out as Sweeney at the last minute.
2. "Hollywood (Medley): It Only Happens When I Dance with You" - Mandy Patinkin - Mandy Patinkin
A rollicking good time.
3. "When the Saints Go Marching in" - Louis Armstrong - The Essential Louis Armstrong
New Orleans' most famous son sings its most famous song.
4. "Poison Moon" - Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
Slight acoustic thing.
5. "Talkin World War III Blues" - Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 - Concert at Royal Philharmonic Hall
I have to admit that I've never really cared for this song.
6. "Gloomy Sunday" - Elvis Costello - Trust
See, but here Elvis shows that he can do a fine, gorgeous job with just an acoustic guitar and a standard.
7. "Love Is Blindness" - U2 - Achtung Baby
A somber, steeped-in-sadness song, and one that features one of my favorite Edge guitar solos, a short solo comprised of one stabbing note that he somehow manages to wring deep emotions from.
8. "Cheer Up! Smile! Nertz!" - Thomas Newman - Cinderella Man
A depression ditty (not really written by Thomas Newman; I just don't have the original artist info in my iPod).
9. "Peter, we've come to take you home." - Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes
The end of the opera. Peter's last two supporters in the town tell him to take his boat to see and sink it before the townspeople arrive to lynch him. He does.
10. "Digging a Ditch" - Dave Matthews Band - Busted Stuff
Some nice acoustic guitar in this one.
Until Whenever
1. "No Place Like London" - Stephen Sondheim - Sweneey Todd Live in Concert 2000
From the Lincoln Center concert, featuring opera and musical theater performers. The concert's balance got unfortunately shifted too far to the musical theater side when Bryn Terfel had to pull out as Sweeney at the last minute.
2. "Hollywood (Medley): It Only Happens When I Dance with You" - Mandy Patinkin - Mandy Patinkin
A rollicking good time.
3. "When the Saints Go Marching in" - Louis Armstrong - The Essential Louis Armstrong
New Orleans' most famous son sings its most famous song.
4. "Poison Moon" - Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True
Slight acoustic thing.
5. "Talkin World War III Blues" - Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol 6: Bob Dylan Live 1964 - Concert at Royal Philharmonic Hall
I have to admit that I've never really cared for this song.
6. "Gloomy Sunday" - Elvis Costello - Trust
See, but here Elvis shows that he can do a fine, gorgeous job with just an acoustic guitar and a standard.
7. "Love Is Blindness" - U2 - Achtung Baby
A somber, steeped-in-sadness song, and one that features one of my favorite Edge guitar solos, a short solo comprised of one stabbing note that he somehow manages to wring deep emotions from.
8. "Cheer Up! Smile! Nertz!" - Thomas Newman - Cinderella Man
A depression ditty (not really written by Thomas Newman; I just don't have the original artist info in my iPod).
9. "Peter, we've come to take you home." - Benjamin Britten - Peter Grimes
The end of the opera. Peter's last two supporters in the town tell him to take his boat to see and sink it before the townspeople arrive to lynch him. He does.
10. "Digging a Ditch" - Dave Matthews Band - Busted Stuff
Some nice acoustic guitar in this one.
Until Whenever
On Lost
I've read a lot of takes and comments on this Wednesday's Lost out in blogland, and there seem to be two theories:
That this was a course correction instated by the writers after they realized how much the fans hated, hated, HATED! Nikki and Paulo.
That this was, more or less, the plan all along.
I'm in the latter camp. I think the intent was from the beginning to take a little time this year to see what the other survivors (and I haven't dome the math - how many are we down to now?) have been doing, and to do so by focusing on one pair, integrating them lightly into the early eps, and then indulging in one meta-bomb of an episode in which we saw how they had been interacting all long. As others have pointed out, too many elements from earlier episodes (Paolo using the toilet in the station, Paolo acting fishy when Nicki wanted to go there) fit too neatly with this episode to have been reverse engineered in.
But the most common complaint I'm reading, regardless of which school of thought is ascribed to, is that the episode was a waste, in that it didn't move the story forward at all. And every time I read a sentiment like that I can't help but marvel. A waste? I laughed more at this episode than maybe any other Lost episode to date. The meta references, the seamless incorporation of Nikki, Paolo, and Arst into earlier footage (especially the crash), the twisty nature of the story, the delicious reveal of why we were getting such specific time tags when we realized that "eight hours earlier" meant that the paralysis was about to wear off--I was highly entertained!
And let's face it - the show will run for at least four seasons, probably five. And with 100+ episodes to fill I really don't think every one can move the ball of the overall plot forward. No, too many of these would not be appropriate to the tone of the show, but two or three a season? That works for me.
Until Whenever
I've read a lot of takes and comments on this Wednesday's Lost out in blogland, and there seem to be two theories:
That this was a course correction instated by the writers after they realized how much the fans hated, hated, HATED! Nikki and Paulo.
That this was, more or less, the plan all along.
I'm in the latter camp. I think the intent was from the beginning to take a little time this year to see what the other survivors (and I haven't dome the math - how many are we down to now?) have been doing, and to do so by focusing on one pair, integrating them lightly into the early eps, and then indulging in one meta-bomb of an episode in which we saw how they had been interacting all long. As others have pointed out, too many elements from earlier episodes (Paolo using the toilet in the station, Paolo acting fishy when Nicki wanted to go there) fit too neatly with this episode to have been reverse engineered in.
But the most common complaint I'm reading, regardless of which school of thought is ascribed to, is that the episode was a waste, in that it didn't move the story forward at all. And every time I read a sentiment like that I can't help but marvel. A waste? I laughed more at this episode than maybe any other Lost episode to date. The meta references, the seamless incorporation of Nikki, Paolo, and Arst into earlier footage (especially the crash), the twisty nature of the story, the delicious reveal of why we were getting such specific time tags when we realized that "eight hours earlier" meant that the paralysis was about to wear off--I was highly entertained!
And let's face it - the show will run for at least four seasons, probably five. And with 100+ episodes to fill I really don't think every one can move the ball of the overall plot forward. No, too many of these would not be appropriate to the tone of the show, but two or three a season? That works for me.
Until Whenever
The Softer Side
I've been feeling a little guilty for my earlier snarky comment at my beloved Mandy's expense. That the man has been down to chew the odd bit of scenery is hardly news, and the drama he shows in that Larry King clip can be kind of comedic, but two things come to mind.
First is that he was doing Larry King to promote his concert series. Accordingly, the performances he was doing, performances culled from that show were performances designed to play to big 1,000-seat theaters, not to a camera ten feet away. So some of the gestures, the extremity, can be forgiven when you realize that they really are designed for the concertgoer in the back of the house.
Second is that, contrary to popular belief, the man can underplay an emotional moment. Below you will find Exhibit A, one of my favorite moments from one of my favorite TV series ever. This was, I think, the second or third episode of Chicago Hope, and we've just found out that our main character, Patinkin's Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, a character who has already been clearly established as an egocentric, rude, genius surgeon (no, House didn't invent the type), has a wife in a mental institution, a wife who years ago drowned their baby son in a bathtub. This moment was the end of the episode, and it may well have been what won Patinkin the Emmy that year. The way he underplays the grief, the way he lets us see that his wife's request for a song is fraying on his nerves, and how much how part of him is just playing to shut her up, and the way that the music almost makes things worse for him, by making it harder to keep the emotions he's felling buried - all these things are just remarkably played out. Chicago Hope went to the "Geiger sings" well probably a bit too often, but here the device works beautifully.
Until Whenever
I've been feeling a little guilty for my earlier snarky comment at my beloved Mandy's expense. That the man has been down to chew the odd bit of scenery is hardly news, and the drama he shows in that Larry King clip can be kind of comedic, but two things come to mind.
First is that he was doing Larry King to promote his concert series. Accordingly, the performances he was doing, performances culled from that show were performances designed to play to big 1,000-seat theaters, not to a camera ten feet away. So some of the gestures, the extremity, can be forgiven when you realize that they really are designed for the concertgoer in the back of the house.
Second is that, contrary to popular belief, the man can underplay an emotional moment. Below you will find Exhibit A, one of my favorite moments from one of my favorite TV series ever. This was, I think, the second or third episode of Chicago Hope, and we've just found out that our main character, Patinkin's Dr. Jeffrey Geiger, a character who has already been clearly established as an egocentric, rude, genius surgeon (no, House didn't invent the type), has a wife in a mental institution, a wife who years ago drowned their baby son in a bathtub. This moment was the end of the episode, and it may well have been what won Patinkin the Emmy that year. The way he underplays the grief, the way he lets us see that his wife's request for a song is fraying on his nerves, and how much how part of him is just playing to shut her up, and the way that the music almost makes things worse for him, by making it harder to keep the emotions he's felling buried - all these things are just remarkably played out. Chicago Hope went to the "Geiger sings" well probably a bit too often, but here the device works beautifully.
Until Whenever
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Music Morsels 2 - "Bein' Green"
Note - I'm republishing this piece, a favorite of mine, because now that I know how to embed the video it works a lot better.
As I think I mentioned here before, I firmly and irrevocably, and with no irony or insincerity of any kind, believe that Kermit the Frog's rendition of "Bein' Green" is one of the greatest vocal performances of the 20th Century. Seriously. I am speaking only of that original performance from Sesame Street, 1969 according to YouTube. I've heard other Kermit renditions since that have nowhere near the artistry and power of this one. Renditions where Henson is clearly just marking time, or just isn't as committed as he was for that first performance. And I say this not as a slight against the great Henson - after all, he wasn't really a singer. But in that original performance? He achieved an artistry and a unity of song and singer that many a ridiculously talented singer could only dream of achieving.
The first sound we hear (apart for some crickets) is a repeated piano chord, soon ornamented by a jazzy, but not too-jazzy guitar line. With the first line, "It's not that easy bein' green," we are surprised by how down, how defeated, really, this piece of green felt feels. The piano chords modulate down and we hear the next line ("Having to spend each day the color of the leaves"). Listen to how Kermit/Henson his that "color" - he's not spitting it out, but he's cutting it short with a sense of fatalism that cuts to the bone.
I love how in the next line he underplays the "red, or yellow, or gold" lines - there's no conviction, no real hope that he could ever be those things. He's going through the motions, as is made clear at the end of the line, where he can barely muster up the energy to sing "something much more colorful like that."
The next verse starts with a repeat of the first line - and this time we almost hear a catch, a break in his voice on the word "easy." What's so amazing here is that on this kid's show, Henson is singing with such a committed sense of finality, of not quiet reflection, but real sadness. There's no pulling of the punches. It's astonishing. After that repeated line, we hear for the first time a melancholy flute joining the guitar, emphasizing the sense of dispiritidness. As Kermit sings "you blend in with so many ordinary things" we can again hear the resignation in his voice, especially in the way he pauses ever-so-slightly before the word "ordinary." As he finishes the verse, listen to how he employs that same just-behind-the-beat cutting-short technique on the lines "pass you over" and "shiny sparkles."
As the bridge begins, some twinkly xylophone-sounding tones signal a shift in mood. Now we get to the switch in viewpoint, the part of the song where Kermit realizes all of the good things about being green. And what I can never get over, no matter how many times I hear this original version, is how he refuses to make the song into something it's not. Even as he sings the words, he's still down, still resigned, still sad. "But green is the color of spring," he sings, and yet even as the notes go up and attempt to sound uplifting, Henson/Kermit keeps his voice low-key, de-emphasizing the rising melody. "Green can be cool and friendly-like." There is a shift, don't get me wrong, but it's much subtler than you would expect - or than it is in other renditions. Even at the putative climax, "big, like an ocean, or important, like a mountain, or tall like a tree," Kermit downplays the epiphany and emphasizes the melancholy. Kermit may acknowledge that there are advantages to being green, but, and this what makes this version of the song so brilliant to me, he clearly still wishes to be something besides green. And still knows that he never will be.
What a remarkably mature, deep, and subtle message to try and pass on to kids! As time has passed the accepted message of the song is to love who you are--and, yes, that's also part of it. But when sung right,the message is also that we all have limitations, and that it's OK to be saddened by them. I can't help but repeat - astonishing!
For the closing, Kermit acknowledges that he will always be green. And listen to that final "why wonder" - the inevitability of his condition, of life, is supremely evident. "I'm green, and it'll do fine. And it's beautiful. And I think it's what I wanna be." Listen hard to that "beautiful." Listen hard to that "wanna be. And note the presence of that wonderfully non-committal "think" in the lyric. Do you believe him? I don't.
Until Whenever
Note - I'm republishing this piece, a favorite of mine, because now that I know how to embed the video it works a lot better.
As I think I mentioned here before, I firmly and irrevocably, and with no irony or insincerity of any kind, believe that Kermit the Frog's rendition of "Bein' Green" is one of the greatest vocal performances of the 20th Century. Seriously. I am speaking only of that original performance from Sesame Street, 1969 according to YouTube. I've heard other Kermit renditions since that have nowhere near the artistry and power of this one. Renditions where Henson is clearly just marking time, or just isn't as committed as he was for that first performance. And I say this not as a slight against the great Henson - after all, he wasn't really a singer. But in that original performance? He achieved an artistry and a unity of song and singer that many a ridiculously talented singer could only dream of achieving.
The first sound we hear (apart for some crickets) is a repeated piano chord, soon ornamented by a jazzy, but not too-jazzy guitar line. With the first line, "It's not that easy bein' green," we are surprised by how down, how defeated, really, this piece of green felt feels. The piano chords modulate down and we hear the next line ("Having to spend each day the color of the leaves"). Listen to how Kermit/Henson his that "color" - he's not spitting it out, but he's cutting it short with a sense of fatalism that cuts to the bone.
I love how in the next line he underplays the "red, or yellow, or gold" lines - there's no conviction, no real hope that he could ever be those things. He's going through the motions, as is made clear at the end of the line, where he can barely muster up the energy to sing "something much more colorful like that."
The next verse starts with a repeat of the first line - and this time we almost hear a catch, a break in his voice on the word "easy." What's so amazing here is that on this kid's show, Henson is singing with such a committed sense of finality, of not quiet reflection, but real sadness. There's no pulling of the punches. It's astonishing. After that repeated line, we hear for the first time a melancholy flute joining the guitar, emphasizing the sense of dispiritidness. As Kermit sings "you blend in with so many ordinary things" we can again hear the resignation in his voice, especially in the way he pauses ever-so-slightly before the word "ordinary." As he finishes the verse, listen to how he employs that same just-behind-the-beat cutting-short technique on the lines "pass you over" and "shiny sparkles."
As the bridge begins, some twinkly xylophone-sounding tones signal a shift in mood. Now we get to the switch in viewpoint, the part of the song where Kermit realizes all of the good things about being green. And what I can never get over, no matter how many times I hear this original version, is how he refuses to make the song into something it's not. Even as he sings the words, he's still down, still resigned, still sad. "But green is the color of spring," he sings, and yet even as the notes go up and attempt to sound uplifting, Henson/Kermit keeps his voice low-key, de-emphasizing the rising melody. "Green can be cool and friendly-like." There is a shift, don't get me wrong, but it's much subtler than you would expect - or than it is in other renditions. Even at the putative climax, "big, like an ocean, or important, like a mountain, or tall like a tree," Kermit downplays the epiphany and emphasizes the melancholy. Kermit may acknowledge that there are advantages to being green, but, and this what makes this version of the song so brilliant to me, he clearly still wishes to be something besides green. And still knows that he never will be.
What a remarkably mature, deep, and subtle message to try and pass on to kids! As time has passed the accepted message of the song is to love who you are--and, yes, that's also part of it. But when sung right,the message is also that we all have limitations, and that it's OK to be saddened by them. I can't help but repeat - astonishing!
For the closing, Kermit acknowledges that he will always be green. And listen to that final "why wonder" - the inevitability of his condition, of life, is supremely evident. "I'm green, and it'll do fine. And it's beautiful. And I think it's what I wanna be." Listen hard to that "beautiful." Listen hard to that "wanna be. And note the presence of that wonderfully non-committal "think" in the lyric. Do you believe him? I don't.
Until Whenever
Audra and Patti Do Opera
The clip below is a promotional piece done for a production of Kurt Weill's opera The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany featuring, amongst legit opera singers, musical theater stars Audra McDonald and Patti Lupone. That classically trained Audra McDonald is so comfortable, and sounds so good, in an operatic mode is no surprise; that Broadway belter extraordinaire Patti LuPone sounds so good in her brief clip is a real treat.
Until Whenever
P.S. - If you surmised that this post is more or less an excuse to try and embed video for the first time you'd be right. But still - LuPone sounds good!
The clip below is a promotional piece done for a production of Kurt Weill's opera The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahogany featuring, amongst legit opera singers, musical theater stars Audra McDonald and Patti Lupone. That classically trained Audra McDonald is so comfortable, and sounds so good, in an operatic mode is no surprise; that Broadway belter extraordinaire Patti LuPone sounds so good in her brief clip is a real treat.
Until Whenever
P.S. - If you surmised that this post is more or less an excuse to try and embed video for the first time you'd be right. But still - LuPone sounds good!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Exactly
"Elitists go to operas they don't understand because it makes them feel separate from the rest of society; blue-collar drunks watch pro wrestling for the exact same reason."
Chuck Klosterman--Fargo Rock City
I've been on a Chuck Klosterman kick recently, having read in the last few weeks both Chuck Klosterman IV and Fargo Rock City, and in the last months Killing Yourself to Live. This reading has elicited many laughs and more nods of agreement than I can count. Klosterman is a witty, involving, creative writer whose take on popular music can sustain my interest even when I know nothing about the music he's discussing - a rare feat. But the biggest "aha" moment for me, the quote that elicited the biggest nod of agreement, was the above. I love the notion that those who would disdain popular culture for high art they really have no passion for (or even real understanding of) are no better (or worse) than those who embrace empty culture precisely because of its emptiness. Klosterman can embrace art that many consider unworthy with the best of them (Fargo is after all about 80s heavy metal), so the quote shouldn't be taken as a shot at any common-appeal pop culture. But it should be taken a a shot against the willful embrace of either the high or the low in defiance of the middle. The bottom line is that I know people who fall into both camps, and Klosterman's accusation that their real goal is to set themselves as apart from the rest - either by deliberately declaring their tastes to be "higher" or "lower" than the rest of society's is head-on.
Read more Klosterman. It'll do 'ya good.
Until Whenever
"Elitists go to operas they don't understand because it makes them feel separate from the rest of society; blue-collar drunks watch pro wrestling for the exact same reason."
Chuck Klosterman--Fargo Rock City
I've been on a Chuck Klosterman kick recently, having read in the last few weeks both Chuck Klosterman IV and Fargo Rock City, and in the last months Killing Yourself to Live. This reading has elicited many laughs and more nods of agreement than I can count. Klosterman is a witty, involving, creative writer whose take on popular music can sustain my interest even when I know nothing about the music he's discussing - a rare feat. But the biggest "aha" moment for me, the quote that elicited the biggest nod of agreement, was the above. I love the notion that those who would disdain popular culture for high art they really have no passion for (or even real understanding of) are no better (or worse) than those who embrace empty culture precisely because of its emptiness. Klosterman can embrace art that many consider unworthy with the best of them (Fargo is after all about 80s heavy metal), so the quote shouldn't be taken as a shot at any common-appeal pop culture. But it should be taken a a shot against the willful embrace of either the high or the low in defiance of the middle. The bottom line is that I know people who fall into both camps, and Klosterman's accusation that their real goal is to set themselves as apart from the rest - either by deliberately declaring their tastes to be "higher" or "lower" than the rest of society's is head-on.
Read more Klosterman. It'll do 'ya good.
Until Whenever
Monday, March 26, 2007
Things That Make Me Mad
- The deliciously anticipated Princess Bride musical, with music and lyrics by Adam Guettel and book by William Goldman has fallen apart, apparently due to a demand by Goldman of 75% of the rights. I thought that Guettel was the perfect choice for the material and was very excited to hear what he was going to come up with. If the report is true, then I call a pox on Goldman's house!
- My TiFaux's untimely death has made me miss the last third of this season's Battlestar Galactica, and from what I've been seeing, last night's finale was quite the shocking bit of TV. Now I have to try and wait months without spoiling myself. Arg.
- The folks over at A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago, in the comments thread to this post, are relating a blind gossip item that indicates that How I Met Your Mother may be headed to cancellation land. No!
- The newest Spider-Man 3 trailer, which reads less like a trailer and more like a three-minute summary of the film. Having read the comics, there are story beats I'm aware of, but I do not need to see so many plot points spelled out so neatly.
Until Whenever
Friday, March 23, 2007
Doin' the Friday Shuffle
1. "Barkley Superhero (Nike Commercial)" - Danny Elfman - Music for a Darkened Theatre
One of the odder pieces in my iPod.
2. "I Cried for You" - Billy Holliday - Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Billie Holliday
An early, upbeat recording.
3. "Stories of the Street" - Leonard Cohen - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
A light glossing of flamenco-style guitar in this urgent song, highlighted by some nice background organ work.
4. "The Wild Wild Sea" - Sting - The Soul Cages
Epic Sting, with a long, moody, wonderful story-song about an eerie dream in which the narrator finds himself on a black ship in a stormy sea. The Soul Cages is wildly underrated.
5. "Teachers" - Leonard Cohen - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
More Spanish-inflected Cohen.
6. "Linus & Lucy" - George Winston - The Music of Vince Guaraldi
Winston has a wonderful touch with the mood pieces on this disc ("Cast Your Fate to the Wind," "The Great Pumpkin Waltz"), but really doesn't have the jazz chops for this one.
7. "International Echo" - Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint - The River in Reverse
I'm really beginning to suspect that Costello can record anything convincingly.
8. "Boy Wanted" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook
Sweetly swinging ballad with some nicely effective flutes complementing Fitzgerald's sweet and easy voice.
9. "I Want You" - Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
One of the few Dylan songs that could arguable be termed "sprightly." I love the way the countermelody on guitar meshes with the primary vocal melody on the verses.
10. "Old King" - Neil Young - Harvest Moon
An ode to a faithful hound dog. Sometimes the simplest ideas work the best.
Until Whenever
1. "Barkley Superhero (Nike Commercial)" - Danny Elfman - Music for a Darkened Theatre
One of the odder pieces in my iPod.
2. "I Cried for You" - Billy Holliday - Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Billie Holliday
An early, upbeat recording.
3. "Stories of the Street" - Leonard Cohen - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
A light glossing of flamenco-style guitar in this urgent song, highlighted by some nice background organ work.
4. "The Wild Wild Sea" - Sting - The Soul Cages
Epic Sting, with a long, moody, wonderful story-song about an eerie dream in which the narrator finds himself on a black ship in a stormy sea. The Soul Cages is wildly underrated.
5. "Teachers" - Leonard Cohen - The Songs of Leonard Cohen
More Spanish-inflected Cohen.
6. "Linus & Lucy" - George Winston - The Music of Vince Guaraldi
Winston has a wonderful touch with the mood pieces on this disc ("Cast Your Fate to the Wind," "The Great Pumpkin Waltz"), but really doesn't have the jazz chops for this one.
7. "International Echo" - Elvis Costello and Alan Toussaint - The River in Reverse
I'm really beginning to suspect that Costello can record anything convincingly.
8. "Boy Wanted" - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook
Sweetly swinging ballad with some nicely effective flutes complementing Fitzgerald's sweet and easy voice.
9. "I Want You" - Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde
One of the few Dylan songs that could arguable be termed "sprightly." I love the way the countermelody on guitar meshes with the primary vocal melody on the verses.
10. "Old King" - Neil Young - Harvest Moon
An ode to a faithful hound dog. Sometimes the simplest ideas work the best.
Until Whenever
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Random Top Ten
Random Top Ten!!
Top Ten Overtures
10. 110 in the Shade - Sprightly, Copland-esque Americana with bright brass and seeping strings.
9. The Most Happy Fella - Grandly romantic.
8. The Light in the Piazza - A light, sweeping, yet lush overture.
7. My Fair Lady - Hits all the right notes.
6. Man of La Mancha - Best use of acoustic guitar in an overture (or musical).
5. Carousel - An "overture" that features no melodies from the show but that stands on its own as a gorgeous piece of music that still manages to anticipate for us the themes and melodic structures coming. Genius.
4. Jesus Christ Superstar - Love that ominous organ hum and sinister guitar melody at the beginning, and how at the end the triumphant announcement of the "Jesus Christ Superstar" theme is immediately hushed by spooky, distant choral voices.
3. Candide - A perfect morsel of gaiety and fun for an orchestra. This gets done by orchestras all the time.
2. Merrily We Roll Along - Like a slap to the face, an adrenalin shot of energy.
1. Gypsy - The gold standard. Styne was truly inspired on this score and it's signaled by this brassy piece of beauty.
Until Whenever
Random Top Ten!!
Top Ten Overtures
10. 110 in the Shade - Sprightly, Copland-esque Americana with bright brass and seeping strings.
9. The Most Happy Fella - Grandly romantic.
8. The Light in the Piazza - A light, sweeping, yet lush overture.
7. My Fair Lady - Hits all the right notes.
6. Man of La Mancha - Best use of acoustic guitar in an overture (or musical).
5. Carousel - An "overture" that features no melodies from the show but that stands on its own as a gorgeous piece of music that still manages to anticipate for us the themes and melodic structures coming. Genius.
4. Jesus Christ Superstar - Love that ominous organ hum and sinister guitar melody at the beginning, and how at the end the triumphant announcement of the "Jesus Christ Superstar" theme is immediately hushed by spooky, distant choral voices.
3. Candide - A perfect morsel of gaiety and fun for an orchestra. This gets done by orchestras all the time.
2. Merrily We Roll Along - Like a slap to the face, an adrenalin shot of energy.
1. Gypsy - The gold standard. Styne was truly inspired on this score and it's signaled by this brassy piece of beauty.
Until Whenever
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