Like the Mother Mary of “Let It Be,” who we meet “speaking words of wisdom,” have you ever found yourself either playing a “song of wisdom” for a friend in times of trouble – or in fact been that friend receiving such musical wisdom from another friend?
I know this topic may require you to dig into your emotions, a practice that may seen to contradict your participation in Rock Town Hall. Trust me, there are ways to handle this question that should allow for your wit and cynicism to shine, such as a “Thanks for nothing!” tale of an inappropriately offered song of wisdom.
This subject came to mind yesterday while listening to Talking Heads‘ “No Compassion.” It’s a song I’ll forever link to a college friend sophomore year in college, when I was as down as I’ve ever been. If memory serves, he sat me down and had me listen to this song with him, the musical equivalent of throwing his arm around me and telling me that everything was going to work out all right. Actually, I think he was telling me to grow a thicker skin and stop being such a pussy. Thanks, man.
Towsman dbuskirk, have you ever seen the 1973 film Electra Glide in Blue? I caught about an hour of it on tv last night, and it seemed right up your two-lane blacktop.
The opening credits alone are worth the price of admission, playing like a fever dream of a Lou Reed album cover shoot. Continue reading »
In a recent thread on Richard Thompson, of all artists, Townsman dbuskirk questioned the Hall’s lack of interest in discussing The Cars:
Kinda shocked there aren’t more Cars defenders here. Roy Thomas Baker’s production stirred my soul when I first heard it. The debut is a wonderfully sequenced record….
The first thought that came to my mind was, Do The Cars need defenders? For me, the Untouchables status of The Cars, that is, the lack of critical debate over their output, requires no explanation or analysis. Unlike Peter Gabriel, whose untouchable status I found puzzling, The Cars never promised more than they delivered AND they had the good sense to get out of the game before they could no longer deliver within the narrow confines of what they did so well. I’m not suggesting that the second through fourth Cars albums are on par with the first one, but they worked within their system and maintained a high quotient of completely soul-less pop confections.
Did anyone who found that first Cars album the hookfest that it was bum out when the subsequent albums failed to reach that high a level? I don’t think so, but maybe Young Townsman dbuskirk suffered a serious letdown following the release of Shake It Up. More likely, I suspect we accepted the best songs from the next few albums for what they were, never thinking that the band had it in them to do any better. Better yet, they never opened themselves up to criticism by trying to be anything they weren’t. There was never a “serious” Cars album or a “back to the basics” Cars album or a foray into World Music or any other nonsense that The Police, for instance, would try. I believe The Cars should be complemented for this, whether it was intentional or not.
Does this make sense? Are there any other artists who got in and out of the game and delivered to the best of their humble abilities before letting any fan down?
I went shopping this morning for an interesting box set for a friend who turned 50 today. He’s a cool, smart guy and big Bob Dylan fan but not what you’d call a hardcore music nerd. His taste in the folkier side of ’60s and ’70s rock is pretty solid, though, and in recent years he’s begun to dig deeper into a couple of previously obscure artists, like Nick Drake. He’ll often ask me questions about new avenues he wants to take. About 2 years ago he wanted to check out The Who Sell Out, after reading the typical critics’ darling hype. Of course I told him to go for it. He did, and he still brings it up now and then. He generally likes it, but it’s taking him some work.
I saw a new Richard Thompson box set, Walking on a Wire: Richard Thompson (1968-2009), and I was reaching for it before I saw the parenthetical year span in the title. Dammit, I thought, I’m not supporting Thompson for all the crap he’s released since hitching up with Mitchell Froom! Some of you may recall I usually dislike Froom’s sparkling kitchen sink approach to production. It keeps me locked out from getting inside the music. Continue reading »
As I’m sure you know, today is probably the greatest double-shot in rock birthdays, the day Elvis Presley would have been 75 and the day David Bowie is 63.
Damn, Elvis wasn’t much younger than I am now when he died, and now I’m old enough that 75 doesn’t seem too old to be featured on documentaries and Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame extravaganzas as a “living legend!” The ’68 Comeback Special still resonates for me more than just about anything else The King ever did. I was just a boy when I saw that and first heard songs like “Suspicious Minds.” What a comeback that only set fans up for a major letdown!
I’d like to offer a little diversion from the intense work we’ve been doing on cover bands, Nektar, and other Important Rock Topics. I’d like to launch a potential series, maybe a monthly event, in which we share our thoughts on a particular Hollywood actor or two according to a particular theory on acting that a Townsman developed years ago, the Six-Pack or Shotgun Theory.
Long ago my close personal friend, E. Pluribus Gergely, explained to me his Six-Pack or Shotgun Theory. It was late at night. Those of us at the table had had much to eat and, in some cases, drink. The topic of Great Acting came up. Gergs passionately launched into his belief that our assessment of acting talent has little to do with the actor’s craft or skill, which he was doubtful even exists.
“There’s no such thing as Acting Ability!” he said in typically definitive fashion, slamming his fist for emphasis. “When we watch any any actor in any movie it comes down to one thing: If that actor showed up unannounced at your back door, would you greet him or her with a six-pack or a shotgun?”
In other words, would you welcome this person, as you perceive the actor to be in real life – no matter what character the actor was playing in any movie – into your home, or would you make it clear that he or she needs to get off of your property? To E. Pluribus Gergely, that’s what 99% of us use to base our judgments on an actor.
Over the years I’ve come to agree with this theory. It’s rare that I think an actor I like for his or her “good egg” or other generally appealing qualities is particularly bad in a movie, even a terrible movie. For instance, I’ve managed to dig Nicolas Cage‘s performances in a dozen horrendous movies. I simply find the guy to project an amusing and agreeable personality. It would be worth my while to hang out with an unannounced Nic Cage. Six-pack!
That night, E. mentioned a couple of other actors who project a loveable, easygoing nature as examples of Six-Pack recipients. We agreed with most of his selections, but it was clear from the start that this is a matter of highly personal choice. Your six-pack could easily be someone else’s shotgun.
He cited one actor who we readily agreed merited the shotgun:
Rock Town Hall encourages you to watch the following video through to its completion and tell us if it’s not, indeed, the longest 3 minutes and 33 seconds of your life! Come along if you dare…after the jump. Continue reading »
