I’m in Hawaii, y’all. My sense of the time zones are so effed up that I feel like today is yesterday. And maybe it is. Anyway, whatever time it is around the globe, I do know one thing. It’s Thursday. Or at least it is here. Mahalo.
I’ve never been to Hawaii so it’s already been a pleasure. I spent an hour on the beach last night, a block away from my hotel, watching the sun set. I won’t have much time for anything outside of the film festival, but I will be taking a field trip to the U.S.S. Arizona (the memorial funded by Elvis, by the way, from a concert he gave in 1961).
It’s an honor to be here, and to be a part of helping young writers delve into their passion in a deep and conscious way, from wherever they stand in their lives, whatever their perspective and interests. There isn’t just one “way in” to film. That’s one of the best parts of Art. I really look forward to meeting the students and to whatever experience we’re about to have.
Also there’s all of THIS. I mean, I would have been honored to be a part of this if it were being held in Baltimore or St. Paul or Detroit. But to have it be here, a place I’ve never been, is extra special.
Listen, just because I’m here on a Movie Mission doesn’t mean I have no other interests. I am a Red Sox fan from birth, but along with that comes a spiritual and emotional connection to the Cubs and to Cubs fans. I went down into the lobby to watch the game (I was also trying to acclimate to Hawaii time. I was ready for bed at 6 p.m. and had to force myself to stay up.) MY GOD that game. Of course it had to be that level a cliffhanger. I felt that way in 2004. “Of course. We are going to have to fight tooth and nail every single second for this win. NOTHING will come easy.” That game had the same dramatic flair and nail-biting tension. My phone blew up with texts from Chicago friends. I could hear screams erupt from different spots around the lobby and I myself was surrounded by screaming maniacs. I felt right at home. Congratulations to the Cubs, to Cubs fans, who have been waiting a long … long … time … GENERATIONS … for this. And WHAT a game.
Dawn view from my balcony. I have tremendous fear of heights, and it “presents” like Jimmy Stewart in “Vertigo” but I am trying to force myself to work through it so I can enjoy the balcony. So far it’s not working, but I’ll keep trying.
Roadies, Season 1, Pilot (2016; d. Cameron Crowe)
My friend Allison forced me to watch this. I had no choice. We do this to one another. And neither of us are EVER sorry. I absolutely loved it. Have not had any time to delve further into it, but I will.
Amanda Knox (2016; d. Rod Blackhurst, Brian McGinn)
The new Netflix documentary. Allison and I watched it together. It took us 5 hours because we kept having to pause and discuss.
Supernatural, Season 5, Episode 4, “The End” (2009; d. Steve Boyum)
A favorite. “Apparently … we … have a connection.” It’s the hand gesture that makes that line.
The Eyes of My Mother (2016; d. Nicolas Pesce)
This one hasn’t come out yet. It’s extraordinary. Keep your eyes peeled. Completely messed-up psychological slightly-zombie-esque horror story. Amazing acting.
The Land (2016; d. Steven Caple Jr.)
This one hasn’t come out yet either. (Many of these I had to watch for my participation in the Gotham Awards on a nominating committee. These were all of the submissions.) The story of 4 kids in Cleveland, all of whom have pretty terrible home lives, who dream of escaping into the world of pro-skateboarding. Very touching: same old coming-of-age story, but SPECIFIC to its locale.
Hologram for a King (2016; d. Tom Tykwer)
Starring Tom Hanks as a down on his luck middle-manager-executive guy who travels to Saudi Arabia to try to sell the King on some new technological product. Culture clash ensues. There is much charm to this story, especially in the character of his carefree and chatty assigned driver.
The Love Witch (2016; d. Anna Biller)
I am in LOVE with this movie. It also has not come out yet. I actually am rather startled that it exists at all – on its own terms (or: on the director’s own terms, which are quite exacting, and she is totally on her own: making these films by herself). So often compromises have to be made and you can tell that Biller has compromised nothing. This is the film she wanted to make. I can’t stop thinking about it.
Deepwater Horizon (2016; d. Peter Berg)
I read some complaints that this movie focused too much on the explosion and not on the corporate bullshit and economic devastation. I get so frustrated with critiques like that. Not all movies are supposed to be about EVERYTHING. And movies that try to be about EVERYTHING usually suck or become a propaganda preachy pamphlet. This is a story of the men (and one woman) who worked that rig, and what it was like. I thought it was superb. And very upsetting. It is totally clear (by the way) that the corporate men are cheap-ass douchebags, and it is totally clear (by the way) the devastation to the Coast this will cause. But the STORY is about what happened on that rig. Honest to God. These people should just stay in school and read sociological books full of pie charts instead of reviewing films. It’s fine to not like it, but to not like it because it’s not what you THINK it should be … Well: why don’t YOU try to make a movie. And please everyone. Go ahead. I dare you.
Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 4 “Baby” (2015; d. Thomas J. Wright)
One of the most innovative hours of television I’ve ever seen, even more extraordinary because this innovation is occurring in its 11th season, when they could just coast along. But they don’t. And I listened to the commentary track which was fascinating. They all – including the whooping girls – did their own driving. This makes the episode even more exciting. Thomas Wright wasn’t even in the car. They’d go off, play their scenes, come back, and he’d watch the footage. And so, as we all knew, because it looks so real, Jensen really did that crazy back-up turn. As well as the crazy turn after he hits the barrels.
Under the Shadow (2016; d. Babak Anvari)
Wonderful movie. Truly scary. But with a background and atmosphere not seen before in a horror film: Tehran in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War. Highly recommended. As of now, it’s on my Top 10 of the year. Here’s my review.
Manchester by the Sea (2016; d. Kenneth Lonergan)
Talk about my Top 10 of the year … This one is solidly on it. It won’t be bumped off. (Many of these movies haven’t come out yet. This one could garner some Oscar noms.)
The Childhood of a Leader (2015; d. Brady Corbet)
Another uncompromising film, fully ITSELF. Some said it was “slow.” What they meant by that was: “It feels like a horror movie but nothing is really happening!” This is a problem of perception, of analysis, of being unwilling to submit to what a movie IS, as opposed to what you were EXPECTING. This is an extremely successful and very creepy film with a GREAT child performance. How does a dictator become a dictator? What was it in childhood that predisposed him to want to rule others with an iron fist? I loved this movie.
Always Shine (2016; d. Sophia Tikal)
This one comes out on December 2. Do not miss it.
Coming Through the Rye (2015; d. James Steven Sadwith)
This one came out in October. It may already be gone. I thought it was lovely. Two teenagers go on a road trip to try to find J.D. Salinger. This isn’t a spoiler to say that Chris Cooper plays Salinger, and it’s a wonderful performance. Perfect. The kids are great too. I thought it would be very “twee” but it’s not at all. Wonderful teenage-girl performance too from Stefania LaVie Owen. She’s not a hottie-mchottie. She’s a regular girl, with her own mind, her own kind of beauty, a smart and capable person.
Goat (2016; d. Andrew Neel)
This one already came out. It’s the story of Hell Week at a fraternity. It’s extremely brutal. I’ve read a lot of reviews complaining that women play no part in the movie except as sex objects. Honest to GOD. It’s about Hell Week at a fraternity. It’s about the toxic male Bell Jar. That’s how women are viewed in that environment, especially with testosterone-pumped young sexually inexperienced kids. These critics, man … Not everything is about YOU. Not every story is supposed to include you. And it doesn’t celebrate toxic masculinity, as I’ve seen commented as well. The film presents it and it is a STRONG critique of it. What happens when a sensitive kid – already suffering from PTSD from a horrible mugging he experienced the summer before – submits to Hell Week? It ain’t pretty. Ben Schnetzer – as the kid – gives an A-List performance and he’s an unknown. He was amazing. Nick Jonas was good too.
Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 8, “Just My Imagination” (2015; d. Richard Speight Jr.)
Yup. Just as enjoyable as the first time. “So Sparkles is a unicorn … and a man?” So pissed.
As You Are (2016; d. Miles Joris-Peyrafitte)
A story of a messed-up intimate friendship between two teenage boys around the time that Kurt Cobain killed himself. The film has some problems, but the young actors are great, and the film really nails that time, and what that suicide felt like to those of a certain age (I count myself.)
Eye in the Sky (2015; d. Gavin Hood)
Helen Mirren stars as a focused commander determined to stop a terrorist attack in Iraq – using Intel from her “eye in the sky,” the drone. Operated by two American pilots in Las Vegas. This is the topic of my friend George Brant’s award-winning play Grounded. It’s a very good film. It focuses only on this one attack: so it takes place in an extremely compressed time period.
Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 7, “Plush” (2015; d. Tim Andrew)
This case was very disturbing.
Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 13 “Love Hurts” (2016; d. Philip Sgriccia)
I watched it again for that final scene. Superb acting from both of them.
Equity (2016; d. Meera Menon)
I REALLY enjoyed this Wall Street film. I also enjoy that the entire project was run by women: director, writers, production company designed to facilitate projects by women. I love that this was their first project. Not a domestic drama or a romance. But a cutthroat look at a couple of women working in the corrupt and fast-paced world of the trading floor. Really good acting too.
No Letting Go (2015; d. Jonathan D. Bucari)
Clearly a personal project. A mother fights to get her son diagnosed and get him treatment when he is diagnosed bipolar at a young age. You can tell it’s low-budget, and the film maybe tries to do too much, but its heart is in the right place (and that’s a good thing) and it’s really good on all of the familial adjustments that have to take place when someone in the family is a “problem.” I was that “problem” in my own family. So I appreciated this.
Supernatural, Season 2, Episode 22 “All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2” (2007; d. Kim Manners)
A re-watch so I could finish up the re-cap.
Little Sister (2016; d. Zach Clark)
I REALLY liked this film. My review.
La La Land (2016; d. Damien Chazelle)
This one opens in December. An old-fashioned musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. It’s beautiful. Big production numbers with hundreds of people dancing up and down the LA freeways. Filled with emotion too. Magic.
Birth of a Nation (2016; d. Nate Parker)
I had to go see it, just … because I had to. As a film critic, I couldn’t sit that one out. I didn’t want to see it after all the controversy. Not that I would refuse on principle. That’s not my style. I love the films of Roman Polanski, and I’m unapologetic about it. However, from reviews it sounded like he left a lot out that might turn us against Nat (the slaughter of babies, for example), and also Parker ADDED a lot of things – mostly, a couple of rapes, no less – and these rapes – in the story Parker wrote – were the final straws for Nat Turner, the events that MOTIVATED Nat Turner to take revenge … well. I have SERIOUS problems with this. Not that there wasn’t a horrifying sexual element to the slave-owner relationship. But Nat Turner did not rise up because his wife was raped. So in Nate Parker’s version of this fascinating story: women are once again background, props, they’re “in refrigerators”, and the men – slaves or no – “own” them. It’s like Parker cannot imagine a woman on her own terms, or thought (even grosser) – “I know! Let’s rape a couple of the women so that the audience will really get why Nat snapped!” I mean, that’s what it feels like in the film too. This did not sit well with me at ALL. How about Nat killed a bunch of white people because slavery was evil and he had fucking had it, not because white men raped your women? AND the fact that Parker had been accused (and acquitted, yes – but read the transcripts of what happened: it’s horrifying) of rape … it makes his “use” of rape as a plot-point – where HE gets to be the avenger of wronged womanhood – something about that makes me go: “Nope. You do not get a pass.” It’s too unsavory even for me. But anyway, I saw the movie. I felt that it had no visual style. It was filled with visual cliches. I felt that he did not at all explore the character of Nat Turner. I have seen the film compared to Braveheart, and that’s definitely on the money: it’s an act of hero worship – not really for Nat Turner, because Nat Turner does not come off as a three-dimensional character – but hero worship for Nate Parker. Nat Turner the real guy deserves much better. The Sundance audience gave this film multiple weeping ovations. Is that because of the altitude? What on earth were they reacting to? Nate Parker’s career has been torched. I’m bummed because I have loved him for years. I adored him in The Great Debaters and I thought he was fantastic in Beyond the Lights. But this? Not sure his career can recover. And his comments once the controversy broke? Yikes.
Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 1 “The Magnificent Seven” (2007; d. Kim Manners)
A re-watch for whenever I get to the re-cap.
Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 2 “The Kids are All Right” (2007; d. Phil Sgriccia)
Figured I’d move on into Season 3, also in preparation for the re-cap to remind myself of the progression, but also just because it’s fun.
Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 3 “Bad Day at Black Rock” (2007; d. Robert Singer)
“I lost my shoe.” I cannot TAKE IT. Also, rest in peace Michael Massee.
Supernatural, Season 3, Episode 10, “Dream a Little Dream of Me” (2008; d. Steve Boyum)
One of the most important episodes certainly in the first half of this entire series.
American Pastoral (2016; d. Ewan McGregor)
Not good. The book is all about how you have to piece together the truth, and you’re never sure if you’re actually getting the truth or a version of it. The adaptation here irons all that out and presents the story as flat truth. And so you lose everything.
Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 9, “O Brother Where Art Thou” (2015; d. Robert Singer)
It’s weird, this was just last season and I already don’t remember so much of this. I block out the bad-acting angels and demons. I block out Castiel. I just can’t take it. But there’s still enough to keep me hooked.
Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 10 “The Devil in the Details” (2015; d. Thomas J. Wright)
Watching this episode just makes me sad because of the spectacular derail of all of this potential in the final 3 episodes. Ugh: It’s all THERE. Right in front of your FACE. Why did you drop THIS ball, of ALL BALLS?
Supernatural, Season 10, Episode 12 “About a Boy” (2015; d. Serge Ladouceur)
One of their finer episodes, in general, I think.
American Honey (2016; d. Andrea Arnold)
I love Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank!) and Sasha Lane – discovered by Arnold sunbathing on a beach in Florida – gives such a good performance in the lead role that she’s one of our nominees for the Gotham Awards Breakout Performance. The movie is not like anything else. It is, perhaps, 45 minutes too long. But I didn’t care. The length is evidence of how uncompromising Arnold is with her projects, and I want more of that, not less.
Supernatural, Season 12, Episode 1, “Keep Calm and Carry On” (2016; d. Philip Sgriccia)
Here we go! Season 12!
Elle (2016; d. Paul Verhoeven)
I saw this at the big public screening at the New York Film Festival with Charlie. Isabelle Huppert was there, as was Paul Verhoeven, and there was a QA after the film. I think the film is brilliant. It’s going to be extremely controversial. I’m reviewing for Ebert. I’m going to see it again this afternoon.
20th Century Women (2016; d. Mike Mills)
This one opens in December. Don’t miss it. It’s really special.
Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids (2016; d. Jonathan Demme)
Demme’s concert films are so above and beyond normal concert films that they are in their own category. Stop Making Sense, anyone? This may sound hyperbolic, but I think Justin Timberlake reaches the Stop Making Sense realm, in terms of how he films it, what he captures, how he allows the performer the space so we can see what they’re doing, but also provides intimacy so it feels like we’re on that stage. In the final 15 minutes, I actually found myself getting emotional. As in, tears were welling up because Demme captures so well the collaboration, the family aspect of being on tour like that, the enormity of the talent of everyone on that stage, the generosity of a show like that…. This, also, is on my Top 10 of the year. It’s streaming on Netflix.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013; d. Martin Scorsese)
This is my 3rd or 4th time seeing it. It’s a hoot. Leo trying to get to the car while flattened on some kind of ‘Lude is a high watermark in his career, and that’s saying something. I can’t believe how long it goes on for. And his BODY. His physicality. I love the movie.
Supernatural, Season 12, Episode 2, “Mamma Mia” (2016; d. Thomas J. Wright)
Some intriguing possibilities opening up. Torture. Nonconsensual sex. Mom. Grown men reverting. The final sequence. I wanted that complexity and I’m getting it.
Supernatural, Season 4, Episode 21 “When the Levee Breaks” (2009; d. Robert Singer)
I needed to go back and re-visit Sam’s breakdown, especially the sequence with his mother.
Supernatural, Season 5, Episode 11 “Sam, Interrupted” (2010; d. James L. Conway)
I love this one. I love how the insanity overtakes them, completely debilitating them, and completely changing HOW THEY WALK, how they talk, how they behave and look at each other. Tour de force from both of them.
Supernatural, Season 10, Episode 1, “Black” (2014; d. Robert Singer)
Messed up, and it just reminded me of how boring Crowley has become and just how much Rowena has ruined the Crowley character. I’m hopeful (sort of) with the Castiel/Crowley team-up – but seeing Crowley here is a GLARING reminder of just how long Rowena has out-stayed her welcome. I miss this Crowley. He adds so much to the show when he’s like this. He DETRACTS when he’s eye-rolling at his Mum from the throne. Fine, give us one episode of that, not two seasons. Bad.
Supernatural, Season 6, Episode 1, “Exile on Main Street” (2010; d. Philip Sgriccia)
May be one of my favorite episodes. It works every time. It’s very upsetting. AND it’s something NEW. Never before and never again have we seen either man in such an environment and what that must be like, like cramming an octopus into a thimble. It’s extremely uncomfortable and I felt like they really played it for the reality of it.
Supernatural, Season 6, Episode 2, “Two Men and a Baby” (2010; d. John F. Showalter)
So I got a little sucked into Season 6. November has been very busy – with a family situation that is horrible, and another family situation that is joyful – plus my writing work plus two upcoming trips. It’s been a lot. I’ve needed to just escape. Also, I spent an entire month watching about 3 movies a day for the Gotham Awards. I’m a bit movie-d out. Also: Soulless Sam is my favorite Arc.
Supernatural, Season 6, Episode 3, “The Third Man” (2010; d. Robert Singer)
Seeing Balthazar made me want to weep when I think of the boring angels now. LOOK at his face. LOOK at what an accomplished actor he is. Angels should be fierce and eccentric and unpredictable. What the hell has happened and why does ANYONE involved think that boring angels played by bad actors would make good television?
Supernatural, Season 6, Episode 5, “Live Free or Twihard” (2010; d. Rod Hardy)
One of the most sexually fucked-up episodes they have ever done. Maybe the Siren one is the most fucked-up. But this one … It also has my favorite closeup of Jensen Ackles in the whole series. Go, Rod Hardy, whoever the hell you are.
Supernatural, Season 6, Episode 6, “You Can’t Handle the Truth” (2010; d. Jan Eliasberg)
This episode works really really well. I don’t mind them using Greek and Roman Gods as much as a lot of other people seem to. Whatever. It’s a supernatural show. A LOT of it is cheesy. What I like about this one is how “on the nose” it is. This is how you tell a story with a Theme. If you read Streetcar Named Desire, a great play, “subtlety” is not one of the play’s attributes. I mean, the title alone … Subtlety is over-rated. The REAL interest in Season 6 is Dean’s ongoing freakout of being in a relationship – alongside the suspicion that something is wrong with his brother. That is ALL that matters. Anything else is just filler. Here: we have a case that leads them to a Truth Goddess, who flips out when Sam lies to her. I love that moment. It’s a very very well designed episode.
Supernatural, Season 12, “The Foundry” (2016; d. Robert Singer)
Of course Robert Singer directed this one. I can picture him flagging the script immediately: “Yup. This one’s mine.” This is his wheelhouse. More so than any other director on the roster.
The Jon Benet Ramsey Case (2016; d. Eddie Schmidt)
A two-part documentary on CBS. It’s fantastic. And – and I can’t believe I’m saying this – I actually agree with the conclusions the investigative team came up with. After all this time, I’m not sure we’ll ever know what happened for sure, but they really laid out a strong case.
Supernatural Season 6, Episode 7, “Family Matters” (2010; d. Guy Norman Bee)
This is the power of the whole Soulless Sam arc. Padalecki is beyond good. I could write a 10-page essay about how good he is and why in this arc. The thing just would not work if he wasn’t doing what he was doing with the depth that he was doing it. And because he’s so good, watching Dean literally fall apart and ratchet up into a rage is thrilling – and even better against the background of his supposed new family, who all treat him like he’s a weakling. It’s an explosive psychological mix on both sides. It’s excellent.
Supernatural Season 6, Episode 8 “All Dogs Go to Heaven” (2010; d. Philip Sgriccia)
I had forgotten about this one. I was on a Season 6 roll. It was fun.
Supernatural Season 6, Episode 9 “Clap Your Hands If You Believe” (2010; d. John F. Showalter)
Sera Gamble gets so much shit, but she was the one in charge of the Soulless Sam Arc, so whatever, she’s awesome in my book. She wanted to explore it from all angles, AND she wanted to give the Arc an opportunity to play out in a COMEDIC context. Season 6 has been so upsetting so to suddenly have … this absolutely hilarious episode … where Sam not having a soul is funny … I still don’t know how they pulled it off, but they did.
This clip has always made emotion well in my heart. I’ve watched it 100 times. And they’re just STANDING there. Presence like this is a lost art, practically. They are “just” (nothing “just” about it) standing there and communicating, openly, being in the moment, and expressing whatever is going on for them in that moment. Nothing flashy, except for the outfits. And the OUTFITS. Jerry Lee’s bow tie! Carl and Roy’s BELTS. THE BELTS. Johnny’s shirt. Carl’s hair. These dudes and their outfits have always touched me deeply. They look HUGE. They OWN their huge-ness. And so there they are just standing there, taking up space, being themselves, sharing who they are.
Of course it helps to “be yourself” if you’re a GIANT and a LEGEND. But you don’t become a giant or a legend if you can’t just freakin’ STAND THERE and share who you are.
I’ve been through a lot of hurricanes. But Sandy was the worst storm I have experienced.
I had made my preparations in my apartment to ride out the storm. The year before we had had Hurricane Irene, which was very bad in its own way, and I’m from Hurricane Territory so I don’t care if it seems like I’m over-reacting. I prepare. I sat on the bed. Gearing up. The wind started to rise, and I could feel it buffeting my apartment building. I’m on a cliff – which means we don’t get the flooding up here – but we do get the wind. And yeah, it was heavy wind, but nothing too out of the ordinary.
But then – at some point – it was like a switch had been flipped and the wind changed. The storm had hit. It was not gradual: you could actually feel the giant wall of the storm hit. My windows were taped up, but the frames started buckling inwards, something I had never seen before. The window frames were giving way. I have a lot of big windows. If they crashed inward, it would be chaos, so I raced around hammering up sheets over the windows, basically so if the windows crashed inward, the sheets would catch most of the debris. The sheets were tie-dyed, (which meant that the following day my apartment looked like a house of ill repute. A hippie den of iniquity.) I sat on my bed, listening to the walls creaking and the window-frames rattling. The wind was literally screaming, a high-pitched eerie whine. A queasy sound. It was going to be a long night. I was shocked that I still had power (I would lose it shortly.) Anyway, at one point I actually started to get frightened. Things were getting out of control. It felt like the Wizard of Oz cyclone was directly overhead. Like I said, I’ve been through some pretty hairy Hurricanes in my life, the most memorable being Hurricane Gloria, when we holed up in my parents’ house, playing Trivial Pursuit by candlelight and listening to the hair-raising crack of oak trees falling in the neighborhood (a sound you almost never hear, but it’s instantly recognizable when it comes. Those oak trees crash into houses and kill people. Our house was surrounded by them. So we’d pause, to listen, looking upwards, and then go back to our Trivial Pursuit game).
I wondered what else I should do to keep us safe. (I ended up taking Hope and the two of us slept – or didn’t sleep – in the bathtub that night. There’s only one window in there and it looks into an airshaft. So as my panic rose (and I’m not a panic person), sitting on the edge of my bed, listening to window frames cracking inwards, I glanced behind me to see how my cat Hope was doing. She freaks out when the plumber comes to check my radiators. A fire engine goes by outside and she hides under the bed. She is a skittish cat. I hoped she was doing okay. This is what I saw.
Uhm, yeah. I think she was handling it quite well.
I didn’t have power for two weeks. Unheard of. People clustered outside the Dunkin Donuts at the corner, which had power, so they could charge their phones. Everyone was patient. Nobody said, “I really need my phone, can I cut in line?” We all need our phones. I was working as a freelancer in a huge building on the West Side Highway. I couldn’t go back to work for three weeks because the building was flooded up to the ceiling of the first floor. I only mention this because I was a freelancer, I work by the hour, I lost three weeks of pay, something I had not at all saved for. Saving money? In New York? Anywhere? Please.
The days following featured National Guard trucks barreling down the empty streets, helicopters hovering, the horrific news from the Rockaways, random images of Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel literally packing up their OWN van with diapers they bought themselves, and driving to the Rockaways to hand them out. They didn’t do this under the auspices of any agency. The situation was that dire. Large sections of The Rockaways were wiped off the face of the earth. Then came gas rationing and the long lines. Everyone put up with it. There are sections of New York and New Jersey that have yet to be rebuilt to this day.
The day before the hurricane hit, I went to the grocery store. I had already stocked up on canned goods, batteries, candles, and bottled water. (Unfortunately I did not remember to buy tampons, having no idea the level of devastation coming towards me and that I needed to plan for weeks, instead of days. In the couple of days afterwards, I couldn’t get to the store, and had to ask a Red Cross truck guy if he had tampons. No hesitation, he reached behind him and handed me a box.)
At the grocery store, this is a view of a couple of shelves of what the rest of the place looked like.
I drove to the beach a couple days later and everything had been destroyed. Homes. The boardwalk crumpled like matchsticks. Sand had blown blocks inwards, piled up on grassy lawns 3/4s of a mile away. A school was totally flooded and the cleanup crew found FISH swimming in the flood water. I saw a lifeguard boat on the beach, cracked in half.
Listen, I got off easy. EASY. My apartment is on a cliff, therefore I never get the flooding that other areas of New Jersey get. Hoboken was basically underwater. A friend of mine who had spent three days crouched in the upper floor of her house with her son, waiting for the water to go down, admitted to me flatly, in her tough Jersey accent, “We pooped in a fuckin’ bowl.” There were people who lost everything. There are people out there who still haven’t recovered. The coverage of Hurricane Katrina was so intense, the relief effort eventually (finally) so all-encompassing that it dominated the headlines for months. Sandy? Not so much. It was baffling and enraging to us here on the East Coast. What, the Rockaways people are irrelevant? The Long Island people are irrelevant? Not worthy of aid? The media moved on. I feel like people had no idea what was really going on out on Long Island or in the Rockaways. New Yorkers were on their own. People (including myself) flocked out to the decimated Rockaways to help with the cleanup, because for some reason it took weeks for aid to reach the area. I could not believe my eyes, and like I said, I’ve been through a lot of hurricanes. The destruction was total. Elderly people were trapped on the upper floors of their apartments for weeks. It was a life-or-death crisis, that aftermath.
It was a devastating storm that has left its mark on the city (and Jersey) forever.
This is one of the best pieces of cultural criticism I have seen in a long long time. I almost can’t believe it exists, and I am just so happy that we HAVE it now. In years to come, this essay will be referenced by others. There’s been nothing else like it, at least not in film criticism.
As with so much of Wesley Morris’ stuff, the essay is singular. It is the perspective of an African-American gay male. A rarity in the hallowed halls of film criticism (puh-leeze), and is a blazing reminder that having any field dominated by white males – having white males set the terms, or at least be the “default” and any other voice is a deviation from that “norm” – does everyone a disservice. Only Morris could have written this piece.
His musings were inspired by Moonlight, a new film that just came out in limited release – and so far has been doing quite well (surprisingly, considering the subject matter and the treatment of that subject matter – not to mention the astonishing final scene), so hopefully it will get a wider release soon. As it stands now, for me, it’s the Film of the Year. It’s a revelation in a way: it’s very rare (almost unheard of) to see something NEW in cinema. Moonlight is one of those movies. It cracks open new ground.
And it started something in Wesley Morris’ mind, and that something led to this piece. I have been reading Wesley Morris for years, since Grantland. He’s one of the best critics working today.
It’s wonderful to see them together. The respect two giants in their field have for one another.
And then … something happens. It changes. Something electric sparks. Maybe it’s when Jerry Lee commands, “Play it, Keith!” Something else is unleashed. A wildness, a crazy, a connection, an expression, there’s a catapult to the next level. The level where magic exists. And they both feel it.
To those of you who watch commercials/promos for upcoming episodes, to those of you who listen to what creators/actors say at conventions or on Twitter or anywhere else, please don’t mention any upcoming plot-points as revealed through those outside sources in the comments below. If you please! I actively avoid any information about anything coming up next. I don’t watch commercials or promos. I don’t even want to know guest stars and guest spots. So please! None of that!
Things that are fair game:
— discussion of the current episode
— discussion of all past episodes
— wild fears and hopes for the future
— any and all philosophical and psychosexual speculations
— connecting links through various Arcs over the last 12 years
— any information regarding 16th century demonology
— Sam’s hair. Which is now – apparently – on his chest as well.
And anything else that comes to mind. Just not any glimpse of what’s to come.
There’s a series going on now over on Ebert where the different critics are profiled, links to reviews/articles this year, etc. We also each answered the question: What are your thoughts on the state of cinema this year?
“Jambalaya” – Hank Williams. Classic. That steel guitar wandering around in the background. My old friend Pat McCurdy used to play this song at his shows (I’m sure he still does). There was something so charming about being in a bar packed with drunk Chicago people, all of us singing the lyrics to “Jambalaya” at top volume. Harmonizing. GO, HANK.
“That’s All Right” – Elvis. Live on the Louisiana Hayride radio broadcast, January 15, 1955. He had recorded the song that shook the world in July of 1954. It is almost inconceivable how quickly everything moved after that. Here he is, on the big stage in Shreveport, introducing the song – “We’d like to do for you our very first release.” His accent is still strong. Real strong. You can hear how raucous it is in that auditorium. Girls start screaming after the first line. It sounds like there’s boogie-woogie piano going on back there too (the sound isn’t too great). We are so lucky to have these recordings.
“I’m a Rover” – The Dubliners. I love how the first three songs on this shuffle all pre-date my own birth.
“Old Shep” – Elvis. Okay. So this song is pretty difficult to get through. I admit it. But there is something charming about it, merely because Elvis loved the song so much, he had sung it at the State Fair when he was 9 or 10 years old, and so had a soft spot for it. He chose to record it once he became a star, and that’s very touching to me. He wasn’t just going with the flow and doing what he was told (although that’s the common narrative). He also suggested songs. I can’t imagine that anyone at RCA was like, “Oh my God, Elvis, please sing this sentimental snooze-fest about a boy and his dog!” But he wanted to do it because to him the song represented how he got his start. He always remembered where he came from.
“Jump Jack Jump” – Wynona Carr. I will always be sorry that this wonderful singer did not record more. She died in obscurity. She did this one album, had cut her teeth on the gospel circuit (knew Sam Cooke very well), before transitioning to “secular”, following the lead of Cooke. She’s got a rough voice, gritty, earthy, that great gospel sound. There’s also a compilation of her gospel stuff, and you can hear how that style segued perfectly into pop music. Hell, it CREATED pop music.
“A Thing Called Love” – Jerry Reed. Oh, how I love the Alabama Wild Man. This is a beautiful gospel song. Elvis’ version is great, but this one is too. With that unmistakeable Jerry Reed guitar going on underneath.
“All Over Me” – Charlie Rich. Oh, Charlie, what do you do to me when I hear your voice? Don’t stop.
“Eleanor Rigby” – The Beatles. I have such vivid memories of discovering this song during the Beatles craze that swept my 5th grade class. This was long after the Beatles broke up. My parents had their albums, but 5th grade was when I really DISCOVERED them. (I learned how to sing harmony by practicing with their songs. “Love Me Do” is a great song to learn how to harmonize.) But “Eleanor Rigby” haunted me. I was 9, 10 years old. I could not understand the lyrics but they cracked open the adult world to me, a world filled with such sadness that it created a mood of anticipatory dread. His face in a jar by the door? “Nobody came.” That was the saddest thing I ever heard. The song was too “grownup” for me, but it was a glimpse … a glimpse of the way things are. It really disturbed me.
“Overture” – Bleu. I love this man. This is the first track on his latest album, To Hell With You. And it’s a real overture. Like something out of Disney, with sopranos singing. It sounds Danny Elfman-ish at points. I saw him in 2012. He’s one of my favorites. And welcome to the Shuffle List, first contemporary song of the bunch!
“Little by Little” – The Rolling Stones. It’s a jam. A rough jam that still leaps out of the speakers. 1964. They’re on fire.
“Naked” – Tracy Bonham. She’s a favorite. Great songwriter. Great singer.
“One Night” – Elvis, August 11, 1970, midnight show, Vegas. His history with this song is fascinating. It’s fun to hear him sing it as a full-grown man, filled with blues and sex and that careless sense of fun that he had at his best. He really goes there in this performance. Nothing, of course, can compete with his version of the song during the 1968 comeback special which is One for the Ages.
“Snowbird” – Elvis. From his wonderful country album, basically thrown together during a recording spurt for another album. Some great stuff on that album. I love it when Elvis goes country. This is pretty mild: after all, it’s mainly known as an Anne Murray song. It’s got no teeth. But he – and his gentle performance – is perfect.
“Almost Always True” – Elvis, from Blue Hawaii. That album is so good. Crazy. But totally entertaining. Elvis at top form. Everything looks fun. Everything looks easy. You think what he does was easy just because it LOOKS easy? Think again!
“Wishing” – Buddy Holly. The harmonies (he harmonizes with himself, doubly pleasing). The major-to-minor chord progression: so satisfying. And I love the arrangement. This was released posthumously.
“Then We Are Decided” – from Jesus Christ Superstar. “He’s just another Scripture-thumping hack from Galilee!” “The difference is they call him King. The difference frightens me!”
“Turn on a Dream” – The Box Tops. I love these guys. Where the great Alex Chilton – still a teenager – cut his teeth. Funky, doo-wop, bluesy Memphis boys. Memphis, man.
“Finale” – from Hello Dolly the movie. Walter Matthau. The stories of this overblown and unpleasant shoot are legendary. Plus how hugely it bombed, how it was the death of the big Hollywood musical, and all the rest. But I don’t care. I grew up on this movie. Mitchell and I quote it constantly. “You salt your beets, I’ll salt mine.”
“Take Me or Leave Me” – Idina Menzel, from Rent. I don’t know, girl, maybe you need to learn how to compromise, too. Maybe stop focusing so much on how awesome you are? Just a tip.
“Bullys Pt. 2” – Eminem. His lyrics and rhyme schemes are insane. It’s very complex, what he’s doing. Daunting. I love it when he sings, too.
“Life Story” – Lynne Wintersteller, from Closer Than Ever, the white-yuppie-30something-Baby-Boomer musical. Some wonderful songs in that musical, and I was very very into it in college. I grew past it. I see some the material as actually abhorrent now. The self-involved-ness of these people, their self-satisfaction about their political activity in the 60s (as though they are the only generation ever to give a shit), and their baffled reaction when the world didn’t turn out to be a Utopia. Now, granted, I’m Gen-X, and we are known for our cynicism. (I like to call it REALISM, but never mind.) Who the hell promised you people a Utopia? You took too many drugs in the 60s. Utopias don’t exist. Only dictators have the power to create a Utopia, so you can keep your Utopia. What the hell am I talking about. It’s a dumb musical. This is a beautiful song, a disappointed feminist anthem. A woman who gave up personal happiness for her career. And then looks out the window and wonders what she has done with her life. There is one great line about trying to get a job at age 49: “And those sweet young things who hire me now, those MBAs making 50 thou, who smile and ask what I have done, when they got their jobs from the fights I won …”
“All I Want for Christmas is You” – Michael Buble, covering the Mariah Carey classic. He does a lovely job. But it just shows that whatever happened with Mimi’s version: it can’t be recreated. What happened in her version was magic, eternal magic.
“Little by Little” – Nappy Brown. I love Nappy Brown, and all his Savoy stuff. I have a whole compilation.
“Candle: Coventry Carol” – Tori Amos. I love her. She also drives me crazy. Here, she drives me crazy. Lighten up, Tori.
“Woman Without Love” – Elvis Presley. Recorded in 1975. He sounds pretty damn good for a guy supposedly in a downward spiral. His voice is gentle and yet full. I love it when the huge chorus comes in.
“Right String Wrong Yo Yo” – Carl Perkins. This one MOVES. Well, they all move. This was recorded at Sun. Super sexy.
“The Impossible Dream” – Elvis, live in Las Vegas. It’s this kind of stuff that drives some Elvis fans crazy. WHY is he singing power ballads and show tunes? What happened?? But THIS is just as sincere as “Hound Dog”. And you have to accept that if you want to fully understand the man. Elvis lived the “impossible dream” and he KNEW it. It’s here in his voice, how he throws himself around in the song, up and up. Also, let’s not forget: a song like this allows Elvis to show off his pipes. The final note, he goes up the octave. It’s the “extra mile.” It’s a LEAP upward. He knows he can do it. But he’s got to take a big breath to get there. This is representative of pure guts, stamina, and heart. That’s why he was Elvis.
“(They Call It) Stormy Monday” – Lou Rawls. Man, he swings. His voice is so smooth, so beautiful. In the middle of swinging around, he’ll settle on a note for a second … and out comes his rich vibrato … but he doesn’t linger. He swings on into the song. The opposite of self-indulgent. The other thing I love about him is he is a storyteller. Every song is an inner monologue. A story he wants to share.
“Season of the Witch” – Donovan. My parents had one of his albums when I was a kid. I loved “Mellow Yellow” but it also scared me a little bit for some reason. It felt very grownup. I have a couple of Donovan tunes. This is my favorite. It still sounds fresh, no wonder it was picked as background for a recent commercial, although I’m not remembering which one. It’s very “90s-grunge” sounding, although 30 years before.
“It’s All Wrong, But It’s All Right” – Dolly Parton. This has been a pretty boy-heavy Shuffle thus far, so Dolly is welcome. She’s always welcome.
“Gimme Shelter” – The Rolling Stones. I don’t care how many times I’ve heard it. It’s still terrifying. I can’t say anything new about it. A song that tapped into – or, expressed – or ran from/embraced – the mood out there in the world that was dark and wild and terrible … in a moment when nobody really wanted to hear it, or at least didn’t understand the message, couldn’t hear it, there was still belief in that final chorus with the change-up: “It’s just a kiss away …” but in the song even Mick sounds like he’s not sure if that’s true, if that was ever true. After what they all just unleashed, “it’s just a kiss away” sounds like whistling in the dark. That’s not a criticism. It’s human to not want to face the darkness. It’s human to want to find hope.
“Drinkin’ In My Sunday Dress” – Maria McKee. I love her. What a voice, man. Have you seen the movies she’s made with her husband, Jim Akin? I recommend both: After the Triumph of Your Birth (my review here) and The Ocean of Helena Lee (my review here).
“Long Long Way From Home” – Foreigner. It’s so melodramatically macho.
“Good Time” – The Beach Boys. “Maybe it won’t last but what do we care? My baby and I just want a good time.” The arrangement, the progression … it seems so simple. IT IS NOT.
“Jailhouse Rock” – Jerry Lee Lewis. I am currently re-reading Nick Tosches’ dauntingly brilliant biography of Lewis, Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story.
“Norwegian Wood” – Waylon Jennings. Sigh. So so good.
“Drunk Girls Don’t Cry” – Maren Morris. She is a recent discovery. I like her a lot. A tough-talking country song. “Girl, you gotta know when to clean house and throw his shit out in the yard.”
“Taking Over Me” – Evanescence. I love her voice. It’s quite epic. A great rock ‘n’ roll voice. I love the heaviness of the arrangements, too. This is some dark shit.
“Borderline / Open Your Heart” – the Glee cast, in their Madonna episode. I like the harmonies they add in in their arrangement. I’ve heard both of these songs so many times it’s difficult to even HEAR them anymore. That’s part of the fun of some of these Glee songs. I’m not saying they’re better than the original, just that they breathe new life into an over-played song.
“Just a Little Talk with Jesus” – Elvis and Carl Perkins. Part of the so-called “Million Dollar Quartet” … my favorite part. Elvis and Carl just go OFF. Elvis and Carl harmonizing. Elvis taking the lead. He so rarely sang with OTHER people, it’s so awesome to hear this. Elvis also plays conductor, saying at one point, “Slow it down, Carl …” Elvis continues on with the lead, and Carl does the echo behind him. Thrilling. Country boys. Pentecostal boys. With pompadours and shiny shoes.
“Mama Told Me Not to Come” – Tom Jones absolutely KILLING the Three Dog Night song. He KILLS.
“Suspended in Time” – Olivia Newton-John. From the Xanadu soundtrack. Because of course. She has such a perfect voice. It can be soft and whispery, but she can also open up her throat into a thrilling belt. I love her.
“Your Lovin’ Man” – Vernon Taylor. A Sun Records artist. My favorite parts: the bass line. The simple little guitar solo. Everything is in them: country/blues/gospel.
“Honkin’ Down the Highway” – The Beach Boys. I can’t wait to read Brian Wilson’s book, as well as Mike Love’s book. The Mozart/Salieri comparison is probably unfair! But still: I need to read both, and I need to read them back to back.
“Bones” – The Killers. I love them. What’s the consensus out there about them? I don’t care, because I’ll love them anyway, but I’m curious and too lazy to Google. I love Brandon Flowers’ voice.
“Survival” – Eminem. From his latest double-album The Marshall Mathers LP2. Along with “Legacy,” this is my favorite track on the album (which is back-to-back great).
“Thorn Within” – Metallica, from the generally-reviled Load, an album I really like. Yes, it’s different from their normal fare, and maybe it doesn’t “go” with their image. Strike that: it definitely doesn’t “go”. But I think it’s entertaining.
“They Won’t Go When I Go” – George Michael. A stunning vocal performance.
“Can’t Fight This Feeling” – REO Speedwagon. Oh, for God’s sake.
“Key to the Highway” – Big Bill Broonzy. The best. I grew up hearing that name around the house. My dad’s name was Bill. Mum occasionally called him “Big Bill Broonzy.” I totally accepted it, and didn’t really put it together as referencing something else. I come from a musical family. Not just The Clancy Brothers. But Big Bill Broonzy too.
“Still Doing Time” – George Jones. One of my favorite voices in country music. I realize that this does not make me in any way/shape/form unique.
“Tutti Frutti” – Queen, live at Wembley. Thrilling. This whole concert is incredible.
“Needles and Pins” – Del Shannon. “Runaway” might be my favorite pop song ever written. A Del Shannon fan from the first time I heard it. And I was probably 8 years old when I first heard it.
“Creep” – Radiohead. Bands go through entire decades-spanning careers without writing a song that strikes an emotional chord like “Creep.”
“Wildcat Tamer” – Dale Hawkins. Primal. “I’m a wild cat tamer …” The wild taming the wild. A match made in rockabilly heaven.
“My Baby Likes Western Guys” – Brenda Lee. You might want to look for another boyfriend, Brenda. One who likes girls. Just a suggestion!
“Farewell to Carlingford” – The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem. My entire childhood is in this sound. The harmonies here make me want to cry.
“Hoy Hoy” – The Collins Kids. Rockabilly heaven.
“Don’t Put It Down” – the cast of Hair, the Broadway revival. Great ensemble. Some good songs. But I have a problem taking this hippie-dippie shit seriously. It’s a character flaw, I admit that. Or maybe it’s that those in my family who were in that generation – those who were in their teens and 20s in the 1960s – were not flower-children, doing drugs and chanting in a commune and “checking out” and all the rest. My family wasn’t protesting the war. They were fighting IN the war. And they weren’t drafted, they signed up. I’m not saying it was a good war. If I sound snotty about this, well it’s a reaction to the snottiness of the other side who feel that going to muddy outdoor concerts represented some kind of enlightenment. So all the Utopia-Uplift stuff … it’s just not in my heritage. I’ve always had suspicion for it. As you can imagine, this attitude makes me a ton of friends!
“It’s Over” – Roy Orbison. I was fascinated to read about Orbison’s journey at Sun Records and his relationship with Sam Phillips in Peter Guralnick’s recent biography of Phillips. Roy Orbison had been radicalized (as so many people were) after seeing Elvis play live. He immediately changed his life-goals, his inspirations, who he wanted to be. But Orbison had different gifts, and one of them was his stupendous voice, which he loved showing off in these melodramatic ballads. Sam Phillips didn’t care for it. It wasn’t the kind of music he was interested in. Additionally, Phillips got so swept up in the Jerry Lee Lewis fervor that the other Sun artists (Johnny Cash and Orbison, primarily) felt neglected. Orbison was his own kind of artist, and he was fenced in at Sun. He finally found his way but (if I recall correctly) there was a fair amount of bitterness at how Phillips had treated him.
“New York State of Mind” – the Billy Joel song as performed by Lea Michele and Melissa Benoit on Glee. I was such a huge Billy Joel fan as a teen that – honestly – I can’t listen to him anymore. I feel a little bit bad about that. That’s one of the fun things about these Glee covers: they can re-ignite interest in a song I have listened to one or twenty too many times. This is a beautiful duet by two talented singers.
“Pop, Let Me Have the Car” – Carl Perkins. The innovator. The guy who put it all together. He’s on fire here. He wants – he needs – to get laid. He needs that car.
“Roadrunners G Jam” – Humble Pie. So hot. There’s a blues-jam-session feeling to it, but it’s got some funk elements too, that crazy keyboard, like what the hell. This is off the first album they put out after Peter Frampton fled for greener pastures.
“Take Cover” – Bleu. What a voice. He can do anything. He DOES do anything. Great song-writer. He has this whole other career writing songs for Pop Princesses. I can see why. He’s a hit-maker. A star. But his own stuff, his performing, his voice … he’s just the best thing going right now.
“(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons” – Sam Cooke. He was just a perfect performer. The whole package.
“You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” – Judas Priest. You promise?
“Dust” – Eli Young Band. Pretty “stock” contemporary country, but I like it. He’s no Eric Church. But who is.
“Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” – Kenny Rogers. Oh hell yes.
“Hungover and Hard Up” – Eric Church. Speaking of Eric Church …
“Yup” – E-40. J’adore so hard.
“I Fought the Law” – The Stray Cats. You know, they were huge when I was in high school. There was this weird mix of New Wave and post-punk and rockabilly going on. People were actually wearing poodle skirts at one point. I had one. Plus Madonna and Prince. It was a rich time. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
“I’m Gonna Set My Foot Down” – Buddy Holly. I love it when he gets pissed off. The sweet love songs are good, too, but I think something interesting and exciting comes out when he gets fed up. That’s what rock ‘n’ roll is all about.
“Fairytale” – Elvis covering The Pointer Sisters. I love their version, but I love his too. Great country song. And he’s pissed. He’s outta there. “You used me. You deceived me. And you never seem to need me. But I bet you won’t forget me when I go.” We won’t, Elvis.
“John Wayne” – Lady Gaga. This is from her album that just dropped – her country-ish album – so I haven’t had a chance to absorb it yet. This is an excellent dance track. Leave it to John Wayne to continue to be cool.
“Quiet” – from Matilda, the Musical. Never seen the show. Love the music though! The kids are excellent, some of this music is very challenging! Like this one.
“Metal Militia” – Metallica. Is anyone faster than them? It’s overwhelming.
“Ride the Lightning” – Metallica. One of my favorites of theirs. Exhilarating.
“Rehab” – Amy Winehouse. It still sounds brand-new, alarmingly so. You stop in your tracks when the song starts. It’s audacious. You can’t believe it exists. I miss her.
“Who Do You Love?” – The Band. A crazy jam. One of the best things about their stuff is that you never forget that it’s PEOPLE making that sound. You feel their humanity, even when you don’t SEE them.
“A Flat” – Black Violin. I love these guys. I got into them – as I think a lot of people did – when their video for “Stereotypes” went viral (and maybe there was an NPR spot about them too.)
“The Adams Administration” – the Hamilton soundtrack. Poor John Adams. He’s not even IN the musical. Great song, though, about Hamilton going after John Adams. It was the beginning of the end for Hamilton. Political suicide.
“Something Inside of Me” – the great Elmore James. The blues can be Pure Heaven. Like this.
“Love and Peace Or Else” – U2. Shut up, Bono.
“Shake That” – Eminem and Nate Dogg. Oh hell yeah. Sex that shit up, Slim. Great dance track from the Gloomy Recluse.
“Man In a Suitcase” – The Police. Wow, I forgot about this song. I love that album, Zenyatta Mondattta. I was such an enormous Police fan in high school and that love has faded. Not sure why. Just one of those things I grew out of. But I’m still happy when they come up.
“Ol’ Man River” – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. If an alien came to earth, and listened to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, the alien would turn to us humans and say, “How do you explain this? What is this? How do I classify this?” The only valid answer is: “There is no explanation. Sometimes something comes along that cannot be sufficiently explained. The only thing to do is listen and enjoy and be thankful that geniuses sometimes choose to walk on the earth. But don’t expect to find a similar make and model among the rest of us. Can’t be done.” LISTEN TO THIS TRACK.
“25 Minutes to Go” – Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. What an incredible moment. Listen to that crowd. You feel like at any second a riot’s going to break out. He gets them worked up. He’s singing about their lives. Not to mention the BEAT of that song: its insistent “rhythm of the tracks” (as defined by Keith Richards).
“Somethin’ About You Baby I Like” – Jerry Reed. I love when the girls come in in the background. I love how he’s basically stalking this woman down the sidewalk (“peekaboo”) because he’s too tongue-tied to talk to her. Creepy? Whatever, it’s JERRY REED.
“Boycott” – Brendan Benson. He’s been quietly doing his rock/folk thing for years. His main moment of stardom was when one of his songs played in one of the first iPod commercials. A total anomaly in his career. But I have Mac to thank for introducing me to him. He’s become one of my favorite singer/songwriters working today. He’s incapable of writing a boring song. He wears his influences (The Beatles, ELO) on his sleeve. Love him.
“Knives of New Orleans” – Eric Church. I’ve tried to write about why his music and attitude touches/excites me too much. He’s got the “I’m just a good ol’ boy” thing going on because he’s a country star. That’s the deal. But somehow it feels more genuine with him (than it did with, say, Garth Brooks), maybe because he’s honest about his dark side (one of his song titles), his feelings about Nashville (“she’s a bitch, a slut, a tramp, a mutt …”), his contempt for what he calls “soccer Mom Christians”, the main audience country stars have been gunning for for decades. He’s a party-hound. He’s a stoner and has written multiple songs about smoking pot. He’s a sex-pot. He’s a bad boy. His songs are peppered with references to Elvis, Hank Williams, Waylon … Those guys are rock ‘n’ roll to him. He wants country to stop being goody-goody. He’s definitely got his chip-on-the-shoulder Southern attitude (“I got my pick-up truck and I’m happier than you with all your money and your penthouse …” as though there’s not a middle-ground, people living in regular houses and driving Honda civics. Nope. It’s country boys wearing shit-kickers or elites at cocktail parties. Okay, Eric. You gotta speak to your culturally resentful base. I get it. But you’re a multi-millionaire now. How are you not in the elite of our society now?) Whatever. Whatever he does seems sincere to me. He’s pissed a lot of people off. But he’s embraced the audience that has been ignored by mainstream country: the outlaws, the boys, the Nascar fans, the party-hounds. A POWERFUL demographic.
“American Middle Class” – Angaleena Presley. I love her voice. This song is brutal. There’s a lot of anger in America right now.
The mood is extremely volatile. It’s a terrible time for our country. I have contempt for the racism and xenophobia and misogyny in politics right now. But the economic situation – especially for those in country areas, places not on the coast – places who have been decimated by the closing of factories and coal-mines, the decimation that things like Walmart can wrought – the forgotten and hated “rednecks” – well, what the hell are we going to DO about that demographic? SOMETHING’S got to be done. Job creation, education incentives, whatEVER. I’m not saying “Yes, let’s listen to racism and xenophobia and empathize with where that’s come from.” But I AM saying that ignoring these people – and their economic distress – has CLEARLY NOT WORKED. Anyway, that’s what this song is about.
“P.S. I Love You” – Bobby Vinton. An emanation from an America that died a long time ago.
“She-Bop” – Cyndi Lauper. Talk about songs from my high school years. She’s amazing. It was whispered amongst my friends that this was about masturbation. We listened agog, and felt like we were in on the secret.
“Temptation” – The Everly Brothers. “It would be thrilling if you were willing …” That’s the crux of it, ain’t it.
“I’m Gonna Stay” – Mary Wells. Motown’s first big star. She helped create that Motown sound, or at least she was one of the first expressions of it. Her hairdos were extraordinary.
“Hot as Ice” – Brit-Brit. This was from the horrifyingly-titled Blackout, recorded during the period of her life where she was having an extended breakdown, lovingly recorded by the tabloid press, who – if she had committed suicide – would have blood on their hands, as far as I’m concerned. There are some good tracks on this album, all things considered. Poor Britney. I am glad she is still with us.
“Chicago Shake” The Bruce Fowler Big Band. This is from the Public Enemies soundtrack. Bruce Fowler is on almost every Frank Zappa album. Captain Beefheart used him all the time too. Trombonist!
“Working on the Building” – Elvis, one of his gospel tunes. He recorded so much gospel, and I love all of it: the jumping up and down hand-clapping variety (like this one), the holy-man at the organ variety, and every style in-between. He could do it all. But this one … this one … This one is in my Top 5 Elvis Gospel list. Because it’s very important to have such a list.
“When Irish Eyes are Smiling” – The Irish Tenors. Give me a break.
“Function at the Junction” – Little Richard. What a MADMAN. From him, all good things spring. I love how he goes OFF, and the background music/background singers/everything keeps up the beat, on repeat, full energy, until he “comes back” and they can continue. Classic blues style.
“Solitaire” – Elvis Presley. Devastating. There are a couple of tracks near the end where his pain is so evident it’s difficult to listen to. “It’s Still Here” is another one. But his voice is able to EXPRESS that stuff. It’s full and rich and evocative. He sounds amazing here.
“The Fightin’ Side of Me” – Merle Haggard. Okay, Merle, okay, I know. I can’t imagine what the 60s/70s looked like to you. I know you’re pissed. And I actually agree with a lot of your sentiments here. But “If you don’t love it, leave it …” Well, that’s not how we do it here in ‘Murrica. We are allowed to be pissed off at our government and still live here in peace. We are allowed to be angry at government policies and not fear a firing squad or imprisonment. It is our RIGHT to criticize our country if we see fit. That kind of criticism is ALSO a form of patriotism. But still: I feel your pain, Merle. And I will always love you.
“Time” – Sly & The Family Stone. Delicious. So sexy. It starts sexy and then it gets sexier and the whole thing is unbearably hot. And coming from a very real place.
“Stray Heart” – Green Day. It was so exciting when they quickly – and overnight – came out with 3 albums. What on earth …. This is one of my favorite tracks off of the three. Classic Green Day pop-sound.
“Reviewing the Situation” – Ron Moody, as Fagin in Oliver! A GREAT vocal performance. (Great acting performance, too. But the STUFF he can do with his voice … the variety, the intonation, the CONTROL he has … breath-taking.)
“I Wonder” – The Ronettes. That Phil Spector wall of sound. Rather amazing. The sound is so huge it sounds like they’re in a warehouse. And still the voices of the women are highlighted. They’re not lost in all that sound. Amazing balance found.
“Minnie the Moocher’s Wedding Day” – Cab Calloway. The BEST. I have his Greatest Hits. Always happy when he shows up.
“All Things Must Pass” – The Beatles. Working it out in 1969. A demo. Rough. Near the end of the road.
“Bo Diddley” – by none other than Bo Diddley. Keith Richards again: “the rhythm of the tracks.” Thrilling. It SOUNDS dangerous. Because it is. The culture is about to crack apart.
“Bad Example” – The Pistol Annies. “Somebody has to set a bad example, teach all the prim and propers what not to do …” I love these broads. They keep it real. “I’m a third-generation bartender …”
“Make You Feel My Love” – the new Nobel Prize winner. Who is currently refusing to even acknowledge that he just won the Nobel Prize. Like, he’s not even answering the Nobel committee’s phone calls/emails. Which is, honestly, the most rock ‘n’ roll thing he could ever do. It’s brilliant.
“Better Off” – Foo Fighters. Sometimes a song hits my sweet spot. Well, my musical sweet spot. This is one of those songs.
“Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Going)” – The Rolling Stones. The whole thing is great, but it’s fun to “isolate” Keith and listen to what he’s doing back there.
“Hell on the Heart” – Eric Church. “Every bit as funny as she is smart …” I like your taste in women, Eric. This song works best blasted in the car with the windows down.
“Ricky Ticky Toc” – Eminem. A sort of rapprochement song. Trying to find common ground with his rivals. It’s one long monologue. Not a chorus-verse structure. Just one long stream of thought.
“Angel of the Morning” – Nina Simone. What she does with this song is literally mind-blowing. It’s completely transformed. It’s hers. She makes you feel like this is the way the song needs to be sung. Her deep-dive into the lyrics, her burrowing into the psychology … There is literally nobody like her. Her interpretive powers are stunning. Otherworldly, almost, but also always attached to the earth: coming from HER, everything she did was personal.
“Run For Your Life” – The Beatles. One of their scariest songs.
“Be Still” – The Beach Boys. Another track off of Friends, released in 1969. One of the craziest awful-est years in American history. This is haunting. And so quiet it’s almost not there. A retreat from the chaos?
“Boogie Woogie Teenage Girl” – Dale Hawkins. I love how he just keeps repeating it, I also love how he makes “sugar and spice and everything nice” sound totally dirty.
“Busted” – Ray Charles. Hahahaha. He’s so awesome. And those horns. So snarky.
“Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man” – Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner. This literally could not be more country.
“Charlie’s Soliloquy” – the marvelous Stark Sands, from Inside Llewyn Davis.
“Roi” – The Breeders. Ah, the good old days when girls could be rock stars and not have to be sex-pots.
“Memphis Exorcism” – The Squirrel Nut Zippers. Recently, my friend Jordan said on Twitter that he sure hoped the Squirrel Nut Zippers created a “diversified stock portfolio” in the 90s, cause they’d need it now. That made me laugh.
“That’s What You Get For Loving Me” – Waylon Jennings. What a song. I’m so glad so many of my favorites have covered it. I mean, you can’t get more truth-talking than that: Listen, you knew what I was going into this, so that’s WHAT YOU GET, ma’am.
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