Live Coltrane was wasted on patrons like Don Draper. … [Read more...]
Social Currencies
...Other institutions do far better jobs at issuing social currency these days. What is Facebook but the Federal Reserve Bank of social currency? And it's all social currency you can use! Like cocktail chatter, a Facebook posting--be it a link, a list, a photo, or travel plans--conveys the message, … [Read more...]
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: Ben Kingsley, Sir
...The real turning point was Sexy Beast. For in that inspired, delirious film, we went from asking ourselves what on earth Ben Kingsley was doing, to praying that he would not stop. It's as if his director, Jonathan Glazer, whispered to him: "Take the film over, inhale it, and roar like its … [Read more...]
Circuitous Route to New Music Social Blogging…
"Snagged by a sour, pinched guitar riff, the song has an acerbic tinge...and Dylan sings the title rejoinders in mock self-pity. It's less an indictment of the system than a coil of imagery that spells out how the system hangs itself with the rope it's so proud of."... (How did this ever get by … [Read more...]
Quote of the Month: Jerry Wexler
"I asked him once," said Mr. Thurman, the filmmaker, " 'What do you want written on your tombstone, Jerry?' He said, 'Two words: More bass.' " … [Read more...]
Big Mention: rockcritics.com
Scott Woods shouts it out. … [Read more...]
Conjunction of the Month: file under
From Harper's Index: "The House Judiciary Committee cited Karl Rove for contempt, and members of the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute tribes performed a Native American blessing near the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, site of the upcoming Democratic Convention..." … [Read more...]
Buddy Song: McCain’s Limbo dance, cont.
Greil Marcus in the New Yorker: "When it started, I thought, This isn't half bad. I like 'halfway to the stars' instead of 'all the way.' But"--he read the line about the storm--" 'touch the legacy that is ours'? You just can't use 'legacy' in a song. It's like a roadblock." … [Read more...]
Toy of the Month (Java)
Wordle, here's a wee glimpse: Bonus rounds: lyrics to A Day in the Life, and guess the poem. … [Read more...]
Quick TV Notes
Having watched the pilot for Mary MacCormack's risibly noxious new USA series, In Plain Site, all the ads woven into the Closer's return only underline the lack of decent material for actresses coming into their own. A couple seasons back MM had recurring roles on both ER and The West Wing. Now … [Read more...]
Wordless Cooliosity
The contraption is one thing -- the announcer is a club mix in waiting. Out of commission until 7/14, so go nuts. … [Read more...]
Cureless Love
QUOTE OF THE MONTH: Leonard Cohen in Montreal: "I haven't been on a stage here in 14 or 15 years... I was 60 years old -- a kid with a crazy dream." … [Read more...]
Sometimes a Great Notion
"...He had a white-labelled 45 rpm test pressing on the turntable and he put it into play. The room was filled with this amazing sound. I had no idea what it was, but it was the most incredible thing I'd ever heard. I slowly and numbly felt my way through the aural maze and discerned what I thought … [Read more...]
Elvis: Suppressed
from Ray Connolly in the Daily Mail... … [Read more...]
Up Past the Dawn
Greil Marcus on "rock poetry" in last week's Guardian: The June 1966 issue of the youth-oriented American fashion magazine Glamour carried an unusual feature: lyrics from the soon to be released Bob Dylan song Visions of Johanna, which Dylan had been performing onstage, alone, with an acoustic … [Read more...]