Some Quick Thoughts On Peter Ivers
A few days ago I started reading “In Heaven Everything is Fine: The Unsolved Life of Peter Ivers and the Lost History of New Wave Theatre,” by Josh Frank and Charlie Buckholtz (Free Press, $25). I had read something a couple of weeks ago that piqued my interest about Ivers and this book, although admittedly, I really knew nothing about him other than being peripherally aware of New Wave Theatre.
There are a couple of things that so far have really made an impression on me: First is the incredible wealth of talent that came Harvard during that era (the late 1960’s). Ivers’ classmates and friends included Harold Ramis, Stockard Channing. Doug Kenney, and Tommy Lee Jones. And those are just the bigger names that I was immediately familiar with.
The other thing that absolutely stunned me was a title bestowed on Ivers by none other than Muddy Waters. One night in 1968, Ivers and then-girlfriend Channing were at the Cambridge Blues Club in Boston, watching Waters perform. “At one point between songs, Muddy Waters gestured to Peter and began to speak about him,” the authors write. Waters tells the crowd about his previous encounters with Ivers, including times the two had played together. “Looking out over the small but devoted audience in the smoky room, Waters referred to Peter as ‘the greatest harp player alive.’”
A white kid from Harvard was “the greatest harp player alive”? No doubt about it, I wanted to hear this. Ivers’ music is sort of hard to find, even on the Internet. eMusic has a couple of his later albums, but they’re mistitled as being by “Pete Rivers.” After some digging, though, I managed to find a couple of things I wanted to share here. Both of Ivers’ songs here display his harmonica talent, which is quite amazing.
The other two songs are versions of “In Heaven (Everything is Fine),” the song that lent its name to the book I’m reading. David Lynch asked Ivers to write a song for the 1977 movie Eraserhead and “In Heaven” was what he came up with. The first version is the original from the movie; the other is the Pixie’s version, from a BBC broadcast.
I’ve Got a Sex Crush.mp3 Harmonica Solo.mp3 In Heaven (Everything is Fine).mp3 In Heaven (The Lady in the Radiator Song).mp3 Labels: "alternative", books, covers, movies, new wave
The Blues Brothers
I spent some time yesterday watching part of Saturday Night Live’s fourth season, which was, I think, the last year with the original cast. It aired during the 1978-79 television season. What’s great is going back and seeing so much stuff and so many characters that have become part of pop culture: John Belushi’s samurai; Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin as the swinging Czech brothers; and Garrett Morris’ Chico Escuela, just to name a couple.
One absolute classic that appeared that season was the Blues Brothers. They opened the Nov. 18, 1978, show with a manic version of “Soul Man.” I couldn’t help but smile at Danny Aykroyd’s spastic dancing and Belushi’s cartwheels as I watched this yesterday.
I vaguely remember seeing this when it originally aired and I remember not being sure if it were real or shtick. No doubt there’s plenty of shtick behind the act, but there’s also some real love of the blues, especially on Aykroyd’s part. Enjoy some delicious copy-pasta from the Blues Brothers’
Wiki:
Following tapings of SNL, it was popular among cast members and the weekly hosts to attend Aykroyd’s Holland Tunnel Blues bar, which he had rented not long after joining the cast.... It was here that Dan and Ron Gwynne wrote and developed the original story that Dan turned into the initial story draft of the Blues Brothers movie.... It was also at the bar that Aykroyd introduced Belushi to the blues. An interest soon became a fascination and it wasn't long before the two began singing with local blues bands.
The article goes on to talk about Aykroyd growing up in Canada and attending blues shows at Ottawa's Le Hibou Coffee House and other influences on him personally and on the Blues Brothers act.
After John Belushi’s 1982 death, Aykroyd would occasionally join up with John’s little brother James and/or John Goodman to perform as the Blues Brothers, but, in my opinion, that original spark was gone. It’s also been diluted through various tribute acts and bad movie sequels.
“
You know, so much of the music we hear these days is pre-programmed electronic disco we never get a chance to hear master bluesmen practicing their craft anymore. By the year 2006, the music known today as the blues will exist only in the classical records department of your local public library.” ~ Elwood Blues, from the opening of
Briefcase Full of Blues Soul Man.mp3 (I Got Everything I Need) Almost.mp3 Labels: blues, movies, TV
A Shower with Norman Bates
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I read earlier that today is the 50th anniversary of the release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho and I thought it might be appropriate to make mention of that before I go shower.
Psycho is now, of course, considered a classic, but I was surprised to learn that it opened to not-so-great reviews: “There is not an abundance of subtlety or the lately familiar Hitchcock bent toward significant and colorful scenery in this obviously low-budget job,” Bosley Crowther wrote in a June 17, 1960,
New York Times review.
Like now, though, even bad reviews didn’t keep the public away; the film broke box office records all over the world and would ultimately become Hitchcock’s most successful movie.
Some random Psycho trivia:
Anthony Perkins was paid $40,000 for his role, which is exactly the same amount of money that Marion Crane embezzles.
Marion’s white 1957 Ford sedan is the same car (owned by Universal) that the Cleaver family drove on “Leave It to Beaver”
Psycho was the first American film ever to show a toilet flushing on screen.
In the murder scene in the shower, there are only two split second frames of the knife actually touching the body.
And some random music about Norman Bates:
Norman Bates.mp3 ~ Utopians
Norman Bates.mp3 ~ Bright Light Fever
Norman Bates.mp3 ~ The Tailgators
Norman Bates.mp3 ~ from a German electronica collection titled
Cyberworld IIA Shower with Norman Bates.mp3 ~ Etienne & Moi
Labels: "alternative", electronic, movies, rockabilly
OST OCD: Colors
If you’ll do me the favor of thinking back a couple of weeks, you’ll recollect I
posted up a remixed cover version of Ice-T’s classic “Colors.” At that time I mentioned I would consider a post of the original if I still had the soundtrack. Well, friends, guess what?
This is actually sort of a relevant time to post from this soundtrack, with the death last week of Dennis Hopper. Hopper, in case you’ve forgotten, directed the 1988 flick, which starred Robert Duvall and Sean Penn.
Your basic plot summary, from
IMDB:
Colors stars Robert Duvall and Sean Penn as partners on the LAPD’s gang crime division. Duvall had hoped to spend more time with his family, but he's pulled back into active service because of a step-up in gang activity. He makes no secret of his contempt for his novice partner Penn, but eventually comes to rely on the younger man as a valuable street contact. The central crisis is the battle for supremacy between the Crips and the Bloods, with every effort to call a truce stymied by the gang members themselves and by undue police intervention.
The soundtrack itself did pretty well, chart-wise. It went as high as number 31 on the Billboard charts, and helped launch the career of the future Detective “Fin” Tutuola. Before Colors, Ice-T was doing OK, releasing 12-inch singles and the moderately successful
Rhyme Pays. But it would be “Colors” that put Ice-T on the map as a “gangsta rapper” as well as a commentator on that lifestyle. From that point, Ice’s lyrics would become sharper and more incisive, putting him in the role as “OG” of west coast rap.
Along with “Colors,” I’ve also got for you the classic Cold Cut remix of Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid in Full,” another old-school, not-to-be-missed hip hop track.
Colors.mp3 Paid in Full - 7 Minutes of Madness (The Cold Cut remix).mp3 Labels: hip-hop, movies, soundtracks
'Fell In Love With A Girl'
This past weekend I bought the new White Stripes live disk,
Under Great White Northern Lights. I went the route of going to my local big box retailer to get a physical copy so I could get the bonus DVD.
The set documents the White Stripes’ 2007 trek across the Great White North, and while the CD is the expected collection of live hits, the DVD contains a few surprises. During the three-week tour, Jack and Meg made stops at several out-of-the-way towns and played some unorthodox venues, such as local cafes and bowling alleys. Hardly settings where you’d expect to find one of the biggest bands in the world. Snippets of these stops, along with the infamous one-note show in St. John’s, Newfoundland, are all on the DVD.
One other thing that came from watching the DVD is a new appreciation, or perhaps sympathy, for Meg. Fans generally know very little about her. She mostly keeps quiet, allowing Jack to speak on behalf of the band. Because of her taciturnity, it’s hard to know where Meg stands. In every scene with Jack, she’s walking behind him, rather than alongside him. The primary focus is always on him, in all meetings with reporters, fans, and public officials. They talk about that at one point on the DVD, and Meg says the decision to let Jack do all the talking is hers; she doesn’t want to talk. She’s very soft-spoken and is actually sub-titled throughout the 90-minute film.
But I think her feelings come out at the end of the movie. In the final scene, Meg is sitting beside Jack at a piano as he plays a solo version of the ambiguous “Holy Ghost.” She’s at first swaying slowly, in time with the music. After a while, the camera catches what looks like a tear on her cheek, but it moves away too fast to be certain. But the next time the camera zooms on her, she’s unmistakably crying. When the song ends, Jack gives her a quick, one-armed “cheer up, pal” kind of hug, which quickly becomes a real hug and you see the affection between them. That unexpected moment of intimacy is something that made the entire movie for me, and made Jack and Meg seem real, not just a “deserted cartoon” that Jack wrote.
I ripped “Holy Ghost” from the DVD, so the sound isn’t 320 kbps quality, but it’s decent. It’s also, as I mentioned, a solo piano version, so it's different than the
Get Behind Me Satan version.
White Moon (solo piano version).mp3 Labels: Detroit, movies, new stuff, White Stripes
Tony Rome
The other night I happened to watch the 1967 Frank Sinatra classic,
Tony Rome. The film was interesting in a couple of ways: First, it features Sinatra the way that I’d grown up imagining him: Tough, quick with a one-liner, and having to always dodge women who are non-stop throwing themselves at him.
The other interesting aspect is that Tony Rome shows a Miami completely different, yet remarkably the same, as the Miami I know. I laughed when I saw some of the Miami Beach structures in the movie that probably weren’t new then and are still standing today, only now they actually are home to the sort of low-lives the fictional PI was chasing 40 years ago.
The Tony Rome title track is ridiculously catchy and poppy, while being cool in a retro, Tarantino kind of way. Steven Van Zandt has it in rotation on his
Underground Garage channel on SiriusXM radio and I figured if it’s cool enough for Little Steven it’ll probably do for this site. Besides, it’s been stuck in my head since I watched the movie.
Frank’s daughter Nancy sang the title track for the movie; her second go with a movie theme song, following on her earlier success with the title track for You Only Live Twice. Lee Hazelwood, who wrote most of Nancy’s earlier hits, also penned this sultry classic.
Also, just for fun, I’m including a not-too-bad cover of the Beatles’ “Run for Your Life,” which Nancy recorded for her 1966 album
Boots.
Tony Rome.mp3 Run for Your Life (Beatles cover).mp3 Labels: Beatles, covers, movies, pop muzik
Tom Waits and Down by Law
This past weekend I watched
Down by Law, a 1986 Jim Jarmusch film. Not long ago I had watched an older flick of his and thought I’d check out some other things.
The movie, in case you haven’t seen it, is more or less about a pimp and an out of work DJ who land in, then escape from, a New Orleans prison. Along with them is an Italian guy whose knowledge of English is mostly limited to phrases such as “If looks could kill, I am a-dead now,” or “I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream.” (For a more complete synopsis, check the above link.)
Tom Waits is in the movie, as Zack, the DJ. I knew he’d had a couple of small roles in other films, but I’d somehow missed the fact that he’s in Down by Law. His relationship with his cellmate, Jack (played by John Lurie), is the movie’s main focus. Waits also has a couple of songs in the film, both from his 1985 album
Rain Dogs.
Although the rough concept of the album revolves around New York City, the two songs used in this movie, “Jockey Full of Bourbon” and “Tango ‘til They’re Sore,” are both just as appropriate to New Orleans. Not just the music, which, especially in “Tango,” is overlaid with horns, but the noir-ishness of the music fits beautifully with Jarmusch’s grim, black and white New Orleans.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I need to recommend it to you. Here are the songs, which are great in their own right, but in the context of Down by Law, gain a whole new level.
Jockey Full of Bourbon.mp3 Tango ‘till They’re Sore.mp3 Labels: alt.jazz, blues, movies
Trippin' with Toni Basil
You know how sometimes, in old movies, the credits roll as the film opens? Well, I was watching Easy Rider (1969, my friends – it’s officially an old movie now) the other day and as the opening credits went across the screen, I saw a familiar name: Toni Basil.
I can’t honestly say if I knew she was in the movie and had forgotten, or if it came as a bit of a surprise. While I know she is a choreographer of some renown, to me, Toni Basil is, was, and always will be the “Oh, Mickey, you’re so fine” girl.
In case you didn’t know – or like me, you maybe forgot – Toni plays “Mary” in Easy Rider. Near the end of the film, when Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda finally arrive in New Orleans, they visit a brothel where they meet Mary and another girl, Karen (played by Karen Black). The four of them go to the Mardi Gras parade, and then visit a cemetery, where they drop acid. In your
Mr. Skin moment, there is a little bit of Toni Basil nudity here. There is also an interestingly filmed representation of the group’s trip.
Easy Rider was probably Toni’s biggest role; prior to that she had a few parts where she was credited – if she was credited at all – in roles such as “Dancer” or “Pajama Girl.” She also had a few small roles following Easy Rider, mainly in classics such as Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood; and Angel III: The Final Chapter. I think it’s safe to say Toni found much more success as a choreographer.
But let’s not forget Toni’s musical career. Her 1982 album
Word of Mouth and the smash hit “Mickey” firmly established her as one of the greatest one-hit wonders ever. Something else I didn’t know about Toni Basil until I started researching around: Most of the members of Devo played on the
Word of Mouth disk. If you can believe what you read, Toni and Devo bass player Jerry Casale were dating at the time and Toni had been a long-time Devo fan.
One of the songs Toni chose for her album was “Be Stiff,” which was a Devo rarity. The song was initially released on their 1978 EP,
Be Stiff. Devo wouldn’t officially release the song again until their 1990 compilation disk
Greatest Misses. Toni’s is a fun version, with her pop vocals over Devo’s edgy new wave instrumentation.
Be Stiff.mp3 Labels: covers, movies, new wave, pop muzik
OST OCD: 'He Got Game'
It’s been a long time since I did one of these OST posts and, truth to tell, the origin of this particular post didn’t come from the movie, but from a Buffalo Springfield song.
I heard “For What It’s Worth” the other day, which got me thinking about Public Enemy’s soundtrack for Spike Lee’s 1998 movie, He Got Game (I’ve mentioned before how my brain moves along those paths). I watched the movie once, some time ago, and, at least in my opinion, it wasn’t one of Spike Lee’s best.
The movie stars Denzel Washington and current Boston Celtic Ray Allen. The plot is basically as follows: Jesus Shuttlesworth (Allen) is an extremely talented basketball player being pursued by the top college programs in the nation. Washington's character, Jake Shuttlesworth, is a convicted felon serving time at Attica State Prison for accidentally killing his wife (Jesus’ mother). Jake is temporarily released by the governor, influential alum of one of the colleges Jesus is considering, so that he might direct his son to sign with the governor's college. (See the trailer
here.)
As a longtime listener of Public Enemy, I got the soundtrack long before I saw the movie. This album reunited Professor Griff and Terminator X with Chuck D and Flavor Flav, giving the album the feel of the early PE disks. They also invited a host of guests, including Masta Killa, KRS-One, and one of the last people you’d expect to find here, Stephen Stills.
Stills stepped in to lend his voice and acoustic guitar to the title track. While the original version symbolizes the unrest of the 1960’s, this more-or-less updated version touches more on oppression: Racial oppression, political oppression, self oppression.
More than your eye can see / And ears can hear
Year by year / All the sense disappears
Nonsense perseveres / Prayers laced wit’ fear He Got Game the soundtrack remains one of my favorite Public Enemy disks and one of only a few soundtracks that can stand on its own.
He Got Game.mp3 ~ ft. Stephen Stills
Unstoppable.mp3 ~ ft. KRS-One
Labels: hip-hop, movies, soundtracks
Rude Boy
Let’s open things tonight with a little history lesson about the Rude Boys.
The term “rude boys” originated in Kingston, Jamaica, in the 1960s. They were juvenile delinquents and criminals who took influence from American gangster movies, dressing stylishly in suits, and wearing thin ties and pork pie hats. As Jamaicans immigrated to the United Kingdom during the 1960s, Jamaican “rude boy” music and fashion became a strong influence on the skinhead subculture.
During the 1970’s 2-Tone ska revival in England, the terms “rude boy” and “rude girl” were often used to describe fans of that genre. This revised use of the term continued with the late 80’s third-wave ska movement. In these two contexts, the term “rude boy” became separated from its past.
The 1980 Clash film / semi-documentary “Rude Boy” plays more on the ska context than the term’s historical context. The Clash was, of course, a seminal punk band, but it goes without saying that they also drew very heavily on Jamaican-inspired music.
“Rude Boy,” which was released on DVD in 2006, features a great deal of live footage, with the band performing songs from their first two albums. The action footage of the band is largely what drives the movie; the plot itself is somewhat convoluted. On one of the DVD extras, Ray Grange, who stars as “Ray,” admits the film was incoherent and complains about playing a character named after him but who wasn’t really a reflection of him. Neither did the Clash really care for the movie, distributing buttons saying, "I don't want Rude Boy Clash Film."
Tonight’s music comes from “Rude Boy.” I don’t remember where I got this stuff – if it was ripped from the DVD or what. As far as I can tell, there is no soundtrack album, but I could be wrong about that.
Rudie Can’t Fail (demo).mp3 Garageland (demo).mp3Good Times Roll (outtake).mp3 No Reason (outtake).mp3 All You Young Cunts (outtake).mp3 Stay Free (outtake).mp3Labels: movies, punk, the Clash
U23D
I took the advice offered the other day by Heather at the
I Am Fuel, You Are Friends blog, and went this past weekend to see
“U23D” at my local IMAX theater. Absolutely amazing.
I can whole-heartedly recommend this movie to any fan of U2, and not even hesitantly to any fan of live rock music. First, the sound quality is amazing. I got a seat far enough back so as not to have to strain my neck. To my left was a guy about my age and his youngish son. At one point there is, in the movie, a yell from someone in the audience. This guy and I both looked over at his son, who we thought had yelled. That’s how crisp and clear the sound is. Three-dimensional sound, if there is such a thing.
As far as the 3D aspect of the picture, it’s somewhat needless, but still notable. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to see things swinging out across the crowd or look down a 100-foot crevice. A couple of times Bono reaches toward the camera, but not enough to cause you to duck or want to push his hand away. What is incredible, though, is the IMAX clarity of the picture. It’s as crisp and as large as the sound and puts you on the stage.
I’ve had bad experiences the two times I’ve been to see U2 play live, but this IMAX experience was altogether awesome. The sound, the picture, the music. Even the crowd was almost as into it as a real concert, wearing U2 T-shirts and cheering both when the band came on stage and after the final song.
If you’ve got an IMAX near you, go see this. Do not
even wait to see this one on DVD, no matter how HD your TV is.
Today’s music is from U2’s 1992 “One” single, which came from the
Achtung Baby album. Supposedly this version is the UK release, so I’m not sure what I’m doing with it, but I’m glad I got it. U2’s version of “Satellite of Love” didn’t see release anywhere else that I am aware of. There’s also a remix of “Night and Day,” a Cole Porter standard U2 recorded for the
Red, Hot, + Blue album.
Satellite of Love (Lou Reed cover).mp3 Night and Day (Steel String Remix).mp3Labels: classic rock, covers, movies, U2
Edgeplay
Last night, I watched this documentary called “Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways.” It was interesting for a number of reasons, but also disappointing due to a couple of omissions. The largest omission was Joan Jett, perhaps the most successful of the band’s alumnae. I don’t know if she refused to participate or if there is still animosity between her and Victory Tischler-Blue, nee Vicki Blue, the film’s producer and Runaways bassist during 1977-78. Leaving out Joan’s perspective, to me, left a large gap in the story.
The other thing missing was the inclusion of any of the Runaway’s original music. There were live clips of “Wild Thing” and “Rock and Roll,” but the soundtrack was mostly music by Suzi Quatro or solo Lita Ford. Although the band wrote or co-wrote their songs, I don’t know – and the movie doesn’t mention – who owns the rights, so maybe that was the issue with using the music.
One surprising inclusion was the participation of Kim Fowley, the band’s former manager. I say surprising because there is a
lot of straight-up hate between the band members and the man they claim manipulated and exploited them. At one point during the film singer Cherie Currie discusses telling her parents about Fowley: “I didn’t tell them everything he had done; my father would have absolutely taken out a gun and blown his brains out. I still hope one day someone does.”
Fowley, meanwhile, looked at the band as a business or a sports team, where several totally different individuals get together for the benefit of a bigger cause. He was the catalyst that put the band together (they were not pre-fabricated, but rather, as Fowley got word of the individual girls, he worked to put them in touch with each other). He ran herd over them like a drill instructor, using fear and belittlement to keep them in line. To him, the band seems to have been nothing more than project from which he could make money. (There is a stark contrast between this and Lita Ford looking back at how much she had believed in what Fowley told her about being a rock star and how much she really wanted that to happen.) The exploitation and alleged psychological and physical abuse of the girls was something Fowley seems not to have been concerned about. He talks about it as if it were just part of the process, like the military boot camps (yes,
camps – plural) he claims to have gone through because he “enjoyed” them.
The Runaways’ story is a fascinating look at a band that came up at the time punk rock was being born in the U.S. Because of their youth, their legitimacy is often overlooked, but the fact is they toured with the Ramones and Blondie, and ultimately were to become as much associated as the New York punks as they were with the California scene.
The Runaways’ full history, as well a link to help get them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is at the band’s Web site
here.
For some music, I’ve pulled a couple of tracks from the Runaways’ 1977 album
Live in Japan and a couple from a 1993 demos compilation titled
Born to Be Bad. The demos, I believe, are from the time when the Runaways were just starting out and were a trio with Jett, drummer Sandy West, and bass player Micki Steele.
Queens of Noise (live).mp3 Rock and Roll (Velvet Underground cover) [live].mp3 Cherry Bomb (live).mp3 All Right Now (Free cover) [demo].mp3Rock and Roll (Velvet Underground cover) [demo].mp3 You Drive Me Wild (demo).mp3Labels: covers, demos, live albums, movies, rock
Music from My Mailbox
Man, this cold is kicking my butt. Right now I’m loopy on a cocktail of Sudafed, Airborne, and Halls. Being the trooper I am, though, I’ve dragged my laptop over to the couch and will post a couple of things for you good people.
I think I’ll make the “Music From My Mailbox” a semi-regular feature around here. Maybe every other Sunday, depending how much music I get. I appreciate those who send me tunes and I don’t want anyone to think they’re being ignored, but by the same token, my inbox isn’t really being deluged with stuff. BTW, if you want to send some music, send it to
e0a8198 at yahoo dot com.
Again, I’ll set the respective Web sites do the talking as I know not too much about the bands.
Lou Reed & Nanking
Lou Reed has been known to be intensely moved by historical and international events and conflicts. Just recently, Reed composed and recorded two brand new songs – “Gravity” and “Safety Zone” – both inspired by the soon-to-be released film “Nanking” – a powerful and relevant documentary that tells the story of the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China, in the early days of World War II. It is an emotional reminder of the heartbreaking toll that war takes on the innocent, and a testament to the courage and conviction of a few individuals determined to act in the face of evil.Stream both songs
here.
The Devil Makes Three
The Devil Makes Three has spent the past five years mixing styles from the ragtime and country music of the twenties and thirties to the rock and roll and punk music of their adolescence, pushing the boundaries of acoustic music in the Pacific Northwest since they arrived from their native Vermont in 2002. Based in Davis, Calif., this trio of Pete Bernhard (vocals/guitar), Cooper McBean (guitar/banjo/vocals), and Lucia Turino (upright bass) has built a passionate fan base known for both their live performances and their self-released CDs.Old Number Seven.mp3 Tera Melos
Formed in 2004, Tera Melos is a three-piece from Sacramento, Calif. Where most bands only claim to “bloom artistically” or “become more experimental,” Tera Melos’ growth and experimentation are constantly apparent – even tangible.
Nathan Latona (bass) and Vince Rogers (drums) start and stop with a precision that could control traffic, the perfectly precise rhythmic background for Nick Reinhart’s (guitar, programming) progressive songwriting. Reinhart’s technical abilities – the two-handed fretboard tapping, the neck-encompassing riffs – are augmented by his pedal work. He’s constantly sampling his guitar between bolts of delay, fuzz, and a battery of warp-sounds that explode from either side of the stage.Guy Vs. DC Sniper.mp3Admiral Twin
Formed in 1996, Admiral Twin has released five CDs to date, including 2000s critically praised Mock Heroic
on Mojo/Universal Records. (Unfortunately for the band, Mock Heroic
was released just months before the demise of the record label. Ouch.) Since 1998, the band has performed for well over 500,000 concertgoers all across North America...usually mostly clothed. Admiral Twins latest CD, Creatures of Bread & Wine,
once again showcases this Oklahoma-based pop-rock trio’s amazing knack for consistently catchy, intelligent songwriting, as well as rock solid musicianship, stellar harmonies, and the wildly inappropriate use of small farm animals for interesting “sound textures.”In My Veins.mp3Labels: alt.country, indie, movies, new stuff
“You don’t listen, do you, asshole?”
If my mind could focus, I might have been a genius.
Last night I’m watching “Dirty Harry.” At one point the police think the serial killer, Scorpio, is going to shoot a priest, so they stake out the Sts. Peter and Paul Church. Seeing that church reminded me of the first time I visited San Francisco. I took one of those semi-guided tours, which passed by that very same church. I don’t remember if the guide mentioned “Dirty Harry,” but I thought I remembered him telling us that was the church where Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were married.
This was puzzling me while I was watching the movie, but I managed to control myself until it was over. Then, going to the Google, I learned Monroe and DiMaggio were
not actually married at Sts. Peter and Paul. So either my memory is bad or the tour guide was a liar. Here’s what
Wiki has to say about The Yankee Clipper’s marriage:
After their civil ceremony in 1954, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio returned for photographs on the steps of this church. DiMaggio was married to Dorothy Arnold in the church on Nov. 19, 1939, but later civilly divorced. Still married as far as the Church was concerned (having not obtained an annulment), he could not be married in the Catholic Church. In a side entrance, Sts. Peter and Paul Church still showcases a photo in a book displaying proudly DiMaggio's marriage day photo – but with Arnold, not Monroe.
Satisfied with that, I skipped over to the Wiki entry for
Dirty Harry, where something else caught my eye: A Pretenders’ song, “Bad Boys Get Spanked,” uses a sound bite from the movie. Well, I’ll be. I didn’t know that. I dug the song out, and sure enough, at about the 1:48 mark, you hear brief sounds of a scuffle, then you faintly hear Harry Callahan say, “You don’t listen, do you, asshole?” just before Chrissie Hynde sings the same line.
My lack of focus brings us to tonight’s post, from
Pretenders II. This was The Pretenders’ second full album, and the last with the band’s original line-up. It was originally released in August 1981, then remastered and re-released last year, along with a bonus disk of demos and live recordings.
Bad Boys Get Spanked.mp3 The Wait (demo).mp3 Tequila (demo).mp3 Mystery Achievement (live).mp3Labels: demos, live music, movies, rock
There are a couple of things that so far have really made an impression on me: First is the incredible wealth of talent that came Harvard during that era (the late 1960’s). Ivers’ classmates and friends included Harold Ramis, Stockard Channing. Doug Kenney, and Tommy Lee Jones. And those are just the bigger names that I was immediately familiar with. 
The other two songs are versions of “In Heaven (Everything is Fine),” the song that lent its name to the book I’m reading. David Lynch asked Ivers to write a song for the 1977 movie Eraserhead and “In Heaven” was what he came up with. The first version is the original from the movie; the other is the Pixie’s version, from a BBC broadcast. 
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