Open This Drawer

In my first post I claimed that this blog would cover a variety of things (one of the things it will cover that I neglected to mention is books and writings of that ilk) though so far it has mostly been about music and that will probably remain as the most popular topic. However, since I've been getting such heavy traffic and since those of you who don't share my (correct) musical tastes have been clamoring for other subjects, let's talk about my favorite (well, along with Friday Night Lights) drama on TV: Mad Men. Granted, it's not The Wire, but I highly recommend it anybody who would bother reading this blog.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I watched this show for an episode or two when it first came out and didn't get into it. I think what I didn't like at first was that the mid-levels at Sterling Cooper (Pete in particular, but also Ken, Paul and even Peggy) didn't seem well-acted or thought out. On second viewing (I recently watched the complete series to date over a period of few weeks) I found that what I'd misidentified as mediocre acting for weak characters was actually excellent acting (especially for Vincent Kartheiser as Pete and Elisabeth Moss as Peggy) for characters that were insecure and unsure of themselves and how they fit in. An egregious error on my part, but again, I really didn't give it much of chance on its initial run.

Anyway, while I could obviously spend a lot of time gushing about what a fantastic actor Jon Hamm is and how Roger Sterling (played by Jon Slattery, the No. 1 pick in the Anderson Cooper biopic draft) is one of the finest characters I've ever seen, I'd rather touch on the defining (and best) episode of season three: "The Gypsy and the Hobo" the 11th (third to last) episode.

Each of the first two seasons had their defining scenes. For season one, it was Don Draper's "Carousel" speech. I've probably watched this five to ten times on youtube since I saw it and just think it's so great. (A quick aside, for those who know/are my good friend Sam Anderson...but am I alone in thinking he could play Don Draper or another character on this show? He would've nailed this speech. Just owned it. Someday soon hopefully.) And in season two, I thought the scene in the last episode where Peggy [I'm not going to write SPOILER ALERT over and over again but just be warned that I'm going to talk freely] reveals her secret to Pete was the most devastating exchange of the series. It was an excellent example of holding a plot piece (that everyone knew would come) so long that you almost forget about it and then dropping it in at the perfect time.

However, season three brought it to a new level with "The Gypsy and the Hobo" which was, in my opinion, one of the most memorable and amazing episodes of television I've ever seen for any show. Obviously, part of it was great simply because of the old standby of seeing a character you care about face what they dread most in the world. In this case, Don is confronted with the past by the very person he has spent the most effort hiding it from. In a lot of shows and films (and books for that matter) when a character finally has to show a different side of themselves it comes off as odd or contrived and subsequently unsatisfying. Not here. I again commend Jon Hamm (I'm sure he's thrilled to have me on his bandwagon) on perhaps his most skilled performance of the show's run and credit the writers for having it unfold so impeccably. The added tension of having Miss Farrell waiting in the car and knowing that she could walk in at any moment, at the absolute worst possible time, brought the drama to another level. It was really incredible. I was basically in shock when the episode was over because of how explosive and revelatory this episode was. I thoroughly enjoyed the finale and look forward to next season, but for my money, episode 11 was the crowning achievement of this season--for this show and for any other.

Bravo, Mr. Draper.

Life of Leisure

This isn't so much of a review as it is just a suggestion to check out the debut EP of Washed Out, titled Life of Leisure. The act basically just consists of a Georgian (the state) youngster named Ernest Greene. The songs have this great relaxed, retro-electronic feel that's soaked in reverb and comes off (at least to me) as very fresh. The EP runs a scant 18 minutes and my favorite tracks are "New Theory" and "Feel It All Around", though they are all pretty outstanding. From what I can tell, Washed Out is so new that there hasn't been any sort of national tour yet, but I'll be sure to catch the LA stop when it happens.

Just a Shot Away

I finally got around to watching Gimme Shelter, the documentary about the Rolling Stones US "tour" in 1969 (I put tour in quotes because all it really shows is them in NYC, at a studio in Alabama, and then in SF). It's really enjoyable at first to see the Stones all looking so young since I've gotten used to them as old men. Mick Jagger, even by today's standards*, oozes charisma and confidence on the mic. The rest of the band, at this point, is still developing their stage presence. They may have been exponentially better songwriters in their early years (the music after Some Girls becomes fairly hit or miss, though some people obviously have different cut-off points) but they did get better on stage as they got older. They sound better as they get older too, a lot of the songs in this film sound surprisingly weak.

*Bands and musical artists today are way, way more animated and expressive on stage than their old counterparts. This isn't necessarily better, as most bands are just playing a part and attempting to convey a specific image, but even "wild" old bands like Led Zeppelin or The Who are pretty tame by today's standards. Most old Who footage I've seen is pretty calm until they start destroying their gear (which is when they stop playing music).

Anyway, the biggest fault of Gimme Shelter is that it is poorly edited and shot for some pretty substantial chunks of time. For most of the NYC footage (the film's first half) the camera mostly stays locked on Jagger (though for good reason as I mentioned) but when it strays off of him the sound often doesn't sync with the images, which bothers me in any movie or show, but is especially disappointing in a music documentary. Also, all the performance footage in the first half is from this one show in NY (I believe it's at MSG but it looks a little small so I'm not positive).

The movie really picks up once they get to San Francisco and the free show at the Altamont Speedway becomes the focus. What I really like about this part of the film was (1.) seeing just how many people came to this show (around 300,000) and just how (to borrow a phrase) far-out these people were. Their grins and clothes and signs and manners of speech were enthralling and familiar. Hippie stereotypes exist for a reason. (2.) I loved how much music meant to them too. This is one of the reasons I envy those that lived through this era--popular music was just so much more significant. Now, between how expensive music is (to see and buy), how much there is, how pampered middle-class kids are, it just can't compare to the way the Stones or the Dead spoke to that generation. There was a real feeling of change that comes across clearly in this film and Mick Jagger was one of the real disciples of the movement. Nowadays Dave Matthews and Kanye West supposedly speak for us ... sigh. (3.) Along with that rebellious attitude, things got legitimately dangerous at this concert. The general concertgoers included some bizarre folks, the Hell's Angels were loosely in charge of stage security, and they were in the middle of nowhere (sort of) with no cell phones or anything. It was crazy. There were fights, someone died from a stabbing, the Grateful Dead decided not to play ... a wild scene indeed and the film captured it well, saving its own status as a worthwhile piece of art.

As good as it was, it's no The Last Waltz, my favorite music doc. Here are a few things to watch in my favorite scene from that one:

1. I love what Neil Young says when he walks on. He's the man.
2. Check out Robbie Robertson's face when Neil starts singing. There's this great feeling you get (though not that often) when you're playing with someone else and they do something so perfectly that all you can do is smile/laugh/shake your head. This is one of the best captures of that feeling.
3. Robertson then starts singing back-up vocals early (start of the 2nd verse) because he thinks it's the chorus.
4. Joni Mitchell absolutely kills it on backing vocals. Strangely enough, on the album of this show that I have, her vocals come in on the 2nd verse but they're absent on this video.
5. Legend/rumor has it that Neil Young had just a wee-bit of coke backstage and that Scorsese had to edit out a little white chunk on the rim of his nose.

Good News for Judy Garland

While watching the Green Bay Packers rain down points for my fantasy football team, I caught a version of the TV spot for the upcoming James Cameron flick Avatar. At one point the voice-over is some space general telling his troops, "We're not in Kansas anymore." So, in conclusion, props to L. Frank Baum and Miss Garland for having a version of their famous line still be culturally relevant to a bunch of soldiers in the 22nd century. That's some Shakespearean longevity. Or perhaps this movie is also an allegory for turn of the century populism and Sam Worthington's character is based on William Jennings Bryan. We'll see.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Insert Clever Pun on "Real Estate" Here

WARNING: This post has nothing of interest for most people...probably a poor choice as my second entry. There is a good mp3 in it though.



* I didn't take this picture, nor is it from the show I just saw. I'll bring my camera next time.


Last night I ventured into the LA indie scene for the first time, attending a show at Echo Curio (a small gallery) in Echo Park. It was serendipitous that I made it there at all. Earlier in the day I had been happening to be listening to burgeoning rockers Real Estate and had offhandedly checked to see when they were playing in LA next. Sure enough, it was that very night and it was only $5 (a big plus for me at the present time).

I was really pleased with their performance. They are really solid songwriters, particularly from an instrumental approach. Most of my favorite moments of the night were sans-vocals, typically near the end of songs when they really started building the music up and cycling some good lines. Their drummer, who looks like Martin Starr but apparently has the amazing name of Etienne Pierre Duguay, was a particular highlight. Frontman Martin Courtney definitely needs some seasoning as a performer--he doesn't look like he's having fun but isn't pulling off any kind of brooding enigma persona either, not to mention he doesn't sound great live--but in the crowded gallery with a soundman that may or may not have existed, he didn't detract too much. He does sound excellent on their self-titled album however and I would recommend checking it out. Some of their songs remind me a little bit of Guster, which some hipsters might not like to hear, but my guess would be Real Estate would not list that particular band among their influences. Here my current favorite track from the Real Estate LP, Beachcomber, stolen from stereogum.

A quick note on their opener, LA's Pearl Harbor, they write good songs but haven't exactly figured out how to perform them yet. They use a drum track with some guitar parts and other effects prerecorded and have live vocals, bass, and guitar. Prerecording is usually a pet-peeve of mine (especially in the rap community) but I thought they were pulling it off well until I heard a particularly nice lead guitar part and then looked down to see that guitarist on stage wasn't even playing it. Instead, she was just strumming some G and D chords, which didn't strike me as all that interesting to watch. A little too Guitar Hero-esque for my liking. Nevertheless, once the group gets comfortable on stage and fills out their sound with live musicians they should find some decent success.

Best Coast performed last (though the fire department almost shut down the show before they started because of how crowded the space was) and they sounded pretty good, though I was not enthralled to a level that overcame my weariness. The singer sounded much better than the two that came before her though and their bassist/guitarist (the same guy) was a pleasure to watch. I'd like to check them out again for real sometime soon.

More accessible posts from me soon.

The First of Many

I think it's a common feeling when creating something serialized to have great ideas for elements and specifics down the road, but to be a little hazy on how to start out. For example, when one is conceiving of a TV show, I imagine it's easier to think of episodes and story lines that occur once the characters are established than it is to think of a killer pilot. As you may have guessed, I'm having such a feeling right now, as my blog of such high aspirations is off to a slow start. I may as well lay out my objectives before this intro gets too convoluted...

1. This blog will mostly be about music, TV, movies, and art, and especially the first two. I'll write about some of the movies I see if I think I have something interesting to say, but I don't really see that many movies. As for art, I don't know much about it, but I have seen a few shows since I moved to LA and I'll probably mention such excursions. Speaking of art, you won't find much better than this.

2. I wanted to do a blog so I can practice analyzing, thinking about, and writing about the aforementioned things. I also wanted to get some more practice writing in general since all I've written for the last year have been spec scripts--though I do love writing those.

3. I'll try and keep things short since people don't have much of an attention span these days and I'm not a confident enough blogger to attempt to keep folks' interest for 1000 words.

That said, I figured I'd get things start off with the funniest video from the funniest musician-comedians from my favorite non-America country. This is by far the best version of this song, though I could do without the little titles that someone added to this. Regardless, it is still awesome.