Society Dome: My Life in Music

Now Showing

Syriana (2005)
For all Gaghan's attempts to introduce characters into this morass of ideas, it still feels too much like homework and not enough like a movie. You'd really be better off reading a book, or even a good article.
Birth (2004)
I got this for camp value but it wasn't half-bad, as it turns out. A bit lugubrious and certainly too ponderous in moments when the camera slow-zooms into characters faces for an excruciatingly long time, but they manage to make a preposterous situation seem fairly interesting, and many of the characters reactions are quite believable. Unfortunately the film keeps you out of the loop for so long that at the end you're not entirely sure what was supposed to have happened, but I think I have a pretty good idea. Nicole Kidman looks elfy (sic) which is cute but she's sort of unlikable and unbelievable, and I'm not sure that that's not on purpose. Nice music (excpet for the Wagner) keeps things interesting, as do surprising (but small) roles from an unusually subdued Peter Stormare and a totally unrecognizable Anne Heche.
The Pink Panther (2006)
We actually stopped watching this. It just wasn't funny. At all.
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001)
Now this is awesome. Okay...I fell asleep, but I'm pretty sure if I'd stayed awake for the whole thing it would be my favorite movie. It isn't just low budget, it's like a bunch of friends got together and made a movie, only instead of being tedious and lame as such endeavors often are, they pretty much hit a homer. Three words: "critical lesbian shortage."
Transamerica (2005)
This was okay, but I guess I should've known from the Oscar noms that it wasn't a great film. I warmed up to it by the end but I found Felicity Huffman's mannered voice and dialogue to be distracting, and Fionnula Flanagan was so totally over the top, it was like watching a soap opera screen test.
Nacho Libre (2006)
Hmmmm. This was okay, but considering the level of talent involved, it should have been a lot better. Too many cooks, perhaps? Still, there are a few inspired moments of greatness, even if there's too much fighting.
Orange County (2002)
I still liked this the second time around. Ending is a little too long and sappy but there's some great stuff in here, especially Catherine O'Hara as a proto-Lucille Bluth. Cheers once again to Mike White. Here's hoping Nacho Libre, his third team-up with Jack Black, is another winner.
Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002)
I think I was confused and thought Alan Rudolph was some kind of importatn director (rather than the guy who butchered Breakfast of Champions), so this film was not what I was expecting. I find Campbell Scott (The Spanish Prisoner) sort of endearing, and he doesn't get many leading roles, but this film just wasn't very good. Scott and his wife are dentists who work together and raise three daughters. Scott believes his wife is cheating on him. Scott has poorly directed fantasy sequences starring Denis Leary, distractingly dressed like Tyler Durden. It's just dumb. And it really never goes anywhere. I've sat through worse, but I just felt like I'd really wasted my time with this film.
In Good Company (2004)
Next in our family drama trilogy, we have a love triangle featuring Scarlett Johansson, Topher Grace, and....Dennis Quaid (okay, Quaid's the dad). We've also got smaller roles from David Paymer, Selma Blair, and Philip Baker Hall, plus a cameo from Malcolm McDowell, who doesn't really seem worth it. Anyway, I was kind of in the mood for something light, and a little Scarlett never hurts, plus I'm weirdly obsessed with Paul Weitz due to his participation in Chuck & Buck, a film about weird obsession. It wasn't awful and it sort of evaded the typical Hollywood plot structure and ending, but it wasn't all that relevatory, either.
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
This is a lovely, upsetting film about everyone in a family treating each other horribly. Fortunately it's short and often funny so it doesn't bury the viewer in gloom. Written and directed by Noah Baumbach who wrote The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou with Wes Anderson.
Thunderball (1965)
I think I need a break from Bond.
X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
Hey, it wasn't a total disaster after all! Hooray! Definitely a geek's wet-dream (they could've stood to introduce characters more clearly for the rest of the audience) which stays pretty true to the first two films, even if it wasn't quite as visually stunning. They do try to pack an awful lot into this last film, probably too much, but they stay true to all the major characters and keep hope alive for the future of the series without cheapening the severity of several key moments. I could've lived without Juggernaut's dumb helmet (even with the "dickhead" joke) and several uses of the word bitch which were out of synch with the rest of the film series, but for the most part I have little to complain about. The biggest omission, obviously, and one of the few things I agree with the ranting maniacs at AICN about, is the lack of Jean's "Phoenix Force," which in the comics manifested as a giant bird of flames surrounding her. This would've looked really cool, it was hinted at in the end of X2, and would've been easy to do with CGI -- it would've also made the name Phoenix make a lot more sense, becuase here instead of relating to her rise after death, it's supposed to be something inherent within her ever since she manifested her powers. So: they really dropped the ball there, but with all the explosions and shit flying around it's hard to say "there should've been more special effects." I'm actually looking forward to seeing this again.
THX 1138 (1971)
Lucas' director's cut, replete with "Special Edition" critters and other effects-twiddling, is actually pretty okay. There are really only a couple of points where it becomes distracting or inappropriate; for the most part these additions are well-integrated and look much better than the changes made to, for instance, Star Wars, in the annoying digital fakery that goes on in the Mos Eisley scenes. And thank God he didn't touch Walter Murch's sound mix or Lalo Schifrin's musical contributions. I'm happy to report that this film holds up very well for me. I know I like a lot of crappy sci-fi, but if you haven't ever seen this film, I highly recommend it.
A History of Violence (2005)
I was a bit underwhelmed by this at first, but it grew on me the more I thought about it. Cronenberg's commentary is a lot more interesting than most.
Logan's Run (1976)
Hey, I stayed awake for the whole thing!
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004)
Hey documentary fans: this film has been unjustly neglected in the wake of your spelling bees, penguins, quads, and stunt-gluttons. It looks and sounds great, which I can't say for some other big hit docs of late, although it suffers a teensy bit from unclear chronology here and there. For the most part, though, this is a fascinating history of bowling and the shifting place of bowling in our culture. And then there's Pete Weber's patented "crotch chop." Check it out.
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Couldn't help myself. It's not bad; certainly better than the book (which isn't saying a whole lot). There were some moments where I was laughing at the film, and Hanks' speech at the end nearly had me gagging, but Audrey Tautou makes the whole thing eminently watchable (McKellen, Reno, Molina, et al don't hurt either). Considering the whole package was directed by Ron Howard, who I usually hate, this was surprisingly entertaining.
My First Mister (2001)
I wasn't sure if this would be a creepy pedophile movie or the sarcastic comedy it claims to be on he back cover, but with Albert Brooks I thought I'd give it a chance. Holy crap. Instead I was drawn unwittingly into a Hallmark Hall Of Fame Tragic Family Drama sapfest. And what the hell is Michael McKean doing here? Leelee Sobieski is actually pretty good, but Kelly pointed out that she has an unpleasant Helen Hunt thing going on.
The Pink Panther (1963)
Gotta love those Hollywood sets.
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Vinterkyss (2005)
There was nothing particularly original or unusual about this, but it was good. Fairly well-drawn characters with a plot that doesn't get too neatly tied up but doesn't leave you hanging. Certainly not a waste of time.
Innocence (2004/I)
WOW. This is what cinema is all about. After the relative let-down of KussKuss and one of the worst Manhattans of my life at the downtown Luce (Phillip's "Union" Whiskey is, indeed, atrocious), we trudged back through the rain to a surprisingly short line for this film, which grabbed hold of me from the very begininng and never let go. I can't remember the last time I was so tense and curious while watching a film. The sound is incredible and sparse. The David Lynch comparisons come through most obviously in static shots of empty spaces with exaggerated "natural" room sound, as well as the filmmakers' ability to produce tension out of seemingly innocuous objects and interactions. I think the Peter Weir comparison is less apt than the Brothers Quay; think of the Quays and Lynch working together, without the idiosyncratic cliches of those creators, and you end up with a hypnotic, captivating, disturbing film that benefits greatly from the extremes of picture size and sound that the theater provides.
KussKuss (2005)
A film in which a somewhat interesting idea is played out to the detriment of character and audience involvement. It doesn't help that the subtitles were atrocious, full of inaccuracies and, in some cases, simply absent (Katjas and her father speak Russian which is never translated). There are also some really bad, obvious plot devices which we've seen a million times before (girlfriend unexpectedly returns to apartment because of forgotten keys, walks in on boyfriend grappling with other woman), in addition to a story potentially lifted from Margaret Atwood's "The Robber Bride." Ultimately it's a film in which people try to help one another but end up only hurting everyone around them, and no one seems to learn anything. Sort of depressing, but mainly disappointing.

May 27, 2004

My Life in Music

Inspired by a discussion on the Disarm the Settlers message board, I've dug through my memory to try and distill my most significant musical interests throughout different periods in my life, grouped vaguely chronologically and by genre.

Child (1979-1987):

stuff my dad liked...LPs and 8-tracks
Bob Dylan
Roger Whittaker

Classical music

Heard pop music at friends' houses, first Bee Gees and Olivia Newton John, then ELO and Abba.

K-tel compilations
Full Tilt
SoundWaves
Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
Lipps Inc. - Funkytown
Devo - Whip It

Prince

whatever was on the radio

Newcleus
Grandmaster Flash (a friend of mine had these cool rap compilation tapes when we were kids, but we also liked "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits)

Miami Vice soundtrack

First rock show: Slave Raider and Shooting Star

Hints of future heard in Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2" and "Bang Your Head" by Quiet Riot -- both songs scared yet intrigued me.

Teenager (1988-1993):

heavy into classic rock
Jethro Tull
The Who/Pete Townshend
Pink Floyd
Peter Gabriel
Lou Reed

still diggin' the rap- rap with a message
Public Enemy (bought Apocalypse '91 on vinyl at Northern Lights - thought I was "the shit")
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
Arrested Development

my life was changed when I heard ...and Justice on my friend's headphones
Metallica
Faith No More
Anthrax
Killing Joke

Totally Grunge-ified
Nirvana
Pearl Jam
Soundgarden

I wanted to be a Goth for awhile...
The Cure
Bauhaus
This Mortal Coil (my art teacher played this all the time, and while we initially made fun of it, it ended up being my stepping stone into "cool" music when I got into college)

Ministry
Skinny Puppy

The Pogues
The Waterboys
Hothouse Flowers (liked contemporary Irish pop and other Cities '97 radio station music)
U2

Cat Stevens

secretly liked M.C. Hammer

College (1993-1996):

more Irish music (Chieftans, Altan, Capercaille, etc.)

re-discover old school Hip-Hop

"chick" music ...'cause now I'm a sensitive lad
Tori Amos
Kate Bush
Tracy Chapman

The Clash (eternal thanks to my sister for sending me London Calling!)

Talking Heads/David Byrne
XTC
The Cure
Midnight Oil
Sugar/Bob Mould

Neil Young
Bob Dylan (finally embraced after years of rejection as "Dad's music")

Velvet Underground (didn't "get it" in high school)
John Cale

a lot of 4AD stuff that I came to through my exposure to This Mortal Coil
His Name Is Alive
The Pixies
The Breeders
Shellyan Orphan
Lisa Germano

Radio K exposed me to a bunch of new indie pop music
Pizzicato Five
Ben Folds Five
Stereolab
Flaming Lips
The Rentals

even more "chick" music?
Jane Siberry
Liz Phair

pretty indie-folk stuff...still sensitive
Ida
Low
David Gray

De La Soul
Spearhead (Michael Franti's (Disposable Heroes) new band)

started paying attention to record labels other than 4AD
Matador
Merge
Teenbeat
K

re-discover Classical music, embrace Baroque and Minimalism (Glass, Reich) in particular

finally embrace Steely Dan

Funk/Soul

Flashpoint Year!..playing indie-rock catch-up while simultaneously expanding horizons (1997):

Magnetic Fields
Yo La Tengo
Guided By Voices
Built To Spill
Superchunk

Tom Ze

Aphex Twin

Rachel's

Lifter Puller
The Hang Ups
The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group

brief obsession with Jim Croce

Mid-20's (1998-2001):

new "underground" hip-hop
Blackalicious
Jurassic 5 (who only managed to make one good record)
All Natural
Atmosphere (have since lost ineterest in them)

Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek
Spinanes/Rebecca Gates

Palace Music
Damien Jurado
Sparklehorse

Tortoise
The Sea & Cake
Papa M
Jim O'Rourke
Archer Prewitt

Belle & Sebastian
Nick Drake
Elliott Smith
Joni Mitchell

Big Star
Sloan
Elephant 6 bands (Beulah, The Minders, Neutral Milk Hotel, Apples in Stereo, etc.)
Lilys
Super Furry Animals
Shins

Early electronic music
Raymond Scott

brief flirtation with the avant-garde (Stockhausen, Xenakis, etc.)

Jazz (had formed a passing interest in college but got really into it later on)

Bossa Nova

Tropicalia

get really hardcore into '60s music (Byrds, Beach Boys, etc.; re-discover The Who)

Late-20's, not listening to much new music anymore (2002-present):

Blues/Country/Folk

re-discover early Pink Floyd

Soft Rock (Manilow, Dan Brown, Jeffrey Osbourne, Michael McDonald, etc.)

AC/DC (had loved The Razor's Edge and Back in Black in high school)
Black Sabbath/Dio
Judas Priest, etc.

Punk rock/post-punk

Arcwelder (had liked 'em since '96 or so but didn't really get into them until I saw them live in 2003, wish I hadn't waited so long)

Teenage Fanclub (reeeeallllly late getting around to these guys)

Spoon

Crooked Fingers

Iron & Wine

I'm not sure what else will stick in terms of new music, though I still like most of what I was listening to from 1997 on, and some of the college era stuff. Obviously I listen to a lot of Guided By Voices, Robert Pollard et al, which keeps me nice and busy, The Isley Brothers are one of my favorite bands of all time, and I keep digging up psychedelic bands from the '60s to enjoy (like The Action and the U.K. Kaleidoscope).

I can't think of a better way to tell my life story.

11:40 AM in Music | Permalink

TrackBack

TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/20591/779526

Listed below are links to weblogs that reference My Life in Music:

Comments

whoops- I already remembered some significant ommissions: during college add "Bob Mould/Sugar" and "re-discover Dylan."

Posted by: jonathan | May 27, 2004 at 11:59 AM

So, how would you say you found most of this stuff? Did you hear it somewhere, and then look for it at the record store? Did someone play it for you? Make you mix tapes etc.? Or, did you just go out in search of new and different music from time to time.
When I think back, most of my musical explorations have come about because someone introduced me to a new band or song or type of music, and I'd like it and look for more.

It may seem mundane, but I just wonder how people find the things that end up shaping them later on.

Posted by: Lorika | May 27, 2004 at 12:33 PM

Wow. That's the best blog post ever, bar none.

Our musical paths follow a similar trajectory, though in my case, the life changing record that pulled me out of a life of KQ-only listening wasn't Metallica. I heard the (blushing) Soup Dragons in Matt Parilli's car, veered down the college rock-alternative rock-indie rock path, and ended up in a whole new world. Funny how a crappy record can change your life.

I find my music interests are formed from many sources...friends, things I hear in record stores, radio (particularly college radio), opening acts for bands I see, etc.

Like Jonathan, I see my collecting has taken a mainly backfilling stance, as opposed to the constant exploration for new things. I think that sort of mimics adulthood, actually...people form identities, then generally focus on padding them with things that compliment who they are, with the occasional foray into the unknown.

Posted by: Nu Finish | May 27, 2004 at 12:56 PM

I'm impressed--you were quite precocious to be enjoying Dylan as a child. And I wasn't able to appreciate Steely Dan until age 30; my first listen to Aja just left me scratching my head.

Peter Gabriel but no (early) Genesis?

Do you have a favorite Kate Bush disc? How about Joni Mitchell?

Posted by: Carlos | May 27, 2004 at 08:23 PM

All of the above, although mix tapes played the littlest part. In high school my musical taste was shaped mostly by the radio (Cities 97 which at the time played classic rock and some more adventurous contemporary stuff, then the alternative station 104), except for several notable exceptions. One was This Mortal Coil which, as mentioned above, my art teacher used to play a lot (also Nilsson's "The Point" which I loved). One of my favorite artifacts from that era was a mix tape that was half Cat Stevens, half Bauhaus. The Bauhaus came from a goth dude who was a grade ahead of me, and Cat Stevens from a friend, a girl, but not a girlfriend. We all liked "Harold & Maude" and she hooked me up with the goods. Then later pretended not to know me in band class 'cause I was a spaz.

College introduced me to all kinds of unsavory influences. First I had the numerous connections to go off with This Mortal Coil, and I spent a lot of time in Cheapo listening to used discs (I pretty much picked up anything that was on the 4AD label for awhile). As time went on, Radio K introduced me to all kinds of stuff, and I was guilty of the "world music flavor of the month" syndrome for awhile. Another key moment was when I won a free Stereolab cassette ("Mars Audiac Quintet"), and then my mind blew open when I met Chuck and learned of the indie-rock guitar glory of Built to Spill and Walt Mink.

In 1997, I got dragged to a show by some band called "Guided By Voices" at First Avenue (just the week before that, I'd seen The Magnetic Fields open for Yo La Tengo at the same venue) . The singer was doing all this silly arena rock stuff like high-kicks and twirling his microphone cord, and they had a bucket of beer on stage with 'em. I was kinda turned off at first, but started to warm up to them. Eventually they played "I Am A Scientist" which I must've heard on Radio K at some point, because I knew the song and I totally loved it. By the end of the show the people who had brought me wanted to leave before the encore and I was begging them to stay. I spent the next couple of years digging into their recorded stuff (starting with the then-current "Mag Earwhig!' and Bob's "Not In My Airforce" solo record, then delving into the classic "Bee Thousand") and a course was set for the rest of my life.

When I think back, most of my musical explorations have come about because someone introduced me to a new band or song or type of music, and I'd like it and look for more.

I've found too much! I stay out of the Cheapo now, and hardly listen to the radio. I read a lot of music magazines and online stuff but without hearing the stuff it's all kind of meaningless. Though I still owe Chuck for a lot of things: hearing The Sea & Cake and Tortoise led me to related artists like Jim O'Rourke and Archer Prewitt who I still love. I also heard the first Shins record at your place. For awhile (this goes back a few years) Mark Wheat's show on Radio K was a treasure trove, too. That's where I heard The (Magnetic Fields-esque) Fan Modine and, more importantly, Os Mutantes.

It may seem mundane, but I just wonder how people find the things that end up shaping them later on.

Not at all, I think it's pretty interesting.

Posted by: jonathan | May 27, 2004 at 11:16 PM

I'm impressed--you were quite precocious to be enjoying Dylan as a child.

I should clarify: I thought Dylan was obnoxious and laughable as a child (especially "Ballad of a Thin Man"). It wasn't until college that I actually liked Dylan.

And I wasn't able to appreciate Steely Dan until age 30; my first listen to Aja just left me scratching my head.

I HATED Steely Dan up until winter of 1996. As a joke we bought Steely Dan's greatest hits on vinyl one snowy day (drinking Pig's Eye Lean and snacking on a cheeseball) and after awhile the joke was that we learned to love the 'Dan.

Peter Gabriel but no (early) Genesis?

Never got into it. I've got a few requisite Prog records (ELP's self-titled debut, "The Yes Album") but I'm in no way a prog-rock fan. I have some early Genesis compilation LPs that I never listen to, and I enjoyed "The Fountain of Salmacis" when I put together a nerdy "Dungeons & Dragons"-style mix tape a few years ago.

That reminds me, I liked latter-day Phil Collins Genesis in early high school years, too. LOVED the "Invisible Touch" album.

Do you have a favorite Kate Bush disc? How about Joni Mitchell?

Kate Bush: The Sensual World. I haven't listened to her in many, many years, though. Joni Mitchell would be hard to decide...lemme think about that.

Posted by: jonathan | May 27, 2004 at 11:17 PM

Whooooo-wee! This is so great.
Makes me want to do a post like this, although my trajectory is frighteningly similar. You and I have fed off each other (uhh, musically) in strange wonderful ways. I got into GBV in the I Am A Scientist era, and dragged you to that show with Jennifer. Who wanted to leave suddenly and annoyingly. Anyway, then you got way deep into GBV and reignited my love of them. And now it's a big happy orgy.

Posted by: Chuck | May 28, 2004 at 01:33 AM

After reading Sharyn and Chuck's (even more in-depth) versions of this, I've added a couple of important things I forgot about (oh Grunge, where art thou now?), so the original entry has been updated.

Posted by: jonathan | June 01, 2004 at 10:35 PM