




For me, music and life are all about style.
Movies are baffling. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes they are less than good. And sometimes, in those less than good movies, lie some exquisite gems. Today's list are the 12 great - genuinely great, not in an ironic way - musical performances from some less than good movies. The rest of the movie was shite, but for these few glorious beats it was a promising world indeed.
Filled with good choreography, some catchy tunes and people very much committing to the spectacle in an otherwise unremarkable film - these performances deserve some recognition and love.
12. "Prom Tonight" from Not Another Teen Movie
Actually, this movie isn't that bad. It's not good, so it fits in with the defined parameters, but it definitely has a lot of good moments and makes some nice observations about teen movies. Although I fear it's easily lumped in with Epic Movie, Date Movie, Superhero Movie, etc. but it actually has a plot and jokes and not just an ADHD level of references strung together.
Keith Doughty discusses songs, albums and artists that are unappreciated, unknown, and/or unfairly-maligned by the general public. This is Hidden Tracks.
Lou Reed - "Oh Jim"
All your two-bit friends
they're shootin' you up with pills
Although it is looked back on much more fondly now, Lou Reed’s 3rd album, Berlin, was largely reviled at the time of its release in 1973. In its review of the album Rolling Stone stated that “there are certain records that are so patently offensive that one wishes to take some kind of physical vengeance on the artists that perpetrate them”. In other words, they did not enjoy it. Coming on the heels of his hit album Transformer, which yielded the top twenty single “Walk on the Wild Side”, Berlin is certainly not what audiences were expecting. Despite being released only one year apart, the two albums are very different.
Reed replaced Transformer producers (and glam rock extraordinaires) David Bowie and Mick Ronson with Bob Ezrin, who at that time was best known for producing Alice Cooper records and would go on to produce Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Instead of utilizing the more traditional rock instrumentation he did on Transformer (such as his own electric guitar playing), Reed brought in a slew of session musicians including such notable names as Jack Bruce (Cream bassist), Steve Winwood (Traffic, Blind Faith organist), Aynsley Dunbar (Journey drummer). The combination of Bob Ezrin and the session musicians leads Berlin to have a very full, theatrical sound although it can also be too polished and overbearing.
But the thing that people found most strange and off-putting about Berlin was Reed’s songwriting. Whereas Transformer was filled with fun, largely upbeat songs, Berlin is a downright depressing album. The songs form a loose storyline about the downfall of two lovers in Berlin. Typical song topics include drug addiction, physical abuse, childhood trauma and suicide.
As I mentioned on Twitter last night, I went to high school with "Betsy!" Between her and Captain America (different high schools), it's basically become accepted that I will never attend a high school reunion. I've wasted my life...
(This was also seen on The Daily What but if you followed me on Twitter, you would've been streets ahead. FOLLOW ME, TWEEPLE!)
Today's word of the day is Disparate:
see more This is Photobomb
I've Got All My Sisters In Me...wait, that can't be right...
Irresponsibility is part of the pleasure of all art; it is the part the schools cannot recognize.
Sorry, folks. I feel like absolute shit and am having problems looking at the screen. Everything else will continue as scheduled and I'll put up 2 "Missing Reels" columns next week.
I know, Bunk; I'm disappointed, too.
I, like many other people, immediately loved this video of the "world's most depressed cat."
But I realized it was missing one thing: a kickass soundtrack. Behold my three alternatives:
Wilson Phillips, "Hold On"
Today's word of the day is Ingenious:
Get your swag on with your bag on! Check out Passion Pit's "Little Secrets":
A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep.