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Self-Portrait 2014

Whoops!

Sorry, but I have no radio show to post this week.  I was in the studio, and thought I was broadcasting, but it turned out that a technical snafu meant that nothing was actually going out over the airwaves.  We eventually figured out what was wrong and got it fixed, but by then I was beat and called it a night. That was a first in my 13 years doing the program, and let's hope it doesn't happen again.  I'll probably just recycle the playlist next Sunday, so look for the podcast a week from today. 

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Terrapin Point, Niagara Falls 2009

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Niagara County Fair, 2012

Snap Judgements 3

Movies:
The Grand Budapest Hotel: This seems a real transitional film for director Wes Anderson.  For the first time his main protagonist is not struggling to escape childhood or childish things (don't get me wrong, that was a huge part of the appeal of his other movies).  Monsieur Gustave (played by Ralph Fiennes) is a full-fledged adult, and his young protege-- despite his title of Lobby Boy-- has clearly embraced adulthood as massively preferable to the childhood he escaped.  Even so, it's a film rich with whimsy, but whimsy with an edge.  By my count, this makes Anderson eight for eight-- every one of his features a delightful treat even more appetizing than Herr Mendl's confections (see the film or the reference).

Pirate Radio: I've now seen this movie three times, and I just don't get it.  Great cast, great subject, great music... crummy movie.  Yet I can easily imagine sitting down to watch it at least a couple more times with high expectations.  Maybe someday it will click. (DVD)

Books:
David Thomson, Moments That Made the Movies: I've enjoyed David Thomson's writing in Film Comment for probably thirty years, but his books mostly leave me cold.  This one pulled me in though.  It's a set of summaries, not of whole movies, but key scenes that go a long way towards making each film memorable.  My only quibble is that most of the films (and most of the scenes) are somewhat predictable, especially for the movies selected from before 1960.  I'd kind of liked to have seen him highlight great scenes in less famous films, like Mickey One (which is included).  Maybe that's the plan for a sequel.

John Klima, Bushville Wins!: An account of the 1957 World Series winning Milwaukee Braves.  As a Braves fan, I'm predisposed to like this, and I learned a lot about many players about whom I previously knew little beyond their names and positions.  The author has a few themes that he really hammers (apparently beer is a big deal in Milwaukee, and Eddie Mathews never shied away from a scrap), and the repetition gets a little tedious.  But he's good on Henry Aaron's early career (Henry is my all-time favorite player), so I won't complain too much.

  

     

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Sara Blue Eyes, c2001

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Madrid, 2013

Toonerville Thursday

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Puppets Outside the Carousel Museum, North Tonawanda 2009

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Communing With James Dean, Griffith Observatory 2012

This Week's Playlist & Podcast

We had a slight delay in getting on the air this week, but Dr. John's Record Shelf could not be thwarted altogether. Below is a list of the songs played and if you click here, you can listen to a podcast of the program.

C'mon Everybody, Eddie Cochran

An Ocean In Between the Waves, The War on Drugs

Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits

I Hope This Whole Thing Didn't Frighten You, Hold Steady

Book Song, Fairport Convention

Shouting Out Loud, The Raincoats

#9 Dream, REM

Because I'm Awesome, Dollyrots

Jesus Was Way Cool, King Missile

Love You More, Buzzcocks

Winter Song, SF Seals

American Beauty, Bruce Springsteen

Slip Away, Clarence Carter

Bright Brown, Tandy

Watching the Grass Grow, Shams

Sunday Morning Coming Down, Kris Kristofferson

Love Me Till the Sun Shines, Kinks

Velocity Fall, Reverb

Lazy Old Sun, Kinks

A Natural Man, Lou Rawls

A Fool in Love, Ike & Tina Turner

Don't You Know Anything? Amy Allison

Outside the Lines, Jimmie Dale Gilmore

With a Girl Like You, The Troggs

Your Mind is on Vacation, Mose Allison

Little Miss Chocolate Syrup, Dirtbombs

Baby Blue, 13th Floor Elevators

They Played Baseball, The Baseball Project

Here Comes the Night, Them

Here Comes That Feeling, Gaylettes

She's Gotta Be Boss, Sir Douglas Quintet

So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

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Mission Bells, San Juan Capistrano 2010

Salt Lake City

Although its only five hours south of where I live (the nearest "big" city), I've never really spent any time in Salt Lake City, that is until last week.  I went down for a couple of days to check out the Utah Museum of Art, to see a baseball game, and visit a few record stores.  I also wandered around downtown a bit and took these pictures.  All in all, a nice enough place  to spend a long weekend (bonus: I discovered a really good Greek diner).  Above is the state capitol at the north end of State Street.

Trolley Square is an old trolley barn converted into a shopping and dining complex.  I found a really good used bookstore inside.

 

Energy Solutions Arena (one of the worst examples of corporate naming of sports venues I've yet encountered), where the Jazz play.  I didn't go to a basketball game, but I'm thinking I may plan my next trip to take in a soccer game (SLC has an MLS franchise).

The massive lobby of the old Union Pacific terminal.  The mural depicts the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which actually occurred on the north side of Great Salt Lake (the city is on the south side).

The view looking east down Broadway with the Wasatch Mountains in the background.   

The middle of downtown is dominated by the City Creek Center, a massive open air shopping mall with fountains and plazas (like above).  It's right across the street from Temple Square, where the Mormon temple, tabernacle, and assorted other church properties are located.  The white building in the background above is part of that complex (which I didn't visit-- maybe next time).

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Natalie, 2013

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Street Musician, San Rafael, California 2013

Toonerville Thursday

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Ben at the Forge, 2013

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Living Art Exhibit (Winslow Homer), Albright-Knox Gallery 2013

This Week's Playlist and Podcast

Below you can see the playlist for this week's edition of Dr. John's Record Shelf, and if you click here you can listen to the entire program. 

Happy and Free, Dean Wareham

Series of Dreams, Yellowbirds

I Love My Dad, Sun Kil Moon

Heartbeat, Tres Chicas

Sugar on Your Tongue, Jon Langford & Skull Orchard

6 Miles to McKenney, Claire Holley

Waiting for Mary, Pere Ubu

Daybreak, Floozie

Neskowin, Corin Tucker Band

Indictment, Howler

Underwhelmed, Sloan

Magic Man, Heart

Girls Can't Play, The Dishes

The Wind, PJ Harvey

Living in the City, Stevie Wonder

Leave My Kitten Alone, Detroit Cobras

U Got the Look, Prince

American Way, The Charms

Sea Lion Goth Blues, Growlers

Coconut, Harry Nilsson

When You Stop Loving Me, Thee Headcoatees

Don't You Care, Buckinghams

If I Should Fall Behind, Cindy Bullens

What's Your Name, Don & Juan

Let the Little Girl Dance, Billy Bland

Sometime, Gene Thomas

There's a Moon Out Tonight, Capris

Wiggle Wiggle, The Accents

So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs

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Bay Bridge, San Francisco 2013

Snap Judgements 2

Quick reviews of some popular culture I've engaged with over the last week or so...

Movies:
Following Sean: The first documentary that challenged my initial sense of what the form was supposed to be-- namely Disney wildlife adventures or school-approved historical chronologies laid out with journalistic precision-- was Sherman's March (1986).  That film pretended to be an evaluation of the lingering effects of the titular event, but transformed before our eyes into a deeply personal and introspective examination of filmmaker Ross McElwee's romantic history.  The notion that a documentary could be personal, and express the kind of intellectual ruminations associated with an essay, was an eye-opener.  Obviously there have been a lot of very good examples of that in the years since (before too, I just didn't know about them back then).  Following Sean is a great example-- a followup to a student film made back in 1969 about a four year old living in Haight-Ashbury at the height of the hippie explosion.  The newer film picks up the story of Sean and his family-- and not tangentially of filmmaker Ralph Arlyk and his family too-- 25 years later, offering a very compelling analysis of generational change and personal identity.  Really, really good stuff. (Netflix)

Veronica Mars:  The TV show was something of a guilty pleasure, but a satisfying one.  Teenage girl as Chandler-esque private eye.  It got a little soapy at times, but Kristen Bell was terrific as the heroine, and it's underlying theme of seething class tension was not something common on television then (or really ever).  The story behind the movie-- with fans putting up most of the funding via Kickstarter after Warner Brothers rejected the idea of a film-- also made me curious.  The end result is middling at best, as the nature of the exercise compelled writer-director Rob Thomas to shoehorn in virtually all of the characters from three years of the show, and frankly most of them don't fit in a mere 100 minutes of film time.   I wish I had waited for this to pop up on TV, where it'd be easier to accept its shortcomings (if only because I wouldn't have paid for the privilege) though I doubt they would be any less obvious.

Music:
Real Estate, Atlas: I enjoyed Real Estate's previous album, but I can't say it really registered as anything more than pleasant. The new album is much stronger, brighter in production and more immediately engaging.  Definitely shows evidence of the influence of such other New Jersey groups as Yo La Tengo and the Feelies, who are longtime favorites of mine, and these musical descendents do quite well in honoring their antecedents while not coming off as imitators.          

Sun Kil Moon, Benji: I've been reading reviews of this group for years without ever hearing them, and based on those reviews I passed.  Then, a song off this new album appeared on a compilation I picked up and it was great.  The rest of the album is even better.  Goes to show that even after all these years of reading pop music critics, I have not yet unlocked the secret of translating what they say into an accurate appraisal of the music under review.  I wonder what else I've been missing for the same reason?

TV:
The Best of Fridays: I was always a bit of a Saturday Night Live snob, so I only recall watching this knockoff a couple of times in the two years it aired back in the early 80s.  Once was when the Sir Douglas Quintet was on as the musical guest, which was also the infamous Andy Kaufman episode (check YouTube). That episode is included on this anthology, but with the musical performances cut out (licensing issues?  Seems unlikely considering how many bigger acts are featured), which was a disappointment.  I'd say that overall, this was a cut below SNL at its best, but often more adventurous in doing political material.  The highlights (like Larry David and Bruce Mahler as  Bond-ian secret agent rabbis) are pretty hilarious.  Just wish there were more of them. (DVD)

Baseball!

I finally got to see some live baseball this year (not counting the couple of spring training games I caught in Arizona last month).  Not only was it my first game of the year, but it was also the first time seeing a game in Salt Lake City, and also my first Pacific Coast League game.  Obviously Salt Lake City is not on the Pacific coast, and neither for that matter is Fresno, the home of their opponent.  But then I guess they are more aptly placed in that league than New Orleans, Nashville or Omaha, which are all in the PCL as well.  Anyway.... here are a few pictures I took on Wednesday evening.

The view looking out towards left field 

Celebrating a grand slam, one of two in the game

Stealing second

Turning two

Safe at home

Making the play

Concentration

 

Close play at third

Toonerville Thursday

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Hoyt Lake, Buffalo 2013

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Kite-Flying Next to the Pacific Ocean, 2013

This Week's Playlist & Podcast

Here's a list of the music played this week on Dr. John's Record Shelf.  If you click here, you can also listen to a podcast of the entire program.

The Hook, Bevis Frond

Rose Colored Glue, Sue Garner

All the Way Down, Oakley Hall

What Else Could It Be? Lambchop

Conquistador, Procol Harum

Had to Hear, Real Estate

Nobody Knows, Feelies

Who Loves the Sun, Velvet Underground

Accused of Stealing, Delgados

Let Me Back In, Rilo Kiley

New Riley the Furniture Man, Peter Stampfel & the Bottlecaps

Get Off My Cloud, Rolling Stones

Nothing, Fluffy

Bad Boy, King Khan & the Shrines

Mr. Soul, Buffalo Springfield

Suzanne, Leonard Cohen

Lovey Dovey, Clovers

Beat City, Raveonettes

An Awful Shade of Blue, Tarnation

More Than I Can Say, Leo Sayer

Like a Rolling Stone, Sebastian Cabot

Sally Go Round the Roses, Jaynetts

Favorite Thing, Replacements

Turning Japanese, Liz Phair

Once I Was, Tim Buckley

Walk of a Gurl, Preston School of Industry

The End of the World, Skeeter Davis

Johnny Get Angry, Joanie Sommers

I Will Follow Him, Little Peggy March

So Long, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs