“I want you to understand that I respect the rights of the poorest and weakest of colored people, oppressed [to deny others their rights or liberty] by the slave system, just as much as I do those of the most wealthy and powerful. That is the idea that has moved me, and that alone.”
John Brown at his Virginia Court Hearing, 1858
And you Klyammy cats thought Jay Reatard was wild at Harpers Ferry, you should have seen John Brown in 1859!
For any of you folks who haven’t seen Dave Goldberg’s exercise approach to the art of drumming, I think now is the time. This is going to sound like old news to long time followers of KLYAM, but Dave plays keyboard and drums simultaneously. How is that possible? It often involves placing a drumstick in the mouth.
Full Title: Cheech and Chong’s Nice Dreams
Director: Tommy Chong
Year: 1981
Comments: WARNING: YOU MUST BE AT LEAST EIGHT BEERS DEEP, EXTREMELY HIGH AS A KITE AND IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING IN ORDER TO VIEW THIS FILM. Otherwise you will probably detest it out of sheer boredom. I can’t imagine watching this sober. Yeesh. Naturally, after the original Cheech and Chong flick Up In Smoke (1978) the series started to plummet. But, all is well if you are twizsted, at least for me. I loved how fucked up and overtly aimless this stoner essential could be. With naked ladies, crazy coke snorting, and hilarious cameos from the likes of Timothy Leary and Paul Reubens (Pee Wee!) I can safely say this was not a waste of my time, in fact it felt like I had been watching it for days.
Grade: N/A- this would be an F for obvious reasons, but given the fact that I (and hopefully everyone) do not take this at all seriously, a grade is unecessary. KLYAM Recommended? Yeah sure, if you’re really baked!
Y’all know I love this scene.
Bill was hands down the greatest- and the British truly recognized this more than anyone else, especially Americans of all people.
Hopes: In my own little weird way I hope Khan does something like the above portrait or something equally (or more) outrageous. But, more importantly I wish to see an even greater performance, spectacle, if you will than I saw previously (which was one of my all time favorite concerts). I hope Gentlemen rock out even harder than the last two times I have seen them, playing all my favorites like “All I Need Tonight (Is You),” “Butterfingers,” “I Get So Excited,” and others. Lastly, I envision Red Mass to join my plethora of kick ass artists I have seen live and possibly become favorite of mine.
Expectations: This show is just as good, if not slightly better, than the last show, but lacks some of the intimacy of the Paradise setting. They put on a fun and/or entertaining show, but aren’t as “crazy” as they have been, which is more than ok as that’s not why I am going to see them (music clearly comes first). Gentlemen are just as good as last time, but don’t play all of my faves. And finally I expect Red Mass to be good, but probably not on the road to favoritism (a new word I coined).
In any case, I can’t wait!
This was a poem I wrote for my Creative Writing class describing the Shrines show I saw on 6/7/09.
How Do I Keep You Outta Harm’s Way? (King Khan)
Soulful Supreme Genius spread in the air
The King came decked out in his white suit and slicked back hair
Accompanied by his lady, an ever-grinning cheerleader
And eight Sensational Shrines in their black Shrine Uniforms
The King ordered his minions to give him
A Loud and Proud response
They Roared
Unsatisfied, he Demanded again
This time the King was blown away
He and His Shrines exploded right into “Land of the Freak”
An apropos title for this setting
The fanatics hopped up and down
Side to Side
On the Stage
Off the Stage
The blissful cheerleader sprinkled glitter into the pit
As a cute little complement to the soulful music and funky dancing
As soon as the performance ended
Excessive crowd response ensued
Just when you think it’s over…
ENCORE!
Full Title: Almost Famous
Director: Cameron Crowe
Year: 2000
Comments: Almost Famous is perhaps the greatest portrayl of Rock and Roll ever to hit the silver screen. What I really dig about this flick is that it takes place in 1973 as the era of Great Rock and Roll was gasping for air. We see these last precious moments of rebellion through the eyes of William Miller (Patrick Fugit) a fifteen year old journalist and a devout fan, experiencing this transition from music of the people to “industry of cool,” as real life Rock Critic, Lestor Bangs (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) puts it. With great performances from Kate Hudson, Frances McDormand, Jason Lee, Billy Crudup, (a young) Zooey Deschanel, amongst others, this is a Must See for Rock fans and non fans (but who cares about them?!) alike.
Grade: A/A+
Full Title: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Director: Milos Forman
Year: 1975
Comments: This has been a favorite of mine for about six or seven years now and I can’t imagine anyone walking through life and not seeing this at least once. Granted, the novel is better and I can understand why those who love the book would detest this. With that being said, I prefer the adaptation so much more because the brilliant performances of Jack Nicholson and crew truly bring all of these colorful characters to life in ways that for me personally are not as effective in the written form. The classic ending is so triumphant and beautiful that I have rarely seen another film top it; easily one of the greatest final shots in the history of cinema. Funny, passionate, disturbing, and inspiring- what else can you ask for? It should also be noted that after thirty-five years this movie has not dated at all; I watched it in one of my Psychology classes and nearly all of the class appreciated and/or loved it. How a film stands the test of time is to me a major factor of quality and Cuckoo’s Nest appears to be timeless.
Grade: A+ (in my top ten)
Full Title: Do the Right Thing
Director: Spike Lee
Year: 1989
Comments: So, it was after 1 A.M. on a Monday night, a school night, junior year of high school, and I’m lying in my bed, watching this Spike Lee joint (bad idea for any first time viewing of a film) struggling to stay awake. Then all of a sudden, as the film is reaching its climax, I rose and walked toward my TV set and stood there for the remainder of the film (a good 15-20 minutes) just glued to the screen. This has never happened to me before. I couldn’t sleep after what I had just seen; my brain was overloaded with numerous thoughts, questions, impressions, etc. The next morning in my Algebra class, I put forth a valiant effort to focus on whatever it was we were covering in the Math world, but my mind was just fixed on DTRT, particularly the ending (one of the greatest I’d wager). If you haven’t surmised already, this is an extremly thought provoking film and unleashes the most heated of debates, even amongst its participants (disagreements have risen between Lee and some of the actors). To spare the suspense, the movie depicts the lives of those in a Brooklyn neighborhood on the hottest day of the Summer and like the heat, the racial tension between blacks, whites, hispanics, and asians is driving everyone crazy. Though, this a black film, Lee does not shy away from portraying black characters with many flaws (there are also several black characters that fight prejudice and are quite respectable) as well as both racist and non racist characters of other ethnicities. Lee’s perspective as black director is essential to this film as it distinguishes itself from other race related films such as American History X (1998) and Crash (2004), which have less of a point of view, in this respect. I could go on all day about all the various, super factors that make this a terrific film, but in short, it’s the little things that Lee incorporates that makes this joint Spike Lee’s distinctive piece- from Rosie Perez (ready to go with her boxing gloves) dancing to Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” (1989) over the opening credits to DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson) listing off the roll call of the radio station’s many, essential, black artists “that make the day just a little brighter.” Suffice to say this film makes you think.
Grade: A+
Three great dramedies (though they are more than that) to check out!
Next: A Full Review of I Am Legend (2007) or a Mini Classic Review of Born On the Fourth of July (1989) and others
Never heard before opinions on pick-up lines, hangover cures, lactating, and stock placement at Best Buy!
“I guess there’s just two kinds of people, Miss Sandstone: MY kind of people, and assholes. It’s rather obvious which category you fit into. Have a nice day.”- Connie Marble in Pink Flamingos (1972)
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 