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Lestor Bangs: Stooges- Funhouse Review
http://www.creemmedia.com/_site/BeatGoesOn/IggyPop/OfPopAndPiesPt001.html
The Greatest Rock Critic on The Stooges’ classic Funhouse (1970). Before Vice we had Creem Magazine!
Chris On…
This is a brief segment of “Chris On…” this time around. Here are my thoughts on Family Guy.
Ok, so I love the first three seasons (especially season two), but after that the show started to jump the shark. Not totally bad and in fact seasons four and five had its fair share of good episodes, but they were nowhere near the quality of seasons one through three. After that, the show went down hill and I have not been a fan since. I feel like they have pandered to a younger and perhaps dumber audience (though I am not insinuating that young people or little kids are stupid). There was always an element of silliness to FG, but it was mixed smoothly with witty, well-written, and often culture referenced jokes. True, not all of that was suspended following season three, but we saw less of it and more of the childish and sometimes plain unfunny bits. Not to sound like an elitist scumfuck, but it appears that FG was in its hey day when a much smaller audience (including me) adored the show and the writers did not have as much of a market or demographic to satisfy. In other words, the show became more of a Family Guy trying to hard to be Family Guy kind of deal. With legions of fans nowadays (most of whom became viewers in the later seasons) I seriously doubt they will ever return to their old form. Lastly, one of the most irritating reasons I disdain the later seasons is attributed to the God Awful sound of their voices. It boggles my mind how few people pick up on this or can at least put up with it. Just watch these two videos and you will notice the difference.
Season 3
and
Season 6
No Age H & E
Hopes I hope this is within my top 5 greatest shows ever. No Age plays all my favorites, which are way too many to name, but mostly from Nouns (2008) and they close with “Everybody’s Down,” as they previously did at the Middle East.
Expectations: No Age are as great as ever, if not superior. They play most of my favorites, but not all. The show ranks high for me, but not top 5, perhaps top 10 and almost cerain top 15.
Classic Film Review: Mister Lonely
Full Title: Mister Lonely
Director: Harmony Korine
Year: 2007
Comments:”I just wanted to make a sequel to Caddy Shack”(1980). That was the explanation Harmony “Harmful” Korine offered David Letterman and his audience for why he wrote the screenplay for the controversial film Kids (1995). Anyone who has seen Kids knows that clearly Korine was pulling a fast one on the Late Show viewers. Kids follows twenty-four hours in the lives of a few teenagers in New York City as they have unprotected sex, consume copious amounts of alcohol and drugs, and commit various acts of anti-social behavior. Suffice to say both films share the common trait of having people in them, and that is about it. His next film Gummo (1997) was even more notorious. Gummo was an altogether new kind of film with images and sounds coming from everywhere. The movie has no real linear plot, but rather serves as a collection of highly impressionable and memorable scenes/vignettes. What we see and hear is almost always unsettling and more often than not downright vile. Following Gummo, Korine made one more full length feature film, Julien Donkey Boy (1999) before falling into a nasty drug habit and overall feeling of disenchantment. Eight years later, Korine bounces back with his biggest film yet, Mister Lonely (2007). With this work he pulls back a little bit and makes somewhat of a more conventional film. This time there is a narrative, in the traditional sense of the word, and more professional actors participate. Do not worry though, Korine still maintains his peculiar aesthetic as the story follows the life of a Michael Jackson look-alike (Diego Luna) living in Paris. One day the celebrity impersonator meets a fellow impersonator in the form of Marilyn Monroe (Samantha Morton), who invites him to live with her and other celebrity impersonators at a commune in the hills, where everything seems to be perfect.
I would wager that for Harmony Korine, making Mister Lonely is akin to a bizarre, obscure band finally making that album that is more commercially viable and not as strange, but still retains its weirdness. The album may hook in some new fans, it may push away long time devotees, but overall not much changes because the band is still too bizarre for most mainstream fans. Well, this sums up what ML does for Korine. Unlike his previous works, ML does not rely on the shock factor, but instead takes a more sensitive path, conveying an extreme care for its characters. Overall, the film displays themes related to isolation, self-hatred, withdrawal from reality, search for one’s dreams and one’s purpose in life, America’s obsession with fame and Hollywood, and ultimately the desire to be someone else. These issues are affectionately communicated to the audience, in stark contrast from the brutal, sometimes offensive nature of his previous films. There is far less ambiguity here and as a big fan of Korine, I cannot say this is a positive attribute. What I precisely loved about films like Gummo was the chaotic, seemingly message-less tone of the movie. In other words, one creates their own message, whatever is presented is there, but everyone is free to interpret their own meaning. This true of ML, but the film has far too much of a linear story for this to have the same effect. It feels as if Korine is attempting to make a more mainstream film and this is somewhat obvious because of the larger budget and so forth.
The look of the film is a significant departure from his previous works. The cinematography is mostly conventional and does not stand out as anything different, which is not necessarily a bad thing and perhaps will appeal to viewers that detest Korine’s usual style. His camerawork is as top notch as ever and certainly one of the strengths of the film. There are dazzling shots of nuns flying in the air and riding bicycles through the clouds. These shots offer strong imagery, but not nearly as evocative or as memorable as in the past.
Overall, this is a really good film with fascinating characters, excellent shot selection, and incredible use of music. The film has more strengths than weaknesses, but it is surely not without its share of flaws. It lacks cohesion and not in the good old Harmful sense for you fans out there. We have a (comparatively) normal structured film with a clear narrative, so when some randomness is tossed in, it does not quite fit, at least for my taste. In his previous movies, the scenes were filled to the brim with randomness to the point that it would be pointless for me to bring up cohesion as a flaw. Lastly, I will say I mostly found myself invested in the story and the characters, but at times I felt like it dragged on or appeared aimless, so for most viewers there is a good chance this will be far too vapid. With that being said, I recommend this to fans and non fans alike and I dare everyone to challenge themselves with a film they may otherwise overlook.
Grade: B
The background information in this review was taken from one of my past posts “Harmful For All Ages.”
Classic Concert Reviews: No Age
This is a Concert Review of No Age at Wellesley College that I wrote for our past blog Wakefield Etudiant.
Bands: Lemonade, The Beets, and No Age
Venue: Wellesley College
Date: April 2, 2009
Introduction: When the three amigos and Paul arrived at Wellesley College we searched for nearly a half hour for the music center. Slowly, but surely we reached the place we were seeking (I had to run, not cool). So, we asked to step inside, but of course we have penises and it was an all girl school, clearly not our turf. We were instructed that entrance could only be granted, if we knew someone that attended the college. Well, we did not, but with our impeccable boyish charm we were able to coax the sweet girl at the door to let us in. The show cost a mere five singles. An excellent deal by any standard.
Act One: Lemonade
Excellent dance rock meets hard rocking noise pop. This trio rocked out for sure. All three members were highly energetic, especially the drummer; it appeared as though he would smash his entire set at any second. Now, with all that being said, I don’t want to confuse readers, they are extremely poppy, but in a very endearing way. I hope to hear more of them in the future.
Act Two: The Beets
Not the Beets that Doug and Skeeter adored, but rather an early Black Lips meets Beat Happening kinda group. They meshed garage rocky, bluesy, noisy sounds (Black Lips) with 60s pop and somewhat callow musicianship (Beat Happening, but perhaps better musicianship than Beat Happening). They weren’t as good as the first act and certainly nowhere near the next act lol, but they were overall entertaining and clearly talented. I heard some hooks beneath the noise. Some flaws were the start stop thing that occurred at the beginning of the first number and most of the songs sounding alike.
Act Three: NO AGE!!!
Simply said, one of the top five greatest bands out there today. Glen, Ben, and I had the magnificent pleasure of chatting with the dynamic duo at various junctures throughout the show. We stood right between Dean’s drum set and Randy’s amps and hopped up and down, raising our arms straight in the air relentlessly as soon as they opened with “Teen Creeps,” a tune I personally requested to Randy Randal. I hopped back and forth between the mosh pit and the front where it was a bit tamer. The crowd (30 , give or take) shared in our enthusiasm and loved each song. Along with TC, they played such classics as “Neck Escaper,” “Every Artist Needs A Tragedy,” “Eraser” “Miner,” “Keechie,” “Cappo,” “Here Should Be My Home,” “Ripped Knees,” “Sleeper Hold,” “Brain Burner,” and two new songs. Unfortunately, the band did not play their triumphant anthem, “Everybody’s Down,” but what are you going to do? There was no stage and perhaps Randy thought it would be too much of hassle to find some way to do his signature crowd surfing at the end of the song. Oh well, it was still a fabulous show. Can’t complain.
Conclusion: Small Venues make the best shows! Not an absolute, but an experienced truth. As I said before, fabulous. My second favorite concert ever! and I’m sure it ranks fairly high for Glen and Ben. Grade: 10/10. I strongly recommend No Age to those who have not seen them, fan or non fan.
————
Editors Note: Definitely the second best show I’ve seen. The up-close and personal nature of the show contributed to its awesomeness. The fact that the group traveled out of their way to put on a show for a relatively small number of college students is simply impressive. The showmanship of Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt is second to none. – Glen
Here is a Concert Review of No Age Glen posted on the old blog WE about two years ago. Ohh the memories!
It’s always fun searching online for bands that play local all ages shows. Especially difficult is finding one at a small club-like venue. Not to worry for Chris, Ben, and I as we noticed No Age, an LA based noise rock band we saw back in July, scheduled to play at the Middle East Downstairs. Recalling No Age as one of the more preeminent live acts we’ve seen, we didn’t hesitate to make the journey to Cambridge on Monday night.
Act One: Silk Flowers – I didn’t really know what to expect from this trio. Judging from looks alone, I saw diversity. The guy on the left with the long hair seemed more apt as a 90s garage rock guitarist than a synthesizist (no such word, is there?). The center-man was just kind of there. That’s not a bad thing. He was doing some heavy duty rocking out and I greatly admire that. The dude on the left handling the drum machine (and singing…if we can call it that), who I figured out is Aviram Cohen, reminded me of Mr. O’Brien in his youth (not that I know what O’Brien looked like back then). The group showed flashes of potential with catchy dub beats and a tribute (or seemingly so) to the post-punk/industrial scene of the ’80s. I recall Ben comparing their music to ’70s horror music, a fairly accurate comparison. I admittedly heard more Palm (the electronic one-man band from the first No Age show) than Kraftwerk. Overall, it was quite a respectable performance for a three song set.
Act Two: Soft Circle – Guitar. Drums. Electronic Percussion. Vocals. Hiram Akira Bharoocha can literally do it all…in one song at that. He picks up the guitar and plays a one or two minute riff. He then goes over to the electronic percussion kit and mixes a string of noise. All the while he records a spacey chant. With the guitar riff, percussion noise, and vocals all on loop, he picks up his drum sticks and starts going nuts. Being able to do all of this effectively proves he is a masterful musician, but what impressed me even more were the songs themselves. They were more dub than anything else, but the heavy drum was really the kicker. Watch out for Soft Circle. That’s all I have to say.
Act Three: No Age – Words really can’t describe how good No Age is live. You kind of have to be there. Further, you kind of have to be in the front row. Starting things off with “Keechie” — an experimental and instrumental track off their 2008 highly acclaimed CD release Nouns — was a bit unexpected, but proved to be a great segue into more heavier, noise driven tunes. The crowd, rather shiftless during Silk Flowers and Soft Circle, went into an uproar as soon as Dean Allen Spunt, the drummer/vocalist, began pounding the bass drum. Randy Randall’s near flawless guitar play was an excellent complement as usual. Lesser known songs like “Brain Burner”, “Cappo”, and “Sleeper Hold” drew great crowd involvement in the form of head banging and dancing while more popular songs like “Here Should Be My Home”, “Eraser”, and “Ripped Knees” put everyone into a comfortable position to rock out and bang into each other. Two particularly awesome moments I recall were: Randy Randall playing “Eraser” right in front of me (I could’ve and should’ve memorized the chords) and an attractive female, approximately my age, dancing and throwing herself around with ease (whilst not giving any shit at all). I was a little disappointed when No Age left the stage having not played the classic “Everybody’s Down.” Of course, they came back for an encore. The first encore included Aviram Cohen on vocals singing a cover of G.G Allin’s “Don’t Talk To Me.” That was pretty much out of the blue, but awesome, and went along well with the pace of the previous set of songs. The second encore was in fact “Everybody’s Down.” This is definitely one of No Age’s better songs (Chris would argue its their best) and ended in a spectacularly awesome way — Randall crowd surfing while finishing the final minute of the song on guitar. He was thrown back on the stage and the concert ended. Amazing. Oh yeah, Aviram gave Ben and I high-fives. That was cool.
Final Comment: 3rd Best Concert Of All Time (Following Radiohead and Dinosaur. Jr/Meat Puppets/Built to Spill)
Finally, here is a review of the first No Age show we saw when we were not as familiar with the LA duo.
Memories of No Age Part I: Poetry
Here is a little poem I wrote for Creative Writing class Senior year describing some of the No Age show Glen, Ben, and I attended at Wellesley College in April ’09.
Here Should Be My Home
Glen had insisted there was a concert that night
We searched for THIRTY minutes for the music center
I was beginning to think my comrade wasn’t too bright
This was clearly not our place
Yet, we found a student
That was able to solve our case
It was an all Girls school
I could pretend to be a student
But, I’d look like a fool
We were told we needed to know someone to get in
But, with my impeccable, boyish charm
I was able to coax the sweet girl at the door to grant us admission
There was No Stage
For No Age
But, the boys managed to put on an amazing show
Filled with loud, fast, Punk songs
But, no atmospheric songs
Because Randy Randal
Told me that it was too much for the band to handle
Mini Classic Film Reviews: Halloween…
Full Title: Halloween
Director: John Carpenter
Year: 1978
Comments: Halloween gave us the classic teen slasher flick. Sure, Texas Chainsaw and others came before this, but Halloween cemented the staple in cinema. Essentially if you drink, smoke, and fuck when you can you will perish at the hands of the killer, in this case the ruthless Micheal Myers. Sure, he may not speak… at all, but that’s precisely what makes the character/film chilling. Not to mention, John Carpenter’s eerie music, easily one of the finest/scariest themes of all time. This is a classic and essential for the Halloween season every year.
Grade: A
Full Title: Dazed and Confused
Director: Richard Linklater
Year: 1993
Comments: If you have read my previous list of ABSOLUTE Favorite Films, then you would know this is number two for this guy. Dazed is the kind of film that gets better each time you see it until you have seen it a gazillion times like me, but I still appreciate it nonetheless. I associate this film with time, joy, and one’s perception of how much you enjoy your stay on earth and how this perception alters overtime. True, this is a party/hangout flick, the best of it’s kind as one Quentin Tarantino would agree. But, there is so much more going on than that. The tone of this film may be light hearted and certainly euphoria inducing (always cheers me up and makes me ready to party hardy!), but if you look closely the characters themselves do not realize this or outright disagree with this. At one point, Pink pronounces “if I ever refer to these as the best days of my life, then remind me to kill myself.” Their attiude toward life seems to contrast the tone of the film itself. It’s as if the film is speaking to us, saying: these were the good old days when you had no responsibilities and your only worry was which party you were going to next. Top priorities? Getting Aerosmith tickets, when they were still cool. But the characters do not realize this and sadly we never do either in our own lives. We don’t appreciate the good times until their long gone. Perhaps even editing out the bad stuff! It’s funny when I first saw this flick I was ten, way too young to appreciate or understand the significance of the story or should I say the insignificance of the story. I often hear Dazed Detractors (poor souls) comment that the film has no point or purpose, that the movie simply ends. This is true, but that is the point exactly. Dazed perfectly captures a slice of teenage life and in most days, nothing out of the ordinary occurs. At age ten this simply went over my precious skull and while watching the first half of the film I actually thought it was supposed to be some sort of afternoon DARE TV special against drugs! A few years later (age 13) I saw it again and I loved it. I would say this is the best time to turn people on to this flick, just as they are finishing up Junior High and becoming Highschoolers, just like Mitch. This got me so excited for HS. Sadly, as much fun as I had, it was never as righetous as the activity presented in Dazed, is anybody’s? Now I am in college and not too far from “That’s what I love about this High School girls, I get older they stay the same age.”
Grade: A+
Full Title: Kids
Director: Larry Clark
Year: 1995
Comments: Much like Dazed, Kids focuses on one day in the lives of the youth of America, where drinking, smoking, and fucking seems to be their only concerns. Yet, while Dazed has an atmosphere of joy and let the good times roll, this film has anything but. Most likely the characters in Dazed will go on to lead fine lives as upstanding citizens, but these kids are doomed for failure, incarceration, and certainly death. Clark takes then teen Harmony Korine’s painfully accurate screenplay and gives it the adult perspective we see in the film. As with Dazed the tone of the film seems to contrast with the attitude of most of the characters. The main players (literally) are Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick) and Casper (Justin Pierce) and both are quite satisfied as total assholes that will take advantage of anyone they can, they see nothing wrong with this, yet the film never approves of their behavior nor does it totally condemn them either. Instead, the film simply speaks for itself. Lastly, for my money, Kids has some of the most natural dialogue ever written. Most folks believe it is improvised, but in fact it is nearly all scripted. The fact that it appears ad libbed only speaks to the brilliance of Korine’s script. After all, as Clark stated, Korine’s screenplay is “from the inside, from the point of view of the kids.”
Grade: A
Three classic youth oriented films.
Band of the Week: No Age :)
Yessir our Band of the Week is the incredible noise pop duo No Age (Dean Allen Spunt-Drums/Vocals and Randy Randall- Guitar), a longtime and beloved KLYAM favorite. NA are a great example of a modern Punk band still keeping the DIY ethos alive, well, and always ready to knock the corporate ogre on his ass. Our guys will be playing at the Middle East this Tuesday, November 16 at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA. Glen, Ben, and I have seen NA three times before, so we know we’re in for one helluva show! For longtime readers of the KLYAM or even our previous blog, http://wakefieldnews.blogspot.com/ y’all already know about these dudes and their great music, but for those who have not heard of NA and/or are new to our blog, check these guys out, one of the finer bands around today- we cover them frequently. In the days leading up to the show more coverage of the one and only No Age will appear. In the meantime, treat your ears to this new classic, “Life Prowler,” opening track from their latest release Everything In Between (2010).
Funny Pic of the Day
Trey Parker (left) and Matt Stone (right)- the creators of South Park; they claimed to be on LSD when this happened. Ahh the effects of acid Tim Leary forgot to mention…
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 