Saturday, September 27, 2008
The 5 Spot: John Candy
I just happen to be a part of the group of folks who believe that John Candy is one of the most underrated comedians of our time. His early career was a little more indicative of his comedic prowess as he helped foster the famed Second City comedy troupe out of Toronto, Ontario and helped that blossom into the highly revered Second City TV in Canada. Along with him at SCTV at that time were other great comedy minds like Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, and Harold Ramis.
Legend has it that John Candy was well-known in Hollywood as being a genuinely nice guy before his tragic heart-attack in March of 1994 while filming the movie Wagon's East in Mexico. Throughout his career he had a few extremely memorable roles and found success hooking up with other greats like Dan Akroyd and most notably John Hughes.
It's tough to pick 5 John Candy movies, but here's my stab at it!
#5- Uncle Buck (1989)- This classic movie is about a down-and-out man (Candy) who ends up having to babysit his 3 nieces and nephews. Along the way, they cause trouble, he teaches them some things, they teach him some things and everyone leaves better off...especially the veiwer.
Rating: B
#4- Nothing But Trouble (1991)- This is one of John Candy's last great movies and also holds the distinction of being the absolute weirdest. He plays a cop-with-a-kind-of-conscience in this wacky movie. I don't even know if I can begin trying to explain the plot, but you need to watch this if you haven't seen it because it is downright hilarious and revolting at the same time. I have to thank my buddy Michael for making me watch this a year or so ago because I didn't even know it existed. "That's what friends are fooooooorrr!"
Rating: B+
#3- Stripes (1981)- This movie kicked the 80s comedy scene into overdrive as the first pairing of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day) and also featured Candy as a Ox one of the hapless recruits that falls under the tutelage of Murray. Huge bonus points to this movie for being almost completely filmed in the wonderful and beautiful city of Louisville! Give it up for the Second Street Bridge!!
Rating: A-
#2- Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)- This laugh-fest is about an uptight businessman (Martin) who's just trying to make it home for Thanksgiving when his plans are thwarted by a zealous and super-friendly salesman named Del Griffeth (Candy) who just happens to be going the same way. One of the original uncomfortably funny movies that makes you feel like something awful is about to happen around each corner. You'd be right for thinking so.
Rating: A
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and the best film that has ever starred the larger-than-life comedian...........
#1- Spaceballs (1987)- This comedy is one of the all-time greats written and directed by one of the all-time greats, Mel Brooks. This is easily one of Candy's most memorable roles as he plays the ridiculous Mog (half man, half dog) helping Lone Starr rescue Princess Vespa from Dark Helmet. Who would have known that there was so much comedy to be mined from Star Wars?
Rating: A+
Editors Note: While I wholeheartedly stand behind my picks, I do believe that there are a couple of roles worth noting. Who doesn't love him as the ogre-with-a-heart-of-gold Irv Blitzer in Cool Runnings or as the big-hearted-family-man Chet Ripley in The Great Outdoors. Another personal favorite of mine is the oft-overlooked role of his as the Polish-band-member Gus Polinski from Cheboygan in John Hughes' Home Alone.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
There's Nothing to Do in This Town Vol. 2: Vernon Lanes
The quick history is that Vernon Lanes is supposedly the 3rd oldest bowling alley in the country (since April 1, 1918) that started out as a men's club back in 1886. It later (1918) came to be in the spot that is holds now and it is a small 8-lane room with great food, music and atmosphere. I visited on a recent night with my roommate and walked in shortly after a ton of people just got finished filming a movie scene in there. We laced up as they were taking down the lighting props and cameras which made for a slightly surreal start to our night of bowling, but soon it was back to the same old Vernon full of color, good ball selection, and classic rock songs.
One thing I have to do whenever I go there is stock up on a cheesburger and fries because it always goes well with a few games there. The burgers are made in-house and they taste just like they would if I were to grill them at home. Nothing fancy, just a burger and cheese with a heaping dose of krinkle fries.
At times the Lanes can be crazy-packed due to the fact that it is small, and it has turned into a fairly hip place to be these days, so I definitely recommend going on a weeknight as there is usually plenty of room to put your feet up and a greater chance of having a normal conversation without screaming into your friend's ear.
In the basement of the Lanes is an enormous 500-person venue called Club Vernon where they periodically have bands play. It is an incredible room that I cannot wait to hang out in and see a show when they have one. I tried to get a picture of it, but they were closing the room up for the night and I couldn't get a good shot. Here are a few looks at the great time we had!!
I also think that it's worth noting a few of the classic tunes that were played while we were there:
The Beatles- "I'm Only Sleeping"
The Beatles- "Paperback Writer"
Tom Petty- every other song
And I will say that I have never felt so empowered than when I was stepping up to the lane and "Won't Back Down" came on. It was glorious!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
A Skeptics Guide to Woody Allen
I am no fool (most of the time). I am completely aware that Woody Allen is not for everyone. There could be much said about his shortcomings on and off the screen. At times, even bringing up his name elicits strong resentment and condemnation from people who don't agree with his personal life, most notably his relationship with Mia Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn. Some people plain just don't like him, and there are a couple of films that give them some good material to work with. Here's a few that I believe would qualify as a skeptics ammunition:
#5- Melinda and Melinda (2004)- This interesting double take on a woman falling apart showcases the differences/similarities between a comedy and a tragedy. This has all the right ingredients to make it a successful movie (big names like Will Ferrell and Amanda Peet, an intriguining intellectual storyline, etc) but it lacked something big-time...the presence of Woody Allen. This was one of the first films in a while that didn't have Woody playing a significant role and it suffered greatly for it.
Rating: C
#4- A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)- Don't get me wrong, this isn't an aweful movie, it's just not that great either. If there's one thing that can happen when an artist is so prolific is that the end up churning out some misses in between the big hits (see Charles Bukowski and Ryan Adams). It suffers from being completely unessential.
Rating: C
#3- September (1987)- As always, there are those who would praise this Chekovian drama of Woody's, but for some reason I think it was just kind of tedious and dim-witted. It features two of Woody's leading ladies with Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiest, but even they fail to bring this sob-fest above any real lucidity.
Rating: C-
#2- Hollywood Ending (2002)- There was a period of time when it seemed that all hope was lost for Mr. Allen. He had a habit of putting out half-hearted slop like this ensemble piece. It's pretty sad when a movies only redeeming quality is the fact that it featured Kelly Kapowski from Saved By the Bell. Not worth watching...
Rating: D+
#1- The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)- Notice how 3 of these films happened within 3 years of each other? This film might not actually be the worst of all of Woody's films, but the simple fact that it still stands to be his most expensive film ever and the fact that it features Dan Akroyd and still isn't entertaining leaves it being the biggest offender. I'd like to personally thank Woody for the fact that he stopped making movies this boring.
Rating: D+
An Exclusive Interview with Good Luck!
There's always going to be a special feeling reserved for the first time you hear a great piece of music. There is a sense of discovery that first time that mixes with wonder and joy. Often that can fade as you listen to the music again, or it can grow into a profound sense of connection. The first time I heard a song by Bloomington, Indiana's Good Luck I was at the Louisville, Kentucky venue Skull Alley. I was loading in for a show that night and Jamie, the guy who runs the venue, was piping in their incredible tunes over the house system. When I first heard Matt Tobey sing, I knew for sure that it must have been the new Mountain Goats record, but somehow it extremely better than what I was expecting from Darnielle and Co.
One of my friends in another Indiana band, Away with Vega, who was playing that night quickly told me that I was mistaken. He said it was the new project from Matty Pop Chart's Matt Tobey and it was called Good Luck. Consider me hooked.
Good Luck has had rocket-fast growth in that Indiana soil, and with a ton of touring, an EP, and a full-length later, they have a pretty serious fanbase around the country. They didn't even start playing together until last year and have exploded into one of the most popular indie bands in the Midwest. They have appeared on The Pink Couch Series from ifyoumakeit.com and are the new favorite band of everyone I talk to it seems these days. This is no surprise considering their well-crafted songs that seem to have everything you could ever want in a song: unbelievably creative and melodic guitar riffs, harmonies, endless energy, and some of the best lyrics I've heard in a long time. With such strong songs like "Public Radio", "The Stars Were Exploding" and "Pajammin", I would be greatly surprised if Good Luck was not a household name for any indie kid within the next year or so.
If you've read any of this blog, then you are aware of my love for these fine folks. Ginger, Matt, and Mike recently and gracefully agreead to do an interview for the blog here and I am publishing it in its entirety. I couldn't tell you how much admiration I have for this band.
GLIu: To start things off, how did Good Luck come to be and how long have you been together? Are you all originally from Bloomington?
Ginger: Good Luck started in April 2007. Matt had just moved back to Bloomington, IN from Olympia, WA, and he caught me at the punk rock prom or something, and asked me if I'd like to play music with him sometime. I loved matt's music so I thought "of course" and we brainstormed of a drummer we could play with. Mike and I had been hanging out a lot so I suggested him, and Matt said, "oh yeah I played with mike once before I moved out of town," so it all made sense. None of us are from Bloomington. I'm actually from Mississippi. I lived there until 2006, setting up punk rock shows in an old dilapidated farmhouse in the middle of the Delta and playing for many years in a band called One Reason. I knew Matt because my band had played with his bands (Matty Pop Chart, Mt. Gigantic, Abe Froman) many times since he was 17. I actually went to his high school graduation party. How cute is that? I moved to Bloomington because it was the one place in the country that I already had many friends in the music scene (mainly the plan it x records scene), and because I had been here so many times touring and really loved it. Plus it's a small, low stress, low cost town to live in, not too much of a shock after living in the middle of nowhere for many years. I became friends with Mike shortly after coming here because he was basically my neighbor, and basically a great person.
Mike: I grew up in Louisville and lived there until around 2002. I had completely immersed myself in the Louisville punk scene throughout high school, going to shows, playing in bands, and booking shows at the BRYCC House (collectively run infoshop/venue). I was ready to move on after the original BRYCC House closed down, and by that point I had already been hanging out in Bloomington enough to know that I would be incredibly comfortable living there. I lived a few other places and was generally fairly transient until I decided to "settle" in Bloomington more permanently in 2004, where I've been ever since.
GLIu: How does the songwriting process work for you all? Do you write together as a band, or does someone brings skeletons to the other two and flesh it out together?
Ginger: We write pretty much all our music together. Matt will usually have a little guitar part that he comes to the band with and then we just have fun with it until it starts to go somewhere we like. Or if it's not working we leave it be for a while. It's a very organic process. Somehow we almost always agree on what sounds good and what doesn't in a song. Then at some point Matt or I will take over lyrics. Sometimes we work together on vocal melodies and bounce lines off each other but essentially once it gets to that stage it's one of us with a pen staring at a blank page for a while. Except for "Bringing Them Back to Life". Matt wrote that song totally on his own, then brought it to us, which was funny because it ended up then being the hardest song for us to make work as a band. It's like we couldn't keep it simple enough, couldn't make the singer songwriter thing work for how we play. Then when we were in the studio we had this idea to try it out as a complete rocker with me singing it, and it totally worked in like one take. We recorded Matt's original version too, which worked really awesomely in the quiet studio setting, but when we play live I feel kind of bad because we play the rock version I sing and everyone thinks I wrote Matt's awesome lyrics.
GLIu: According to your MySpace profile, it says you guys have been together since 2007, but your songs are incredible and I haven't heard anything that doesn't blow me away. To what do you attribute such a quick progression?
Ginger: Heh, Thanks a lot. Things did go very quickly as a band as soon as we started, it was kind of crazy for us. It was incredibly easy to write music together that we were all happy with. But all of us had been playing music for many years in different projects, so it wasn't new to us. I think it was really easy for me because I'd always loved sort of complicated but very pop indie music. Like Braid was my favorite band in high school. But I never really played much of that because I was doing a very loud punk rock/folk thing. So I was really excited to be playing a kind of music that I loved but hadn't ever done before. And I also hadn't played bass very much before this, I had been a guitar player. Somehow it's almost easier to write when you first start doing something new because everything is fresh and you don't have to worry about not repeating yourself.
Mike: When we first started I was pretty surprised at how quick everything was together, and it became clear that this was the type of band I had been envisioning being a part of for years. I had played in other bands in both Bloomington and Louisville, but they never progressed past a certain point because I guess we were always too young and indignant - it was always a life or death, now or never mentality. We were never able to fully mature as a band. I attribute our quick progression to the fact that Matt, Ginger and myself all respect each other as friends and bandmates, and we pretty much know how to communicate when writing songs and resolving other issues. It's one of the most important and necessary aspects of being in a functional, self-sustaining band.
Matt: Same things really, I had been thinking a lot for a couple years about wanting to play guitar in a loud band, and what kind of parts i wanted to write. Good Luck is basically exactly that. I had only ever played drums in bands before this, so i think there's was just a large well of vague ideas. I think it's pretty lucky that we all had similar ideas about what this band was going to be like.
GLIu: Who are some of the bands/artists/whatever that influenced you all personally and as a band?
Ginger: Well, as I said I really loved Braid when I was in high school, but that was quite a few years ago. And I also have been influenced tremendously by bands I've played with over the years, mostly small punk bands like Operation Cliff Clavin, the Carrie Nations, Pezz, the Good Good, Defiance Ohio, Hot New Mexicans. It's mostly the friendships with people in those bands, seeing them progress in front of your eyes and staying up all night with them talking about music that has changed me. But then I'd say my biggest other influence is Bruce Springsteen. I know the other guys are going to groan when they hear that because I talk about it all the time. But I think he's an amazing lyricist who also somehow managed to surround himself with a talented group of musicians who were his friends. A lot of the guys in his band he's been playing with since he was like 20 years old, and he's what, 58 now? That's an inspiration to me, to be that age and still have the people you have cared about for that long writing original music with you. And you can see onstage when he's playing that he still loves it, that rock and roll music is still the thing that makes his life tick. He has this great song about driving all night across a desolate highway, leaving a stupid job trying to get home, and he's searching the radio for something, and then he yells "Hey Rock and Roll deliver me from nowhere." And coming from nowhere, Mississippi, I think that's what playing rock music did for me. It gave my life shape.
Mike: Growing up in Louisville in the mid to late '90s it was easy to believe that the musical universe revolved around my town. Some of the first bands I ever saw and were heavily influenced by were Guilt, Kinghorse, By the Grace of God, Metroschifter, Crain, Hedge, and a myriad of others that few people outside of Louisville still actually remember. When I was learning how to play drums, I would pretty much stand on the side of the stage and watch every drummer's every move, and then get home and try to play exactly what they did. Most of those bands were playing fast hardcore or bass-driven, technical mathy/indie rock so it kind of forced me to learn some pretty crazy stuff. I also got into a lot of Gravity Records, Amphetamine Reptile Records, and Dischord stuff around this time. But in the late 90s I started to pay more attention to and became more influenced by other political crust, hardcore, and metal bands that had gotten little notice in Louisville... Born Against, Zegota, Catharsis, Reversal of Man, His Hero is Gone, Kill the Man Who Questions. After a certain point and for a solid three years I think I pretty much liked any band that had screamy vocals, heavy metallic guitars, technical drumming, and a political/crust punk aesthetic. I think I tried to channel this influence into my old band Bodyhammer's music as much as possible. After I started hanging out in Bloomington in 2001 I became more inspired by the Plan-It-X crew of bands like This Bike is a Pipe Bomb, Soophie Nun Squad, the Bananas, Against Me, and Abe Froman. They got me stoked on this amazing community of people playing upbeat folk-inspired music, and thus made poppy, melodic, and often sloppy music a lot more listenable. Kind of helped me refine my palate, and made me appreciate melody in song! As a drummer and an active participant in the song-writing process with Good Luck, I think I've called on too many past influences to specifically name... I think every band that has affected me shows itself in the songs I play in some way.
Matt: I didn't even start listening to music at all until i was about thirteen, and my sister started dating this awesome guy who was into a lot of punk bands. He was a really positive influence on my life as well as my musical tastes, and he introduced me to the first bands i really liked, such as Pinhead Gunpowder, Avail, Fifteen, and Screeching Weasel. Mostly Lookout Records bands. He, my sister, and I started our first band soon after that, a pop punk band, and since then, it's mostly been one big mash up of influences, people I've met and played with mostly. I'd say as far as what influences my playing in Good Luck, it's more recent bands with cool noodly guitar stuff! Like: Ted Leo, Kickball (from Olympia), Superchunk, Deerhoof, the Good Good (from NYC), and the Weakerthans.
GLIu: You all are getting ready to head out on another impressive tour, but, to my knowledge, you aren't on a big record label or have a huge booking agent. How do you have so much success in booking all these shows? Do things like MySpace help out with that?
Ginger: Myspace does help simply because it's a centralized space that you can find people who are scattered around the country very easily. It's easy for people to find you as well, and keep up to date with your shows, and contact you personally to say "If you come to my town, I can set up a show for you at this place." So myspace, and the internet in general, makes it very easy to get out the word about your tour without needing a lot of big promotion through the more traditional routes. My friends Harry and the Potters go on these insane three month long, very successful tours, and they have built their fan base just by interacting with them online mostly. They have like 100,000 friends on myspace, or something ridiculous, and do very well, but they have no record label, no booking agent, nothing. They do everything themselves, and because they are willing to put forth that extra effort to not hand over part of their band to someone else to manage, they get control over how things are presented. And the great leveling effect of the internet is that in that kind of setting, you get back exactly how much work you are willing to put into it (give or take a little for talent). But actually we had all been touring for a long time before myspace existed. It hasn't changed that much since. The underground punk/indie scene is all about supporting each other (hopefully), so we've set up shows for many touring friends' bands when they come to town. Then you go to their town and play with them there. Multiply that over many years and many bands, and that's pretty much how it works. Mutual support. You could not go on tour as a punk band if there weren't many people and bands in all corners of the country who want to help you for basically nothing other than friendship and community. There isn't really enough money in it either way, at least at this level, for it to be about anything more than that.
GLIu: In a lot of the underground music scene, there is a weird disconnection where people will listen to your music online and love it, but never actually buy records. Do you all experience any of that?
Ginger: Not really that I've experienced. I think people will buy your record if they think you are honest and deserving. So you should have your band be honest and deserving. If your records cost too much then they won't buy it, because by now people ought to know that even a very nice cd doesn't cost more than $2 to manufacture. They feel ripped off, because they should. At $8 our record costs more than any other record I've ever released as a band before, and we gave that price a lot of thought. But we spent quite a lot of money recording and pressing the record. We spent a lot of time at a local studio here called Russian Recording, but it was only enough to make it the best album we thought it could possibly be. And our engineer, Mike Bridavsky, is an amazing, hardworking, totally talented dude who deserved every penny we gave him. Then we got a 100% recycled digipak and insert because if you are going to be putting that many of something into the world, you should think about its impact at least a little. So the costs add up a bit. But most of what people pay for when they spend $15 a cd is for record companies to put ads in magazines and to put out shitty cds by other bands that no one will ever care about. So if someone understands, "hey, when you buy this cd, it puts gas in our gas tank to drive to your town and play," then they are much more likely to directly support you. Besides that I'm sure that you can download our record tons of places right now, and anyone else's record, and there's just about nothing anyone can do about it so folks need to just move on.
GLIu: Why make music? Why be in a band?
Ginger: Well, I was talking earlier about punk/indie music giving my life shape. It has, it's been the one major thing I've been doing with my life since I was about 15. I'm 27 now, so it's worth reflecting on and asking "why am I still doing this?" And you have to hope it comes down to it being more than just the thing that you are used to doing. For me, I've met almost all my friends I have from playing music. And because they are creative people, they are constantly coming at you with new inspiration. Just being around them and seeing what they do inspires me to do more. Plus, there is really no better feeling than when you have written a new song that you think is really great. Maybe because when you play it you forget about all the other bullshit you have to go through during the day just to get to that moment, your job and your romantic disappointments and being broke, all that falls away on a good day. And lastly, writing lyrics can be very good for your soul when you get it just right. There's one song on the album that is about this really personal moment after I had become estranged for almost everyone in my family, and I was visiting this city and went to a church and lit candles for them because it was my grandparents church, and I was feeling like I was helpless with no one to talk to. And I never told anyone about that until I wrote a song about it. Some people, like me, aren't as gregarious with their emotions until they have an outlet.
Matt: It's a question I ask myself almost constantly. And i still haven't totally come up with an answer. Like Ginger, I have been playing in bands since i was a young teenager, touring starting at 15, and that has been my life for the past eight years. Touring so much that I've never had a steady job for more than a few months at a time. Not until recently have i even started to question if this is what I still want to be doing with my life. Why make music? It just happens. The need to do it is there. I'm not even sure where the need came from. I don't feel like I have all sorts of important ideas that I simply need to share with the world. On the contrary, writing lyrics is nearly always an utter struggle to come up with anything. it's almost painful most of the time. Then something always appears after i'm about to give up, and i almost always feel good about it. Why be in a band? To me, the actual playing of the music is probably the most enjoyable experience that occurs in my life. That's why I keep doing it. There's not much I would rather be doing. I guess the question is if it's worth putting other things I'd like to do on hold, more long-term things, in order to be able to go on tour a lot. In order to have those thirty or so minutes every night of that feeling. It's a strange thought. Whether or not I plan on playing music full-time remains to be figured out in the coming months and years, but I know that i will continue playing in some fashion for the rest of my life.
GLIu: How's the band relationship on the road and off? Are you all really great friends?
Ginger: I think we are pretty great friends. If we weren't I don't think we could or would do this. I feel lucky to have Matt and Mike in my life. It's easy to squabble on the road but it's usually just about the day to day issues of everyone getting what they need to be comfortable in a pretty uncomfortable living arrangement. I think we are all pretty good at taking a step outside of that and saying "ok, I totally love you guys, I'm sorry I just yelled at you because you inferred I don't know how to read a map." (wink, mike)
GLIu: I've heard from a few people that you all have some connection with Kimya Dawson. Is there any truth to that, and, if so, what is it exactly and how did it come about?
Matt: Yeah there is a connection, she's a good friend of mine. She and I played a show together in Maine in the Fall of 2004--it was completely random, i was on tour with a friend of mine Justin Rhody, and the guy who set up our show in Falmouth, ME decided to ask Kimya if she would come up and play with us. Kimya lived in Bedford Hills, NY at the time, and she came up just for the heck of it. I had never heard her music before, but i loved it right away, and we became friends instantly. She came with us for the next few days just for fun, back down to New York. And we've been buddies ever since. I lived with her and her husband and daughter in Olympia for a couple months, and we've toured together many times now--I am usually "her band" on tour. It's been interesting seeing her rise in popularity and dealing with the issues of the music industry. Kimya's an amazing and inspiring lady and a terrific mom. I really respect her and i think if there's anyone whose songs should be heard by lots of people across the world, it's her.
and lastly,
GLIu: Are there any current bands/artists that you guys are really into or think are doing something really cool?
Ginger: There are about a million bands and artists out there doing cool things. I think bands get all the credit, but there are tons of people in our friends alone doing great things. Matt's roommate Nate Powell is an amazing cartoonist, our friend Pat Crann runs a screenprinting business that caters to punk bands called Shout out Loud Prints, our friend Dave Garwacke hosts a website called Ifyoumakeit. com that has high quality videos of lots of great underground bands, our friend Eric Ayotte does a traveling film festival called Gadabout Film Fest that shows lots of hilarious and beautiful short films all around the country in punk venues, and just about every house that lets bands play in the basement is doing something good cool. Even if you don't really listen to underground music, I think that's where most great bands found out how to be great bands.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Whatever Happened To? Vol. 1: Rocky, Colt, and Tum Tum
I'm often curious as to what happened to various folks that I remember from my childhood. This column will be devoted to finding out what these folks are doing and any new projects they might be doing. In the words of a friend, "I'm mostly curious about mostly everything." Make no mistake about it, this is purely for entertainment purposes, and yes, when I am done I will feel like I wasted quite a bit of my time. So, here for the first installment are the boys from the original 3 Ninjas.
Rocky = Michael Treanor
Then:
"A ninja is honest and good. He has self-control."
The annoyingly level-headed older brother and leader of the three LOVED Emily, but apparently didn't love being a ninja. After the initial success of 3 Ninjas and the subsequent child stardom that came upon Mr. Treanor, it seems that he chose to bow out of the spotlight after he participated in the sequel 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up. According to a couple fan sites that I found that are devoted to finding his current wherabouts (who has that much time!), he is possibly in Boston, MA working on a master's degree. One fan thought he might be studying Ninjanomics. We can only hope! The "Now" photo was found on a fan site, but appears to have been lifted from Treanor's personal MySpace page which he has since removed (yes, I checked).
Now:
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Colt = Max Elliott Slade
Then:
Colt: I'm Colt because I'm fast, he's Rocky because he's solid and he's Tum-Tum because he'll eat anything.
Tum Tum: I won't eat dog poop.
Colt, the desperado middle child, with a bravado that outmatched his common sense just might be the one who ended up making the best post ninja business decisions. Max Slade, more than either of his theatrical brothers, is one to embrace his previous success as a ninja and is also the only of the three to still have a career in acting and was the only one of the three to appear in the 3 original 3 Ninja movies (High Noon at Mega Mountain featuring Hulk Hogan doesn't count). He has appeared in a few big movies such as Apollo 13 and Parenthood with Steve Martin, but took a long time out of film to focus on school (a B.A. in Anthropology from USC) and to try his hand at being a rock star. In fact, Slade is now returning to the big screen in the upcoming film Frost/Nixon which will also star the always great Sam Rockwell and perennial favorite Kevin Bacon (maybe this one will allow another nomination as an Awesome Role). You can befriend him here if you want.
Now:
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Last, but certainly not lightest is...
Tum Tum = Chad Power (bonus points for the awesome name!)
Then:
Tum Tum: I dont wanna die! I never even hit puberty yet!
The youngest of the three was also the one with the biggest appetite and the relatively smallest amount of actual ninja talent. It appears that Mr. Power did some TV work as a kid, and then bowed out of Hollywood for the most part. Again, you can be his friend here, but I'll never forget him and his half-hearted karate skills.
Now:
Album Review: Paul Baribeau- Grand Ledge and Paul Baribeau
Album: Grand Ledge and Paul Baribeau
Released: 2007 and 2004
Label: Plan-It-X Records
Hometown: Lansing, Michigan
Rating: 8.6 and 7.2
I have recently come across an artist named Paul Baribeau from Michigan (home sweet home) who is one of those guys that shakes the very foundations of any pretentious analytical truths a guy like me likes to lean on when lazy. There is always a stigma surrounding singer-songwriters as almost unbearably boring even if the songs are great. I'd love to say that I have an endless amount of patience for going to see live music of singer-songwriters, but I don't. That's why I stopped doing it myself. I couldn't justifiably ask people to sit through something I wouldn't. There are only a few modern singer-songwriters who make you feel like you're watching a whole band. A few of these would be Jeff Tweedy, Cory Branan, Daniel Johnston, Eef Barzelay, and John Darnielle. They are so complete and full that if you added another instrument you feel like the room might just explode because it couldn't hold everything (a few of those great songwriters are so good that they also front absolutely incredible bands). Paul Baribeau belongs on that list.
I've heard it said before that "Paul Baribeau wants to make you cry", but I don't think that this is the case. Paul Baribeau is pure childish-ness in the greatest sense of the word. If you ever take the time to observe little ones, then you will quickly see that little kids experiences the purest and rawest form of each emotion whether it be love, anger, joy, peace, or disappointment. As adults we learn to hamper and dampen these emotions and we widdle away at each one with our logic, understanding, and the soldering effect of self-preservation. Every once in awhile you come across someone who seems to have missed this step. They seem un-adulterated by the jaded-ness that engulfs so many and they seem so fragile and exposed in their naivete. The first reaction to finding someone like this is to protect them from being damaged because they seem so vulnerable to the world's sandpaper edges.
Paul Baribeau sees love in colors and shapes only reserved for these types of people. This is not to say that he hasn't learned anything, because many of these songs are about learning from your mistakes and not repeating them like when he teaches on ("Ten Things") to "Think of all the things that hold you back/And realize that you don't need them/Think of all the mistakes you have made in your life/And make sure that you never repeat them." Paul encourages us to see the full spectrum of all that life has to offer. With the passing of each song, you can feel your palette expanding.
His first record on Plan-it-X Records which was self-titled is said to have been recorded in one night when the head of the label wrote him a letter asking for a bio and some demos. He rattled out 14-songs in his jangly-in-overdrive style and Chris (the label guy) liked it so much that he just decided to use the demo as the first record. The self-titled contains every bit of the purity that is fleshed out and improved upon on Grand Ledge and has a couple of tracks that will floor you emotionally and physically. This happens every time I listen to Paul recount all of the friends and family members who have come up short on "Never Get to Know" and the microcosmic biography of "Boys Like Me" which rings true in the macro perspective. Even the turnaround of "I Thought I Could Find You" is completely unexpected and wonderful. It is on this first record that I can't help but remember the first time I listened to Daniel Johnston's Fun on cassette and how I couldn't hardly understand how such unabashed and child-like wonder could be so present in songs.
Stylistically, Baribeau is also the purest of singer-songwriters in the sense that both of his records are just him and a guitar. No tricks, no tampering, and every one features his spastic guitar strumming as he careens through tales of former bands, former girlfriends, new towns, old faces, etc. I played it for my roommate and I couldn't tell his reaction until he heard "Hard Work" off of Grand Ledge and just screamed "That's me!" as Paul details his morning by the half-hour as he starts his day. There is something in Paul's music that makes it so you can't help but feel like he's giving a voice to the feelings you lost in a pile of sawdust.
On Grand Ledge, Paul nearly perfects his aesthetic and has 9 songs that are over much too short. I find myself singing the chorus to "Christmas Lights" constantly and when he sings about hearing an old song on "Falling In Love With Your Best Friend" I am overwhelmed by the a contented melancholy that feels like the emotional equivalent to realizing the whole world is connected. Paul Baribeau exists somewhere in the midst of that connection.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
There's Nothing to Do in This Town! Vol. 1: The Louisville Zoo
First up is the wonderful Louisville Zoo! If you’re like my friend Amy and hate the zoo, then I guess this post isn’t for you, but I love it! I had actually never before been to a zoo until a year and a half ago when my friends took me there on a special pass to get up close and personal with the Amur Tigers. That day we met Boris (R.I.P. :( ) and Sinda and it got me hooked to the Zoo and I soon after bought a membership.
First things first, I have learned that there are certain times to go to the zoo that are much better than others. Case in point, if you go to the zoo in the middle of the afternoon after all of the animals have been fed then they will most likely be napping and not be that fun to interact with. Therefore, I always suggest one get to the zoo about 10am and try to make your rounds while most of the animals are going through their first feeding. If you get there while they are being fed, then that is the time that the animals are the most active and aggressive and can make for some pretty awesome spectacles. You never know what’s going to happen and that’s part of the beauty of the zoo!
The first thing you should do when you get in the park is to take a left and head toward the Rhinos. This is always my favorite place to start. You’ll pass a big wooden carving of a buffalo which offers up some great photo ops, and soon you will come up on the warthogs on your left. They are sometimes super entertaining when they are rolling around in the mud or being fed. Otherwise, they’ll just be sleeping in the shadows and can be hard to see. The rhinos will be on your right and if you are lucky enough you can catch them while they are walking around. They are such massive animals that they don’t move around an awful lot, but they are beautiful animals that look like dinosaurs. While you are gawking at the massiveness of the rhinos you should do a quick 180 and check out the indoor giraffe exhibit. Without a doubt, giraffes are one of my favorite animals and this is always a special treat for me. One time, my friend Keith caught a giraffe tear! There is only one word I typically can think of when describing the giraffes and that is “majestic.” They are so cool! In that same little exhibit are the Sea Eagles (who usually leave a nice smattering of torn rat carcasses on the ground) and the Rock Hyrax who is a cute little hedgehog-looking guy who is almost always perched at the top-front-right of the exhibit on the rock ledge.
Next you will take the big curve and get the pleasure to witness the deer-family animals which include the super-cool Addax (which have babies fairly regularly), the Bongo (one of whom lost their left eye this summer), and the gazelles. I never even knew that the Addax and the Bongo existed, but they are really cool looking animals with some crazy horns. After the Bongo, you will come up on the ever-popular elephant exhibit! If you’re there at the right time (11am and 4pm) you will get to see the elephant aerobics where young Scotty and his mom Mikki and aunt Punch do their exercises in the yard. It is incredibly entertaining and Scotty does some great tricks that exhibit his sense of humor.
The zebras will be on your left as you keep walking, but they are unfortunately hard to see, so take a little jaunt over to the lions and get a good glimpse of them doing what they do best…sleeping. I’ve only seen them up and about once, but it’s still cool to see them and marvel at how intelligent the structural designs are for these animal habitat recreations. Moving around the loop you will see the dromedary camels on your right who always look a little lonely to me, but you’ve got to hurry to get everything in so walk faster!
Next up on your right you will be tempted to forgo the petting zoo for the sake of cleanliness, but I must admit, that the one time I went in there was one of my favorite times at the zoo ever. Head over to monkey island and make sure to go inside the enclosure to check out the cotton-topped tamarin as he is probably the cutest animal at the whole zoo. The monkeys, if out on the island, will amaze you with their rope swinging and playing sometimes and can be a blast to watch. Many people are afraid that the monkeys could easily just go past the shallow water moat and get out, but in their natural habitat which is recreated at the zoo, there are snakes and various predators lurking in the water under the trees so they don’t even go near the water. I love the instances where the zoo-keepers and designers use the animal’s natural instincts to protect it from escaping, etc.
Next up, the meerkats are always cute with one of them always perched atop the mound on the lookout for predatory birds while the others all nod in and out of consciousness. You are on your way to the amazing gorilla exhibit though so you’ve got to keep moving. On your way to the gorillas, get a good look at the pygmy hippos because they just had a baby last year and he’s getting pretty big. They will be off exhibit soon because of cool weather so get it in while you can. As you walk up to the gorilla exhibit you will notice a very sharp odor once the automatic doors pop open and that is the scent that the silverbacks put out to mark their territory. It can often be a hard smell to stomach, but it hasn’t been as bad recently after the heart-breaking loss of Silverback Frank. Frank was getting old and had terrible arthritis so he was put to sleep a few weeks back. I was deeply saddened by this. Most of the time, if the gorillas are in a playful mood, then they can be the most fun thing at the whole zoo, especially if they are chasing each other around.
After you kill a half hour at the gorillas exhibit, you will wind your way down the hill past the Dippin’ Dots stand and head over to the Alice Etscorn exhibit to check out the Amur tigers. The tigers are so cool and a personal favorite of mine and with the new improvements to their living spaces you might just get to see a feeding of them from just a few feet away. There will always only be one tiger on exhibit because tigers are solitary animals and don’t enjoy the company of each other. Our zoo has two of them, one a 14 year old female named Sinda and Sasha the new 350-pound addition to take over for Boris who died recently of old age at 18 years.
If you don’t have little kiddies with you, then you can pick up the pace a little bit as you pass the various cats and head over to the Islands exhibit and the Herpaquarium. In the Herp is King Louie the rare albino alligator, who I swear has got to be fake because I’ve never seen him move and he’s so strange looking he almost looks plastic. The islands exhibit features the awesome penguins and the sometimes frightening terns, and also has rooms for the orangutan (who is the coolest dude ever when in a good mood) and the Sumatran tiger. Do yourself a favor and ask a zoo helper to explain the advanced tunnel system that was designed for the Islands exhibit. It is a one-of-a-kind feature that makes your zoo experience much, much better. That will about round out your day as you are pretty tired by this point. Later on you can come back and check out a few things like the Wallaroo Walkabout and spend some time in the MetaZoo, but that won’t be a problem because you’ll pick up your You Plus One membership at the front gate for a measley $65 because now whenever you have a friend visit from out of town you can take them to the zoo for a fantastic and unforgettable afternoon where you get to feel like kids and marvel at the wonderfulness of all the animals.
Let me know if you need a zoo buddy sometime.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Album Review: Good Luck- Into Lake Griffy
Released: sometime 2008
Label: self-released
Home: Bloomington, IN
Rating: 9.2 out of 10
I have a confession to make...for the past year or so I have lost my love for the music. It has been months since any collection of musical notes and words or just musical notes has moved me even slightly. I often like to qualify this to myself by saying that it is ok to not be in love with music anymore since I play it; that sometimes you just get so surrounded by it that it loses its power. I stand before you today ready to completely denounce that sentiment. There is one catalyst for this change of thought and for once in my life I can put my finger on it. That catalyst is the Bloomington, IN band Good Luck. I first heard their songs over the speakers at Louisville's Skull Alley when I was setting up for a show and have been hooked ever since. This past Saturday night, I caught their set at Skull Alley while they were on their US tour and I finally realized what made them so instantly love-able and engaging. Their live show is energetic and fun, and it is obvious that they love what they are doing as much or more than the people jumping up and down in the front row.
I also picked up their record Into Lake Griffy at this show for a ridiculously cheap $8 and have had trouble getting out of my car ever since. The album is bursting at the seams with brilliant songwriting, lyrics, and incredibly creative musicianship from all three members. It is obvious that Matt Tobey (guitar, vocals), Ginger Alford (bass, vocals), and Mike Harpring, Jr. (drums) have something going on that is not often heard. Maybe that's because Matt is used to banging the skins, Ginger is used to ripping through folk-punk songs on the guitar, and Mike is used to keeping time with complex metal bands. Maybe its the fact that their friendship comes through in their songs in the way that they have incredible chemistry without having to be "tight". Whatever it is, this is one of my favorite records I own. Period.
It seems quite asinine to list song highlights on this record because every song has been on repeat one after the other. Of course, my heart jumps out of my chest when Ginger is pounding out the notes to "Stars Were Exploding" and when Matt is riffing through "Public Radio" I tend to lift my hands and rejoice. Matt Tobey's angular guitar work shape-shifts from riff-rockin edginess to finger-tapped harmonics and everywhere in between. Ginger helms the low end with a creativity that is rarely heard on the bass and Mike keeps the pace with a subtle complexity that is absolutely perfect for their jangled pop masterpieces.
Not only did this record help me fall in love with Good Luck, but it helped me fall in love with Music again and forced me to remember how fun it is. For that, I couldn't be more thankful. It has forced me to think that possibly when the music doesn't move you anymore, maybe it's not the music, maybe you just became immovable.
The 5 Spot: The Films of Corey Feldman
What can you say about a man who's career took a swan-dive as soon as he was old enough to drink? These days, this half of The Corey's is the only one your remember, but usually as the butt of an 80s joke. Some folks praise him for his Oscar-worthy performances is such classics like My Life as a Troll and The Thief and the Stripper, but I am not one of those folks. Instead, I like to remember him as the smart-alek-ey kid with a brain that's only slightly more developed than his knack for choosing roles.
#5 The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) trilogy as the voice of Donatello- This classic trilogy is one of my favorites from my childhood. The first two movies are definitely the best (a great role as the pizza delivery boy-turned ninja played by Ernie Reyes, Jr in the second) with the third being a little weird with a strange time-travel storyline going back to feudal Japan, but still ninja-fun.
#4 The Fox and the Hound (1981) as the voice of Young Copper- Without a doubt, this is my favorite of the Disney cartoons of yester-year and when Copper first starts sniffing out Tod in the log and lets out his first little howl, I swear I turn into a 4 year old boy again- every time. Also, I'm also known to break out into "When You're the Best of Friends" at work.
#3 The 'Burbs (1989) as Ricky Butler- This is one of those 80s movies that toed the line between perfect comedy and just plain strange. Let me be clear about this though, this classic starring Tom Hanks in one of his better roles has a foot planted firmly on both sides.
#2 The Goonies (1985) as Mouth- This Steven Spielberg-penned classic is the favorite of many. This is the ultimate adventure fantasy for every youngin'. It's got gadgets (slick shoes!), murder, ice cream, pirate treasure, and Sloth. What more could you ever want?
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and the best film that ever featured the shining smart mouth is:
#1 Stand By Me (1986) as Teddy Duchamp- There is no wavering in my mind that this is one of the greatest coming-of-age films ever made. This classic tale of four friends (River Phoenix, Will Wheaton, a chubby Jerry O'Connell and Corey Feldman) going out in the woods to look for the body of a boy that supposedly got hit by a train so hard that he was knocked right out of his Keds. The movie is based off of the novella The Body written by none other than Stephen King in his collection Different Seasons which also contained a few other classic stories like Apt Pupil and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.
How could such a good egg go bad? Some stars burn hard and fast...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
A Dabbler's Guide to Woody Allen
There are so many great films in Woody Allen's catalogue that it is difficult to just give you five at a time. Here are five more films that dig a little deeper into his off-beat humor, that feature a little bit more of how his brain works, and a few dramas that amp up the stakes. This does not mean, in any way, that any films not mentioned yet are lesser-Woody Allen films. I just haven't gotten to them yet, but I will. Please enjoy these if you have the time, and if you watch them and hate them, then let me know that too. I'm always interested to see other people's reactions to them.
1. Sleeper (1973)- This is one of Woody's earlier movies and was a part of his comedic career which was slapstick and didn't have any of the high-brow elitism that turns a lot of people away from his later work. Sleeper is a movie about a health-food store owner who is cryogenically frozen and then revived in the future to help start a revolution. He narrowly escapes and accidentally enlists the company of a poet played by Diane Keaton and most of the movie is about his bumbling adventure in the futuristic world. This is comedy at its finest and simplest.
Rating: B+
2. Love and Death (1975)- No matter what anyone says, this is one of the greatest of Mr. Allen's films. It is basically 82 minutes of Woody's thoughts on (you guessed it!) love and death. Word on the street is that this film is Woody's favorite and it's not a big surprise why. This is the beginning of his super heady forays into the films where he injects his films with his intellectual neurosis. Some people are turned off by this, but I think it makes the films some of the most interesting ones ever made.
Rating: A-
3. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)- This Oscar-winning drama is undoubtedly one of the best sibling films ever made. Period. The films follows three sisters and their inner-circles and the complications that arise when their lives take very different trajectories. The film has a perfect cast and showcases two of Woody's favorite leading ladies (Mia Farrow and Dianne Wiest). It is also, most likely, the best performance Woody ever turned in as the hypochondriacal ex-husband of Carrie Fischer's character. The film also stars the ever-classic Max Von Sydow and Barbara Hershey with ovation-worthy performances.
Rating: A
4. Mighty Aphrodite (1995)- I've sold a lot of my DVD collection over the past couple years, but I can't seem to part with this beauty of a film. Mighty Aphrodite features a star-turning role for Mira Sorvino as Linda Ash the “working girl” and mother of Woody Allen's adopted child. The real magic, I think, of this movie is the way that Woody works in the story of Oedipus and his use of the chorus from the classic play “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles to comment and showcase the tragic elements of this incredibly funny and heart-warming movie. This is one of Woody's most enjoyable films, in my opinion, and the scene where he and Helena Bonham Carter (as his ethically questionable wife) are trying to come up with a baby name is classic Woody Allen!
Rating: A-
5. Match Point (2005)- This is another one of the late-career efforts that features Scarlett Johannson and is set in the gorgeous city of London. The story, however, is not so gorgeous as it takes his typically hilarious crime-solver films and explores the dark side with a chilling authenticity. I will not beat around the bush here, I did not really enjoy this film like a lot of his others because of the Hitchcock-ian eeriness that takes center stage, but it is an incredible film in terms of bringing Woody back to the front line of making great films and digging into his cerebellum and coming out with something that marries his wonderful, nebbish sensibilities and the characteristics of his favorite classics.
Rating: B+