Mellencamp's Melancholy

I just read a great article by John Mellencamp on the sorry state of the music business. Here is a paragraph near the end that sort of sums up the whole article:

Sadly, these days, it's really a matter of "every man for himself." In terms of possibilities, we are but an echo of what we once were. Of course, the artist does not want to "sell out to The Man." Left with no real choice except that business model of greed and the bean counting mentality that Reagan propagated and the country embraced, there is only "The Man" to deal with. There is no street for the music to rise up from. There is no time for the music to develop in a natural way that we can all embrace when it ripens and matures. That's why the general public doesn't really care. It's not that the people don't still love music; of course they do. It's just the way it is presented to them that ignores their humanity.

So what is the answer? Maybe a quote from earlier in the same article holds a clue:

The artist is here to give the listener the opportunity to dream, a very profound and special gift even if he's minimally successful. If the artist only entertains you for three and a half minutes, it's something for which thanks should be given. Consider how enriched all of our lives are made by songs from "Like A Rolling Stone," a masterpiece, to "The Monster Mash," a trifle by comparison.

Keep that thought in mind as you read this post from the blog of a friend of mine.

Let's all get off our asses and get out to see/hear the thousands of great musicians who are literally playing in our backyards!

~ Tom

The OJ jury marches on...

The Bay Area is still reeling from the senseless and tragic murder of four Oakland police officers by this nut Mixon, who has now also been fingered by DNA for unsolved rapes on six women (all black) including a 12-year-old. So you can imagine my feelings while reading today's Chron, when amid all the stories about the slayings, I find this jaw-dropping tidbit.

This picture accompanied the article, and depicts people marching in support of Mixon. As my title says: The OJ jury marches on...

Breaking Bad + a related "NEC"

Man, I can't say enough about "Breaking Bad" on AMC. I kept hearing about it from all kinds of people who were just raving at how good it was - my son Jesse, my brother Steve, his wife Marlene, and other friends. Plus, the media reviews were unified in their praise. So, about a month ago, I watched the 7-episode first season in preparation for the new season, which started in early March.

The simple set up for BB is that a chemistry genius relegated to teaching high school chemistry learns he has terminal cancer and decides to cook meth to earn a ton of loot before he dies so that his family will not want.

But there is so, so, much more, which is impossible to really convey. Suffice it to say that Tom gives this thing 5 big, fat stars. Go out and rent season one. Then you can watch season 2 "on demand" if you have Comcast, or just wait for season 2 to come out on video. My son and I both agreed that the second episode of this season was one of the most jaw-dropping hours of television, EVER.

Now on to my NEC/SES entry (see rules below), and it's a NEC:

Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad. Just ask any BB fan if he or she can even imagine another Walter White and they will look at you as if you've gone mad!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

No one else coulda / someone else shoulda

Here are the rules:

1. Your entry has to be based on an actual current viewing, be it watching a new movie in a theater, a TV show, or just flipping through the channels, or catching a snippet on You Tube, etc. Give a brief description of your viewing circumstances when submitting your entry. (No fair mining your memory banks, you have to view it at some time from now and into the future).

2. A "NEC " entry: Simply no one else could have played the role. The actor, script, performance and production all mesh like the gears of a fine old Swiss watch to produce a "one-of-a-kind" experience.

3. A "SES" entry: What were they thinking when they cast this role!!! This is like W.C. Fields playing Ghandi.

No one else coulda / someone else shoulda

Introducing a new, fun pastime for those of us who are hopeless movie and TV freaks. I'm calling it: No one else coulda / someone else shoulda

Here are the rules:

1. Your entry has to be based on an actual current viewing, be it watching a new movie in a theater, a TV show, or just flipping through the channels, or catching a snippet on You Tube, etc. Give a brief description of your viewing circumstances when submitting your entry. (No fair mining your memory banks, you have to view it at some time from now and into the future).

2. A "NEC " entry: Simply no one else could have played the role. The actor, script, performance and production all mesh like the gears of a fine old Swiss watch to produce a "one-of-a-kind" experience.

3. A "SES" entry: What were they thinking when they cast this role!!! This is like W.C. Fields playing Ghandi.

If I get enough entries over time, I'll create a data base that everyone can access.

OK, here is the first entry, and it's an "NEC" --- John Malkovich as Vicomte Sébastien de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons. Viewed a snippet while Eileen was watching the movie for the millionth time; saw one of the scenes where he is trying to seduce Michelle Pfeiffer. I absolutely cannot imagine anyone else playing that role.

~ Tom

Ferlinghetti about to hit 90!

We get to claim Lawrence as a local boy. Here's an article/interview from today's S.F. Chronicle that all should find interesting, and the poets among us should treasure even more.

~ Tom

Lend me an ear...

Someone gave me one of those tear-off-each-day desk calendars from the History Channel. Yesterday's page (3/17) was worth sharing:

1901: Van Gogh Paintings Shown in Paris

Though Vincent van Gogh remains one of history's great artists, the depressed painter saw little critical acclaim during his lifetime. On this day in 1901, over a decade after his suicide, Paris's Bernheim-Jeune gallery featured seventy-one of his paintings. The poshumous recognition was enought to launch the departed painter to international stardom. Unfortunately, van Gogh himself was quite the starving artist: despite his unprecedented success after death, only one of his paintings sold was he was still alive.

Ski day!

We've been up at our Tahoe/Donner place since Thursday night. We are up for the whole week. We've skied every day. Today we woke up to find that Truckee had broken the record for the lowest temperature on March 10: -2 degrees. That broke the record of -1, set in 1951. Needless to say, we waited a while to begin skiing today until it warmed up. But it was worth it. I never skied a day in my life until I was nearly 50, but I am so grateful that I got in on it when I did. Today it was crystal clear, with lots of new snow. The views were just amazing at Squaw Valley, USA. We took a couple of shots at the top of the Siberia run. Hope you enjoy them.



Eileen at the top of the Siberia run. Note the dude on the left contemplating the very steep drop-off that we skied right after we took these pictures.


The old man of the mountain! Note Lake Tahoe back there above my left hand.