7 posts tagged “paul weller”
As told by The Modfather
Do you own all the albums of any particular musical artist or group? Who?
Submitted by dutterman.
Paul Weller, and Joni Mitchell,
Not all their works can be genius, but depth in a collection is nice. Sometimes the ones I don't like grow on me, and other times I wind up wanting to give it away, it's just not great. I have high hopes for Joni's new one on the Starbucks label.
What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.)
Submitted by Bill.Can I cheat?
US Festivals'82 & '83 (where I worked as a busperson at the beer garden on Heavy Metal and Country day so I could see the other shows for free). Everybody and their mom played those shows - David Bowie, The Clash, U2, Oingo Boingo, The Pretenders, The Talking Heads, The B-52's, The Police, The Kinks... - Glen Helen, CA - Thank you, Steve Wozniak!
Sinead O'Connor at The Stone - SF '87 or '88 (the club only held 300 people or something like that)
Lollapalooza '92 (the 2nd one, with Lush, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jesus & Mary Chain, Cypress Hill, etc)
Grateful Dead at UNLV Silver Dome with Sting '93 (brain cell blow-out with the girls in the Lincoln Town Car). Saw them w/ Dave Matthews in '95 too but that show was not memorable for the musical aspect (last show before Jerry died)
Stone Roses - Palladium, LA, '95
Crowded House - Wiltern, LA, '95?
The Charlatans UK - Glashaus, Pomona, CA '94?
New Order - some roller rink in Orange County, the name of which I can't recall - '82?
Psychedelic Furs - Salt Lake City, UT - '84? Memorable partially due to seeing them in some cow patch, sitting on bales of hay on bleachers, while it snowed.
Paul Weller - every show except the one at the Palladium - Stanley Road tour
Joni Mitchell - Universal Ampitheatre, LA - '78 I was little, but I loved her - Bob Dylan and Jackson Browne and a mess of other people were in the audience. She invited them up to play.
Either I'm too old or saw too many shows to pick just 10. But I see they're all grouped in certain years...
I look forward to The Shins making this list!
The casting of this film is, strangely, fairly well done. Although... I love Queen Latifah, but she's not convincing as a publisher's assistant. She commands too much attention, and the chemistry just isn't there between her and Emma Thompson (who's perfect as the author and narrator, Karen Eiffel). Everyone else, being Dustin Hoffman, Maggie Gylenhall, and Will Ferrell, fits the bill. Dustin Hoffman's role is something of a replay of the existential investigator from I Heart Huckabees. It's ok, it works, although it's almost unbelievable that he would invest the time and energy on Crick---unless it was a curiosity---you know, something he can tuck into his "future incidents to include in a novel" folder. But it doesn't come across that way, and that's a bit weird. I don't know if Maggie Gyllenhall with Will Ferrell is credible, but she suits the role insofar as law-school-drop-out-turned-anarchist-baker goes. That is, if you can ignore that she's Maggie-Gyllenhall-the-indie-queen.
I'm not a big Will Ferrell fan, and I've seen almost all his movies. I believe these are his best two hours on film. I think there might actually be something to him, after this movie. Still, I'm not sure. When he says, "I want you", it just doesn't come across the way it would if, say, Nicholas Cage (who also seems like a joker these days) said it (like in Adaptation).
I liked the closing time scene where Harold shows up with a case of taped brown bag packages. When asked what they are, he says, "I brought you flours." (Totally in-line with the character, but still not sure if in-line with Will Ferrell the actor, although I imagine he loved that line.)
I liked this movie but can't help thinking it could've been improved by a touch of Nick Hornby. Critics say this is Charles Kaufman territory but I think there's something else going on here that needed just a little bit more edge. The end drags out a bit, but one keeps watching, waiting for the announced inevitability. I could've used a bit more narration during the author's thinking process, where she goes over two particular factors she's decided would be involved in Harold Crick's demise. It's somewhat obvious, but keeps the story from being completely smooth. I want to be tormented by Harold's crisis, but I'm not. I'm curious, but not tormented. There are other bits and pieces that make it choppy, but enough said. It's an interesting story. I could see a remake down the line (actually, it seems to me to have come from an old Twilight Zone episode).
http://www.modculture.info/2007/03/new_book_the_ja.html
A link to the write up about a new book on The Jam. Bruce Foxton and Rick whatever-his-last-name-is are re-forming The Jam without Paul, and going on tour this summer. (Yeah right) So a limited edition of this book will be available to coincide with that tour, and that edition will be signed...
I might buy the book eventually, but the whole thing is sort of curious. I'm reserving further comment.
I'm exhausted. And I didn't find out about Paul Weller until yesterday, so, no tickets. Natch.
The pile of Christmas cards needing to be sent is daunting. My coffee gets cold. I am tired.
I'm not supposed to be walking around all day, shopping; drinking coffee; eating cookies; staying up late; consuming alcohol (in this case mulled wine). Maybe I'm not supposed to be eating raw oysters or rare meat, or entertaining babies in my home...alas, all these sins I am committing! It's the holidays! What am I supposed to do?
The answer, according to my oncologist and clinical trial nurse is: Just say NO!