Sweden’s garage punk kings, The Hives, superbly cover the Australian new wave classic by Flash and the Pan. This cover is sooooo 1981, but in the best and coolest way. The wall of noise comprising heavy guitars and synthesizers is beyond awesome. If the Hives made a music video for this shot on grainy 16mm, it would be damn near perfect. From the Hives 2010 EP “Tarred and Feathered.”
Mahal’s rockin’ cover of Dave Dudley’s classic trucker anthem “Six Days on the Road” has been a frequent play on Sirius XM’s Little Steven’s Underground Garage for the past couple of months. I’m not quite sure why, since this cover is over 40 years old and don’t think it’s appeared in any film, TV show, or commercial recently, but who am I to question the great taste of the programmers at the world’s best radio station? Seriously, wouldn’t you rather hear this awesome track in heavy rotation on classic rock radio stations instead of, well, pretty much the entire oeuvre of Styx or Supertramp? From Mahal’s 1968 album “Giant Step.”
Most people these days know Clarence Reid by his XXX-rated alter ego Blowfly. If you don’t know Blowfly, you should really check out the superb documentary “The Weird World of Blowfly” (available on Netflix instant). While Blowfly’s XXX-rated parodies of popular songs (“S–tting Off the Dock of the Bay”) make me laugh, it’s sad that more people these days don’t know what a solid R&B singer Reid was back in the day (and still is for that matter!). In my opinion, he was the equal of Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. “Nobody But You Babe” is from Reid’s terrific 1969 Atco label album “Dancin’ With Nobody But You Babe.” Reid also wrote Betty Wright’s hit “Clean Up Woman” as well as some KC and the Sunshine Band’s early hits. Reid is also the father of WNBA player Tracy Reid. Definitely an artist worthy of further investigation.
One of the most disturbing, poignant, and oddly inspiring films I’ve seen this year is the documentary “Last Days Here.” It’s about Bobby Liebling, the lead singer of 1970s doom metal pioneers Pentagram, who were considered the missing link between Led Zeppelin and the Sex Pistols back in the day. They came close to the brass ring a couple of times, but never made it, despite having a huge cult following over the last 30-40 years. The documentary opens showing Bobby at the absolute bottom of drug addiction (heroin, crack, and meth), living in his parent’s basement. He’s in his 50s, but looks like he’s in his 80s. The tale of how he pulls himself up from the bottom (with the help of a new manager and superfan named Sean Pelletier) is nothing short of amazing. Mainly because most people in Bobby’s condition never pull themselves out. If you’ve ever known someone like Bobby and seen what typically happens with someone in his shape, Bobby’s transformation is miraculous. The denouement is absolutely astonishing and if it doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, you’re not human. While a part of you may cynically surmise “Yeah … let’s see where Bobby is a few years from now,” one could easily say the same thing about me, you, or anyone you know. Seriously, at my age, I’ve seen enough curveballs thrown my way (and towards others I know) that you never know where real life will lead you, even if you do all the right things. And if anyone deserves a happy ending, it’s Bobby. Bobby, wherever you are, best of luck to you and your family!
It’s available on Netflix streaming, so what are you waiting for?
Michael Mann’s 1981 heist thriller “Thief” is not only one of the best crime movies of all time, it’s also one of the most influential. Watching it nowadays, you can see where Mann tried out a lot of things that would later become de rigeur on “Miami Vice” (which Mann produced), but it’s not quite as flashy. “Thief” is unapologetically blue collar. The movie has many stunning and intense scenes (including some heavy graphic violence towards the end). However, for me, this nearly 10-minute dialogue sequence between James Caan and Tuesday Weld is the best scene in the movie. Here’s some setup: Caan’s character has spent most of his adult life in prison. Since he’s gotten out, he’s become an extremely successful safecracker and thief (with a few successful legitimate businesses that act as fronts for his illegal activity). He has a lot of money and material possessions, but he also wants the kind of life “regular” people have, meaning marriage and a family. He senses something in Tuesday Weld’s character that he feels is on his wavelength. You see, Weld’s character too has a past, a shady one she’s trying to forget, even if it now means doing something mundane. Caan’s character, in his clumsy, but direct way, is trying to kickstart his future and take a chance with someone he feels will understand and take the same emotional risk he is. He guesses correctly.
In memory of my pimpstrumental 1999 Town Car I just traded in for a 2013 Ford Fusion, I’m pouring some $5 Rex Goliath Pinot Noir on the ground in memoriam and dedicating this classic cover of Dionne Warwick’s already monumental “Walk on By” to my old wheels.
Is this garage punk? Is this bubblegum? Is it some hybrid? Or something weirder or more sinister? Seriously, when the beat hits this hard, the guitars drive home the clunky beats even further, and the vocalist contemptuously sneers the leering lyrics, does it really matter? What else would you expect from the creators of “Wild Thing”? Any way you slice it, this is some seriously cool s–t!!
Yes, this song sounds more than a little ridiculous, except that I really, really love it. It’s the perfect theme song for one of the craziest, sleaziest films ever made, Gary Sherman’s 1982 film “Vice Squad.” Wings Hauser, who plays a sadistic pimp named Ramrod (is that a great villain name or what?!?), contributes this gem of an opening song, written by Simon Stokes, previously featured on Dave’s Strange World with his angry senior citizen anthem “Hey You”.
If I ever become a professional recording artist, I want to do a cover of this song as my first single. The video would feature me in a blonde jheri-curl wig and black Members Only jacket shrieking this song to some Traci Lords look-a-like in spandex.
Trivia note: Back in the day, Martin Scorsese said that “Vice Squad” should have been nominated for several Academy Awards that year. He liked the movie so much that he got into a screaming match with his then-girlfriend, Paramount studio executive Dawn Steel, over the merits of the film at a Hollywood party.
Here’s the brilliant under-one minute trailer I remember seeing when I was 12 years old:
Next to “Celluloid Heroes,” “Strangers” is my favorite Kinks song. It was the song I always came back to on thier 1970 album “Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround.” The song was effectively used in Wes Anderson’s 2007 film “The Darjeeling Limited” and the YouTube video is a montage of scenes from the film set to this song. A beautiful song.
What can I say? I’m in a very Hal Ashby mood tonight. This is director Hal Ashby’s last great film, a wonderful adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski’s 1970 novella about a simpleton who is mistaken for a genius and the next great hope of the American political system. Peter Sellers in his last terrific performance (a performance for which he should have won the Oscar … seriously, Dustin Hoffman for “Kramer vs. Kramer”?) plays the idiot savant Chance the Gardner, mistaken for Chauncey Gardiner, genius intellectual. This almost made my Top 10 films of all time, but I think I hesitated, because in a weird way, I identify with Chance. I don’t think I’m particularly smart, but somehow, I not only got into a top university (without the credentials of a connected family), but got into a fully-funded Master’s program as well, and a Doctoral program. The payback? My current job, which is decent, but let’s just say I’m not exactly setting the world on fire. There’s no such thing as a free lunch and your limitations will catch up with you, no matter what fancy words you drizzle on top of your mediocrity. Fortunately, you don’t quite get to see this in “Being There,” so it remains, prime intellectual entertainment you don’t have to be smart to enjoy. This is everything “Forrest Gump” wanted to be, but wasn’t. And while I actually like “Forrest Gump,” “Being There” smokes it on every level.
Dave's Strange World 