This is a post-hardcore, but pre-“Licensed to Ill” Beastie Boys from 1985. Produced by Rick Rubin, “She’s On It” provides a nice blueprint of what that landmark album released in 1986 would be, with Rubin’s trademark metal-rap fusion that would explode into the mainstream with the Run DMC/Aerosmith collaboration “Walk this Way” the following year. The video is quite the artifact from the mid-1980s.
Here’s the infamous scene where Dean Stockwell’s whacked-out Ben character lip-syncs to Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams” while Dennis Hopper’s equally insane Frank Booth looks on in David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet.” Stockwell allegedly came up with Ben’s “look” by reading Lynch’s script and imagining what kind of person Frank would consistently praise as being “suave.” I love the way that the otherwise aggro Frank gets very emotional while watching Ben’s performance and then about 1:14 in, abruptly starts having a psychotic break. Two brilliantly weird performances in a masterpiece of a film. I’ll watch this scene 1,000 more times than have to endure one more scene of some movie character singing Motown tunes into a hairbrush. And would someone please send me that smoking jacket that Ben wears?
Here’s the infamous live version of “Sympathy for the Devil” from the December 1969 concert at Altamont where a Stones fan was stabbed to death (caught on camera for the documentary “Gimme Shelter”). However, contrary to popular belief, the stabbing took place during “Under My Thumb,” not “Devil.” However, one of the scariest scenes in any documentary comes in at about 4:10 into this clip when a certain Hells Angel (who has been hired to provide “security”) starts eyeballing Jagger. I can’t tell if he wants to f–k Mick Jagger or kill him … or both. In any case, that look he gives Jagger is really f–king scary.
More Keith Richards for you folks tonight. This is a smokin’ live version of Keith’s signature song “Happy,” recorded on the Stones’ 1972 American tour. From the 1975 concert film “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones.” Originally from the 1972 album “Exile on Main Street.”
From the 1969 album “Let it Bleed,” comes the first Stones track with a lead vocal by Keith Richards. This is also the last recording the Stones released with Brian Jones (who plays autoharp on the track). The song appeared prominently in the notorious Michelangelo Antonioni film “Zabriskie Point.” A very nice slice of blues in the finest Stones tradition from their golden era.
From 1991’s “Trompe Le Monde,” comes the Pixies’ take on hardcore punk … at least for the first minute or so, until the song segues into a mellower, but still extremely heavy vibe that sounds more like the Pixies we know and love. One of my favorites from one of my favorites.
From the Cure’s 1981 album “Faith,” “Primary” is a song that always sounded just about right when you’re driving alone after midnight. You don’t hear it as much as their other singles, but “Primary” is a great adrenalized, bass-heavy track. It’s also interesting to see lead singer Robert Smith just starting the makeup and glam … just a few years away from the fright wig and black eye makeup.
More classic garage punk from the Pacific Northwest, this is the Untouchables from Olympia, WA doing “Don’t Go, I’m Beggin’.” Great stuff.
From Zevon’s 1991 album “Mr. Bad Example” (LOVE that title!), comes “Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead,” a song that only Zevon could have written.
Unfortunately, most people nowadays think of the 1995 film of the same name when this song is mentioned. To be fair, it wasn’t a bad film. It had some good performances, especially Treat Williams as a psychotic hit man / scat-muncher. But it was one of the lesser Tarantino-inspired modern noirs that arose like Herpes sores in the few years after the success of “Pulp Fiction” in 1994.
Ah, but I digress. The song is one of Zevon’s best.
In “Citizen Kane,” there’s a brief and pivotal scene where Bernstein, one of Charles Foster Kane’s oldest associates, is talking to the reporter trying to uncover the meaning of Kane’s last word “Rosebud.” As Bernstein puts it, “A fellow will remember a lot of things you wouldn’t think he’d remember. You take me. One day, back in 1896, I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out, there was another ferry pulling in, and on it there was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn’t see me at all, but I’ll bet a month hasn’t gone by since that I haven’t thought of that girl.”
I don’t have anything quite that poetic, but a friend recently Facebooked about being stuck on a train and it reminded me of taking the train to visit my Dad back when I was a teenager. On one particular trip when I was 15, I was sitting next to a cute girl my own age and we seemed to hit it off (though at the time, I didn’t realize it). She was not only cute, but also hip (she liked the B52s … this was before their huge commercial breakthrough in 1989 with “Cosmic Thing”). Anyway, when the drink cart came by, I threw all caution to the wind and ordered a beer. Being 6’2″ at 15 years old, they either thought I was of drinking age (21 at the time), or didn’t care, so they took my money and served me my Molson (it was Canadian, so I felt especially debonair … it wasn’t until years later when I moved closed to the Canadian border that Molson is like Busch in Canada). Anyway, the girl sitting next to me was VERY impressed with my drink ordering skills, laughed at all my jokes, and we had a great conversation all the way back home in the train car. Natch, she even lived in my hometown. Did I even think of asking for her phone number? Of course not. This was one of the few suave (OK, suave for a 15-year old) James Bond moments of my life and … I didn’t even think to go for it. The PMRC should have gone after the Smiths back in the day. They’ve arguably ruined more lives than Ozzy ever did.
Anyway, wherever she may be and whatever her name is, this is for “train girl.”
Dave's Strange World 