Just a bit of satire Matt.
His ashes were scattered in the Pacific.
“Pieces of eight, pieces of hate” awwwwk!
Are there any recording artists you just can’t listen too?
For me there is one that has always been top of the list.
Edith Piaf…..l just can’t think of anything worse.
Do not get me wrong and consider my choice is in any way racist….l love to listen to music with songs in any language… Italian, French, Spanish…..
Russian and German can however be extremely demanding, but Edith Piaf (if possible in any language) is a potential harrowing experience.
Do any others on here have a similar artist, or artists that can trigger the same physical reaction?
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And I'll go on the record to say that I bought the Excitable Boy 8-track in '78 and I've always been a fan both of his writing and performing (although I prefer the Linda Ronstadt covers of Carmelita and Poor Poor Pitiful Me to his originals). I saw him twice when the recently deceased Jill Sobule was opening for him in the late '90s, and they were decent shows, especially considering that outside of a duet or two he did with Sobule, at that time it was just him and a piano.
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I see it as a work in progress, @mylogic ; it needs 3 more verses and a chorus, although the chorus would be easy. I have no doubt it will be deleted though. | ||
@mylogic Try and have a listen to Zevon, his humour is very dark, nothing like Monty Python. "Porcelain Monkey" is a song about the decline of Elvis. "Excitable Boy" is about a teenager that rapes and murders his prom date. There isn't one Zevon album that I wouldn't recommend. Zevon's piano skills are beyond reproach because he studied under Igor Stravinsky and even wrote his own symphony before he picked up a guitar. | ||
@thecarpathian Thank you for the endorsement of Concrete Blond, while they are certainly not without merit they are not my cup of tea. In return I would suggest a listen to Old Crow Medicine Show if you haven't heard them already. | ||
@immatthewj - I love 'Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner' and 'Lawyers, Guns, and Money'. When I first saw the album cover, I thought, 'that voice doesn't sound like it comes from that guy'.... | ||
@larsman ”that voice doesn’t sound like it comes from that guy”… That face didn’t look like it came from that guy. When l first noticed the iconic 1978 record cover (many, many years after he released it) l thought it was James Spader from “Star Gate” fame. l don’t think he was a big deal over in the UK. l missed that record by a wide margin. Aa-hoo l checked it out…… l believe l had never heard it until today. It rings no bells. I checked the British charts. Only one ever entry, The Wind. Charted at No. 57 for one week, 20 days after he died. It looks like Rykodisc rushed out a release | ||
Warren Zevon did not appear to suffer from Bruce Derangement Syndrome: I don’t know that Warren Zevon truly reminds me of anyone, but I guess if there was someone, it would be Steve Earle from his mid-eighties to mid-nineties period. I am thinking of the period between the Guitar Town (or even back to Exit 0) and the I Feel Alright albums. (Which would, of course, include the Copperhead Road album.)
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@lordmelton “his humour is very dark”
Zevon and Monty l was drawing a line with both these two sharing similar ironic common ground. In the UK the two most requested songs played during off beat funeral ceremonies are :- Warren Zevon’s…….. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead. Monty Pyhon’s….Look on the Bright Side of Life. I call the latter “dark and macabre” as it is sung by crucified characters in “Monty Python’s Life Of Brian”. Both songs were written quite close together 1976 & 1979
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I recall quite some time ago (before I owned a PC) hearing a somewhat cryptic story about a package that Hunter Thompson gave to Warren Zevon to deliver to Jessie (The Body) Ventura at his (Ventura’s) gubernatorial inauguration (Reform Party, Mn). With my interest somewhat recently reinvigorated, I just did a cursory search on that topic, but came up with zilch. However, I was not surprised at all to learn that Hunter Thompson and Warren Zevon were friends. It appears that Warren Zevon (two years older than Bruce) did not enlist nor was he drafted into the military. The author of one article on the internet surmises that: "Given his constant involvement in the music industry from a young age, combined with his personal struggles with addiction and mental health, it is highly improbable that Zevon would have been able to successfully navigate the rigorous demands of military service. He was more occupied with writing songs, touring, and battling his demons than with any potential military career." | ||
”battling his demons” “personal struggles with addiction and mental health” It was for the best he did not enter the military. One less nutter trained to use a gun. Far better to have channeled his thoughts into words and music. That possibly was a stabilising influence and have helped to keep him on the rails. Just saying….. Could he have been borderline bi-polar? That may explain the extreme weirdness within some of the material he wrote. I had a bi-polar stepson who, when off his medication could act completely out of character. He would change into a Mr. Hyde for weeks, writing strange poems and drawings until he was stablised, and then returned back into the real world again. | ||
@mylogic , I am simply making an observation and not being at all judgmental. | ||
Thank to you both for introducing me to Warren Zevon. A recording artist l had no knowledge about previously. l specialise in film soundtracks as l had a cinema background in the 70s and 80s. I discovered today that a song he wrote appeared in “Midnight Cowboy”. “She Quit Me” went through a gender change and became “He Quit Me” (“He Quit Me Man” on the record, a misprint l believe) and was sung by Leslie Miller. The original soundtrack album by John Barry was the first of a kind, mixing orchestral music with original songs by other artists. It set a new trend in film music and a new title of “music supervision”. This covered the film score and the contempory music chosen by the “dramatic score” composer. The songs were intended to set a time frame within the film. John Barry was newly credited on the LP for a first time as “Music Supervision by John Barry” l mention this as Warren Zevon kind of made a another piece of history contributing to a new film soundtrack concept. And also to put the information out there about “He Quit Me”
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@mylogic Midnight Cowboy is one of my favourite movies of all time, I also have the soundtrack CD. "Everybody's Talking" is superb. The Reservoir Dogs soundtrack is my favourite, but the movie hasn't aged well. You've probably heard OF it but watch Tommy by the Who another favourite. | ||
Lana Del Rey sends me to sleep…… May look like a pet hate but it’s not. I find her albums very addictive and discovered her voice hearing a song playing on the radio. Her albums are impeccably recorded and l have 5 at the last count. So l can happily listen and enjoy most of her output. But if l find it hard to get to sleep, l normally slip on “Honeymoon”, or “Lust for Life” I play them like a lullaby of sorts low volume through the Blu-ray and TV in the bedroom. The Blu-ray shuts down automatically when a disc finishes and turns the TV off. I am normally gone before track 3 finishes. Anyone else have a similar artist that can fire you up, and put you down? | ||
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@thecarpathian “l was only familiar with Wagon Wheel” l’m a “Half Man Biscuit” or “The Nice” (biscuit) man myself, but l must say “Wagon Wheel” takes the biscuit.
BTW. Nice biscuits are as popular in England 🏴 as Nice is in France 🇫🇷
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”not aged well” l caught up again with Reservoir Dogs recently on TV. I must admit l didn’t enjoy it as much as l remembered seeing it the first time.
I liken Reservoir Dogs to a 1950s American western (lots of build up, no real engaging action and labouring on to a quick shootout at the end) His later films resembled 1960s Italian spaghetti westerns (lots of action, shootouts throughout and leading up to a really long showdown at the end) I can draw another comparison. “A Gunfight” versus “The Wild Bunch” (a copy cat American Spaghetti Western) | ||
Not that I am arguing with you, @mylogic , but I feel there was much more to Reservoir Dogs than there ever was to most all westerns that were ever produced. I make no claim to being a movie critic, but I feel that the action flashbacks and the action directly leading up to the resolution, was all secondary to the flashbacks in which the viewer gets to know the characters and situation. I am not saying that this was done in a world class manner, but it did have my attention when I first saw it, and unlike most westerns, I don't think I knew what the ending was going to be as I watched the movie. But as far as Tarentino, although I thoroughly enjoyed Pulp Fiction, I wouldn't go out of my way to watch anything else that he did that I can think of offhand. | ||
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Because I cannot achieve the formatting I want to on this site, referring to the above: A Gunfight and The Wild Bunch American Spaghetti Westerns? I was quite young when I watched A Gunfight (I wanted to see Johhny Cash) but I don't think I'd compare either to a Spaghetti Western. But it's been a while since I've seen either. | ||
Oops, I see. High Noon instead of The Wild Bunch. I cannot remember much at all about that one except wasn’t the theme song The Streets Of Laredo? I thought, to the best of my recall, that the intent of both High Noon and A Gunfight was the drama that led up to the duels. (Which, in my understanding, was unrealistic in itself.) Is that was Spag Westerns were about? | ||
@immatthewj Reservoir Dogs You are probably right with the flash back editing. It did break up the film so it was a nonlinear story telling. To me Reservoir Dogs was comparable with 12 Angry Men and the confines of that film. The flashbacks in one versus the recalling of evidence in the other. l never worked out how much percentage wise the film takes place in the warehouse, but the confines made that movie feel much longer than the actual running time. I am also speaking as an ex projectionist who showed the film many times in the 90s. It brought back memories of another film with an odd bunch of criminals…..The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) and 4 henchmen with colour names. Tarantino may have been a fan of that film too….right after the Spaghetti Western boom. If you want to watch a western (an Italian western) with a difference, try and view “Il Grande Silenzio” The Great Silence for another interesting finale. Tarantino was inspired so much from his “Spaghetti Western” heritage as an avid film goer and collector of Italian film music. All this is evidenced in his films and borrowed soundtracks he edited into his movies. | ||
@immatthewj Spaghetti Western They were made primarily in Italy, Spain, France and Germany. For example….The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was a Spaghetti (Italian) Western. Not an American production. “A Gunfight” was an American Western that l was comparing to “The Wild Bunch” which was made by Pekinpah to emulate the success of the extreme violence evident in Spaghetti Westerns. Hence my American Spaghetti Western link. It was a pastiche in every way and wouldn’t have been made without the new trend of imported Italian and Euro Westerns. In the 60s the old American format westerns were declared by critics (and the general public by falling attendances) as “dead” The Wild Bunch was so wild that the film was drastically cut to meet the censors strict codes and cinema distributors demands for a lower entry age. This was no High Noon film. My comparison was really for “The Last Sunset” versus “The Wild Bunch”. I added High Noon as an example of the formulated American Western…..the showdown was always a dragged out conclusion. The guy dressed in white was the good guy. The one in black wasn’t The song from High Noon was, “Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darlin’ “ Dimitri Tiomkin’s Oscar Winning Song . Lyrics by Ned Washington
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@mylogic , I had always associated Spaghetti Westerns with Lee van Cleef and a kind of trademark music that was frequently played. (Was Clint East frequently in Spaghetti Westerns?) The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is a title I remember well (I frequently refer to my three dogs as the good, the bad and the ugly), but I cannot remember anything about it, so obviously it made no impact on me. As far as westerns go, in the late '60s and early '70s when I was quite young (and when we used to frequently play Cowboys and Indians) I used to enjoy going to see the rather generic westerns that were being made at that time. I outgrew them probably before I grew into puberty as it didn't take long before they struck me as quite unrealistic. But I don't mean to imply that I don't like all westerns; for a long time Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid was one of my all-time favorite movies of any genre, and I think Tom Horn is a pretty good movie even though I am not a huge Steve McQueen fan. | ||
@immatthewj Spaghetti and Macaroni Westerns. The Japanese called the Italian westerns “Macaroni Westerns” Clint Eastwood was in the first 3 Sergio Leone (all co productions with other countries) westerns. A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The first was a huge success and the Italian Cinecitta Studios in Rome churned out so many in Europe. Clint Eastwood’s career finally took off “after” these films.
Over 500 European co-produced spaghetti westerns were made and only a select few distributed into the US. In the UK they were more popular with the best becoming supporting films as part of a double bill. Most of the output was criticised and demonised as too violent and broke all the traditional Hollywood rules. “Django” (1966) was refused a certificate in the UK because of the ultra- violence. The west was shown dirty, ruthless and crude. Tarantino remade the Franco Nero “Django” and even reused some original music. Franco Nero was also invited back playing a cameo role. Most Italian westerns gravitated towards a Mexico boarder area theme which reflected some European understandings and culture (for the Spanish) and became quite political in narrative.
Off topic, but you asked for more info ✔️ | ||
@asvjerry Brian Wilson …. back on target. Good point……Shoot! I expect you mean for the “Good”, not bad or ugly……? | ||
@mylogic ...No, just for the short term.... I can relate. Of more import and relevance is the moron in the WH who expects his birthday bash to make us take a knee to him. I'm pissed the kid missed. End of line. See you on the sites on the 14th, or go f yourself. | ||
Don't take it personally... @mylogic ...I'm just beyond fed up with The Chump and the bs stench that we're having to trudge through by a dipstick that we ought to be celebrating his abortion of..... Worst Case Scenario. An total idiot that is going to waste SSI $ and gawd knows what on a 'celebration' of his birth, tear up DC streets, and make us think he's worth the waste. As noted: Pissed The Kid Missed. Better a MAGA memory than a living nightmare.....IMHO. As is said: En garde..... | ||
@asvjerry : + about one thousand or more. | ||
I have been considering something along those lines myself, @asvjerry ; not a fencing practice dummy, but something similar. | ||
Yes I did, @mylogic . And you are the OP so you are entitled to go off topic when you feel inclined. | ||
@asvjerry “en garde!” and National Guard. 90% or more in the UK will agree with you on that orange one…. Even more might like to see you in the Alain Delon “Zorro” pose 😳
Ref. CAM - SAG 9063 Italian soundtrack LP
Alain Delon was the French female heart throb. Jean Paul Belmondo definitely wasn’t. Both contemporary French sex appeal rivals. Smooth or rough…, take your choice ladies. (Or Guys) | ||
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