How does anyone write about the Beatles? The Beatles have reached almost god-like status in the world of music. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are considered to be the among the greatest songwriters of all time. They are maybe the single most influential band of all time.
So, back to my original question? How does one try and write about the Beatles? I believe, the only proper way to interact with this band is through your own experience. I remember first being introduced to the Beatles through their "1's" album. Songs like "Paperback Writer" and "Eleanor Rigby" were the clear stand outs to me. But, that was the extent of my knowledge. Until, on a whim I purchased The White Album. I was stunned. How does this album work logically? It literally ran the gamut of emotions for me. To have While my guitar gently weeps and Revolution 9 on the same album blew my mind. While my guitar gently weeps became not only my favorite Beatles song but it also entered my personal top 5 of all time.
I own all of their albums and even some bootleg recordings and I am continually reminded of one thing, they are hands down the greatest band of all time. I challenge anyone to find another band with a more sweeping catalog. Seamlessly moving from cavity forming bubble gum pop to mature, insightful songs. No other band, I believe, can truly claim that they are more famous than Jesus Christ.
In closing, I want to include my favorite 5 Beatles songs:
1. While My guitar Gently Weeps-The White Album
2. 8 Days a Week- Beatles for Sale
3. She's Leaving Home- Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band
4. Your Mother Should Know- Magical Mystery Tour
5. Dear Prudence- The White Album
Matthew Johnson
Monday, February 15, 2010
Hands of Time
Matt Damore
I don't know what it is I like so much about the movie Collateral, staring Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox. A scene that especially stands out is near the beginning. Fox plays a taxi driver named Max who picks up a woman named Annie. They begin to chat. Max has been doing his job for a while, so he is able to be an adept reader of persons. Rapport is struck. You can tell there is an attraction there. Annie seems reticent. But all of this is peripheral. What I love is the way the following scenes flow. Max helps Annie get to her destination, but while they're driving there is a song on the radio. Annie tells Max to turn up the volume, to which Max responds, "Oh, so you like the classics?" A beautiful, jazzy song has been playing in the background. Outside shots of the taxi are accompanied by the song. There are aerial shots of the taxi ride through downtown L.A. in the darkness of the night, and the song plays, and it's so soothing and perfect and even enchanting: all the more so because the song seems to be the aroma of the romance that might kindle if things go just right for Max and Annie: you just have that feeling that something special might happen.
So, there I was in 2004, seeing this movie for the first time, being affected by it just like how I tried to describe above. And, of course, I've seen the movie again and again. The movie itself is very good and its a subject for another day. My primary focus is on that particular scene. It never gets old. It stirs in me a feeling of, of - I hardly know what! I feel touched and happy and relaxed and wistful - I start having feelings that make me remember things in my past, giving me a melancholy: not a morose kind, but a sweet one.
Now, just the other day, I had been on an itunes binge! It's enabled me to find songs I never dreamed I'd be able to find. On a certain excursion, it suddenly popped into my head that particular scene in the movie Collateral with what I would have called: that jazzy, blues song Fox's character turns up near the beginning of that Collateral movie! Well, I found it.
It's called 'Hands of Time' by a band called Groove Armada. It's not a fixed group; it comprises an assortment of various artists willing to contribute. But what was most interesting to me is who was the particular contributor for the song 'Hands of Time'. His name was Richie Havens. Sound familiar? Come to find out, he is somewhat of a folk legend. In 1969, Mr. Havens provided the opening music for the unprecedented Woodstock Festival, captivating audiences for 3 hours. He has since had a brilliant career.
When I finally decided to look up the music video on youtube, I didn't yet know who he was. I was expecting a middle-aged man, somewhat talented, but probably a one-hit-wonder. But no. There stood an elderly man, with a long, flowing, white beard, eyes closed, passionate, singing a song about lost love, regret, but the resolve to start again anew. What began as the simple enjoyment of a particular movie scene has since grown into a deeper appreciation of a legendary folk guitarist. Most importantly, the effect the scene has on me has an even deeper impact. So many elements are involved in its appreciation. But in this case, everything dovetails perfectly.
I don't know what it is I like so much about the movie Collateral, staring Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox. A scene that especially stands out is near the beginning. Fox plays a taxi driver named Max who picks up a woman named Annie. They begin to chat. Max has been doing his job for a while, so he is able to be an adept reader of persons. Rapport is struck. You can tell there is an attraction there. Annie seems reticent. But all of this is peripheral. What I love is the way the following scenes flow. Max helps Annie get to her destination, but while they're driving there is a song on the radio. Annie tells Max to turn up the volume, to which Max responds, "Oh, so you like the classics?" A beautiful, jazzy song has been playing in the background. Outside shots of the taxi are accompanied by the song. There are aerial shots of the taxi ride through downtown L.A. in the darkness of the night, and the song plays, and it's so soothing and perfect and even enchanting: all the more so because the song seems to be the aroma of the romance that might kindle if things go just right for Max and Annie: you just have that feeling that something special might happen.
So, there I was in 2004, seeing this movie for the first time, being affected by it just like how I tried to describe above. And, of course, I've seen the movie again and again. The movie itself is very good and its a subject for another day. My primary focus is on that particular scene. It never gets old. It stirs in me a feeling of, of - I hardly know what! I feel touched and happy and relaxed and wistful - I start having feelings that make me remember things in my past, giving me a melancholy: not a morose kind, but a sweet one.
Now, just the other day, I had been on an itunes binge! It's enabled me to find songs I never dreamed I'd be able to find. On a certain excursion, it suddenly popped into my head that particular scene in the movie Collateral with what I would have called: that jazzy, blues song Fox's character turns up near the beginning of that Collateral movie! Well, I found it.
It's called 'Hands of Time' by a band called Groove Armada. It's not a fixed group; it comprises an assortment of various artists willing to contribute. But what was most interesting to me is who was the particular contributor for the song 'Hands of Time'. His name was Richie Havens. Sound familiar? Come to find out, he is somewhat of a folk legend. In 1969, Mr. Havens provided the opening music for the unprecedented Woodstock Festival, captivating audiences for 3 hours. He has since had a brilliant career.
When I finally decided to look up the music video on youtube, I didn't yet know who he was. I was expecting a middle-aged man, somewhat talented, but probably a one-hit-wonder. But no. There stood an elderly man, with a long, flowing, white beard, eyes closed, passionate, singing a song about lost love, regret, but the resolve to start again anew. What began as the simple enjoyment of a particular movie scene has since grown into a deeper appreciation of a legendary folk guitarist. Most importantly, the effect the scene has on me has an even deeper impact. So many elements are involved in its appreciation. But in this case, everything dovetails perfectly.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
A Gem in the Peripheral
Matt Damore
I just started to watch a movie called 'Precious'. It came out last year and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I remember seeing the poster for this movie on my way out of Avatar and not thinking much of it. The poster showed the pitch black outline of an obese girl with a snow white background. My imagination immediately jumped to some whacked out, over the top Martin Lawrence comedy, devoid of good humor, destined to be forgotten.
Randomly, I decided to do my usual rounds on imdb.com and at the right of the screen I saw a link to the Oscar nominations this year. And then I saw the movie 'Precious'. The whole title is called: " Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire". I thought, "Really?" I've never heard of the book, the movie, the author, the actors: nothing. Yet I visited tvshack.net and began watching the movie. The experience was something I'll never forget.
Gabourey Sidibe (also nominated for Best Actress) plays a teenage girl named Precious who basically lives in a Hell. She is raped by her father (many times), gets pregnant, and gives birth to a baby with Down Syndrome, who is mostly taken care of by the grandmother. The mother is a mess, physically and emotionally abusive. She becomes jealous of Precious because her husband desires the daughter over the wife! Yet the mother takes it out on Precious, showering on her a deluge of profanity-filled insults. She abuses the welfare system and teaches Precious to prefer being a welfare leech instead of going to school. Nevertheless, different people intersect with the life of Precious to help pull her out of despair and abuse.
What is compelling about this movie is the character Precious. She is quiet, but imaginative; she is - by society's standards - fat, unattractive; inwardly - as we come to be acquainted with, during her voice-over, inner monologue - a wonderfully imaginative, strong, and resilient young girl with lots of promise and hope.
The style of the movie is wonderfully unorthodox. We have quick cuts from the real Hell of Precious' experience to the ideal safe-house of her imagination, with various images and sounds edited into the sequence to suggest the flitting hither and thither of her erratic consciousness. We see visual representations of her hopes and dreams, her escapism to help her cope with the bleakness of her present situation.
Her posture is quiet, almost having the gait of a penguin; but she can lash out like a lion if provoked. She is the girl we've all seen in the corner of our eye but perhaps dismissed in a quick, knee-jerk kind of way, falling prey to our conditioned stereotypes, but - in reality - there lurks underneath a real beauty.
The movie as a whole is a triumph and I'm actually rooting for this film to win Best Picture, or at least for Sidibe to win Best Actress. The film really brought to life - for me - that underneath the surface of everyone there is a history. If we can just learn to listen, we can see and understand beauty from the nooks of life we never knew existed.
I just started to watch a movie called 'Precious'. It came out last year and was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. I remember seeing the poster for this movie on my way out of Avatar and not thinking much of it. The poster showed the pitch black outline of an obese girl with a snow white background. My imagination immediately jumped to some whacked out, over the top Martin Lawrence comedy, devoid of good humor, destined to be forgotten.
Randomly, I decided to do my usual rounds on imdb.com and at the right of the screen I saw a link to the Oscar nominations this year. And then I saw the movie 'Precious'. The whole title is called: " Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire". I thought, "Really?" I've never heard of the book, the movie, the author, the actors: nothing. Yet I visited tvshack.net and began watching the movie. The experience was something I'll never forget.
Gabourey Sidibe (also nominated for Best Actress) plays a teenage girl named Precious who basically lives in a Hell. She is raped by her father (many times), gets pregnant, and gives birth to a baby with Down Syndrome, who is mostly taken care of by the grandmother. The mother is a mess, physically and emotionally abusive. She becomes jealous of Precious because her husband desires the daughter over the wife! Yet the mother takes it out on Precious, showering on her a deluge of profanity-filled insults. She abuses the welfare system and teaches Precious to prefer being a welfare leech instead of going to school. Nevertheless, different people intersect with the life of Precious to help pull her out of despair and abuse.
What is compelling about this movie is the character Precious. She is quiet, but imaginative; she is - by society's standards - fat, unattractive; inwardly - as we come to be acquainted with, during her voice-over, inner monologue - a wonderfully imaginative, strong, and resilient young girl with lots of promise and hope.
The style of the movie is wonderfully unorthodox. We have quick cuts from the real Hell of Precious' experience to the ideal safe-house of her imagination, with various images and sounds edited into the sequence to suggest the flitting hither and thither of her erratic consciousness. We see visual representations of her hopes and dreams, her escapism to help her cope with the bleakness of her present situation.
Her posture is quiet, almost having the gait of a penguin; but she can lash out like a lion if provoked. She is the girl we've all seen in the corner of our eye but perhaps dismissed in a quick, knee-jerk kind of way, falling prey to our conditioned stereotypes, but - in reality - there lurks underneath a real beauty.
The movie as a whole is a triumph and I'm actually rooting for this film to win Best Picture, or at least for Sidibe to win Best Actress. The film really brought to life - for me - that underneath the surface of everyone there is a history. If we can just learn to listen, we can see and understand beauty from the nooks of life we never knew existed.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
All's Well that Begins Well
Matthew Johnson
Blogs are an interesting phenomena. Anyone and everyone can start one for about anything they want. Jokes, television shows, philosophy, socks and religion are scratching the surface for the possible topics to be found in the “blogosphere”. The World Wide Web has allowed for greater discussion to take place. The exchange of ideas and recipes are given equal footing.
Also, the World Wide Web has pretty much made “keeping up” with someone non-negotiable. Between Facebook, Skype and Email and a myriad of other networking tools a relationship dies only from lack of attention. This is our attempt to accomplish two goals. To keep up with each other as well as discuss something that we have done for years.
Matt Damore and Matthew Johnson have spent countless hours sitting in a Barnes and Noble discussing anything from movies, books, music and sports (sports the least of the three). We have been instrumental in helping each other develop our tastes in each area. But, now life is getting in the way of this continued dialogue. One lives on the west coast and the other is off to participate in the defense in this great nation of ours. So this our attempt at punching life in the face and saying, “We will not go down so easily”
Blogs are an interesting phenomena. Anyone and everyone can start one for about anything they want. Jokes, television shows, philosophy, socks and religion are scratching the surface for the possible topics to be found in the “blogosphere”. The World Wide Web has allowed for greater discussion to take place. The exchange of ideas and recipes are given equal footing.
Also, the World Wide Web has pretty much made “keeping up” with someone non-negotiable. Between Facebook, Skype and Email and a myriad of other networking tools a relationship dies only from lack of attention. This is our attempt to accomplish two goals. To keep up with each other as well as discuss something that we have done for years.
Matt Damore and Matthew Johnson have spent countless hours sitting in a Barnes and Noble discussing anything from movies, books, music and sports (sports the least of the three). We have been instrumental in helping each other develop our tastes in each area. But, now life is getting in the way of this continued dialogue. One lives on the west coast and the other is off to participate in the defense in this great nation of ours. So this our attempt at punching life in the face and saying, “We will not go down so easily”
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