Shakes on a Plane
The World Trade Center film is in theaters now. Have you heard, seen, or read anything about that this week? Seems to have snuck in under the radar. You'd think the news media could spare some time and get around to covering it, or reviewing it, or asking New Yorkers what they thought of it, or polling viewers on what they thought of it, or interviewing Nick Cage, or interviewing the guy played by Nick Cage... or at least something. Jayzuss, I've never felt so alone and in the dark about a major motion picture "event."
I'd like to see it. I don't know if I can. Intellectually, I'm there for it. But emotionally, I don't know if I'm ready. And I know that sounds so melodramatic, but I don't know what else to say. I was at the gym the other day, and I happened to look up at the TV monitor while the story about the movie was on CNN. I read the closed captioning as the reporter said, "The film doesn't contain a single shot of the planes flying into the buildings...." And just then, I saw what the movie does have: a wide shot of a downtown street, with the enormous shadow of a plane moving across the facade of a building.
I got a little choked up upon seeing that. Wasn't ready for it. I guess because I'd never seen it before, it was somehow more startling and off-putting than the actual, often-seen footage of the impact. I can't say I've gotten over seeing those planes flying into the buildings, because I never will. I never will. But I'm somehow used to those images. My brain has developed the proper chemical antidote for that. When I see it now, the chemicals kick in, my brain administers enough of the dosage to keep the knees from buckling, the tears from welling, the stomach intact.
The shot of that airplane's shadow -- that has been with me for a couple days now. I need new mental apparatus to deal with that one.
I remember when I saw Fahrenheit 9/11, which was the first film to have the attack scenes in it, I was kind of traumatized. It was rough going, for those first few minutes of the movie. But then once I righted myself, I spent most of the rest of the time pissed off. At the administration, obviously... but at Michael Moore as well, for going so fucking softcore on them. F9/11 was a good movie, but a pretty elementary assault on Bush and the oil hawks. I didn't think he went far enough.
But that's not what I wanted to write about.
Something seems a little odd about yesterday's thwarted terror plot. First, it seemed strange to me that the primary targets would be the British. And secondly, Al Qaida are either the most tenacious terrorist operation in the world, or they're just simply out of ideas. They've dusted off Operation Bojinka. The big question is: if the plan is more than eleven years old, why did it take authorities until yesterday to search, ban, or scan liquids?
* * * * * * * *
Based on Traffic, Syriana, and his remarkable interview on the Henry Rollins Show, I am ready to declare Stephen Gaghan my hero. (But first, he needs to wear socks.)
* * * * * * * *
Look! It's the Friday 10! And the pilot is waving at you! Wave back!
01 Rise Above - Chuck D and Rollins Band: From the West Memphis Three benefit record. A few summers ago, Rollins Band (the Mother Superior lineup) toured, playing the Black Flag songs featured on this album and benefitting the WM3. Keith Morris was a part of it, too. Of course, I had a pair of tickets (and an adult diaper) for the NY show. Unfortunately, by the time the calendar swung around to near event day, my wife and I suffered a devastating, heart-wrenching loss. I didn't go to the show, didn't look back, never missed it: perspective.
02 Ashes of American Flags - Wilco: From Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. When Wilco taped a Hard Rock Live for VH1 in 1997, I had an extra pass, because the girl I wanted to take was far away. I walked from my office building, through the theater district to the studio where the show was being shot, and saw Winona Ryder leaning against a lamppost waiting for her turn on a red carpet. What the fuck, thought I; she's a bit of a rockstarfucker, maybe she's got herself a crush on a Wilco. I approached her with the ticket and asked if she'd like to "see Wilco with me tonight instead." She said no, of course, but she considered it momentarily. And I'll always remember how she didn't seem all that put off by a total stranger asking her to a concert starting in 45 minutes. Like it happened every day. Good show. Jeff Tweedy had a migraine that he complained about between songs, until an audience member gave him some Excedrin. And dusty old Roger McGuinn (with his amazing Rickenbacker 370-12) joined them onstage for a few songs.
03 Try Me - John Entwistle: In 1980, Entwistle released a bunch of singles in England. Don't ask me why, but I bought them all, on import. Got 'em at The Record Sleeve on Martha Avenue in the Bronx. I'd ride my bike there about 10-15 times a week. The owner was a guy named Joe, and he'd let me look at every 45 and album and 12" he got as they came out of their cardboard shipping boxes. I wanted him to give me a job there, but he never offered. The best alternative was helping him open these boxes and anything I wanted -- he wouldn't charge me sales tax. Sounded like a deal to 13-year old Tommy Himself! What a great fucking store that was. I bought all my Clash Japanese and UK imports there, as well as every damn Rolling Stones product that came in: singles, albums, 12" singles, bootlegs, t-shirts, and mirrors (which I was aware were for coke to be snorted off of). Like I said, I loved that store. Unfortunately, no one else shared that sentiment, because I don't remember any customer other than me and the friends I brought in. (Other kids who soon tired of standing around while I flipped through and discussed every record in the racks.) The Record Sleeve's hours reflected this: Joe kept the store opened less and less as the months went on. By the summer of '81, he'd only turn the air-conditioner on if I'd brought someone in with me. I'm sure me and my need to own every release from any group I was interested in kept him open a few more months than he'd have lasted without me. Of course, my parents were the victims of this, because whatever I couldn't afford with my few dollars allowance (supplemented with "Grandma money"), I stole from Mom and Dad's dressers, night-stands, and even the secret hiding place in the basement. (This is why I want to be rich -- I want to pay this all back, in Cadillacs, like Elvis.)
The Entwistle singles I bought at Record Sleeve are all good. Even great, if your expectations are low enough. "Try Me," sounds a little bit Joe Walshian, and that's alright, because I like that.
04 Blue Moon Baby - Dave "Diddle" Day: This is from a great comp called Born Bad: Volume Two. Hard to find, but so is true love and a perfect cup of coffee. You all probably know this song from the cover version done by the Cramps.
05 Suzie is a Floozie - The Lurkers: From their great second album, God's Lonely Men. I came extraordinarily late to the Lurkers party, but I'm ready to stay forever. What a band. When I play their songs for friends, they all have the same reaction I did a few years ago: Why have I never heard this band? Trust me; get yourself a copy of GLM. It's one of those like-it-or-double-your-money-back, guaranteed lovable records.
06 53rd & 3rd - Ramones: From Ramones. I saw them a lot of times -- no big deal, everybody in NY did -- but one show stands out. I can't remember the year exactly, but I'll guess it was around 1982. They were booked to play the tiny Left Bank in Mt. Vernon, NY. Of course my friends and I lined up well before the doors opened. We paid our 5 bucks and pressed ourselves against the stage, even though we were the first people inside. It must have been around 8pm. By 10:00, the band wasn't yet onstage, and neither was an opening act. Word spread around the club that The Ramones weren't even in the building yet. Things were getting boring. At 11, there was still no band and no announcement over the PA. Still nothing at midnight. People were getting pissed. For most of us, this was a school night. This is not how we wanted to be wasting our "out late" time. At around, 12:30 in the morning, the band came creeping through the audience toward the stage. Joey got to the mic and said "Sorry we're late. We're the world famous Ramones," and the four guys fucking vaulted into "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment." They played about 45 songs in 100 minutes. (That's not news to you, I know.) Everything was twice the speed of the records. It was amazing. Marky's drumsticks were a blur. From two feet away, I could see the sweat drip down Johnny's wrists and fly off before it reached his hands. My friends and I were crushed against the stage, completely immobile and devoid of all body fluid -- by the fifth song, we'd already sweat out everything we had. We were dried out, like potato chips. During "Beat on the Brat," Joey swung a bat over our heads. We loved every second of it. Even though we our bodies couldn't take anymore, we still cheered every time Joey'd say, "This next one is called, 'I Don't Wanna....'" We stumbled out of that place around 2:30 in the morning. The next day, in school, I felt like a hero. No one else gave a shit, believe me; but I felt heroic.
Everything about "53rd & 3rd" cuts like a knife (pardon the pun): that riff, Dee Dee's vocal, and the ride splash at the end of the verse lines. Unreal. This was just one great, packed-with-confidence track out of many on a debut album.
07 The Creeps - Luna: I can't believe more Luna doesn't turn up on these Friday 10s. There are more than a hundred songs on the machine. I don't think my iPod likes them very much. Even though no one else finds it funny, I still enjoy calling Britta Yoko. There's a DVD documentary out now about their final tour. I think we have it Netflixed. "The Creeps" ("Tell me who it was / Let the creeps into my life") is from Pup Tent. My recommendation to newbies is to start with Penthouse. A Head Full of Wishes is easily one of the best, most complete sites you'll ever find for any band. They have info on Luna, Galaxie 500, and all the solo permutations.
08 Go Go Getter - The Colors: Who? Right, I don't know either. I'm pretty sure this is a track I downloaded off the Lost Bands website. It's not a bad song! I just checked; yes, that's where I got it. Here's a link to the write-up.
09 Cha Cha Twist - Detroit Cobras: From Mink, Rat or Rabbit. The Cobras are my all-time favorite cover band.
10 Little Troublemaker - Ian McLagen: Troublemaker is a record I will never stop listening to. McLagen was in the Faces and the Small Faces, and a stellar lineup of musicians plays on this record. Plus, it's got far more great songs than you'd expect from a keyboard player's solo album. When I got my first CD burner about eleven years ago, Troublemaker was among the first batch of vinyl I ripped.
.
Play the home game: Put your mp3 player or digital jukebox on "shuffle all songs." What are the first ten you hear?
.
.
"الغربيه كفارا في السجون وسوبيرماكس حولوا لي في هذه الجمعه 10. ولا بد لي من القول انه راءع! ثناء الله! بلايسي تومي نفسه! "
--- Abdul Hakim Ali Hashim Murad*
[posted with ecto]
On iTunes right now: The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago from the album Complete Live At San Quentin by Cash, Johnny
.
.
.
*"The Western infidels in my supermax prison have turned me on to this Friday 10. I must say, it is superb! Praise Allah! Plaise Tommy Himself!"
Recent Comments