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Andy Partridge Geniuses Music music videos performers photography Singers videos vocalists XTC

XTC, featuring Andy Partridge.

Few bands can match XTC’s accomplishments as far as writing/performing memorably quirky, intellectual, and, yes, catchy songs. Lead vocalist Andy Partridge provides the oddball genius charisma to generate a potent cocktail of aural nirvana.

Most of these are live performances, with the Rockpalast “Senses” being fairly rare.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Brad Dourif epoch-defining Film Geniuses performers Photo-Editing photography Police Procedurals Predators Psychopaths Sci-Fi serial killers TV X-Files

The X-Files: Beyond the Sea.

The brilliant actor Brad Dourif gives a mind-boggling portrayal of convicted—and soon to be executed—serial killer Luther Lee Boggs. In this story, there’s a catch—a quite big one—in that the murderer claims to have acquired psychic powers, and might be able to help capture a predator who has abducted two people, and has killed ritualistically in the past. Mulder (David Duchovny), for one, is less than convinced.

In these two subsequent scenes, firstly… although Agent Scully would dearly love to converse with her recently deceased father, it’s quite possible that Luther Lee Boggs’ (Brad Dourif loses his mind, in the best possible way) intense aversion to the electric chair has even greater motivational potency. Lastly, in the poignant, haunting final scene (the final scene *we’re* going to present…), the correct warning Boggs had given to Scully ended up saving her life, and convinces her that he’s been telling the truth. He’s only willing to convey her father’s message if she is his witness when he’s strapped to the chair in a few hours. Is this one last trick, one potential last act of cruelty? Or does he truly value the agent whose life he saved? This ambiguity is part of what makes him such an intriguing character…and Dourif’s masterful performance makes Boggs truly indelible.

Amen. Simply one of the greatest performances I’ve seen, ever.

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Audio Geniuses Lene Lovich Music music videos performers photography Singers videos vocalists

The Lene Lovich.

Lili-Marlene Premilovich, later known as Lene Lovich, preternaturally idiosyncratic—and gifted—songstress, happens to play saxophone, is an animal rights activist, and initially wore her hair in braids to keep the locks from the clay, when in art school, studying sculpture. And, damn, she can deliver a tune. With octaves to spare {hear: Momentary Breakdown}.

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Country Music Dwight Yoakam Geniuses Music music videos performers Singers Townes Van Zandt vocalists Willie Nelson

The Country Musics.

Shade Tree Fix-It Man
High On A Hilltop

Titans of music abound in this post. From the preternatural pipes of Mr. Yoakam, to the not-in-need-of-rocking-chairs legend George Jones, to guitar legend Junior Brown, to the inimitable Hoyt Axton, to the Lanois-ing Willie Nelson…then the hugely underappreciated Dick Curless, the mighty Johnny Paycheck, the irresistible Lucinda Williams, to Dan Auerbach and his mesmerizing ways, Buck Owens in his prime with Don Rich, the great Merle Haggard, the Silver FoxB.J. Thomas…and we conclude with Dwight once more, with Eddy Shaver. Damn Right. And Townes Van Zandt.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Andrew Scott Criminal Masterminds Film Geniuses Moriarty performers Police Procedurals Psychopaths Sherlock TV videos

The Moriarty {Andrew Scott}.

Actor Andrew Scott turns in a bravura performance as criminal mastermind James Moriarty in the BBC series Sherlock. Truly mesmerizing.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Alfred Hitchcock Directors epoch-defining Film Geniuses Horror/Cult Films Predators Psycho serial killers videos

Hitchcock’s Psycho {1960}.

The plot of Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, pivots on the fulcrum of a red herring. Janet Leigh’s character fears that she is in imminent legal danger, and suffers from a troubled conscience, when in fact something far, far worse, something having absolutely nothing even remotely to do with events up to that point, awaits her.

When he dines initially with Leigh, the reaction/mood of Norman Bates {portrayed iconically by Anthony Perkins} changes rather drastically, from chipper, to utterly incredulous, to overtly hostile, to a resigned world-weariness, to a last attempt at joviality. He appears to be friendly and caring, if a bit troubled and mercurial.

When the dogged, unswerving Milton Arbogast {Martin Balsam} calmly dissembles the slowly dissolving structural integrity of Norman’s version of events, he opts to trot out the heavy artillery, proclaiming “If it doesn’t gel, it isn’t aspic; and this ain’t gelling.” Stunned silence proceeds to take over the entire universe, and Norman Bates is clearly rattled. The two shall meet again, soon enough.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Criminal Masterminds CSI Geniuses Paul Millander photography Police Procedurals Predators Psychopaths serial killers TV videos

The CSI, part 2: Paul Millander.

Actor Matt O’Toole gives a remarkable, bravura, iconic performance as serial killer Paul Millander, invoking dread, menace, yet some sympathy (of a sort…) as well. Highly intelligent, and courteous, with a traumatic youth-hood, to put it mildly, Millander nonetheless is that most threatening of characters; always he seems to have the advantage.

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Audio Belgian Geniuses French Geniuses Geniuses Gilbert Bécaud Gilbert Becaud Jacques Brel Music music videos Rod McKuen Scott Walker Singers videos vocalists

Belgian and French Geniuses.

Belgian maestro Jacques Brel seemed to set new standards for utterly authentic, godlike intensity, every time he took the stage; he seemed possessed, magical. He also created some of the greatest songs of the last century. He served, lastly, as a huge influence to aspiring songwriters/performers…not least of all, Scott Walker. {I included Scott doing “Fils de” at post’s end} A true titan.

Gilbert Bécaud. Monsieur 100,000 volts. A truly powerful performer, few {none}{Brel…??} could outdo The Creator. On the above Seul, Gilbert gives an intimate, and increasingly euphoric, reading, culminating in {playful} pianist-shoving and back-slapping, and finally, in blissful embrace, of himself. Monsieur 100,000 Volts was a marvel. Nathalie, perhaps his best-loved composition, could provoke the assembled multitude in Stravinsky-esque ways.

Jacques Dutronc.
Claude François.
Mr. Rod McKuen.
McKuen! “Natalie”.
McKuen! “Come, Jeff”.
Scott Walker: “Sons Of” {Fils de}

Revised: Massively. 7/6/2019.

Titans of Belgian, French, and American Performing. Jacques Brel. Gilbert Bécaud. Serge Gainsbourg. Jacques Dutronc. Claude François. And, of course: The Rod McKuen.

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comedy Geniuses Humour Monty Python performers Poetry TV videos

The Monty Python: Part the First.

Most {well, all…} of these videos were wiped from the face o’ the earth, or at least from YouTube, semi-recently. It has been one of my ambitions to reinstate them, preferably in even better quality. These absurdist geniuses must be made available!! {7/21/2019}

And so…as Kevin Phillips-Bong stoically accepts the somewhat-less-than-one-might-want voting numbers, this concludes this, the first installment of re-Montying the planet. These pioneering wonders must—and shall be—well, you know what I mean.

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Actors Actors of Greatness Film Geniuses Maestri Marlon Brando One Eyed Jacks Predators Psychopaths The Missouri Breaks videos Westerns

The Marlon Brando.

Amazing how Marlon B could so casually convey supreme menace from situations which are hardly synonymous with same.

Sheer, unnerving menace…from the confines of a bubble bath.

Unreal hand speed and devastating power with either hand, whilst bestowing epithets and disposing of tables.

And, of course, his iconic performance in The Godfather.

The truly great Marlon Brando, appearing here in The Missouri Breaks, One-Eyed Jacks, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, Free Money, and The Island of Dr. Moreau. One of the supreme practitioners of his art, ever to stride across the earth.