A catch-all potpourri.
Category: videos
Mr. Glenn Tilbrook, longtime lead vocalist for Squeeze, is without doubt one of the foremost practitioners of his craft. There is little he can’t do, and beautifully. Then-member Paul Carrack, primarily a keyboardist, sang lead on the iconic Tempted, for some reason. He certainly did a creditable job, but it sure is a fine thing to hear Glenn take his rightful place at the microphone, for the two live versions presented above. Pulling Mussels, In Quintessance, and Is That Love all illustrate the band’s talents for creating clever, catchier-than-thou pop classics, and Tilbrook is precisely the man you’d want to sing them. Black Coffee in Bed stands as a mighty exemplar of Blue-Eyed soul, with Elvis Costello and Paul Young performing backup vocal duties. Good ol’ Jools Holland makes an appearance or two, here, to boot. A marvelous {and vastly underrated} band.
{Note: this post thoroughly revised, 8/10/2019}
{Revised: 7/6/2019}
“Bowing, and squawking, Running after tidbits; Bopping and squinting, Just like a nitwit…”
Mr. Elvis Costello: One of the very greatest, most idiosyncratic performers and composers. Of this, or any, century/epoch. We will not see his likes again.
The great man, pictured also with lyricist and co-composer Bernie Taupin. Elton John has amassed 27+ Top 10 U.S. singles, and achieved total world domination throughout The 70’s. As dynamic a performer as they come, Elton is simply an indelible presence on the world stage. “The spotlight’s hitting something that’s been known to change the weather”.
Brilliant performances—both very low-key, but extremely effective—by Ned Beatty and Taylor Nichols, which really get across what a sociopath is: for one thing, they have absolutely no remorse. And, of course, there are other qualities….
The great Christoph Waltz, Two-Time Academy Award winner, shows some of his inimitable what-have-you.
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.
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.
The 1999 Horror/Cult film Ravenous is a most unusual moving picture, even for one detailing the Wendigo exploits of certain individuals. Many comedic elements continue to pop up, often on the heels of a truly frightening passage. The musical score, by Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman, adds a very great deal to the proceedings. This singular cinematic endeavour starred Robert Carlyle, Guy Pearce, and Jeffrey Jones, with Carlyle in particular standing out. His Colqhoun/Ives character is both the slippery eel and the fulcrum of the film.
Categories
The Wolfen.
The 1981 horror/conservationist film Wolfen, based on the novel by Whitley Strieber, stars Albert Finney, Edward James Olmos, Gregory Hines, and Tom Noonan. All give first-rate performances, with the quirky character actor Noonan in particular providing a can’t-take-eyes-off-of-him turn as Ferguson. A movie with a switch in the hero and antagonist roles, bestowing an atypical, noteworthy moral compass upon it.
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.
Bideodromage 