All the good aliens have left the planet. And now this news. Fair winds and clear skies, Dolly.
I took the girls to see The Odyssey on Sunday afternoon, and my ears are still ringing. The movie itself was beautiful, and I left the theater with more questions than answers—which is something I appreciate. I wanted to read everything I could about the original story, Nolan’s commentary on the direction he took, and some of the reviews by people I respect. Every one of the cast did some of their best work, and it was a pleasure to see some favorites bring it (Leguziamo as Eumaeus was amazing; Pattinson was punchable, and I was happy to see the beautiful Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy, I don’t care what the white supremacists say).
However, the sound was absolutely deafening. And when I mean deafening, I mean seeing-GWAR-in-1992-at-Hammerjacks-with-all-the-levels-at-10-on-the-soundboard LOUD. At the climactic battle, I had to plug both of my ears. Whoever mixed this movie needs to have some remedial education on how to actually hear actors speak their lines. When I was looking at the showtimes, there was a separate theater which featured on-screen captions, and when I offered it to Jen, we both said, “Nah…”
Now I’m thinking that was a mistake. It would have been nice to understand the first 10 minutes of dialogue, but after that I was mostly able to separate words from the BLLLEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH when I started reading lips. For years I’ve thought that the sound system in our house was lousy, even though I have a center channel speaker pointed directly at the couch, but I’m beginning to think that the failure to hear and comprehend modern dialogue is not my fault.
This is Never Enough, by The Cure. This appeared on a comp album they put out called Mixed Up, where they had a bunch of different artists re-imagine earlier work, and was an extended version of a new single. My roommate bought the album and I had this one track on heavy repeat back in the day. All of the current streaming versions are different than the one I remember—the one on the cassette was a little shorter and simpler, and I like that one best.
Ooof, this is a tough one. Mark Lanegan (of the Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, and an extensive solo career) did a cover of Alice In Chains’ Nutshell about six years ago: a song about addiction—but really, what AiC song isn’t about addiction? He dedicated it to the memory of Layne Staley and Mike Starr, who both overdosed at different times. Lanegan and Staley were good friends, and Lanegan was also an addict, and was apparently clean—but died of unknown causes two years after recording this.
He’s singing in a completely different voice here—I didn’t recognize him at all without the rough growl, and his clean voice is achingly beautiful. I’m always wary of pedal steel, but his accompanist is masterful—she’s just perfect. What a beautiful tribute.
Listening to a podcast this weekend, I heard a mention of Wire by U2 featured in a first-season episode of Miami Vice scoring a nighttime car chase, and the host said that it was the most 1985 thing he’d ever heard or seen. I would agree. I have long loved this song, my favorite off an album full of fantastic tracks, and it appears on every driving playlist I’ve ever assembled—at the risk of inspiring a speeding ticket. Now I’m binging the first season of the series (available on Tubi) and it is totally taking me back to middle school.
Apparently they don’t play it much live, which is a crime; this is a clip from a 1985 performance during the Unforgettable Fire tour.
I read a random review for an animated series on Adult Swim called Primal, which is written and directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, the man behind Samurai Jack and a bunch of other animated properties you’ve probably heard of. This series follows the story of Fang and Spear, a dinosaur and a caveman (yes, I know) who come to reluctantly bond through shared experience. Because it stars a dinosaur and a caveman, there is no dialogue—much like Samurai Jack—but it is instantly compelling, and his skill in conveying emotion through expression and movement is still unmatched. There are three seasons so far and I’m doing everything I can not to binge them all; this is made easier by the fact that you can’t just listen to it like you would a podcast, although the sound design is gorgeous: it demands your full attention. It’s a visual treat to watch due to the things I’ve already mentioned plus the lush, vibrant landscapes in every frame. Highly recommended.
Rian Johnson has published all of the scripts for the movies he’s written (minus The Last Jedi) on his website; this should be required reading for any aspiring screenwriter. I’ll be diving into the script for Brick later this evening.
One of my favorite songs of all time. XTC wasn’t playing much live after releasing The Big Express, two albums before this one, but this is a rare live acoustic version of King for A Day, written and sung by Colin Moulding. Oranges and Lemons is one of the GOAT albums of the 1980’s, right behind Skylarking.
I’ve had the shambling, melancholy verse and chorus of Auto Pilot by Queens of the Stone Age stuck in my head for a couple of days now after using it for an Instagram Reel. I dislike the bridge but the rest of the song is aces.
Pitchfork did a great interview with Turnstile on the eve of their new album release: it’s great to see them repping Baltimore and getting their due. I really hope they are able to keep their feet on the ground and stay connected to their roots—it sounds like it’s working.