Following the BFI's Sight & Sound poll, I'm exploring the highbrow fancypants world of film one at a time throughout September... and then blogging about it.
I first heard about this lost gem of weirdness from Salon when it was re-released last year.
The only Fassbinder I'd ever seen was Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974, S&S #93), a used/rental Criterion DVD purchased from a going-out-of-business Cactus Music & Video - thankfully, since reborn. While that Sirk-ian melodrama sounds more typical of his movie-making, this one's a whole other thing: a PK Dick-Vonnegut-Kubrick-ian sci-fi headtrip epic. Two things I didn't realize going into this: (1) it was a two-parter TV movie, and (2) it's 3½ hours long!
So, yeah. The story moves fairly slowly, almost hypnotically. Turn off your subtitles, relax, and float downstream. It's not that nothing happens, just that Fassbinder seems more interested in filming sleek early-'70s auto design, groovy decor and sumptuous interiors. O, and so many mirrors! Every once in awhile, you'll visit some freaky-deaky cabaret / nightclub / dinner theatre. Or just an art-deco pool party - be sure to wear your suit padded with fake muscles. But the majority of Part 1 occurs in the ultra-modern offices of IKZ (das Institut für Kybernetik und Zukunftsforschung, the Institute for Cybernetics and Futurology). Various somethings are afoot, death and disappearance, problems with identity unit 0001 ("Einstein"), Ali is on security detail, the boss acts like kind of a jerk, the old conflict between the purity of scientific research and the commercial potential from the practical applications of that work.
Nice, unexpected use of Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" as well...
I didn't really get to write too much about Alphaville in the back half of yesterday's Godard post, but one reason for choosing it was that it seemed a nice thematic transition into World on a Wire. Having never seen either of these movies, I couldn't have been more right. Not only are there thematic similarities, especially in each's core idea of a computer-controlled world... But the stylistic focus on interiors and design elements also carries over, although Godard used a deep noir-ish B&W, and Fassbinder's color scheme is kaleidoscopic bordering on garish. And structurally, both make fairly striking breaks in tone about halfway through. For this one, Part 2 moves away from mystery & intrigue over to more of an action/chase scenario. Also, there ends up being quite a bit of Sirk-ian melodrama after all - with all the secrets, love interests, suspicions, double-crosses, and the like.
I was really hoping that "Finnish poetess Araba Suukoonen" was real (like Jean Parvulesco in Breathless), but sadly not. Anyway, things get pretty crazy as our hero learns more about his grim fate. In making his escape from IKZ, he has a breakdown in a hallway that can be nothing other than a bright-line homage to the ending of Alphaville. Sports cars go flying through the city streets in chase. Once he makes it to his cabin in the woods, he finally has his sniper rifle! But he then gets attacked by a shape-shifting German Shepherd (what are they called in Germany?), then a tree, and then a giant explosion probably triggered by a tropical bird.
Sorry, maybe I should have ***SPOILER***'ed all that.
Dazed and confused, the hero stands in the road flagging down traffic. He's finally picked up by a Rolls Royce... the driver opens the door... he gets in the back seat... and sitting next to him is... Lemmy Caution!! Maybe not necessarily the character (maybe so?), but absolutely the lead actor from Alphaville. My cranium very nearly exploded. So, the movie continues to wrap up, but for me that was really the culmination. It all ends up with one last bizarre fancy-dress ball, one last making of the love (for tomorrow we die), one last shoot-out, one last switcheroo, one last "Albatross."
A instrumental piece used for a tv-programme on the evening of the first moonlanding July 20, 1969. The programme was a used by the BBC in between the coverage of the actual moonlanding -and was called 'But what if it's made of green cheese'. The theme was the first verse and the coda, with various actors reading quotes and poetry about the moon over. The rest of the programme was information, discussions and sketches. Later in the show, Moonhead was performed uninterrupted.
Like many kids my age, I watched a lot of television before I could drive. And since my pre-licensed days coincided with the early-'80s, that meant that I watched a lot of Mtv (the "M" once stood for 'music').
So this will be a round-up of what I remember liking about early MTV. Before I discovered punk rock, I basically liked the music played on the channel - such as my Top 40 Top 40 Songs of 1982. I definitely enjoyed the free-format where you never knew what to expect next. Except for a few actual shows that I remember being regularly scheduled.
"Punks & Poseurs: A Journey into the L.A. Underground" (1985)
My main weekly favorite was the "Saturday Night Concert" - check out the intro. I don't remember Punks & Poseurs, but I'm really glad that it exists! The Dickies, GBH, Plain Wrap, The Breakouts, Raw power... Wild.
Metal was much more common. I do remember the AC/DC show (with this intro), but I think GnR 1988 was quite a bit after my time. In fact, I'm surprised they were still showing regular live shows that late (might've been a special though).
"Moving in Stereo" live in Houston, 1984
But the one they showed all the time was The Cars at The Summit (Houston TX, 1984). I remember distinctly because it was originally pretty cool to see a show filmed locally, but the charm was lost after the same concert reappeared every third weekend.
Another show I watched pretty regularly was "Basement Tapes," which was a video competition between unsigned local acts' submissions. It always featured some hilarious terribleness and some occasional hidden gems. Honestly, I don't remember many details.
I think there was some audience voting, with some kind of prize either for each show's winner or eventually. Here's someone's blog post about the show. Actually, the first video there includes the show intro, which explains a bit... Monthly finalists!!
Did Screen Test win the final slot? I have to know... nooooo, Friday wins!
"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath (Mtv Closet Classic, 1972)
At first, "Mtv Closet Classics" were really just individual videos for music from before the MTV era - with a special video-tag to make sure no-one confused it with modern music. I mainly remember Sabbath, but this 1986 VHS tracklist will give you a general idea.
Also, apparently by 1987, they had an actual show. Not sure if I was onboard for that, because I just remember surprise treats in the free-form.
Then of course, there was "120 Minutes" (1986-2000). I don't remember JJ Jackson hosting, but I do remember Alan Hunter (still one of the original VJ's) and Kevin Seal - then a bit later, series creator Dave Kendall.
Not too much video evidence of the early days I'm talking about, and I can't find the hilarious Dave Kendall/Jack Officers SXSW interview (or maybe BHS), so here's Ween in 1995.
Back when VW used Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" in their much-hyped Cabrio ad (apparently 1999), I thought that was pretty cool that a multinational car company was doing so. Although I mainly knew the song through the cover by Sebadoh (#7, 1993)... that sure would have been interesting.
"Pink Moon" by Sebadoh, from Sebadoh vs. Helmet EP (1992)
Nowadays, similar scenarios are more likely make me wonder about what I have to look forward to in my declining years. Jackass using "Corona" probably kicked this off (c. 2000). I didn't ever watch the show, and initially I was happy for the band to be getting some recognition. But now I get the vibe that a great song has attached to kind of a dumb tv show, and overall it probably didn't expand the Minutemen's audience significantly.
"O Superman (For Massenet)" by Laurie Anderson, from Home of the Brave (1982)
Recently, I ran across this new T-mobile skydiving commercial, and was very surprised to hear "O Superman" played in the background. Never one of my favorites - a bit too artsy-fartsy & before-my-time together - but unique & memorable. It immediately made me want to check out the YouTube comments, to gauge the reaction.
That's how commercials work on me anymore. So like this... consecutive comments: "This has got to be the most annoying song of all time. I hope anyone that has an HTC breaks their phone", vs. "Thank you HTC for giving a new generation a chance to listen to this." Ladies and gentlemen, the internet!!
"Bees" by Caribou, from The Milk of Human Kindness (2005)
So there I was, during Thursday's Miami Heat-Indiana Pacers playoff game (that's pro basketball), when I went far beyond surprised - like hoping the DVR caught it, switching inputs, and rolling back to confirm what I heard... The Samsung Galaxy Note tabphone was soundtracked by Caribou (#4, 2007) - the song "Bees" from his dedicated Krautrock nod, definitely one of my tunes! Now this was simply bonkers, and I was more confused than anything else. What is going on??
And this Note ad uses a song by Air: "Alone in Kyoto." Although I have driven VW's for awhile (pre-'99), you're not getting me to buy your smartphone by licensing hip Canadian or French electronic acts for your adverts - but that's just me.
"Shit from an Old Notebook" by Minutemen, from Double Nickels On The Dime (1984)
In the future, tv advertisements will probably be customized for the audience, maybe cross-referencing your holo-music-library, like how internet commercials are calculated from Facebook or Google algorithms. I just hope there's a 'don't-piss-me-off' setting - where you can indicate you don't want your musical faves imported into YouMercials. Because interesting and novel or not, I absolutely want to continue auto-filing ads into my mental spam folder, without commercial breaks replicating a Shuffle-All mix on my own iPod.
let the products sell themselves fuck advertising, commercial psychology psychological methods to sell should be destroyed because of their own blind involvement in their own conditioned minds the unit bonded together morals, ideals, awareness, progress let yourself be heard!
Know what's great? Chic-A-Go-Go!! The dance show for kids (of all ages), on Chicago cable access tv. Here's my top 10 videos from their extensive collection.
B. The 20' tall extinct megafauna that was a mash-up of rhinoceros, giraffe and dinosaur. The largest-ever land mammal!
If so, you should check out this hilarious video, made even funnier by the after-market Japanese sub-titles. It features computer-animated projectile birthing, computer-animated fresh-kill pooping, a vicious giant scavenger-hog, a horse-monster that grazes from the treetops - so you know it's from the BBC. Unfortunately, since this is Miocene Mongolia, no elephant-sized ground sloths (S. America) nor ridiculously chandelier-antlered elk (Europe). I love how they treat it like a real documentary - night vision filters, lens flare, even the film crew "disturbing" the big baby's sleep at one point. So awesome.
Phil Hartman did a lot of stuff, but it all came together on Saturday Night Live. That late-'80s/early-'90s era was a true heyday. Second only with respect to the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players, maybe. I'd say Hartman lead the way. He did a lot of impressions (Reagan and Clinton), but how many people could make a sketch like Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer funny? Maybe no-one else, most certainly no-one on SNL these days. I don't use the word genius lightly. But if such a thing exists, Phil Hartman was a sketch comedy genius.
From The Pee-Wee Herman Show, to NewsRadio and The Simpsons, he was always a low-key, second-line standout. From all accounts, as both a performer and writer. Anyway... for my money, the pinnacle of Phil Hartman is The Sinatra Group. This was the day we attacked Iraq, and Sting played a song instead of doing a monologue. He's great as Billy Idol, it's got Jan Hooks, Chris Rock, Mike Myers... Maybe it's because I already watched The McLaughlin Group weekly, and thought it was already hilarious. But this one gets my vote for Best SNL Sketch - Ever! A tour de force.
[Click to see at Hulu (sorry) - where it's not so tiny.]
Also, it's deeply satisfying that Joe Piscopo does. not. approve.
Just bought the DVD set of Gerry Anderson's UFO series (1970-71). He made a lot of television shows for kids in the United British Kingdom of England. But I've always wanted to see this one based solely on the show's intro. Groovy!
After the switch to live action, and failure of UFO, Anderson struck gold again with Space: 1999 (1975-78). Which I remember watching at my dad's house on those '70s weekends... [alternate opening]
Finally if you watched any of those videos at all, you must check out Peter Cook & Dudley Moore (Not Only... But Also, 1965-66). Insanely hilarious!
Extending the non-music streak to 2 posts! Ex-cel-lent.
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