No comment, just putting it out there.
Seeds Documentary!
Not sure how a doc about some of my favorite proto-punks got past me. This goes straight to the top of my list if it’s available anywhere.
I’m Not Trying to Be Elvis
I noticed this was leaving the Criterion Channel, and figured I’d watch it. I never really knew much about Orion (Jimmy Ellis) or listened to him at all, dismissing him as an Elvis impersonator. I know y’all aren’t Elvis (RIP PBUH) devotees like I am, so I don’t know if you’d find it as fascinating, but I was transfixed. Also, there is a ZINGER about 3/4 in, that they focus on for about 5 seconds, that discusses who his real father is (you can guess), and why he may sound EXACTLY like Elvis when he sings. As someone who has listened to a lot more EP than you have, I mean Exactly.
Continue reading “I’m Not Trying to Be Elvis”
Rolling Jones
There’s no shortage of Brian Jones documentaries, but I haven’t seen any of them. I may catch this one.
And Now For a Bassist Who Sucks
Who’s the opposite of Jamerson or McCartney? Phil Lesh, of course. I could not listen to all of this, I just sampled here and there. What I did hear sounded like the noodlings of a tin-eared fifteen-year-old who recently took up bass. There is nothing remotely interesting going on musically or technically. What he needs is a nun to slap his hand with a ruler.
Honeybus
For whatever reason, I found myself revisiting cult faves Honeybus over the weekend. If you’re unfamiliar and craving some late 60’s psychedelic/baroque/folk/pop, they could be your fix. I recommend streaming the anthology pictured above. Some good hooks and harmonies throughout, though I found myself skipping a good amount of songs. Your mileage may vary. Perhaps due to the drug-addled times, there are some oddities, such as this otherwise good song marred by a fucking kazoo. They had a top ten UK hit with this, which almost, just-about sounds like it could be a parody of the baroque pop of the time.
Speaking of twee pop parodies, nothing will ever surpass this masterpiece (said to be a parody of Ray Davies’ “Funny Face”) from Neil Innes, the man who would one day compose the entire Rutles catalog in something like a week.
Bassists Get The Job Done
This comically inept singer looks like a coked-up CPA trying to channel Screaming Lord Sutch. He rivals Mike Love in creepiness. If real, I’m guessing this was an open mic thing.
And all of you who ever played in a band can ‘fess up: you either struck or wanted to strike whoever did most of the singing with a guitar, bass, mic stand, cymbal stand, floor tom, etc. Or said, “go ahead and grab the mic” when you knew it wasn’t grounded.
And if you did most of the singing, you probably deserved it.