A little about movies and music
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Oct 09, 2008 
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Caught Miracle at St. Anna a few days ago. I generally like most everything Spike Lee does and this was a very good film. But trim 30 minutes and a few needless characters and subplots and it could have been great. The end was really trite and some twists in the story are simply implausible. But the acting was tremendous and the music (as is always the case with Lee) was perfect. It’s worth going to see in a theater if only because the battle scenes translate better to a big screen.
Also saw Appaloosa. A friend suggested this and I’m glad she did because it was really good. Ed Harris wrote, directed, produced and starred in this good old-fashioned western with a great cast. Viggo Mortensen could get a supporting actor nomination for playing the shotgun-toting sidekick to Harris. Virgil and Everett are for-hire lawmen who are given the task of dispatching the evil rancher Bragg, who is gleefully played by Jeremy Irons. Renee Zellweger is the love interest who is seeking a good man – and any of them will do.
There are good guys, bad guys, shootouts, the whole deal. But the characters are the story, not the gunslinging. It reminded me a little of Lawrence Kasdan’s Silverado or 3:10 to Yuma but it was better. No doubt it was because it was based on a Robert Parker novel. Can’t go wrong with Parker.
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Now that the season is over, I’m trying to get my iPod to a point where every other song isn’t Springsteen. It’s getting there.
A few recent additions:
* Something Is Not Right With Me by Cold War Kids. Heard this on Entourage and liked it. HBO’s web site helpfully lists the music played on all their original series.
* The album Real Animal by Alejandro Escovedo. A Texas singer/songwriter, Escovedo writes some catchy tunes and plays a mean guitar. Download Always A Friend to get a taste.
* I downloaded the greatest hits of Del Shannon, who is best known for Runaway.
* Impulsively purchased The Clash: Live At Shea Stadium. I had no idea The Clash played there. Great version of Career Opportunities. I caught the Clash live when I was in college and my ears are still ringing. Tremendous show. Meanwhile, why did Shea have so many better concerts than Yankee Stadium?
* Dangerous by Kardinal Offishall (with Akon).
* The Fabled City album from Tom Morello. Amazing stuff, lyrically and his guitar work. It came out about a week ago.
* Jackson Browne has a good new song Off Of Wonderland.
If you have any good music suggestions, shoot me an e-mail.
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As for books, I’m in the middle of Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. No matter your political bent, Friedman makes a lot of sense.
Feel free to throw in your own suggestions. The blog can’t be baseball 100 percent of the time.
You really sure you want me to start suggesting reading material?
You’d never finish by Opening Day.
thanks pete, i enjoy your non-baseball posts!
you going to that billy/bruce show in nyc??
PA, if you like Del Shannon and Rock-A-Billy, I’d suggest Shakin’ Stevens, Rick Nelson, Duane Eddy or Johnny Rivers.
I’d add Buddy Holly also, but, I assume you have that. All music flows from Buddy Holly.
Dangerous is a mash of a really good song and a really bad song. Only half is listenable. And it’s not Akon’s half.
How about an oldie, “Come on Eileen”?
Hey Jude
Anything Drive-by Truckers
I picked up The Clash and the Tom Morello CD at my university radio station, both amazing CDs. Good choices!
I know it’s old and probably not your style, Pete, but I can’t stop listening to ‘American Boy’ by Estelle ft. Kanye West.
Shea will always be remembered for and associated with The Beatles…Not just once but twice……
From sweeny murti:
“1997. The Yanks took: OF Tyrell Godwin (24th overall) and RHP Ryan Bradley (40th overall)
Could have had: LHP Randy Wolf (54th overall) and RHP Aaron Cook (70th overall)
1998. The Yanks took: OF Andy Brown (24th overall)
Could have had: OF Aaron Rowand (35th overall)
1999. The Yanks took: RHP David Walling (27th overall)
Could have had: SS Brian Roberts (50th overall)
2000. The Yanks took: C David Parrish (28th overall)
Could have had: OF Grady Sizemore (75th overall)
2001. The Yanks took: OF John Ford-Griffin (23rd overall) and OF Bronson Sardinha (34th overall)
Could have had: 3B David Wright (38th overall) and RHP Dan Haren (72nd overall)
2002. The Yanks took: RHP Brandon Weeden(71st overall)
Could have had: OF Curtis Granderson (80th overall)
2003. The Yanks took: 3B Eric Duncan (27th overall)
Could have had: Jonathan Papelbon (114th overall)”
Wow! I knew the yanks didnt draft very well these yrs but we took nobodies when there was soo much talent right around the corner. Lets see how kennedy, hughes and brackman make us look.
and of course, jackson.
The new Kings of Leon and TV on the Radio albums are good listening, Pete.
harrs44-
Yes, Dear Science by TV on the Radio is excellent, plus I know Kyp Malone. Real good stuff.
Reading Tom Friedman, eh? Are the New York Times looking for a new Yankees beat writer? Is Kepner leaving?
Shea had better concerts because they knew they could schedule there in October without it interfering with anything.
Dave, its easy to look back now and say who the Yanks couldve gotten instead, but every other team couldve had them too if they went that late in the draft. Does that mean everyone drafted poorly? No team is going to pick potentially the best major leaguer of each draft, teams are lucky if they pick 1 or 2 every couple of years. You have to remember some guys pan out and other dont. Dont forget, Joba went 41st overall (i believe) which means every team passed on him.
“* I downloaded the greatest hits of Del Shannon, who is best known for Runaway. ”
Pete – get Del’s last album “Rock On” from 1990… a great collection of tunes produced by Tom Petty & Jeff Lynne.
Best Track ‘Walkaway’:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlYM7Sm6gCg
Del committed suicide shortly after he finished album.
Friedman is great – O’Dowd is my dream redhead as far as THAT publication is concerned(!). Rock On, Abe!
“Al Capone” by Current Swell – The whole album is good.
Hot, Flat and Crowded reminds me of that Friday make up game against the Mets. The one where Carlos Delgado had 9 RBIs.
It was very HOT
Yanks played very FLAT
Since it was a rare Fri day game there were less ticket checkers, vendors etc. so everywhere you went it was very CROWDED.
Yanks have me acting like a jilted lover. Everything reminds me of a Yankee memory.
Very pathetic indeed.
Whatever you do, don’t start reading Thomas Friedman. He’s arrogant and thinks that he has a solution to everything. The only problem is, his solutions are too basic and simple and do not provide for the insight and the complications that are inherent to issues like Iraq, the Middle East, and alternate energy sources.
He’s a tool.
http://www.beloblog.com/ProJo_.....entif.html
Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Read it.
Oh, and as far as music goes, I’d recommend the entire Woody Guthrie catalogue.
I’m actually in the middle of Hot, Flat, and Crowded. While Friedman can be preachy at times, I think all his books have some very salient points that make them worth reading if only to trigger the start of some good discussion.
I also just ripped through Chuck Klostermans new book “Downtown Owl”. Definitely a quick read (I got through it in two sittings), but its his first novel (I’d also recommend “Fargo Rock City” and “Killing Yourself to Live”) and its definitely a fun/interesting book.
You can’t always get what you want.
I just finished reading Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book tells the story of how Lincoln won the Presidency in 1860. It also details his decisions pertaining to filling his cabinet. He decided to choose the best person for the job which included many of his rivals.
A long book, but pretty interesting.
How about Michael Bolton?
I mean I celebrate the guys entire catalog. I admit it, I’m a Michael Bolton fan.
Hey Clay, how did you get in touch with Chad Jennings? I’ve scanned up and down his blog page and can’t seem to find an email address for him. If you could let me know I’d appreciate it, thanks.
Speaking of the Beatles, was their Shea Stadium concert only 30 minutes long?
Standing O:
I’ll be honest with you, I love his music, I do, I’m a Michael Bolton fan. For my money, I don’t know if it gets any better than when he sings “When a Man Loves a Woman”.
I think they played for 40 minutes….
You need to download some Classic Van Halen and also take a listen to the new Metallica CD Death Magnetic. Good stuff.
Big Springsteen fan here too. If you like Bruce, you’ll like any of Southside Johnny, Delbert McClinton, Boz Scaggs and especially Roy Orbison. Bruce actually played in an amazing all-star concert with Roy Orbison in ’88, just before Orbison died, and you can get the DVD — Roy Orbison and Friends Black and White Night — awesome.
I recommend the new TI… Paper Trail is phenomenal. Coming up soon, we’ll have new albums from Kanye West, Jay-Z, and 50 Cent. Big couple of months in hip hop.
if you like funny movies, see Bill Maher’s “Religulous”, which is directed by the guy who directed Borat. there were a ton of LOL moments – it’s kind of like “Roger and Me” mixed with “South Park”.
a lot of scenes involve Bill Maher interviewing various Bible-thumpers – he apparently presented himself as filming a religious documentary – though said Bible-thumpers don’t realize it’s a satirical documentary. So of course he gets these people saying various insane things.
I’ve read that CC said that playing in Milwaukee “opened up his world”
Really?
Are we sure we want this guy roaming the streets of NY?
Honestly, out of Laverne, Shirley, Lenny and Squiggy, who would have bet that Laverne was going to become the Hollywood player?
Bronx-
Easy, Laverne’s Dad was a bigwig in Hollywood. Easy choice for her.
The Hold Steady. ‘Nuff said.
Pete,
Want to try something different? Listen to any of the CDs by Interpol. Their first two discs are absolutely phenomenal (Turn On The Bright Lights & Antics). The third was good, but not as good as those two.
Also, you can’t go wrong with anything by U2 or ColdPlay. RadioHead’s In Rainbows is a winner as well.
All my professors in college loved Friedman. I think I was assigned the “Lexus and the Olive Tree” for 3 different poli sci classes. He’s very pragmatic, albeit a bit arrogant.
Can anyone recommend any good Yankees history books?
Pete, you have to get “Give Up” by The Postal Service. Top 5 album of all time.
Smell the Glove would have been a good listen if in fact it was a real album.
I’ve been listening to the Goo Goo Dolls alot lately since I read they have a new “album” coming out soon that is a throwback to their rock roots.
“Bronx Jeers
October 9th, 2008 at 9:55 am
I’ve read that CC said that playing in Milwaukee “opened up his worldâ€
Really?
Are we sure we want this guy roaming the streets of NY?
Honestly, out of Laverne, Shirley, Lenny and Squiggy, who would have bet that Laverne was going to become the Hollywood player?”
Just taken a bit out of context, no?
He was talking about playing for another team and how that opened his world to being in a different clubhouse, being with different players.
That is a whole lot different than you played it.
His point was that it would make it easier to join elsewhere, not the merits of the town. Being from California, I tend to doubt that he was impressed with the brewer tours he could take.
Besides, everyone knows how “soofisticated” Squiggy is.
I’m one for the older tunes. Doors, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Cream, the list goes on and on.
Am I suppose to feel sorry for this sh..(source)
I think that Shea concert was probably them opening up for the Who. I remember the Clash opening on the Who’s first “final tour” around 1980 when I was a freshman in high school, and I remember there being a Shea Stadium show. I guess the split was not long thereafter.
“I’m one for the older tunes. Doors, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, Cream, the list goes on and on.”
“Peg” is one of my fave tunes of all time. Love “Peace Frog” as well.
Just looked it up. I had the tour right, but the year wrong. It was 1982 when the Clash opened for the Who, and that indeed is where the recording is from. I might have to check it out.
No music collection is complete without some Ska. If you don’t have some stuff by The Skatalites or The Specials you should get on that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHxEijSG7fg
Okay, who do I punch out at MLB.com for sending me an e-mail inviting me to buy LCS tickets at StubHub? Don’t they know that if the Yankees aren’t playing, there are no playoffs?
What’re your guys picks?
Going with the heart for the Phillies and prayers for the Rays.
get the new dylan bootleg series thing, tell tale signs. now.
I once went to the bathroom on the toilet where Jim Morrsion may or may not have died.
mel-
Any idea why the Hawaii games have gone only 7 innings the last couple of nights? Is Mauna Kea about to blow?
Echo Kings of Leon and add Joseph Arthur & The Lonely Astronauts (Temporary People). Do not get the appeal of The Hold Steady. At all.
Pete, check out Austrian Death Machine. They have an album that’s all based on
Pete, check out Austrian Death Machine. They have an album that’s all based on Schwarzenegger lines. First single, “Get to the Choppa!”
Great stuff.
Pete,
Bruce produced “American Bablylon” by Joe Grushecky. You’ll probably like it.
Another great Schwarzenegger line is “First just sub zero, now just plain zero”.
Buddy,
Don’t know the specific reason, only that it’s agreed upon before hand.
It happened last week, too. Don Robbs does the radio broadcast (he’s great. Did the Islanders in the past & does the UH games. Been doing baseball for 30 years here). Robbs said that they agree upon it if there’s personnel issues (as far as having enough pitching).
mel-
Gotcha, sorta like a softball game.
is the new TV on the Radio any better than the last (the 2nd one i think)? i didn’t care for that one too much.
i’ll need to look into cold war kids, i’ve heard good things.
Pete, if you’ve never heard Ted Leo, i have a feeling you would like it.
Recently downloaded Girl Talk and Amon Tobin. a little different, but i like both.
also, Kings of Leon is on my list of things to check out!
Pete, Check out “Done with Bonapart” form Marc Knopfler & EmmyLou Harris “All the Roadrunning Live”. A great version of an older Knopfler. That Cd is loaded with great material like “Shangrila”, “nazarath Speedway”, etc.
Pete, if you like Friedman like writing, check out Jared Diamond–Guns, Germs and Steel or Collapse.
Here’s a very good piece on Elgin Baylor.
Don’t be turned off by the length or the author. It’s well worth the read.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn.....ons/081008
oh, and i spoke to some of my family, and it looks like we may end up planning a black friday HOF trip…
Of course if you are a fan of Bruce, you should definitely check out one of his big influences – the great Van Morrison!
“Tell me something,” Bruce Springsteen asked a while ago. “How come every year or so there’s a new Van Morrison record, and every time it’s great, and every time no one pays attention? Why is that?”
http://vanmorrison.com/?m=Cont.....77065c2a34
holy crap the internet is boring today
is there a holiday or something that i don’t know about ?
saucy: Only Yom Kippur.
Phish – Walnut Creek (1997)
“Wow! I knew the yanks didnt draft very well these yrs but we took nobodies when there was soo much talent right around the corner.”
They were all nobodies when they were drafted…
oops, totally forgot Yom Kippur…
get the new metallica album. It’s rockin. and also go to their Feb 1st show at Prudential center in NJ
Pete, please with the Spike Lee film. It is crap and he pulls an Oliver Stone with his revision of history. In fact, the Italian Resistance has called for a boycott of the film as it is factually WRONG.
As with everything Spike Lee, his hatred for Italian-Americans, has now been aimed at Italy.
Here you go:
“Surviving members of Italy’s Second World War resistance movement have taken issue with Spike Lee’s depiction of history in Miracle at St. Anna.
Lee’s movie centres on the role of black soldiers in liberating Italy and includes a story line about 1944 massacre in the Tuscan town of Sant’Anna di Stazzema.
Lee’s version, based on the book by James McBride, shows partisan actions touching off Nazi retaliation and one partisan collaborating with the Germans as they took control of the town.
Italian veterans of the resistance movement say that’s not the way it happened.
“Before shooting his film, the director should have read the truth about that horrible slaughter,” said veterans organization ANPI.
An Italian military tribunal that looked into the massacre of 560 people concluded 10 ex-Nazi officers were responsible for the murders.
Editorial slams movie
“It is an erroneous version,” author Giorgio Bocca, a veteran partisan, wrote of Lee’s film in an editorial in Wednesday’s La Repubblica.
A group of former anti-Fascist fighters protested Wednesday outside an advance screening of Miracle at St. Anna held near Stazzema.
Lee said he has no quarrel with the partisans, but suggested that Italy would have to come to terms with its Fascist history.”
Remade movies that originally starred Marlon Brando have a lot to live up to; the Russell Crowe version of 3:10 yuma wasn’t very good, akin to the new version of Sleuth which I can’t believe Michael Caine would do (check out the 1972 original for a Fantastic movie not many people talk about)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069281/,
If you want more great movies than you can handle in a day, get your Tivo ready for this sunday, it’s going to be hours of paul newman (though no hustler or butch cassidy…) but you get “Hud”, “Somebody Up There likes Me”, “Cool Hand Luke” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” amongst others.
and to prove you’re never too many degrees of separation away from Springsteen “Always a Friend” on Magic Tour Hughlights is great.
others-
The Hold Steady- Boys and Girls in America
Centro-Matic- Navigation
Hank III- 5 Shots of Whiskey
Drive By Truckers- Pizza Deliverance
Nils Lofgren- Live acoutic
PETE, One Band- OASIS
especially- whats the story morning glory, be here now, definitely maybe, heathen chemistry
Pete,
Music wise, if you’re not already listening to him, I think you might like Michael Penn. Start with his CD Resigned. Every one of his CD’s are excellent, although his first one March is probably the weakest. He’s married to Aimee Mann who is someone else you should already be listening to.
If you’re not listening to Fountains of Wayne (can’t imagine that though) or Damien Rice, you should check them both out.
And I always tell people to listen to Sigur Ros if they ever want to try out some weird ethereal Icelandic art-rock that has a way of growing on you. I saw them open for Radiohead and I was hooked on them.
Another strange group I’m into these days is The Polyphonic Spree which if you’ve ever seen them they all dress up in white robes. I would describe them as Pink Floyd type Rock sung by a chorus. Very cool.
Since your’e a Bruce fan,try one of his colleague’s .. Elliott Murphy .And Rory Gallagher for high energy Rock and Blues
The new Oasis album isnt bad. It’s not their worst album but worth every penny on iTunes. The Chemical Brothers remix of Falling Down is worth the price alone.
The new Ben Folds album is excellent as well. Also, anything live from David Gray is worth a listen.
Take a listen to Bryn Christopher, he just came out with his debut album called My World every song is great.
Thanks, Pete. You made me run out and get that Clash CD. Now I’m running late!
Pauly, two really good books on Yankees history are ‘Summer of ’49′ and ‘October 1964′ by David Halberstam. They’re chock full of great stories and serve as great bookends to that era. For more contemporary reading, I’d suggest Buster Olney’s ‘The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty’ (I think that’s the name of it).
I saw Sigur Ros mentioned. There’s a Scottish band out there in a similar vein named Mogwai. They’re really good, and they rock a little harder than Sigur Ros.
do your fuc king job and write about baseball fat as s
Buddy Biancalana October 9th, 2008 at 11:36 am
Another great Schwarzenegger line is “First just sub zero, now just plain zeroâ€.
Thats a song too! Also great!
Miracle at St. Anna probably had one of the worst endings I have ever seen in a movie. I didn’t think Spike Lee was so cheezy. Appaloosa was great though.
The Gaslight Anthem – 59 Sound.. from central NJ..they carry the Springsteen flag proudly, but more rockin’..think Bruce fronting The Replacements…
http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem
I didn’t know you watch Entourage! You should talk about on this blog sometime. Try the new Killers song Humans pretty good.
Read Murray Rothbard’s “America’s Great Depression”, available for free on-line in pdf from the Ludwig von Mises institute- not a cheery read, but it will illuminate the current madness and reinforce what most of us know- what the politicians are doing will only make things worse.
Pete,
If you haven’t seen “Leatherheads” yet, it’s definitely worth the watch. It delivers IN SPITE of the Renee Zellweger factor; could have done better with the leading lady, Scarlett Johannsen perhaps?
I’m givin you a 2-for-1 here, if you like the music in the movie which is somewhat “big band” and swing music from the 20′s and 30′s, the soundtrack is worth the download. Good music for poppin open some couvassier and havin’ relations with a lady.
It is kind of about baseball, but have you ever read Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger? It’s an epistolary novel about kid who starts writing to his favorite baseball player in the 1940s. Hilarious and poignant without getting maudlin.
The famous Jewish country singer Kinky Friedman has a series of wonderful novels out. I recommend “The Mile High Club”
Music: John Hiatt… An oldy, but goody. A lot of mid-tempo cool rock.
Reading: Hilarious satirical book about blue collar jobs ‘Company’ by Max Barry. Think a book filled with dilbert, but better.
For a more serious tone, ‘The Defining Moment’ by Jonathan Alter. It is a look into FDR’s first hundred days and tries to give a glimpse into how he became the man that he did. Interesting if you like history.
Tom Freidman has the same take on everything. APOCALYPSE!!! THE WORLD IS ENDING!!!! It’s America’s fault!!!! Shut up, Tom.
Something off the beaten path, check out Streetlight Manifesto. The CDs Somewhere In The Between and Keasbey Nights are the ones to listen to, I prefer the first one. It’s pretty fast-paced but in my opinion it’s something that many can enjoy.
tst
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