Category: Music

  • Revisiting Paul Simon’s “One-Trick Pony” – Film and Album

    I had trouble sleeping the other night, and thought it would be fun to revisit an old movie that I hadn’t seen in years; One-Trick Pony, staring and written by Paul Simon from 1980. The reason the movie popped into my head was that one of the songs from the soundtrack popped up on a playlist the other day. (The soundtrack, made up of original Paul Simon songs for the movie, is excellent, but more on that in a bit.)  Though I love this movie, it’s not a particularly good movie.

    To sum up, the movie is about a fictional one-hit-wonder singer/songwriter, Jonah Levin, in the late 70’s dealing with divorce, career disappointment, and general male midlife crisis where things didn’t work out the way he thought. I wouldn’t say this movie is autobiographical, though Simon in real life was dealing with a divorce, and switching record labels. For me, I see Jonah Levin to Paul Simon the same as Kilgore Trout to Kurt Vonnegut; a reflection by the artist as to who they would have been if they weren’t successful artists in real life.

    When watching One-Trick Pony again, I was struck by how tired everyone in the movie is, and feels. In context, the film was released in 1980, but was filmed in 1979, and most likely was written in 1977/78, which means America was coming out of the end of the Vietnam War, Watergate, the energy crisis, economic downturn, and the Iran Hostage Crisis. In the 1970’s, America went from crisis to crisis, and by the end of the decade, I think people just wanted normalcy and stability. This is what I see reflected in the movie, even to the point of having an unhealthy nostalgia for the 60’s.

    The reason I would say that you should check out the movie is the music. The scenes of Jonah’s band playing are the highlight of the film, as these are the musicians who actually did record and tour with Simon in real life. One of the songs from the movie “Late in the Evening” was a hit for Simon, and has appeared on several greatest hits compilations, but the rest of the songs on the soundtrack are rarely heard today. It’s too bad as “One-Trick Pony” and “Ace in the Hole” are truly great songs. Also, when looking at Simon’s catalogue of music, the One-Trick Pony album does mark the end of his 70’s sound, as his next album Hearts and Bones went in a new, more modern synthesizer sound that would dominate the 80’s.

    I still find One-Trick Pony as an entertaining movie, though it has a few inconsistencies. Some of the acting can come off as wooden, and all the female characters seem to only exist to support the male characters, which does make the narrative feel very dated. Yet, I found myself identifying with the themes of the movie; the onset of middle age, wondering if the best years are behind you, and learning that the way you have been living just can continue forever. All thoughts I have been contemplating while in lockdown.

  • Enablers

    I was nervous that Harvey Weinstein wouldn’t get convicted. I hadn’t been following the case closely, as I felt that it was only a 50/50 shot, he would be found guilty, and I had already decided that I believed the survivors. I didn’t need a jury to justify my stance.

    But Harvey is going to jail, and I hope that this brings about the beginning of the end of the idea that there are “untouchable” men in any industry that take advantage of their position.

    Now, it’s time that we start addressing the enablers that helped Harvey. The agents who sent women to his hotel room, and office. The directors who were ordered to put women in, or take them out of their movies, the assistants who heard what was happening and did.

    I know that there are people out there that want to punish all of these enablers, and I understand where they are coming from. And that may or should happen.

    From my experience, and I have spent some time in theatre education, it needs to start in all theatre classes, and be reiterated again, and again, all the way up to grad school, and supported by all the unions in the entertainment industry. There needs to be an ethical standard that everyone needs to understand and follow. And I’m talking about simple things like no more one on one meetings between actors and producers or directors. Actors/artist have the right to have an advocate present at all times.

    Harvey didn’t create this world of casting couches, and treating women as if they are disposable. And it is wrong for us to believe that even if these few men that have been outed by #MeToo all go to jail that this issue will go away. We have to start building the new acceptable culture of the entertainment industry today.

  • Thanks, Alex

    I think I need to take a break from the news. I could talk about South Carolina, or that Harvey Weinstein was just found guilty on two counts.

    But what I really want to talk about is listening to Parliament.

    What has brought this about recently is that we showed the kid “Guardians of the Galaxy, and Vol. 2” this weekend, and she completely latched on to the movies, the characters, and the music. (She’s been running around the playground telling the other kids that she’s Gamora.) We added both soundtracks to a playlist for her, which means we have been listening to it pretty much non-stop. That’s not a complaint.

    Vol. 2’s soundtrack has Parliament’s “Flash Light” on it, and this is how we get all of this tied together.

    I have some time for myself this day to work in the home office, and this would make a great time to start listening to Parliament again.

    I know the first time I heard/saw them, and that was on Saturday Night Live in 1986. (I know this only because I can look it up, not that the date was seared into my brain.) Watching George Clinton, Parliament-Funkadelic did leave me a little confused, as I knew it was a band, but the music and attitude on display was not like anything I had seen before.

    Jump ahead five years, and being in 9th grade I make that friend who loves Parliament, and my music horizons are broadened in a most needed way. The Mothership Connection, and Bootsy Collins, and the funk, and for a little white kid growing up in the suburbs, it was like getting invited to the party with the cool kids.

    I mean, I want funk uncut.

  • Fats Waller

    I’m working today, and I needed some music to help me get through a rather mindless task that was going to eat up several hours.

    What was that, Spotify? You think I should listen to Fats Waller due to my recent selection of Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk? I will go with you on this, as I do know a little about Waller, at least what are his most popular songs, and his ability to stride on the piano.

    And then I thought I should look him up on Wikipedia…

    Did I ever mention that I used to live in Harlem? I used to live in Harlem USA, and I loved it. The community and the neighborhood were awesome.

    Of the many things I loved about Harlem was that I was surrounded by so much great an important history. Culturally, so mush of who where are as Americans came out of Harlem. Music, theatre, thought, literature, and social consciousness. It is such a vital and vibrant place.

    I’m missing Harlem today.

    And I was reading up on Fats Waller, thinking about my old neighborhood, I saw that the first place he played professionally was the Lincoln Theatre at 135th Street and Lennox. Not only did I know where that theatre was, I also knew that it was still standing, even though it no longer functions as a theatre, but is a church.

    I don’t know, but there was something very satisfying in knowing that I walked down the same street as someone as great as Waller. We might have been separated by 80 years, but he was there. The man who made all that great music.

    I don’t know. Just missing Harlem today.

  • Frank Zappa

    I have nothing against him. I could pick him out of a lineup, but I couldn’t name one of his songs. There were a group of guys I used to hang out with in high school, and try to write comedy with who just loved the hell out of him. I couldn’t get into his music, but I could respect and admire his output and commitment to music, and to satirizing everything. Zappa embodies the definition of a true artist; A true artist does just create great work, a true artist is always creating work regardless of its value.

    I don’t have a deeper reason of bring that up other than it just popped into my head as I sat down to write just now.

    First thought, best thought.

    There is creation, and there is production, and that also means that there has to be consumption. Creation is the act of bringing an object or form into existence. Production is the manufacturing the same object repeatedly for consumption. Which leads to consumption which is using up of an object or form.

    There might be some bigger theory about art, but I’m not sure I can put those pieces together today. What I would like to say is that I think most people put themselves in one of those three categories, though I believe that you can be all three. Some people would like to be creators, but they are producers. The worst are consumers who think they are creators.

    Just some random thoughts.