Special Comment

In this writer's opinion, recent comparisons of the career of the late Michael Jackson to the Beatles and Elvis Presley simply wrong. Check back with me in 40 years. As artists, Elvis and the Beatles have stood the test of time. As for Mr. Jackson, we shall see.

A Face That Could Break a Thousand Hearts

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Faces such as this don't come wrapped in this much talent very often. To read more about Greta Garbo, see the Wikipedia entry here. In the mean time, enjoy these stills of one of the greatest film talents ever.

"Goin' to Acapulco, Goin' On The Run."

I've raved about Todd Haynes' I'm Not There (film) as an instant classic. (If you click on the album cover above, you'll see the soundtrack CD is even broader than the music that makes it into the film.) Here's an example of the power of the film for me: a Dylan song I've never heard of, covered by a band I barely know, lands among my top five music segments from the film.

Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid are loosely woven through this new hide-out myth of Dylan's late sixties brief escape from the rock n' roll world. The surreal town of "Riddle" becomes the target of development (in this quasi-old-west tale (the railroad's coming right through the secluded valley) and the morality tale driving Dylan's outlaw-in-hiding persona a little farther down the road. Other interpretations welcome.

In the clip below -- (16 May 2010 update: My apologies, Web Sheriff has yanked the clip below because of a copyright claim; you will just have to trust me and rent the DVD) -- Jim James with Calexico give a spine-tingling, poignant performance. It's representative of such dramatic moments in the film, a film always reaching to grasp the multidimensional Dylan.

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"Jimmy Eat World": In the Middle, in Pain

I recently received these two Youtube links (one with embedding disabled) from my mentor over at Carnal Reason. "pwyll" wrote, "I'm listening to a bit of Jimmy Eat World as I type ... Rock and roll still has legs." And indeed it does.

I am officially, now, a Jimmy Eat World fan. And being stuck in The Middle in Pain is an issue in a lot of our lives. The rollicking guitars made it hard to understand every word, but I got the idea, these guys are serious and can keep time. Gotta love 'em.

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Jimmy Eat World -- In The Middle
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Jimmy Eat World -- Pain (radio version, link)
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