Tension flares as Crew SC turns a 4-1 lead into a 4-4 draw against Montreal
May 11, 2016Ball Played: Walk don’t run, Astros eventually make splash in 16 innings
May 12, 2016Happy Thursday, WFNYers. The Browns didn’t lose this week, the Indians keep sailing the Seven Seas of Mediocrity for what may well be the rest of eternity, losing in an excruciating 16 innings on Wednesday after mustering three runs on 14 hits, and the Cavaliers continue to enjoy their vacatio- err, as-of-yet uncontested playoff run. WFNY has had some great Cavs content this week including Craig’s plea to believe in this iteration of the Cavaliers; Joe’s defense of the Cavs’ fourth quarter D; and my salute to coach Tyronn Lue’s status as a bad m—– f—–. I especially enjoyed writing the Lue post, it’s relatively PG (as far as blog posts about bad m-fers go), plus it has some lovely Pulp Fiction-themed artwork from Scott. Wouldn’t Lue look superb with Jheri curls?
Tyronn Lue Is a Bad M—–F—– (via @kcwelch330 with inspiration from @mcten) https://t.co/2yNDpzom3I
— Scott @ WFNY (@WFNYScott) May 10, 2016
Captain America: Civil War hit theaters last week, and Deadpool was released on Blu-Ray this week. I’m sure that’s exciting for many people, and I’ve no doubt they’re both fine movies. But I have a mild case of Comic Book Movie Fatigue, so I want to talk about a movie that’s nearly 75 years old.
I watch the movie Casablanca every so often to change things up from the sensory overload/intravenous content I’ve become accustomed to. Released in 1942, it’s widely considered one of the best American films ever made, but unlike other films that old (like Citizen Kane), I think Casablanca is easily accessible, maybe even for generations too impatient to watch an entire Vine.
Casablanca is about an American expatriate in charge of a saloon in (you guessed it) Casablanca, Morocco, at the start of World War II, when the Germans were asserting control over what was still French-administered territory. Rick, the saloon owner (Humphrey Bogart), sees his former fling from Paris walk into his bar one night, conjuring up painful memories and complicating Rick’s life quite a bit, in no small part because his former love (Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman) is married to a concentration camp escapee and internationally known leader of “the Resistance.” As long as seeing skyscrapers get squashed by natural disasters/robots/aliens isn’t your key criteria, Casablanca has a little bit of something for everyone: romance; some dark, moody pre-noir lighting and cinematography; ridiculous accents; an international fugitive; suspense and danger; betrayal; some musical numbers; a plot-twist ending; gratuitous smoking, drinking, and gambling; quick, snappy dialogue layering an element of wit and humor over the whole thing; and Nazis.
Lastly, it may have the best collection of one-liners this side of Anchorman. Here are some of my favorites:
- “Rick? Oh, he’s just like any other man, only more so.”
- “Oh, please, monsieur. It is a little game we play. They put it on the bill, I tear up the bill. It is very convenient.”
- “You despise me, don’t you?” “If I gave you any thought I probably would.”
- “I don’t mind a parasite. I object to a cut-rate one.”
- “Where were you last night?” “That’s so long ago, I don’t remember.” “Will I see you tonight?” “I never make plans that far ahead.”
- “What is your nationality?” “I’m a drunkard.” “And that makes Rick a citizen of the world.”
- “You give him credit for too much cleverness. My impression was that he’s just another blundering American.” “You mustn’t underestimate American blundering. I was with them when they ‘blundered’ into Berlin in 1918.”
- “I told my men to be especially destructive. You know how that impresses Germans.”
- “I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” “Your winnings, sir.” “Oh, thank you very much. Everybody out at once!”
- “Ricky, I’m gonna miss you. Apparently, you’re the only one in Casablanca who has even less scruples than I.”
- “And remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart.” “That is my least vulnerable spot.”
- “Well, Rick, you’re not only a sentimentalist, but you’ve become a patriot.”
- “Twenty thousand francs says it isn’t. …” “Make it ten. I’m only a poor corrupt official.”
- “Well, you can tell me now. I’m reasonably sober.”
- “As the leader of all illegal activities in Casablanca, I am an influential and respected man.”
- “I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray, you wore blue.”
- “Well there are certain sections of New York, Major, that I wouldn’t advise you to try to invade.”
- “We all ‘try’; You succeed.”
Those aren’t even the movie’s most famous quotes. Anyway, if you’re looking for something with heart whose star is someone other than CGI, give Casablanca a shot. It’s clever but not pretentious, inspirational without being preachy, and tender without being mawkish. Plus, it reminds us that most of life’s critical moments happen in saloons. Here’s a short clip.
Your Calvin and Hobbes strip of the day. The motto of cable news and ESPN’s pre-evening programming.
And now for the random ’90s song of the day. Radiohead released a new album this week. Andrew talked about it earlier this week, and I suspect this won’t be the last you can read of it on this website, so I’ll (try to) be brief. The album is A Moon Shaped Pool, for those readers who spent the first half of this week on Pluto. I think it’s a special album. I didn’t much like The King of Limbs (Radiohead’s last full-length album effort from 2011), but I view this album as a return to form of sorts: it’s like Kid A got knocked up by Jonny Greenwood’s There Will Be Blood score. While I don’t necessarily think there’s anything revolutionary going on in A Moon Shaped Pool, it’s shockingly listenable and probably the band’s most lucid, cohesive effort since 1997’s OK Computer.Â
The album seems to journey from the paranoia of the “low-flying panic attack” on “Burn the Witch,” through a spiritual reawakening (from “Desert Island Disk”: “Waking, waking up from shutdown / From a thousand years of sleep / Yeah you, you know what I mean”), and finally to the more serene anxiety of “True Love Waits” (“I’ll drown my beliefs / To have you in peace”). The paranoia is still there, but it comfortably coexists with confidence and, dare I say, optimism. Though the violent rockist in me will always best identify with The Bends version of Radiohead, they’re probably at their best when you can put on headphones with the lights off and let the music wash over you (think “Everything in Its Right Place”), and A Moon Shaped Pool is perfect for that.
So, the random ’90s song of the day is a Radiohead track, right? A nice throwback to Pablo Honey, perhaps? No. The R90sSotD is a fickle wench — she gives us what we need, not what we want. And what we need is Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” It’s a good (if annoying) tune from a solid ’90s album (Jagged Little Pill), but with any luck you haven’t heard this song in several years, and if you listen now you won’t need to for several more. It will be stuck in your head for several weeks. You’re welcome.
There are rumors that the song was inspired by Morissette’s relationship with David Coulier, aka “the uncle who was not John Stamos or Bob Saget on Full House.” Coulier sure doesn’t seem like he’s hot enough to inspire the flood of crazy this song is overflowing with,1 but Hey, we can’t all look like Uncle Jesse.
And I’m here, to remind you
Of the mess you left when you went away
It’s not fair, to deny me
Of the cross I bear that you gave to me
You, you, you oughta know
- As is the video. “Hey, Alanis, want to go in the middle of the Mojave Desert and run/roll around in circles for eight hours?” [↩]
138 Comments
to take the worst transition of those…you want to go from the slow, powerful, emotional but anti-melodic Waterfront to the fast, upbeat melody-driven vehicle of helter skelter? you have a more nimble brain than myself as mine would self-combust.
be fair. the Beatles would never have become the Beatles without Ringo’s drumming.
Hey, that’s not cool. RGB was going through a rough time, and those girls were just a little chubby, is all!
Pete Best disagrees.
Very jealous of that.
For what it’s worth, I think you and I should get some sort of credit or acknowledgment for kicking off a comment thread that rivals a Browns thread. It might be the most overrated credit in the history of WFNY, but I think we deserve it.
man , it’s hard for to pick a favorite … i’d say “you’re gonna lose that girl” & “nowhere man”.
… and “taxman”
… and “something”
… and “help”
… and “if i fell” … great vocal harmonies !!!
heart , hear !!
on the flip side , the Stones can’t even come close to the vocal harmonies the Beatles performed … many many songs had perfect 3-part harmonies … this is not easy to do.
yes, the Stones had a little more grit & i think their early bad boy burnout appearance attracted many fans … while the early Beatles looked like 4 clean-cut lads from Liverpool.
to each his own …. it’s the Beatles in a landslide for me.
… and have you ever met a person that DIDN’T like some kind of music ??
Yeah, Helter Skelter is perhaps a bit of an outlier energy-wise, but still built around a (mostly) standard blues structure
Not sure whether it’s a knighthood…or the guillotine.
Both fantastic songs that are relatively unheralded, especially “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl”, which is buried on a great Help! album
This would be in my top 10 as well. Would also have to put “This Boy” up there for the masterful harmonies
As does Andy White
Might be both.
sure, the best of most good songs is built on a blues structure 🙂
sure, the Beatles were the first big pop-star boy band.
and, I don’t even say that in a mean way; like I said, I enjoy their music. the only negative connotation that comes from it are all the people trying to replicate their act.
I guess it’s still too vague to me what mish-mash of critical success, commercial success, and adamance of the fanbase makes one “highly rated”. Radiohead has more than their fair share of critical success, and a fanbase that seems to be willing to shed blood for them. But how widespread is their popularity? I generally don’t know. Does a highly loyal and incredibly vocal fanbase make one overrated? They seem like the Carlos Santana (the Indians one) of music. A loyal group of supporters that will fight to the death about how great they are, but most people are just like “eh, whatever”.
This is a gut feeling exercise, not a scientific experiment. Go with your gut.
No doubt Casablanca is not Casablanca without Bogie, but don’t do injustice to Rains and Bergman. Maltese Falcon, African Queen, meh……
Rick is arguably the coolest movie character ever, but Rains is equally cool, and Ingrid is adorable.
Now that you mention it, I think there may have been some infusion of a clawing kids tune mixed in the rotation. I’ll have to ask a friend of mine that was there (but not “really” there). Cool side note: “Allegedly,” you could stand right by the speaker and not hear a thing, but the noise inside the compound was said to be roughly equivalent to a jet engine.
African Queen = meh? Dude …
That song was a major piece in re-defining what popuar music meant, from your staright A-B-A-A pop diddies. That song was a rollicking mess that resonated and showed American audiences were thirsty for something more.
It’s up there with Good Vibrations in helping redefine American popular music from an artist vs studio/radio perspective.
I dont get this larger request that the drummer had to become some prolific recording artist to validate himself as one of the Beatles. He’s widely acclaimed for his skills on the kit. He’s played with everybody who’s anybody in session work.
For example, listen to his drumming on Wildflowers for Tom Petty, it’s clearly better than anything Stan Lynch or Steve Ferrone ever did on the drums. And it’s understated.
sorry work has been hell. I tried to chime in now
Wasnt this a blog praising Prince last week. Guy did more for trying to protect his legacy by limiting digiital reproduction and was widely praised for it…
Yeah, I don’t deny that it’s a fascinating sound-scape, I just find the lyrics excessively mean-spirited and not all that profound.
Ringo played the drums on Wildflowers? /Mindblown
I’ve played in a few Beatles cover bands. In both, the drummers came in w/ a low opinion of Ringo and left with deep admiration. He had a deft touch for finding parts that fit their songs – a consummate “glue guy”… let’s call him the Tristan Thompson of the Fab 4 🙂
He played on 8/9 tracks IIRC. Jeff Lynne produced it.
Actually, Rubin produced it but Lynne set up some of it for them. He kinda helped guide a lot of it. George Harrison helped set up Petty’s move to the new label.
awesome !!! … we have more musicians in the WFNY fraternity. i know ROBERT SASS is a sax player … NORV TURNER is a guitar player … i play guitar & sing vocal harmonies … we almost have enough for a full band. do you play guitar ?
i’m interested to know if you guys wore costumes & tried to look the part , or just concentrated on the music ? … do you know who galeazzo frudua is ?? he has lessons on all the Beatles vocal harmonies on YouTube … he is amazing. he also plays in a Beatles tribute band the Vergas … they have an amazing cover of “if i fell” on YouTube … check it out.
my favorite cover band is Get The Led Out … instead of 4 guys looking the part of Zep , they have as many as 6 people up on stage to make sure they can accurately replicate the studio music … they are coming to Toledo in July & i will be there again … go see them if you get a chance , it is worth it.
Nice! I’ll play rhythm guitar in the WFNY Magical Mystery Tour!
Our group has just done covers – not quite good enough to be a tribute band and dress the part. We’ve ranged from 4-6 band members, with over 4 allowing for a full-time keyboard player who can help reproduce the sophisticated studio productions of their later albums.
Do I know Galeazzo Frudua? The guy has basically (indirectly) taught me how to sing harmonies! I’m very much indebted to his work on youtube, and love his passion for Beatles music.
Have heard of Get the Led Out and there on my list. Really love Zeppelin’s work, and I appreciate the cover band’s attention to detail.
awesome … i am currently in a cover band in Toledo, Oh. playing acoustic/unplugged classic rock with a full band … i still love it with a passion … good luck with your playing HUM.