I can't explain why I watched Heavy Metal this morning; I've put it off every other day since 1981. But it's been in my Netflix "Watch it Now" queue and after a long hot walk to the Farmer's Market, I came home, plopped down in my air-conditioned reading nook, and clicked "Play."
I've got nothing against ridiculously large breasts on top of weirdly small waists or movies in which every woman who comes on the screen faces the audience head on to disrobe and then dons dominatrix gear, but really, the movie stinks. The integration of music and action isn't very good and even in terms of retro animation it leaves a lot to be desired.
I remember seeing ads for the movie when it came out and hearing the Don Felder song on the radio all the time. The movie in my imagination was way cooler. In my version Taarna would have a better ride than a giant pigeon. Maybe that Corvette the astronaut in the first scene gets to drive?
I see that Wye Oak's new album --My Neighbor, My Creator -- is out, I should listen to it and see if I like it. Maybe I will do that tomorrow while I wait for my couch to be delivered. When I am not giving the peace sign and saying "Peace and Love, Peace and Love" like Ringo Starr has asked us all to do at noon in honor of his 70th birthday. Come on, you can do that for Ringo Starr, can't you? And while those indie rock sad sacks may not feel young, Ringo still does: he says he feels like he's 24.
This weekend I had one of the my best ever music experiences ... and a lot of fun. I took Amtrak up to Milwaukee, checked myself into a hotel on Wisconsin Avenue, and walked to Summerfest where I people watched (lots of Rush t-shirts), drank beer, ate several kinds of food that was dipped in, brushed or fried in butter/oil. And I saw Levon Helm.
In addition to the expected old geezer crowd there were two kids in front of me (maybe they were 17?) who were so excited to be there. They kept jumping, yelling "Oh My God" and hugging each other at the beginning of each song. I'm not great at memorizing set lists (unlike my Grateful Dead and Phish following friends) so I can't remember exactly what songs and in what order things were played, It was a real treat for anyone who loves The Band though.
They opened with Ophelia and then did The Shape I'm In. I know Long Black Veil was in there before they went off into Deep Elum Blues and Tennessee Jed. In the middle somewhere they definitely played It Makes No Difference and toward the end we heard The Weight. There was an incredible encore of I Shall Be Released.
You can't go back in time. It's not 1976 and far from being Winterland it was Summerfest. So many Band songs could have made the show a lame and cheesy substitute for a time past. Instead, it was a different but incredibly talented group of musicians playing music I love. Larry Campbell and Brian Mitchell were great.
Rick Danko is always going to be my favorite-favorite but Levon Helm is my other favorite-favorite.
