Van’s Bob Dylan Blues

I had the honor of visiting Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Bob Dylan Center https://bobdylancenter.com/ during the past year, which I thoroughly enjoyed. During said trip, I answered an interactive question…What’s your favorite Bob Dylan song? Talk about a loaded question!

I officially went with “Leopard Skin Pill Box Hat.” The title alone makes me smile, but there are plenty of others in the running. My personal preference is on the bluesy side. I think “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” is a safe choice. I heard that for the first time when I rented a VHS tape of George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh. Another personal favorite of mine is “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.” I would be hard pressed to find a better version than the one featuring Van Morrison in the group Them.

I like the bass guitar intro and the instrumentation on it…like the sad sounding organ …not to mention Van Morrison on lead vocals. I’m guessing I heard the Them version on a Van Morrison collection. The original Dylan version from “Bringing It All Back Home” is more sparse as it’s just Bob’s nasal shout, acoustic guitar, and harmonica. However, you have to give Dylan credit for the lyrics and chord changes. I also found an alternate take.

As far as I can tell, this song has been recorded over 100 times so you have lots of choices: Grateful Dead, Marianne Faithful, Joan Baez, Link Wray, The Byrds, and Echo & The Bunnymen. If you’d like to test some obscure waters, check out the version by a guy named Leroy Van Dyke. Van Dyke is best known for his oddball country song called “The Auctioneer.” There’s also a heavier take on it from 13th Floor Elevators.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

South Boston, Survival, & Nietzsche

Film gives a certain romance to different cities and neighborhoods. You have places like Brooklyn, The Bronx, various Chinatowns…you get the idea. South Boston is no exception. I’ve seen a few films where this area is the setting: Good Will Hunting, Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River, and The Town. I’ve never been there, but it’s usually portrayed as a tough, gritty neighborhood with its fair share of working class Irish and no shortage of crime.

This brings me to the 2008 film “What Doesn’t Kill You”, which was directed by Brian Goodman. (Goodman also has a supporting role in the film. You’ll probably recognize Goodman’s face and voice from various films like The Castle. Apparently, the film is loosely based on Goodman’s own life. ) It stars Ethan Hawke and Mark Ruffalo as two tough South Boston street survivors…or criminals if you prefer. They’re involved in robbing drug dealers, stealing stuff off the back of trucks and the like. They struggle with finances, addictions, relationships, and divided loyalties. All of the aforementioned actors are convincing as tough guys.

I heard a raw, rockin’ song in the background of this film and had to find out more. The song called “Help Me Baby” was recorded by a band called The Bossmen, and featured a guy named Dick Wagner.

Wagner went on to play guitar with musicians like Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, and even filled in for KISS guitarist Ace Frehley on some tracks. Apparently, The Bossmen were from Michigan (https://michiganrockandrolllegends.com/index.php/mrrl-hall-of-fame/420-bossmen-2 ) and not South Boston, but the music seems to fit anyway.

Other names you might recognize in the film include Amanda Peet and Donnie Wahlberg. Wahlberg shares a writing credit with Brian Goodman and Paul T. Murray. If you like tough, gritty films, I recommend it.

By the way, the title of the film is a reference to Friederich Nietzsche if you want to get all German-philosophical about it. It’s from his book Twilight of the Idols, or, How to Philosophize with a Hammer. I wonder if he would have liked South Boston.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Maniacal Moodies

When you mention the band The Moody Blues, what’s the first thing that pops into your mind? For me, I always remember a lot of radio guys I worked with were into them so I guess that gave them some credibility. I was never really a superfan myself, but caught myself trying to remember some crazy poem/song intro on one of their albums. It turns out the composition is called “Departure” and was written by their drummer Graeme Edge.

It actually leads into the upbeat rocker “Ride My See Saw” on the album “In Search of the Lost Chord.”

“Ride My See Saw” written by Moodies bassist John Lodge. I looked it up and the song’s tempo is pretty fast — 158 BPM (beats per minute). I’m surprised I couldn’t find more drum covers on YouTube.

I couldn’t find any isolated drums only tracks of this song, but that’s life. They’re obviously a big part of this song. I also think some guitar licks remind me of The Byrds a little bit…maybe an Eastern flavored scale or something?

I can understand why not everyone is into The Moody Blues or “progressive rock” in general. It can be a little trippy, poetic, and/or pretentious. At least this song rocks. I owned the album “Days of Future Passed” which may warrant further review. Another thing is they put out some records on the “Deram” label and I think it says “Dream” every time I see it.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Bias & Bullock

In case nobody’s ever told you, we live in a biased world. We all have our personal preferences and tastes in everything from food to clothing, and movies to music. You may wind up biased for or against certain musicians because of what your sibling(s) like. This brings me to the subject of Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock). What’s the first thing that pops to mind when you mention her name? Legs…gritty voice…survivor…Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome….maybe all of those?

For me, I think of a specific place — the St. Louis Walk of Fame on Delmar Boulevard ( https://stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductee/tina-turner/ ) . Tina Turner was born in Tennessee, but moved to the Gateway City in Missouri following some family circumstances. I believe that’s where she met Ike Turner and began pursuing music as well. (I grew up in suburban STL.)

As for my personal bias, I’m a classic rocker and fan of The Beatles so I am sharing Tina Turner’s version of “Come Together” — originally on Abbey Road.

If I had to describe Tina Turner’s music, I might use words like funky, gritty, and soulful. Ike and Tina Tuner’s cover of “Proud Mary” is the obvious choice, so I can’t share that. Instead, I will mention the fact that many will never realize “Nutbush (Tennessee) City Limits” was written by Tina Turner — not Bob Seger. Ironically, she recorded “Fire Down Below” which, in fact, was written by Bob Seger.

I did a brief search for Tina Turner and Mick Jagger on YouTube and found this entertaining video of her being interviewed by David Letterman. After watching it, I’d have to say she was a pretty good sport.

I seem to remember Tina Turner performing with Mick Jagger at a big 80s event — I thought it was the Super Bowl, but I think it was actually Live Aid. She also recorded the Jagger-Richards tune “Honkytonk Women“, which is worth a listen.

If you have an interest in Tina Turner, I’d recommend the 1993 biopic “What’s Love Got to Do with It” starring Angela Bassett. Turner graduated from Sumner High School in St. Louis. To put it in perspective, Turner joins names like Chuck Berry and Albert King on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. That’s more than enough musical credibility for me.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Great Burton’s Ghost!

There are a few different definitions to choose from, but the term “hesher” is basically a derogatory term for heavy metal fan — you know, the die-hard, long-haired, bad attitude type of dude. I suppose the loud and aggressive music might be considered a lifestyle for some.

It’s also the name of an off the wall 2010 film directed by Spencer Susser. “Hesher” stars Devin Brochu as a scrappy middle school kid who is just trying to survive after the death of his mother. Through seemingly random circumstance, he bumps into Hesher — a heavy metal dude who has absolutely no filter and zero impulse control. Hesher is brilliantly played Jospeh Gordon-Levitt. Apparently, the late Metallica bass player Cliff Burton was a big stylistic influence on this character. One of the many metal songs on the soundtrack is “The Shortest Straw” by Metallica.

Hesher doesn’t have a subtle bone in his body.. .he just sort of drops into this kid’s world and stays there. For example, Hesher’s midriff tattoo is a stick figure man blowing his brains out. The tattoo on his back is a gigantic fist with its middle finger extended. If none of that interests you, the rest of the cast might — Natalie Portman plays a mousy cashier and Rainn Wilson plays the kid’s father.

There are a lot of angry, dysfunctional characters in this film, but they’re also very human. While I enjoy the drama and the characters, I will say this is not a film for the squeamish. I would consider survival and dealing with death two of the main themes of Hesher.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Fields & Bridges

I got an email today from a guitar website that the official transcription or arrangement of a song I requested had been posted. The aforementioned song is “Look on Down from the Bridge” by a band called Mazzy Star. I first heard this song while watching a movie called “Texas Killing Fields.” I suppose the song and the movie might both be described as dark.

I guess Mazzy Star had a hit called “Fade into You”, but this song and the band (now defunct) were both new to me. I saw them labelled as “dream pop.” Singer Hope Sandoval and guitarist David Roback seem to be listed as the songwriting team.

Getting back to the film, it’s hard to categorize, but based on a true story. I would call it an investigative cop drama with a bit of horror thrown into the mix. Apparently, lots of young women have gone into the “Texas Killing Fields” south of Houston, lots of bodies have been found there, but no one knows who is responsible. Wikipedia, describes it as a “25 acre patch of land in League City, Texas.” It’s close to some oil refineries, but is pretty desolate.

The 2011 film was directed by Ami Canaan Mann and has an outstanding cast. Some of the law enforcement officers are played by Sam Worthington, Jessica Chastain, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Other characters are played by notable names like Sheryl Lee (A.K.A .Laura Palmer), Chloë Grace Moretz, and Stephen Graham. There are definitely some memorable characters in this film.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Escape from Bushwick

I stumbled across an interesting movie called “Bushwick” (2017) on the Tubi network. For the record, I think the description of it mentioned Texas seceding from the union, but it’s set in present day New York. The film opens as a twentysomething girl next door is trying to hop on the subway with her fiancee’ and then explosions, gunfire, and the like suddenly erupt. I recognized the actress, but had to look up her name. It turns out Brittany Snow was the young lady who played Meg Pryor on the NBC program called “American Dreams.” (She defied her father to dance on American Bandstand. I should have recognized her rebelliousness.) As the film unfolds she finds herself trying to survive with the help of an ex-soldier turned janitor played by Dave Bautista, who’s pretty badass. He has at least one really good smackdown scene.

“Bushwick” reminds me of end of the world epics like “Independence Day” and “War of the Worlds” blended with “Escape from New York” and “The Warriors.” I’m sure the NYC setting is part of it, but the synth music reminded me of the 70s-80s era as well. Apparently, the soundtrack was done by rapper Aesop Rock.

I liked the Aesop Rock song called “New Yule”, but couldn’t seem to find it on YouTube for whatever reason. Getting back to the film, it throws you right into the action. Some might say there isn’t a ton of character development, but I think the whole survival vibe overrules the need for it. There’s plenty of gunfire and some graphic injuries, but there are also subtexts about fear and racism in American society. Bushwick was written and directed by Johnathan Milott and Cary Murnion. The screenplay credits go to Nick Damici and Graham Reznick.

I suppose the biggest difference between the year 1996 (when “Independence Day” was released) and now is we know Will Smith WON’T be saving the world.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Men’s Musical Hair: A Battle Royal

You know I recently posted a video of Johnny Rivers performing on Marty Stuart’s show and it got me thinking. “Man, Marty Stuart really has a great head of hair.” It’s long, it’s tall, it’s thick, and it’s always styled. That begs the even bigger question — Could Marty Stuart have the all-time best men’s hair in musical history? I mean there’s no shortage of competition, but who has better hair than him?

When you think of musicians’ hairstyles, Elvis Presley’s young look is absolutely iconic. You can buy a Halloween wig if you so desire. I think his main hairstyle is considered a pompadour, but then there’s also one called a quiff where the hair is absolutely massive on top. Ricky Nelson also rocked the pompadour to some success as did Little Richard. I wonder what the stock value on pomade is like these days?

If you skip ahead a few decades, Duran Duran had no shortage of hits and no shortage of hair envy. I don’t know what you officially call their hairstyles….purty? Simon Le Bon was the lead singer and MTV gave his mop plenty of airtime. I think the rest of the band was pretty glam as well, but I couldn’t tell you their names. Speaking of purty, I think Loverboy’s Mike Reno held his own in the hair department. Not to mention, he had the whole red headband thing happening before John Rambo and Kung Fury. I’d also have to give Graham Nash some credit in the hair department. Naturally, “Almost Cut My Hair” is the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young theme for this blog entry.

You know what else is ironic? Did anyone in the whole “hair metal” scene actually have good hair? I mean, sure it was long, but I don’t think Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider is in the running for any hair awards. Some of the lead singers of that time period might pop to mind… Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach or Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott . I feel like I’m reaching. Ratt’s Stephen Pearcy rocked his own thing with a headband to some success as well.

Obviously, you have to give The Beatles some credit in the hair department. They launched the whole long hair thing and The Rolling Stones followed suit. Of those two bands, did Brian Jones’ Goldilocks look come out on top? On the other hand, you had guys like Keith Richards, Rod Stewart, and Ronnie Wood who rocked the whole bedhead look. Going back to Goldilocks, I think Robert Plant took it to another level. Plus, he was simultaneously showing his chest hair most of the time, too. Does that count?

Wow, where do I stop? Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Lyle Lovett, David Bowie. So much hair, so little time.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Poor Side of Thumper

For whatever reason, I’ve watched this film called “Thumper” (2017) several times on the Tubi network. I would describe it as a gritty drama about a drug dealer and his younger high school minions. The film opens with a scene featuring Pablo Schreiber as the domineering, high strung, scare the sh*t out of you dope dealer. This dude is big, bald, bearded, tattooed, and angry. The description of the film on imdb.com is “Teens in a low income neighborhood are lured into working for a violent and dangerous drug dealer. When a new girl harboring a dark secret arrives in town, their relationship jeopardizes everything.” In keeping with the theme, I’m including this acoustic-ish version of Johnny Rivers’ “Poor Side of Town”. It’s not in the film, but it seems appropriate.

Personally, I prefer this version to the over-the-top strings on the original. (Rivers and Lou Adler co-wrote the song.)

Getting back to the film, I think “Thumper” is appealing, in part, because of the cast. Aussie Daniel Webber plays protagonist Beaver who is a teen just trying to survive. (Webber played Vince Neil in the recent Mötley Crüe film “The Dirt.”) His buddy Tony is an obnoxious, Steve Stifler-esque, student (played by Grant Harvey) who works for the aforementioned drug dealer. They hang out and drink beer while Beaver chases after attractive new girl Kat (played by Eliza Taylor) and deal with other typical high school girls.

Another reason why Thumper appeals to me is, as a viewer, it makes you sweat because of the situations these characters get themselves into. On the one hand, you empathize with them. On the other hand, you think they’re living in denial. It’s not a black and white morality film. There are definitely shades of gray. You get to see glimpses of why the characters act the way they do.

“Thumper” was written and directed by Jordan Ross. It seems to only be getting about 60% approval or “like” ratings from audiences, but I would absolutely rate it higher. The pace of the film might be described as slow, but intense. I recommend it.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Crazy Dan Baird

After a sleep-deprived night, I needed something to perk me up. Maybe “rowdy” is the music I needed….so, for whatever reason, I searched YouTube for the Best of the Georgia Satellites. Most people might put them in the One Hit Wonder category thanks to the Redneck Rock Anthem “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.” Thanks to the video, singer-guitarist Dan Baird’s gap-toothed grin is forever etched in my mind.

I’m no super fan, but I think the GA Satellites could be labelled underappreciated. Maybe I just want to channel my inner redneck, but I think some of the songs Baird has written are pretty unique. I don’t remember hearing the song “Crazy” before today, but the lyrics cracked me up.

There are references to places like Istanbul and Rawalpindi, and some line about riding a six foot monkey. My favorite line is “Oscar Wilde and Rimbaud, would have changed their minds if they knew what I know.” Maybe Baird was channeling is inner Bob Dylan or his whole redneck vibe is deceiving. According to Wikipedia, Baird shares a songwriting credit with Gina Webb on this song from “In the Land of Salvation and Sin.”

Another thing I’ll say about Baird and the Georgia Satellites is they covered the obscure Beatles tune “Don’t Pass Me By” from the White Album. Ringo Starr wrote and sang lead on that one. They also covered some Creedence-John Fogerty tunes as well. I guess Baird and Company might best be described as rockin’, rowdy, rootsy, and redneck.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!