Sunday, February 13, 2005
I got 1,500 words, links and illustrations, all on the spike, but breaking news isn't what Outside Counsel is about on this story, so for now, a movie review.
"Festival Express" is exactly the sort of thing I had in mind when we signed up for Netflix-- and about as far from what everyone else in my household was thinking of as you can imagine. First and foremost, whoever did the editing on this deserves huge credit-- I have never seen a better put together rock'n'roll documentary, and I have to believe that the raw film was a catastrophe. The say if you can remember the 60's you weren't there-- but this makes a lot of things clear, and it does it in a spontaneous way that adds verisimilitude to what has become hagiographic received wisdom.
For example, Janis Joplin. You know, we've all seen a lot of footage about Janis, but this is some of the best. Really, she was that good. So was The Band-- they got tiresome, as avatars of some sort of authentic rock'n'roll quality, but they were pretty terrific, even if they were about as ugly as it is possible to be and still be allowed outside. Robbie Robertson can't sing a lick, either.
Sha Na Na? WTF?
The Grateful Dead is just something I will never understand. The Band is uglier, but required fewer drummers. The movie makes it clear that they were world-class partiers, and maybe that accounts for it-- otherwise I am still at a loss.
And hey! Buddy Guy! All you have to do when you're a black guy is be five times the musician, and hang in there for thirty extra years. Sounded as great in 1970 as he does today, and as he will 30 years from now.
What else can we learn from this fine movie? Even Canadian hippies were skanky. The women were chunky, and the guys all looked like they avoided both the gym and the shower. When they got going, the great bands of the 60's were better than I usually give them credit for. There is terrific stage footage here, and the jams on the train make you wish for more. (I have a feeling that Buddy Guy's band out partied the white folk, and showed up at show time ready for more, but there is less of them than I'd wish for.) Damn shame that the promoters weren't able to get this out there at the time-- I'm sure they got creamed on the money end, and this could have really made a difference. Wow, they were all so young.
Worth seeing.
"Festival Express" is exactly the sort of thing I had in mind when we signed up for Netflix-- and about as far from what everyone else in my household was thinking of as you can imagine. First and foremost, whoever did the editing on this deserves huge credit-- I have never seen a better put together rock'n'roll documentary, and I have to believe that the raw film was a catastrophe. The say if you can remember the 60's you weren't there-- but this makes a lot of things clear, and it does it in a spontaneous way that adds verisimilitude to what has become hagiographic received wisdom.
For example, Janis Joplin. You know, we've all seen a lot of footage about Janis, but this is some of the best. Really, she was that good. So was The Band-- they got tiresome, as avatars of some sort of authentic rock'n'roll quality, but they were pretty terrific, even if they were about as ugly as it is possible to be and still be allowed outside. Robbie Robertson can't sing a lick, either.
Sha Na Na? WTF?
The Grateful Dead is just something I will never understand. The Band is uglier, but required fewer drummers. The movie makes it clear that they were world-class partiers, and maybe that accounts for it-- otherwise I am still at a loss.
And hey! Buddy Guy! All you have to do when you're a black guy is be five times the musician, and hang in there for thirty extra years. Sounded as great in 1970 as he does today, and as he will 30 years from now.
What else can we learn from this fine movie? Even Canadian hippies were skanky. The women were chunky, and the guys all looked like they avoided both the gym and the shower. When they got going, the great bands of the 60's were better than I usually give them credit for. There is terrific stage footage here, and the jams on the train make you wish for more. (I have a feeling that Buddy Guy's band out partied the white folk, and showed up at show time ready for more, but there is less of them than I'd wish for.) Damn shame that the promoters weren't able to get this out there at the time-- I'm sure they got creamed on the money end, and this could have really made a difference. Wow, they were all so young.
Worth seeing.
// posted by Bill @ 1:01 AM 
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