Yeah,I know: Another clip job. What can I say? Things have been kinda touch-and-go here in the real world, in areas that don't need to be discussed in this space, and, well, who doesn't love music? I know I do! (He said with all the fake enthusiasm he could muster.)
Yesterday, as I threatened to geek out over all things John Williams-related to a friend of mine, she brought me up short by saying, "I think everything he does sounds alike." Well, sure, when he's in full blockbuster mode--even I have to admit his score for Superman is one of the laziest things ever written.
But there's always Star Wars, dammit. The soundtrack for the 1977 original is probably the most-played album I've ever owned in my life. It was a gateway drug to me, to the world of classical music, but also to contemporary film scores. Without it, I'd never have discovered Ennio Morricone, and my life would be meaningless.
But back to John Williams--Star Wars aside, there's his hilarious score for Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye, his intentional self-parody for 1941, his atypically jazzy music for Catch Me If You Can...and this, my favorite Williams score, for Brian DePalma's irresistably trashy The Fury. This was another LP I wore out the grooves on.
Speaking of things that can make me geek out: Marshall Crenshaw, ladies and gentlemen!
Finally, it is of course St. Patrick's Day, and I figure I should do something to acknowledge it. Honestly, though, why aren't people of Irish descent loudly complaining about how we celebrate the holiday? Here's how we pay tribute to your culture, Ireland: By wearing green and getting piss drunk. You're welcome.
Anyway, if you must celebrate, you should do so by reading James Joyce's The Dead, nothing less than the greatest story ever written in the English language. Or you could just watch The Swedish Chef, Animal and Beaker sing Danny Boy. This clip from The Muppet Show makes the rounds every year around this time, and no matter how many times I see it, I still laugh. Loudly.
