Discs of Forgotten Lands
“It takes a person of great care and insight to watch for any abnormality in the green grass even while it grows abundantly and healthily.”― Kenzaburō Ōe
Without running internet in the house, I pulled out our DVD player and plugged it back in to the television. Ah yes, a world without analog-driven antenna-grabbing television is a pointless world when your internet cable has been cut. Over the years, we have gotten rid of much of the DVD collection…still keeping the Marx Brothers catalog, all the Three Stooges shorts, and the classic Universal Horror films for a rainy day…or an unconnected one. I also dug through the CD drawer that I knew contained some DVDs, DVDs that had been handed to me over the years, and spent a late weekend night discovering what was on some of the haphazardly marked DVRs.
The first DVR I threw in featured the classic film, “The Land Where Blues Began,” by Alan Lomax, John Bishop and Worth Long. This is the quintessential film that documents the old blues players who were still alive in the 1970s, with Lomax narrating. It features known heavyweights like Sam Chatmon and Otha Turner but the best stuff is the performances and stories (the film examines the story telling culture of the South as well) by lesser known….in some cases virtually known…incredibly talented musicians. You can watch The Land Where Blues Began on the mighty Folkstreams.
The second film I had completely forgotten I owned, “American Magus”, looks at the life and mind of Harry Smith. Known for his defining “Anthology of American Folk Music,” Smith was also a philosopher…filmmaker…record collector…amateur anthropologist and more. Smith dabbled in so many fields, that to this day he remains a somewhat enigmatic character. The film, directed by Paola Igliori, is a non-linear look at his art, his theories, his overall idiosyncratic outlook on life. It is more of a mediation on Smith than a documentary, going in and out of interviews with artists and bohemians who knew him, giving insights on his methods and journeys, and the movies he directed. It features the great mystic of the lower East Side Lionel Ziprin and is meant for those who are willing to get lost in the types of deep discussions philosophizing on the Reality that Smith dedicated his life to exploring. He was truly an original. American Magus can be viewed on Youtube.
It looks like we wont be getting Internet back for at least a week. More time to watch random DVRs. Looks like I have a performance by Hermann Nitsch and another by Can’s Irmin Schmidt. Things could be worse.
Happy Monday!
Jerry Weber, beloved owner of Jerry's Records in Squirrel Hill, dies at 73
Jerry’s Records—what a store. I was staying in Pittsburgh for over a month working with Modey Lemon and went to Jerry’s many many times. You could just not get through the totality of records there. And Jerry was a great guy to talk to….a true good character in the world of record collecting. RIP.
50 years ago, 'Zoom' spoke to children about their real lives
The headline misses the story: Zoom seasons are now up and streamable on the web. I checked one out and the memories just poured in. The 70s were certainly a wonderful time to grow up in…and the experimentation around kids programing produced some crazy yet compelling shows. These zoom kids would have hung Barney by his toes. I wanna ZOOM-ZOOM-ZOOM-A-ZOOM.
The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr :: Nile Waves
“The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr’s Jazz, Jazz, Jazz. Originally released in 1980, and reissued in 2018 as the ninth installment of Habibi Funk’s brilliant excavation of Arabic music, the Sudanese jazz band ably dips into psychedelic rock, dance music and funk, employing brass, synths, and traditional rhythms to vibrant effect. Slithering and dangerously funky, “Nile Waves” is a sinister slice of instrumental cool.”
The Execution and Un-Execution Of Norman Mailer
I did not realize the controversy going on with Norman Mailer. So on his birthday (which is today) there seems to be no better time than to learn more about it…and how he might not have been such a great player in the world of literature….
Taking the stage with Marie Osmond
Long live the small indie local press where writers can still have space to get deep and personal with their readers about life experiences like…singing a duet with Marie Osmond. Thom Jennings has the local music scene beat for the Niagra Gazette and found himself onstage with Osmond after she had picked him out to join her for a cover of Patsy Cline’s Crazy: “People have asked me if Marie was as ‘down to Earth’ as her public persona, and she simply struck me as someone who has a zest for life and a love of people that is even more infectious in person. It was one of the ‘craziest’ experiences of my life.”
DREAMS
By: Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
I love this place. But it's "Pittsburgh" :-)