The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Film of the Week!

As is my usual custom, I've found myself over the last few weeks watching horror movies to celebrate Hallowe'en.  While I've always been partial to the "monster" movies that Universal Studios produced in the 1930s and 1940s (particularly Dracula and Frankenstein), I found myself this year gravitating toward films that weren't necessarily scary, but just kind of spooky and humourous (like The Addams Family).

The other night, I pulled a DVD off the shelf that I have to confess I had not watched in at least 15 years, maybe even 20.  To call it a B-movie would almost be insulting to B-movies.  It's more like a D- or even an E-movie.

In the nearly 70 years since its initial release, it has garnered a devoted cult following and could possibly be described as being "so bad, it's good."  And I will admit that, watching it again, I found it hard to look away.  The writing, the acting, the delivery of the dialogue--it's just awful!  But, strangely, it's still kind of enjoyable to watch.  I may have to watch it more regularly.

What really fascinates me is how the film actually came about.  Writer/director/producer Edward D. Wood Jr. shot some random footage of Bela Lugosi.  He didn't initially know what he was going to do with it.  When Lugosi died in 1956, Wood took the footage and decided to make a movie around it as a final tribute to his now legendary friend.  The story involved an alien invasion and the raising of the dead.

Wood had an extraordinarily limited budget to make the movie--and it shows.  In some shots of the flying saucers, you can actually see the strings suspending them.  Cemetery tombstones were constructed of styrofoam.  In one scene, an actor accidentally knocked one over and, if you look carefully, you can even see it being put back in place.  I'm pretty sure at one point I even saw them swaying in the breeze.

And yet, somehow, against all odds, this film endures.

In 1994, Tim Burton released a movie about the making of this week's film starring Johnny Depp as Wood and Martin Landau as Lugosi.  (The cast also included Sarah Jessica Parker, Bill Murray, Patricia Arquette, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeffrey Jones, Lisa Marie, and George "The Animal" Steele.  Burton even got a few cast members from the original movie to make cameo appearances.)   If you're a fan of irony like I am, it's worth noting that that movie--Ed Wood--a movie about a notoriously bad movie actually went on to win two Academy Awards--Best Makeup and Best Supporting Actor for Landau's performance as Lugosi.

In hindsight, I can't believe I enjoyed the movie as much as I did--certainly more than I remember enjoying it in the past.  Consequently, I feel compelled to recommend it this week, specifically for Hallowe'en.  Originally released in 1957, this week, please enjoy what may be the original cult classic and what some claim is the worst movie ever made, Plan 9 From Outer Space.

As I stated in my album "sermon" I'll be taking a couple of weeks off.  Until I return, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill 

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Album of the Week! (Such As It Is...)

Elwood Blues (played by Dan Aykroyd): What kind of music do you usually have here?

Claire the Barmaid (played by Sheilah Wells):  Oh, we got both kinds.  We got country AND western!

--from The Blues Brothers (1980)

While the above dialogue was meant as a joke--and I did take it as one, one of the best in the movie--I'm also just dorky enough to make a distinction between country and western music.  For much of my youth, I didn't particularly like country music.  I used to joke that I had an allergy to it.  But I've always loved western music.  I'm a sucker for singing cowboys--Tex Ritter, Roy Rogers, The Sons of the Pioneers, Gene Autry (my personal favourite)--they remind me of my grandfather.

This week's album is not technically a full album--which I feel is a tragedy in and of itself--but I found myself listening to it a few times over the last couple of days.

As you're probably aware, we lost the great Patrick Stewart this past week at the age of 86.  (I'm sure that the premiere of Avengers: Doomsday in December will be an emotional experience.  I've already asked my friend how many boxes of tissue I should bring.)  A classically trained Shakespearean actor, Stewart became famous in this country for playing not one but two iconic characters--Captain Jean-Luc Picard on TV's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and Professor Xavier in the X-Men franchise.

While a lot of more "serious" actors apparently  tended to look down on him for going to Hollywood and starring on TV, Stewart always seemed proud of his work, regardless of what he was doing.  Throughout his life, he continued to work in stage, film, and television, moving between each medium with apparent ease.  Somewhere in there, he also managed to give his time and money to a number of charitable causes, largely devoted to human rights and ending domestic violence.  And did I mention the regular readings of Shakespeare's sonnets that he posted to Facebook?

While he was probably best known for his more dramatic works, I always appreciated his gift for comedy.  From the overly snobbish maître d' of L'Idiot in L.A. Story (1991) to his voice work for Seth MacFarlane, Stewart wasn't afraid to be a bit silly from time to time, a lesson that he admitted he learned from his "Star Trek" castmates.

Some years back--and I can't remember if I stumbled upon it, or if someone sent me a link--I found a video ad for Stewart singing western cowboy songs.  While the ad made me laugh--it was reminiscent of those K-Tel ads of the 1970s and 1980s--I found the concept intriguing.  I even found it intriguing enough that I went to the advertised website at the end of the video to investigate more.  It indicated that the album was sold out at the moment, but I could get a five-song sampler, which I did.

(The website, incidentally, no longer exists.) 

I later read that there was no actual album.  There was only that sampler and the proceeds went to charity.  The whole thing was a bit of a practical joke that doubled as a philanthropic fundraiser.  Mad props to P. Stew on that one!

As much as I enjoyed the five songs that were on that sampler, I would have really appreciated a whole album.  Some of my favourite western songs, like "Rawhide" and "Ghost Riders in the Sky," were only featured in that initial ad and were sadly not on the CD.  I would have loved to have heard him do those songs in their entirety.  I've even found myself over the last couple of days wondering how "Blood on the Saddle" would have sounded if it had been sung in Stewart's distinctive baritone.

In spite of that, that sampler still brings me a lot of joy every time I listen to it.  It's both comical and... really freaking good.  And even though the tracks are, for some reason, presented out of order, * this week, please enjoy Sir Patrick Stewart's Cowboy Classics Sampler.

I'll be taking the next couple of weeks off for a much needed vacation.  Until I return, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that at this time tomorrow, it'll be an hour earlier than it is right now.  #RepealDaylightSavingTime

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill 

 

* Proper song order:

1.  Buttons and Bows

2.  Don't Fence Me In

3.  Ringo

4.  I'm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande) - featuring Sunny Ozell

5.  Here Comes Santa Claus 

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Film of the Week!

This week's film is one that I like to think I've outgrown.  The thing about outgrowing something--or even just growing up--is that, in my opinion, it should not be done completely.  There is hopefully, after all, some positive element in something you've outgrown that you were initially drawn to and want to hold on to and remember in perpetuity.  Consequently, I think it's important to revisit certain things to remember and even reinforce those positive elements.

I often refer to this film and the novel on which it was based in these weekly rantings (check out this week's Album "sermon" if you don't believe me).  When the movie came out in the spring of 2000, I have to say that I don't think I had ever identified with a protagonist more.  I still do in many respects.  The book then became one of my favourite novels.

A friend of mine who also identified with it when he was younger--possibly even more than me--told me he had recently re-watched it and couldn't believe that at one point he actually wanted to be that character.   After all, he's cranky, a bit of a jerk, self-centered, and immature.  When I think about it, I don't think I ever particularly wanted to be that character--I just was that character... to a point.

Rob Gordon is a pop culture geek and compulsive list maker who owns a record store and has a great deal of relationship drama, much of which he caused.  Throughout the movie, we get to see Rob stumble along somewhat blindly trying to sort it all out.

Even though my friend may not agree, I'll defend Rob.  Not for the egregious things he did to screw everything up--he even agrees with his ex's friend that he's a "fucking asshole"--but because he acknowledges it and makes a genuine effort to be a better person.  I honestly think that by the end of the film Rob has matured considerably and is a better person than he was at the beginning.  But I also like to think that even though he was able to sort out his relationship issues, he was able to hold on to all the things--like the pop culture geek stuff and compulsive list-making--that made me identify with him in the first place.  And it's those elements that I still like to revisit from time to time--primarily because I also share them.

And while I've certainly had my share of relationship drama--I'm pretty sure we all have--I hope I'm not now and never was as screwed up as Rob.  In the 26 years since the movie came out, I like to think I'm also a bit more mature than I was then, and I hope I never was the "fucking asshole" Rob was.  Certainly age and the passage of time have caused me to alter my perspective on a lot of things.

John Cusack stars in the film as Rob.  He also co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay with Steve Pink and D.V. DeVincentis, based on the novel by Nick Hornby.  (A couple of key details were altered from the book--namely Rob's last name was changed from Fleming to Gordon and the action was moved from London to Chicago.)

Directed by Stephen Frears, the film co-stars Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Joan Cusack (John's sister), Iben Hjejle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Lili Taylor, and Tim Robbins.  This week, please enjoy High Fidelity.

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Album of the Week!

I could go into a whole long screed about this week's album (originally released in 1966), why I like it, why it might be Bob Dylan's masterpiece, but you probably already know all that.  Instead, I think that the character of Barry (played by Jack Black) said it best in the movie High Fidelity when he said, "You don't have it?  That is perverse.  Don't tell anybody you don't own fucking Blonde on Blonde."

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that it's gonna be okay. (Virtual hug.)

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents a Bonus Album of the Week! (One From the Vault!)

I stumbled upon this earlier today.  It's the very first Album of the Week "sermon" I ever wrote, posted to Facebook on this date in 2019.  Looking back on it now, I'm surprised at how little I rambled--to be fair, my commentary today isn't as limited as I initially wanted these to be.  What can I say?  Verbosity has always been my strong suit.  I also hadn't come up with my traditional sign-off at that point.  Enjoy!

 

I used to email friends and family a song every week with some commentary about what was going on in the world (or at least my own little corner of it). Many of you probably remember this. I stopped doing that after Dad died because I felt I'd run out of things to say. A lot of people have told me how much they miss that, so I'm going to try something new. Each week (or nearly every week--I'm sure I'll forget to do this once in awhile), I'll recommend an entire album. Commentary will be limited to the album itself and will offer no real reflection on the outside world. To kick it off this week:

 

There is a new biography about Janis Joplin by Holly George-Warren. The book is simply titled "Janis." While reading reviews, I got the urge to listen to the one album of Janis's that is often overlooked. It was not a big hit and even Janis herself apparently had to convince herself she was not a failure as a solo artist.

 

Released in 1969, I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! was Janis just starting out as a solo act after leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company with whom she'd established fame the previous year. Fifty years on, I still don't think it gets the recognition it deserves. I listened to it again this afternoon. Two things stand out to me. Firstly the horns. They wouldn't have worked in the songs she sang with Big Brother. But also her singing, which, depending on whether you're a fan or a critic, is either deeply soulful or it sounds like a cat in heat with laryngitis. I forgot how much I particularly enjoyed the track "As Good As You've Been To This World." Her version of Nina Simone's "Little Girl Blue" actually had me in tears. I mean literally sobbing. As sublime a vocalist as Simone was--and Janis would agree with me on that point--her version never did that to me. Come to think of it, neither did Janis's version until today.

 

I often describe Janis's singing as "soulful ferocity" (my term--copyright pending). The only other person to whom I apply that description is Joe Cocker.

 

Feel free to enjoy and discuss.

 

Yours always,

The Reverend Will the Thrill

 

 

 

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Film of the Week!

This past week marked an important anniversary in many of our childhoods.  It was 100 years ago, on 14 October, 1926, that author A.A. Milne published his first collection of stories in the UK, featuring Edward Bear, or, as he became known to children the world over, Winnie the Pooh.

Milne began writing the stories after his son, Christopher Robin Milne, received a stuffed bear for his birthday.  The elder Milne began writing stories about Pooh and his menagerie of friends including Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit, Kanga, and Roo and all of their wonderful misadventures with Christopher Robin in the Hundred Acre Wood.

Milne wrote only one other collection of Pooh stories in 1928, The House at Pooh Corner.  However, Pooh's legacy has lived on through the works of many other authors.  In 1961, in what's become the fate of so many classic childhood stories, the rights were purchased by the Walt Disney Company.  Like so many people today, this is the image of Pooh that I grew up with.  Those images were everywhere when I was a kid--storybooks, colouring books, stuffed toys, even stickers that later decorated Susan Tedeschi's guitar.  I remember vividly watching educational film strips in elementary school in a series called "Winnie the Pooh and the Right Thing to Do."  (I even developed what I thought was a pretty decent impression of Piglet.)

Eventually, though, children grow up.  I did... well, maybe not up, but certainly older.  And even though it was never documented in the stories, I assume Christopher Robin did as well.

I'm one of those odd people who wonders where certain fictional characters I grew up with are today.  Depending on when certain stories took place, there's a good chance they would not even be alive today.  Let's be honest, if Winnie the Pooh was first published a century ago, Christopher Robin would be older than that.  Even the real Christopher Robin died in 1996.  But one can't help but wonder what some of these characters grew into.  This week's film attempts to shed some light on that.

Set sometime after World War II, Christopher Robin (played by Ewan McGregor) is all grown up with a wife (Hayley Atwell) and a daughter (Bronte Carmichael) and even a grown-up job.  Christopher works for a luggage manufacturer and has been assigned by his boss (Mark Gattis) to spend the weekend cutting costs--and probably some employees--instead of spending it with his wife and daughter.

Clearly distraught and unsure of how to proceed, he is confronted and comforted by his old friends from the Hundred Acre Wood.  Together they help Christopher solve his problems--both professionally and personally--and help him get back to his wife and daughter.

Released in 2018, the film was written by Alex Ross Perry, Tom McCarthy, and Allison Schroeder (from a story by Greg Brooker and Mark Steven Johnson), and was directed by Marc Forster.  Featuring the voices of Jim Cummings (Pooh and Tigger), Brad Garrett (Eeyore), Nick Mohammed (Piglet), Peter Capaldi (Owl), Sophie Okonedo (Kanga), Sara Sheen (Roo), and Toby Jones (Owl), please enjoy Christopher Robin.

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill

The Reverend Will the Thrill Presents the Album of the Week!

I find it interesting how frequently--especially at my age--I get asked what my favourite colour is.  It does feel like something one would ask a grade-schooler.  Although, to be honest with you, I still enjoy answering those kinds of questions.

For the record, just to satisfy everyone's curiosity, my favourite colour has always been blue and the varying shades in which it can present itself.  From the time I was little, I've always found it very soothing.  But, as I got older, I realized that blue is not just a colour.  It's a mood, a state of mind, and an amazing style of music.  The really cool part is that the music can actually relieve the mood and state of mind.  Blue is nothing if not versatile.

I've always loved the blues--the music--just for the simple fact that it's the basis for so many other styles of music.  Jazz, rock, R&B, soul, rap, and hip-hop all have their roots in the blues.

I've been listening to quite a bit of blues music lately.  I tend to be a bit reflective and blues-leaning at this time of year.  I don't know what necessarily causes it.  It could be the changing of the leaves, the dropping of the temperatures.  I may just be sensitive to certain anniversaries, good and bad, that occur at this time of the year.  In fact, I'm still convinced that today, 17 October, is the anniversary of something obscure that only means something to me, but I can't remember what.  (I actually thought it might be the Saturday Night Massacre of 1973, but that occurred on 20 October.)

As much as I do love the music of John Lee Hooker--my go-to artist when I need to hear the blues--sometimes you need to switch things up a bit.  I pulled this week's album off the shelf a couple weeks ago and have found myself returning to it quite a bit since.

I first became aware of this album when I worked at Barnes & Noble.  I had not yet become the manager of the music department, but I spent a lot of time there during my lunch breaks.  At the time, we had a "listening wall" where you could check out select titles the company was featuring.  This album happened to be among those on the wall.

I don't know why I decided to check that one out specifically, but I did.  I was immediately taken with both the artist's guitar playing as well as her voice, which sounded as if Janis Joplin had come back from the grave.  (In fact, she was born one month after Joplin died.)

I began to look at the cover, which featured her posing with her guitar.  I was quite amused by the Winnie the Pooh stickers that adorned her instrument.  But then, something else caught my attention--what appeared to be a familiar-looking signature scrawled at the bottom.  When I looked closer, I realized that blues legend Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown had autographed her guitar.  Even though she and I have never met, I felt an immediate bond with her as I also have Brown's autograph on a picture and ticket stub from a show in 1997.  It still hangs proudly on the wall in my music room.

I fell in love with that album and to this day, it's still my favourite of hers.  About a year later, the day before I officially became the Barnes & Noble music department manager, I had the distinct pleasure of seeing her perform live at the first Indianapolis Jazz and Blues Festival in the summer of 1999.  It still ranks as one of the best live performances I have ever seen.

Originally released in February of 1998, this week, please enjoy Susan Tedeschi's second album, Just Won't Burn.  (The enclosed link is for the expanded edition released in 2023 for the album's 25th anniversary.)

Until next week, stay safe, be good to your neighbours, and please remember that if at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

Yours in peace, love, and rock 'n' roll!

The Reverend Will the Thrill