As you (hopefully) already read, in my "Film of the Week" rant, I wrote about Catherine O'Hara and how much I enjoyed her work. I highlighted perhaps my favourite film of hers, 2003's A Mighty Wind. Given that the movie is essentially about music, one of the things that makes it work as well as it does is... well, the music.
And the main reason that the music works as well as it does in this film is that it was performed by the actors in the film. Some of them even learned to play instruments specifically for the movie. The songs themselves, although they sound like folk tunes from the late 1950s and early 1960s, were also mostly written by those same actors who would later perform them. I was actually quite impressed with the end result and always enjoy seeing someone known for one thing (in this case acting) doing something else really well (in this case singing and writing songs). Many of the cast members actually did a brief tour in the late summer of 2003, performing in character, recreating their reunion concert from the end of the movie.
Michael McKean and his wife Annette O'Toole even received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow," which was sung by Mitch and Mickey in the movie. Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara performed the song in character at the 2004 Academy Awards ceremony which you can view here if you're so inclined.
This week, as a complement to the film and a tribute to the late, great Catherine O'Hara, please enjoy A Mighty Wind - The Album featuring songs from the movie. In addition, Mitch and Mickey also sing "The Ballad of Bobby and June" and The Folksmen perform both "Blood on the Coal" and a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up"--none of which are featured in the film.
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
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