David Bowie Discusses Ziggy Stardust, Animated

In Blank on Blank‘s latest animated video, PBS Digital Videos artists animate a 1988 interview Joe Smith did with David Bowie. In the interview, Bowie discusses his Ziggy Stardust persona (“half out of sci-fi rock and half out of the Japanese theater”) and recounts working with other artists like Lou Reed. Check it out.

Johnny Cash fans should check out our recent post on another Blank on Blank video animating a Johnny Cash interview. For more about the Bowie interview, head over to Rolling Stone.

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    Marty Brown Plays “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” in Hank Williams Studio

    Country singer Marty Brown recently stopped by Herzog Studios (E.T. Herzog Recording Company) in Cincinnati, Ohio where Hank Williams recorded some of his classic songs, including “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” in 1949. In tribute to Hank, Marty Brown sits down at the piano Williams used and sings “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

    The performance is priceless, and Brown throws in some history lessons too. Check out the video.

    For updates on Marty Brown shows, check out his website.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    What Happens When Kids Try to Use an Old Computer?

    kids and old computer
    For us old folks, it is easy sometimes to forget how much technology has changed in our lifetime. If you want to feel really old, watch some young whippersnappers react to a computer from around the late 1970s or early 1980s.

    It is amazing what we take for granted now, as shown by one of the kids being surprised that the floppy disk drive did not automatically suck in the disk or another kid wondering how to connect to the Internet. One compares the size of the computer to old TVs “that were kind of boxy.” Check out the funny video.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Rolling Stones and Springsteen Perform “Tumbling Dice”

    rolling stones springsteen
    The Rolling Stones introduced special guest Bruce Springsteen on Thursday at the Rock in Rio Lisboa music festival in Lisbon, Portugal. Together, the legends performed one of my favorite Stones songs, “Tumbling Dice,” from Exile on Main Street (1972). Check out the lively performance that shows old guys still can rock.

    Springsteen and the Stones had played “Tumbling Dice” together previously at the end of the British band’s 2012 tour in Newark, New Jersey. The only disappointing thing about the recent appearance is that they did not follow it up with Springsteen’s “Roll of the Dice” from Human Touch (1992) .

    But maybe Springsteen has been in the mood for dice songs lately, as he did perform the rarely played “Roll of the Dice” earlier this month on May 19 at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

    What great rock artists would you like to see perform together? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Godzilla Versus Ida (Short Reviews)

    Ida movie Polish Two movies in American theaters now illustrate completely different approaches to movie-making. Godzilla (2014) is a summer blockbuster that many will see as something to watch while eating popcorn, only to be forgotten the next day. One has to look around to find the other movie, Ida, a 2013 black and white film that makes no attempt to be the summer’s biggest movie while still having something to say. Both are enjoyable, but in different ways.

    Godzilla has garnered mostly positive reviews, and there is little need to summarize the story here. If you are interested in action and seeing things smashed, you will probably enjoy it even if you do not find the deeper meaning in the story about man’s attempts to mess with nature and nuclear power.

    Certainly, that deeper meaning and some excellent actors like Ken Watanabe and David Strathairn elevate the film somewhat above being just another Transformers movie. There are some human stories tucked in among the monsters, but I did not find that the filmmakers made those stories very compelling, as Steven Spielberg has done in movies like War of the Worlds (2005). I enjoyed the movie like I enjoy popcorn, but like the snack, it is not really a meal, no matter how you dress it up.

    By contrast, Ida is a black and white film in Polish set in the early 1960s about a woman raised in a convent who is about to become a nun. Before taking her vows, Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) goes to visit her earthy Aunt Wanda (Agneta Kulesza), who reveals to Anna that she is Jewish, that her name is Ida, and that her parents probably died during World War II. The odd couple then go on a journey to discover what happened to Ida’s parents.

    Director Pawel Pawlikowski uses no special effects, but he reveals something scarier than a giant monster while also offering something more honest and redeeming too. I was not blown away when I saw the quiet film, but it has lingered with me long after I have forgotten the story in Godzilla.


    Other Reviews Because Why Should You Trust Me?     Rotten Tomatoes gives Ida a high 95% critics rating and 81% audience rating, although the high numbers partly may be due to the fact that most movie-goers who sought out the movie knew they would like this type of film. Walter Addiego at SFGate says “Ida reminds you of what movies can be.” Rotten Tomatoes gives Godzilla a 73% critics rating and a 74% audience rating.

    What did you think of Godzilla and/or Ida? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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