Jeff Pophistory

“The End of the Tour” Takes Us On a Thoughtful Ride (Short Review)

The End of the Tour (2015) recounts Rolling Stone magazine reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) accompanying the late writer David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel) on a five-day book tour in 1996. The movie, based on Lipsky’s memoir Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace, is a low-key fascinating meditation on several topics, illuminated by the clash of a literary genius with the reporter’s attempts to find a story.

Segel has received a lot of well-deserved praise for his sympathetic portrayal of Wallace, and Eisenberg also gives one of his best career performances. The main focus on the film is on the conversation of the two men. As in movies like My Dinner With Andre (1981), it is imperative that the actors engage us with the dialogue, and the actors pull it off, aided by director James Ponsoldt and screenwriter by Donald Margulies.

The effectiveness of the film depends not on major action and not even on a major revelation. Instead, the movie engages us as we listen and try to learn more about Wallace, the genius who wrote Infinite Jest. We do learn about Wallace, but the movie does not overshoot, staying anchored in Lipsky’s memoir where he only had five days of access to Wallace. But the movie features smart dialogue and is revealing, both about Wallace and about Lipsky, as we watch the reporter do what reporters do as they invade a person’s privacy.

Viewers do not need to know much about Wallace, who killed himself in 2008 (as revealed at the beginning of the movie). The film works on a number of levels and is entertaining to anyone seeking a thoughtful movie about an interesting man. But for fans and those interested in Wallace, the movie is especially revealing, as Segel’s portrayal allows us to feel we have Wallace back, even if for a short while. While there is no big revealing scene that tells us all we want to know about Wallace, the final shot of Wallace before the end credits is quite beautiful. There is an additional cute short scene after the main end credits (although one might have preferred that the director would have let the earlier final scene stand).

Conclusion? The End of the Tour is thoughtful entertainment for those who enjoy interesting conversation and can be satisfied with a well-made film that features no major action sequences or a surprise ending. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 92% critics rating and an 87% audience rating.

The End of the Tour Trivia: Fans of the TV show Freaks & Geeks will be happy to see Becky Ann Baker playing a bookstore manager onscreen with Segel. Both Baker and Segel were regulars on the TV series.

More David Foster Wallace: For more on David Foster Wallace, check out his brilliant 2005 commencement address at Kenyon College.

The End of the Tour Unimportant Mistake: In an early scene in the film where Wallace and Lipsky are in a convenience store, the two walk past a shelf where Heinz mustard is prominently displayed. It is unclear if it is a paid product placement, but Heinz mustard is a new product that was not around in 1996 when the movie is set. Of course, only mustard fans will notice.

What did you think of The End of the Tour? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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“Star Trek Beyond” Tribute to Leonard Nimoy

The cast of the upcoming third movie in the Star Trek franchise reboot Star Trek Beyond created a short video tribute to Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in the original series and passed away February 27, 2015. In the new video, Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the new franchise, encourages fans to give to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of Nimoy’s favorite charities.

Quinto also explains that if you give to a charitable campaign featuring nine charities selected by cast members and Nimoy’s widow Susan Nimoy, you can win a role in Star Trek Beyond, directed by Justin Lin. Go to the Omaze website or watch the video below for the Leonard Nimoy tribute and more information.

Star Trek Beyond, which has been filming in Vancouver recently, hits theaters on July 8, 2016. The movie’s screenplay was written by Doug Jung and Simon Pegg, who plays Scottie.

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Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: “If I Can Dream”

Presley Orchestra

An upcoming album — called If I Can Dream — repackages some classic Elvis Presley recordings into new versions backed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Priscilla Presley is the executive producer of the album, explaining in Rolling Stone that the new release likely is an album that Elvis would have wanted to make. The first single is a re-working of the classic “If I Can Dream” from his “1968 Comeback Special.”

We have heard some reworkings of Elvis recordings in recent years with some success like “A Little Less Conversation,” which became a 2002 hit as a remix by Junkie XL. So it is not too surprising to see some other attempts along those lines. The original “If I Can Dream” already featured some orchestra instruments, so it is not too far of a leap to add a little more. So the song does not sound radically different, merely building on what was already there so you can imagine Elvis reworking his catalog with new recordings along these lines. Check it out.

The new album will feature both beloved classics and lesser-known songs. So alongside songs like “Love Me Tender,” “American Trilogy,” and “Burning Love,” we will hear reworkings of “Steamroller Blues,” “Anything That’s Part of You,” and “And the Grass Won’t Pay No Mind.” There is also a duet with Michael Bublé on “Fever.”

Priscilla explains that the album’s goal is to keep Elvis current by staying true to his voice. She is already thinking about songs for a second volume. Of course, she knew Elvis and I did not, but listening to “If I Can Dream,” it seems like a tasteful way to keep the King relevant in the new century. If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley With the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on October 30.

What do you think of the plans for the album: consistent with Elvis’s work or just a money grab? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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Steve Earle Takes On Confederate Flag in “Mississippi, It’s Time”

Steve Earle, no stranger to taking on social justice and political issues in his songs, recently performed a new song about Mississippi’s flag and the Confederate flag controversy. In “Mississippi, It’s Time,” he tells the Magnolia state it is time to take the Confederate battle flag out of the state’s flag (pictured above).

Below is his first public performance of the song at the New Glasgow Riverfront Jubilee in August 2015. “You can’t move ahead if you’re looking behind.”

September 10, 2015 Update: Steve Earle is officially releasing “Mississippi, It’s Time,” with the track hitting stores on September 11. Proceeds from the sale of the song will go to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Listen to the official recording of “Mississippi, It’s Time” by Steve Earle & The Dukes below.

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I Heard Her Pray the Night Chicago Died

Two hit songs from 1974 were story songs with an unusual connection: Paper Lace’s “The Night Chicago Died” and “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods.

Paper Lace The year 1974 was an odd year for music, with a number of unusual hit pop songs that you rarely hear today. The year featured acts like Bob Dylan returning to touring for the first time in eight years. Queen played its first North American concert. And the Ramones made their first appearance at CBGB. Yet, some of the biggest hit songs of the year were Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting” and Blue Suede’s reworking of BJ Thomas’s 1968 release “Hooked on a Feeling,” adding ooga-chaka’s.

And two odd 1974 pop hits featured an unusual connection to each other: Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods’ “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” and Paper Lace‘s “The Night Chicago Died.”

“The Night Chicago Died”

“The Night Chicago Died” hit number one on the charts for Paper Lace on August 17, 1974. If you were around in those days, you probably can sing along to “The Night Chicago Died.” But if you were born after that date, it is quite possible you have never heard of the song.

“The Night Chicago Died” is a story song about a 1930s battle between Al Copone’s men and the Chicago police. Songwriters Peter Callander and Mitch Murray tell a Prohibition-era story that is largely inaccurate in both historical events and city geography.

But perhaps what made the song a hit was the part about the songwriter watching his momma cry while waiting to see if her policeman husband would come home alive. Spoiler alert: The father-husband returns safely.

At the end, the singer recalls that the door opened wide “And my daddy stepped inside,/ And he kissed my mama’s face, And he brushed her tears away.”

“The Night Chicago Died” was a huge hit. It sold more than three million copies.

The British band Paper Lace consisted of Philip Wright (drummer and lead singer on “The Night Chicago Died”), Cliff Fish, Phil Hendriks, and Dave Major. While Paper Lace had a number one hit with “The Night Chicago Died” in the U.S., the song only went to number two on the U.K. charts.

“Billy Don’t Be a Hero”

Paper Lace, who still tour, did have a number one hit in the U.K. prior to “The Night Chicago Died.” The band’s version of “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” — a story song about a woman telling her love not to get killed in the war — went to number one in the U.K earlier in 1974.

But before Paper Lace could release their version of “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” in the U.S., Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods claimed their one-hit-wonder status by releasing their version. The Bo Donaldson song went to number one in the U.S. in June 1974.

Like “The Night Chicago Died,” the song “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” was written by Callander and Murray. “Billy,” however, has a sadder ending, with the heroic Billy getting killed.

Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods reformed in the mid-1990s and still toured as of 2015. Mike Gibbons, the lead singer on “Billy Don’t Be a Hero,” did not tour with the band on the oldies circuit. And he passed away on April 2, 2016.

The song does not name the war where Billy is killed. From the lyrics (“the soldier blues”) most assume the song is set during the Civil War. But in 1974 any song mentioning war made one think of the Vietnam War.

I have barely heard “Billy Don’t Be a Hero” since the year it was released. It does make a delightful brief appearance in the background music in Walk Hard: The Dewy Cox Story (2007).

Yet, like “The Night Chicago Died,” I can still sing every word. That’s the power of pop.