Author: chimesfreedom

Editor-in-chief, New York.

Wes Anderson’s “Bottle Rocket”: The Short Film Version

Wes Anderson short
In 1994, writer-director Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson produced their first short film together. The black and white short, Bottle Rocket, would later provide the basis for the 1996 feature film of the same name, which also starred Owen and his brother Luke Wilson.

As The Playlist recently noted, it is interesting to watch the entertaining short film and recognize the absence of many of the trademark techniques that would later populate Anderson’s films. For now, you may watch the entire short film Bottle Rocket below.

What do you think of Bottle Rocket? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    How a Checkout Line Inspired Marty Brown’s “Love Comes Easy”

    Back in the early 1990s, country singer-songwriter Marty Brown stood in line at Wyndall’s Foodland on U.S. 60 East in Owensboro, Kentucky. In front of Brown, a guy stood watching the cashier scan his groceries. The man watched each price on the cash register until the cashier told him his total. The man responded, “Here, honey. It comes easy, but it goes away hard.”

    When Marty Brown heard the man’s comment, he not only recognized a good line but he also knew they would make good lyrics for a song. Brown later explained to the Owensboro Messenger Inquirer that he never knew who the man was, but he took the words as inspiration for his song, “Love Comes Easy,” which appeared on Here’s to the Honky Tonks (1996).

    Love comes easy,
    But it goes down hard;
    Just when you think you’ve got the right hand,
    You’re holding all the wrong cards.

    And that’s the Story Behind the Song.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “I Thought Turkeys Could Fly”

    WKRP in Cincinnati featured one of the great Thanksgiving specials of all time, “Turkeys Away,” which was the seventh episode of the series. The episode begins as a typical Thanksgiving episode with the radio station planning a Thanksgiving promotion of distributing free turkeys.

    At the end, though, everything goes so terribly wrong. It features hilarious reporting by Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and leads up the classic line by radio station manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump), “With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

    For more on the story behind the episode, check out The Classic TV History Blog. Happy Thanksgiving.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Willie and Bobbie Nelson: “Who’ll Buy My Memories?”

    December Day Nelson
    Willie Nelson is releasing a new album, December Day, which features Nelson working with his sister Bobbie Nelson on a mix of songs that includes covers, classics, deep cuts, and new songs. One of the songs on the album is “Who’ll Buy My Memories?” a song referencing the IRS’s seizure of Nelson’s property for back taxes, although it also is a universal song about aging. The song first appeared on Nelson’s The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories?

    Check out the video for the new version of “Who’ll Buy My Memories?”

    December Day: Willie’s Stash, Vol. 1 will be released December 2.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Doug Flutie and the Hail Mary Pass

    On November 23 in 1984, as the clock ticked down in the Orange Bowl, quarterback Doug Flutie of the trailing Boston College Eagles hurled the football 64 yards against the University of Miami Hurricanes to win the game 47-45. BC receiver Gerard Phelan, who also was Flutie’s roommate, caught the ball amidst a pack of players, thus elevating the exciting game to legendary status and inspiring underdogs everywhere.

    The win resulted in Boston College being ranked fourth in the country. As for the quarterback, Flutie became the first college football quarterback to throw for more than 10,000 yards in his career, and he won the Heisman Trophy.

    NFL scouts were skeptical of how the 5’9″ Flutie would do in that league, so Flutie ended up becoming a star quarterback in the Canadian Football League.  He eventually played in the NFL, retiring in 2005.

    Regarding the amazing 1984 Orange Bowl game, the losing University of Miami quarterback was Bernie Kosar.  He also went onto an NFL career, playing well for the Cleveland Browns and other teams.

    In the video below, watch the live coverage of the “Miracle in Miami.”

    This video features players reflecting back on the game and the pass. Also, Flutie explains how colleges did not think he could be a starting quarterback because of his size.

    Where were you when Doug Flutie completed the famous pass? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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