Pophistory: music, movies, history, and life.
In 1969, Jim Morrison of The Doors discussed how he gained weight when he started college in this interview with Howard Smith of the Village Voice. Check out where Morrison explains why “fat is beautiful.”
The PBS web series Blank on Blank made the above section of the Smith interview available recently. Patrick Smith did the cool animation.
Did you have a similar experience in college? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
I do not quite get the album art on the cover of Worried Man (2012), the debut full-length CD by Andrew Combs. Is he cold? Is it supposed to be a picture of a “Worried Man”?
More importantly, I do not think the album cover adequately prepared me for what to expect when I heard the music. It is the best album by a new artist I have heard in a long time.
Because Worried Man came out in October 2012, I realize I am a little slow in discovering Andrew Combs. But seeing a video of Andrew Combs performing on the Twang Nation website recently led me to check out his album. Listening to Worried Man starting with the first track of “Devil’s Got My Woman” has been one of those periodic experiences that restores my faith in new music.
Combs, who is originally from Texas and now resides in Nashville, wrote all of the songs on the album. He sings with an ache in his voice in the best country and Americana tradition. The album includes heartbreak, whiskey, and pedal steel, and the title track reminds one of an old murder ballad (even if the violence stops short of killing).
You can hear the influences of Combs’s heroes who include Harlan Howard, Willie Nelson, Mickey Newbury, Guy Clark, Jackson Browne, and Tom T. Hall. Combs pulls off connecting to these past influences while also sounding modern at the same time, as he does in this performance of “Please, Please, Please.”
Every artist is different, of course, but for comparison purposes, a lot of the songs remind me of another artist I like a lot, Slaid Cleaves. “Please, Please, Please” sounds like it could be a great Heartbreaker-era Ryan Adams track. The song “Worried Man” sounds like it is off of the album of another Texan, Ray Wylie Hubbard .
Combs, who released the album on his own Coin Records, also co-produced the album with Mike Odmark. Singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose adds her voice to several of the tracks. I look forward to more music from Andrew Combs, whatever the cover looks like.
What is your favorite track off of Worried Man? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
My favorite half-hour comedy has long been The Office, once I forgave it for not being the British version of the show, which I loved first. So, I am sad that the series finale is little more than a month away on May 16 at 9 p.m.
To help us say goodbye, John Krasinski (“Jim”) produced a 10-episode web series that NBC will be posting over the upcoming weeks. The series will feature interviews with memorable guest stars. The first episode talks to Will Ferrell, who during his lunch recalls his time on the show as Deangelo Vickers. (2016 Update: Unfortunately, the video is no longer available.)
Who was your favorite guest star on “The Office”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
Roger Ebert, who passed away last week, had been planning a redesigned website that has now launched. Besides looking pretty cool and being full of information, it is a nice tribute to Ebert’s work and life.
In honor of Roger Ebert, our funny-video-of-the-week looks back to a 1996 episode of David Letterman’s Late Show where Letterman is joined by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert as they go door-to-door in New Jersey. While we especially miss the great movie knowledge and brilliance of both Siskel and Ebert, we should not forget that they were often pretty darn funny too. Check out the video.
What is your favorite TV appearance by Roger Ebert? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
In an upcoming LIfetime biopic, Ring of Fire, Jewel plays Johnny Cash’s wife June Carter. This clip gives an idea of Jewel’s performance. While it is not surprising that Jewel has the singing chops on such songs as “Wildwood Flower,” it is interesting to see her capturing Carter’s humor. It will be hard to top Reese Witherspoon’s fine performance in Walk the Line (2005), but Carter deserves her own film.
The movie is based on the book, Anchored In Love
For a bonus video, check out the Carter family singing the same “Wildwood Flower” song in 1990 in this video, featuring June, Helen, and Anita Carter.
Will you watch Jewel as June Carter? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)