photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
it is absolutely not hyperbole to state emphatically that the career narrative of LEGENDARY METAL SINGER RONNIE JAMES DIO (ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) was beyond IMPROBABLE and that the TRANSFORMATIVE power of ROCK N ROLL changed his life. raised in UPSTATE NEW YORK in the small rural town of CORTLAND, the YOUNG RONALD JAMES PADAVONA was forced to play trumpet for multiple hours a day throughout his childhood by an OVERBEARING father. this was during the BIG BAND era and over time PADAVONA realized that his VOICE could effectively mimic the range of his trumpet, which thus began the start of his SINGING career.
at the time, which was pre-BEATLES and pre-ROCK N ROLL, PADAVONA sang in a series of JAZZ-inflected VOCAL GROUPS (THE REDCAPS, THE PROPHETS) with his friends. even at this TENDER stage, his RANGE and DICTION is IMPECCABLE. always a quick study with an INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC to boot, PADAVONA took his musical efforts seriously. taking his cue from the BRITISH INVASION bands that rose to prominence in the early 1960s, he likewise transitioned to ROCK N ROLL with his friends by recommitting themselves as the BLUES ROCK band THE ELECTRIC ELVES and toured locally around the NORTHEAST. by this time PADAVONA now went by the stage name DIO (after the NOTORIOUS MAFIA FIGURE). it was during this period that a DRUNK DRIVER hit their tour bus, KILLING one of his BANDMATES and severely injuring DIO in the process. having good grades and admittance to PHARMACY SCHOOL in the bag, his recovery from his head wounds found DIO doubling down on his unlikely music career. and he never looked back. THE ELECTRIC ELVES became ELF, who gained attention from INCESSANT touring and had their major debut ELF (EPIC, 1972) produced by members of DEEP PURPLE, whom they idolized. this led to multiple tours with DEEP PURPLE as openers and for DIO, a sense of camaraderie with their SINGER GLENN HUGHES and their ENIGMATIC and IMPULSIVE GUITARIST RICHIE BLACKMORE. when DEEP PURPLE started writing more FUNK-inflected songs in the mid-1970s to keep up with the POPULAR trends, BLACKMORE departed the group and started the more CLASSICALLY-INDEBTED band RAINBOW with DIO on VOCALS. this was a GREAT fit as DIO was prone to DRAMATIC LYRICS steeped in IMAGERY borrowed from the MEDIEVAL worlds of FANTASY NOVELISTS. eventually after two records BLACKMORE wanted to steer RAINBOW in a more POP direction and dropped DIO. it should be said that RISING (POLYDOR, 1976) is an absolute CLASSIC METAL RECORDING that sadly never got a proper follow-up. around this period DIO joined BLACK SABBATH after that band famously sacked their much-beloved ORIGINAL SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE. DIO revived that band's prospects with the HEAVEN & HELL (VERTIGO, 1980) and MOB RULES (VERTIGO, 1981) ALBUMS before departing due to EGO BULLSHIT on account of TONY IOMMI and the rest of the band being drugged out of their COLLECTIVE MINDS. DIO in comparison was a not a DRUG USER so such friction feels in retrospect pretty INEVITABLE. so now having been a formerly part of two massively SUCCESSFUL bands, DIO self-funded his own creative effort at starting a NAMESAKE group DIO by recruiting FORMER BLACK SABBATH BANDMATE VINNY APPICE on DRUMS, former RAINBOW BANDMATE JIMMY BAIN on BASS and most famously a YOUNG VIVIAN CAMPBELL (then of SWEET SAVATAGE, later of DEF LEPPARD) on GUITAR. their debut HOLY DIVER (WARNER BROS, 1983) is a METAL CLASSIC for the ages, with DIO's REMARKABLE, OPERATIC VOCALS taking center stage. commercially this was the apex of his career. CAMPBELL became an INTERNAL issue after leveraging for more money during the recording of the third album, after being promised such by DIO and his MANAGER WIFE WENDY years earlier during his recruitment. in what is the most UNCOMFORTABLE and HEAD-SCRATCHING moment in the documentary, which largely promotes the NARRATIVE of DIO as a FOCUSED (maybe NAIVE) ARTIST who was screwed over repeatedly by the business efforts of FORMER COLLABORATORS, here was an example of DIO now taking the mantle of IOMMI and BLACKMORE. he fired CAMPBELL in essence because DIO was his band that he could do what he wanted with, personnel included. WENDY in the film SMUGLY asserts this line, but even she had to know that such bit into the relatively AMIABLE, GRACIOUS and altogether ALTRUISTIC PUBLIC PERSONA of DIO. even in retrospect its hard not to side with CAMPBELL. seems a bit like karma that the follow-up releases never lived up to the quality and/or commercial success of HOLY DIVER. it may not have mattered in the end since once the 1990s hit with the arrival of NIRVANA and the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion, everything else was effectively carried away with it, not just HAIR METAL but METAL in general. DIO included. it was only later in the 2000s when UNFORESEEN acts like the JACK BLACK-fronted MUSICAL COMEDY duo TENACIOUS D began earnestly singing his praises that RONNIE JAMES DIO became a VIABLE CULTURAL ENTITY again. even BLACK SABBATH reformed as HEAVEN & HELL with the ORIGINAL VINNY APPICE lineup for an album and tour before DIO passed on from a bout with STOMACHE CANCER. it feels like DIO was on the verge of reestablishing his LEGACY when he unexpectedly passed on, which may be the purpose of this AUTHORIZED documentary that his widow largely oversaw. given his stature in the METAL community, it is a little DISAPPOINTING that more HEAVYWEIGHT FIGURES (and OUTSPOKEN DIO FANS like SCOTT IAN, JAMES HETFIELD, GEOFF TATE, COREY TAYLOR, MATT HEAFY and so on) were not included in the mix. DIO deserved better, especially given that there was a somewhat recent STAR-STUDDED (including METALLICA, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SCORPIONS and ANTHRAX) tribute album released in his MEMORY. instead there is an UNFORTUNATE over-reliance on INDUSTRY HACK EDDIE TRUNK for historical context and perspective, which was more than a bit GRATING, but it was at least nice to see VETERAN WRITER MICK WALL thrown in the mix as well. PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS included ROB HALFORD (JUDAS PRIEST), SEBASTIAN BACH (SKID ROW), DAN LILKER (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.), LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS), DON DOKKEN (DOKKEN), JACK BLACK (TENACIOUS D), GLEN HUGHES & ROGER GLOVER (DEEP PURPLE) and surviving FORMER MEMBERS of DIO (VINNY APPICE, RUDY SARZO, DOUG ALDRICH, JEFF PILSON and CRAIG GOLDY) and BLACK SABBATH (TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD). so much of what makes up RONNIE JAMES DIO's legacy to me is centered around his OPTIMISM, DECENCY and CHARITY and how he communicated such humanity with that SINGULAR instrument of his: that VOICE. i think further generations that discover his music will likewise fall in love with the POSITIVE INTENT and MAJESTY of his LYRICS and the TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER of his VOICE, which is the very embodiment of ROCK N ROLL.
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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
RECORDING STUDIOS are FUNNY things
to the outsider and even some MUSICIANS, they are a SONIC TEMPLE full of MYSTIQUE and WONDER where their best intentions are transformed into INSPIRED RECORDED COMPOSITIONS saved for posterity. in essence they are where musicians go to become IMMORTAL. to the PRODUCER, ENGINEER and TECHNICIAN, STUDIOS represent something categorically DIFFERENT: a series of purely TECHNICAL ENGINEERING PROBLEMS yet to be solved. there is NOTHING ILLUSORY or MAGICAL about it all to them, it is just SCIENCE after all. i was lucky enough to become acquainted with this contradictory dynamic back when my cousin, a TRAINED and EXPERIENCED RECORDING ENGINEER, ran his FORMER STUDIO in GREENPOINT. to him SOUND was a WAVE to be dissected, analyzed and manipulated, whereas for me (a HOBBYIST GUITARIST and LONG-TIME MUSIC ENTHUSIAST) such was more to be experienced, revered and internalized. when someone makes a documentary about a RECORDING STUDIO, it tends to be more about its status as a HERALDED CULTURAL INSTITUTION with a social dynamic given the people that have stepped inside and made SEMINAL RECORDINGS, than it is about the actual TECHNICAL aspects of the STUDIO itself. which is a shame. and the IF THESE WALLS COULD SING (DISNEY, 2022) film by MARY MCCARTNEY, DAUGHTER of FAMED BEATLE PAUL MCCARTNEY, falls headfirst into this trap regarding the GLOBALLY-REVERED and PRESTIGIOUS ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS. most of the film goes into detail about stories of LEGENDARY RECORDED PERFORMANCES by everyone from the OBVIOUS (THE BEATLES, PINK FLOYD, OASIS, JOHN WILLIAMS) to the CURIOUS (SESSION MUSICIANS ELTON JOHN and JIMMY PAGE waxing poetic about working with THE HOLLIES and SHIRLEY BASS) and the OBSCURE (FELA RANSOME-KUTI, JACQUELINE DU PRE) in STUDIO B. i understand that LANDMARK ALBUMS were created at ABBEY ROAD, with the likes of SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEART CLUB BAND (PARLOPHONE, 1967) and THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (HARVEST, 1973) getting special attention in this documentary, but such is pretty much OBVIOUS information. more INSIGHT into INNOVATIVE RECORDING TECHNIQUES or how the STUDIO compared to LONDON-based COMPETITORS throughout the years, namely OLYMPIC, ISLAND/BASING STREET, MORGAN or AIR STUDIOS. that tact would have made the film so much more INTERESTING instead of resorting to a NOSTALGIC HAGIOGRAPHY of what is, in a time of DIGITAL RECORDING and DISTRIBUTION, something of a RELIC or worse, an ANACHRONISM of an INDUSTRY that largely doesnt exist anymore. dont get me wrong, i am glad to live in a world where ABBEY ROAD still exists and is a CELEBRATED CULTURAL INSTITUTION on par with the ROYAL ALBERT HALL, WESTMINISTER ABBEY, TATE MODERN, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, STONEHENGE, THE NATIONAL GALLERY or even ANFIELD and OLD TRAFFORD. but this film seems geared more towards AGING BABY BOOMERS reliving their SALAD DAYS than anything worthwhile to new generations of MUSICIANS and MUSIC FANS. makes it feel like a BYGONE GOLDEN AGE that has long since transpired, which is kinda DEPRESSING to be honest. interview PARTICIPANTS included ROGER WATERS, NICK MASON and DAVID GILMOUR of PINK FLOYD, PAUL MCCARTNEY and RINGO STARR of THE BEATLES, LIAM GALLAGHER and NOEL GALLAGHER of OASIS, CLIFF RICHARD, ELTON JOHN, JIMMY PAGE (LED ZEPPELIN), NILE RODGERS (CHIC), SHIRLEY BASS, JOHN WILLIAMS, GEORGE LUCAS and CELESTE. most INTRIUGING to me where the comments by GILES MARTIN, SON of FAMED BEATLES' PRODUCER GEORGE MARTIN, and LONGTIME ABBEY ROAD TECHNICIAN LESTER SMITH, both of whom briefly talked about the realities of working with technology that is being pushed to its limit. i just wish the whole documentary was about that and laid off the pixie dust a bit. but i guess such is what to expect from a DISNEY production. in summation, there are better documentaries out there about RECORDING STUDIOS. watch them and not this one. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
when the NBA rebounding LEGEND and ALL-AROUND CONTRARIAN DENNIS RODMAN somehow forged the most UNLIKELY of FRIENDSHIPS a decade ago during the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION with NORTH KOREAN DICTATOR KIM JONG UN, it seemed BIZARRE and something from an outright SURREAL PARALLEL UNIVERSE / ALTERNATIVE REALITY / FEVER DREAM. the HERMIT KINGDOM and the CULT surrounding its REPRESSIVE REGIME has been something of INTERNATIONAL PARIAH since its inception in 1948, with the RULING KIM FAMILY DYNASTY solely responsible for being the ARCHITECTS of EXTREME OPPRESSION against its own people with countless INTERNAL CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY subjected on such. without a doubt, the closed off society of NORTH KOREA is one of the LEAST-UNDERSTOOD civilizations on EARTH.
and that is where this INTRIGUING DYNAMIC initiated by RODMAN comes into focus. as part of a birthday celebration for the AUTHORITARIAN, who is known to be a MAJOR BASKETBALL AFICIONADO, RODMAN organized a game in PYONGYANG between the NORTH KOREAN NATIONAL TEAM and a group of RETIRED NBA PLAYERS. the OBVIOUS TENSION comes from the fact that the UNITED STATES does not have FORMAL TIES with the DPRK and that what RODMAN, despite his NAIVE ASSERTIONS to the contrary, is operating in a form of UNAUTHORIZED DIPLOMACY. this CONSCIOUS utilization of SPORTS to foment WARMER RELATIONS between COMMITTED ADVERSARIES is nothing new, as PRESIDENT NIXON did something similar with the CHINESE TABLE TENNIS national team before his arrival in BEIJING back in the 1970s. for all of RODMAN's BUFFOONERY and seemingly JUVENILE antics, deep down it is DIFFICULT to not see his LOGIC in how helping turn down the temperature in terms of INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS benefits everyone. on the other hand, his involvement and UNCRITICAL eye towards the REALITY of the situation in NORTH KOREA, where he stayed at LUXURY hotels and resorts and was constantly directed by MINDERS who tightly controlled all INTERACTIONS in a TRUMAN SHOW-like fashion, RODMAN made himself a PAWN for DOMESTIC PROPAGANDA purposes CRITICS attest. remember that NORTH KOREA is fast becoming a NUCLEAR POWER with potential INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILES that could leave the UNITED STATES homeland VULNERABLE. the stakes could not be higher in terms of that NONEXISTENT BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP for the security of the world. probably the most IMPACTFUL aspect of DENNIS RODMAN'S BIG BANG IN PYONGYANG (JOURNEYMAN, 2015) documentary was how it provided an INSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE from RODMAN's camp of the whole adventure. much was made in the press about the his trips, but to actually witness such FIRST-HAND as a FLY-ON-THE-WALL VOYEUR is a special thing, especially when you tag on that such took place in NORTH KOREA, one of the most REPRESSIVE and TIGHTLY-GUARDED MEDIA ENVIRONMENTS on the planet. you really get the sense of how truly naive RODMAN was throughout the SPECTACLE and how that INTERNATIONAL pressure broke him along the way as he fell off the wagon and ended his gains in SOBRIETY that he had fought so hard before to maintain. obviously RODMAN is an ODD MESSENGER, but the fact remains that DIALOGUE, especially with one's ENEMIES, is of PARAMOUNT importance. more so when they have NUCLEAR WEAPONS at their disposal. the consequences of miscalculation are CATASTROPHIC and LONG-LASTING, so any efforts to mitigate such should be applauded, right? and that quandary stays with you long after the film has ended. what is the most BENEFICIAL COURSE OF ACTION with NORTH KOREA? ISOLATION or DIALOGUE? i dont know the answer but such makes this film beyond POIGNANT a decade later as the WORLD has only become an undoubtedly more VOLATILE, VIOLENT and downright SCARY place in the interim. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i remember my cousin (an EXPERIENCED AUDIO ENGINEER) and i were recording this superbly TALENTED BRONX RAPPER, whose name i wont mention, when i became aware of TEKASHI 69, this BROOKLYN-born hispanic RAPPER who had recently blown up with the help of his POPULAR "GUMMO" music video. i remember being really CONFUSED about it all since our dude was pretty LOW-KEY, DISCRETE and UNASSUMING about his GANG AFFILIATIONS and even the PRISON TIME he served, instead being all about the current business at hand of WRITING the most CLEVER shit possible and performing it flawlessly during sessions. i'm talking SOPHISTICATED INTERNAL RHYME SCHEMES, OBSCURE CULINARY REFERENCES and GENERAL bending-of-the-english-language-to-his-will in the PROUD TRADITION of RAKIM, NAS, LIL WAYNE, early JAY-Z and the like. in my mind, TEKASHI 69 was the ANTI-POLAR opposite. his LYRICS were TRASH, his FLOW was LAUGHABLE, he looked like a COMPLETE CLOWN (literally) and seemingly had NO CHARISMA. the piece i was missing regarding his MASSIVE success was his PRETERNATURAL ability as a MARKETER, INFLUENCER and INTERNET TROLL via SOCIAL MEDIA, where being OUTRAGEOUS and CONTROVERSIAL is more IMPORTANT to gaining a following than being REMARKABLE or particularly GIFTED.
and those CULTURAL RAMIFICATIONS and REAL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES of that DETERMINED SOCIAL MEDIA-enabled CLOUT-CHASING PURSUIT DANIEL HERNANDEZ spearheaded with his TEKASHI 69 PERSONA is the focus of the recent 69: THE SAGA OF DANNY HERNANDEZ (HULU, 2020) documentary. in essence, he lost himself in the quite literal ALL-OUT PURSUIT of FAME and NOTORIETY. people forget that SOCIAL MEDIA is a fairly recent CULTURAL PHENOMENON and that SOCIAL SCIENTISTS and ACADEMICS are still in the early stages of understanding the LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES of such. already we know that there is a systemwide bias towards what is known as ENRAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT, which is that CONTENT that is CONFRONTATIONAL, IMMORAL or MEAN-SPIRITED travels faster through the ecosystem than POSITIVE, SUPPORTIVE or WELL-INTENTIONED MATERIAL. the CHARACTER of TEKASHI 69 and its ASSOCIATED VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY, OUTRAGEOUS PRESENTATION (face tats and rainbow hair), GANG-LIFE promotion and general EXTREME trolling behavior is almost consciously designed to increase the likelihood of cultivating ATTENTION and thus going VIRAL. and it worked. the documentarian himself, VIKRAM GANDHI, even at certain point considers and questions his own MOTIVATIONS and CULPABILITY in the making of this very film and whether in the end he is just further perpetuating this NEEDLESS cycle of ATTENTION that HERNANDEZ absolutely seeks out. i feel the same just writing about TEKASHI 69. and the lengths he goes through for said ATTENTION from the jump was EXTREME. wearing PROVOCATIVE, SELF-DESIGNED clothing with words like "HIV," "PUSSY EATER" and so on. making UNDERGROUND music videos in which he is constantly engaged in ORAL SEX (eventually he gets caught up in SCANDAL for when a PARTICIPANT of such comes out as UNDERAGE and he pleads no contest). after a collaboration with LIKE-MINDED RAPPER TRIPPIE RED results in a record deal, this court case comes back to bite him in the ass as most of his SUPPORTERS in the MUSIC INDUSTRY abandon and openly mock him. this is the moment he begins to associate himself with a REAL-LIFE GANGE in BROOKLYN, who see him as a POTENTIAL CASH COW and tolerate his presence. that AFFILIATION supercharges his CAREER but the POWER went to his head and he became involved in ACTUAL CRIMES, resulting in a federal case in which he immediately worked with the feds and successfully got nine FELLOW GANG MEMBERS behind bars. now the dude continues his CAREER with heavy security and is no doubt a WALKING PARIAH in the CULTURE and you wonder if it was all worth it. at the end you see him as a SOLITARY FIGURE with no REAL FRIENDS or ALLIES, as he used them all on his way to the top, including his FORMER GIRLFRIEND whom he routinely beat for perceived slights out of what can only be described as MANIC PARANOIA and by extension maintains no MEANINGFUL relationship with his own DAUGHTER. and yet it all feels so PREDICTABLE. you can BLAME the fact that he had no FATHER FIGURE and was raised dirt POOR with few REALISTIC OCCUPATIONAL PROSPECTS or EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES to better himself, but in the end this FIENDISH PURSUIT of CLOUT and ATTENTION at any cost was entirely his own decision. the DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM existed with all its FLAWS and he figured out the CHEAT CODE to gaining an ONLINE FOLLOWING, but to pursue such with the GUSTO that he did was again his own making. i dont feel any SYMPATHY for him. i dont think even HERNANDEZ considers himself a CAUTIONARY TALE. it is a PATHETIC NARRATIVE that is still very much being playing out as we speak. the only thing i take from his example is that it showed the path of least resistance to a whole NEW GENERATION OF ARTISTS who no doubt are now aware of the RISKS and PITFALLS of being EXTREME and OUTRAGEOUS in the SHEER PURSUIT of CLOUT and NOTORIETY. but is it worth it? photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
there is a REAL risk and even tendency in looking back at CULTURAL EVENTS, especially in PUBLISHED MEMOIRS, BIOGRAPHIES, HISTORIES and DOCUMENTARIES to view the past with a WISTFUL air of nostalgia as if such was some HALCYON bygone era. that being said, i very much appreciate the fact that the FAMILY-sanctioned CHUCK BERRY: THE ORIGINAL KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL (EMPEROR MEDIA, 2018) DOCUMENTARY about the LEGENDARY MUSICIAN and AMERICAN CULTURAL ICON for the ages did not shy away from addressing directly in a SOBER fashion the societal failures CHUCK BERRY had to deal with in a pre-CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT 1950s AMERICA and the INESTIMABLE POLITICAL, SOCIAL and CULTURAL RAMIFICATIONS of his gift to world. such makes this RETROSPECTIVE FILM quite an INFORMATIVE and highly AFFECTING achievement.
most ARTICLES about BERRY focus on his GUITAR-PLAYING INNOVATIONS, which is UNDERSTANDABLE given that he was the VERITABLE bridge from the BLUES tradition to ROCK N ROLL. but such is praise in LIMITING, since BERRY was a GENIUS SONGWRITER, STORYTELLER and an expert at a POETIC turn of phrase. in fact, the FILM makes the ADROIT observation that his music took advantage of the POST-WAR CULTURAL PHENOMENON of teenagers as an ECONOMIC force through writing about CAR CULTURE, SUBURBAN romances and the IMAGINED experiences of WHITE people. remember, during the age of RADIO most listeners had no way of knowing BERRY was BLACK. with the advent of TELEVISION and LIVE PERFORMANCES his very being caused GENERATIONAL friction in the 1950s, especially in his ADOPTED state of MISSOURI where he was fined and even imprisoned on TRUMPED-UP charges at various points during his life. not that he was a JUVENILE DELINQUENT in his youth, as he was CONVICTED and served three years in prison for GRAND THEFT AUTO and BURGLARY by the time he was 21. with his IMMENSE SONGWRITING and LYRICAL TALENTS as well as the troubles he battled through along the way, some SELF-INFLICTED, he was able to channel such energy into his TRANSCENDENT MUSIC and LIVE SHOW. the FILM also focuses on the business and how it affected the way in which BERRY operated. having been taken advantage of before by UNSCRUPULOUS CONCERT PROMOTERS, BERRY legendarily took money only in cash pre-show or else he didnt walk on-stage for his entire career. that narrative thread of being screwed-over repeatedly is a COMMON motif in the FILM. even the advent of the BRITISH INVASION, in which two PROMINENT bands (THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES) each made their name live with BERRY COMPOSITIONS, was essentially AMERICA being resold its own CULTURE. this time with WHITE faces. look no further than ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE FOUNDER JANN WENNER's recent RACIST admittance that there were no BLACK MUSICIANS who thought or worked on his supposed INTELLECTUAL plane about CULTURAL MATTERS. for most of his career, BERRY felt that he was under-appreciated and disregarded by his own COUNTRY who preferred the more familiar (i.e. caucasian), but drastically LESS TALENTED confines of ELVIS PRESLEY. and its hard not to agree with him regarding such. yes in his late years he won every industry award IMAGINABLE and was credited as the CONSENSUS ORIGINATOR of ROCK N ROLL, but such doesnt make up for all the PERSONAL TURMOIL he endured during his salad days when he dealt with DISCRIMINATION and INSTITUTIONAL RACISM on a level still barely understood by a majority of the NATION that prefers to COLLECTIVELY shrug and look the other way. the FILM likewise focuses on BERRY from the PERSPECTIVE of his FAMILY, including interviews with his SURVIVING WIFE (of 68 years) THEMETTA SUGGS and their ADULT CHILDREN. you learn that his PUBLIC PERSONA didnt make it in past the front door and that he was singularly dedicated to his FAMILY, irrespective of whatever ILLICIT hanky-panky he participated in on the road. the FILM doesnt avoid mention of his flings on the road but puts them into CONTEXT, that being that such never effected his ability to provide for his FAMILY and meet their EMOTIONAL and FINANCIAL needs. his DEATH was a SIGNIFICANT loss for WORLD CULTURE writ large, but an expected yet no less DEVASTATING blow to his TIGHT-KNIT FAMILY. his MUSIC brought people together through the generations and almost provided a second SURROGATE FAMILY in that of his COUNTLESS FANS and ADMIRERS, some of whom participated in EXTENSIVE interviews for this DOCUMENTARY such as PROMINENT MUSICIANS ranging from NILE RODGERS (CHIC), STEVE VAN ZANDT (E STREET BAND), GARY CLARK JR, JOE PERRY (AEROSMITH), GENE SIMMONS (KISS), ALICE COOPER, STEVE JONES (THE SEX PISTOLS), NILS LOFGREN (E STREET BAND, CRAZY HORSE), WAYNE KRAMER (MC5), GEORGE THOROGOOD, JOE BONAMASSA and CONTEMPORARY PEER JOHNNY RIVERS as well as CHESS RECORDS SCION and NOTED RECORD PRODUCER MARSHAL CHESS. CHUCK BERRY: THE ORIGINAL KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL is one of those few MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES that is worth checking out. it absolutely does not fall into PANDERING HAGIOGRAPHY territory nor into overly judging and dissecting its subject's INEVITABLE HUMAN FLAWS. instead it really provides a service by introducing a PERENNIAL AMERICAN icon to a new generation with HISTORICAL accuracy, CULTURAL CONTEXT and a message of LOVE. a LOVE and COMPASSION that through MUSIC and his example our deeply FRAGMENTED and DIVIDED NATION can at least begin to heal and begin to see the COMMON HUMANITY in each other.
photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
RENOWNED artist MAX GIMBLETT is an INTRIGUING NEW YORK CITY transplant from NEW ZEALAND who relies on INSTINCT and GESTURAL TECHNIQUE to create his highly EVOCATIVE, MINIMALIST, ABSTRACT PAINTINGS. influenced by TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CALLIGRAPHY and ZEN BUDDHIST PRECEPTS, his work and more importantly his CREATIVE PROCESS is the result of BEING PRESENT in the CURRENT MOMENT and not being influenced by CONSCIOUS THOUGHT. COMPOSITIONS are not random, but instead just arise from the ether onto the canvas as he quickly grunts and GESTURES his way through his PROCESS.
from a WESTERN PERSPECTIVE it all appears a bit PERFORMATIVE and CONTRIVED, but given FOUNDATIONAL BUDDHIST CONCEPTS of NON-SELF and NON-ATTACHMENT, this EARNEST attempt at diminishing the role of the CONSCIOUS MIND in the PROCESS OF CREATION is WELL-GROUNDED. the INTELLECT is something that humans trip over all the time, searching and positing meaning where none exists. this is especially the case with ART and the critical appreciation of such. with GIMBLETT his ART has no INTERNAL agenda or HIDDEN meaning, it just EXISTS. its PROCESS of BEING was IMMEDIATE and its COMPOSITION the result of INSTINCTUAL, PRECONSCIOUS GESTURE yet its end result feels PERMANENT and SOLID. its quite the contradiction. similar to that of MARK ROTHKO or FRANZ KLINE, his is art that is also meant to be experienced in person. both known for his TRADITIONAL sumi ink PAINTINGS and MULTI-COLORED MANDALAS as well as MULTI-LAYERED PALIMPSESTS on various canvas shapes, INTERNATIONAL recognition for GIMBLETT's work came after being part of an exhibit on the MODERN influence of ASIAN ART on AMERICAN ART at the GUGGENHEIM in 2009. i found this BRIEF documentary, MAX GIMBLETT: ORIGINAL MIND (SPIRIT BOX, 2017), to be pretty REFRESHING as GIMBLETT's CREATIVE PROCESS makes sense on its own terms, yet confronts and undercuts that of the much considered and often OVERLY-INTELLECTUALIZED WESTERN TRADITION we are all indoctrinated under. his WORK and PROCESS seems to harken back to a PURER STATE OF BEING where one just reacted IN-THE-MOMENT and created with UNADULTERATED INTENTION with no PRECONCIEVED GOAL or OUTCOME outside of TRUE EXPRESSION. it makes me consider the similar INSTINCTUAL PROCESSES of ORNETTE COLEMAN and JACK KEROUAC who just went for it sans GUIDING PRINCIPLES or clear COMPOSITIONAL ELEMENTS. ART just emerged. definitely a COMPELLING conversation. photo & text by nacrowe
for DETROIT LIONS FANS there has always been a SORE point of CONTENTION with how BARRY SANDERS ended his career at his peak, retiring seemingly out of nowhere by fax before what would have been his 11th season and 1,457 yards short of the ALL-TIME CAREER RUSHING RECORD to FOOTBALL icon WALTER PAYTON. SOFT-SPOKEN and MILD-MANNERED to a fault, SANDERS always let his playing do the talking. and what comes across in spades in the recent BYE BYE BARRY (AMAZON PRIME, 2023) documentary, is the SUPREME IRONY that the ULTIMATE team player, who cared so little for padding PERSONAL STATS or INDIVIDUAL ACCOLADES, was granted none of that same COMMITMENT or RECIPROCATED TRUST from his team superiors who arguably mismanaged and wasted the career of one of the GREATEST RUNNING BACKS of his or any generation.
from his youth SANDERS had a MILD TEMPERAMENT with an absolutely UNBRIDLED COMPETITIVE STREAK. in the film you are led to believe that such was due to his BRAGGADOCIOS FATHER WILLIAM who seemingly had an OVERWHELMING and DOMINATING PRESENCE, always with an a SELF-CONGRATULATING quip that somehow was more about himself than his SON. but that first impression was a red herring in that WILLIAM absolutely adored his SON as well as his nine other CHILDREN and relished that the TRANSMISSION of his WORKING-CLASS, HARD-WORKING ETHICS found FERTILE ground in that of SANDERS. for that his SON effectively idolized him. you get the feeling that throughout his FOOTBALL career the MASS ADORATION never phased SANDERS or altered his PERSPECTIVE or BEHAVIOR since deep down he knew that the LOVE of his PARENTS and FAMILY was UNCONDITIONAL and resolutely bedrock to his sense of IDENTITY. thus he didnt CELEBRATE after TOUCHDOWNS and SUPERHUMAN feats of AGILITY making LINEBACKERS and SAFETIES look SILLY in the process. he just handed the ball to the referee. NO DANCING. NO SHENANIGANS. NO BULLSHIT. it means that he was embarrassed to receive the HEISMAN TROPHY his junior year with one of the ALL-TIME GREAT RUSHING SEASONS while at OKLAHOMA STATE. it means that when he was done playing he was done playing and there would be NO FANFARE OR GRAND GESTURES. he came from his FAMILY in KANSAS and to his FAMILY he would return. it is entirely REFRESHING to revisit the figure of BARRY SANDERS and his impact on the city of DETROIT, which is somewhat on the upswing in recent years with the RESURGENT RELEVANCE of the LIONS under current head coach DAN CAMPBELL. like SANDERS, that team is not FLASHY but built on a combination of BRUTE ATHLETICISM, SKILL and GRACE. SANDERS gave everything during his time with the LIONS and it is nice to see this chapter closed as the team realistically seeks its first championship since 1957. by opening up you get the feeling that SANDERS is finally letting the LIONS RABID FANBASE into the fold of what is effectively his EXTENDED FAMILY. his LOYALTY and DEDICATION the people of DETROIT recognize and aspire to in themselves. you get the feeling that some LEGACIES built on CHARACTER and LOYALTY stretch far beyond RECORDS or TITLES. here is assuming that when the LIONS finally do clinch a chip SANDERS GREATNESS and place in DETROIT LORE will not be diminished one iota. he is their very EMBODIEMENT. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i remember being at the recording studio with my cousin and these two RAPPERS from OZONE PARK in QUEENS when word got out that the EMERGING and CONTROVERSIAL SOUTH FLORIDA SOUNDCLOUD RAPPER XXXTENTACION had been SHOT and KILLED at nearby a motorcycle dealership that afternoon. my cousin, who is a RECORDING ENGINEER, and i ran this studio in NEW YORK CITY and were on a break from a session when these two IDIOTS decided it was a bright idea to repost GRAPHIC footage they found online of the LATE RAPPER's CORPSE laying idle in his car seat. promptly thereafter their INSTAGRAM account was suspended for OBVIOUS reasons, at least to most people. the rest of my night was hearing them complain about not having access to their FOLLOWERS.
i knew who XXXTENTACION was but was not a fan of his MUSIC, nor most of the UP-AND-COMING so-called SOUNDCLOUD RAPPERS, who utilized the free music-sharing platform that had emerged a few years prior, including POST MALONE, LIL YACHTY, DENZEL CURRY, LIL UZI VERT, PLAYBOI CARTI, JUICE WRLD, 21 SAVAGE, LIL PUMP, TEKASHI 69, SMOKEPURRP, TRIPPIE REDD, SKI MASK THE SLUM GOD and LIL PEEP. all of these ARTSTS got their primary INITIAL EXPOSURE via SOUNDCLOUD before getting signed, much like a previous generation utilized MYSPACE or cassette tape demos another generation even prior. what DIFFERENTIATED XXXTENTACION from the pack in the late 2010s was his NOTORIETY, having picked up multiple charges related to AGGRAVATED BATTERY OF A PREGNANT WOMAN, DOMESTIC BATTERY BY STRANGULATION, FALSE IMPRISONMENT and WITNESS TAMPERING while still in his teens. at the time of his MURDER he was awaiting court appearances related to said charges. the RECENT DOCUMENTARY LOOK AT ME: XXXTENTACION (FADER, 2022) is an effort by his FAMILY to provide a NUANCED, CLEAR-EYED, WARTS-AND-ALL portrayal of JAHSEH ONFROY. to do so they involved all RELEVANT FAMILY MEMBERS, FRIENDS, ASSOCIATES, PRODUCERS, MANAGERS, ASSISTANTS and most importantly his FORMER GIRLFRIEND JENESIS SANCHEZ, who no doubt had her life SEVERELY negatively impacted by ONFROY. the narrative itself is unsparingly BRUTAL, but you get the very REAL sense that the focus of the FILM is not in creating a hagiography of a BELOVED DECEASED MUSICIAN, but something HONEST that will begin the HEALING PROCESS for all involved and place his LEGACY on an AUTHENTIC footing here on forward. the FILM also serves as an OUTREACH EFFORT for people in need of help to seek such out via PROFESSIONAL CHANNELS such as the NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE (1-800-799 SAFE) and the NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS (1-800-950-NAMI), and showcases said information multiple times throughout. ONFROY was undoubtedly a TROUBLED kid. and he was a child. again, he DIED at age 20. in the age of SOCIAL MEDIA he was able to adroitly market himself and his MUSIC through SHEER CHARISMA, TALENT, SHOCKING facial tattoos and a PROPENSITY for seemingly RANDOM VIOLENCE. he saw his PERSONA as that of a VILLAIN and through the INSTAGRAM STORIES feature, was able to livestream INTENSE STREET FIGHTS and SAVAGE BEATINGS of supposed enemies live for his FANBASE. he was part of a whole generation of YOUNG ARTISTS that came up as NATIVE USERS during the SOCIAL MEDIA era that went to EXTREME lengths to drive ATTENTION, any ATTENTION, in their direction. as a supremely TALENTED, SELF-TAUGHT SONGWRITER who crossed genres at ease and organically developed a HARDCORE FANBASE that was admired from afar by the likes of everyone from A$AP ROCKY and KANYE WEST to J COLE and DIPLO. it seems apparent that he drew from the PAIN and TRAUMA of a TROUBLED childhood with no DISCERNIBLE FATHER FIGURE, marked by his inability to CONTROL his emotions and having to literally fend for himself physically from an early age. for ONFROY, his sense of MASCULINITY was unfortunately inextricably linked to his ability to INTIMIDATE and DOMINATE those around him, especially WOMEN. post-charges he finally received court ordered MUCH-NEEDED COUNSELING in the last year of his life and was on the beginning track of CORRECTING those THOUGHT PATTERNS and BEHAVIOR based on SEVERE TRAUMA and NEGLECT. this did not include reconciling or admitting GUILT with how he treated SANCHEZ, his FORMER GIRLFRIEND, whom he mercilessly trolled and sicced his ONLINE FOLLOWERS on to the detriment of her PHYSICAL and MENTAL HEALTH. one gets the feeling that would eventually come had he survived, or maybe such is WISHFUL THINKING. at least on the part of the ONFROY FAMILY, this FILM in itself is an embrace of her story and her TRUTH and SUPPORT for her RECOVERY. the whole narrative surrounding ONFROY is so SENSELESS and SELF-DEFEATING, even before his RANDOM DEATH which was prompted by him naively broadcasting his whereabouts on SOCIAL MEDIA sans security, which was exploited by OPPORTUNISTS. you get the feeling that ONFROY was a BROKEN soul who made a continual series of POOR decision-making based on a deeply felt PAIN and irredeemable sense of SHAME. it was this PURITY OF INTENTION and WELL OF EMPATHY through his MUSIC that ironically that connected him with his FORMER GIRLFRIEND as well as his extended audience. the underbelly of such was also the root of his FURY and RAGE. you also sense that had his time not run out and been given the OPPORTUNITY to enjoy being a father and supporting his new FAMILY, that his RECOVERY was part of that potential offering. that he would be able to turn the page and MATURE as an INDIVIDUAL and become a deeply FLAWED yet RESPONSIBLE beacon of DIGNITY and REDEMPTION to his FANS. just such a SAD, TRAGIC story for everyone involved. but kudos to the ONFROY FAMILY and SANCHEZ for gifting the public their TRUTH. such provides society the basis for any future debate regarding and XXXTENTACION his COMPLICATED CULTURAL LEGACY. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
there has been much debate and discussion regarding the role of ART during WORLD WAR II, when the NAZIS effectively raided PUBLIC and PRIVATE COLLECTIONS throughout EUROPE in a multi-pronged bid to both fund its MILITARY MIGHT as well as propagandize their WRETCHED IDEOLOGY on a global stage. it was both an ends and a means unto itself as extolled at length in the HITLER VS PICASSO AND OTHERS: THE NAZI OBSESSION FOR ART (TRAFALGAR RELEASING, 2018) documentary about the NOTORIOUS mass looting of EUROPEAN culture and its AFTERMATH that continues UNABATED on down to the present.
one issue brought up is the idea of PROVENANCE and how MODERN nation states (such as MODERN GERMANY) indefinitely withhold STOLEN ITEMS as articles of the state via RULES and REGULATIONS asking for verified information IMPOSSIBLE to prove for those surviving members of the HOLOCAUST and their DESCENDANTS. it is a black eye that points at a deeper ENTANGLED COMPLICITY in the theft of the past included in CONTEMPORARY, PROMINENT COLLECTIONS. similarly, DUPLICITOUS ART DEALERS that collaborated and worked on behalf of the NAZIS more or less continued UNABATED after the war. their common excuse that BUSINESS IS BUSINESS. the film makes the EXPLICIT point that the REAL DANGER and CORRUPTION of a TOTALITARIAN STATE is not the capacity to directly inflict HARM or PHYSICAL SUFFERING, but instead to convince everyday people to act COMPLICIT on their behalf and alter behavior in accordance to their DIRECTIVES. it is the CORRUPTION and DEBASEMENT of that go-between section of CIVIL SOCIETY that they derive their REAL POWER from. although not mentioned, the context of this film being created in the aftermath of the rise of TRUMP makes that point regarding CIVIL SOCIETY all too REAL in a CONTEMPORARY context. that DEFILEMENT is happening stateside in right now and the coming year will only make apparent which way the AMERICAN public will be swayed. but dividing the CULTURE by utilizing ART through virtue signaling regarding what constitutes PROPER ARCHITECTURE and MUSIC has already begun. we are all boiling frogs in this sense. hopefully it will be stopped at the election box this coming november. we shall see. RESTITUTION has been slow forthcoming for the DESCENDANTS of former GERMAN ART COLLECTORS of JEWISH descent. it is an ongoing process that feels INTRACTABLE but such is the nature of progress. earlier this year with my father i viewed the ADELE BLOCH-BAUER I (1907) painting by GUSTAV KLIMT at the NEUE GALERIE in NEW YORK CITY almost 20 years after i first saw it with him in VIENNA at the BELVEDERE MUSEUM. it took much LITIGATION and even a SUPREME COURT case, but it was returned and later sold to ESTEE LAUDER's husband who put it again on display. one can only hope for such an ending to other pieces of STOLEN NAZI ART worldwide. HITLER VERSUS PICASSO AND OTHERS is a RIVETING film much worth checking out since it EFFECTIVELY elucidates our own COLLECTIVE INABILITY and OUTRIGHT FAILURE to come to complete RESOLVED terms with the full IMPLICATIONS of the NAZI RAPE of EUROPA some 80 years ago. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
KELCE (9.14 FILMS, 2023) has to be one of the most RIVETING sports documentaries i have ever come across, right up there with HOOP DREAMS (KARTEMQUIN, 1994), SENNA (STUDIOCANAL, 2010) and WHEN WE WERE KINGS (POLYGRAM, 1996). and i say that not from a fan perspective, because 1) i am not a fan of the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES or their supporters and 2) this film is not a hagiography of the much REVERED and almost certainly CANTON-bound center JASON KELCE.
if anything, this film is a case study in STRUGGLE and DETERMINATION. as an UNDERSIZED OFFENSIVE LINEMAN, KELCE was not recruited out of high school and was a walk-on at the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI, which meant he basically had to OUTPERFORM others starting at the bottom of the depth chart. he fought and CLAWED his way into being a late (sixth) round draft pick for the EAGLES and fought unceasingly to maintain a roster spot for more than a decade and well into his 30s. on televised games, one can only assume the DAMAGE inflicted, and KELCE doesnt flinch in showcasing the MID-SEASON PHYSICAL TOLL on the PLAYER, even as he is in the moment playing and keeping up with his YOUNG DAUGHTERS. and that REVERBERATING impact that the game has on FAMILY LIFE is arguably the most POIGNANT aspect of this film. undoubtedly JASON SACRIFICES for his FAMILY, but the same or more could be said about his WIFE KYLIE who holds down the home front as her HUSBAND PUSHES, BLOCKS and PUMMELS his way through games on sunday and at practices during the week. the scene that absolutely guts me in this film is when JASON returns to his FAMILY's hotel room having just lost SUPER BOWL LVII a few hours earlier, arguably one of the BIGGEST PROFESSIONAL LETDOWNS of his career, and his mind is completely on his DAUGHTERS and their needs. undoubtedly he was DISAPPOINTED and dealing with the MENTAL, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL and SPIRITUAL ramifications of that LOSS, but such was set aside for the immediate needs, albeit adorably GOOFY ones, of his small CHILDREN. i dont know how you watch that and not come away TEARY-EYED. ditto the footage of him on the field after the LOSS congratulating his BROTHER and telling his MOTHER to go celebrate with TRAVIS. just such a MATURE and GENUINE act of LOVE on such a public stage. for me this film is about MASCULINITY. JASON embodies virtues of SELF-SACRIFICE, TEAMWORK and LOVE OF FAMILY. and that also includes his little brother TRAVIS, who followed the trail he blazed to the UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATTI, and found himself unable to play do to a THC POSITIVE DRUG TEST at the SUGAR BOWL that year. TRAVIS LOST HIS SCHOLARSHIP and was unable to play beside his BROTHER on a big stage. it was JASON who basically supported TRAVIS unconditionally and helped smooth things over with the team and the school to allow him back into the fold. that sense of LOYALTY is not lost on TRAVIS in this film, who saw their playing against each other in the SUPER BOWL as something they uniquely shared as BROTHERS, irrespective of who won. you can tell the extent that TRAVIS looks up to his BROTHER and cherishes being an UNCLE to his CHILDREN. one would think that JASON would be living vicariously through TRAVIS, with all his celebrity and public adoration, but it seems quite honestly the other way around throughout the film. i cant go without mentioning "the speech." JASON made arguably the most FAMOUS celebration speech in the aftermath of SUPER BOWL LII against the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS days later on the steps of the PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART near the ROCKY statue. there after a parade dressed as a MUMMER, a TRADITIONAL MIME that have their own LONG-RUNNING NEW YEARS DAY parade, JASON gave a speech about underdogs and PHILADELPHIA that ended with him telling the world to F-OFF if they didnt like the city. ICONIC. but it also seemingly fit the man as well, a cast-off that fought his way tooth and nail to success while also being the CONSUMMATE TEAMMATE, FAMILY MAN and (dare i say it) ambassador for the CITY OF BROTHERLY LOVE. i consider this film to be ESSENTIAL and a modern CLASSIC. most definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
LEGENDARY SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE was in a good place back in 2011 when this IN-HOUSE retrospective documentary GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE (NEXT ENTERTAINMENT, 2011) was released. at the time he was SOBER for nearly half a decade after years of ALCOHOL ABUSE that was pushing the limits of his FAMILY LIFE. and that hope that comes with RECOVERY is really what the film is about, placing it in the context of a LIFE'S NARRATIVE in which all his SUCCESS, PASSIONS, FEARS, ANTICS, OBSESSIONS, SELF-ABUSE was a COMPLICATED EXPRESSION of a SUFFERING individual with little regard for himself, and the toll such took on not one, but two sets of FAMILIES.
the story of OSBOURNE and by extension that of the FOUNDATIONAL METAL band BLACK SABBATH is practically COMMON musical history knowledge at this point. growing up dirt POOR in the ENGLISH WORKING-CLASS section of ASTON in the long-economically suffering MIDLANDS industrial outpost of BIRMINGHAM, the members of BLACK SABBATH found each other and their sound while attempting to escape the fate of their comrades whose DISMAL options included prison, the nearby factories or the army. however IMPROBABLE, somehow they wondered into FAME and NOTORIETY with an INNOVATIVE sound and unflinchingly RAW lyrical PERSPECTIVE that has yet to come out of FASHION in the more than half century since. DRUGS and ALCOHOL took over and effectively neutered the band, with them castigating and firing OSBOURNE eventually at the end, although they all admit they were just as worse for wear as he was. being reborn with a SOLO CAREER by finding his MANAGER, who later became his second wife, in SHARON ARDEN, and that of KINDRED musical spirit and MULTI-TALENTED MUSICIAN in RANDY RHOADS, lifted his CAREER and PUBLIC PERSONA to new limits. ROADS of course perished in a FREAK PLANE ACCIDENT and not too long later his MARRIAGE DISSOLVED with his first WIFE THELMA RILEY, the MOTHER of his first two CHILDREN. the IMMEDIATE LOSS of both his FAMILY and his FRIEND and SONGWRITING PARTNER was absolutely DEVASTATING and OSBOURNE could not handle such. ARDEN at some point later in the filming thinking about their own struggles in the 1980s with three SMALL CHILDREN in tow, mentions that for OSBOURNE the DRUGS, CASUAL SEX and LEGENDARY tales of UNHERALDED DEBAUCHERY was a shield to protect himself from REALITY. the REALITY being that he had a low-self esteem despite his success and that everything he cared about he lost eventually. in ARDEN and his SECOND FAMILY there is a theme that their mutual love and his eventual ability to love himself helped with their collective RECOVERY after years of TRAUMA and NEGLECT. in fact, it was OSBOURNE's son JACK becoming sober in his early 20s that set him on a track to pursue his RECOVERY. effectively the thought that his own YOUNG SON at such an earlier point in his development had the INTERNAL FORTITUDE and GUMPTION to take on REAL ACCOUNTABILITY and fight for SOBRIETY shamed OSBOURNE into following suit. and thank god he did. of course this was not a happy ending by any means. from 2012 to 2016 OSBOURNE admitted to having a fling with his hairdresser, a circumstance that nearly ended his marriage. in 2019 he was diagnosed with PARKINSON's DISEASE, only years after JACK was diagnosed with MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS in 2012. OSBOURNE very recently even learned of his second induction into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, the first as a MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH and this time as a SOLO ARTIST. lots of ups and downs, but the OSBOURNE clan carries on. there were quite a few NOTABLE interview participants in GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE, including his surviving siblings and all five of his children from both marriages, every MEMBER of BLACK SABBATH in TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD as well as former MEMBERS of his solo band in RUDY SARZO (QUIET RIOT) and ROBERT TRUJILLO (METALLICA, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES). similarly additional PROMINENT MUSICIANS interviewed include JOHN FRUSCIANTE (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), HENRY ROLLINS (BLACK FLAG), BRANDON BOYD (INCUBUS), TOMMY LEE (MOTLEY CRUE) and undoubtedly the most EXTRAORDINARY of them all, PAUL MCCARTNEY of THE BEATLES. if there is an epitaph for OSBOURNE, let this documentary be it as it contextualizes the ups and downs of his CAREER and battle with ADDICTION with that of his FAMILY LIFE. im sure he would want his PERSONAL NARRATIVE told in no other manner. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
it is INEVITABLE when a MAJOR STAR plays for a SMALL market TEAM that people start questioning their MOTIVATION for seeking out greener pastures elsewhere. when GENERATIONAL BASKETBALL TALENT GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO signed his super max deal in 2017 right before the MILWAUKEE BUCKS first championship in fifty years, there was much MISUNDERSTANDING in the NATIONAL media about his REASONING. similarly there has in recent years been much talk about his older brother THANASIS inclusion on their lineup. within this context, it is DIFFICULT to not see the CAPTIVATING recent GIANNIS: THE MARVELOUS JOURNEY (IMPROBABLE MEDIA, 2024) documentary as a rebuttal to such by providing CONTEXT and an absolutely RAW and HARROWING PERSONAL NARRATIVE that showcases his UNWAVERING COMMITMENT to family literally against all odds.
some PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES play fearing the possibility of losing, whereas ANTETOKOUNMPO fears his FAMILY being back in ATHENS as UNDOCUMENTED NIGERIAN IMMIGRANTS struggling to eat day to day. to some extent i knew the rough outline of his PERSONAL NARRATIVE but this film really hones in on the details of the EXTREME nature of his DESTITUTE EXISTENCE on the verge of SOCIETY battling HUNGER below the POVERTY LINE. what comes across is that he survived solely because of the SELFLESS INTERDEPENDENCE of his FAMILY, which included his PARENTS and three BROTHERS. GREECE saw an influx of IMMIGRATION during his LIFETIME and EXTREME NATIVIST organizations such as the FASCIST RISING DAWN political party literally attempted to exterminate such from the streets on sight. one of the more BRUTAL and DISTRESSING stories of the film showcases ANTETOKOUNMPO and THANASIS creating games to entice his younger BROTHERS to move faster as to literally avoid RISING DAWN DEATH SQUADS at nighttime in ATHENS. when he became a RECOGNIZED BASKETBALL prodigy, NIGERA offered him a passport which likewise found GREECE doing the same in order to keep him on the NAITONAL TEAM. such regard did not extend to his PARENTS or his young BROTHERS unfortunately. when he was drafted by the BUCKS in the 2013 NBA DRAFT and moved to MILWAUKEE it took months and much POLITICAL wrangling to get his PARENTS visas to the UNITED STATES. the BUCKS owner reached out to SECRETARY OF STATE JOHN KERRY to personally take on the project himself and sort out the details with the GREEK GOVERNMENT. apparently ANTETOKOUNMPO told the BUCKS ORGANIZATION that playing without his FAMLY was not an option. his SOLE MOTIVATION for playing landed squarely on the ability to uplift his IMMEDIATE FAMLY from POVERTY and better their COLLECTIVE situation, both materially and security-wise. if they couldnt make it work he wanted to return to GREECE, which is INCREDIBLE. what becomes CLEAR throughout the documentary is how ANTETOKOUNMPO deals with his business is related to a PROFOUND sense of LOYALTY and TRANSPARENCY towards those that reciprocate such with him and look out for the interests of him and his FAMLY. the BUCKS uplifted his FAMLY from a DESTITUTE EXISTENCE of EXTREME POVERTY in a backward country that ostracized them and didnt recognize their contributions to SOCIETY. its a UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP. the question now is that in the wake of a championship has that debt been paid by ANTETOKOUNMPO and then some. will he move on to another team for the next phase of career having given MILWAUKEE a taste of SUCCESS. much like when LEBRON JAMES left the CLEVELAND CAVALIERS with the city's BLESSING the second go-around after securing a title, i wonder if the same LOGIC applies with ANTETOKOUNMPO. i cant help but think it does and that any future time he visits the city he will be nothing but further embraced as a much BELOVED ADOPTED SON. i just dont see that playing out any differently. he is an all-time player with a likewise ALL-TIME WORK ETHIC and ability to elevate those around him with his POSITIVE SPIRIT. he is the PERFECT SPORTS embodiment of the region if there ever was one. have to say i was pleasantly surprised by how WELL-DONE this documentary was, fully expecting an overly SENTIMENTAL hagiography lacking an nuance. i consider GIANNIS: THE MARVELOUS JOURNEY a CLASSIC SPORTS documentary that is absolutely ESSENTIAL viewing. most definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
JERRY LEE LEWIS has to be one of the most FASCINATING yet CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES in the HISTORY of ROCK N ROLL. my INTRODUCTION to him was through my father who played me during my pre-school years the likes of LEWIS as well as other EARLY ROCK N ROLL PIONEERS like BUDDY HOLLY, CHUCK BERRY, ELVIS PRESLEY, THE BIG BOPPER and LITTLE RICHARD as well as DOO WOP groups, namely FRANKIE LYMON & THE TEENAGERS. these are among some of my EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORIES and my FIRST IMPRESSION of LEWIS was that INSANE ENERGY and CONTAGIOUS BRAVADO and CHARISMA with which he engaged the listener on positively IMMORTAL tracks like "GREAT BALLS OF FIRE" and "WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN' GOIN ON'". in retrospect, it is that FRICTION, that INCREDIBLE KINETIC ENERGY he gave off that was the very ESSENCE of ROCK N ROLL and differentiated it from the TRADITIONAL RHYTHM & BLUES and ROCKABILLY TRADITIONS that presaged it. dude was a FORCE MULTIPLIER and undoubtedly the YOUTHFUL, REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT and INNOVATIVE ETHOS of the BRITISH INVASION, PUNK ROCK, HIP HOP and beyond hold a DISTINCT debt to him. in the wake of his passing at 87 in 2022, CELEBRATED director ETHAN COEN's recently released documentary JERRY LEE LEWIS: TROUBLE IN MIND (A24, 2022) is understandably a RETROSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE on the career and legacy of the EARLY ROCK N ROLL GIANT. it isnt quite a HAGIOGRAPHY, but it definitely chooses to not fully dwell on the DARKER and notoriously VOLATILE aspects of LEWIS' PERSONALITY (example: famously shooting his bass player in the chest). instead we are presented with information regarding his PENTACOSTAL upbringing and the role of PERFORMATIVE RELIGIOSITY and specifically the importance of harnessing the SPIRIT OF THE LORD in one's playing. born in rural LOUISIANA to a family with an extended number of AUNTS, UNCLES and COUSINS, THE CHURCH was the glue that tied the FAMILY together. intriguingly TELEVANGELIST and NOTED GRIFTER JIMMY SWAGGART was among his COUSINS. in this context it makes total sense that after his 1950s cultural peak waned in the aftermath of his CONTROVERSIAL marriage to another pre-teen COUSIN (he was 22, she was one day past 13) that he resorted to GOSPEL and TRADITIONAL COUNTRY & WESTERN music in the 1960s and 1970s, with all the PIETY and OVERZEALOUS RELIGIOSITY that such entails. about that marriage, it was his third of seven, his first being when he himself was 16. apparently more than a few of them overlapped so the dude was also something a BIGAMIST as well. that was all news to me, although yet strangely UNSURPRISING in the least. but these aspects of his PERSONALITY and life were not really the focus of this film, which showed GRATUITOUS PERFORMANCE FOOTAGE from various TELEVISED EVENTS over the years and mostly glowing praise by contextualizing interview subjects. in the age of YOUTUBE, this footage is a bit UNREMARKABLE sans contextualization by you get the point quickly that LEWIS was a uniquely TRANSFORMATIVE and GENERATIONAL TALENT, even amongst his revered peer group, and was a CAPTIVATING SHOWMAN. the film ends by mentioning that he outlived his contemporaries when he finally pass on, but i am not sure how RELEVANT such is. as a musician his it is arguable that his legacy is somewhat UNDIMINISHED (such seems to be the argument of this film). but as an INDIVIDUAL his CHARACTER is painted as IMMORAL and singularly COMPROMISED due to marrying a CHILD BRIDE, although its INTERESTING to consider how the likes of JERRY SEINFELD, JIMMY PAGE, WOODY ALLEN and STEVEN TYLER did very much similar things regarding UNDERAGE girls in later eras to DIMINISHING degrees of public RIDICULE and DAMAGE to their REPUTATION. unquestionably for LEWIS it did IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE to his CULTURAL LEGACY and PERSONAL REPUTATION. add him to list of PROBLEMATIC artists. does that negate his art? i dont know. that is a much LARGER CONVERSATION, but i know that sans any INFORMATION regarding such details as a child i was completely MESMERIZED by the POWER of his music. this film offers a USEFUL INTRODUCTION and some CONTEXT to his ouevre and PERSONAL NARRATIVE, but is far from a HARD-HITTING expose of the bleaker aspects of his PERSONALITY and BEHAVIOR. id say this documentary is INTRIGUING but by no means ESSENTIAL. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i was a LATE NIGHT WITH CONAN O'BRIEN (NBC, 1993-2009) fan starting back in middle school in the late 1990s. i can remember distinctly bring with me and routinely wearing an embroidered, navy blue LATE NIGHT t-shirt upon entering my freshman year at a NEW ENGLAND boarding school a few years later. it was like my armor going into what very much felt like a HOSTILE environment. despite his INCREDIBLE INTELLIGENCE and ACADEMIC pedigree, there was something very DOWN-TO-EARTH and WORKMAN-LIKE about the HUMOR of CONAN O'BRIEN the COMEDIAN. you got the sense that he thought long and hard and WORDSMITH and workshopped his lines like a CRAFTSMAN with his team and really valued his AUDIENCE. i never felt pandered to. as a person he seemed to be speaking from a perspective of SELF-DEPRECATION and even SELF-DOUBT, as if the AUDIENCES reciprocal response and continuing the loop empowered him to take bigger chances down-the-line. unlike some of his LATE NIGHT peers how were not nearly as CLEVER, INFORMED or INTELLIGENT but certainly acted that way, O'BRIEN seemed the absolute inverse.
his COMEDY was about INCLUSION and HUMILITY. which is why when he lost THE TONIGHT SHOW in 2010 after only seven months the outpouring of support, not only from prominent ACTORS, MUSICIANS and fellow COMEDIANS in the immediate ENTERTAINMENT COMMUNITY but more importantly from AUDIENCES nationally, was so INCREDIBLE. he resonated as an UNDERDOG PUBLIC FIGURE that got completely got screwed by a consortium of malignant corporate figures in JAY LENO, JEFF ZUCKER and other FACELESS NBC UNIVERSAL executives. the documentary CONAN O'BRIEN CAN'T STOP (MAGNOLIA, 2011) follows the aftermath of that loss and how O'BRIEN freshly barred from being on television for six months per the terms of his separation agreement from NBC decided to concoct a national theater tour with his WRITERS and BACKING BAND. SPOILER ALERT: the outpouring of support was OVERWHELMING and the concert series went very well in spite of O'BRIEN being burnt out at times. what made the documentary INTERESTING is how a live performance in front of a live AUDIENCE in a theater setting compares to that of television. television studios are FRIGID black boxes with ample lighting setups all focused on optimizing the viewer experience at home, not the in-studio AUDIENCE. if anything, the in-studio AUDIENCE is just a prop, as group LAUGHTER cues television AUDIENCES on how to react. seeing O'BRIEN improvise and work a live CROWD in-between prepared bits throughout the documentary gives you an incite into him as an ASTUTE ENTERTAINER that can seamlessly interact with his AUDIENCE. that GENUINE interaction between ARTIST and AUDIENCE sans the medium of television is very much the crux of this film. by the end O'BRIEN realizes the very real ALLURE of the road and the ADMIRATION and how draining such can be over a long stretch. he seems ready to turn the page and be with his FAMILY as he turns the subsequent chapter with his team of WRITERS and BACKING BAND as he began his next cable talk show series CONAN (TBS, 2010-2021). all that anger was seemingly sublimated and those whose livelihoods were caught in the crossfire had made the journey with him. it is arguable that next to DAVID LETTERMAN and JOHN STEWART, O'BRIEN is one of the most BELOVED and RESPECTED talk show figures ever. all three share a common ethos of HONESTY, RESPECT and AUTHENTICITY that is shared by their teams and AUDIENCES alike. this film provides the EXPERIENCE of living and working with that sense of DIGNITY and DECENCY in action. i loved this film. would consider it ESSENTIAL and absolutely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
these days in our MODERN DIGITAL ECONOMY we are absolutely bombarded with SLEEK, OMNIPRESENT MULTI-MEDIUM ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS that are positively INESCAPABLE and the concept of "CORPORATE BRANDING" is so UBIQUITOUS that it now applies to our individual selves and what we project on SEARCHABLE SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS, BLOGS and CAREER WEBSITES. but back in immediate postwar AMERICA when the HEGEMONIC POLITICAL INFLUENCE and ECONOMIC POWER arguably took off, this concept regarding EFFECTIVE BRANDING was more NEBULOUS and UNDEFINED in the MARKETPLACE. in a sense, that is what makes ART PAUL, the FAMED initial art director of PLAYBOY, such a REVOLUTIONARY figure since he corralled GRAPHIC DESIGN, TYPOGRAPHY, PAINTING and ILLUSTRATION into a CORPORATE LIFESTYLE BRAND that blurred the line between COMMERCIAL and FINE ART. that is before mentioning that his LOGO for PLAYBOY and its MINIMALIST BAUHAUS-inspired AESTHETIC is arguably the most INFLUENTIAL CORPORATE BRANDING of all-time, directly inspiring that of NIKE, MCDONALD'S, AUDI, SPOTIFY, UBER, TARGET, VOLKSWAGEN, FACEBOOK, MASTERCARD, TWITTER, AIRBNB, PEPSI, LOUIS VUITTON, STARBUCKS, NASA, ADIDAS and so on.
the recent documentary ART PAUL OF PLAYBOY: THE MAN BEHIND THE BUNNY (AMERICAN DREAM, 2020) very much gets into the origins and career of PAUL as well as CONTEMPORARY pushback regarding his legacy promoting a company that effectively exploited FEMALE SEXUALITY as another CONSUMERIST COMMODITY. as aforementioned, PAUL was a student of the BAUHAUS and attended the SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO as well as the INSTITUTE OF DESIGN (founded as THE NEW BAUHAUS but today is part of the ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY) under LAZSLO MOHOLY-NAGY. for MOHOLY-NAGY, design principles were both EXPERIMENTAL and rigorously UTILITARIAN, with the key objective being the AESTHETIC elevation of COMMON household, MASS-PRODUCED objects to in turn promote the well-being of society. its INTRIGUING to consider how DESIGN was viewed in this manner as an OPTIMISTIC EXPRESSION of the new AMERICAN century of dominance and cultural superiority along UTILITARIAN and AESTHETIC grounds. such was how PAUL viewed GRAPHIC DESIGN when he took his meeting with HUGH HEFNER early in his career and effectively created the LOOK of one of the LANDMARK PUBLICATIONS in MODERN AMERICAN history. dont believe me? under PAUL's supervision the MAGAZINE promoted and included the WORK of REVERED CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS such as FRANK GALLO, LEROY NEIMAN, BRAD HOLLAND, KINUKO Y CRAFT, ROY SCHNACKENBERG and BOB LOSTUTTER as well as NOTABLE local CHICAGO ARTISTS such as ED PASCHKE, ROGER BROWN, KARL WIRSUM, SEYMOUR ROSOFSKY and SHEL SILVERSTEIN. likewise CELEBRATED CONTRIBUTING WRITERS included the likes of JOYCE CAROL OATES, JACK KEROUAC, MARGARET ATWOOD, ALEX HALEY, KURT VONNEGUT, NELSON ALGREN, RAY BRADBURY, VLADIMIR NABOKOV, RICHARD HUNT and JOHN CHEEVER. just on the exposure of such talent alone to a wider audience places the PUBLICATION in UNIVERSAL high regard, never mind the UN-REDACTED and highly CONTROVERSIAL interviews with HISTORICAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS like MALCOM X and MARTIN LUTHER KING JR at the height of COINTELPRO (who were often victims of the POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED editorialization that came with the highly EDITED transcripts of their interviews with national LEGACY PUBLICATIONS). but one of the great counter-arguments of the film is that of GRAPHIC DESIGN legend PAULA SCHER and her contention that PAUL was not a practitioner of GOOD GRAPHIC DESIGN since such promoted what amounts to a MORALLY BANKRUPT operation. she disagreed firmly with the ETHOS of the MAGAZINE and its depiction of WOMEN in their nude pictorials. its an INTERESTING commentary because it very much gets at the base INTENTION of DESIGN and ART itself. what is it that you are actually promoting and how ethically grounded is such? back when i was taking film class in college i remember similarly IMPASSIONED adn FIERCE debates regarding the WORK of NAZI PROPAGANDIST LENI REIFENSTAHL and the STATE-SPONSORED films she directed promoting the IDEOLOGY of the THIRD REICH. it is without question that she innovated the MEDIUM using all sorts of newly constructed CRANE SHOTS and DOLLY MOVEMENTS with the INTENTION of adding to the GRANDEUR and SPECTACLE of ADOLF HITLER and his WARPED vision. did that make such quote unquote GOOD CINEMA? its a debate as old as time at this point, but very much gets at the relationship between the ART and the ARTIST that taints how we view the CREATIVE WORK of several severely MORALLY-COMPROMISED CREATIVES from KANYE WEST, TERRY RICHARDSON, R KELLY, SALVADOR DALI, PHIL SPECTOR, RICHARD WAGNER, CHUCK BERRY, PAUL GAUGUIN, P DIDDY, ROMAN POLANSKY, MORRISSEY, CARAVAGGIO, MICHAEL JACKSON, PABLO PICASSO and so on. but does it make their WORK any less GREAT? i dont know. the film doesnt equate PLAYBOY with any of the EXTREME behavior of those aforementioned MUSICIANS, DIRECTORS, ARTISTS, COMPOSERS and PROPAGANDISTS who undoubtedly transgressed clear societal moral lines, but an argument could be made that through its GENTLE PROMOTION of CONSUMERIST and SEXUALLY RISK-TAKING activity it laid the groundwork for a base MISOGYNY that has seeped and become metastasized into our COLLECTIVE NATIONAL PSYCHE to the point that a charlatan like DONALD TRUMP (who is the LOGICAL albeit CARTOONISH version of those principles) can run for national leadership with no SEVERE pushback. that is the rub as i see it. i dont blame HEFNER or PAUL for TRUMP, but the connection is there and the ART PAUL OF PLAYBOY documentary seemingly points the way albeit unintentionally. this is a TERRIFIC film that is definitely worth checking out, whatever your politics regarding SEX. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
the conversation surrounding the ETHICS involved in APPROPRIATIVE ART is a CONTENTIOUS and CONTROVERSIAL subject. look no further than that APOCHRYPHAL PABLO PICASSO line "good artists borrow, great artists steal" that gets at the heart of the matter, which is that when it comes to ART, like LOVE and WAR, there are essentially no rules. to the contrary, the amalgamation and interweaving of IDEAS into new FORMS and CONTEXTS is arguably how the CULTURE propels itself forward.
no doubt that was the ETHOS of CELEBRATED POP ARTIST ROY LICHTENSTEIN when he appropriated the CREATIVE WORK of largely UNKNOWN mid-century COMIC BOOK ILLUSTRATORS into has large-scale canvases. like ANDY WARHOL, he was involved in the process of identification and selection forwarded by DADA artist MARCEL DUCHAMP in which something COMMON, TRIVIAL and usually UTILITARIAN in value gets plucked from effective OBSCURITY to be transformed into high ART. WARHOL chose CAMPBELL soup cans and BRILLO pad boxes as EMBLEMATIC of a NEW VISIAL LANGUAGE and AESTHETIC surrounding CONSUMERIST concepts like manufactured desirability. in the post-war period, this IDEA of taking a DUCHAMPIAN eye for TRANSFORMATIVE selection unto MASS MARKETED PRODUCTS and ADVERTISEMENT CAMPAIGNS was NOVEL and REVOLUTIONARY. likewise, LICHTENSTEIN was transforming these DISCARDABLE COMIC BOOK panels, the argument goes, into something else entirely. that ART of DUCHAMPIAN selection placed them in an entirely NEW CONTEXT and in front of an DIFFERENT AUDIENCE for a DIFFERENT PURPOSE. this CONCEPT is lost in the recent WHAAM! BLAM! ROY LICHTENSTEIN AND THE ART OF APPROPRIATION (VIRGIL FILMS, 2023) documentary, which has a more common REDUCTIVE view of the situation in which exploited COMIC BOOK ARTISTS like HY EISMAN and RUSS HEATH had some of their CREATIVE WORK repurposed with no attribution, acknowledgement or payment as the OBSCURE source of said PAINTINGS. legally no payment is due to them since they dont own the rights to their WORK, as it is understood that the firm they worked for held the copyrights and thus the standing to sue LICHTENSTEIN back in the day. which they didnt since the potential earnings from said litigation was NOMINAL at best in the 1960s. that these LIMITED PAINTINGS are now highly SOUGHT-AFTER by global billionaire class and now go for hundreds of millions of dollars each at auction is IMMATERIAL. but it all does ring more than a bit UNFAIR. at least to EISMAN and HEATH who are on limited fixed incomes late in life and in some cases use CHARITABLE services to get by from an INDUSTRY that saw them as common CRAFTMEN and not ARTISTS in their own right. its a different story these days regarding common practices in publishing with many ILLUSTRATORS retaining control of their WORK and licensing it to for a limited period to publishing houses. you most definitely feel for EISMAN and HEATH and the manner in which they were essentially rendered MUTE and INVISIBLE by both the COMIC BOOK INDUSTRY and the legal system at large, but in a WEIRD sense this film, based on the scholarly work of DAVID BARSALOU of the DECONSTRUCTING LICHTENSTEIN website (linked HERE), is a PERMANENT testament to their contributions to the work of LICHTENSTEIN. this film is that awaited credit and attribution, not by the ARTIST himself (who passed in 1997), but by the COMMUNITY itself. at least that counts for something in this CAUTIONARY tale. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
as a film minor in college, i came to learn and explore EXPLOITATION FILMS via DIRECTORS from the 1960s and 70s like RUSS MEYER (FASER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!), JOHN WATERS (PINK FLAMINGOS, FEMALE TROUBLE) and JACK HILL (COFFY, FOXY BROWN, SPIDER BABY) among others. i paid particular attention to most every genre with the exception of one: HORROR. which is probably why i was a late bloomer to the FOUNDATIONAL cinematic work of WILLIAM CASTLE and his REVOLUTIONARY MARKETING and GIMMICK-LADEN PROMOTIONAL EFFORTS in support of such throughout the 1950s and 60s. more MASTER PROMOTIONAL MANIPULATOR and CARNIVAL-BARKING SALESMAN than FILM AUTEUR, the life of CASTLE is lovingly recounted and contextualized by his peers, coworkers, followers and family in the recent documentary SPINE TINGLER! THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY (AUTOMAT, 2007).
for those that are UNFAMILIAR with the term, EXPLOITATION FILMS were B-MOVIE MOTION PICTURES brazenly devised in order to take advantage of an ongoing trend or current event with often SENSATIONALIZED PLOTS and absolutely SHAMELESS use of GIMMICKRY. back in the day films were often showcased as DOUBLE FEATURES, with the FEATURE FILM being the big-actor, WELL-PRODUCED MARQUEE FILM and the B-MOVIE a more EXPLOITATIVE, CHEAPER, often LESS SOPHISTICATED film shown as an opener. there are so many sub-genres of such that have arisen since the 1950s that include everything form SEXPLOITATION, BLAXPLOITATION, SURFER FILMS, BIKER MOVIES, THRILLERS, WOMEN-PRISON-FILMS and so on. although not widely considered as such these days due to their perennial popularity, HORROR FILMS is itself an EXPLOITATION sub-genre. their HOOK or GIMMICK is that they are going after a demographic that specifically seeks the experience of being FRIGHTENED. and CASTLE, much like ALFRED HITCHCOCK (whose FILMS are often tagged with the more ESTEEMED title of SUSPENSE), recognized such early on in the game. it should be noted that the EXPLOITATION tag is not a DEROGATORY epithet by an stretch of the imagination, as JOHN WATERS even explains in the FILM, as all FILMS are in essence EXPLOITATIVE in some regard. CASTLE was born in NEW YORK CITY but became an OPHAN during his adolescence, which undoubtedly affected his sense of IDENTITY for the rest of his life, especially with regards to the DEVASTATING potential for loss with regards to success and family. his need for attention, validation and glamour found him interested in THEATER and he fought and crawled his way into working on BROADWAY as a STAGE MANAGER where he became a peer of ORSON WELLES. through the WELLES connection he was given a venue outside of the city where he put on a play he devised for a recently arrived GERMAN actress. this actress was called back to GERMANY shortly before WWII and CASTLE manipulated the PRESS twice to PROMOTE his production. the first was that he told them (falsely) that he wrote a letter to ADOLF HITLER stating that he would not allow his star to return home and the second was that he told the PRESS that he would not stop production in the face of recent NAZI graffiti plastered all over the front of the THEATER (apparently done by CASTLE himself). the PROPAGANDANDIZED PUBLICITY drew ENORMOUS crowds to the largely LACKLUSTER production. this ability to manipulate the PRESS was CASTLE's ace in the hole as a PRODUCER and served him well throughout his later FILM CAREER and is a major part of his continued LEGACY. upon arrival in LOS ANGELES, CASTLE worked under the wing of the universally REVILED, FEARED and RESPECTED head of COLUMBIA PICTURES, HARRY COHN. he worked his way up to B-MOVIE DIRECTOR where he specialized in making ON-BUDGET, ON-SCHEDULE FILMS of DUBIOUS quality that made MONEY. such a BANKABLE reputation as an EFFICIENT OPERATOR is not a negative in the least, but is what you want in a B-MOVIE DIRECTORS from the studio's perspective. under the STUDIO SYSTEM, proven DIRECTORS that could flourish given LIMITED BUDGETS worked their way up to making FEATURES. CASTLE was so good at it that he basically stayed at that level. during this period he found and bought the rights to a PROPERTY he thought would help him transition to FEATURES, a MYSTERY PULP novel by RAYMOND SHERWOOD KING entitled IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE (ACE BOOKS, 1938). unfortunately COHN optioned it from CASTLE and made it the next RITA HAYWORTH-fronted WELLES project THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (COLUMBIA, 1947), now very much considered a FILM NOIR classic. eventually he left the studio and went INDEPENDENT and made a two LEGENDARY HORROR FILMS, MACABRE (WILLIAM CASTLE PRODUCTIONS, 1958) and HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (WILLIAM CASTLE PRODUCTIONS, 1959) that garnered him fame and FINANCIAL SUCCESS before COLUMBIA PICTURES came back and backed his work thereafter. the reason this COLLABORATIVE arrangement with COLUMBIA PICTURES worked was that as PRODUCER, SCREENWRITER and DIRECTOR of his own FILMS, CASTLE controlled his productions and made everything on a SHOESTRING BUDGET and devised a series of GIMMICKY promotional campaigns aimed at kids that reaped in a FINANCIAL WINDFALL. these GIMMICKS included buzzers on seats (THE TINGLER), INSURANCE POLICIES collectible upon DEATH by next of kin from FRIGHT in THEATER (MACABRE), INFLATABLE SKELETONS flying in on wires across MOVIE SCREENS (HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL), MONEY-BACK GUARANTEES and so on. it was a DIFFERENT era in the 1950s that basically ended with the collective loss of national innocence when JFK was ASSASSINATED in 1963. shit got real then and CASTLE did other things to DIMINISHING RETURNS throughout the 60s. in the late 1960s he found another PROPERTY that he bought the rights to that he hoped to utilize as a potential VEHICLE for another attempt to transition to FEATURES as a DIRECTOR but was again conned by PARAMOUNT PICTURES this time into relinquishing ROSEMARY'S BABY (PARAMOUNT, 1968) to ROMAN POLANSKI where he stayed on as a PRODUCER. this was basically his last hurrah as the 1970s found SLASHER B-MOVIES come into fashion that were more EXPLICIT and BRUTAL in nature to his decidedly OUTMODED HORROR FILMS of the 1950s and early 1960s. his CINEMATIC LEGACY is one of innovation in terms of bridging the fourth wall with his audience and providing a SHOWMAN's GOOD-NATURED human touch to his productions. both JOHN WATERS and ROGER CORMAN participated in this documentary and attest to the power of such PROMOTIONAL TACTICS in their own work. the TRAGEDY of it all is that CASTLE had a deep need to prove himself worthy of LOVE and AFFECTION and those GIMMICKS were utilized long after his name became recognized on the MARQUEE and were unneeded. the potential for the loss of such ADORATION by his audience and his family alike was the REAL FEAR that drove and defined his life. the documentary is a testament that such worry was UNWARRANTED given the ENDURING APPEAL and influence of his FILMS on a whole swath of FILM IRECTORS raised on EXPLOITATION FILMS from throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s of which his name is undoubtedly at the vanguard of. that CASTLE DIED not knowing such LOVE and AFFECTION existed on his behalf is much SCARIER than any haunted house or VOLATILE axe-wielding psychopath. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
its mind-boggling to consider all of the effectively ANONYMOUS ARTISTS and MUSICIANS that have meaningfully and actively participated in the creation of ICONIC WORKS in the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, from CINEMATOGRAPHERS, SCRIPTWRITERS and EDITORS in FILM to PRODUCERS and RECORDING ENGINEERS in MUSIC. these UNSUNG PROFESSIONALS provide an absolutely INSTRUMENTAL service in the development and production of ART with little if not ZERO fanfare or POPULAR RECOGNITION by the wider public.
such an ASYMETRICAL DYNAMIC is also the case with SUPPORTING MUSICIANS, or SIDEMEN. the SIDEMEN: LONG ROAD TO GLORY (RED HAWK, 2016) documentary in particular focuses on this PHENOMENA with a close look at the life and careers of three LEGENDARY BLUES SIDEMEN in PIANIST PINETOP PERKINS and DRUMMER WILLIE "BIG EYES" SMITH (both of MUDDY WATERS fame) and the much CELEBRATED and singularly INFLUENTIAL GUITARIST HUBERT SUMLIN (of HOWLIN' WOLF fame). all three where close friends and BLUES survivors into their senior years before dying months apart from one another in 2011. post-RECONSTRUCTION, JIM CROW laws throughout the AMERICAN SOUTH effectively perpetuated the SEPARATE and very UNEQUAL TREATMENT of AFRICAN AMERICANS, which led to a MASSIVE MOVEMENT at the beginning of the 20th century to northern cities like PHILADELPHIA, NEW YORK CITY and CHICAGO for BETTER jobs and working conditions in what is known as THE GREAT MIGRATION. part of what was transported up to CHICAGO in particular was the DELTA BLUES, which became electrified in the hands of MUDDY WATERS and HOWLIN' WOLF in a NEW VARIATION promoted by CHESS RECORDS known as the CHICAGO BLUES. along with LABEL-MATE CHUCK BERRY, these three ARTISTS were an early triumvirate that INNOVATED and POINTED THE WAY to what would shortly thereafter become ROCK N ROLL. in fact, it is not hyperbole in the least to state that they effectively INVENTED ROCK N ROLL. the INCREDIBLE stakes of their CONTRIBUTIONS to the overall trajectory 20th century MUSIC HISTORY and AMERICAN CULTURE writ large is what makes the CRIMINAL OVERLOOKING of PERKINS, SMITH and SUMLIN outside dedicated MUSICIANS' circles so DEVASTATING. SUMLIN and his EMOTIVE, LYRICAL and ATMOSPHERIC GUITAR LICKS for HOWLIN' WOLF in particular was a DIRECT INFLUENCE on later GUITARISTS ranging from JIMI HENDRIX (who repeatedly stated such), JIMMY PAGE, ROBBIE ROBERSTON, ERIC CLAPTON and a generation of BRITISH INVASION GUITARISTS and SONGWRITERS. to date SUMLIN is still not in the ROCK N ROLL HALL OF FAME which is indicative of his CONFOUNDING STATUS being entirely OVERLOOKED despite IMMEASURABLE INFLUENCE on MODERN MUSIC. this documentary is an effort to change that narrative. the roster of ARTISTS participating in the interviews regarding these three SIDEMEN are full of cultural heavyweights from BONNIE RAITT, JOHNNY WINTER, GREGG ALLMAN (THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND), ROBBY KRIEGER (THE DOORS), KEITH RICHARDS (THE ROLLING STONES), JOE PERRY & BRAD WHITFORD (AEROSMITH) and ELVIN BISHOP (PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND) to more modern players like ERIC GALES, DERICK TRUCKS, WARREN HAYNES (GOV'T MULE, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND), SHEMEKIA COPELAND, JOE BONAMASSA, WALTER TROUT, GUY DAVIS, BOBBY RUSH and KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD among others. seems more than fitting that these well-known CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS pooled their CLOUT and collective light to shine on these three UNSUNG fellow ARTISTS for the sake of correcting the record for POSTERITY. the SIDEMEN: LONG ROAD TO GLORY film is ESSENTIAL viewing in my opinion. definitely worth checking out irrespective of your INTEREST in the BLUES. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
ive never been able to get a read on JULIAN SCHNABEL. even before watching the recent JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT (BUENA ONDA, 2017) RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY that serves as a PERSONAL narrative regarding his CREATIVE OUTPUT, as well as the MEANINGFUL relationships he amassed along the way, i knew him through his UNCONVENTIONAL and highly PERSONAL FILMS. namely BASQUIAT (MIRAMAX, 1996), BEFORE NIGHT FALLS (FINE LINE, 2000) and THE DIVINE BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (MIRAMAX, 2007). each being its own UNIQUE CINEMATIC UNIVERSE unto themselves with the through line being his ability to defy audience expectations and invariably impress upon them a highly AFFECTING FOCUS on MOOD and the EMOTIONAL INTERIORITY of his character's PSYCHE. i have walked out all three of his movies with an ELEVATED sense of my own PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCE as a human and how such affects my relationships and sense of SELF.
but that could all just be me projecting unto his WORK. which i believe might be the point of any TRUE ARTIST. although still INDECIPHERABLE, this documentary showcases a REFLECTIVE PROCESS with his WORK that finds him EVER-AWARE and even HYPER-VIGILANT for new opportunities and avenues of EXPRESSION, whether such be 'mistake' on CANVAS or in the EMOTIONAL pull of a CINEMATIC SCENE. everything is mined for its emotive potential in service of ITSELF. this ability to both improvise as a COMPOSITIONAL COMPONENT to his FILMS is partly what draws such TALENT and ADMIRATION from actors such as WILLEM DAFOE and AL PACINO, both participants in this FILM. arguably the moment in the FILM where these threads of EXPRESSION (MUSIC, ART and CINEMA) come together is in MULTI-MEDIA PRODUCTION surrounding LOU REED's late-career PERFORMANCE of his MUCH-HERALDED but famously DEBAUCHED BERLIN (RCA, 1973) album. what REED does with WORDS and MELODY, EVER-SHIFTING around his catalogue to his latest ARTISTIC PREDILECTIONS irrespective of audience expectation is essentially the model of SCHNABEL on CANVAS and CELLULOID. for me that moment was more INSIGHTFUL and MEANINGFUL than past FAMILY memories of NEW YORK and TEXAS, where he grew up. the SPONTANEOUS act of CREATION and being completely FEARLESS about such is what makes this FILM COMPELLING, if not entirely MYSTIFYING and OPAQUE. im still not sure entirely what i make of SCHNABEL or what i learned given this FILM, but at least it makes me aware of how perplexing the PROCESS of ARTISTIC GENERATION actually is since it comes from a place of INCREDIBLE INTENT, FOCUS and EMOTIONAL VULNERABILITY. such a state i'll likely never fully appreciate. JULIAN SCHNABEL: A PRIVATE PORTRAIT is an EVER-INTRIGUING FILM that i will no doubt revisit in the future. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
it was a bit hard to get a decent read on the intent behind the brief DAMIEN HIRST: MORBID FASCINATION (ENTERTAIN UK, 2022) documentary, which focused on the NOTORIOUS BRITISH PAINTER and CONCEPTUAL ARTIST. the most FAMOUS of the YBAs (Young British Artists) that came out of GOLDSMITH'S COLLEGE in the late 80s and early 90s, which coincidently rose to CULTURAL PROMINENCE around the same time as the BRITPOP movement of young INDIE ROCK bands, DAMIEN HIRST is the embodiment of BRITAIN's return to CULTURAL RELEVANCY in the EUROPEAN ART scene and beyond.
and for that he is much BELOVED and HATED. some see him as an ABSOLUTE CHARLATAN whose WORK is POMPOUS, SUPERFICIAL and highly OVERRATED. others see him as a MODERN conceptual extension of the likes of CONCEPTUAL ARTISTS such as MARCEL DUCHAMP, ANDY WARHOL and JEFF KOONS in how he isolates innately PROVOCATIVE objects and ingeniously RE-CONTEXTUALIZES them to spur popular discussion and critical evaluation of COMPLEX and INTERRELATED EXISTENTIALIST themes such as NATURE, MORTALITY, RELIGION, IMPERMANENCE, BELIEF and CONSUMER CULTURE. like i said before it is difficult to get a sense from where MORBID FASCINATION stands on this issue as it doesnt seem to advocate for either side, more just presenting both sides as equally RELEVANT. this is FRUSTRATING since the fact that there is interest enough in HIRST in the first place to take the necessary TIME and ENERGY to film, edit and manufacture this product proves his INHERENT VALUE enough as an ARTIST to be considered WORTHY of being critically analyzed and dissected. somehow this line of inquiry feels so TRAGICALLY BRITISH, since only they will seemingly go through the effort to produce a documentary about the merits of making said documentary. i dont much care about your reasoning, just get on with the task at hand already. there is an UNFORTUNATE preoccupation in this film about HIRST's MARKETING PROWESS and preternatural ability to PROMOTE and SENSATIONALIZE his WORK in the press and thus draw a SUBSTANTIAL PRICE for such at auction. again, that is a BORING topic since such a discussion doesnt confirm or deny the MERIT of his WORK, just its current MARKET VALUE. my hope when watching this documentary was to get a better sense of his ARTWORK and how its THEMES interplay with the work of his PEERS, both preceding him like FRANCIS BACON or concurrently such as fellow NOTABLE YBA SARAH LUCAS. regrettably most of this short film was dedicated to his NOTORIETY and supposed CONTROVERSIAL STATUS within the ART COMMUNITY without naming names. it all just comes across as SUBPAR and lacking any real DEPTH. not gonna lie, DAMIEN HIRST: MORBID FASCINATION felt like WASTED OPPORTUNITY on a subject that is innately INTRIGUING and whose WORK is demonstrably WORTHY of a critical eye. the never-ending UNCRITICAL focus and SUPERFICIAL preoccupation with MONEY was the TRUE "MORBID FASCINATION" of this film, and not HIRST or his ARTWORK. probably best to search for better fair elsewhere since this film is definitely not worth checking out. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
July 2024
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