Now here’s a case of a song I’ve known for years in different forms, but I had no idea it was originally written and performed by Buzzcocks.
I didn’t really know anything at all about Buzzcocks, aside from their name, until looking them up for this blog entry. Turns our they’re one of the very first punk bands and a huge influence on decades of music that followed their mid-70s debut.
The AFI releases a list of the ten best films and movies of the past year, but doesn’t rank them or choose one as the best. Their picks don’t generally mean much in terms of the Oscar race, but they are one of the first groups to announce each year so they get a bit of attention.
Here are this year’s selections:
My theme this Monday through Friday is artists who I have somehow never managed to listen to despite high praise from fans and critics alike. The next five selections are all people or groups who I’m very much aware of without hearing a note of their music.
I’m not talking about somebody like Neil Young, who I have consciously decided to avoid because I dislike his voice. I’m talking about artists who, through bad luck or happenstance, have just never crossed my radar. Here’s their chance.
This has been a pretty lackluster year at the movies, a point underscored by the fact that the Golden Globe nominations came out last week and I didn’t even know it. Further, nothing in this list stands out to me one way or the other.
I’m glad to see Robert Downey Jr. recognized for Tropic Thunder (as well as Tom Cruise in the same film). Having just seen Milk, I’m surprised it didn’t make the cut for Best Picture. Nice to see Kate Winslet nominated twice.
On the TV side, the absence of Friday Night Lights is so completely expected that it’s hard to summon any outrage anymore. It’s more of a surprise to see Lost left out, with House as the only network show in the lineup. I’m happy to see Mad Men with several nominations, and it should be the easy winner.
Full list of nominees follows…
Not too long ago, artists who drank and drugged themselves to death were viewed romantically. I mean, there are at least two Janis Joplin films in production as I type. But now it’s a different story. It’s hard to be a figure of dark mystery when you’re on the front page of TMZ every day covered in your own vomit.
Such is the fate of Amy Winehouse, a supremely talented train wreck of a musician who appears hellbent on dying young but without any of the accompanying glamor.
Meet Me In Montauk 