"The House of the Rising Sun" - Nina Simone

When I was twelve or thirteen my family and I visited New Orleans. We stayed in a faded old relic of a place and spent a lot of time walking around the city. There’s a lot of history to be found in that town, lurking in its seedy alleys and upstairs rooms. It’s one of those places that gets name-checked in pop music all the time and a bunch of great musicians have lived and played there going back for centuries probably. Today, Alex Chilton, for instance, and I believe Ray Davies both reside in the Big Easy. Anyway, when I was there we went on a horse-and-cart tour through the streets with a local guide, and as we were nearing the end of our journey he pointed out a dilapidated building along the way that he claimed was the inspiration for the song “The House of the Rising Sun.” I was a little too young to appreciate the brief conversation he had with my parents about it, but from what I remember, the place was a brothel and it was really called the House of the Rising Son. Interesting, stuff, I know…

Anyway, here’s a version of the song by the incomparable Nina Simone. It’s a live performance from some unknown concert on the Young, Gifted, and Black compilation by Dynamic Entertainment (2003).

The House of the Rising Sun - Nina Simone


Buy Nina Simone CDs on Amazon.com


"House of the Rising Sun" and "Go to Hell" live at the Bitter End Cafe (1968)

Yeeah...

Extra!

I've started writing music reviews for the website PopMatters, so if you're thinking to yourself, "Wait a minute! You're a terrible writer; a dull-edged tool; a thumb-less gardener at best!" you probably won't want to click on this link:


Spencer Tricker | PopMatters

"Waving Flags" - British Sea Power

This is the first single from British Sea Power's latest album, Do You Like Rock Music?. It's been out for a while now, but I think you should all give it a listen, since you probably haven't heard it yet. People have been saying it sounds like Arcade Fire, because it's sort of "epic" sounding and BSP's an indie band, but honestly, it doesn't sound a bit like Arcade Fire, because they're completely awful.

Following the sneering squall of Noble's lead guitar in the intro section, co-frontman Yan bleats, "You are astronomical fans of alcohol, so welcome in," beginning the theme of camaraderie that holds this track together like a close-knit gang of teenagers. In the second verse, it's a similar sentiment. "Are you of legal drinking age? On minimum wage? Well, welcome in!" "Waving Flags" is a song about the joy and sense of invincibility that overtakes you in those flashing moments when you feel as though you've got the whole world at your back. It's not working-class pride, it's something much more--something universal. In the chorus, Yan moves into a lower tone as he sings, "You, you're only here for a while, and it's all a joke," and you know he's right. It's a song that's encouraging even when it’s sober—it’s morbidity with a hearty slap on the back from your mates. It's a song that comes from an understanding that we all need something to take the edge off, and yes, we do like rock music.

"Waving Flags"- British Sea Power
BSP's Official Website
Buy Do You Like Rock Music? from Newbury Comics


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Daniel Day-Lewis / There Will Be Blood

With the awards season having just ended, and the dust haze now settling (as much as it can ever settle in a place like L.A.), I think there’s just enough time for me to throw in my two cents on one of the best acting performances of 2007.

Being in London, where movie tickets cost about as much as a good bottle of wine back in the States, I was pretty much ready to give up on the idea of seeing P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood on the big screen, when, quite literally out of the green, I came across a great little theater in Islington that was still showing it. The sheer convenience being too much to refuse, I paid the 8 pounds and sat down for what turned out to be two hours and thirty-eight minutes of pure cinematic gold. If there’s one thing that this movie proves beyond Clint Eastwood’s long shadow of a doubt, it’s that Daniel Day-Lewis is a living legend.

The more astute among you have, perhaps, known this for quite some time. Sure, I caught him rockin' it in Scorcese’s Gangs of New York, but I wasn’t convinced. Marty’s gangster flicks aren’t my cup of tea, you see, and I’ve never been much of a Leo D. fan either, so you’ll excuse me if I’d made up my fifteen-year-old mind beforehand. Still, it seems that ever since 1992’s The Last of the Mohicans he’s been a casting agent’s wet dream. Go figure.

But reputations are meaningless, and Daniel Day-Lewis must know this better than anyone else in the motion picture industry. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be the masterful method actor he is today. Submerging himself totally in his roles, he’s known to isolate himself completely during filming, dedicating his time off-camera to living the way his characters would. When he was doing Mohicans he built a canoe, learned to hunt and trap, and perfected the use of an ancient, 12-pound flintlock. When he did Gangs, he got sick because he refused to exchange an historically accurate 19th Century coat for a warmer (anachronistic) replacement. I’ve heard of actors getting into their roles, but the lengths to which Mr. Day-Lewis consistently goes put him in a small Hollywood elite.

In There Will Be Blood, he’s secured this position. As the film’s main character, Daniel Plainview, Day-Lewis turns in a performance that’s both magnetic and utterly explosive. Very few times in one’s life is it truly appropriate to use the word “cathartic,” but that’s best way to describe the strange brew of emotions that he conjures with this role. For some reason, he’s been given the incredible gift of being able to turn his entire body into an instrument of expression. From the first dissonant chord of the magnificent Jonny Greenwood score to the moment the credits roll, this guy actually is Plainview. You can’t help but get the feeling that the role was written for him. I’m tremendously happy he won Best Actor. I can’t think of anyone in recent years who’s deserved it more.

Go and see There Will Be Blood. You won’t be disappointed.

From Day-Lewis’ acceptance speech:

My deepest thanks to the members of the Academy for whacking me with the handsomest bludgeon in town.

CCTV 2

Somewhere in the Chelsea area, not far from the Thames


"Does the body rule the mind? Or does the mind rule the body?"


Still Ill (Peel Session) - The Smiths