Brandon Burke

Murray...

Dafoe and Murray...

The cast....

Test screenings have begun for the new Wes Anderson film. Here's a couple reviews that I found online. This film sounds really good. I can't wait... ****************************************************************** Just saw a screening of the new Wes Anderson film THE LIFE AQUATIC at the arclight, here in Los angeles. Apparently, they have now changed the name to THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU. no real spoilers below the huge crowd was packed with young LA hipsters, knowing full well and greatly anticipating the new film by the great young director, Wes Anderson. Let me be the first to say it; they sure as hell weren't dissapointed. I can't remember watching a movie with such an explosive audience response. It got a long round of applause at the end and endless laughter throughout. This will be big. I loved THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and embarassingly enough have never seen RUSHMORE or BOTTLEROCKET. well i saw 20 minutes of BOTTLEROCKET if that counts. probably not. The first thing you will notice with THE LIFE AQUATIC is how much it resembles THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS. Its art style, direction, camera work, music, oddness, are seem in the vein of THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS. There are so many little connections between the two films here and there, there will probably be websites up connecting to the two. but THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS and THE LIFE AQUATIC are two very different films. If THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS was "funny, strange, unique, bizzare, wild" then THE LIFE AQUATIC makes it seem like a bad episode of the cosby show. THE LIFE AQUATIC is so wild, so ingeniously twisted and strange its like nothing you have ever seen before. From the brilliant art direction, to the great cast and everything in between, its one of the best film's i've seen in a long, long time. THE STORY: Bill murray plays steven zissou, a pot smoking documentary filmmaker who makes films on the ocean with the help of his trusty crew. When one of his crew members is killed by a huge shark, Steve, vows to capture and kill this shark and give his carrer the boost it needs THE CAST: best ensemble cast i have ever seen in a movie period. BILL MURRAY will get another oscar nod. Its a sure bet. Without a doubt the greatest comic performance I have ever seen. Bill managed to be hilarious even without saying anything. oddly enough, his character in this film is rather similar to his one in LOS IN TRANSLATION, but in this film it works even better. Whereas the material in LOST IN TRANSLATION was elevated by his perfomrnace, here its the other way around. THe wackiness of everything in the film beautifully plays on Murray. The role fits him like a glove. Murray is in every single scene in the movie. He rules it all. And when he goes ape shit on a bunch of pirates..... just you wait. OWEN WILSON, an actor I normally don't care for was also very good in a large, very important role the beautiful CATE BLANCHET, a pregnant journalist writing an article on Steve Zissou is fantastic in a more dramatic role. She is one of the finest actress we have around, and this is easily one of her best performances. SHe looks so vastly different from anything she has been in I couldn't recognize her for a good while. She is perfect for the role. WILLEM DAFOE plays a deckhand with a thick german(?) accent. He is in the movie for slapstick jokes and he is greatly used. He had the crowd roaring throughout. Very silly, wonderfully hilarious. the return OF JEFF GOLDBLUM!!!! proving what a kick ass actor he has been, Goldblum steals the show as the "villian" of the picture. Not a big role, but its perfect. Very funny. THE ART DIRECTION & CINEMATOGRAPHY both deserve oscars. Simply put, the greatest art direction i have seen in years in a film. the equpitment of the ship, the rooms on the ship were jaw dropping. The film looked like nothing i have seen before. Everything on the ship seems to be a cartoon, but at the same time totally real. Its pure fantasy fluff, but not enough to not be beliavable. I don't want to spoil anything, but when you see the film you will see what im talking about. DIRECTION/SCREENPLAY fantastic. just fantastic. probably evern shaper and more visually arresting than ROYAL TENENBAUMS I was thinking about explain the look of the creatures in this film, but i'll pass. Its something to see for yourselves. Once again, like nothing you've seen before. THE LIFE AQUATIC is simply great. Constantly hilarious. If you are not laughing out loud, you are smiling non stop. The film runs a perfect 2 hours and will be rated R for brief nudity, language, violence and drug use. Pretty mild R. I dunno if we were the first screening audience for this film, but it seemed perfect now. Except for a few color problems that will be fixed, this version was PERFECT. Nothing dragged, all the effects seemed in order. This film could be releaed in a week. If you liked THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS you will love this. If you didn't love THE ROYAL TENEBAUMS stay clear away from this. It's not for everyone, but THE AQUATIC LIFE is one hell of a film. i probably did a real bad job at explaining the look of the film. Its something i just can't describe. Its part 50's b movie science fiction, part SEA QUEST and part ROYAL TENENBAUMS. I wish i could describe it in more detail, but i just can't...its so strange, so different...it will hit you like a ton of bricks. SEE IT! ********************************************************************** Hey Harry, I got tickets to a screening of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (as it was called on the "screening opinion card") at the Archlight theater in Hollywood tonight and you'll have to excuse my ability, or lack thereof, to write a proper review, but here goes.... the film was absolutely amazing!!! And I found out when it was too late that Wes Anderson himself was in attendance...damn...Anyway let me assure you i'm a HUGE Wes Anderson fan! Loved Bottle Rocket, Rushmore was fucking amazing, and Tenenbaums was fantastic. But folks let me tell you something, The Life Aquatic blows ALL THREE out of the water (pun intended!). I'm gonna start off by saying BILL MURRAY IS GOD!!! I didn't particularly enjoy Lost in Translation, but i'm telling you He's getting another oscar with this one!! His character Steve Zissou was just amazing! He's a dick, but you can't help but love him for it!! I won't go too deep into the plot because, well, there's just too much to get into, It's funny, exciting, and dramatic, which makes the flow of the film perfect. I never found myself looking at my watch, or wondering how it would end, because you just don't have time to!! There's so much going on, and it just grabs you from the get-go! Anyway let me dive into some of the characters a little bit for you: Owen Wilson as Ned Plympton: MAGNIFICO!! His best performance yet!! Though, he sports a Southern accent that, at times, seems to come and go, but it's not distracting. He's no Dignan, but he's still damn good! Willem Dafoe as Klaus Daimler: OH MY SHIT PANTS!! Ok whatever you're thinking, if you like him or not, if you think he's super creepy looking, well your right about one thing, he is goddamn creepy looking, but HOLY SHIT is his character just PERFECT!! He's plays a person that you will absolutley not expect him to play, and goddamn is he good at it...My second favorite performance next to Bill Murray. Funny as hell!! I think it's ok that Kumar Pallana isnt in this one, as long as we have Klaus Daimler to fill the void of clueless foriegn characters that Wes Anderson loves so much. Cate Blanchett as Jane Winslett-Richardson: GREAT! just GREAT! She plays the Rosemary Cross from Rushmore type character in this one. Both Bill Murray and Owen Wilson's characters have a thing for her. Which adds to some tension later on in the film....But i won't give any of it away...But she becomes a member of the "crew" as a reporter getting the scoop on Bill Murray's going-ons. Anjelica Huston as Eleanor Zissou: She plays Bill Murray's sister, she's a bit unsupportive of Steve, but you'll see why when you see it. She just keeps getting better, she's like fine wine!! Jeff Goldblum as Hennessey: Steve Zissou's nemesis!! GODDAMN I LOVE GOLDBLUM!! He's PERFECT!! PERFECT!! ok, seriously though, I won't say another word about his performance, you'll have to see him in action for yourselves!!! ok and now on to some of the technical aspects of the film: HENRY SELICK!!! OH MAN OH MAN OH MAN!!! OK the print we saw was a "rough cut" but MAN OH MAN THE EFFECTS WERE SOOO DAMN COOL!! I'm telling you guys, this stuff is great!! It's all stop motion animation, no CGI here, well, maybe there was some CGI...but for the most part ALL of the underwater creatures were stop motion animated puppets!! Very cool looking indeed!! I'm glad he went with stop motion, and not CGI for the creatures!! Three cheers for Henry Selick! HIP HIP HOORAY!!! I think this definately makes up for Monkey Bone......well....i dunno we'll see about that.... Oh and one more thing, they sure as hell used some original music from Mark Mothersbaugh!! And if what i heard was final score, then folks, your in for some damn good stuff!! I can't wait to pick up this soundtrack!!! And I know how strongly some of you feel about Wes Anderson soundtracks!! It's different from his other scores, you'll notice right away, but holy shit its soooo good!! Well i will say this, i didnt hear any Rolling Stones, but my ears did perk up when i heard Radiohead's Everything in it's Right Place, in one of the most AMAZING shots i've EVER seen on film!! Ok, i'll let this one slip: The scene is Steve Zissou's HUGE boat cut in half with a side view of all the rooms, and gadgets it sports! Sort of like when we see all of the clubs Max belongs to in Rushmore, we're treated to a cool montage of all the rooms and special areas of the boat...just stunning work....all of it. And the score, absolutely amazing...shit is that some sort of record for saying "amazing" in a review? whatever..... Alright so, maybe this isnt the best review you've read, no plot outline, no intelligent babble about character development, or camera angles.....just go see it when it comes out. I assure you, it won't be dissapointing. Oh and my only complaint? I have to wait till December 25th to see it again, which is the official release date, according to someone who was "close" to Wes Anderson. *******************************************************************

Keep looking out for that Byrne ACL. They show repeats all the time. Take the Beck/Flaming Lips episode, for example. That one's on all the time. (I was at that taping, by the way. B)) As for seeing Byrne, I saw him in Lawrence, KS in 1997. I remember it was in support of the Feelings record. Great show. Lot's of energy and several costume changes on the part of Byrne. One of them was a "Slim Goodbody"-esque leotard complete with muscles, veins, organs, etc. I'm not the kind of guy who goes to a show to be wowed by "entertainment". I just want to hear the songs. But, in this case, the extras added to the merriment. Haven't heard the new record but I imagine the mood will be a little less celebratory this time around. Have fun!

I'm surprised that this session didn't get more love in this thread. I understand that this is a Dolphy thread in the strict sense but The Quest is a really special date and one I often compare to Roy Haynes Out of the Afternoon. I imagine this is because (1) Haynes and Persip have similar styles, (2) both dates teeter playfully on this inside/outside fence, and (3) like Brownie said regarding Out of the Afternoon in another thread, "everything clicked." The Quest is my favorite long-player. Easily. Every time I put on--hell, every time I look at the jacket!--I feel like I'm in the presence of something historically significant. If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and acquaint youself with this music.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with this statement. The reason why Technics 1200s were adopted by hip hop DJs as the 'no-brainer' set-up back in the 80's is, other than the aforementioned direct-drive capacities, because they're built like freakin' TANKS. I mean, let's face it...they aren't cheap. Mine were $400 a piece. Don't for a second overlook the fact that DJs have to haul thier equipment around like any other "musican". So the fact that you can safely take a 1200 all over creation (including regular trips as "luggage" on airplanes), in my mind, says volumes about their durability. In my estimation, the sole benefit to a belt drive is, again, the distance you get from the motor to the stylus. The ability to notice these differences is, of course, assuming that you have as little *white noise* in the room as possible (including, but not limited to, air conditioning, ceiling fans, the refrigerator, other folks in the room, etc). In other words, you need near-complete silence to notice the differences. And, frankly, I prefer an existence involving people enjoying themselves, drinking wine, etc. My opinion is that the rumble you might get from a direct-drive table is so minimal that you'd have to be alone--and I mean with the air conditioning off and, perhaps even, with expensive headphones on--to notice the difference. And if that's your M.O. then I think you need (another) hobby...

That depends entirely on the quality of the MP3 file. I definately hear what you're saying, don't get me wrong, but I'd hardly stick my neck out to defend the sound quality of the MP3. The MP3 format is one of convenience, and it is VERY conveinient. I love my iPod--I mean I REALLY love it--but I would never argue in the defense of MP3 sound quality.

Converting a sound file to MP3 condenses it at roughly a 10:1 ratio. There is no way to get that information back. It would be like shrinking a digital photograph and then blowing it back up later.

Royals fans too. We had a heydey collecting his cards back then. Here's another one for your consideration, I went to junior high with a kid--no joke--named Jason Wacknov. Poor guy....

Plastic dries out and becomes brittle. There's actually three chemical reactions inplace here: 1. The plastic housing and the binder (adhesive) layer. 2. The aluminum layer and the binder layer. 3. The plastic housing at the aluminum layer. Can't forget the adhesive. After all, we have the adhesive layer to thank for *sticky shed syndrome* on 70's-era cellulose acetate reel tape. The binder used on this particular kind of tape absorbed moisture and caused the metallic flakes that form the information layer to come off during playback, leaving a black resudue on the heads and capstans.

This is precisely the argument for belt-driven tables, as there is nothing in the way of "contact" between the motor and the stylus save for a stretch of rubber. I can see it either way. I had a belt-driven Thorens for a couple of years but now have two Technics 1200mkII's with Shure cartridges. Did I notice a major difference? No. In my opinion, if you think you're going to notice a pronounced difference between belt and direct-drive then play it safe and go belt. I've worn both pairs of shoes and love my Technics just the same.

As far as hip hop beats are concerned: old school = better. B)

I'm playing the new White Magic EP for the fifth time today. My friend Miggy is on drums so I bought it for that reason. And I was happy to see that they got signed to Drag City so I wanted to log a purchase to keep that going. As it turns out, I'm completely obsessed. It's like Cat Power without the...er...drama. And more interesting arrangements. Anyone missing the good old days of the "Drag City sound" should pick this up. It's cheap. And you'll thank me later....

I'm a nerd. I already had all of those b-sides because I bought all of the singles. Even better is the BBC Peel stuff (also available now on CD). Some of those performances--I'm thinking especially of "Down to the Well"--are even better than they are on the proper LPs.

These guys were great on Letterman just now.....

No shit. Season Four is probably the best of the lot. No, it is the best of the lot: "King Homer", "Mr. Plow", "Duffless", "Last Exit to Springfield", "Whacking Day", etc. The list goes on and on. And this is to say nothing for my favorite episode of all time, "Marge vs. the Monorail," which (like many of their best episodes) was penned by Conan O'Brien. Barney: "But you didn't do anything." Leonard Nimoy (as he is beamed away): "Didn't I...?"

That's funny. I'm borrowing mine from a buddy at work who got it from Dean.

Yum, yum. Simon Weil I just got a copy of this sampler today but can't listen to it until I get home from work. Man.....those Revenant guys. Even the pre-release sampler comes in cool packaging. Jeez....

From Pitckfork (6/15/04): *********************************************************** 'Pixies Release New Track Exclusively Through iTunes' Cory D. Byrom reports: Before you start whining about yet another Pixies story, let me kindly point out that it's been two weeks since the last one. Think of how much things have changed in the last two weeks. Reagan died. Ray Charles died. That rash you had finally cleared up. Seriously, the world is a different place now. Plus, the Pixies were barely even mentioned in the news for a solid 12 years, so I think it's acceptable to make up for a little lost time, don't you? So let's get to it-- they've reunited, they've toured, and now, the Pixies have actually released a new song. Let me say that again, slowly. A. New. Pixies. Song. "Bam Thwok" is available for a mere 99¢ exclusively through iTunes, and has the distinction of being the first song the Pixies have recorded in 13 years. Just think of how much the world has cha... ah, forget it. The track, which was written and sung by Kim Deal, was inspired by a child's art book which Deal found on the street. Apparently, some adorable little tyke wrote this adorable little story about people on another planet loving each other and partying together, and-- lo! and behold!-- the muse spoke. And so, the band got together at Joey Santiago's studio, arranged and rehearsed the song, then headed into L.A.'s Stagg Street Studios to record the track. Frank Black spoke highly of the session, saying, "'Bam Thwok' is a really good song. Recording it was a nice way for us to break the ice after 12 years. The recording process was very relaxed, and it didn't feel like 12 years had passed." One interesting aspect of the track is that it features a 15-second organ solo recorded by Santiago's father-in-law years ago while he was in the Philippines doing missionary work. You can expect to hear "Bam Thwok" performed throughout the band's North American tour, which is going down this fall, and perhaps their one date with Lollapalooza, dates for which are thoughtfully reproduced below. Enjoy: 08-17 New York, NY - Randalls Island (Lollapalooza; second day) 09-04 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheatre 09-06 Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival 09-18 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits 09-24 Berkeley, CA- U.C. Berkeley Greek Theater 09-25 Berkeley, CA- U.C. Berkeley Greek Theater 10-13 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre 10-14 Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre 11-11 Minneapolis, MN - Wilkins Auditorium 11-13 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom 11-14 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom 11-15 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom 11-16 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom 11-24 Toronto, ON - Arrow Hall ************************************************************

A 'buy it now' price is not an accurate indicator of the going rate. Often these are inflated and considerably higher than the reserve price. They are most often included under the mindset that "if someone is crazy enough to do it....then let 'em."

Their first major tour in support of Licensed to Ill was with RUN-DMC, but I take it you mean someone else. I don't think I will buy this record. I read a review that described it as sounding "a lot like their last record except with better beats and really corny lyrics." If the single is any indication, that sounds about right.

Repost from "Great Finds" thread in the vinyl section. Figured the appearance of Marsh might be of interest here since, I imagine, many members have not heard this session: I just picked up the 5-LP box set, Lennie Tristano Memorial Concert. Features a number of folks I've never heard of but also Sal Mosca, Sheila Jordan(?), and the trio of Warne Marsh/Eddie Gomez/Peter Scattaretico. The trio does "I Love You", "Trilogy", and "I Should Care". It was all of $8.99.

I just picked up the 5-LP box set, Lennie Tristano Memorial Concert. Features a number of folks I've never heard of but also Sal Mosca, Sheila Jordan(?), and the trio of Warne Marsh/Eddie Gomez/Peter Scattaretico. The trio does "I Love You", "Trilogy", and "I Should Care". It was all of $8.99.

I was surprised to see these guys on, of all things, 'Jay Leno' last night. I flipped over to watch 'Conan O'Brien' and caught the last half of their performence.