Hello friends,
Last week we suddenly lost one1 of the three semi-feral cats we care for, and frankly, no amount of high-powered espresso has helped since then in getting the (ahem) eagerly awaited “Bitterness -> despair -> defiance, Part 2”2 essayette in shape to share.
Perhaps there will be new wind in the sagging sails of the good ship Landline this weekend, or maybe we’ll just stay anchored offshore for a bit longer, nursing our wounds. Hard to say.
In the meantime, though, here’s a parade of a seven videos, recently vetted at various levels, that might intrigue, befuddle, amuse or even elevate the curious viewer. I’ve thrown together a few lines of semi-informed blather about each video below, but if you don’t require any convincing, or prefer no spoilers, simply go directly to the Landline Video Parade 7 youtube playlist and stream these babies in sequence without prejudice.
Also, this is cool: Landline is made possible in part by our friends at Fiddler’s Green. Click the Arik Roper artwork below to check out their green scene.
1. MA’AM, YOUR HOVERCRAFT IS READY
Radiating, spellbinding newie from BCMC, the in-form instrumental duo of guitarist Bill MacKay and organist Cooper Crain (Bitchin Bajas, Cave). I think I’ve listened to this P. Floyd-T. Riley-T. Dream ascending, fluttering beauty two dozen times since it heroically appeared without warning three days ago in the best in-our-time-of-greatest-need style. Gotta double-check with the missus but I’m going to say I will pay good money to roadie for these psychedelic dreamers. Medicinal!
2. GREENAWAY INVESTIGATES THE EMPIRE’S NEW CLOTHIERS
“Savile Row” aka “Cut Above the Rest” (dir. Peter Greenaway, 1976, 4:50)
Emperor Haile Selassie’s Savile Road tailor may have been Henry Poole & Co, but it’s 1976 now and Kilgour, French & Stanbury are tailoring the emperor’s new clothes. Or something. Anyways, come for five minutes of gorgeous Greenaway photography and editing, stay for the paper pattern bag labels, upper class accents, weird daylight party scenes and, most of all, the calming presence of Tommy Nutter, Kilgour’s marvelously smooth creative director.
3. MOON SHOTS
Spike Milligan “First Irish Rocket To The Moon” (3:17)
Incredible documentary/newsreel footage from the silent film era chronicling a little known episode in space exploration history.
4. SUMMIT OF THE LONGHAIRS
Jon Lord, Ozzy Osbourne & Ian Hunter in conversation with Chip Monck (1974, 43:46)
It’s 1974. Grandfatherly Jon Lord (Deep Purple) and a clear-eyed Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath) are joined by Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), who has a new book out, for a stateside group counseling session about showbiz pressures with Chip Monck, possibly the most unlikely (read: mellow) pop music show host in Earth history. Monck sensibly diverts the trio into checking out an in-studio performance by Wendy Waldman.
5. HOME BOX OFFICE PRESENTS
Cosmic Slop (various, 1994, 1:26:32)
“You are standing on the verge of getting it on. Beyond the twilight zone. Further than the outer limits. Deep. Deeper than deep. In the Black hole. Free your mind and your ass will follow because once you’ve passed the point of no return, you are caught in the COSMIC SLOP.” Then George Clinton’s noggin, on fire like Arthur Brown, bouncing around a low-resolution computer generated background like Zardoz, welcomes us Rod Serling-style to this three-story, 90-minute science fiction anthology TV show assembled by the Hudlin brothers for HBO broadcast in 1994. “They call me the doctor,” Clinton says. ”I’m the head man around here. I’ll be your seeing-eye guide through the Black hole…” One episode, ‘Tang,’ is adapted from a Charles Himes story!
6. AN ACTUAL, REAL-LIFE VOICE OF A NATION’S PEOPLE
Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt (dir. Michal Goldman, 1996, 1:06:55)
Watch it and swoon, and then weep. Aesthetics plus integrity plus courage in action: a working class heroine is something to be.
7. DARVISH KHAN ESFANDIYARPOUR’S MEMORY GARDEN
The Old Man and His Garden of Stone (dir. Parviz Kimiavi, 2004, 39:49)
An utterly astonishing 40-minute Iranian documentary about a 90-year-old deaf-mute Persian man that floored me, repeatedly. My gratitude to Ben Chasny, who indirectly hipped me to this film.
all the best to you and yours,
Jay Babcock
Tucson/Patagonia, Arizona
Landline is free but it takes time/energy and yes money for me to produce each week. If you’re able, please consider a paid subscription. $5/month, $40/year. Special discount if you use this button:
If you’d like to support Landline but (understandably!) don’t want to do business through Subsuck, here’s two workarounds: buy me a coffee or leave a tip in the PayPal TipJar.
Or: let’s barter!
Advertisers help make Landline feasible. Please email me directly (or simply reply to this email) for advertising rates, which are offered on a seriously sliding scale.
RIP Peekaboo, the mercurial semi-feral rascal who adopted us in Tucson almost five years ago. This cat was an intrepid wanderer, had a huge circuit all down the block and through the alleys where he got his eats and scratches and naps. Our neighbors joked, "Peekaboo has four dads" and they weren't wrong. He lived with us, we took him to the vet, etc., but he was never only ours. Wonderful being. May there be endless just-opened cans of Fancy Feast wherever you and your big ears roam now, little guy who stole our hearts.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.