End of the Century
Mrs Krustallos not in a good mood yesterday morning, slept on the sofa for reasons unexplained and wouldn't communicate, so I got on with the day as best I could - took shoes to be resoled, collected new suit from Armani in Sloane Street, bought a coat (at 60% off!) while I was there, home - did she want to go to the cinema? - no - so back out and to see End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones.
This was really interesting, if sad - three of the band (plus interviewee Joe Strummer) are now dead after all (and the fourth appears to have morphed into an elderly Hobbit). I don't know if the film managed to capture the reason the Ramones were so great - there was very little about the music, more about the interpersonal relationships in the band - but for those who are already devotees the film is unmissable.
Interesting that the filmmakers, and apparently the band themselves, considered their career a failure. I always regarded the Ramones as an overwhelming success - they changed music, made great records for 21 years and were one of the best live acts in the world.
I always felt that Joey was the Ramone I would have liked most as a person and that was borne out here - while Johnny was a right-wing control freak, Joey was a radical liberal and a romantic. Finding out he was Jewish puts a bit more of a spin on "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" (his song about Reagan visiting an SS veterans' cemetary). And finding out Johnny 'stole' and then married the love of Joey's life puts a lot more spin on "The KKK took my Baby Away".
I also had no idea Joey suffered from full-blown Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Danny Fields' description of trying to get him down the stairs and into the tour bus was one of the comic highlights in a film with plenty of humour. Much of the humour revolved around Dee Dee it has to be said, for example his attempt to become a rap artist, the account of his relationship with his girlfriend, and just listening to him talk.
It would have been good to see more concert footage - particularly a barnstorming stadium gig in Brazil and the New Year 1977/8 gig at the London Rainbow which I was at and remember very fondly. Hopefully this will become available elsewhere in some form.
The saddest part of the film was perhaps that the band hated each other, particularly Johnny and Joey ("Joey could really hold a grudge" someone said, apropos of the Linda affair). Yet they knew they had something special and stuck at it for 21 years. It's hard enough working in an office with people you don't like...
Then to my flat to find my so-called tenant had again failed to come up with any rent - he owes me at least the cost of my new suit now and there's minimal chance of me collecting any of it I suspect. And finally to Mrs K's sister to drop off her rather belated Christmas present - a DVD of Tosca. "The only way I can take you to the opera without getting into trouble" I suggested to a rather confused reaction.
Today I'm watching a DVD of Don Giovanni as I write this. Mozart's operas seem as open to interpretation as Shakespeare's plays - how forced was his seduction of Donna Anna? - how innocent is Zerlina? (the answer in both cases "not very" I suspect). My big idea today is that Leporello should be played as gay. This would put quite a different angle on his inability to leave Don Giovanni, and on his tryst with Donna Elvira. Mozart is such an absolute master of matching music and drama - the social class and character of the three women is reflected in the tunes he writes for them and the way they sing them - he can do irony, mock-heroics, everything. It's just a shame live opera is so damn expensive - there's La Clemenza di Tito and Die Zauberflote both coming up, plus different bits of the Ring cycle at the ENO and Royal Opera House, and my credit card accounts already in a parlous state. My acquaintance at the ROH has so far failed utterly to come up with the free dress rehearsal tickets he promised me - I'll have to have another go at reminding him.
Now back to today and I really do have to get going on the spare room - seal the doorway, last sanding of the floor and that'll be it for the day. Painting the floorboards is easy and quite pleasant once the preparation is out of the way. Then I can start to move stuff out of my own room in preparation for painting that. (We're in a new flat, refurbishment work on which ground to a halt several months ago when we moved in). Perhaps just a little more Don Giovanni first...
This was really interesting, if sad - three of the band (plus interviewee Joe Strummer) are now dead after all (and the fourth appears to have morphed into an elderly Hobbit). I don't know if the film managed to capture the reason the Ramones were so great - there was very little about the music, more about the interpersonal relationships in the band - but for those who are already devotees the film is unmissable.
Interesting that the filmmakers, and apparently the band themselves, considered their career a failure. I always regarded the Ramones as an overwhelming success - they changed music, made great records for 21 years and were one of the best live acts in the world.
I always felt that Joey was the Ramone I would have liked most as a person and that was borne out here - while Johnny was a right-wing control freak, Joey was a radical liberal and a romantic. Finding out he was Jewish puts a bit more of a spin on "Bonzo Goes to Bitburg" (his song about Reagan visiting an SS veterans' cemetary). And finding out Johnny 'stole' and then married the love of Joey's life puts a lot more spin on "The KKK took my Baby Away".
I also had no idea Joey suffered from full-blown Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Danny Fields' description of trying to get him down the stairs and into the tour bus was one of the comic highlights in a film with plenty of humour. Much of the humour revolved around Dee Dee it has to be said, for example his attempt to become a rap artist, the account of his relationship with his girlfriend, and just listening to him talk.
It would have been good to see more concert footage - particularly a barnstorming stadium gig in Brazil and the New Year 1977/8 gig at the London Rainbow which I was at and remember very fondly. Hopefully this will become available elsewhere in some form.
The saddest part of the film was perhaps that the band hated each other, particularly Johnny and Joey ("Joey could really hold a grudge" someone said, apropos of the Linda affair). Yet they knew they had something special and stuck at it for 21 years. It's hard enough working in an office with people you don't like...
Then to my flat to find my so-called tenant had again failed to come up with any rent - he owes me at least the cost of my new suit now and there's minimal chance of me collecting any of it I suspect. And finally to Mrs K's sister to drop off her rather belated Christmas present - a DVD of Tosca. "The only way I can take you to the opera without getting into trouble" I suggested to a rather confused reaction.
Today I'm watching a DVD of Don Giovanni as I write this. Mozart's operas seem as open to interpretation as Shakespeare's plays - how forced was his seduction of Donna Anna? - how innocent is Zerlina? (the answer in both cases "not very" I suspect). My big idea today is that Leporello should be played as gay. This would put quite a different angle on his inability to leave Don Giovanni, and on his tryst with Donna Elvira. Mozart is such an absolute master of matching music and drama - the social class and character of the three women is reflected in the tunes he writes for them and the way they sing them - he can do irony, mock-heroics, everything. It's just a shame live opera is so damn expensive - there's La Clemenza di Tito and Die Zauberflote both coming up, plus different bits of the Ring cycle at the ENO and Royal Opera House, and my credit card accounts already in a parlous state. My acquaintance at the ROH has so far failed utterly to come up with the free dress rehearsal tickets he promised me - I'll have to have another go at reminding him.
Now back to today and I really do have to get going on the spare room - seal the doorway, last sanding of the floor and that'll be it for the day. Painting the floorboards is easy and quite pleasant once the preparation is out of the way. Then I can start to move stuff out of my own room in preparation for painting that. (We're in a new flat, refurbishment work on which ground to a halt several months ago when we moved in). Perhaps just a little more Don Giovanni first...
posted by Lost Tango at 4:28 PM
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