"Say jiminy fucks now, curses ragged, mean, what's this cacophony in the eyes here, this wailin bout a farm in the key of Fuckin Loud?"
Festival doesn't present the aftermath of it all, for that you need to catch Scorsese's aforementioned documentary. If this was the only evidence you had, you'd never have any reason to assume for a second that Pete Seeger was goin out his damn mind someplace, looking for an axe for to cut the cables in five.
You don't hear the booing and the hissing and the snarling and the gnashing.
But what you do hear, what you do see, saints preserve us, astounding, it is, utterly astounding.
Most astounding, 'longside Dylan's playful run through "Mr Tambourine Man", 'longside Johnny Cash chewin gum and hummin, 'longside all this, I say, a handful of performances by Odetta, for one, mesmerizing they are, siren songs, callin' you in to that darkness behind the eyes, just for this last verse, come on now, a fella lost in that trembling aura hung around her, and then that smile at the end, and the screen raw wi' cathartic clawings.
Son House, another performance reekin' a pain an' frustration an' nights spent sat on the edge a the bed starin' into the whiskey-stained fabric a the carpet. Mike Bloomfield, when he's bein interviewed regarding Son House, what he says is all about "I swear to God it's mystic… he becomes the blues, he becomes a demon of some sort."
And for sure. Johnson wandered off towards the crossroads, fuck my eyes, Son House looks like he probably is the crossroads.
Ticking off the boxes, every damn name a fella might conceivably expect to see in such a motion film, every one a the hollerin, finger-pointin, floppy-haired troubadours lined right the hell up;
Peter, Paul And Mary, Donovan, Pete Seeger, Mississippi John Hurt, Johnny Cash, Howlin' Wolf, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Odetta, Son House, Buffy Sainte-Marie, hells bells, a man can't move thout kickin gainst the shins a some countercultural icon a some kind.
Course, in a 97 minute flick, ain't no way all these people can been represented via the unabridged tune-flingin, no way this side a sixty tonnes a speed an a compression chamber the size a Texas, but ain't any justice in the here or there if this was to be held against the film.
Right up front, what we learn is that Lerner's wanderin' through the innards a the scene, what he's got nestled 'side a that camera is some kind a divining rod a some kind, damn thing draggin him this way an that, from the side a the stage to the back a the buses, all in search of The Essence, see, the nuts a the whole affair, wants to capture some kinda vibe, you understand, kinda vibe most folks ain't ever for a second gonna taste less they been stood sixty-third in line for a hole in the ground holds the shit a thousands in its grip.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
folks over at amazon have been bitching & moaning about the lack of full-length tunes (not that i'm gonna listen to 'em)...but the fact that there's not a lot of gushing commentary really makes me wanta check this out.
nice work man....little baby punk rock indeed.
2 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Mark, I see no reason why you wouldn't dig the hell outta this, although i was kinda miffed also by the absence of not just the full performances, but of ANY extras whatsoever. but still, what a damn film, regardless.
3 - Mark Saleski
i like watching Son House...tho he scares the crap outa me with his intensity.
4 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
i second that, for sure. him and Odetta, two of the most intense performers i ever did see.
5 - Mark Saleski
yes, those two...and John Mayer.
;-)
6 - DJRadiohead
Son House, the man who inspired both Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. "Hellhound on my Trail" is a walk in the park compared to Son.
And Saleski... stop the Mayer references! :)
7 - DJRadiohead
Fucking review you have here, Duke. My favorite live album of all times is of a Newport variety. Muddy Waters at the Newport Jazz Festival 1960. The Chess remaster is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
8 - Mark Saleski
i'll stop with the Mayer references soon. i'll have to pick somebody else next week. maybe Hansen or somethin'
Muddy Waters: favorite record -> Muddy Waters, Folk Singer. killer.
9 - DJRadiohead
Amen to that, Mark- the Muddy Waters bit. That is absolutely my favorite Muddy Waters album.
I have always enjoyed Muddy more as a blues singer than guitarist (although he knew what to do with a slide and guitar). "Folk Singer" gives such room for Muddy's big, beautiful voice. Buddy Guy is great on 2nd guitar and Willie Dixon keeping it together on bass. One of my favorite albums ever.
10 - Mark Saleski
me & a buddy spent nearly a year attempting to get that album on 180gram vinyl.
it was a beautiful evening when that record finally arrived in the mail.
11 - DJRadiohead
I want to buy the SACD version of it. I have the regular remastered CD.
12 - Mark Saleski
elusive disc claims to have one sacd copy left (it's apparently out of print).
don't know if i believe 'em or not.
13 - DJRadiohead
Thanks, Mark. I have a bead on it elsewhere. This conversation has made me think I should jump on it tomorrow when we get paid.
I had to queue up "Folk Singer" on my iPod. Just finished listening to the album proper (now listening to the 4 bonus cuts on the Chess remaster).
14 - Joanie
I've been looking forward to this one! Dick Waterman, legendary blues promoter and photographer, has written about it many times. As well, some of my favorite images were taken there.
15 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
DJ and Joanie, sorry i missed you, thanks for chippin in!
Looks like i'm gonna have to hunt me down that Muddy Waters record, then...
16 - DJRadiohead
Duke, you definitely want to do that. It's acoustic blues and it is brilliant!
17 - DJRadiohead
Actually, you want to hunt down "Folk Singer" and the "Newport Jazz" disc as well. Both are well worth your time.
18 - Mark Saleski
a duke review of Muddy Waters - Folk Singer would be freakin' sublime.
19 - Bennett
Frankly, when Dylan decides to power up for Maggie's Farm, the bun went into the oven.
Wha? Just now there's a story on Public Radio about Bonnie Rait, briefly starting out with Sun House... What do you folks know about that?
Great review Duke, I enjoyed it all the way through. Fantastic scrawlings indeed.
20 - DJRadiohead
Finally, something for me and Saleski to agree upon. Duke... bring us the goods, sir.
21 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
well hells bells, i doth smell a quest! and thanks for the tip on the other CD, DJ, i'll look into that!
Bennett, thanks for the kind words, man. i dunno about that Bonnie Rait business... maybe Sir Saleski could reveal something about it all?