Films of the 50's Part 9: War! What Is It Good For?

Night and Fog (1955, Alain Resnais)

Possibly the most devastating thirty minutes of film I’ve ever seen exist in the French documentary called Night and Fog. Released on the 10th anniversary of the end of the war, I’d imagine that emotions were still running high, and that several of the images seen in the film were quite shocking to the viewing public. The title comes from a division of the Nazi government that rounded up dissidents and threw them into camps. They would get an “N / N” painted on the backs of their coats, representing “Nacht und Nebel.”

Night and Fog is a powerful marriage of three elements, visuals, which are a mix of stock war footage and shots of the camps in 1955, stark and riveting narration by Michel Bouquet, off a script written by Gusen concentration camp survivor Jean Cayrol, and an indelibly moving score by Hanns Eisler, regular collaborator of Bertolt Brecht, whose music was banned by the Nazis. Eisler fled to the states during the war. Night and Fog was one of the first, and possibly one of the more shocking, revelations of wartime atrocities and the Holocaust put into mass media.

Something that struck me while watching this short film is that the images of the abandoned camps, the overgrown weeds covering the train tracks leading to the camp buildings, the empty wooden bunks, and the gas chambers, all telling stories through a haunting absence. These absences can’t help but evoke overwhelming feelings of despair for humanity. It is most likely because of this that French schools required their students to watch Night and Fog, to understand what happened, and what we need to be ever vigilant to be sure never happens again.

You can see Night and Fog for free on Google Video, as well as read the Criterion collection essays about the film online at Criterion.com.



Mister Roberts (1955, John Ford & Mervyn Le Roy)


From a devastating documentary about the camps to another side of World War II, we have Mister Roberts, a comedy-drama set on a naval cargo ship in the Pacific during the last days of fighting. Henry Fonda stars as the title character, the executive officer that acts as the respected middleman to Lt. Commander Morton, a pain in the ass Captain, played to the hilt by James Cagney. Morton won’t let any of his men out on leave, or ‘liberty’ as they call it in the film. Roberts is constantly trying to get off the cargo ship, looking for a more meaningful assignment on the front lines, writing letter after letter, essentially driving Morton crazy.

Morton and Roberts make a deal. Morton will let the men have their ‘liberty’ as long as Roberts ceases his letter writing campaign to get off the cargo ship. There is an odd, yet effective balance in Mister Roberts. There are serious and heartbreaking moments throughout, especially the bittersweet ending, but the film is punctuated by hilarious comedy, usually involving Ensign Pulver, played by a young Jack Lemmon, who is spectacular in the role, as evidenced by winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

One of the more memorable scenes of the film involves a concoction by Roberts, Pulver and the ship’s doctor to create a bottle of Scotch with some clear alcohol, Coca-Cola, and iodine. Another hilarious moment involves Morton confronting Pulver, asking the ensign how long he’s been aboard the ship (as Pulver has been avoiding the Captain since being on the ship), Pulver hesitates, then hilariously reveals, “Fourteen months, sir.”



Paths of Glory (1957, Stanley Kubrick)

Paths of Glory might not be the most famous film in which Stanley Kubrick and Kirk Douglas teamed up (that would be Spartacus), but I’m not sure it shouldn’t be. The film, based on a novel of the same name, takes place during World War I, and is separated into two distinct parts. The first part involves the taking of the ‘anthill,’ a strategic position that, with the combatants current entrenched positions, would be impossible to reach. The second part involves a trial, a court martial of four soldiers accused of mutiny.

Much like one aspect of Night and Fog, Paths of Glory displays the vast difference between the worlds of power and the worlds of the ‘expendable.’ The French General Broulard, played by Adolphe Menjou, orders General Mireau on a suicide mission to take the ‘anthill.’ While at first resistant, he is swayed by the offer of a promotion. Mireau then orders Colonel Dax, played by Douglas, who is also hesitant, but a devoted soldier, intent on carrying out his duties. The attack goes badly, with many killed, and one whole company, led by a cowardly lieutenant, refusing to leave their bunkers. Mireau actually orders, from his cushy station behind lines, the bombing of his own men to get them out of the bunkers. Dax goes back for the company, meaning to spur them into action, but it pushed back into the bunker by a falling French soldier, and by then it is too late.

Furious, Mireau wants to have 100 men executed for mutiny, but General Broulard scales it back down to three to make an example. The three are to be chosen by lot, one from each company, but they’re actually chosen for different reasons. One is chosen for witnessing his cowardly commander mistakenly kill his own soldier, one for being an outsider, and the final actually by lot. Dax feels the entire affair is preposterous and offers to represent the three soldiers during the trial. The rest of the film finds Dax trying to save the three ‘mutinous’ soldiers from the firing squad, but we find that common sense has no place in war. What is truly sad about this is that it was based on a true story, including the General ordering an attack on his own troops.



Operation Petticoat (1959, Blake Edwards)

Cary Grant and Tony Curtis team up in one of Blake Edwards’ early comedy films, Operation Petticoat. Grant shows up to see the decommissioning of his old vessel, the Sea Tiger, a World War II submarine. While waiting for its current captain, he finds his old logbook and begins to reminisce about his war days aboard the ship, and that’s where the hilarity ensues. We are quickly introduced to Matt Sherman, played by Grant, and one of his crew, Nick Holden, played by Curtis. Holden shows up in dress whites, much to the amusement of the crew of the Sea Tiger, but it turns out he’s not in the military out of duty, but as a way to meet a rich wife. He also turns out to be a masterful con man, someone who can procure difficult to get items, becoming an asset Sherman never anticipated.

The two work well with each other, which is assuredly helped by the fact that Curtis idolized Grant, and saw Grant as the inspiration for his entering the acting business. Already having trouble with the submarine (one engine continually backfires, which seems somewhat impossible, but funny), they end up taking on five attractive female passengers, which ruffles the feathers of the somewhat by-the-book Sherman, and even more hilarity ensues. Amazingly, Curtis starred in two of the funniest and more successful films of that war, this one and Some Like it Hot.

Operation Petticoat moves a bit slowly, and isn’t necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but is endlessly watchable. The stars are charismatic and there are plenty of signature moments to take with you after its over, not the least of which is the one in which Curtis needs to procure paint for the sub, but is only able to get half of what they need in red, and half in white. You can guess what happens from there. Operation Petticoat is one of those films you’d call a ‘fun romp,’ and certainly puts the heavy messages of these other war films into perspective. While the somewhat similar Mister Roberts still displayed some of the seriousness of war, Operation Petticoat is all humor, a lighthearted look at the absurdities that can surround military life.

Things I Miss: "Comic Books"

In honor of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, at which my own sister has a booth for her soon-to-be published book, I present to you the first installment of “Things I Miss,” a blog theme I hope to be continuing alongside my looks at films, and maybe someday hopefully a return to writing of other kinds. “Things I Miss” will not just profile things that are simply gone from my life, but those things that I fear are never to return, because I’ve learned an important lesson, which is that I can live without them. The first installment is about comic books. When my sister shared a picture of her booth, which was shared by none other than Stan Lee, it sent my mind reeling back to the heady days of collecting comic books. Whether they were 28 pages, 32, or annual-sized 64, I couldn’t get enough. Here, then, is “Things I Miss,” volume the first…



Things I Miss: Comic Books

I used to have a severe habit. No, it wasn’t drugs or Fabergé eggs, it was comic books. Oh, how I loved Wednesdays. Wednesday was always new comic day. Whether it was Golden Apple in Los Angeles, Hi-De-Ho Comics in Santa Monica, the several now defunct stores in northern San Diego County, Wein’s World in Wilmington, Delaware, comic book shops were my weekly dealers. I loved them all, Marvel, DC, and the various independents that seemed to explode in the 90’s. I loved superheroes of the majors, including Batman, Spider-Man, and hundreds of others, but I also admired the stories about average people, stories by Adrian Tomine, Dan Clowes, Chris Ware, and Art Spiegelman. It didn’t matter, as long as they were comics.



I came of age reading the Chris Claremont years of writing X-Men, the George Pérez years of drawing the Avengers, the Walter Simonson Thor years, the John Byrne Fantastic Four run, the Frank Miller years of Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns, and the releases of the original Watchmen limited series. While it may seem from that statement that I had great taste in comics, I read enough to encompass the stinkers, too. I survived the Secret Wars, whose only purpose seemed to be to give Spidey a new black costume, which turned out to morph into one of the most one-dimensional villains in comics history. I survived the New Universe, a collection of the worst titles Marvel has ever released to the public, including Kickers, Inc., a team of pro football heroes for hire. Ugh. I also toughed it out through the rise of Rob Liefeld, possibly one of the worst pencillers in comics, who had obviously never seen a real girl before, and made up for his inability to draw feet by making biceps the size of Great Danes. (I wanted to choose a Liefeld drawing to accompany this paragraph, but I couldn’t decide between women whose legs were over twice as long as their wasp-waisted torsos, yet always on tippy-toe, men whose pectorals are quadruple D’s, or snarling feral heroes with over 50 teeth in their heads.)



However, it was more than just the successful marriage of story and art that thrilled about trips to comic stores. Part of the romance involves the mindset of the collector. The larger a collection became, the better. My collection wasn’t large by most collectors’ standards, but I was happy with it. In the beginning, I would just go to the comic store, and pick up whatever was on the shelf, but in Delaware, I discovered that some shops employed a subscription method. All I had to do was fill out my free copy of Previews with my selections for that month, then pick up my loot each Wednesday, all copies set aside for me in a nice little cubby, with no danger of missing out on a major seller. I was in geek heaven. This method also allowed me to hone in on titles I might not catch in a quick glance through the racks, debuts that were being heralded as must haves, and reprints of books I had missed out on the first time around.



Of course, comics are all the rage now, thanks in large part to the involvement of Hollywood. The successful reboots of Spider-Man and Batman, as well as the emergence of less popular heroes, such as Iron Man have spurred a comic book renaissance of sorts. But it doesn’t stop there. Adaptations of the independents, like Ghost World, Sin City, American Splendor, V for Vendetta, The Road to Perdition, and A History of Violence have all been stellar films, even if some of them didn’t quite stick to the original story.



So, the question remains, why did I stop collecting comics? Well, the height of my collecting was while I was living in Delaware in the late 90’s. I had a job that, while it wasn’t making my bank vault bust at the seams, certainly seemed to make me comfortable based on the cost of living. The store failed, I had to move back to California to regroup, and the habit just never came back. I have only bought two titles of comic books in the last few years, though none in the last six months. Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s 8th season, in comic book form, and the various ancillary limited series of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower became my last link to the comics world. And now, it seems to be over for good. I’d say that maybe someday, after school, and after I get a job, my passion for comics could return, but I fear that time is gone, never to return.

Thursday's Playlist 7-22-10

Q and Not U- “Beautiful Beats”
Idlewild- “Out of Routine”
The Velvet Underground- “Sweet Jane (Full-Length Version)”
Art Brut- “Formed a Band”
The Frames- “Falling Slowly”
Travis- “She’s So Strange”
Oingo Boingo- “No Spill Blood”
The Roots w/ John Legend- “The Fire”
Gorillaz- “P45”
Big Pink- “Tonight”
Shout Out Louds- “Four by Four”
A Certain Ratio- “Crystal”
The National- “Theory of the Crows”
Joy Division- “Insight”
Rush- “The Spirit of Radio”
New Order- “We All Stand”
Led Zeppelin- “Heartbreaker”
Lene Lovich- “New Toy”
Chicago- “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day”
Echo & the Bunnymen- “The Killing Moon (All Night Version)”
Thelonious Monk- “Green Chimneys”
Tom Waits- “The Fall of Troy”
The Jesus & Mary Chain- “Something’s Wrong”
A Sunny Day in Glasgow- “Close Chorus”
Metric- “Twilight Galaxy (EP Version)”
The Hooters- “And We Danced”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- “Head Up High”
M.I.A.- “Believer”
Travis- “Somewhere Else”
Sunnday Day Real Estate- “Song about an Angel”
The Duke Spirit- “Into the Fold”
The Psychedelic Furs- “Pretty in Pink”
Life Without Buildings- “Envoys”
Divine Comedy- “There is a Light that Never Goes Out”
The Chemical Brothers- “Leave Home”
The Smiths- “Pretty Girls Make Graves”
Japandroids- “I Quit Girls”
Translator- “Everywhere That I’m Not”
XTC- “Your Dictionary”
The Drums- “Skippin’ Town”
A Guy Called Gerald- “Voodoo Ray”
Journey- “Be Good to Yourself”
The Beach Boys- “Feel Flows”
Led Zeppelin- “You Shook Me”
Jawbox- “Meathook”
Psychic TV- “Just Drifting”
The Coconutz- “These Boots are Made For Walkin’”
How to Destroy Angels- “Fur-Lined”
Marilyn Manson- “Dried Up, Tied Up & Dead to the World”
Black Kids- “Hurricane Jane”
The Smiths- “Oscillate Wildly”
The Futureheads- “Hounds of Love”
Elton John- “Rocket Man”
Queens of the Stone Age- “No One Knows”
Gravenhurst- “Damage”
Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton- “Doctor Blind”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “Spade and Parade”
Young Galaxy- “Pathos”
Northside- “Shall We Take a Trip”
Frightened Rabbit- “The Modern Leper”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “In Circles”
Great Northern- “Driveway”
BLK JKS- “Kwa Nqingetje”
Sufjan Stevens- “To Be Alone With You”
Foals- “What Remains”
Vampire Weekend- “Run”
New Order- “Thieves Like Us (Instrumental)”
Serge Gainsbourg et Brigitte Bardot- “Bonnie and Clyde”
Sufjan Stevens- “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!”
Dirty Projectors- “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie”
Jawbox- “Excandescent”
The Knack- “(She’s So) Selfish”
Miles Davis- “Joshua”
Super Furry Animals- “Juxtaposed With U”
Scritti Politti- “Hypnotize (Version)”
Delgados- “Coming in from the Cold”
The Small Faces- “Lazy Sunday”
The Beatles- “Lovely Rita”
Tom Waits- “Time”
Dirty Projectors- “Thirsty and Miserable”
Jay-Zeezer- “What More Can I Say, Jamie”
The Roots- “Now or Never”
Happy Mondays- “Dennis & Lois”
Foals- “Spanish Sahara”

Wednesday's Playlist 7-21-10

DJ Shadow- “You Can’t Go Home Again”
Cake- “Stickshifts & Safetybelts”
Massive Attack w/ Damon Albarn- “Saturday Come Slow”
New Order- “Leave me Alone”
Ricky Nelson- “Old Enough to Love”
Visqueen- “Fight for Love”
Cake- “I Bombed Korea”
The Lodger- “Lost”
Billie Holiday- “Blue Moon”
Morrissey- “Sweetie-Pie”
King Khan & BBQ Show- “Third Ave”
Laura Veirs- “Where are You Driving”
A Sunny Day in Glasgow- “Slaughter Killing Carnage (The Meaning of Words)”
The Rolling Stones- “Waiting on a Friend”
Crowded House- “Falling Dove”
Elliott Smith- “Coming Up Roses”
Nouvelle Vague- “Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)”
Robyn- “Fembot”
Los Campesinos!- “Straight in at 101”
Shearwater- “Uniforms”
Captain Beefheart- “Grown So Ugly”
Sigur Rós- “Gítardjamm”
Richard Hawley- “Hotel Room”
The Decemberists- “The Soldiering Life”
Mogwai- “Radar Maker”
Radiohead- “Backdrifts”
Happy Mondays- “W.F.L. (Think about the Future)”
Red Sparrowes- “Like the Howling Glory of the Darkest Winds, this Voice Was Thunderous and the Words Holy”
Atlas Sound- “Kid Klimax (Acoustic)”
Jesu- “Opiate Sun”
Broken Social Scene- “Lover’s Spit”
!!!- “Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard (A True Story)”
Mew- “Hawaii”
Jorge Ben- “Xica da Silva”
Death Cab for Cutie- “Kicked In”
Brakes- “Two Shocks”
Metric- “Gimme Sympathy”
Sigur Rós- “Untitled #6 (aka E-Bow)”
Wilco- “Pot Kettle Black”
Refused- “The Apollo Programme was a Hoax”
UNKLE w/ Thom Yorke- “Rabbit in Your Headlights”
Red House Painters- “Down Through”
Okkervil River- “The President’s Dead”
Neil Young & Crazy Horse- “Cortez the Killer”
a-Ha- “The Sun Always Shines on TV”
Starship- “Jane”
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- “The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth”
Raphael Saadiq- “Sure Hope You Mean It”
Beulah- “Matter vs. Space”
Curtis Mayfield- “Power to the People”
T. Rex- “20th Century Boy”
Yes- “Long Distance Runaround”
Peter Gabriel- “Start”
Sufjan Stevens- “He Woke Me Up Again”
The Isley Brothers- “This Old Heart of Mine”
Miles Davis- “Seven Steps to Heaven”
Voxtrot- “The Start of Something”
El-P- “Stepfather Factory”
The Smiths- “Ask”
Jay-Z- “Rap Game – Crack Game”
St. Vincent- “Actor Out of Work”
Jeff Tweedy- “True Love Will Find You in the End”
Nouvelle Vague- “Let Me Go”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor- “The Dead Flag Blues”
Pelican- “An Inch above Sand”
Tears for Fears- “The Working Hour”
Everest- “Fallen Feather”
Free Energy- “Dark Trance”
Northern Uproar- “Rollercoaster”
Chet Baker- “Look for the Silver Lining”
Pelican- “Strung Up from the Sky”
Frightened Rabbit- “Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms (Live)”
The Chemical Brothers- “Midnight Madness”
Queens of the Stone Age- “How to Handle a Rope”
Gonjasufi- “Stardustin’”
The xx- “Islands”
Weezer- “Across the Sea”
Eagles- “Life in the Fast Lane (Live)”
Girls- “Laura”
Stars- “The Big Fight”
Owen Pallett- “Lewis Takes Action”
Def Leppard- “Foolin’”
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts- “Crimson & Clover”
R.E.M.- “Electrolite (Live)”
The Clash- “Janie Jones”
Nirvana- “Lounge Act (Live)”
ceo- “Come With Me”
Thomas Dolby- “She Blinded Me with Science (US Mix)”
Innocence Mission- “Bright as Yellow”
Baroness- "Steel that Sleeps the Eye"

Tuesday's Playlist 7-20-10

Squeeze- “Woman’s World”
R.E.M.- “Feeling Gravity’s Pull”
Ed Harcourt- “Bittersweetheart”
Quasi- “Beautiful Things”
Depeche Mode- “Agent Orange”
Danger Mouse / Jay-Z / Beatles- “Change Clothes”
Canada- “Cold Mouse Winter”
Swervedriver- “Son of Mustang Ford”
Radiohead- “Morning Bell / Amnesiac”
Japandroids- “Rockers East Vancouver”
Buzzcocks- “What Do I Get?”
Bishop Allen- “True or False”
Kylie Minogue / New Order- “Can’t Get Blue Monday Out of My Head”
KISS- “Beth”
Gorillaz- “Pirate Jet”
Dead or Alive- “You Spin me Round (Like a Record)”
Refused- “The Deadly Rhythm”
OK Go- “All is Not Lost”
Stars- “Your Ex-Lover is Dead”
Big Audio Dynamite- “Sony”
Death Cab for Cutie- “There is a Light That Never Goes Out”
Siouxsie & the Banshees- “Cities in Dust (Extended Version)”
Aimee Mann- “This is How it Goes”
Ja Rule- “Holla Holla”
Ryan Adams- “Please Do Not Let Me Go”
Queens of the Stone Age- “If Only”
Faunts- “So Far Away”
Gil Scott-Heron- “I’m New Here”
The Beatles- “Penny Lane”
Queens of the Stone Age- “Hispanic Impressions”
New Order- “Temptation (7” Mix)”
Eels- “I’m Going to Stop Pretending That I Didn’t Break Your Heart”
Aimee Mann- “That’s Just What You Are (Acoustic)”
Throw Me the Statue- “Written in Heart Signs, Faintly”
Refused- “Shape of Punk to Come (Live)”
Raphael Saadiq w/ D’Angelo- “Be Here”
Eels- “Manchester Girl”
The Chemical Brothers- “Galvanize”
Four Tet- “Plastic People”
Sufjan Stevens- “We Won’t Need Legs to Stand”
Depeche Mode- “Master and Servant (Live)”
Tom Waits- “On the Other Side of the World (Instrumental)”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- “White Palms”
Sleigh Bells- “Treats”
Happy Mondays- “Sunshine and Love (Lionrock Remix)”
The Decemberists- “Raincoat Song”
Pete Yorn- “Life on a Chain”
R.E.M.- “Driver 8”
Travis- “Afterglow”
Whale- “Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe”
Midlake- “The Courage of Others”
Surfer Blood- “Neighbor Riffs”
My Morning Jacket- “It Beats 4 U (Live)”
Aimee Mann- “I Was Thinking I Could Clean Up for Christmas”
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti- “Little Wig”
The New Pornographers- “My Shepherd”
Wild Beasts- “When I’m Sleepy…”
Arctic Monkeys- “Dancing Shoes”
Tracey Thorn & Jens Lekman- “Yeah! Oh, Yeah!”
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti- “Beverly Kills”
My Morning Jacket- “Steam Engine”
Foals- “Red Sock Pugie”
Blonde Redhead- “Suimasen”
Aloha- “Microviolence”
Tears for Fears- “Head Over Heels / Broken”
AC/DC- “You Shook Me All Night Long”
Iron & Wine- “Swans and the Swimming”
Eric B. & Rakim- “Lyrics of Fury”
The Drones- “Luck in Odd Numbers”
DeVotchKa- “Venus in Furs”
Radiohead- “Motion Picture Soundtrack (Live)”
Swans- “Jane Mary, Cry One Tear”
John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman- “Autumn Serenade”
Passion Pit- “Seaweed Song”
Joe Jackson- “Look Sharp”
Girls- “Ghost Mouth”
The Killers- “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll”
Swervedriver- “MM Abduction”
The New Pornographers- “Silver Jenny Dollar”
Edith Piaf- “La Vie en Rose”
The Eagles- “Life’s Been Good (Live)”
Hot Chip- “Over and Over”
X- “Some Other Time”
The Dandy Warhols- “Smoke It”
Public Enemy- “Louder than a Bomb”
Lansing-Dreiden- “An Effect of the Night”
Mos Def- “Priority”
Remy Zero- “Save Me”
Dirty Projectors- “Two Doves”
Vampire Weekend- “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”
Foals- “Total Life Forever”
Norfolk & Western- “Approval from Anyone”
Clem Snide- “Please”
Eric B. & Rakim- “Paid in Full”
Doves- “The Drifter”
John Coltrane- “Tunji”
Duran Duran- “Tiger Tiger (Ian Little Remix)”
Chet Baker- “My Buddy”
The Tough Alliance- “In the Kitchen”
RJD2- “Gypsy Caravan”
Bear in Heaven- “Casual Goodbye”
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists- “Last Days”
We Were Promised Jetpacks- “Quiet Little Voices”
Beck- “Devil Inside”
Stina Nordenstam- “I Dream of Jeannie”
Japandroids- “Darkness on the Edge of Gastown”
Pixies- “Dig for Fire”
Prince- “Pop Life (Fresh Dance Mix)”
Mandy Moore- “Have a Little Faith in Me”

Monday's Playlist 7-19-10

Trashcan Sinatras- “Should I Pray”
Mos Def- “Pretty Danger”
Nik Kershaw- “Wouldn’t it Be Good”
Heaven 17- “Temptation (Brothers In Rhythm Remix)”
Air- “All I Need”
Mew- “Comforting Sounds”
Battles- “Atlas”
Radiohead- “Anyone Can Play Guitar”
Happy Mondays- “Step On”
Oasis- “Cigarettes & Alcohol”
Joni Mitchell- “Twisted”
Minus the Bear- “Into the Mirror”
Karen Elson- “Cruel Summer”
These New Puritans- “En Papier”
Ivy- “Edge of the Ocean”
M.I.A.- “Space”
Iron Maiden- “Rainbow’s Gold”
The Beatles- “I’ll Follow the Sun”
Espers- “Another Moon Song”
Stars- “Fixed”
The Kinks- “Plastic Man”
The Chameleons- “Looking Inwardly”
Radiohead- “Banana Co (Acoustic)”
Gorillaz- “Plastic Beach”
Jay-Z- “Never Change”
Carla Bruni- “Quequ’un M’a Dit”
Jawbox- “His Only Trade”
America- “Ventura Highway (Live)”
Broken Social Scene- “World Sick”
Passion Pit- “Cuddle Fuddle”
Mötley Crüe- “Home Sweet Home”
The Dead Weather- “Will There Be Enough Water”
OMD- “Genetic Engineering (Extended)”
Band of Horses- “Dilly”
Les Savy Fav- “Meet Me in the Dollar Bin”
Def Leppard- “Billy’s Got a Gun”
Styx- “The Grand Illusion”
The Eagles- “Those Shoes”
LCD Soundsystem- “Daft Punk is Playing at My House”
The National- “Lemonworld”
Smashing Pumpkins- “…Said Sadly”
The Psychedelic Furs- “Love My Way”
Led Zeppelin- “That’s the Way”
The Books w/ Jose Gonzalez- “Cello Song”
Beulah- “Score from Augusta”
The Smiths- “I Want the One I Can’t Have”
Godspeed You! Black Emperor- “Rockets Fall on Rocket Falls”
Ed Harcourt- “Fears of a Father”
Marilyn Manson- “Irresponsible Hate Anthem”
Frightened Rabbit- “Head Rolls Off (Live)”
Jack White & Alicia Keys- “Another Way to Die”
Ricky Nelson- “Poor Little Fool”
The Velvet Underground- “Some Kinda Love”
Echo & the Bunnymen- “New Direction”
New Order- “Confusion (Instrumental)”
Squarepusher- “Tommib”
Bright Eyes- “Seashell Tale”
Squarepusher- “My Sound”
Shed Seven- “Chasing Rainbows”
The National- “Bitters & Absolut”
Jorge Ben- “Africa Brasil”
The Sundays- “I Kicked a Boy”
Smashing Pumpkins- “Marquis in Spades”
Radiohead- “Pyramid Song (Live)”
Life Without Buildings- “14 Days”
Faunts- “It Hurts Me All the Time”
The Jesus & Mary Chain- “Never Understand”
Mogwai- “Summer (Priority Version)”
Unwound- “Lowest Common Denominator”
Better Than Ezra- “Good”
Oingo Boingo- “No One Lives Forever”
Joy Division- “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
Blossom Dearie- “Now at Last”
Billie Holiday- “(I Got a Man, Crazy for Me) He’s Funny That Way”
Red House Painters- “Grace Cathedral Park”
Duran Duran- “Tel Aviv”
The National- “Runaway”
Eminem- “Lose Yourself”
Flying Burrito Brothers- “My Uncle”
Billie Holiday- “Big Stuff”
Cake- “The Distance”
Radiohead- “Optimistic”
Sufjan Stevens- “Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)”
Radiohead- “Lull”
Turin Brakes- “Embryos”
The Smiths- “Still Ill”
Beirut- “Interior of a Dutch House”
Notorious B.I.G. w/ Method Man- “The What”
Missing Persons- “Walking in L.A.”
Modest Mouse- “The Whale Song”
Thompson Twins- “You Take Me Up”
Los Campesinos!- “A Heat Rash in the Shape of the Show-Me State: Or, Letters from Me to Charlotte”
Marcy Playground- “A Cloak of Elvenkind”
Smashing Pumpkins- “The Bells”
Raphael Saadiq- “Faithful”
Split Enz- “Six Months in a Leaky Boat”
Tom Waits- “Cold, Cold Ground (Live)”
Placebo- “Bigmouth Strikes Again”
Wilco- “Sunken Treasure”

Films of the 50's Part 8: Sci! Fi!

I used to like science fiction a lot more than I do now. I used to be the six-year old who saw the original Star Wars film multiple times in the theater. But, my tastes have changed. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good sci-fi book or film (and superfans, please don’t correct me about the use of the term, sci-fi, as you just sound crazy). In my mind, the best science fiction isn’t made merely to display the clichés of the genre, including flying saucers, alien races, and the like. In my mind, the best sci-fi is really about us, now, or our recent past, merely set in a sci-fi diorama. Case in point, the philosophical genre writings of Philip K. Dick, a true master. It’s also why I prefer Star Trek over Star Wars at this point in my life. The 50’s were an important time for sci-fi films, in which movies and books went from being relegated to the pulp pile and b-movie tag, to an air of respectability. Well, three of these films achieved it…


The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951, Robert Wise)

Let’s try to forget about the recent remake, shall we? The original film displays wonderfully what I love about sci-fi, namely a tale of humanity merely set in a fantastical landscape. The action starts right away, with a flying saucer landing in Washington, D.C. We are immediately introduced to Klaatu, a visitor from another world who is mistakenly shot by a nervous soldier. Gort, Klaatu’s menacing robot companion, emerges to protect his master, vaporizing the military’s weapons.

What ensues is a parable of the Cold War, the atomic arms race that would eventually threaten to destroy the Earth. It’s actually one of the more potent allegories I’ve seen on film. It can also be seen as a religious allegory, with Klaatu as Jesus, donning the name Carpenter when hiding out, trying to find a way to deliver his warnings of peace. Of course, Jesus never warned, nor had an enforcer robot, though that would be a pretty amazing alternate take.

The images of the film are iconic. The sliding rampway to the alien spacecraft, the look of Gort’s cyclopic eye and tubular head, and Klaatu’s handheld device have all inspired many sci-fi tropes to come. But, the film will probably be remembered most for the phrase, “Klaatu Barada Nikto,” a shibboleth that brings our ‘resurrected’ hero back to deliver his important message.


Gojira (1954, Ishiro Honda)

Gojira, or as we all have come to know it, Godzilla, is another parable of the atomic age. Still recovering from the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan turned its fears and shock into a dramatic monster movie. Godzilla was the first ‘kaiju’ or giant monster film in what would become a major genre in Japan.

The story is simple enough. Ships and vessels begin disappearing, with washed up crew unable to relay what it was that caused the devastation. Local villagers tell of the myth of Godzilla, and he turns out to exist. Created by a nuclear explosion, the radioactive monster seeks land and begins destroying everything in sight. The effects are terrible, to be sure, but entertaining. But, if the effects got one thing right about Godzilla, it’s his scream. Apparently made by the sound a leather glove along the strings of a double bass, then slowed down, Godzilla’s roar is terrifying.

This film holds a special place in my heart. No, unlike with my last film post, I do not have a crush on Godzilla. Instead, I made a short film with a home video camera in my high school years based on the original Godzilla. It was a mix of live and stop-action, dubbed badly for effect, and featured the destruction of an entire Lego city. The best part was the calm before the storm, a prologue featuring an idyllic slice of life, all set to Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five.”


Forbidden Planet (1956, Fred M. Wilcox)

Forbidden Planet is considered one of the more important sci-fi films of the 1950’s. It is one of the first features that got the effects right. Though now dated, it’s easy to see, in comparison to other genre films of the time, they stand out above the rest. The ship, the matte paintings, the set dressings, and the animated “id monster” are all examples of the increased effort that lifted this film above b-movie status.

In essence a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, Forbidden Planet tells the tale of a group of space travelers landing on a planet with a pair of lone survivors, Morbius and his daughter, Altaira, along with their now famous construction, Robby the Robot. Morbius reveals the demise of his crew, the technology he found on the planet, and the Krell, the former inhabitants who were all wiped out 200,000 years prior. The entire crew of the newly arrived Bellerophon, including the captain, played by Leslie Nielsen, fall for the fetching Altaira, played by Anne Francis (who I will most likely also write about in an upcoming review of Bad Day at Black Rock). Altaira is a 50’s era bombshell, blonde, bedroom eyes and a mole near her lip. She’s the space version of Marilyn Monroe, and she wears the shortest skirts I think I’ve ever seen.

Like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet is tale of humanity and man’s infallibility. It is most likely this factor that led Gene Roddenberry to find it inspiring enough to spur his creation of Star Trek. It’s all there: the military like crew visiting unknown planets, the mysteries that have to be unraveled about an alien race, a smart and charismatic yet misguided civilian, and a manly captain who ends up making out with the one girl available, who happens to be a stone cold fox.


Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959, Ed Wood)

Unlike the rest of the films above, Plan 9 from Outer Space is a train wreck. I’m not shattering anyone’s misconceptions about it as the Ed Wood film is now widely known as the worst film ever made. My brother revels in bad films. The inanities of Starship Troopers, Mission to Mars and Van Helsing all appeal to his sense of the high art of absurdity. But, Plan 9 transcends bad film to high art, transcends that again into even worse territory, then jumps again into an altogether different stratum all by itself, becoming one of the funniest, craziest, and unintentionally brilliant films ever made.

Nothing makes sense. It’s as if the film were pieced together from eight different films, none having anything to do with the other, and no effort made to find the logic of transition. Bad acting, bad editing, horrible effects, and the cheesiest narration in existence all lend to the disastrous hilarity. “Unspeakable horrors from outer space paralyze the living and resurrect the dead!” says the movie poster. Does it get any better than that? Tor Johnson, Vampira, and Criswell all became iconic figures of sci-fi, though probably not in a way that any of them envisioned. There’s not much else to say about it. If you haven’t seen it, you should, preferably with friends, to share the joys and pains of this memorable film. There have been many parodies and homages to Plan 9, which seems at times overkill, but the best I’ve seen was in an episode of Mission Hill, called “Plan 9 from Mission Hill: or, I Married a Gay Man from Outer Space.”

Films of the 50's Part 7: Audrey Hepburn

I admit it. I’m prone to crushes. Or, as Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn put it, in the sublime voices of Chet Baker and Frank Sinatra, I fall in love too easily. Just today, in watching the recent film When in Rome, I gained another crush, this time on comedienne / actress Kate Micucci. Sigh. And yet somehow, every crush I’ve harbored, every girl I’ve fallen for, each female I’ve shared a relationship with, has had one thing in common, an element of Audrey. I don’t know if I realized it until now. It’s only in hindsight that I’ve been able to piece together that Audrey Hepburn has been the Rosetta Stone for my love life. So, it was with great awe and reverence that my journey through the films of the 50’s found the movies of the exquisite Ms. Hepburn.

Roman Holiday (1953, William Wyler)

Is it coincidence to go from the aforementioned When in Rome to Roman Holiday? Honestly, it is coincidence. While When in Rome did film a small bit of footage in Rome, Roman Holiday was filmed completely in that magical city. Rome itself becomes a character. But, this film is truly owned by Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, two giants of the silver screen. Hepburn and Peck still had to wait a few years, until the early 60’s, to portray the roles that would define them (in my opinion, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and To Kill a Mockingbird, respectively), but it was easy to see just how magnetic these two were together in Roman Holiday. Peck was already a veteran of Hollywood. Hepburn had done a few small films, but Roman Holiday was, for all intents and purposes, her big screen debut.

Hepburn plays Ann, or Anya as she reveals herself to Joe, played by Peck, the princess of a country that is never named, on tour throughout the major cities of Europe. In Rome, she has a kind of breakdown, escaping the confines of her quarters and her handlers. She meets Joe Bradley, a reporter, who finds her asleep on a bench. Though Joe soon figures out her true identity, he can’t help but fall in love with her. They spend time together having as ‘normal’ a life as this princess has ever had. And though Ann eventually returns to her life of royalty, we are left with coded messages between the two that will tug at the tautest of heartstrings.

It’s no wonder that I, along with many others, fell for Audrey. She is at once elegant, aloof, charming, silly, radiant and unbelievably beautiful. Roman Holiday introduced to the world a stunning vision and incredible talent, and it’s a damn fine movie, too. To top it off, Hepburn won the BAFTA, the Golden Globe, and the Oscar for her role as Ann. Special mention also has to be given to Eddie Albert, brilliant comic relief in this highly romantic film.

Sabrina (1954, Billy Wilder)

There’s a bit of a leap in logic viewers have to take at the beginning of Sabrina. As Hepburn, playing the title role, sits in the crook of a tree, crushing on William Holden’s David Larrabee, we are to believe that she is awkward and unattractive. It’s a bill of sale given to us by Hollywood time and again. Except this time, we didn’t even get the courtesy of the glasses and overalls, such as in She’s All That. Instead, Hepburn is unintentionally dreamy from the first second she appears on screen, a creature so enchanting that no man, no matter how rich or experienced, could possibly resist her.

Regardless, according to the story, Sabrina is sent off to culinary school in Paris, learning about the ways of cultured life. She comes back, and is somehow unrecognizable to David. But, David is engaged to a very rich heiress, and older brother Linus feels the need to intervene in a possible fledgling relationship. In the process, Linus, played by Humphrey Bogart, himself falls for Sabrina.

Though the age difference was substantial, it’s hard to deny the sparks between Bogart and Hepburn. (The same could be said without the age difference for Bogart and another Hepburn in the earlier film, The African Queen). Each part is expertly cast, with Holden playing the role of the selfish playboy exceedingly well. Billy Wilder had yet another magnificent film on his hands with Sabrina, and Audrey Hepburn further cemented her status as the thinking man’s fantasy girl.

Funny Face (1957, Stanley Donen)

I’m not normally a fan of musicals. Very few films of the genre have done much to change my mind (though I have not yet written about Singin’ in the Rain). The biggest problem I have with musicals is the idea of characters breaking into song in the midst of ordinary situations, a problem that Singin’ in the Rain handles with ease. While this movie doesn't quite avoid that trope, Stanley Donen proves once again he is a master of the genre. Funny Face is a virtual feast for the eyes and ears. Images by Richard Avedon, vivid colors, and classic tunes by George and Ira Gershwin all combine to make a film that would be remembered, even if not for the inclusion of Audrey Hepburn. But, she took it to another level.

First of all, we are again given the same unbelievable pablum that Hepburn can somehow be made to appear unattractive. But, as a literature loving bookstore clerk, Hepburn had me falling all the harder. In fact, I found her more appealing and attractive in these clothes than her eventual fashion plate makeover duds. In another similarity to Sabrina, the story pairs Hepburn with an older man, in this case Fred Astaire, thirty years her senior. Astaire plays Dick Avery, a photographer, who plucks Jo Stockton (Hepburn) from her beatnik-like lifestyle and introduces her to the sophisticated world of fashion. They, of course, fall headlong for each other.

With Astaire in tow, you know there are going to be some beguiling dance scenes, and in that realm, Funny Face does not disappoint. His “umbrella and cape” dance routine to “Let’s Kiss and Make Up” is riveting, while his duet with Kay Thompson (yes, the later author of the Eloise children’s books) is a bit silly but highly entertaining. Never have I seen, outside of Happy Days, the beatnik scene so cartoonishly portrayed. But the true centerpiece of Funny Face is the Bohemian, black bodysuit dance by Hepburn in a Paris nightclub. The scene was later put to AC/DC and put in a Gap ad, showing the power of Hepburn’s appeal. My favorite Hepburn movies were filmed in the 60’s, but I could watch her early work in the 50’s repeatedly, most likely falling in love too easily, all over again.

Thursday's Playlist 7-15-10

Simple Minds- “Book of Brilliant Things”
Oasis- “Morning Glory (Live)”
Metric- “Stadium Love”
The Beatles- “Good Morning, Good Morning”
Natalie Merchant- “Carnival”
Little Joy- “Unattainable”
Photek- “Six Feet Under Main Theme”
Common- “The Light”
Smashing Pumpkins- “Eye”
The Sonics- “Roll Over Beethoven”
Beulah- “Warmer”
Nouvelle Vague- “Our Lips are Sealed”
Scritti Politti- “The Word Girl”
Bear in Heaven- “Casual Goodbye”
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah- “Details of the War”
Hot Chip- “Brothers”
The Waterboys- “Be My Enemy”
The Beatles- “Blue Jay Way”
Animal Collective- “Did You See the Words”
Stiff Little Fingers- “Closed Groove”
Sting- “I Burn for You (Live)”
Duran Duran- “The Reflex (Dance Mix)”
Journey- “Faithfully”
R.E.M.- “Life and How to Live It (Demo)”
The Wake- “Talk About the Past”
The Stone Roses- “This is the One”
Minus the Bear- “Fooled by the Night”
Q-Tip- “Feelin”
Eels- “I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”
John Coltrane- “Soul Eyes”
Blur- “Tracy Jacks (Live)”
Weezer- “No Other One”
Shudder to Think- “Day Ditty”
Wild Beasts- “We Still Got the Taste Dancin’ on Our Tongues”
Talk Talk- “Talk Talk”
The Bird & the Bee- “Heard it on the Radio”
The Beatles- “Get Back”
The Jam- “Standards”
The Drums- “It Will All End in Tears”
Morrissey- “The Never-Played Symphonies”
Def Leppard- “Let it Go (Live)”
New Order- “Dub Vulture”
Billie Holiday- “I Only Have Eyes for You”
Berlin- “Take My Breath Away”
John Coltrane- “It’s Easy to Remember (But So Hard to Forget)”
Kanye West- “Touch the Sky”
Prince- “Controversy”
The Velvet Underground- “Train Round the Bend”
Hall & Oates- “Maneater”
Explosions in the Sky- “Glittering Blackness”
Def Leppard- “Too Late for Love”
The Jesus & Mary Chain- “Darklands”
Travis- “Flowers in the Window”
Bibio- “The Palm of Your Wave”
Duran Duran- “The Chauffeur”
The Psychedelic Furs- “Heartbreak Beat”
Kim Wilde- “Kids In America (D-Bops Bright Lights Mix)”
Jason Collett- “Cold Blue Halo”
Pixies- “Mr. Grieves”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs- “Sheena is a Punk Rocker”
Stars- “This Charming Man”
Gorillaz- “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach”
St. Vincent- “The Strangers”
Wild Beasts- “Empty Nest”
The Futureheads- “Piece of Crap”
Peter Gabriel- “And Through the Wire”
The Chameleons- “In Shreds”
Shout Out Louds- “Four by Four”
The New Pornographers- “Your Hands (Together)”
Split Enz- “Ghost Girl”
Jaydiohead- “Change Order”
Scorpions- “Rhythm of Love”
Ryan Adams- “Luminol”
Eels- “Losing Streak”
Flying Lotus- “Clock Catcher”
New Order- “The Village”
Air- “Talisman”
Low- “Medicine Magazines”
World Party- “When the Rainbow Comes”
Lansing-Dreiden- “A Sectioned Beam”
R.E.M.- “Driver 8”
Information Society- “Lay All Your Love On Me”
The Box Tops- “The Letter”
Modest Mouse- “Florida”
Dave Sitek- “With a Girl Like You”
The Waterboys- “World Party”
They Might Be Giants- “Don’t Let’s Start”
Neil Finn- “Sinner”
Mogwai- “Honey”
Throw Me the Statue- “Honeybee”
Devo- “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
Bright Eyes- “Make a Plan to Love Me”

Wednesday's Playlist 7-14-10

UGK w/ Outkast- “Int’l Players Anthem”
Meat Beat Manifesto- “Everything C ounts”
Metric- “Gimme Sympathy”
Sunny Day Real Estate- “Pheurton Skeurto”
Red Sparrowes- “And Only Then Did We Begin to Think For Ourselves”
The Smiths- “That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore”
Duran Duran- “Anyone Out There”
Miles Davis- “All of You”
Grizzly Bear- “About Face”
Happy Mondays- “24 Hour Party People”
The National- “Fake Empire”
The Velvet Underground- “I’m Set Free”
Swervedriver- “Hands”
Big Pink- “Tonight”
OMD- “Genetic Engineering (Extended)”
The Killers- “Jenny was a Friend of Mine”
Stina Nordenstam- “I Came So Far for Beauty”
World Party- “And I Fell Back Alone”
Nina Simone- “Don’t Smoke in Bed”
The Hooters- “And We Danced”
The White Stripes- “Hotel Yorba”
The Kinks- “Sunny Afternoon”
Girls- “Darling”
Deftones- “To Have and to Hold”
Billie Holiday- “God Bless the Child”
Fleet Foxes- “English House”
Cake- “Jesus Wrote a Blank Check”
Marcel King- “Reach for Love”
The Dismemberment Plan- “Following Through”
The Shins- “Kissing the Lipless”
Juno- “Help is on the Way”
Dave Alvin- “King of California”
Foals- “Two Steps, Twice”
Billy Joel- “Only the Good Die Young”
John Coltrane- “Miles’ Mode”
A Place to Bury Strangers- “In Your Heart”
Foreign Born- “Can’t Keep Time”
Frightened Rabbit- “Keep Yourself Warm”
De La Soul- “Breakadawn”
The Magic Numbers- “Forever Lost”
The Rolling Stones- “Pass the Wine (Sophia Loren)”
Echo & the Bunnymen- “My Kingdom”
Engineers- “What Pushed Us Together”
Van Morrison- “The Way Young Lovers Do”
The Raconteurs- “Steady as She Goes”
Natalie Merchant- “Sally Ann”
New Order- “Run”
Izzy- “Sull’Aria”
A Certain Ratio- “Flight”
Billie Holiday- “There is No Greater Love”
Nada Surf- “Electrocution”
Biz Markie- “Just a Friend”
Dirty Projectors- “Temecula Sunrise”
Devo- “Cameo”
Surfer Blood- “Twin Peaks”
Them Crooked Vultures- “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I”
Edith Piaf- “La Vie En Rose”
Ed Harcourt- “Shanghai”
The Smiths- “Hand in Glove”
Zeus- “Fever of the Time”
Clearlake- “I’d Like to Hurt You”

Tuesday's Playlist 7-13-10

Nouvelle Vague- “The Killing Moon”
Broken Social Scene- “Ungrateful Little Father”
Radiohead- “Like Spinning Plates (Live)”
Scritti Politti- “A Little Knowledge”
Harlem- “Scare You”
Funkadelic- “Can You Get to That”
XTC- “Dear God”
Altered Images- “Happy Birthday”
The Knack- “Let Me Out”
High on Fire- “Ghost Neck”
A.C. Newman- “Secretarial”
Stevie Wonder- “I Was Made to Love Her”
Rush- “Freewill”
Kiss- “Love Gun”
Junior Boys- “In the Morning”
The Smiths- “Miserable Lie”
Missing Persons- “Walking in L.A.”
Everest- “Unfortunate Sea”
Grateful Dead- “Box of Rain”
Thelonious Monk- “This is My Story, This is My Song”
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists- “Mourning in America”
The Byrds- “Don’t Doubt Yourself, Babe”
X- “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene”
Radiohead- “Dollars and Cents”
Peter Gabriel- “Kiss of Life”
RJD2- “Shot in the Dark”
Peter Gabriel- “Waterloo Sunset”
Foals- “Alabaster”
The Beatles- “I Me Mine”
Prince- “Let’s Go Crazy”
Earl Greyhound- “Bill Evans”
Franz Ferdinand- “Take Me Out”
The New Pornographers- “We End Up Together”
Kaiser Chiefs- “Take My Temperature”
Surfer Blood- “Anchorage”
Rush- “Mission”
Chet Baker- “You Don’t Know What Love Is”
Cat Power- “Ye Auld Triangle”
The Radio Dept.- “Heaven’s on Fire”
The Eagles- “I Can’t Tell You Why (Live)”
Bibio- “Cry! Baby!”
Mew- “Vaccine”
Gorillaz- “Dare”
Radiohead- “Sulk”
Mumm-Ra- “She’s Got You High”
The Rolling Stones- “Shattered”
Future of the Left- “My Gymnastic Past”
Minus the Bear- “Excuses”
Lilys- “O.I.C.U.R.”
The National- “Fashion Coat”
Yeasayer- “Grizelda”
The Very Best- “Mwazi”
Tears for Fears- “Mad World”
Everest- “Catalyst”
Tom Waits- “Midnight Lullaby”
Cake- “She’ll Come Back to Me”
Everest- “Keeping the Score”
Dubstar- “Stars”
Jay-Z- “Say Hello”
The Beatles- “Something”
Edwyn Collins- “A Girl Like You”
Tom Waits- “Helsinki Mood”
Leonard Cohen- “Waiting for the Miracle”
Teenage Fanclub- “Your Love is the Place Where I Come From”
Nada Surf- “Love Goes On”
Clearlake- “Don’t Let the Cold In”
Echo & the Bunnymen- “In the Midnight Hour”
The Avalanches- “Frontier Psychiatrist”
Explosions in the Sky- “Lonely Train”
Simple Minds- “I Wish You Were Here”
Miles Davis- “Rouge”
Altered Images- “Jeepster”
The Chameleons- “Perfume Garden (Demo)”
Portishead- “Requiem for Anna (Un Jour Comme un Autre-Anna)”
New Order- “Ecstasy”
Pixies- “Where is My Mind?”
Bell Biv Devoe- “Poison (Extended Club Version)”

Thursday's Playlist 7-8-10

I guess it was a Beatles kind of day...

Frightened Rabbit- “Things”
Bee Gees- “Nights on Broadway”
Fleet Foxes- “Sun it Rises”
Deltron 3030- “3030”
Miles Davis- “Dear Old Stockholm”
The Black Keys- “Ohio”
Aloha- “Everything Goes My Way”
The Stone Roses- “Elephant Stone (Demo)”
Broken Social Scene- “I’m Still Your Fag”
Jarvis Cocker- “Running the World”
The Beatles- “Her Majesty”
Explosions in the Sky- “Snow and Lights”
The Innocence Mission- “Bright as Yellow”
The Beatles- “Baby You’re a Rich Man”
F#$@ed Up- “No Pasaran”
The Beatles- “Devil in Her Heart”
The Beatles- “In My Life”
John Wesley Harding- “I’m Wrong About Everything”
Daft Punk- “Digital Love”
Ladytron- “Destroy Everything You Touch”
Lilys- “Still in All the Glitter”
Ben Folds Five- “Twin Falls (Live)”
The Rolling Stones- “Shine a Light”
Radiohead- “Where Bluebirds Fly”
The National- “Brainy”
Doves- “Darker”
The Killers- “On Top”
Iron & Wine- “Love Vigilantes”
The New Pornographers- “The Laws Have Changed”
David Bowie- “Fame”
Goldfrapp- “Hunt”
Tom Waits- “Johnsburgh, Illinois”
Alphaville- “Sounds Like a Melody”
Can- “Aumgn”
X- “We’re Desperate”
Jónsi- “Kolniur”
The Beatles- “Yer Blues”
Foals- “Bloo Blood”
The Beatles- “Penny Lane”
Orbital- “Satan (Industry Standard Mix)”
Aloha- “I’m in Trouble”
Brendan Benson- “Don’t Wanna Talk”
Quasi- “Beautiful Things”
Eisley- “The Winter Song”
The Beatles- “It Won’t Be Long”
Arcade Fire- “Keep the Car Running”
Badly Drawn Boy- “A Minor Incident”
Nirvana- “Floyd the Barber (Live)”
The Beatles- “She Said She Said”
Scott Matthews- “Is This Love”
The Album Leaf- “Falling From the Sun (Jamuel Saxon Sunburnt Mix)”
Arctic Monkeys- “Potion Approaching”
Modest Mouse- “Bury Me With It”
Shearwater- “Meridian”
The Beatles- “Fixing a Hole”
Mercury Rev- “Holes”
The Smiths- “Paint a Vulgar Picture”
Beach House- “Used to Be”
Ian McCulloch- “I Know You Well”
Prince- “If I Was Your Girlfriend”
Joe Jackson- “Steppin’ Out”
Ryan Adams- “World War 24”
7 Worlds Collide- “She Will Have Her Way”
My Life Story- “12 Reasons Why”
The Who- “Behind Blue Eyes”
Scritti Politti- “Lover to Fall”
Run-DMC- “Walk This Way”
The Jam- “Takin’ My Love”
Led Zeppelin- “Royal Orleans”
Neil Young- “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”
Peter Gabriel- “Big Time”
Portishead- “Glory Box”

Wednesday's Playlist 7-7-10

The Dream Academy- “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want”
Midlake- “Roscoe”
Duran Duran- “Girls on Film (12” Mix)”
Aloha- “Searchlight”
LCD Soundsystem- “Losing My Edge”
Local Natives- “Airplanes”
Broken Social Scene- “Cause = Time”
Beck- “Everybody’s Gotta Learn Sometime”
The Big Pink- “Velvet”
Joni Mitchell- “Little Green”
Styx- “Don’t Let it End”
Tears for Fears- “The Conflict”
Simian Mobile Disco- “It’s the Beat”
Janelle Monáe- “Wondaland”
Depeche Mode- “Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)”
The Smiths- “Some Girls are Bigger than Others”
Jens Lekman- “The Cold Swedish Winter”
RJD2- “Work”
Radiohead- “I Will”
Led Zeppelin- “Tea for One”
Ratatat- “Bob Gandhi”
Quando Quango- “Genius”
The Go-Go’s- “Fun with Ropes”
Haysi Fantayzee- “Shiny Shiny”
Squeeze- “Tempted”
Ringo Starr- “It Don’t Come Easy”
OMD- “Telegraph (Extended)”
Ryan Adams- “Wonderwall”
The Knack- “Oh Tara”
Japandroids- “Heart Sweats”
English Beat- “Pato & Roger a Go Talk”
English Beat- “Save it for Later”
Foreigner- “I Want to Know What Love Is”
The White Stripes- “Blue Orchid”
The Velvet Underground- “I’m Set Free”
Madonna- “Burning Up”
The Format- “I’m Actual”
Roisin Murphy- “Parallel Lives”
The Clientele- “Share the Night”
New Order- “Denial”
Led Zeppelin- “Four Sticks”
Johnny Cash- “Satisfied Mind”
Kele- “Tenderoni”
Bishop Allen- “The Magpie”
The Twilight Sad- “Seven Years of Letters”
Undertones- “Teenage Kicks”
The Go! Team- “Huddle Formation”
Jay-Z- “Regrets”
Swervedriver- “Deep Seat”
Unwound- “Devoid”
Gonjasufi- “Advice”
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- “War Machine”
Beirut- “Interior of a Dutch House”
Santogold- “Say Aha”
Fugazi- “Argument”
John Williams- “Star Wars Theme”
John Coltrane- “Blue Train”
Natalie Merchant- “Kind & Generous”
Refused- “Tannhäuser / Derivé”
Deltron 3030- “Love Story”
Timex Social Club- “Rumors”
Faunts- “Lights are Always On”
Adam Ant- “Apollo 9”
Galaxie 500- “Way Up High”
The National- “Cold Girl Fever”
The New Pornographers- “Daughters of Sorrow”
Mr. Hudson- “Straight No Chaser”
Duran Duran- “Faith in this Colour (Alternate Slow Mix)”
Scritti Politti- “The Boom Boom Bap”
A Flock of Seagulls- “Quicksand”
Peter Gabriel- “Heroes”
Echo & the Bunnymen- “Heroin (Live)”
The Roots- “The Seed (2.0)”
Visqueen- “Hand Me Down”
High on Fire- “Snakes for the Divine”
The Velvet Underground- “Sunday Morning”
Interpol- “Direction”
Japandroids- “Lovers / Strangers”
Smog- “Dress Sexy at My Funeral”
Squeeze- “Heaven Knows”
Nas- “Hip Hop is Dead”
The Dan Band- “Genie in a Bottle / No Scrubs”
Refused- “Summerholidays vs. Punkroutine”
Teenage Fanclub- “Your Love is the Place Where I Come From”
The Yardbirds- “For Your Love”
A Sunny Day in Glasgow- “Evil, With Evil, Against Evil”
Roisin Murphy- “You Know Me Better”
The Rolling Stones- “Stop Breaking Down”
Garbage- “When I Grow Up (Jagz Kooner Remix)”
Buzzcocks- “What Do I Get?”

Tuesday's Playlist 7-6-10

Mos Def- “Casa Bey”
The Swell Season- “This Low”
Bell Biv Devoe- “Dope!”
The Twilight Sad- “At the Burnside”
Dennis Wilson- “Lady (Falling in Love)”
Alicia Keys- “Empire State of Mind (Part II: Broken Down)”
Sigur Rós- “Gitardjamm”
Tom Waits- “Frank’s Wild Years”
Ja Rule- “Holla Holla”
Lonely Island- “Ras Trent”
The Very Best- “Yalira”
Rakim- “Microphone Fiend”
Pulp- “Disco 2000”
Joe Jackson- “Breaking Us in Two”
The Monkees- “Mary, Mary”
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse w/ Iggy Pop- “Pain”
Public Enemy- “Prophets of Rage”
Iron & Wine- “Peng! 33”
La Rocca- “Sketches (20 Something Life)”
Gene- “I Love You, What Are You?”
Dirty Projectors- “Still is the Move (A Capella)”
The Velvet Underground- “The Black Angel’s Death Song”
Los Campesinos!- “The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future”
Justin Timberlake- “Until the End of Time”
X- “Breathless”
Foreign Born- “It Grew on You”
X- “White Girl”
The Roots- “Don’t Feel Right”
The Beatles- “Martha My Dear”
The Beatles- “Another Girl”
The Morning Benders- “Wet Cement”
Wilco & Billy Bragg- “Hesitating Beauty”
The Smiths- “Shoplifters of the World Unite”
Richard Hawley- “Hotel Room”
Stricken City- “Five Metres Apart”
Scritti Politti- “Wood Beez (Version)”
Spoon- “Someone Something”
Haircut 100- “Favourite Shirts (12” Version)”
Smashing Pumpkins- “The End is the Beginning”
The National- “Thirsty”
The White Stripes- “Fell in Love with a Girl (Live)”
Wolf Parade- “Yulia”
The Sonics- “Money”
Air- “You Make it Easy”
Radiohead- “Knives Out (Live)”
Kevin Shields- “Goodbye”
Sugarcubes- “Hit”
The Knack- “My Sharona”
Craig Armstrong w/ Paul Buchanan- “Let’s Go Out Tonight”
Mötley Crüe- “Bitter Pill”
Michael Jackson- “Get on the Floor”
The Rakes- “Just a Man with a Job”
Bob Dylan- “Meet Me in the Morning”
Smashing Pumpkins- “Tonite Reprise”
The Dining Rooms- “Pure and Easy”
Janelle Monáe- “Locked Inside”
Siouxsie & the Banshees- “Cities in Dust (Extended)”
Trashcan Sinatras- “The Safecracker”
Clinic- “Fingers”
Peter Schilling- “Major Tom (Coming Home)”
The Beatles- “Lady Madonna”
Naked Eyes- “Always Something There to Remind Me”
Nada Surf- “Love and Anger”
The Features- “Blow it Out”
Paul Weller- “Fast Car / Slow Traffic”
The Hot Rats- “Up the Junction”
Onyx- “Slam”
The Delays- “Long Time Coming”
Swervedriver- “Over”
Soft Cell- “Seedy Films”
Yes- “Roundabout”
Tom Waits- “16 Shells from a Thirty-Ought Six”
Red House Painters- “Grace Cathedral Park”
LCD Soundsystem- “Someone Great”
Patrick Park- “You’ll Get Over”
Pelican- “Sirius”
Depeche Mode- “Fly on the Windscreen (X-10-Dead)”
Roky Erickson w / Okkervil River- “God is Everywhere”
Death Cab for Cutie- “All is Full of Love”
She & Him- “Gonna Get Along Without You Now”
Stars- “Dead Hearts”
Wilco- “Poor Places”
U2- “Luminous Times (Hold on to Love)”
Randy Newman- “I Think It’s Going to Rain Today”
The Decemberists- “Margaret in Captivity”
The Bird & the Bee- “Maneater”
Blur- “Sunday Sunday (Live)”
English Beat- “Rotating Head”
Go-Go’s- “Head Over Heels”
The Stone Roses- “Love Spreads”
Jay-Zeezer- “Allure in the Garage”
Sufjan Stevens- “In the Devil’s Territory”
Starship- “Jane”
Free Energy- “Light Love”
Bis- “The Boy with the Thorn in His Side”
Foals- “Alabaster”
Missing Persons- “No Way Out”
Metric- “Sick Muse”
The xx- “Infinity”