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Greil Monaco's No-Life Top Ten

Filed under: Imported

1) Deadwood and Al Swearengen's true identity. I'm four episodes into the second season and I think the show's already peaked. After Wild Bill got plugged by the droopy-eyed Jack McCall, the episodes lost their verve and momentum, and became more soap-operatic. But Ian McShane continues to dominate the cast the way his character does the camp, and by the first season's final episodes, he makes it clear with every arch of his brow that Al is really Satan himself, presiding over the muddy side of Hell. It's one of the best portrayals of Old Nick ever filmed.

2) It turns out I actually (kind of) know someone else in the Deadwood cast. Years ago, when this blog was a lowly e-zine called A Movie a Day, I sent it out by email to anybody who crossed my cyber-path and had similar taste in films. Jim Beaver, who plays Ellsworth the prospector in the show, has long been a poster at the newsgroups for old movies, and on certain occasions-- Toshiro Mifune's death was one-- I contacted Jim for info to use on my old public-radio movie show, and he was always helpful and knowledgable. He told me that he used to review movies in the '70s, and if I remember correctly, he estimated that in one year (1978?), he saw 1,800 films!

3)  Frasier faw down 'n' go boom. If you haven't seen the video of Kelsey Grammer taking a tumble off a Disneyland stage, you really should click on the link and watch it. It'll brighten your day. And keep in mind as you watch this shaken pussy pull himself together, the last line of the story is: "Grammer wasn't seriously hurt in the fall."

4) R. Crumb on Fresh Air, May 2nd, 2005. A rare and bittersweet interview with the Crumb-bum, well done by Terri Gross, who comes across as a long-time admirer. Nice as it is to hear him talk about his life and work (and sounding much less obnoxious than in Terry Zwigoff's documentary), he's still a prime example of a great artist who has nothing interesting to say when he's not in his medium. But when Terri reads a caption from his comix, it's perfect even without the pictures. "Sartre said that Hell is other people. But it can also be yourself."

5) No more hotdogs for Hasil Adkins. Jesco White, Boone County's Dancing Outlaw, has just lost a neighbor and fellow celebrity: West Virginia rockabilly nutcase Hasil Adkins kicked the bucket last week, three days shy of a-reachin' his 68th birthday. Here's a fine send-off from The Guardian.

6) Fat Actress. Who knew Kirstie Alley was a brilliant film comic? Nobody seems to get the show (except James Wolcott), but time will be kind to the funniest showbiz self-parody since Sunset Boulevard.

Hey, six is almost 10, right? Right. Until next time . . .

Posted by Steve Monaco at May 5, 2005 6:33 AM

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