October 7, 2007 - October 13, 2007

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Monaco's No-Life Bottom Three

1) Best ringtone ever! I downloaded this as soon as I heard about it, and I don't even have a cellphone. It's based on the recent O.J. Simpson comedy, er, robbery recordings, specifically his questioning the belief that his shit can be stolen. The ringtone itself comes from Harry Shearer's section of the snazzy new site My Damn Channel, which also features video clips from Harry's legendary satellite tapes (like the new one of Dan Rather trying to decide if he should wear a trenchcoat on camera). Anyway, don't play the soundfile at work-- after all, it's O.J.!

2) The Murry Wilson Show. I'm very late getting around to what may be the Beach Boys-related parody of all time, Peter Bagge and Dana Gould's hilarious on-line animation Rock and Roll Dad, featuring Brian, Dennis and Carl's maniacal old man, Murry. Complete with ever-smoldering pipe and a glass eye that pops out like a cork, the cartoon Murry (perfectly voiced by Paul F. Tompkins) is amazingly accurate, although undoubtedly much funnier than the real one. You can find a link to all four episodes, as well as the infamous audio bootleg "Help Me, Rhonda" session where the real-life Murry does his fatherly number on Brian and the Boys, at an archived entry at WMFU's always fantastic blog. And SYNC-o-pate it!

(Murry, planning a comeback with fellow rock-and-roll dads Freddy Lennon and Joe Jackson.)

3) Kicksville 29 B.C. with Tim Matranga. The community radio station KDVS in Davis, CA has been streaming online almost as long as it's been possible, and I've been listening to Tim's Sunday night garage, Northern Soul and psych show for almost eight years! I don't even remember how I first found it, but I've been a regular listener ever since that first night. Simply put, he programs these three genres of '60s music perfectly-- a two hour show can start with Link Wray or Joe Tex and end with psychedelic poetry read by Yvette Mimieux, with Barbara Lewis, The Move and Roky Erickson in between. Tim is also a hardcore record collector, and the wide array of weirdo labels he manages to find is remarkable. You can listen live every Sunday (Midnight to 2 a.m. Central time) and you can listen to last week's show (and see its playlist) here.

Posted by Steve Monaco at October 8, 2007 3:29 PM

 

The Monday Movie Quiz #144

So the last couple have been too easy, eh? Okay, then, return with me now to the thrilling days of yesteryear when the winner's circle consisted of three names at most.

The truth is, even I'd have trouble with #1. (If I'd used a pic of his sidekick-- in real life, the older brother of a TV rock star-- it would have been easier, but he isn't nearly as funny-looking as this guy.) But the men in the other two pics are TV heroes so iconic even youngsters around 35 should know them, and imdb guesses always count. So if you think you know the title of this great, great film, send me an email by late Sunday night (the 14th)-- if you're right, we'll report it in next week's winner's circle.

Posted by Steve Monaco at October 8, 2007 12:13 AM

 

Last week's Movie Quiz winners

The man who was the basis of Amadeus's titular character was once described by classical music expert and radio giant Jim Svejda thusly and well:

"Once, when filling out an application for a summer job, on the line next to 'other' [for] religion, I wrote 'Mozart.' The personnel officer was not amused, but I hadn't intended it as a joke. For there was a time when I was absolutely convinced that Mozart was at least as divinely inspired as Moses, Christ, the Buddha, Lao-tse, or Mohammed, and I suppose I still am. For in no other works of the human imagination can the divine spirit be heard more distinctly than in the literally miraculous music that this often vulgar, unpleasant and difficult man produced during his pathetically short thirty-five years."

For those of us who have been touched deeply in our lives by art, that statement should ring true. But ironically-- and beautifully-- the 1984 film, directed by Milos Forman and written by Peter Schaffer (based on his play) isn't the story of Mozart but his enemy Salieri, or in other words, it's not the story of genius but mediocrity, and the harm that it does to the truly gifted. And much of it is a grand horror movie, too-- on rewatching, I noticed more than ever how creepy and genuinely scary the film becomes as Salieri goes about his dirty work to sabotage his rival. But it's also even funnier than I recalled (Christine Ebersole is especially great), and, needless to say, no film ever had a better soundtrack.

If there's a mystery behind Amadeus, it isn't in the plot but what happened to the cast afterward. More than one quiz winner noted the apparent Amadeus career curse: "The cast must have had the lousiest agents in the business. People magazine could do a whole 'Whatever happened to' issue just on them."

Sad but true-- in fact, the only two who seemed to thrive afterwards were Jeffrey Jones and quiz favorite Vincent Schiavelli. Elizabeth Berridge, who was so lovely and natural as wife Constanze, wound up playing a dopey policewoman on "The John Larroquette Show" and today gets parts like "Wedding guest on videotape" on bad sitcoms. Tom Hulce, Amadeus himself, never starred in another hit and, ultimately, never starred in anything again. Saddest of all, though, has been the constant waste of the talent of F. Murray Abraham, whose ill treatment began as soon as he won his Oscar-- the almost complete lack of applause he received backstage by the press right after winning prompted him to tell them, "You can do better than that."

When you get right down to it, only one guy came out the unreserved winner from the entire film . . .

"Too easy!" was the battle cry of many quiz winners, but-- may I point out-- while this was a fine, big turnout, there still weren't nearly as many right answers as there were for a classic like The 'burbs, so just how easy was it? Anyway, congratulations and a late-night visit from a man in a mask to the following winners: Vince Tuss, Wayne Palmer, Song-Un Lee, Isaac Kaufman, Gus Mastrapa, Bob Redwing, Corey Anderson, Mark Gisleson, Thomas Miller, Bill Hearne, Shannon Blatherwick, Michael Mattson, Michael Kelly, E. Yarber, Mark Hammett, Nancy Louise Rutherford, Joe Rosenberg, Dennis Lynch, Gene Miller, The Curmudgeon, John Reinan, Donald Greene, Kevin Musolino, and Jenn Mattson.

Posted by Steve Monaco at October 7, 2007 4:51 PM

 

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