| len on lennon |
I recently attended an art show presented by Yoko Ono titled In My Life: The Artwork of John Lennon. On display were dozens of prints made from the songwriter's original drawings (like the one pictured) and a handful of genuine sketches all selling for obscene amounts of money to people who probably thought "Instant Karma" was the name of Lennon's favorite pudding mix. It was an odd spectacle to witness and made me wonder if it were something the ex-Beatle would have ever supported in his lifetime. You can read my detailed account of the whole sordid affair here.
Lennon links: Podcast for Jann Wenner's in-depth 1971 interview with John Lennon. Trailer for the upcoming film The U.S. vs John Lennon. Official website for the John Lennon artwork exhibit.
| diotte on diotte |
Last month, I had the chance to interview local music legend Jim Diotte. When not recording some of the best indie pop songs I've ever heard, he's designing websites for bands like Irving and Pablo. Jim is a humble guy, but a genius songwriter who deserves a lot more attention than he'd ever likely want. Check out his band Number 1, I Love You and his current solo project Between The Pine -- or hire him to design a funky website.
When Jim's band played WRIU Radio last summer, I had the chance to mix/master Mike James' recordings from that session. Unfortunately, the band has never released the tracks from their brilliant performance that night, but I did get Jim's permission to share my favorite song here (right-click to save):
Number 1, I Love You - The Microphone Is On (WRIU Radio)
More Jim Diotte songs you must hear before you die:
Pyramids Of Giza - My Mom Is Good
Trouble Lights - Diamonds
These Dungarees - Moved To The City
If you're ever looking for a good introduction to Bruce, check out Robert Weide's documentary Swear To Tell The Truth. It features a lot of rarely seen footage, including a hilarious routine banned from The Steve Allen Show about a four-letter word that begins with the letter S and ends with the letter T. (Weide has also been working on a Vonnegut documentary for the last two decades called American Made that should be well worth watching if he ever finishes it.) Dustin Hoffman's spot-on potrayal in Lenny is also definitely worth seeing. And if anyone wants to get me a sweet gift someday, there's a six-disc box set of rare Bruce recordings out called Let The Buyer Beware.
| another len |
Speaking of documentaries and guys named Len, a new film about Leonard Cohen called I'm Your Man has been making the rounds lately. Though the trailer features more Bono than I ever care to see, it should still be a good look into an intriguing career. Sometime last year I watched a 1988 BBC program called Songs From The Life Of Leonard Cohen and was surprised to learn that Cohen was originally a published poet who only fell into music as a way to make money while he wrote.
| a handful of dimes |
Working as a writer has its perks. Occasionally, you get free swag; talk shop with musicians and filmmakers; and have the opportunity to discourse on any number of topics in print. But looking back to when I first made my deal with the devil, I should have probably clarified that I wanted to find a job that paid on a weekly rather than weakly basis. Damn that pun-loving bastard.
Lenny Bruce died 40 years ago today. More satirist than stand-up comic, Bruce delivered his punchlines like sermons. While I could go on a tangent about his career and legacy or his influence on contemporary comedians and writers, I'll spare everyone and simply say that I dig more than just sharing a first name with him. He was the first comedian to respect audiences' intelligence and risked getting less laughs in order to make a solid point. Sadly, he spent too much of his time fighting bogus obscenity charges only to receive a