Thunderbolt

Updates and the EPIC List Continuing

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 01:18:10 +0000

It's been awhile. Sorry about that. I've been going through some stuff, dealing with the mental fallout of getting laid off back in March and struggling to find a new job. I'd been steadily employed for over 27 years. The last time I was on unemployment was before Sophie was born in 1999. To say it's been easy on my mental health would be a lie.

It's rough out there, my friends. The jobs I'm qualified for are few and far between, especially in animation. Making matters worse, the animation industry is in flux, with fewer greenlights, and even fewer original series. Last month I took the test to allow me to substitute teach in California, and now I'm waiting for certain forms to clear.

I've been writing, though. I completed a script with a friend of mine, the first screenplay I've worked on in 9 years, when I had a psychic fracture and wasn't sure I'd ever write again. I'm very proud of this new story. Who knows what will happen with it, but I fulfilled the creative need inside myself.

I also continued adding songs to the EPIC playlist. Last year I introduced it to folks. My buddy Super Dave, and I were trying to create a week's worth of music using our very specific rules. In January, after we'd achieved our two year goal, I felt an itch to keep contributing to the list. Dave was game and we have a new goal: a month worth of music (31 days). At the rate we're going we'll complete the list when we're in our seventies.

Care to listen? Have a long drive or flight ahead of you? Here's the Spotify link:

RUSH IS ON THE ROAD KICKING ASS

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:25:08 +0000

Rush opened their regrouping tour at the LA Forum on June 7th. It was one of the most emotional concerts I'd been to in ages. why? Because it was their first concert since disbanding after drummer/lyricist Neil Peart's death. The air was electric that night, filled with hope and anticipation. Geddy Lee (bass/vocals) and Alex Lifeson (guitars) were joined by handpicked drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold.

There were so many high points that to list them all would take up most of your time. Instead, here are my top 5:

1. Geddy's voice sounded fantastic. I was at their last show at the Forum back on August 1, 2015 (that's right, I was at their farewell and their rebirth). Ged had to strain to hit some of the notes and I came away wishing that the band had adjusted the key of the songs to accommodate his age and range. No Rush fan on earth would have questioned the move. Artists get older. Their voices change. That said Geddy went to a vocal coach before this tour and you can tell the difference. he sounds great. Like, early 90s great.

2. The band is reenergized with Anika and Loren. All of the tunes had great drive. The addition of Loren has freed up Geddy to be up front with Alex more during some of the songs that featured keys. the crowd really fed off of how excited they were to be in front of an audience again.

3. The song selections. If you're a fan following along with their setlists, you'll see that while they're playing many of the same songs each night, the setlists do not match from town to town, night to night. I think this is something new for Ruch. Their songs are so intricate and the visuals are so tied to those intricacies, that in the past it was a pretty locked in set list, save for a change here or there. Not this go around. Besides opening with "Xanadu" and closing with "Working Man," they're shaking things up. Night 1 was particularly thrilling because there was nothing to compare to. On my night, I got to hear "Red Barchetta," the song that introduced me to Rush and the first one I learned on the drums.

4. The Neil tributes are beautiful. Each night, there are two video tributes to Neil, and each night they are accompanied by "Bravado" from Roll the Bones and "Time Stand Still" from Hold Your Fire. while those aren't necessarily considered Rush "classics," it's the lyrics to those songs that tie into the tribute. I was lucky, by the way, in that Aimee Mann was on hand for the L.A. shows to sing her backup vocals on "Time Stand Still." I read that she might show up in Cleveland because the band will be filming there later this year. Lucky bastards!

5. Anika is awesome! There may have been some bullshit rumblings on the Internet about Ged and Alex choosing a woman to fill Neil's shoes, but I didn't get any sense of that at the Forum. Instead, you could feel everyone rooting for her to succeed. And succeed she did. Not only did she play all of the key drum parts flawlessly, she also made the songs her own. Of course, only a drummer would know that, and a few air drummers. Anika seems like the only logical choice to take over for Neil. Her chops are out of this world, and she brings with her a completely different vibe that Alex and Ged feed off of. Most important, she's in the pocket the same way Neil always was. On our night, I felt like the band chose some of the most complicated Rush songs to prove that she is one badass drummer. When she nailed every fill in "Tom Sawyer," the crowd roared in support.

I've spoken to several friends who went to other nights on Rush's four-night stand at the Forum. All of they wished they could have attended one or more of those shows. If they happen to return to L.A., I will be back. Rush fans, get out there and take in these shows.

Rush L.A. Forum June 7, 2026

1. Xanadu (Farewell to Kings)

2. Limelight (Moving Pictures)

3. Far Cry (Snakes and Arrows)

4. Subdivisions (Signals)

5. Freewill (Permanent Waves)

6. Bravado (Roll the Bones)

7. Caravan (Clockwork Angels)

8. La Villa Strangiato (Hemispheres)

9. Vital Signs (Moving Pictures)

10. Spirit of the Radio (Permanent WavesI

-Intermission-

11. 2112: Pt. I Overture (2112)

12. 2112: Pt. II The Temples of Syrinx (2112)

13. 2112: Pt. VII: Grand Finale (2112)

14. Distant Early Warning (Grace Under Pressure)

15. Red Barchetta (Moving Pictures)

16. Dreamline (Roll the Bones)

17. Natural Science (Permanent Waves)

18. Time Stand Still (Hold Your Fire)

19. Red Sector A (Grave Under Pressure)

20. YYZ (Moving Pictures)

21. The Garden (Clockwork Angels)

22. Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures)

23. By-Tor & the Snow Dog (Fly By Night)

24. Working Man (RUSH)

In Praise of Kanopy

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Fri, 22 May 2026 21:57:09 +0000

When I was 17, I worked at American Video, a small business housed in the Great Northern shopping strip. My time there was short, as was American Video’s lifespan. The days of the mom-and-pop video stores were cycling out. Blockbuster had just opened in my hometown and within a couple years, American Video, as well as the store where I first fell in love with movies, First Run Video, would shutter their doors. What I loved about these indie video stores was the variety of choices and the limited number of copies of movies each store had. Come in looking for Back to the Future and it’s already rented? You strolled the aisles until you found something similar like Innerspace, or something completely different, like And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python’s first movie. Blockbuster, and its cousin Hollywood Video, may have offered more copies of movies, but they didn’t always have the quality. Maybe your Blockbuster was different.

When Netflix and the streamers finally put the nail in the coffin of all video stores, I had hope that there would be more opportunities to find obscure, hard to find movies. All of the streamers needed “content.” For a short time, it felt like that was possible. In Netflix’s early days, they licensed anything just to get people to become familiar with the idea of streaming. Why else would they have had my movie, King’s Highway, available for a year? It wasn’t because it was a blockbuster, that’s for sure. However, as Netflix and the others started becoming like TV channels, relying on ratings (i.e. number of views) to determine what was going to suck up their hard drive space, the little films by unknowns got pushed aside. Plus, they created their own studios to make “smaller” movies; they didn’t need to license them, unless they were a Sundance hit.

For film lovers, the streaming age has made it more difficult to find the classics and niche films. Sure, HBOMax has a channel dedicated to Turner Classic Movies, but it’s just a themed channel, and not the curated wonder that TCM is. Of all the streamers, the Criterion Channel is wonderful. In addition to offering many of the films they’ve released in physical format for decades, they also license classics, arthouse, foreign and plenty of cult films for their monthly themes. I think it’s a dream channel, and at 10.99/month a good deal. Unfortunately, my time is limited, and the pocketbook is tight. I don’t spend as much time as I’d like on Criterion; I doubt I’ll be renewing my membership.

Fortunately, there is Kanopy, a free streaming service (with a catch) that not only has real obscurities, but also plenty of blockbusters, award winners, and even some Criterion movies. If you’ve been going to Hulu to see Neon releases, good news, Neon films also show up on Kanopy. If you’ve been holding on the HBOMax because of their deal with A24, good news, A24 films show up on Kanopy. And if you’re looking for something really obscure, there’s a good chance it’s on Kanopy. The app works like this: You get 32 “tickets” each month to watch movies. Most films use 2 “tickets” and you have 48 hours to watch them. That’s 16 movies a month. I don’t know many people who watch that many films in one month. The catch? Kanopy is its free as long as you sign up with a library card. That’s right, a freaking library card.

When I first tried Kanopy, I infrequently checked in, but found my way back to one of the major corporation streamers. Then something happened. The more I visited Kanopy’s user friendly site, exploring the vast number of movies they stream, I kept returning. I found things off the beaten path I wouldn’t have ever found if I just wanted to watch Avatar or the latest Star Wars. The joy of exploration and discovering treasures (or duds) had returned. And holy crap, it’s free!

If the time comes when my family has to shed streamers, saying goodbye won’t be so bad because I’ll always have Kanopy. It’s the return of the indie video store! For those of you who are my age, you know what I‘m talking about. For those of you too young to even know what a video store was, take my word, Kanopy is the closet we have. Pay it a visit!

The Malchives: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 01:04:00 +0000

Revisiting the Malchus video archives.

It's been at least ten years since I've watched the extended edition The Fellowship of the Ring. Back in 2001, when the director Peter Jackson’s original, shorter film hit theaters, I fell in with his adaptation J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth. I'm a sucker for tales of heroes coming together to save the world, and this film remains one of the best. When Jacob finally expressed interest in watching this one, my heart leapt. My son has particular tastes, although they are broadening, but I felt deep down – hoped – that he would enjoy the three Lord of the Rings films.

The rich themes of The Fellowship of the Ring – loyalty, family, human fallibility, good vs. evil, lost love, betrayal – all must all be attributed to Tolkien’s book. I've never read the book, nor is it high on my list (sorry Colbert). Whether the Jackson epics, which he co-wrote with his partner, Fran Walsh, and Phillipa Boyens, hew closely to them I don't know. Nor, do I care. What I do care about is how beautifully made this movie is, how wonderfully acted it is, and the flawless blend of practical effects, miniatures and CG. Despite its size and the numerous plots to track, this is a character driven story that is allowed to breathe, especially in its extended form. The most confusing parts are the similar sounding names, which you eventually figure out. This remains a five-star film in my mind.

For the uninitiated, The Fellowship of the Ring follows the journey of Frodo (Elijah Wood), a hobbit living in Middle Earth. He is burdened with destroying the one ring to rule all before an evil presence can reclaim it and begin a reign of terror. As Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel narrates in the ominous prologue, the rings of power were forged for the leaders of men, elves and dwarves. Unbeknownst to all, the creature Sauron forged his own ring, one full of all his evil. After a devastating battle between men, elves, dwarves and Sauron’s forces of evil, Sauron is defeated, His ring is thought lost. However, a creature named Gollum discovers the ring and keeps it as “his precious.”

The ring corrupts Gollum’s heart and mind, and one day he loses. It’s found by a explorer named Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm), a hobbit from the shire. Bilbo keeps the ring, unaware that it slows his aging, or that its evil force has taken hold of his heart. As the film’s first act gets underway, the shire is celebrating Bilbo’s birthday with an enormous party. It’s such a big deal that the wizard, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellan), attends.

Once Gandalf finds out that Bilbo possesses the ring of power, he forces his old friend to give the ring to his nephew, Frodo, who may have the purest heart in all Middle Earth. Gandalf quickly learns that Sauron’s spirit has reawakened and is seeking his ring to regain a body and rule the world. The fate of everyone falls of the smallest possible hero.

Why can't Frodo just hand over the ring to Gandalf or some other man? Because the hearts of men are easily corrupted. Frodo's heart is so pure, the hope is he can withstand the ring’s grip longer than anyone else. Frodo’s trek takes him away from his home, farther than he’s ever been. Accompanying him is Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), a simpler hobbit whose loyalty to Frodo is boundless. They are inadvertently joined by their friends, Peregrin (Billy Boyd) and Meriadoc (Dominic Monaghan), two loafing hobbits whose skills include stealing crops and smoking weed. This quartet are pursued by the deadly Nazgul, hunters of the ring who wear black cloaks and ride tar covered black steeds. The hobbits are no match for these nine riders. Fortunately, they are taken under the protection of Aragon (Viggo Mortensen), a friend of Gandalf’s who understands the gravity of Frodo’s mission. Later, these five are joined by Boromir (Sean Bean), elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and axe wielding dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). Together with Gandalf, this fellowship of the ring sets off for Mordor, where the ring must be thrown into a volcano and destroyed.

Before you think, “Dude, you gave away the entire plot!” don’t. Those are portions of the first act! There is so much more. If you’re willing to invest, you’ll be rewarded, even if you are generally indifferent about fantasy stories of dragons, elves and wizards. The Fellowship of the Ring may have more plot than three movies, and last over three hours, but it’s never boring. Its pacing is one of its greatest strengths. Editor John Gilbert and Jackson keep the film moving, skillfully ramping up the action, and pulling back to allow for the emotional moments. The type of one-liners that plaque so many action and super hero movies, are limited, which is a relief. Together with Howard Shore's lush score, The Fellowship of the Ring is never sluggish, even in its extended version. Besides the ground breaking efx by Weta, and Andrew Lesnie’s stunning cinematography the film is grounded by a cast of recognizable faces, including Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving.

When the film ended, Jacob declared "Wait, it's over?" I took this as a good sign. Later, he gave it five stars and we plotted when we would view the two Lord of the Rings sequels (but not The Hobbit movies; once was enough for me). Revisiting the film with Jacob by my side was such a joy. That he responded to it so well really tickled me. It’s always cool when you introduce your kids to a work of art that means so much to you. My hope is that someday we can see The Fellowship of the Ring on the big screen together. Until then, it’s on to some talking trees and The Two Towers.

A Look at the 2026 Academy Award Best Picture Nominees

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000

For the first time since the Academy Awards expanded to ten Best Picture nominees, I’ve seen all of nominees before the awards ceremony. There is a common theme that connects all of these films: family and community. Here are my feelings in order of preference.

Sinners. On paper the logline already sounds like a cool horror movie: Twin brothers return to their home town to open a juke joint and wind up spend the night fighting vampires. On celluloid, this epic examination of the Jim Crow era south an so much more a cool horror movie. Writer, director, producer Ryan Coogler’s work on Sinners has taken him to another level. With this film, he joins the ranks of Spielberg and Nolan as a filmmaker who can open a movie on name alone and provide an awe inspiring cinematic experience. Michael B. Jordan's is flawless as twin brothers Smoke and Stack. The nuances he gives to each character, and the skill required to play opposite of himself in multiple scenes is genius. It’s my hope he wins Best Actor. Rounding out the cast are the legendary Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, newcomer Miles Caton, the stunning Wunmi Mosaku, and Jack O’Connell. This film took me to another world and revealed community in a way that recalled Devil in a Blue Dress. I’ve seen in in its entirety three times and rewatched the epilogue at least ten. No matter how many trophies Sinners receives next Sunday, it is already an American classic.

One Battle After Another. Paul Thomas Anderson has never made a bad film, He's made lesser PTA films, but I can't say they're ever been bad. What's remarkable about his career is he's never made the same movie twice. One Battle After Another is no exception. At its core, the movie is about a father's love for his daughter. The father, “Bob,” is played by Leonardo DiCaprio, adding to his long list of great acting achievements. The daughter, “Willa,” is played by another newcomer, Chase Infiniti, who is so fierce in on screen that she goes toe to toe with DiCaprio, Regina Hall and Sean Penn (at his menacing best) and never flinches. Teanna Taylor also commands the screen, as Bob’s lover and Willa’s mom. There many layers to One Battle After Another, and Anderson never loses the narrative thread. He’s written and directed another classic, and he should finally win that allusive Oscar this year, possibly two or three (he wrote, directed and co-produced the film). The moment when Bob and Willa reunite continues to bring tears to my eyes each time I watch it.

Hamnet. I'm not an enthusiast of stories set in the 1600s. They just don't stir my interest. However, Chloe´ Zhao's heart wrenching film immediate drew me in. It begins with the undeniable chemistry between Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, who portray fictionalized versions of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes. Shakespeare may be the draw, but this is Agnes’ story, and Buckley’s opportunity to shine. The role showcases Buckley’s incredible range, portraying a loving mother and all that a woman must endure to love and raise children. Buckley’s performance is one for the ages. Her joy makes you tear up; her pain rips your heart out. A pleasant surprise was how this movie embraces the mysteries of nature, hinting at the supernatural on spiritual.

The Secret Agent. It’s 1977. Wagner Moura stars as Armando, a former researcher trying to escape Brazil during the country’s military dictatorship. He’s being hunted by the military and police for the crime of speaking out against corruption. Armando travels to Recife during Carnival to collect his young son (living with the in-laws of his deceased wife) and leave his homeland. While waiting for forged passports, he’s set up with a temporary job, the motives of which are revealed late in this neo-noir thriller. Meanwhile, the mystery of a hairy human leg found in the belly of a tiger shark captivates the locals. Inspired by the classic 70s films of Spielberg, Scorsese, Peckinpah and Altman, The Secret Agent is a multilayered film that hopscotches between three time periods, and is a loving ode to cinema. Wagner is magnificent and the casting choices for the rest of the cast are sublime. This is a film that will be talked about for years to come.

Train Dreams. This one is a visual poem with a grounded performance by Joel Edgerton as Robert, a logger in the pacific Northwest intrigued by the mysteries of the world around him. Orphaned at a young age, as an adult he experiences true love (a wonderful Felicity Jones), tragedy and eventually peace in this incredible odyssey of a man's life. The script and music are wonderful (stick around for the Nick Cave nominated song over the end credits), but it's the Adolpho Veloso stunning cinematography (also nominated) that will stun you. I wish Netflix had put this one back in theaters. It deserves to be seen on a big screen.

Sentimental Value. By then end Joachim Trier drama, I was wiping my eyes. It helped that the person sitting next to me, an elderly woman with a wheelchair, wanted to sit and discuss the movie after the credits. Sometimes it’s the theater experience, as much as the film itself, that makes everything wonderful. Stellen Skarsgård stars as Gustav, a revered film director who returns to the lives of his estranged daughters. He has a new screenplay and is trying to get a movie made. Skarsgård is excellent in the type of prickly role he’s mastered after four decades. Elle Fanning portrays a Hollywood starlet who wants to help Gustav get his film made. Gustav didn’t write the script for Fanning’s Rachel Kemp, but her clout will entice financiers. Gustav actually wrote the script for his daughter, Nora, a stage actress of avant garde plays. Nora is played by the revelatory Renate Reinsve, whose breakthrough role was in Trier’s previous film, The Worst Person in the World. The main cast is rounded out by Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, as Nora’s younger sister, Agnes. Sentimental Value’s most effective scenes involve Nora and Agnes, in particular an intimate conversation they have at the end of the film. The two actresses are so perfect in that scene, I dare you not to be moved.

F1. F1 is a Jerry Bruckheimer spectacular a big as they come. And yet, Joseph Kosinski directs as he did in his previous movie, Top Gun: Maverick, as a character driven story inside of a big budget race car movie. Tight script, great cast, great needle drops and above all, my favorite film editing of the ten. Nominee Stephen Mirrione’s work could have felt generic and over the top (you know, like some Michael Bay movie), but his work here is perfectly paced and thrilling, F1is further proof that blockbusters don't have to be stupid.

Bugonia. I’m not the right audience for Yorgos Lanthimos’ films, besides Bugonia, the Greek director was also behind recent Best Picture nominees The Favourite and Poor Things. His movies tend to leave me feeling cold. Emma Stone appeared in all three, was nominated forThe Favourite and won Best Actress for Poor Things. She’s nominated for Best Actress for Bugonia. Lanthimos and Stone are beloved by the Academy; perhaps because their films together are so bold and divisive. The real star of Bugonia is Jesse Plemons, that great character actor who has stolen scenes in films by Spielberg and Scorsese and was particularly brilliant in the comedy Game Night. Plemons is Teddy, a conspiracy theorist who believes that aliens have infiltrated the elite of the world and communicate through their hair. Together with his neurodivergent cousin, Don (a heartbreaking Aidan Delbis), Teddy kidnaps Stone’s Michelle Fuller, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company, and promptly shaves her head. From there, things go even further off the rails. Initially, Plemons plays Teddy like a psychotic, but you come around to his side, as Michelle becomes more cunning and manipulative. Bugonia is weird and uncomfortable and ultimately a shock to the system. Plemons makes it worth checking out. This year’s Best Actor category is stacked; in a lesser year he would have earned his second Academy Award nomination.

Marty Supreme. By the time Marty Supreme ended, I was angry with Josh Safdie and Timothée Chalamet. Marty Supreme (the character) is a ping pong champion whose one goal in life is to be the best, no matter what it takes, no matter whom he hurts or brings down in his pursuit. I wish I was simplifying, but this message about the pursuit of greatness grows wearisome after 100 minutes, and there are still 50 more to go! Chalamet is relentless, seemingly drawing influence from De Niro is Raging Bull and The King of Comedy, and DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. It’s a fine, desperate performance, but it still made me want to hurl my popcorn at the screen. Marty’s barrage of bad behavior, plus the scripts “and this happens” isms wore me down. But hey, I know A LOT of people who love this film and can’t wait to revisit it. Maybe I’m out of touch on this one.

Frankenstein. Guillermo del Toro has been aching to adapt Mary Shelly’s oft made book for years. Technically, there are some brilliant set and wardrobe designs. And Jacob Elordi is great as the monster (especially for taking on the role so late in production). Other than that, the script was all over the place, trying too hard to make us understand why Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) is such a shitty person. I didn’t care; I was bored instead.

What the World Needs Now

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:22:00 +0000

Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "What the World Needs Now (Is Love)" is one of those 60s pop songs that skillfully blends heartfelt sentiment with melancholy that I can only relate to that era. Maybe it's the influence of Sinatra's mid-60s heartbreak period, in which the recordings feel like they were done in some desolate castle where the singer was waiting for the end, but there are plenty of 60s pop and country songs that conjure these feelings of isolation. "Wichita Lineman" is a fine example, and anything off of What's GoingOn. Jackie DeShannon and Dionne Warwick are the two artists I most associate with "What the World Needs Now (Is Love)." Their performances are hopeful, tinged with the sadness of their times. The recordings came out when the U.S. was entrenched in Vietnam, and the Civil Rights movement was in full force. Images of soldiers at war and police brutality against activists in the cities of America dominated the television news. That was over 50 years ago, yet this song feels as relevant now as it did when it became a hit.

Hal David's lyrics are simple and pleading. A protest song hidden in an AM staple.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone

One of my favorite versions of "What the World Needs Now (Is Love)" can't be found on Spotify or Apple Music. It appeared on of all things the Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery soundtrack from 1997. Bacharach teamed up with 90s power pop band, The Posies, to make a psychedelic jam that could have veered into parody (like the movie), but is quite passionate and respectful of the song's message. Singer Jon Auer does nice work, in particular with his throat wrenching plea at the end. Fortunately, the song is on Youtube and I can share it with you.

2025 was a rough. 2026 has already been horrifying and we're not even through January. Can a song change minds? I don't know. I've had some stop me cold and rethink my world. So maybe Hal David's lyrics and Burt Bacharach's melody can plant a seed in those who wish to do harm to their neighbors. That's my prayer for today.

Aloha

Dispatch follow up

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 18:28:00 +0000

Hey everyone, sorry for the radio silence. This time I really have a good reason. I was on a work sabbatical that took me from Kentucky into Tennessee, up to Cleveland and nowhere near a computer for three weeks. It was a once in a lifetime trip that I plan to write about in the coming weeks. I appreciate everyone checking out the blog and promise to fill you in. Unfortunately, I now have to get my brain back into work mode.

Aloha

Dispatches from the Road #1

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 19:30:00 +0000

I’m currently in the Dallas Lovefield airport on layover, final destination Louisville, Kentucky. I’ve embarked on a work camp trip with my church youth group, the Appalachian Service Project (ASP). On Sunday we’ll drive to Harlan, KY where we’ll work on some houses for folks in need of some help.

Six months ago I received word that I was receiving a work sabbatical after 20 years at Warner Brothers. It was Sophie who suggested that I go on this trip, a chance to reflect on things, do

some good and renew my soul. I’m thankful that she recommended it. While I do have some anxiety over what is in store for us, I’m really excited to get to work. The kids on this trip are all kind and enthusiastic to help.

When I was in high school, I went to two church work camps and I couldn’t tell you what we did. I do remember listening to Cutting Crew and the Fabulous Thunderbirds, but the work? No idea.

I’m currently writing on my

phone, so I apologize if there are formatting errors or typos. Gonna try and continue posting. This is a once in a lifetime trip I’m taking.

Aloha.

Here We Go Again

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 04:14:00 +0000

This is what happens when I'm working on a book, or in the past a screenplay: As I become a part of the world I’m creating, all other forms of writing get relegated to the way, way back of my mind. In this case it's a new novel, a supernatural romantic comedy that's been in collecting dust in my head since the late teens. I pulled it out in March when I felt I hit an wall on the other novel I've been writing since 2020. That one is a story I’m very passionate about, tracking the life and career of a woman DJ from the 1960s through the early 1990s and the popularization of alternative rock. After five years and hundreds of pages, I needed a mental break. That's how I started working on adapting an abandoned screenplay into a book. I had to write something.

Through years of therapy, I've discovered that if I'm not writing, even if it's a journal entry, I'm filled with anxiety and question my purpose. That's not to say that I feel my purpose in life is to be some important author. Believe me, the other half of my personality would never allow such grand thoughts (something else I've explored in therapy). What I mean is I've told people I'm a writer for so damn long that my mind and body expect something from me, that I should be using all those damn Bic pens and Mead notebooks and Moleskin journals I have stockpiling to put ink on paper. If I'm not writing, I get physically uncomfortable and struggle with being a failure. Whatever minor successes I've had are not good enough. I dismiss my accomplishments and tell myself I have to work harder, because unless I have a movie on a streaming service or a published book, what's it all for?

All of this is to explain why writing for Thunderbolt gets the shaft all the time. Considering the amount of time I spend on the Internet; this is a failure on my part. The trouble is, and this is another part of my anxiety, if I take time out of my busy day to write, I feel like I'm wasting time. Writing takes concentration, tapping into all the emotions and bullshit inside you in order to create. When I get into that zone, I just can't jump in and out. It's like jogging. If you're in the middle of running 5 miles and someone asks you to stop and work on a spread sheet, I lose the focus and motivation.

I'm going to try something new and use my journals (which have as many long gaps between entries as my blog posts do) to write pieces I want to publish on the blog. Why not? At least I'm getting my thoughts out and I'm more inclined to post something when the hard work has already been done.

I'm about to embark on a work sabbatical. Throughout June, I'll spend time in wine country, a week in rural Kentucky helping repair homes, a week driving around Tennessee with my best friend (Memphis here we come) and a week in Cleveland with my extended family. I plan to see some baseball, enjoy good food and drink, make new friends, relish my time with old ones, and hopefully have something inside me renewed. This is the perfect time to be documenting everything. Hell, if John Steinbeck can write about his road trips, why can't I?

That was a joke. I ain't no Steinbeck.

Aloha

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 10: U2, "Rattle and Hum"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 20 Feb 2025 17:58:00 +0000

Column 1, Row 17: U2, Rattle and Hum

U2 are one of two acts that immediately conjure memories of my late friend, Matt (the other one is Dylan). Matt and I knew each other since first grade. Despite the comings and goings of other friends and girlfriends, we held on to that friendship until the early 2000s. It's a remarkable feat, when you think about it. We both left our suburban Cleveland hometown and moved west (he to Seattle, me to L.A.) and lived very different lives. What I remember of Matt was him chasing the that spark that brought him joy and wonder. He was always curious, sometimes to a fault, at least when I knew him. I can't tell you what he was like toward the end of his life; we'd lost touch. All that I have are the memories of the haunting young man I knew from young adulthood.

Matt and I came of age in the mid to late 80s, as U2 made their commercial breakthroughs with War (1983) and The Unforgettable Fire(1984) and then became the most significant band in the world with The Joshua Tree (1987). We were the appropriate age to embrace U2's idealism, Bono's poetic lyrics, and the band's chiming anthems and aching ballads. They ran counter to most of the mainstream radio fodder at that time (Genesis, Bon Jovi, etc.) They were speaking about profound subjects and creating a musical language that was distinctly their own.

Matt and I saw U2 in concert at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium in the fall of '87 on their Joshua Tree tour. This was before the major acts had mastered the use of giant video screens. With our group of high school friends, we watched a Lego size human hopping around 150 yards away and exclaimed, "It's the Edge!" Despite the dreadful venue for a massive rock show, we still came away more enthused about the Irish band than we had four hours earlier. We couldn't wait for the next opportunity see U2, hopefully in a more intimate venue, even if that meant a sports arena. This hunger for more made the announcement of that U2 was releasing a concert film, Rattle and Hum, in the fall of '88 exciting news. To see the band expertly shot and perfectly mixed on a movie screen was almost
too much to bear.

Alas, the film was made at the zenith of U2's 80s hubris, and thye come across in their on screen interviews as a little full of themselves and a little preachy. At least they did when I saw the movie as a 19 year old. Years later, I can reflect and say that fame is a difficult thing to navigate. How are four young men from poor backgrounds supposed to act then the reach the pinnacle of commercial stardom? I wonder if I wouldn't have been any different.

The album that accompanied the movie, also called Rattle and Hum, is a mixed bag, It's not a complete soundtrack to the movie; there are select live tracks from the movie featured on the cassette, and several of the new songs recorded on the road don't appear in the film. Of the live songs, "Silver and Gold" is the best. It sears like an attack on South African apartheid should. When Bono snarls, "Am I buggin' you? I don't mean to bug ya," it doesn't seem like posturing at all. There's no mistaking he believes every word of that song. "Silver and Gold" is the highlight of the live songs. Unfortunately, the rest come off a little impotent. Throughout the years, U2 has released much better live recordings than the ones on Rattle and Hum.

As for the studio cuts that fill out this double LP (single cassette) "Desire," "Angel of Harlem," "All I Want Is You," and "When Love Comes to Town," (a duet B.B. King) have all become staples of classic rock and 1st wave/classic alternative radio stations. Deservedly so. They're all excellent songs. What of the other five Rattle and Hum originals? "Van Diemen's Land" is a fine one that put the spotlight on the Edge. I've long wished there was a version of this song that doesn't fade out on Edge's guitar strumming and carries through until the end of the song. "Hawkmoon 269" is one of those lesser U2 songs that you probably was would've ended up a B-side if Bob Dylan wasn't platying play organ on it. Dylan returns again for the beautiful "Love Rescue Me," one of those long lost U2/Dylan songs that deserves revisiting. There's a stunning cover by the Omagh Community Youth Choir found on the very first Playing For Change album I highly recommend. I like "Heartland," as it is features that wonderful balance of Bono's heart wrenching cries and Edge's chiming guitars. "Heartland" is the one that most reminds me of Matt. It's the sensuality in those opening lines, "See the Sun rise over her skin/Don't change it ... Dawn changes everything." Most likely Bono is singing about America, but I can imagine Matt grasping hold of and finding the double meaning.

I wish Rattle and Hum was a better album. I wish they'd included the glorious B-side, "Hallelujah, Here She comes," (which Matt introduced me to)instead of "Hawkmoon 269" or the clunky "God Part II." However, in order for artists to grow, they sometimes take side steps that don't make sense. For their next release, U2 would a go on to record their other seminal album, Achtung Baby. Nevertheless, in 1988 and 1989, I listened to the hits of this album hundreds of times.

It's been twenty years since Matt died, alone in his Seattle apartment. It feels unreal to write those words. In a short time, he'll have been dead longer than our formative friendship; in a short time, my children will have outlived him. Rattle and Hum may not be U2's best, but it helps me forget the ways Matt and I hurt each other over the years and only the good memories and the love comes up.

I was gifted a piece of artwork called "My 90's Tapes" by an artist named Jeff Klarin (https://www.bughouse.com/shop/jeff-klarin). It looks like one of my own collections at that time, a mix of rock/classic rock, pop, new wave, punk, dance, heavy metal and soundtracks. I decided to use this artwork as a writing prompt to review all 115 albums pictured and share some personal anecdotes along the way. Consider this me dipping my toe back into the Basement Songs pool.

The EPIC Playlist Update

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 23:51:00 +0000

We made it through the holidays and the Southern California fires, and the Epic Playlist is still going. Super Dave and I had planned to take December off, but we both missed the daily ritual of adding something new to this crazy list that we love. Inspired by Nic Harcourt on L.A.'s 88.5, the SoCal Sound, we opted for a "Pick of the Day" approach midway through December and have carried on that way ever since. That has slowed down the progress of reaching our ultimate goal of 168 hours of music (i.e. one complete week's worth of music), however, it's allowed us to slow down and give a little more appreciation to the tracks we've placed on the list.

Where are we at now? 1,814 Songs and 124 hours (unless you're looking on my phone and it's 123 hours and 49 minutes. Weird). I got obsessed with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the end of January and now I'm making an effort to include all of the performer inductees. I don't know why; it gives me pleasure. Also, we just introduced Two for Tuesdays in the month of February (the second month, get it?) which has been fun. Maybe we'll keep that up to go along with New Wave Wednesdays.

Some folks have asked me what's the best way to listen to the playlist. I still believe that starting with Bill Medley's "Lovely Day" and hitting shuffle is the best way to go. Especially on a long drive, you're destined to hear some unusual, surprising music, as well as plenty of old favorites, and surely some groups you hate (ahem, Bon Jovi).

Aloha.

Midnight Movies and My Favorite Rock Pics

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 18:46:00 +0000

While you're waiting with baited breath for my next post about music and movies, please take an hour out of your life to listen to the Planet LP podcast that I appeared on last week. The show's host is Ted Asregadoo, a friend of mine from the Popdose heyday. Ted and I collaborated on several Popdose posts, and I've appeared on Planet LP a few times. I always enjoy speaking with him and this conversation was particularly fun. The subject was midnight movies, a phenomenon from the latter part of the 20th Century that faded away with the advent of home video and especially streaming.

I have good memories of going to the local cineplex in the middle of the night with my high school buddies to see cult movies like The Wall, Cronenberg's The Fly, the original Last House on the Left and The Holy Grail. They were bonding moments and we'd talk about the movies for weeks on end. Last House was a particularly scarring screening. If you've seen Wes Craven's gruesome classic in mixed company, you know what I'm talking about.

Ted and I also spoke about our favorite rock films that could be considered midnight movies (although, at 4 hours, the Tom Petty documentary really doesn't count). I would list my films here, but come on, I want you to listen to the podcast. -- Aloha

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 9: Mötley Crüe, "Girls, Girls, Girls"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:42:00 +0000

Column 3, Row 13: Mötley Crüe, Girls Girls Girls.

I was never a big fan of Mötley Crüe. I liked their radio hits, but I never listened to one of their albums in their entirety until 1989’s Dr. Feelgood, which was orchestrated in a way to dominate radio stations and suck in casual fans, like me, who had trouble getting past the Crüe’s purposeful sleaziness. That said I always admired them more than the other Sunset Strip bands. Bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee were such a formidable rhythm section and laid down a solid groove to all their music. Guitarist Mick Mars had a knack for making his guitar hiss sinister, matching his perpetual scowl. Vince Neil was nothing to write home about as a vocalist, which made his unpolished singing just a little more intriguing than most of the other front then who dominated mainstream rock in the mid-late 80’s.

Girls Girls Girls was released in May of 1987, just in time for a long summer of Mötley Crüe taking over the minds and libidos of teenagers across America. There were guys on my senior year high school cross country team who loved Girls Girls Girls and cranked it on their car stereos. “Wild Side” and the title track are two of Mötley Crüe’s best songs. “Wild Side,” in particular, showed a maturity in the songwriting that wasn’t apparent in most of the hair metal music of that era. Hell, it’s not even present on most of this album! Mars guitar riff and Lee’s madman drumming really make this an enduring song, despite the dated mix and production by Tom Werman.

Side one of Girls Girls Girls is rounded out by “Dancing on a Glass,” a nasty little number inspired by Nixx’s near fatal heroin overdose in London in 1986. Like “Wild Side,” Sixx is writing about something a little deeper than strippers and getting laid. “Bad Boy Boogie” take its cue from the Crüe’s, wildly successful cover of Brownsville Station’s “Smokin in the Boys Room” from the previous album, Theatre of Pain from 1985. The album side closes with a sentimental instrumental “Nona,” which is repetitive and barely a concept at its 1:26 run time. Still, I can see why a piece like “Nona” would appeal to teenagers raised on Journey and Loverboy.

Side two opens with “Five Years Dead,” a retread of “Girls Girls Girls,” which is certainly permissible if you wrote the original. Plenty of Dylan, Springsteen and Neil Young albums have songs that sound very familiar. Some even reuse the same lyrics! “All in the Name of Love” foreshadows Dr. Feelgood’s massive hit, “Kickstart My Heart.” Unfortunately, “All in the Name of Love” is a lot grosser when you’re middle aged. In it, Vince Neil opines about the 15-year-old girl his has a thing for. In 1987, he would have been 26. Maybe he was singing from the POV of a 17-year-old dude? Somehow, I don’t think so. “Sumthin’ For Nuthin” is the best song on side two, a solid, blues-based rocker that both harkens back to classic Crüe and offers a glimpse of the tighter songwriting skills they would display on Dr. Feelgood. Girls Girls Girls closes with an insipid power ballad that seems like a blatant attempt to copy the success of their superior ballad. “Home Sweet Home,” from Theatre of Pain. The keyboard sounds as dated as the band’s moussed up hair from the album cover, and the band actually sounds bored on this insipid song.

Girls Girls Girls was a massive success. The album debuted on the Billboard album chart at number 2, and went four times Platinum. After the album’s release, Mötley Crüe embarked on a hugely successful tour that saw the band bring along female backup singers and Lee playing on a rotating drum rig that lifted out over screaming fans while he performed a death-defying solo. Nixx also had his own death-defying feat by surviving another heroin OD. With the popularity of hair-metal on MTV, their popularity soared. It’s not a surprise. They were nowhere as squeaky clean as Bon Jovi. They were literally the bad boys teenage guys dreamed about being, and teenage girls dreamed about being with. They were rock ‘n roll, man.

I saw Mötley Crüe live on their “farewell” of 2014. Nikki, Tommy and Mick were tight. They played were ferocity and like men half their age. Vince… not so good. Nevertheless, it was a fun show and gave thousands of middle-aged adults another chance to lift their fists and imagine they were teenagers again taking a walk on the wild side.

A Short Tribute to Jacob on his 23rd Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 22:47:00 +0000

Jacob turns 23 today.

As I write this, he's in the other room watching Deadpool and Wolverine laughing his ass off. I love that he's held on to his affection for comic books and video games into adulthood and how he's able to quote a movie after seeing it only once.

What I love more is that he remains a caring and empathetic human being, despite the hardships he's faced in life, that he continues to be funny and creative, that he's passionate about the issues that are important to him, in particular LGBTQ rights, and that he's supportive of his friends, his sister, and all of his cousins.

Is he perfect? I don't give a shit. He's my son and I'm so damn proud of him. He's a fighter and he inspires me almost every day.

I started blogging 21 years ago, as I began training for a marathon to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If you dig around in the "Thunderbolt" archives, you'll find updates on his health, the many Basement Songs posts about him, and pics of the little boy who grew into a teenager and now into a young man.

I don't know what the future holds for Jacob, but I'm excited to see it and be there for his journey.

Happy birthday, son.

Love, Dad.

100 and Counting: Introducing The Epic Playlist

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 17 Oct 2024 01:51:00 +0000

It started as all playlists do, an occasion that justified music for entertainment. In this case, it was a couples weekend getaway back in February. Super Dave proposed that he and I provide the tunes and we started a Spotify playlist: three songs at a time, no song repeats, no artist repeats. Dave would add his three, then text me that it was my turn. I would then add my three text him back. This cycle repeated until three hundred songs were compiled, and we drove off to Mammoth with our wives. A funny thing happened, though, it turned out we both enjoyed the challenge of trying to surprise or outdo the other so much that we continued building the playlist.

We made a new rule of just three songs each a day and still no artist repeats. Soon, we came up with amendments to allow duets (The Emmylou Exception), multiple songs by the same band if said band had multiple lead singers (The Beatles Exception), or if there was a lead singer replacement that changed the artistic direction of the band (The Hagar Exception). The playlist grew.

It became EPIC.

In the past seven and a half months, there have been theme weeks (most recently twang), theme days, such as Live Mondays (that one only lasted a month) and New Wave Wednesdays, and one-off tributes to artists who’ve passed away. Dave is more knowledgeable in country, metal and indie pop, while I dig punk, alternative and classic blues. We've both ventured into oldies, pop standards and even show tunes. Our original goal was 500 songs, then 1,000, and then we decided why not an entire week of music (168 hours, to be exact). Will the playlist go on after that? Maybe. My wife calls it an obsession. She’s probably right.

Until now, Super Dave and I haven't shared the playlist with the public. However, today we reached 100 hours, so it feels like the right time to let people in on our musical expedition. If you have Spotify, you can add the EPIC Playlist to your library, which will allow you to follow along with our progress. And if you happen to drive across the country, you'll have enough variety to get you there and back. Just hit play and enjoy.

Let the conversations about our song selections begin!

Aloha

PS- If you have any recommendations, you know how to reach me.

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 8: Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the U.S.A"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 04:30:00 +0000

Column 4, Row 20: Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.

This past June marked the 40th Anniversary of the release of Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. It was Springsteen’s seventh LP, and the commercial breakthrough that propelled him to superstardom. While some critics and fans bristle at Born in the U.S.A. as a calculated move to make mainstream Springsteen a star, the album was the result of a great deal of soul searching and could have been much darker.

Springsteen began writing many of the songs for this album soon after he and the E Street Band completed their world tour for his 1981 double album, The River. Confused about his place in the world, and dealing with serious depression, Springsteen secluded himself in a remote Jersey house and recorded a series of brooding demos that were a harsh reflection of his mind and America at that time. The intent of those demos was to bring them to the E Street Band and record them for the next album. Sessions for Born in the U.S.A. began in 1982. Some of the songs on Born in the U.S.A. came from those early sessions. However, Springsteen wasn't happy with how the band versions of the other demos sounded. He and his producer/manager, Jon Landau, took a risk (as did Columbia Records) and released most of the demos, as is. That release was Nebraska, one of Springsteen's landmark records. In the meantime, Springsteen wrote new songs and the recording sessions carried on. The recording and decision-making process for Born in the U.S.A. became tense between Springsteen, Landau and Little Steven Van Zandt, then Springsteen's co-producer, guitarist, and consigliere. Van Zandt would quit the E Street Band before Born in the U.S.A. hit record store shelves.

That’s a lot of backstory, but I wanted to give the details to refute the claims that Born in the U.S.A. was some kind of overly calculated production. Do the record’s synths and the great Bob Clearmountain’s mix give the album a pop sheen? Absolutely. Is the story true that Landau sent Bruce back home before the album was released because he didn't hear "the hit single" and Bruce, frustrated with Landau, wrote "Dancing in the Dark?" Yep. Did Springsteen work on his physique to look rock solid for the videos from Born in the U.S.A.? Probably. But there was a real struggle to complete this album and the overall tone reflects Springsteen's state of mind from those Nebraska sessions. The often wildly misinterpreted title track, "Cover Me," "Working on a Highway," "Downbound Train," and yes, "Dancing in the Dark," all cover dark terrain. The narrator of “I’m on Fire,” Springsteen’s smoldering homage to the songs of Johnny Cash, doesn’t wind up with the girl. He just lays there fantasizing about her.Even the album closer, "My Hometown," a song that I once debated ended on an optimistic note, is not the cheery, patriotic song some people consider it. Born in the U.S.A. is no happy affair. People leave, people reminisce, and no one seems to win, really.

But damn this album sounds fantastic.

Every song on Born in the U.S.A. leaps from your speakers and fill you with the passion and soul and conviction of Springsteen and the E Street Band. I'd argue that it's Springsteen's most listenable album. It's an easy entry point into the career of the Boss. Because of that, and the role it plays as a gateway to his more introspective and socially conscious work, I definitely place it his my personal top five of Springsteen's many albums.

Honestly, there are times I have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to the bleakness of Nebraska, the isolation of Tunnel of Love, the starkness of Darkness on the Edge of Town, or the sadness of The Rising, but I could put on Born in the U.S.A. anytime and listen to it straight through. The music itself uplifts you, even if the lyrics have a deeper meaning. It’s a masterpiece in the vein of Spielberg’s E.T. – a work of popular art that works on a deeper level if you’re willing to scratch below the surface.

I was gifted a piece of artwork called "My 90's Tapes" by an artist named Jeff Klarin (https://www.bughouse.com/wall-of-sounds/choose-a-tape-collection-print. It looks like one of my own collections at that time, a mix of rock/classic rock, pop, new wave, punk, dance, heavy metal and soundtracks. I decided to use this artwork as a writing prompt to review all 115 albums pictured and share some personal anecdotes along the way. Consider this me dipping my toe back into the Basement Songs pool.

The Long Hot Summer is Ending

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 29 Aug 2024 00:30:00 +0000

It's been a long eventful summer here in Malchusland. The big news is I started a new job. It's with Adult Swim on the series "Smiling Friends." The past three months have been a whirlwind of getting up to speed on the show and becoming familiar with the great crew.

At the end of June we traveled to Virginia for the wedding of my nephew. What a wonderful trip that was, aside from the horrendous car accident my parents got into on their drive from Tucson, AZ (they're okay, but their camper van was totaled). Jacob's girlfriend came with us and it was nice to get to know her better and see her interact with many of our extended family. Especially touching was seeing my cousin, who lost a son to cystic fibrosis meet Jacob. This man has seen the very worst of the illness, and watched as science has changed and saved lives. He has always supported our fundraisers, and I'm glad that Jacob was able to meet him. The wedding itself was a blast, a great opportunity to be with so many relatives we don't get to see anymore.

After the wedding we we drove a rental to Ohio for a fantastic vacation. I caught some baseball and visited many dear friends, including my college roommates whom I haven't seen in together in almost a decade. I'm going to be much better about keeping in touch. Then it was back to scorching California.

We took in a new dog, a wonderful guy named Walt (seen above lounging with our cat, Addy). He's been my constant companion when I'm at the desk working. He lays on the couch while I type away on the keyboard.

Sophie and I went to Denver for a fabulous weekend of baseball and good local food. A week later, Sophie, Julie and I attended the San Diego Comic Con and got to see the growing popularity for the "Smiling Friends." I'm very lucky to be a part of a show on the rise.

Through it all, I've made some progress on the novel. Just before our vacation I realized that I needed to do major revisions to combine chunks of the third part. This epiphany revitalized my creative energy and I feel closer to completing the book than I have ever. Mind you, I still have at least a year until the first draft is complete, but that doesn't seem as daunting as it did even a year ago, let alone when I started writing it.

At the same time, I'm settling in to working remotely and trying not to have my heart broken too much each time my Cleveland Guardians lose a game. This game of baseball, man, it can crush you.

As for you, my thirty-ish readers, I haven't deserted you. I want to keep Thunderbolt alive and powered by human intelligence. I still have all those damn tapes to review! I hope you'll stick around. Who knows, I may even share the Epic Playlist I've been co-creating someday soon. I promise to check in once a week, in between meetings and trying to complete the book.

Aloha!

TV Stuff 6/18/24

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 18:39:00 +0000

I used to write a television column on Popdose.com. This was in the late aughts and the teen years of the 21st Century. Back then I was reliant on my few cable channels and trying to squeeze in one hobby (watching television) with another one (writing about television). I don't write for Popdose anymore. I could; it's not like I was told not to. I had to stop. My mental health was crashing and I found myself trying to meet self imposed deadlines and writing reviews instead of working on my own original stuff. At the time I chose to step away from Popdose, I crashed and burned. I haven't completed anything original in nearly seven years, save for some Christmas dramas I wrote for the church. That said I have been working on something original since 2019, a novel that gets more epic each year I work on it. I have doubts this book will ever get published, but my daughter and wife have enjoyed what I've written so far, so at least I have an audience of two. I hope to complete it so my dad can read it; he's a voracious reader.

Writing about television came naturally. I grew up in front of the boob tube, watching reruns of 60s and 70s shows. I still have a soft spot for The Wild, Wild West, Rocky & Friends, M*A*S*H, and Space 1999. In the 80s, as I became more sociable, our VCR allowed me to keep up on prestige TV like St. Elsewhere, Hill Street Blues and Lonesome Dove. St Elsewhere it holds up very well and remains ahead of its time.

On occasion I'll check out some of my old Popdose articles. Reading them is very foreign to me. Who is the guy that wrote these words? Some of it is so confident, brash. Where did that writer go? I came across something I posted when the Emmy nominations were announced in July of 2008. Besides wondering if Mad Men, after its first season, would be able to sustain its greatness, and bitching that Friday Night Lights and The Wire were snubbed, I commented then that there was too much television to watch. In 2008!

I don't want to sound like some old crank, but in my day, there were only three or four networks to choose from, making it easier to catch up on great shows, especially with summer reruns. In the 90s, as cable programming began to take hold, I feel like there was still a way to watch most of the good stuff. That all changed in the early 2000s, the "golden age" of television, as it's been called. Every cable channel started programming original shows. Who knew that streaming would lead to an onslaught of "content" (I hate that fucking word, it's such a corporate term, which tells you how messed up the studios are now) that would make it virtually impossible for people to make choices.

I love much of the groundbreaking television of the streaming era. But too much came at you too fast. And when there was no way to calculate profits for the corporate overlords, everything collapsed. I was one of those naive ones who thought that the streamers were going to be a blessing for television and film, that the streamers would always need more TV shows and movies to fill the demand. I was so wrong. Because now.... NOW... there is too much television. There's so much television that people haven't had a chance to catch up with the television they've missed.

One of the main reasons I pulled back on writing about television is I couldn't keep up! A true critic of the medium needs to be working forty hours a week just watching programs in order to be honest. I felt guilty not being informed enough to write about the the numerous shows that I didn't have the time to see. This all led to a cycle of imposter syndrome and guilt over missed those self imposed deadlines. That all led to more grief and anxiety. It was so bad that I feel tingly just writing this blog entry.

There are moments when I think, "Maybe I should write criticism again." Then I publish something like this post and I convince myself I don't have anything useful to say. That's the constant struggle I face: What's the point? Does anyone care? My therapist tells me I should do it if it brings me joy.

I'm trying.

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 7: Echo & The Bunnymen, "Echo & The Bunnymen"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Tue, 28 May 2024 19:26:00 +0000

Column 1, Row 7: Echo & The Bunnymen, Echo & The Bunnymen

The latter part of the 1980s saw several of the founding bands of what would become know as alternative achieve mainstream success. U2 and INXS were the prime winners of the race, but The Cure, Psychedelic Furs, Simple Minds and R.E.M. all had significant radio hits between 1986 and 1989. I could include Depeche Mode, but I feel that their crossover popularity really happened after their 1990 smash, Violator. Echo & The Bunnymen seemed poised for their own breakthrough, as well. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" from their singles collection, Songs to Learn & Sing, was included in the John Hughes produced hit film, Pretty in Pink, and their cover of the Doors' "People Are Strange" from The Lost Boys soundtrack gained them AOR traction. 1987 should have been their year.

One listen to Songs to Learn & Sing and you'll hear that this was a band ahead of its time both in melodic and lyrical themes, as well as production aesthetics. On Echo & The Bunneymen (1987), the band, which consisted of lead singer, guitarist Ian McCulloch, lead guitarist Will Sergeant, bassist Les Pattinson, and drummer Pete de Freitas, appear to be chasing the same slick, 80s sound that producer Chris Thomas perfected with INXS, as well as the big drum sound mix Jimmy Iovine brought to Simple Minds' Once Upon a Time and The Pretenders' Get Close. It makes for an interesting choice, and I would say that Echo & The Bunnymen is a fine introduction to the band's dreamy dark wave music.

However, while the single from the album, "Lips Like Sugar" was a moderate hit, and remains a staple on classic new wave stations, the general public didn't latch on to this band the way they did their new wave peers. I can't explain why radio didn't embrace Echo & The Bunnymen or the band itself. I was an avid AOR kid back in the 80s, so alternative bands had to jockey for radio time between Bon Jovi and Mellencamp, and the rising tide of hair metal bands. Perhaps the program directors at the time only had so many slots for moody English bands so Echo & The Bunnymen lost out. A shame.

The album opens with "The Game," a poetic reflection on the dissolution of a relationship. This was the first single from the album, released in the summer of '87. It carries the hallmarks of Echo & The Bunnymen, including a chiming guitar solo from Will Sergeant. It's quickly followed by the similar sounding, "Over You." The third track, "Bedbugs and Ballyhoo" switches things up with drummer de Freitas using brushes for this funky number. I'm a sucker for brushes, especially on pop songs, making this one a highlight on side one. The Doors' Ray Manzarek is a guest on keyboards on this one. Side one closes with "Bomber's Bay," a deceptively pretty tune that appears to be about young soldiers being sent to battle. Radio friendly melody, but the lyrics are a little depressing for mainstream airplay.

Side two begins with "Lips Like Sugar." It's followed by "Lost and Found" and "New Direction," which to me sound like the blueprint for the music the Ocean Blue would release at the end of the 80s and early 90s: Uptempo songs with chiming guitars and haunting lyrics. Track four, "Blue Blue Ocean," has that dated electric piano so reminiscent of late 80s alternative. Personally, I love the way it sounds because it takes me back to my youth. I wonder what modern audiences think of it? That said I can hear some of this influence in the music of Two Door Cinema Club and The 1975, two bands I love. The album concludes with the quiet, acoustic number, "All My Life." The music is beautiful and haunting, and the lyrics echo the side one closer, "Bomber's Bay," with mentions of cannon fire and "God's one miracle." It's a perfect coda to the entire record and pulls you back into the entire album. If the cassette were to flip over after this song, you probably wouldn't mind.

Echo & the Bunnymen show up a couple more times in this collection. I look forward to going backwards into their catalog.

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 6: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts "Up Your Alley"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 02 May 2024 15:11:00 +0000

Column 1, Row 6: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Up Your Alley

In 1988, hair metal was on the rise and straight forward rock and roll was losing radio airplay. If the music wasn't a little slick and the mix didn't sound like the record was recorded in a sports arena, there was little chance of getting heard. There were exceptions, of course (Tracy Chapman comes to mind), but for the most part, loud and echoey was the sound of the day. At that time, Joan Jett and her latest version of the Blackhearts had been together for a few years and were clicking. The band members were Ricky Byrd on lead guitar and vocals, Kasim Sulton on bass and vocals, and Thommy Price on drums. Jett was coming off of co-starring with Michael J. Fox in Paul Schrader's film, Light of Day. Although the film wasn't a hit, it was high profile enough to bring the rock legend back into the public eye after years working the road and trying to rebuild the success of her early 80s albums, including the smash, I Love Rock 'n Roll. Additionally, Jett and the Blackhearts played the shit out of the Springsteen-penned title track to the Schrader movie. It was a top 40 hit and received considerable airplay on AOR stations. She was poised for a comeback, and she didn't have to compromise her music a conform to performing power ballads or keyboard driven pop songs like some of her contemporaries (think Heart or Eddie Money). Production values aside, Up Your Alley is just as hard and driving as any of Jett's previous albums, and the addition of Thommy Price makes this one of the most enjoyable rock albums from the late 80s.

My freshman college roommate owned this cassette, so I heard plenty of it in the fall of '88. The hit from Up Your Alley is the classic, "I Hate Myself for Loving You." The song was a top 10 hit and remains a staple of classic rock and oldies stations to this day (it's still odd to call the songs I listened to in high school and college "oldies,"). That's how Up Your Alley opens, and the rest of Up Your Alley doesn't let up. "Ridin' with James Dean" is an arena crowd pleaser with Price's thundering drums front and center, and "Little Liar" is an old school ballad, something that reminds me of a 70s Aerosmith song. Side one ends with two exemplary cover song. "Tulane" is a fresh take on a Chuck Berry nugget, and "I Wanna Be Your Dog" gave mainstream audiences exposure to the twisted glory of the Stooges.

Side two is just as strong as the first one, despite some very dated keyboards on the second track "You Want In, I Want Out." Familiar power chords carry "I Still Dream About You," Byrd has some nifty guitar playing throughout "Just Like in the Movies," and Price leads the attack of "Back it Up." The album closer, "Play That Song Again" is a mid tempo, 60s garage band throwback that wraps up everything on a reflective, nostalgic note.

I love this album, and it holds up well considering it came out in an era when anything AOR was as slick as an oil spill. Credit Jett for not applying too many keyboards to the production and for keeping the music true to her brand of rock and roll. Besides Jett, the star on this album is Thommy Price. After stints with Billy Idol and Scandal (his great drumming is all over Rebel Yell and The Warrior albums), he found a home in the Blackhearts and really shined for the twenty plus years he remained in the band.

I was gifted a piece of artwork called "My 90's Tapes" by an artist named Jeff Klarin (https://www.bughouse.com/wall-of-sounds/choose-a-tape-collection-print. It looks like one of my own collections at that time, a mix of rock/classic rock, pop, new wave, punk, dance, heavy metal and soundtracks. I decided to use this artwork as a writing prompt to review all 115 albums pictured and share some personal anecdotes along the way. Consider this me dipping my toe back into the Basement Songs pool.

FiLM: "The Zone of Interest" (2023)

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 02:17:00 +0000

By all accounts, Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest is a work of beauty. It's impeccably shot, has outstanding, compelling lead performances by Christian Friedel and Sandra Hüller, and contains some of the most remarkable sound design in a live action movie you will ever experience (Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burns, who did the sound design, deservedly won this year's Academy Award for Best Sound). However, this story about a German family living during the second world war is deceptive.

On the surface, it's a family drama. The film opens with a family on a lovely picnic. They are a loving bunch, and have moved up to some success. The are light moments around the dinner table, the celebration of the father's birthday. there are quiet, romantic moments between the husband and wife. there is a scene of suspense when the father must rush to get two of his kids out of immanent danger. There is even some sadness when the father is promoted and must leave the family at their home while he goes away for work. Glazer films all of these moments in a way that under certain circumstances you could come to care for these people and what they go through. But you won't.

The Zone of Interest is the story of the idyllic life of Rudolf Höss and his family.

For those of you who don't know, Höss was the commandant of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. He oversaw and the execution of 2.5 million Jewish prisoners during his time in power. He devised more efficient and quicker ways to exterminate lives, and was responsible for "Operation Höss," which killed 430,000 Hungarian Jews in a mere 56 days. Monster is not a strong enough word.

Glazer presents the monster as an every man, just fulfilling his duties to the Nazi Party. He goes to work at the camp (right next door to his spacious country home) like any businessman heads to the office. We never see what happens in the camp, only the after effects. Plumes of smoke from the crematorium. Ashes and the bones. The Zone of Interest isn't a film about the visceral horrors of the Holocaust, it's about the banality of evil people. Höss, his wife and children, and the multitude of Nazis we see are unaffected by the mass death and torture. They're just living out their best lives.

Here is where the brilliant sound design come into play. While watching the cute Höss children playing in the garden that Mrs. Höss has build from nothing, or swimming in the backyard pool (with a slide), or riding horses in the countryside, in the background are gunshots,screams, and the ominous arrivals of unseen trains coming to Auschwitz. These are just the usual noises for the Höss family. Background noise.

Friedel and Hüller ground their performances as Rudolf and his wife, Hedwig, with such naturalness and dare I say humanity, you almost forget. But Glazer won't let you forget. Throughout the film, the director cuts away from the Höss family to show the cruelty and devastation they are responsible for. Equally chilling are the casualness of such lines as, "I could have my husband spread your ashes in the river," spoken by Hedwig or "I was unable to focus (on the extravagant party) because I spent my time thinking about the most efficient way to gas everyone in attendance," said by Rudolf.

The Zone of Interest won this year's Academy Award for Best International film. It raises the mirror to the audience and gives us pause to contemplate the horrors may is capable of doing to his fellow man. A vital film during these troubled times.

The Zone of Interest is still in theaters, available to rent digitally and to stream on Max.

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 5: Fishbone "It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time)"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Mon, 26 Feb 2024 22:45:00 +0000

Had I stayed on top of things, I would've written about today's entry back in December, seeing as it's a Christmas themed EP. You remember EPs, don't you? The abbreviation stands for "extended play," and artists would put them out in between albums when they had some leftover tracks and a new single to promote. Many indie artists would also use the format to create interest in their music while pursuing a record deal. Nowadays, those leftover tracks are saved for "deluxe" editions of albums that get released a year after a record's initial release. Anyway...

Column 1, Row 5: Fishbone "It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time)"

The legendary Fishbone were a part of the California punk rock scene of the 1980s. They were friends with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and influenced the likes of Primus and No Doubt. Yet, they never achieved mainstream success and have remained a cult favorite for the duration of their existence. It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time) was released between Fishbone's first album, In Your Face (1986) and the follow up, 1988's Truth and Soul. Fishbone liked to jump around in genre's, which must have made it difficult for the record company to market and radio station's to figure out where the band might fit in their rotation. Were they punk? Metal? Funk? Ska? College radio was the only outlet in the late 80s, and for some reason Fisbone never really caught on. This particular EP sold out and went out of print, which makes its inclusion in this particular collection feel very cool. Didn't we all have at least one cassette or CD that quickly became a collector's item? I had a few.

Side one begins with "It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time)," which is everything you'd expect from a Fishbone song, a mosh pit funk ska rocker with topical lyrics about people struggling to make ends meet. The second song on side one is "Slick Nick, You Devil You," a poignant, angry reflection on the holidays about a scumbag named Slick Rick who ruins Christmas. Lead singer Angelo Moore really tears into this one. At first you think it might be some kind of joke, but as the song continues, the pain becomes more apparent.

Flip the tape and you get "Iration," a keyboard driven reggae song criticizing the establishment for marketing and monetizing what Christmas is about, while the people who really need love and healing have faces "twisted with the pain of living." I really wish this one was recorded live with the band, or at least had the band in the studio. The 100% keyboard production distracts from an otherwise powerful message. The EP ends with "Just Call Me Scrooge," a band rocker that concludes the diatribe about Christmas.

That's it. Four and out.

As I said, It's a Wonderful Life (Gonna Have a Good Time) went out of print, but the four songs were subsequently released on the 1996 CD compilation, Fishbone 101: Nuttasaurusmeg Fossil Fuelin' the Fonkay, although not together in order. In the streaming age, you can now find the EP on Spotify, which I've included below.

A Trip Through the "My 90's Tapes" Collection Pt. 4: The Replacements "Pleased to Meet Me"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 19:52:00 +0000

It’s not my desire to let a month pass between entries. Quite the contrary, I'm more inspired to write this year than I have been since I lost the desire in 2017. It's just with the holidays, then recovering from the holidays, and then the wife and I went to Maui to celebrate our 30th, and then recovering from Maui. You get the idea. Moreover, I've been working on a couple of novels. With the minimal hours I find to write, the books take priority. I'll get on a schedule of writing on the weekends so I can put out something once a week - I hope.

Back to the tape collection!

Column 1, Row 4: The Replacements Pleased to Meet Me

Pleased to Meet Me was released in 1987, the same year the world was caught up in U2 mania. It was the Replacements second album for the major label, Sire. By that time, they had released four albums (three on independent Twin/Tone), none of which was a commercial success. The Replacements did receive critical acclaim, though. Their 1984's release, Let it Be, is still considered one of the hallmark albums of the decade. Being a radio junkie who never ventured further up than 97.5 on my radio dial, I had never heard a single song by the Replacements until the end of the 80s, when I started venturing left of he dial to the college stations. I know I watched the January 1986 Saturday Night Live episode in which they performed a drunken, sloppy couple of songs, but I have zero memory of paying attention.

Hailing from Minneapolis, the Replacements were a four-piece band with great potential thanks to the songwriting of singer/guitarist Paul Westerberg. His band mates included lead guitarist Bob Stinson, Bob's younger brother, Tommy, on bass, and Chris Mars on the drums. They played ramshackle punk pop with a fuck it attitude. Westerberg could wear his heart on his sleeve, though, as evident in thoughtful songs like "Within You Reach" from '83's Hootenanny, "Unsatisfied" from Let It Be, and "Here Comes a Regular" from '85's Tim.

The band liked to have a good time off stage which got in the way of their live shows. Fans didn't know what they were going to get when they went to a club to see them. Would it be a night of brilliant songs and passionate musicianship, or would it be a shitstorm, with the Replacements playing snippets of KISS and Led Zeppelin songs interspersed with some of their own music? Their punk rock mentality may have sounded cool, but when a band isn't selling any albums and their music isn't getting airplay, eventually the shit is going to hit the fan with the record company.That they were signed by Sire is a credit to their musicality.

After Sire released Tim release and the subsequent sales disappointment, Bob Stinson was either kicked out of the band for substance abuse, or he left because of creative differences. Whatever the case, when the Replacements became a trio when they entered the studio to record Pleased to Meet Me. The producer was Jim Dickinson, who had worked with Big Star, one of Westerberg’s influences. The result is an album that serves as a transition from the garage band rock of their earlier work to the more polished sound of their final two albums, Don't Tell a Soul (1989) and All Shook Down (1990).

As the album cover indicates, Please to Meet Me is the sound of a band struggling to comply with the demands of the money men, while retaining their punk rock credibility. This is apparent in the opening track "I.O.U", where Westerberg pointedly sings in the voice of an exec:

       Losing it don't cost much
       On the dotted line, "You suck"
       Never do what you're told
       Plenty of time to eat it when you're old
       You're all wrong, and I'm right

And on the third track "I Don't Know," where Westerberg asks "Did we give it up" and "Did we make a fortune?" to which the band replies "I don't know."

From a punk perspective, “I.O.U,” “I Don’t Know,” and “Never Mind” from side one and the three songs open side two are straightforward rockers and further examples of Westerberg’s gift of turning a phrase. In "Valentine" he sings, "If you were a pill, I'd take a handful at will/And knock you back with something sweet and strong." Meanwhile, on "Red, Red, Wine" he sings "Now, I ain't no connoisseur cat/C-conno-sewer rat." Good stuff.

If Pleased to Meet Me was just a collection of bangers with clever lyrics, it would be a fine album. However, it also contains four bona fide classics. "Alex Chilton," Westerberg's ode to the lead singer of Big Star. This may be the band's most recognizable song thanks to its inclusion on Rock Band. A tight, beautiful melody, with lyrical nuggets like "If he was from Venus, would he feed us with a spoon?" "Invisible man who can sing in a visible voice" and "(C)hildren by the million sing for Alex Chilton when he comes 'round, 'round." "The Ledge" is a gripping song from the perspective of an anguished suicide jumper. On "Skyway," Westerberg once again shows his sensitive side with this acoustic ballad. The album closes with the anthem, "Can't Hardly Wait," a song written during the Tim sessions, retooled with horns, strings and new lyrics. This ranks among the many "should've been a huge hit" from the 80s.

It's not like the record company didn't try to get the Replacements more radio play. In fact, mega producer Jimmy Iovine even did a mix of "Can't Hardly Wait" to try and help get the band exposure. I think the band's reputation followed them; the damage had been done by the time they tried to clean up their act.

One of the gifts of music, though, is that decades after an album comes out, some kid can pick up a used album by some critical darling that never made it big, and discover music they feel was meant just for them. It happened with Big Star, one of Westerberg's influences, and I'm sure it happens with the Replacements on a regular basis.

Basement Songs: Bruce Springsteen "Book of Dreams"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 20:30:00 +0000

"Scott thinks he knows what he's doing."

That's what I heard when I began telling people that I was in love and planned to marry the woman I'd only known a few months.

In May of 1992 I had a plan: live with my folks, find a job, save some cash, and move to California. It started out that way. I found work at a store called Nature's Bin in Lakewood, Ohio. It was a storefront that sold fresh produce and was a non-profit training adults with disabilities how to perform in a workplace. It was only supposed to be a summer job. Three months of saving up and then I was leaving for Los Angeles to pursue the dream. Hollywood. Writing. Directing. Stardom. I had no interest in getting to know someone and opening up myself to another human being; leaving them. It was all working just fine until the end of July.

That smile and those bright blue eyes. A kindness and joyful spirit that was so contagious I wanted to be in every room she was in; that kind of feeling where you make up a reason to be around someone just to be in their presence. That was Julie. She was one of the fellow trainers and we only worked together a couple days a week. On the days she wasn't there, I felt a longing, missing her. I couldn't deny my burgeoning feelings. Plans be damned! I had other dreams, too. Companionship. Friendship. Love. I asked her out in the store while she was the only one in the building.

A Kurt Russell movie, wings, drinks at a dive bar under the North Olmsted water tower. That was our first date. It was perfect. Julie was someone I could say anything to, someone I didn't feel inhibited or embarrassed to talk to. The night was completed with a kiss. God damn, what a kiss. It was like a thunderbolt thrown down from the heavens meant to shake me to my core. Mission accomplished.

"What's wrong with you?" my sister asked, as I entered my parents' house after the date.

"I think I just went out with the girl I'm going to marry," I said.

No bullshit. That's how it happened.

A month later, I told Julie that I loved her and that I wanted her to come to California with me. She wanted to go where I went. The summer job got extended indefinitely. During Thanksgiving of 1992, I proposed by serenading Julie with Bruce Springsteen's "Book of Dreams." It had been our song since I included it on the first mix tape I made her. It's one of Springsteen's lesser known gems, appearing on his much overlooked album, Lucky Town. Simple, direct, it's Springsteen at his storytelling best. "Book of Dreams" details the intimate moments enveloped in his love for his wife, Patti Scialfa, and their wedding day.

Julie had once told me she wanted to be proposed to with the song "You Are the Woman" by Firefall. I asked my friend, Matt, to teach me that one on the guitar. He suggested a song more meaningful to my relationship with Julie. God bless him. For as long as we knew each other, this was the greatest piece of advice he ever gave me. I'm not a guitar player. It took me weeks to learn the four chords of the song. I wish I could still play it.

California waited. We planned our wedding for December 30, 1993. On a very cold and snowy night in Cleveland, Julie and I exchanged our vows at St. Malachi's church, the sanctuary decorated with red poinsettias. Later in the evening, at our reception, we had our first dance as husband and wife, swaying to the gentle folk melody of Springsteen's "Book of Dreams."

It's been thirty years. I can't say they've gone by in a flash. No, that would be a disservice to the years of love and hard work we've put into our life together. Happy days, tragedies, arguments, quiet times, discoveries, two wonderful children, climbing the peaks and valleys of a marriage. I'm amazed each day how I can love this woman more than I did the day we exchanged vows, but I do. She's my rock, my best friend, and on the days we don't see each other or speak as much, I still feel that longing and miss her.

How do you describe the kind of relationship that completes you? Perhaps I just did, I don't know. All I can say is that all of the dreams that I've had in my life, this is the only one that matters, the one that I continue to pursue and find joy from. Thank you, Julie, my darling wife, for making me a better man, a better husband, and a better father.

"Scott thinks he knows what he's doing."

They didn't understand. This was the hand of fate placed on my heart, assuring me that I'd met my one true love.

A Trip Through the "My 90'sTapes" Collection Pt. 3: Cyndi Lauper "She's So Unusual"

noreply@blogger.com (About Scott Malchus) — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 17:28:00 +0000

After a slight delay (more like a hiatus), we're back. Let's get right to it, shall we?

Column 1, Row 3: Cyndi Lauper She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper is a Grammy Award, Tony Award, Emmy Award winning singer, songwriter and actress who, despite her many accolades, will likely be best known for her upbeat, female positive anthem, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, she began writing songs at an early age. As a teenager in the 60s, she was unafraid to express her individuality with different hair colors and clothing styles that didn't conform to what her peers wore. Considered an outsider and bullied by classmates, she was expelled from high school at 17 and left home soon thereafter.

In the 70s, after getting her GED, she tried art school in Vermont, worked odd jobs to support herself, but eventually returned to New York and began performing in cover bands. By the end of the decade, frustrated by only singing covers, and worried that she was wasting her God given talent of a four octave vocal range, she formed a new wave band called Blue Angel. They recorded a self titled album that came and went and broke up. Down on her luck, Lauper began working retail and catching solo gigs at clubs. At one of those shows, she caught the attention of David Wolff, who soon became her manager. Wolffe got her a record deal with Portrait Records, and in the spring of 1983, they entered a recording studio to begin work on her debut solo album, She's So Unusual.

She's So Unusual is a pop, new wave charmer produced by Rick Chertoff, who would also find success a producing The Hooters, whose be-bob baby "And We Danced" was a summer hit in 1985. Two of the Hooters, keyboardist Rob Hyman, and guitarist and hooter, aka melodica, player Eric Bazilian, were part of the band Chertoff put together to back Lauper. Anton Fig, future drummer for the World's Most Dangerous Band, provided the machine like back beat to the entire record. Fig is one of the music industry's most celebrated drummers, but the direction he was given for She's So Unusual makes him sound lifeless. An unusual choice by Chertoff.

The album opens with a cover of the song "Money Charges Everything," originally recorded by the American new wave band The Brains. It has a poignant, anthemic melody that hooks your emotions. The lyrics are slightly cynical, yet sad, as a relationship is ending. There's a guy waiting for Cyndi out in the street and he has me the cash to give her the things she wants. It's a plot out of an a silent era film drama about a flapper who loves a working class guy, but he can't sustain her needs, even though they love each other. Those movies always ended tragically. In high school, I'd never seen one of those "message" films (as they were called), and the plot of this song didn't resonate with me. But the ringing chords did speak to my lonely, romantic heart that pined for the pretty girls the who barely knew I existed. Man, I'm glad I grew out of that phase.

Song number two is the monster hit, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," one of the most female positive hits of the 80s. This song was inescapable in the fall and winter of 1983 /84, and deservedly so. At a time when conservatism was once again trying to suppress women and conform to an antiquated image of how they should look and act, here was a big middle finger to the patriarch, delivered in an upbeat, positive way. The message of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" resonates to this day. It remains a staple on 80s stations and some contemporary pop hits stations.

After a strong opening, She's So Unusual takes a hit with a lifeless cover of the Prince song, "When you Were Mine." I don't know what was going on when they recorded it, but this is fucking Prince, and Chartoff produced the whitest dance song possible. Track down the purple one's version and you'll agree. Lauper redeems herself at the end of the first side with one of two ballads on She's So Unusual, "Time After Time." co-written by Lauper and Hyman, who also sings harmony, it remains one of the most beautiful songs of the end of the 20th Century. Pun not intended, it's a timeless classic and shows the tenderness Lauper could convey with her quirky voice. You've heard it; you love it; it's a masterpiece.

Side two begins with Lauper's successful ode to masturbation, "She Bop." This hit song (it reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100) is full of double entendres and an ear worm of a melody. I must've been really clueless when this song came out, because it never registered to me that it was about self satisfaction. If I had, maybe it would have sparked a conversation about pleasure with some of the girls I liked.

Me: Huh-huh. So, have you heard that song, "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper?

Girl: Of course! It's really catchy.

Me: Huh-huh! Do you know what it's really about?

Girl: Of course! Boys don't get to have all of the fun, Scott.

Me: Really? Tell me more.

Girl: What would you like to know?

Me:Uhhhhhhh.....

WHO AM I KIDDING! Nobody talked about those things, especially in the era of Tipper Gore crusading against naughty lyrics in rock music. "She Bop" was so controversial, that Tipper and her pals at the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) placed it on their "Naughty Fifteen" songs as an example of lyrics that were harmful to young minds (thus leading to the Parental Advisory stickers on records now). Listening to it 40 years, it's not a great song. If our country wasn't afraid of human sexuality, "She Bop" would be all but forgotten. I'm unsure if it was a hit because it was riding the success of the first two singles, or if millions of teenage girls were embracing a song that did for them what the Who, Vapors and Violent Femmes had done for young men earlier in rock history. Nevertheless, in the age of "WAP," it's very quaint.

After "She Bop" comes a wonderful cover of Jules Shear's "All Through the Night," the second ballad on She's So Unusual. What deters this one is the obnoxious synth solo that sounds like an air horn. Still, one of the best songs on the record and another big hit. Side two continues with "Witness," a new wave reggae song that is more memorable for copping the keyboard sound from Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" than anything else. That's followed by "I Kiss You," which is just as mischievous as "She Bop." Replace "kiss" with the another word and we all know what Cyndi is talking about. The girl wants some.

We finish this entry with the one two punch of "He's So Unusual" into "Yeah Yeah." The former is a throw back to vaudeville with Lauper doing her best Betty Boop and pulling it off with ease. That flips into the later, a goofy new wave rocker. It's the kind of forgettable song that ends many albums before the automatic reverse switches the album back to "Money Changes Everything."

Overall, She's So Unusual is a landmark album from the 80s. Lauper took risks and did it her way, resulting in a huge hit and a career that carries on to this day.