Never seen 'Grease 2', although the lad who played the Travolta role has a local connection. My wife - being soppy - likes the original, and got me to sit down and watch it with her. I've resisted 'Jesus Christ, Superstar' and anything to do with 'Harry Potter' or 'Lord Of The Rings'. It's as difficult being married to someone who sings along to Abba as it was to my rather exotic Asiatic first wife, who was very struck on Sting and Madonna.
Work, young D? Of what description, might one ask?
DJing at a ball for student ballroom dancers at my local uni. A strong quantity of cheese may well prove necessary. I'll also get to play my favourite cha cha chas and rnb (they can jive to the latter) so I can't complain.
Is 40 young? All relative I suppose.
Last edited by Yuca (2011-12-13 02:17:34)
Like the Frankie Valli song. Seems to have almost a hint of melancholy about it.
This is why I'm an admirer of an earlier period of movie-making. WB Presents - credits - action - Bogart enters Sternwood mansion. Fast story-telling, Hawks style. Or at Universal: 'A Good Cast Is Worth Repeating' - not who was the third assistant to Mr. Mortensen's masseur or was responsible for scoring the coke.
What's the dress code and what time should I arrive? Will I be the only person under 60? Will I be the only person?
Last edited by steve mcqueen fan (2011-12-14 14:39:44)
Yuca's balls have already dropped. He's forty years of age, dingbat.
I attempted - and more or less succeeded - in cheering myself up on Sunday evening by watching this for the first time in years. I loved every second of it, then watched the (lengthy) documentary and enjoyed every second of that too: especially the gorgeous, enchanting Kathleen Quinlan (who may, as my wife said sneeringly, have had work done, but looked - as Toyah Wilcox does now - fabulous).
The clothes... doesn't that white t-shirt under the button-down make all the difference? I swear I used to see that look on Jeff Garet and Ken Lovegrove at Russell Street often and often. The chinos... the belts... white socks and loafers... Then there's what the girls are wearing... The English teacher in a button-down with no roll is a bit of a let-down (but maybe that was deliberate).
I love the music. All of it. Even Bill Haley and Buddy Holly this time.
And the cars... Watching 'Godfather Part Two' again recently set me alight over the cars...
But how come the black faces could be counted on the finger of one hand?
George Lucas... almost a genius...
It wouldn't have been to the taste of some on here but there was something of a rock and roll revival from 1972 onwards. There's a well-known study of Malcolm McLaren in full ted rig, having attended the huge Wembley show in 1972. Eddie Cochran became big for some of us in around 1975. Also Danny And The Juniors 'At The Hop' and Hank Mizell's 'Jungle Rock'. One or two of us had become fans of Chuck Berry well before that. Chuck was one switched-on black guy, insisting on being paid for live performances in cash and according to the latest dollar-sterling exchange rates. No way he was giving songs away for a couple of dollars and a bottle of rye.
Not seen this for years and I never really got it. Isn't it a feature length version of 'Happy Days'? Richie Cunningham and The Fonz in it? Perhaps I'm being unfair, but I bloody hate Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. Will watch one evening with my 17 year old who has become very clever at watching, thinking about and interpreting various types of 'text'. And I do love the white T under button-down thing, very 2 Russell Street, and Chensvold hated it as it looked too proletarian, rather going against his pseudo-patrician nonsense, so it much be good, though sadly I don't really do it as I hate all that extra material shoved down by strides. Great look though. I'm more 62/3, birth of soul, sta-press Ivy. The greatness of the 40s and 50s happened in the wonderful world of modern jazz. Rock and roll is Squaresville daddio.
And I loved Kenny and got on great with him, but on music we just did not connect. He's get his Elvis pictures out and I just dozed off. Never got the cult of Fat Elvis and still relate to the punks' delight in news of his demise on the Throne.
Maybe worth another look. A very sad film about loss of innocence, the setting around the Bay Of Pigs and the assassination of JFK. Two of the four characters (male) meet a bad end, including one MIA in Vietnam (a war which was still being fought when the movie was doing the rounds). And Candy Clark is an erotic delight!
Odd thing was, we punks - or at least some of us - went off in a rockabilly/classic rock and roll/Americana direction yet also bought soul. It was a way of breaking off from that crappy Pistols/Clash thing. In fact, I suppose, The Clash were heading in that direction with 'London Calling' (Staceyboy, where are you when we need you?). Manchester did me a world of good, introducing me to a much wider cultural canvas. Theatre, cinema, galleries - and countless hours freezing or sweating in my Salford bedsit reading Thomas Hardy, Henry James, Jane Austen etc. Also - more importantly - I was more than ready for Cole Porter.