Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Joe Pesci! A favorite of Scorsese’s, an fascinating interview subject, and the star of the short-lived series Half-Nelson, Joe Pesci has become a true American institution.
It’s often forgotten that, before he became an award-winning actor, Pesci pursued careers as both a stand-up comedian and a singer. Here he is, performing a lounge version of The Beatles’ Fool On The Hill for his 1968 album, Little Joe Sure Can Sing!
It’s Marjoe Gortner’s birthday!
Marjoe is a former child evangelist who, in 1972, appeared in the candid documentary, Marjoe. The Oscar-winning film featured a look behind the scenes of the religious revival industry, with Marjoe as an amoral tour guide who discussed how he didn’t believe what he was preaching and who had basically been forced into the business by his parents. Marjoe described how every word he preached was calculated to inspire people to donate more money to his ministry. Marjoe described himself as being “bad but not evil.”
Marjoe Gortner would go on to have a long career as an actor in films, usually playing sinister characters. His most-seen film was probably Earthquake. My favorite Marjoe film is Starcrash.
In 1972, Marjoe recorded an album called, after his famous documentary quote, Bad But Not Evil. Today’s song of the day is Marjoe Gortner covering Bob Dylan’s Lo and Behold on that album.
Happy birthday, Marjoe Gortner!
Since today is Grace Slick’s 85th birthday, today’s song of the day features her (and, to be fair, the rest of Jefferson Airplane) performing White Rabbit at the first Woodstock.
Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane not only performed at Woodstock but they were also among the bands who attempted to perform at the Altamont Free Concert a few months later. Needless to say, the vibe at Altamont — which featured the Rolling Stones as headliners and the Hell’s Angels providing security — was far more aggressive and hostile than the vibe at Woodstock. While the Stones were performing, a member of the audience got into a fight with the Hell’s Angels, raised a gun, and was stabbed to death.
As seen in the documentary Gimme Shelter, even before the murder that ended the 60s, the Angels were aggressive, even knocking out Jefferson Airplane’s other singer, Marty Balin, in the middle of the band’s performance. Also seen in that documentary is Grace Slick doing her best to calm the crowd and, along with Paul Kanter, rather fearlessly talking back to a drunk Hell’s Angel who tried to take over the stage.
(It should be noted that Grace did all of that even though she had forgotten to put in her contact lenses that day. Me, I can’t even walk from one end of a room to another if I forget to put in my contacts.)
White Rabbit
(Lyrics by Grace Slick)
Today, we wish a happy birthday to singer, songwriter, and actress, Yvonne Elliman!
Along with playing Mary Magdalene in both the original stage and film version of Jesus Christ Superstar, Yvonne Elliman also performed the best version of my favorite song (and today’s song of the day), If I Can’t Have You!
This is one of the few songs that I can actually sing all the way through without losing the tune but Yvonne’s version is definitely superior to mine.
I don’t know why I’m surviving every lonely day
When there’s got to be no chance for me
My life would end, and it doesn’t matter how I cry
My tears of love are a waste of time
If I turn away, am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah, oh
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah
Can’t let go, and it doesn’t matter how I try
I gave it all so easily to you, my love
To dreams that never will come true
Am I strong enough to see it through?
Go crazy is what I will do
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah, oh
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah, oh
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah, oh
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah (I’m in love with nobody)
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah, oh
If I can’t have you, I don’t want nobody, baby
If I can’t have you, ah-ah-ah, no
(Lyrics by Maurice Ernest Gibb / Robin Hugh Gibb / Barry Alan Gibb)
Eraserhead (1977, dir by David Lynch)
Today would have been the 80th birthday of Jack Nance, the talented but troubled actor who was a favorite of David Lynch’s and who died under mysterious circumstances in 1996. Born in Massachusetts but raised in Texas, Nance first won acclaim as a star of the stage show, Tom Paine. The director of Tom Paine later received a fellowship to the American Film Institute where he met a young director named David Lynch and recommended that Lynch cast Nance as the lead character in his film, Eraserhead. Lynch and Nance were kindred spirits, two all-American eccentrics with their own unique view of the world. Lynch went to use Nance in almost every film that he made up until Nance’s death. Nance would also appear in small roles in films from other directors, usually cast as quirky and obsessive characters. Outside of his role in Eraserhead, Nance is probably best known for playing Pete Martell on Twin Peaks. Pete’s discovery of Laura Palmer’s body launched the entire saga.
Twin Peaks 1.1 — The Pilot (dir by David Lynch)
Now, sadly, I can’t share any clips from Eraserhead on this site. I wanted to share the scene where Jack Nance, as Henry, first has dinner with his future in-laws but I couldn’t find any uploads of that scene that were not age-restricted. So, I’m just going to recommend that you see Eraserhead if you haven’t yet.
In my search for an Eraserhead scene, I did come across this song about Jack Nance and, in honor of Jack’s talent and legacy, I am making it today’s song of the day!
The much-missed Gary Loggins always shared this song on Thanksgiving, on both this site and his own personal site. I’m happy to honor his memory by continuing that tradition.
Happy Horrothon! “I know you’re gonna say, this isn’t horror! This is Thor singing the blues!” I hear your critique and I reject it! The greatest horror stories especially in science fiction have trauma, fear, and hope. Alien, for example, terrible things happen to this crew of…. I guess…. miners, but at the end – there’s hope because Ripley overcomes. I always have a bit of anxiety at the end of the New “Outer Limits” or films like “Life” because it’s a good twist, but everyone is now dead and the heroes failed- that’s too much like life!
In “Rain”, a woman is alone and there appears to be a guy in the friendzone who REALLY wants to be with her and can sing and looks like Thor. For the interest of Horrorthon, we’re going to presume that- I don’t know this lady’s name but I’ll call her Susan- that Susan’s previous guy was eaten by a …got it…. a werewolf! Take that doubters told you I could contrive this into a horror review- BWAHAHAHA!
Side note: Susan, you’re being too picky. I’m sure that you had a rough time, but this guy even wrote a song for you, looks like Thor, and sounds like Otis Redding reincarnated. Maybe your standards are just WAY too high?
Susan’s boyfriend was werewolf puppy chow and Thor is trying to tell her that it will be okay. He has felt her pain because there is probably at least another werewolf in town that probably ate his girlfriend too. Can you imagine that support group? They must hate Iams and Doggy costumes! The line “Is that rain or are you crying again?” gets to me because when you’re broken-hearted – it’s like the tears can’t stop. “A soul with no face is a lonely embrace” this line is all about not seeing your soulmate again- Fucking Werewolves, we gotta do something about them, but then this song wouldn’t exist; so, I’m torn!
As they try console each other, “now’s there clouds between us all”; so, they likely hooked up, but they also have to worry about the full moon coming- probably. I like that at the end of the song – he says – “You ain’t gonna be ain’t gonna be alone” and notice, he doesn’t say- With me – Wonderful me. He’s left her better off and maybe he will be alone and live out his days as a werewolf hunter?
Rest in peace, Angelo and Julee.
Hi, everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving!
I’m sharing this song of the day is memory of our own Gary Loggins, who loved this song and wrote about the song and the subsequent film here!
Well, here we are. All things must come to an end and today, our month-long tribute to Morricone comes to a close with one final piece of music from the greatest composer of our age. I want to close things out with a piece from Morricone’s score for 1988’s Cinema Paradiso.
Here, from Cinema Paradiso, is the final theme:
Goodnight, Morricone.
Previous Entries In Our Tribute To Morricone:
Through the Shattered Lens 