Let’s just start with the obvious. Despite the fact that we do have our share of similar bars down here, this video was not shot in Texas. That “No Guns Allowed” sign was dead giveaway.
Instead, this video was shot in Nashville, Tennessee, at a place called Springwater Supper Club and Lounge. Apparently, Springwater has been around forever. It’s old enough that it was a speakeasy back during prohibition and then, after prohibition was repealed, it was the first place in Nashville to receive a license to sell liquor.
Apparently, the plan for the video was originally to have some sort of story going on while the Black Keys played in the background but those plans were abandoned during filming. The band also ended up playing an entire show for the benefit of the fans who had shown up to the be in the video. Good for them!
On a personal note, this is a song that I often listen to while driving. I find that it tends to curb the tendency towards road rage. Thank you, Black Keys! You saved my driving record!
Consider this video to be a reminder of the fact that, even after the best of gatherings, someone will still get stuck having to clean everything up. Remember that, the next time that you’re at a friend’s house and you’re tempted not to use a coaster. Someone always has to clean up.
Well, today’s music video of the day — with all the fog and the car and video camera — made me think about Lost Highway. Or I should say, the first half of the video made me think about Lost Highway. The second half made me think about being back in high school, hanging out with my friends and watching them try to set things on fire.
From the minute this video started, I was thinking about Kyle MacLachlan and Sheryl Lee driving across the country during the final episode of Twin Peaks: The Return. In fact, all of the night driving scenes pretty much put in the mood for more Twin Peaks.
I like Sleigh Bells. Originally, I was going to use their video for I Can Only Stare for today’s music video of the day but the video’s suicide heme didn’t feel appropriate for this weekend.
So, I went with Comeback Kid, instead. I tend to think of this video as being a trailer for some extremely over the top television show about life in small town Texas. (Having lived in small town Texas, I’m allowed to say that. If someone from up north said the same thing, I’d have to claw their eyes out.) I know that some people are probably saying, “So, you wouldn’t share one video because of all the suicidal imagery but you’re willing to share a video that opens with a woman jumping around with a gun!? What the Hell, Bowman!?”
Well, you might have a point but I’ve made peace with myself. When I was fourteen, one of my friends told me that her father had just purchased a new gun and I spent an entire afternoon holding the gun and pointing the gun and jumping around with the gun. I never pulled the trigger, which is a good thing because I later discovered that, despite what my friend had told me, the gun was loaded the entire time. But it’s odd. Guns are scary and yet strangely seductive at the same time. Denying that fact doesn’t do anyone any good.
(For the record, I’m the only person in my family who doesn’t own a gun. Recently, a new gun store opened a few blocks away from our house. As Erin put it, we now know where to go “when the shit finally goes down.” She was joking and I quote her with her permission but still, that shop is probably the first place that the majority of my neighborhood would head if a revolution ever did break out or if our country was invaded Red Dawn-style. I’d probably be right there with them.)
(By the way, there’s another store in my town that specializes in selling both guns and antique dolls. It’s a fun place, to be honest.)
Today is National Best Friends Day so I knew I would absolutely have to share something from Kedr Livanskiy. My best friend Evelyn introduced me to Kedr Livanskiy’s music a few years ago and she quickly became a favorite of ours.
Evelyn and I absolutely love this wonderfully atmospheric song and video. As usual, one of us thinks that this song is about being young and free in Russia while the other thinks that it’s about young vampires who are learning how to deal with the ennui of being immortal. Try to guess who believes what! It’s fun!
In this video, Fiona Apple serenely covers the Beatles’s Across the Universe while chaos reigns all around her.
Fiona recorded this cover for a 1998 film called Pleasantville and the video follows along with Pleasantville‘s plot of a black-and-white world descending into chaos as the result of a little color being added. That said, I would argue that this video is far superior to the film because Pleasantville was directed by the always heavy-handed Gary Ross while this video was directed by Fiona’s then-boyfriend, Paul Thomas Anderson. While staying true to the themes of Ross’s film, Anderson still brings his own signature wit to the video.
Jim Radford is a British folksinger and peace activist. At the age of 15, he was also the youngest participant of the Allied Invasion of Normandy, which occurred 74 years ago today.
This video, from 2014, features Radford singing about his D-Day experiences at the Royal Albert Hall.
What’s an Insomnia File? You know how some times you just can’t get any sleep and, at about three in the morning, you’ll find yourself watching whatever you can find on cable? This feature is all about those insomnia-inspired discoveries!
Last night, if you happened to be awake at 2:30 in the morning, you could have turned over to Starz and watched the 1997 film, Donnie Brasco.
Benjamin “Lefty” Ruggiero (Al Pacino) has spent his entire life as a loyal Mafia soldier. It’s the only life that he knows and he can tell you some stories. He remembers the early days, back when men like Lucky Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky were in charge of things. Lefty is proud to say that, over the years, he’s successfully carried out over 20 hits. Lefty is lucky enough to be an associate of an up-and-comer nicknamed Sonny Black (Michael Madsen). While Sonny was in prison, Lefty kept an eye on Sonny’s family. Lefty feels that Sonny owes him. Whether Sonny feels the same way isn’t always quite clear.
Lefty’s problem is that everyone loves him but few people respect him. The aging Lefty is viewed as being a relic and, at most, they merely tolerate his constant bragging. Lefty may fantasize about the big bosses knowing who he is but, when he tries to greet one of them at a party, it becomes clear that he doesn’t have the slightest idea who Lefty is. Lefty spends his time worrying that he’s dying and dreaming of one last opportunity to make a name for himself.
In fact, perhaps the only really good thing that Lefty has going for him is his friendship with Donnie Brasco (Johnny Depp). Donnie is a jewel thief, a tough and volatile orphan who Lefty introduces to Sonny. Sonny is immediately impressed with Donnie. In fact, Sonny thinks so highly of Donnie that he assigns Donnie to look over his operations in Florida. Lefty can only watch as his protegé’s star starts to eclipse his own. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. As Lefty explains it, Donnie’s success is also Lefty’s success because Lefty is the one who brought Donnie into the crew. Of course, if Donnie ever fails, the failure will be on Lefty as well.
As for Donnie … well, his name isn’t actually Donnie. His real name is Joe Pistone and he’s a FBI agent. When he first agreed to work undercover, he was told that the assignment would only last for a few months. Instead, the months turn into years and, piece by piece, Joe vanishes as he transforms into Donnie. The formerly soft-spoken college graduate is soon beating up waiters and chopping up bodies in basements. His wife (Anne Heche) fears that her husband may no longer exist. “I am not becoming like them,” Joe/Donnie says at one point, “I am them.”
Donnie Brasco is hardly the first film to examine life in the Mafia. It’s not even the first movie about an undercover FBI agent who manages to worm his way into the mob’s hierarchy. What sets Donnie Brasco apart are the performances of Pacino, Depp, Heche, Madsen, and, as a talkative mob associate, Bruno Kirby. As played by Pacino, Lefty may be a hardened killer but he’s also just a working class guy who wishes that his boss would just show him a little appreciation. Lefty may be capable of casually shooting a guy in the back of the head but, at the same time, there’s something heartbreakingly sad about the sight of him tearing up a greeting card that he hoped to personally deliver to the big boss. As for Johnny Depp, he gives a surprisingly restrained performance, rarely raising his voice except when he’s yelling at his family. Donnie may appear outwardly calm but the stress of losing his identity is always present in his eyes.
Interestingly, for a mob movie, there’s little violence to be found in Donnie Brasco. It’s not until 90 minutes in that we get the expected scene of rival mobsters getting ambushed and gunned down. Donnie Brasco isn’t about violence. Instead, the film’s heart is to be found in the story of Lefty and Donnie’s odd friendship. Instead of being about who is going to kill who, this film is about Lefty’s desire to be something more than he is and Joe’s struggle to remember who he used to be before he became Donnie. It’s a touching and effective gangster film and one to keep an eye out for.
So, I have to admit that today’s music video of the day is a bit of a last minute pick for me. I got so busy reviewing trailers and watching cute cats on YouTube that I nearly forgot to pick a video!
And why did I pick this video?
Two words: Eric Roberts.
The video itself is okay. The same can be said for the song. (By now, you should be able to guess that my musical taste pretty much runs the gamut from EDM to more EDM.) But, that said, the main reason I picked this video is because it features the reliably eccentric presence of Eric Roberts.
I guess the idea behind this video is that, if your boyfriend’s being a dick, you can call Eric Roberts and he’ll make the guy’s life difficult. That sounds good to me and I’m sure if anyone could make that into a profitable business model, it would be Eric Roberts. That said, judging from this video, it doesn’t look like he really got the job done here.
I don’t know. It’s a confusing video, to be honest. That’s okay, though. Confusion is a good reminder that there are still mysteries left to be explored.
Through the Shattered Lens 