tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-292119242010-03-07T21:29:03.492-08:00Where words and music collideLinda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-38118619765055391372010-03-07T21:29:00.001-08:002010-03-07T21:29:03.582-08:00

This blog is now located at http://bluecoupe.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://bluecoupe.com/atom.xml.

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-14178922681173808702010-02-01T00:05:00.000-08:002010-02-01T00:05:00.354-08:00

In the world of rock n’ roll novels, Bill Flanagan (A&R, New Bedlam) has got the most butt-kicking blurbs. Ev-ah. Dream up the two most perfect blurbers for this book and you won’t pull these two names. Ready? Bono (who says the book “feels truer than what really happened”) and Bob Dylan. You don’t need to go further than that. (Even though Flanagan does, with a blurb from book-writing, history

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-77617944966481460992010-01-04T05:54:00.000-08:002010-01-04T06:46:38.628-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI'm reminded of a recipe for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I gave it to a friend who loved the cookies. Then she used white chocolate chips instead—and they weren't as good.Somewhere along the way, between its briliant original Broadway staging and the recent film, the recipe for the musical Nine was similarly screwed up. And I can't imagine how it could have happened.Nine is

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-9899368233272506272009-12-29T00:05:00.000-08:002009-12-29T00:05:00.791-08:00

This is not so much a review as a mention: a great project for a great cause that makes a great gift!The Yellow Bird Project is a Montreal-based non-profit organization who have, since 2006, worked with a number of indie rock acts to create T-shirt designs that, in the end, benefit a wide range of charities.The Indie Rock Coloring Book takes it to the next level, offering up 28 coloring and

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-29550603342892982752009-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:002009-12-14T12:00:00.934-08:00

Understand going in that this is a book for the already converted. If you -- or the person you’re trying so hard to find the perfect gift for -- is not already deeply infected by heavy metal music, then Precious Metal (Da Capo) is not for you. Or them. But if they are... if they are this is seriously the best gift a metalhead could get.And why? These are the untold stories. Okay: that’s not

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-16514574313238156742009-11-15T09:30:00.000-08:002009-11-15T09:30:00.275-08:00

2009 marks the tenth anniversary of the Best Music Writing anthologies edited by music journalist and scholar Daphne Carr and published by Da Capo. As befits an anniversary edition, this anthology is stunning with contributions from some of the very top names in music writing, and letters, as well.As guest editor Greil Marcus points out, Best Music Writing 2009 is not meant to be an almanac:It is

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-3462061785267235692009-11-02T17:42:00.000-08:002009-11-03T06:34:12.824-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumWe've all seen the endless news reports about H1N1. But there's another epidemic sweeping the country: Glee.I caught the Glee bug early on, when I watched the pilot last May. Since then, there was first a groundswell, then real momentum, and now an almost religious devotion to the show that's not only redefined what a sitcom looks and feels like, but also what a sitcom sounds

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-20245746961517554632009-10-01T11:00:00.000-07:002009-10-01T11:00:01.347-07:00

It’s important to know going in that How the Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘N’ Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music (Oxford University Press), doesn’t really have much to do with the Beatles at all. Or maybe it is more accurate to say that it has everything and nothing to do with them.What the book really does is take on everything we think we know about popular music because, as

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-4244971655544288082009-09-02T00:05:00.000-07:002009-09-01T21:21:19.600-07:00

As a culture, we just don’t seem to get sick of epic Motown girl group, The Supremes. We’ve had movies and television shows and, of course, books and books and books. None of this diminishes the pleasure of author Mark Ribowsky’s The Supremes (Da Capo). Nor, in some ways, does it diminish Ribowsky’s hubris: for himself and his chosen subjects. “[The Supremes] are the most important modern

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-39268005835490428072009-08-11T12:47:00.000-07:002009-08-11T13:10:29.438-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumYou gotta love a soundtrack whose cover art is a photo displayed on its side. But it's the perfect image for the film, which certainly turns the love story on its side. The Time Traveler's Wife, based on the bestseller by Audrey Niffenegger, is one of those stories that you just know will make a spellbinding movie. And as a filmmaker, you sort of know, going in, that you want

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-73915577213956311672009-08-01T01:42:00.000-07:002009-08-01T01:42:00.755-07:00

Unsurprisingly, Black Tooth Grin (Da Capo) begins at the end. December 8, 2004, 24 years to the day that John Lennon died. “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott killed onstage, mid-song. The founder of the metal cover band Pantera, Abbott was not well known outside of his own metal community. However according to author Zac Crain, no one who knew the musician ever wondered why so many people called the act “

Lincoln Chohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14928697448708430161noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-55043009873796347052009-07-08T13:09:00.000-07:002009-07-08T13:46:11.717-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI have always identified with West Side Story. I think this is probably because I'm named after its tragic hero. But there's more to it than that. After all, West Side Story is one of those rare indelible musicals. Whether you see it on stage or in a movie theater, whether you listen to the original cast recording or the soundtrack, it's still a brilliant look at New York in the

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-33470456259218546872009-07-06T19:59:00.000-07:002009-07-06T20:36:59.775-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumThe musical Chess is back. Not that it was ever terribly far away. From concept album in the mid-80s to British stage musical, to Broadway adaptation, to London revival, and now, to a concert version now available on CD and DVD.With music by Abba masters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, and countless other iconic muscials),

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-20062988647118770522009-06-09T21:00:00.000-07:002009-06-09T20:54:42.988-07:00

Though neither was particularly young, both were sharply talented, and so a week that takes both actor David Carradine and “Queen of the Blues” KoKo Taylor seems especially ugly.When I heard Taylor had died, my mind went to a single song, though she performed many. Still, “Wang Dang Doodle” was somewhat anthemic in Taylor’s hands, a call to good times and living well and the sexual overtones

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-57949163308055587472009-05-14T10:38:00.000-07:002009-05-14T11:10:05.591-07:00

By Tony BuchsbaumI was afraid film scores were dying. Movie after movie, I craved robust, thoughtful, melodic scores—and instead ended up with blood pouring from my ears. Even old standbys, the James Bond film scores, have under-delivered. The series' current composer, David Arnold, who held such promise early on, now creates scores that are utterly forgettable, devoid of any real coherence, save

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-87546216210427041902009-03-30T00:05:00.000-07:002009-03-30T00:05:00.917-07:00

After an all-party weekend, the awards program that some people insist on calling “the Canadian Grammys” are done for another year. The Georgia Straight has that story:The Junos have now come and gone through Vancouver. After a four-day party, much of it on Granville Street, the major winners of Canada’s national music awards were announced tonight at a glitzy ceremony at General Motors Place

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-90469721777175334642009-03-26T00:45:00.000-07:002009-03-26T00:45:00.771-07:00

The film version of Maurice Sendak’s children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are, will fill a screen near you this fall.The screenplay was written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, with Jonze directing Forest Whitaker, Katherine Keener, Paul Dano and James Gandolfini.Viewers who just can’t wait for the film to open can get a real solid tease from the film’s trailer, released today.Where the Wild

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-75184112056018824762009-03-13T15:02:00.000-07:002009-03-13T15:07:55.173-07:00

After a whole lot of waiting, SXSW in Austin runs from today until the 22nd at the Austin Convention Center as well as various venues throughout the downtown core. Simply too much going on to run it all down for you, but links to absolutely everything are at the official SXSW site here.

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-53037884359324084542009-03-13T00:05:00.000-07:002009-03-13T00:05:00.786-07:00

Are you still sad about the cancellation of Jericho, the nuclear disaster-themed nighttime soap? If so, help is definitely on the way. You might have already heard about the feature film version that is planned but there’s even better news yet: your favorite characters are headed for a comic book near you. From the MTV Movies blog:Nothing can keep the folks of “Jericho” down. Not a nuclear

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-54953323746385910492009-02-11T08:26:00.000-08:002009-02-11T09:12:35.309-08:00

The two new Kate Winslet movies—both of them based on successful novels—couldn't be more different, and yet there's also something intriguingly the same about them. Both are about relationships based on desire...and that leave something to be desired. The marriage in Revolutionary Road seems, for a while, idyllic, then veers into very dangerous territory before falling to pieces. The affair in

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-65536640917236942732009-01-20T17:45:00.000-08:002009-01-20T17:45:00.420-08:00

We interrupt your musical programming for something that has no business being here: a mention of my latest novel, Death Was in the Picture, published today by St. Martin’s Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books. Word from Publishers Weekly: “Richards’s swell follow-up to Death Was the Other Woman … handles the slang and patois of the period neatly. Likewise, she paints a vivid picture of the contrast

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-71929402485614934222009-01-11T09:35:00.000-08:002009-01-14T05:45:23.762-08:00

By Tony BuchsbaumThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button is one of the year's best films...and maybe its best film. Beyond all the special effects, which transform Brad Pitt from an aging infant to a young octegenarian, the film is an elegy to all the things that make New Orleans New Orleans. Filmed primarily in the city, the film is rich with its colors and smells and its lingering sense of ghosts

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-8804122059702448352008-12-26T12:26:00.000-08:002008-12-26T12:28:42.677-08:00

I can’t help but think that legendary chanteuse Eartha Kitt would be at least a little pleased at the timing of her final exit. The singer best known for her 1953 recording of “Santa Baby” died on Christmas Day. J. Kingston Pierce at The Rap Sheet points out the irony:This is both sad and ironic news for Christmas Day: Singer and actress Eartha Kitt, whose renditions of the song “Santa Baby” were

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-19666978619001500112008-12-11T08:42:00.000-08:002008-12-11T08:42:01.161-08:00

Consider the music producer. Do you know what they do? In the simplest terms, a music producer directs the music, just as a director directs a film. That is, he (or she) brings all aspects of a song to life, from performance to orchestration to mix to final release. Some music producers are famous in their own right; perhaps the most famous is Quincy Jones, who has worked in many different kinds

Tony Buchsbaumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09254707449683889078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29211924.post-67180464574285524702008-11-18T11:00:00.000-08:002008-11-18T11:00:00.903-08:00

Filmed on Halloween night in 1976, this DVD contains seldom-seen performances of Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic in their 1970s prime filmed at the Houston Summit. The DVD represents the era of their Mothership Connection and The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein LPs.New this week, Shout! Factory releases Parliament Funkadelic: The Mothership Connection Live 1976 on DVD.On Halloween night 1976

Linda L. Richardsnoreply@blogger.com1