by Leonard Cohen (1971)

I guess Leonard Cohen‘s third album, Songs of Love and Hate could be considered baby Van’s first album pick because he’s been quite moved to kick and punch whenever it’s played. Looks like he’ll be one moody little poet kid because Jim Morrison also gets him going. Fortunately mommy likes the album too. It’s got my favorite Cohen song possibly of all time, the incredibly sad Famous Blue Raincoat.

The entire album is perhaps his most effectively depressing with suicide, infidelity, the pain of becoming obsolete, and lost love as just a few of the topics covered. It’s spare and sparse (only eight tracks) with the focus being on his signature melancholy and beautiful lyrics. I’d call him the perhaps the best lyricist of all time, and this album is certainly evidence of this.

See more: Albums 1970s Folk Rock

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 26, 2010

by Iceberg Slim (1976)

I am slightly conflicted about recommending the pimp poetry spoken word gem Reflections by Iceberg Slim. It has become a favorite of Jim and mine since we came across it and became intrigued during our last Amoeba trip but it’s definitely not pc. It contains offensive material to nearly everyone (women and homosexuals getting the worst of it) but both the work and the man behind it is more complex than that. Slim, born Robert Beck, was an actual pimp for most of his young life and after a long prison sentence, decided to write about his life experiences. The result was the cult classic (though largely ignored) book, Pimp: The Story of My Life. Long before the gangsta rap that spoke of the violence and brutality of the streets, Slim was using his life as inspiration for eye opening and disturbing truths.

Reflections is his sing songy spoken word version of that rough life but accompanied by the Red Holloway Quartet, it’s also addictive, jazzy and strangely calming (kind of like a beatnik Dr. Seuss from a pimps point of view) and is unlike anything else you’re likely to have in your library. If you can get past the content and take it as one man’s experiences concerning a certain dark lifestyle, which by the way is always eloquent and often poignant and heartbreaking, this could be one of the greatest albums you’ll discover this year if only for the undeniable smoothness of his incredible voice.

See more: Albums 1970s Cult Poetry Spoken Word

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on September 5, 2010

directed by Orson Welles (1974)

Orson Welles‘ (mostly) documentary film, F for Fake, is a kinetic, meandering, stimulating experiment in story telling that would be a great watch for anyone interested in the art of editing and inventive movie making. While it doesn’t hit one hundred percent of the time and can take a little bit for the viewer to get into the pace and tone of it all, it’s very interesting.. or as Jim put it more succinctly and probably better “it’s fun to watch a master just fuck around”.

The story Welles’ is fucking around with here is one of fraud. Elmyr De Hory is the world’s greatest art forger. We see him create Matisses and Picassos on camera (which he burns) and his work has fooled the greatest “experts” and museums in the world. Clifford Irving is the man fascinated with the man and writing a biography of his exploits.. but it seems Irving has a few of his own fakeries going on. Welles touches on his own greatest fraud/work of art the radio program War of the Worlds, a story of Pablo Picasso and a beautiful lady (with an even more beautiful wardrobe that you can see in the stills below/after the jump) and ultimately the innate element of lying whenever anyone creates something.

As Welles’ last film, it was sadly a total failure upon its release in the US. Its avant garde style was largely frowned upon but is now considered highly influential. Criterion released the film a few years back and it’s currently available on netflix instant.

Click here for the rest of F for Fake

See more: Movies 1970s Art Documentary

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 8, 2010

by Suzi Quatro (1974)

I saw The Runaways. Thought it was shot nicely, the costumes were cool, but am I the only person that was totally bored by the end? No matter, it did remind me of the great Suzi Quatro hit abroad, (she rarely made the charts in the USA) The Wild One.

Click here for the rest of The Wild One

See more: Songs 1970s Rock

Be the first to leave a comment →
Posted on August 1, 2010

Directed by Irvin Kershner (1978)

While I didn’t notice the first time I saw Eyes of Laura Mars years ago, but it’s an American version of a Giallo if there ever was one. And as such it’s got the genre’s shining points and flaws: technicolor red blood, dramatic music cues, silly plot twists that end in a preposterous conclusion, a high body count, and style, style, style! There’s plenty to recommend this 70’s hit despite moments of mediocrity (like a terrible Babs song).

First, the cast. Faye Dunaway is in her prime of easy glamorous wide eyed star power, Tommy Lee Jones brooding is more charming than usual, in an all too brief appearance Raul Julia is the ultimate deadbeat gold digging ex, supermodel Lisa Taylor plays herself, and perhaps most importantly the film opened by eyes to the awesomeness of perhaps my favorite actor, Brad Dourif, who is here the foxiest creep ever put to film. Bomber jacket, jeans, flannel and a chauffeurs hat have never come together so perfectly.

That brings us to the second point: every scene has something fantastic to look at. The styling had me asking myself minutely “hmm, do I need a _____ (hat, blouse, skirt, hairdo, apartment, etc) like that in my life?” The answer was invariably “yes”.

Third, the centerpiece of the movie visually is the provocative work of photographer Helmut Newton. One of my favorite artists who sets the aesthetic tone.

You can watch it now with Netflix on demand.

Click here for the rest of The Eyes of Laura Mars

See more: Movies 1970s Horror Thrillers

2 Comments →
Posted on May 2, 2010