If you think you have it rough with your job just watch Harlan County, USA and, trust me, you'll realize that you've never worked a hard day in your life. In 1972, coal miners in Kentucky, living in shanties without running water or plumbing, facing the possibility of deadly explosions, slow death from black lung, and a shocking lack of safety and benefits began a thirteen month, bitter and deadly strike. The daring documentarian Barbara Kopple and her crew suffered beatings and guns fired at them to capture the turmoil and drama.

You are unlikely to witness?areal life situation so wrought with tension, (even with the incredible Gimme Shelter and the less incredible house wives tables flipping out there). From murder within the union to murder on the picket lines, these hard working individuals are literally willing to die for their rights and, sadly, do. It's the women, the wives and daughters of the miners who are particularly resilient and fight the most visible battles against the gun wielding strike breakers and scabs.

With images that are both horrific and beautiful and a soundtrack of harrowing local blue grass, often sung by the people on screen, the academy award winning film is more than a political drama about unions, it's a piece of art that makes you question how far you could go and how much you could endure and fight if put in the same situation.

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Posted on June 29, 2009

I'm not sure what I expected when I purchased a few back issues of Easyriders Magazines, but when they arrived at my office wrapped in descreet brown paper, I figured they were not safe for work.

Crude, nude, and rude, these offer a great glimpse into a truly fringe American culture. You can find vintage ones available on eBay, and keep an eye out on Rotating Corpse as I post more inspiring images.

This week: “In the Wind” Artsy Style.

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Posted on June 29, 2009

Why do I mention it now?

Because Judas Priest is coming to Jones Beach this July 12 – Jim will be there (and holding a free ticket that should have been mine, but unforeseen travel plans got in the way).

Here's what I said back on 5/14/07:

Remember the huge controversy in 1990 when Holford and band were on trial for causing the suicide death of two metal kids? That song is Better By You, Better Than Me, and it's just one of the crowning achievements, and my favorite, in this quick, powerful classic.

Songs like Exciter and Saints in Hell are fast and morbid, with Beyond The Realms Of Death, my second favorite song on Stained Class, as the only possible exception. It's a as ballady as the Priest gets, but still rocks with a death obsession in its awesome chorus.

Judas Priest has become my favorite heavy metal band. Partly because I never grew up listening to them as a kid, and each song and album has been a new exciting discovery for me.

This album is one of the best in their career and I think it resonates with me because It was also released on my exact birthday.

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Posted on June 15, 2009

Why do I mention it now?

Because this hard to find gem of a movie is finally available on DVD and can be put on your netflix queue now!

Here's what I said back on

Derby, which I read about in Brix Pick The Scarecrow Movie Guide is not an easy one to find, even Photoplay (see what to do with an hour, below) didn't have it. I finally found it on Just 4 The Hell of It (who were great about quick shipping). Since it's a dub of a video, we scanned the disc quickly before watching, just to see the quality. The first scene we happened upon was of the main subject's brother looking at a Playboy as the subject's wife gets angry with him for hiding her raisins and making her take an extra trip to the grocery store just for a box of raisins, which he hid too. I knew from that small taste that it was going to be an awesome ride–and it really is.

Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of DVD transfer guys, the original sound has not been remastered and a good portion of some scenes are nearly inaudible. It can be frustrating, but with a little patience you'll see an early example of brilliant documentary film making.

The film focuses on Michael Snell, a down and out factory worker in Dayton, Ohio with two kids, a wife, a lazy but fascinating brother, and one big dream: to make it in roller derby. His story is juxtaposed with Charlie O'Connell's, an example of a life truly saved by the sport. He has fans, an adoring beautiful wife, a mansion overlooking Napa Valley, and a proud papa.

Snell's life is not as fantastic, aside for the proud papa who, like everyone else in this movie, is obsessed and fanatical about derby, making the film not only a portrait of another time (the early 1970s), but of another planet where roller derby is the biggest thing in the world. There's a lot of totally watchable derby footage, but the genius of the film is the way director Kaylor lets the story follow whatever happens.

And what happens? Well, aside from the raisins, his brother Butch talks to their friend who just got back from Vietnam about plans to avoid the draft “I'm a lover not a fighter” he says; Snell convinces his manager at the Firestone tire factory that his sunglasses are prescription and refuses to take them off in front of the cameras; a team member from a pro team talks about why he owns a gun (to keep rivals from breaking into his hotel room and attacking him); Snell's best friend, Roger, talks about why he owns a gun (sick of getting beaten up at bars); and, in an amazing scene, Snell and Rogers' wives confront Donna, a neighbor both of their husbands are sleeping with, about her affairs while wearing matching outfits.

Snell is trying to make it to a school in California so he can try out for the teams, but all the audience is sure he succeeds in doing is getting a loan from the bank to buy a motorcycle. Derby is making a small comeback with the suicide girls set, and I really hope this renewed interest might make someone, somewhere re-release this movie and clean up the audio.

Kaylor's work, which predates Errol Morris' by many years, should become a must-see for anyone with an interest in documentary film making. It's too bad there's nothing else on his resume except a couple 80s flicks: Nobody's Perfect starring Chad Lowe; and Carny with Jodie Foster, and Gary Busey (which means I'll obviously be trying to find these as well).

See more: Movies 1970s Documentary Sports

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Posted on June 15, 2009

While Lovin' You has become a bit of a shorthand joke in movies and TV shows to represent a kind of cheesy, schmaltzy romance that no one seems to believe in with such a hazy soft focus any more, I find it so simple both lyrically “loving you is easy because you're beautiful” and pretty that it still fills me with a sweet feeling.

As sweet as the baby's breath that halos Minnie Riperton's afro and the fact that she used to sing this to her baby daughter, comedienne Maya Rudolph.

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Posted on June 1, 2009