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(04/21/10 6:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It has been seven years since Jeff Beck’s last album, so expectations have been understandably high for his newest release, “Emotion & Commotion.” The album is certainly enjoyable but not very exciting or interesting.Although he’s the guitarist’s guitarist, Jeff Beck has never been a great songwriter. On “Emotion & Commotion,” he culls songs from Jeff Buckley and “The Wizard of Oz” to make up for it. “Hammerhead” opens with a solo guitar reminiscent of Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child (Slight Return),” but by the time “Over the Rainbow” pops up, Beck is in general standards territory.It’s a real shame to see him going down this path. Beck’s former front man, Rod Stewart, has made a joke of himself by recording nothing but old standards for whatever cash he can get. Beck should have known to stay as far from that as possible.Many songs on this album are pleasant and relaxing, but rarely do they rock. They’re good for a relaxing drive but not much else.
(04/21/10 5:56pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Martin Dosh, known simply by his last name on his solo releases, is known for crafting a mixture of electronica and rock with clever beats and fascinating textures. His newest release “Tommy” utilizes a more varied palette, although that sets the album up for uneven stretches.“Tommy,” which has no connection whatsoever to The Who’s classic album of the same title, opens on a strong note with “Subtractions.” The track starts with percussion, which gets the groove started immediately. On “Number 41,” Andrew Bird shows up to provide vocals and violin. Unfortunately, once the vocals arrive, the song starts to sound like a track off the most recent David Byrne-Brian Eno collaboration (i.e., not very interesting).The album suffers from sequencing choices; the best tracks are at the beginning and end, and the progression toward the middle reveals weaker songs. That unevenness can be forgiven with “Gare de Lyon,” the final, longest and most fully realized track.Even though “Tommy” drops off toward the middle, it’s still a compelling listen from start to finish.
(04/14/10 9:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indie music is probably the most complicated and frustrating genre of this group. You never know what you’re going to get. Does indie allude to the size of the record label or the actual style of the music? Seriously, what the hell is indie?First, it is diverse. No other genre can encompass Yeasayer at one end of the spectrum and Fleet Foxes at the other. Yeasayer’s “Odd Blood” crafts a set of songs full of synthesizers that are indebted to the synth-pop of the ’80s. Fleet Foxes make reverb-filled folk rock songs. Even though these two bands sound like they come from different galaxies, they fall under indie’s long arms.Even unclassifiable bands find safe harbor in indie. Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” veers from solo acoustic to prog rock outbursts, yet still fits safely into the indie genre.Even, dare I say, non-indie bands might fit within the genre. Sonic Youth, the innovators of no-wave and prophets of alternative, were on indie labels until they released their masterpiece, “Daydream Nation.” But even with the bigger label, the band never caved in to popular pressures, and now they have returned to an indie label.The one factor all of these bands share is a desire to make something new and original. Sure, Fleet Foxes are heavily influenced by Brian Wilson and countless folk records, but they try to extend those influences into something that hasn’t existed before.And the time is certainly ripe for this kind of independent experimentation. In an age of computers and the internet, people can make new music and distribute it to millions cheaply. Individually, indie artists might not move the broadest fan base, but that’s alleviated by the fact that all bands can connect with almost anyone on the planet.Trying to predict what indie music will sound like in upcoming years is a pointless exercise. Considering it has no set sound, it doesn’t make sense to guess what its next sound will be. However, indie music will certainly continue to favor the innovative and the new over the old and stale.Ultimately, indie’s strength is that it never chooses any single sound. With a name that means nothing, indie music is able to be anything and everything for everyone.
(04/14/10 7:01pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Even though Steve Carell and Tina Fey have had television shows air next to each other for years, they’ve never really had any sizable collaboration. With “Date Night,” the two comedians get a chance to combine their strengths and invest the film with some life.Carell and Fey are Phil and Claire Foster, a couple whose marriage is starting to seem a bit dull. When they get the news that their best friends (Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig) are getting divorced, the Fosters wonder if their own marriage can survive, considering that their friends were the ideal couple.Phil decides to take Claire out on the town to reignite their feelings, but the upscale restaurant they go to is booked months in advance. Just when it looks like they are out of luck, Phil pretends to be a no-show couple and steals their table. Next thing they know, the Fosters are being held at gunpoint in an incredibly unfortunate case of mistaken identity.Everyone has seen this film before. After being mistaken for someone else, the people in danger will delve even further into the conspiracy out of necessity, and will end up not only clearing their name but solving the crime. Or finding the Russian microfilm. Or whatever it is.Even though this plot is nothing new, Fey and Carell are able to add new layers to this version. Because they aren’t incredibly glamorous, they actually look like real people caught up in a crazy plot.Their comedic skills are also put to good use. Carell and Fey are both plenty funny on their own, but they have an excellent ability to play off each other for jokes. Even as they are running from a burning wreck or driving backwards in the most unlikely of car chases, they focus on the comedy, not the action.“Date Night” can’t claim many special distinctions. The action sequences are good, not great. The script is fine, but nothing very interesting, and the story has definitely been recycled. By finding actors who work together seamlessly, the film rises above the standard action-comedy.
(04/14/10 6:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call — New Orleans” is not quite a remake (director Werner Herzog claims to not have seen the original), nor is it a sequel to the original film of a similar name. Rather, it is the recipient of The Most Ungainly Title award. All joking aside, this new “Bad Lieutenant” has one of Nicolas Cage’s finest performances.German director Herzog, one of the most important filmmakers of this century, and Cage are what make this film succeed — despite a screenplay that is full of holes.Cage, as a drug-addicted cop, is fascinating as a man falling apart. At his most noble moments, he sounds like Jimmy Stewart. At his most frenzied, he twitches constantly and laughs like Jack Nicholson’s Joker.Much of Herzog’s personality is absent from this film. Instead, he serves as a steady hand against Cage’s jittery one. He only departs into his own world for close-up shots of reptiles, more examples of his fascination with nature.“Bad Lieutenant” is somewhat flawed, but Cage’s performance should not be missed.
(04/14/10 6:31pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mark Galup and Andy Hollinden’s new album, “Lucky Hands in Trying Times,” is a collection of finely crafted pop songs. The album rarely rocks out, but it instead focuses on establishing an emotional connection.Galup, a Bloomington musician, and Hollinden, a professor in the Jacobs School of Music, originally worked together on Hollinden’s previous album before deciding to do a full collaboration. The album’s 12 songs are divided evenly, with Galup on the odd-numbered tracks and Hollinden on the even-numbered tracks. Amazingly, the songs flow well, even with the simplistic sequencing.Galup’s songs tend to be a bit more rootsy and melodic, while Hollinden’s songs sound extremely personal. Occasionally, his printed lyrics seem a bit too obvious, but that’s forgotten in the context of the song.Galup and Hollinden don’t stray too far from mid-tempo songs, but “Lucky Hands” still finds a pop formula that works. It’s refreshing to hear good local music and to know you can still do something fun outside of your day job.
(04/07/10 5:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The years haven’t been kind to Miley Cyrus. After being a successful singer and television star, Cyrus seems to be nearing the end of a long and illustrious career. In “The Last Song,” she looks haggard and devastated, with a snarl constantly glued to her worn-down face. Half the time, she doesn’t seem to even know where she is. She reminded me more of Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond” than a teen sensation. The end is nigh.Cyrus plays Ronnie, who is shipped off for the summer to stay with the father she blames for her parents’ divorce. She has a look of disgust in every scene, just so we know she hates being there, and a stud in her nose, so we know she’s trouble. OK, OK, we get it.This movie is nothing but pure exploitation garbage. When there isn’t enough tension, the boyfriend gets in trouble. When the audience needs to shed a tear, someone gets killed off. This movie doesn’t respect you, so don’t waste your money on it.
(04/07/10 5:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Robin Williams garnered plenty of publicity for his “Weapons of Self Destruction” tour after going on hiatus for heart surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery is the only thing worth talking about. His new stand-up album fails to explore any new territory and sometimes is simply unfunny.Williams tries to be edgy and controversial at every turn, but most of these jokes wouldn’t have been a big deal 20 years ago, much less today. When he turns his focus to politics, he is unable to come up with jokes that go beyond what Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert do every night. In one of the final segments Williams riffs on the illogical design of sex organs; at least half of his jokes have been told by others, some in almost the same form.There are laughs on this album but precious few. It includes a DVD of the show, which is more lively. Maybe when Williams digs a little deeper than the first thought that pops in his head, he’ll have something worth saying.
(04/05/10 5:30pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Alright, so here's some thoughts:Horror movies are not great cinema - in fact, despite being a horror buff of sorts, I can easily count on two hands the number of horror movies that I like that are also great movies. A lot of the appeal can be in the campy violence and satanic undertones; you know, metal stuff. But this recent wave of horror remakes (with exception for the first Rob Zombie "Halloween" remake, I would say) are mainly made for people who don't like horror movies. They put asses in seats for a couple of weeks and then no one will ever buy the DVD. "True" horror movies breed fan cultures not unlike the ones I wrote about last week - they transcend their objective worth. 90% of horror remakes are lose-lose scenarios. They're bad movies, the people they should be marketed to shun them, the people they are marketed to don't like them, and they're tarnishing the names of franchises even more than unnecessary sequels already have. And Wes Craven is dead to me. By the end of the summer, his entire Unholy Trinity ("The Last House on the Left," "The Hills Have Eyes," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street") will have been remade, and that's being generous and forgetting that he ruined his own reputation with "Scream."Thoughts?- Brad Sanders would have to disagree with you slightly about the quality of horror cinema. I don't believe that the horror film as an institution is fundamentally flawed; rather, horror films key into very animalistic and primal fears in a way that executives and movie makers long ago learned could be used to exploit viewers. Few films can get such a strong emotional reaction from viewers, and the people making horror films know that. I would also put the number of horror films that I consider great movies in the single digits, but I don't think that necessarily says anything about the genre.I agree that horror remakes are usually just a waste of time for everyone involved. Maybe I'm just sounding like an old guy, but I think horror films may have already peaked as far as shock value goes. Most of the horror remakes I've seen in the last decade or so derive their scariness just from violence and gore - the grossout. They seem to be marketed as an even scarier version of a preexisting movie. But the horror films from the late '70s and '80s aren't much softer than their horror remakes. Romero's Dawn of the Dead has as much people-eating as the remake and I would say it's just as graphic. Shock value seems to be the main selling point of these remakes, but it's already been done. Where is there to go?- Brian MarksI agree that it doesn't make the genre less legitimate; there was a time when I primarily watched horror movies, and they attract some of the most serious fans of anything in pop culture.And I definitely agree that the gross-out factor is the primary tactic used by new horror directors despite the fact that everything has been done. More obnoxious than that, even, is the propensity of these directors to show the breasts of sexy ladies and get a cheap scare out of the audience by having something loudly pop onscreen. The formula is painfully easy to master, and the product is never anything worthwhile.Adding insult to injury, the only great horror film of the last decade, "Let the Right One In," is being remade in English this year and retitled "Let Me In." It's only been three years, for Satan's sake! Leave it alone! Remakes and reboots are running rampant throughout Hollywood, but nowhere is it more evident than in horror.- BSWow, "Let Me In." I wonder if that has sexual undertones.I'm sure we could bash horror remakes for hours, but are there any remakes that you think actually work?- BMI think the first "Halloween" movie by Rob Zombie and the remake of "The Hills Have Eyes" were the closest thing to good. "Halloween" gave back story if that's what you were into, personally, I think the greatness of the original lies in the total lack of a Michael Myers back story. And "Hills" put an unfortunately modern twist on the Craven classic, but did some stuff in the realm of visuals that Craven probably wishes he had access to in 1977. And "The Ring" is a totally acceptable reimagining of "Ringu" as well. Otherwise, none that I can name. You?- BSI haven't seen the new "Hills Have Eyes," although it seems like the rare remake that actually had a few okay reviews thrown in. I like bits of Rob Zombie's "Halloween," but the acting was the most frightening part of that movie. I think Rob Zombie does interesting things with horror movies and has a great knowledge of the genre, but he is incapable of getting an actor to do anything believable, or even picking actors who have that capacity. It might help if he stayed away from friends and family members.I have an admiration for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" that I'm not very proud of. Maybe it's because it was the first horror remake I can remember seeing, before I was sick of them. I admire something about how nihilistic that movie is, and think it has a great sense of atmosphere. But the cast isn't anything great, as is expected, and by trying to give a back story to the Leatherface character, they make him seem like a little kid with an anger problem.But I can't really say there are any horror remakes I'm in love with.- BMI can get behind that criticism of Zombie. I used to worship him as a director and I'd say that The Devil's Rejects is one of the best horror films of the last decade, but the acting is terrible. It used to be okay because it was supposed to be campy, but if he's going to keep making "real" movies, he needs to get some real actors and not just his damn wife.Not to mention "House of 1000 Corpses" is the only semi-parody of that campy, schlocky 1970s style that actually transcended it and became a really good movie on its own merits. In fact, I'd say the right thing to do rather than remake, reboot, or make sequels to old horror movie is to pay homage to them as Zombie did with his first two films. He should be an example to directors interested in doing this kind of stuff - of course, he went and broke his own rules and continues to, but hey, he tried for a while.- BS
(03/31/10 5:50pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Atom Egoyan’s new film “Chloe” starts off looking like it will be a high-quality erotic thriller. Unfortunately, by falling victim to ridiculous and completely unrealistic characterizations, the film sets itself up for an expected and completely unoriginal ending.The woman of the title is a high-class prostitute, played by Amanda Seyfried, who first runs into Catherine (Julianne Moore) in a restaurant bathroom. Catherine believes her husband (Liam Neeson) is cheating on her with his students, so she decides to hire Chloe to see if he can be seduced. Chloe’s attraction to Catherine becomes more than just a business arrangement, and everything falls apart when it’s revealed that Chloe isn’t completely truthful.From then on, Chloe becomes the crazy stalker who must experience violent retribution. Once the twists are revealed, this film doesn’t even consider anything but the most obvious ending. “Chloe” could have been something special, but it drops all its ambitions in favor of safe, boring conventionality.
(03/31/10 5:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The Blind Side” was all the buzz this award season. Was it the populist film that could go the distance? Would Sandra Bullock finally snag the Oscar? She won her award, but the question everyone should have been asking was: Is this movie any good?The film is based on the book about Michael Oher, who was adopted by Leigh Anne Tuohy and went on to play college and professional football. The film’s racial sensibilities are troubling, and it falls prey to two popular myths: the compassionate white person will rescue the underprivileged black person and that same underprivileged person will go on to accomplish amazing things. All fine and dandy, but what about the poor teenager who doesn’t happen to be built like a football player? And what if there isn’t a wealthy white person nearby to save the day?“The Blind Side” will tug at your heart strings, hoping you don’t realize how much you’re being exploited. The only things worse than that are Tim McGraw’s hair plugs.
(03/24/10 7:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the exception of zombies and vampires, most dead people stay dead. Yet, by some divine luck, Jimi Hendrix can still release albums from beyond the grave. “Valleys of Neptune” is more of a rarities collection than a proper album, but these songs still rock.The album mixes new versions of classic songs with brand new tracks. Of the previously recorded songs, “Stone Free” is given a more sophisticated arrangement, while “Fire” and “Red House” were recorded live in the studio. In fact, the album almost feels like a live album at times. At least three of the songs are done without any overdubs, and most just have a single guitar line. The lack of adornment lets the songs focus on pure, raw power.The newer tracks will probably be of most interest. The title track and “Crying Blue Rain” show Hendrix’s songwriting improving. The standout is a cover of “Sunshine of Your Love.” An instrumental, it focuses on Hendrix’s improvisation skills.When dealing with a posthumous album, an obvious question arises: Is this what the artist would have wanted? In the case of “Valleys,” yes and no. It’s doubtful previously recorded songs would have been released on a studio album. But these songs are on fire, and they help fill in the blanks of Hendrix’s last years.
(03/24/10 6:45pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s difficult to dislike a Pedro Almodóvar film. He makes his love for the cinema and his actors so obvious that one has to really try not to be swept up in that admiration. With “Broken Embraces,” it’s all but impossible.The film’s story is told by Harry Caine (the name is an Orson Welles reference), who was known as Mateo many years ago. Lena, played by Penelope Cruz, is a secretary who becomes the mistress of her rich boss. Mateo, who is preparing to direct a film, falls for her and makes her the lead actress in his film. Things are complicated by her jealous lover and an obsessive cameraman.“Broken Embraces” is littered with connections to the past, from Hitchcockian suspense to a reference to the lamp scene in Godard’s ”Contempt.”But even more than cinema, Almodóvar revels in Penelope Cruz.“Broken Embraces” is one of Almodóvar’s strongest and most accessible films. It’s a great way to end what has been an amazing decade for him.
(03/15/10 10:37pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I approached “Quarantine the Past,” the new collection from Pavement, with some reservations. Could possibly the greatest (alternative) band of the ‘90s translate what made their albums so fantastic into a “best of” collection? That answer is yes, yes they can.“Quarantine” gets things right from the start by not sequencing the songs chronologically. The band’s five albums are consistent in quality, but the style changed a bit with each release; by mixing the songs together, there isn’t an awkward division between each stage of their career. If anything, the sequencing shows how great the material is – there is not a dull moment on this compilation.None of the songs on “Quarantine the Past” are brand new, with most originating on the full-length albums. However, this disc might still be of interest to Pavement fans who don’t own the EPs or the band’s contribution to the “No Alternative” compilation.The band is expert at mixing the crunchy, squealing guitar with Stephen Malkmus’ thoughtful and often funny lyrics. Each track holds a joy and exuberance that is infectious.Hopefully, this album will introduce people to Pavement (as gently as possible), but for existing fans, it might just make them want to listen to all the old albums again. Either way, everybody wins.
(03/15/10 10:33pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the exception of zombies and vampires, most dead people stay dead. Yet, by some divine luck, Jimi Hendrix can still release albums from beyond the grave. “Valleys of Neptune” is more of a rarities collection than a proper album, but these songs still rock.The album mixes new versions of classic songs with brand new tracks. Of the previously recorded songs, “Stone Free” is given a more sophisticated arrangement, while “Fire” and “Red House” were recorded live in the studio. In fact, the album almost feels like a live album at times. At least three of the songs are done without any overdubs, and most just have a single guitar line. The lack of adornment lets the songs focus on pure, raw power.The newer tracks will probably be of most interest. The title track and “Crying Blue Rain” show Hendrix’s songwriting improving. The stand out is a cover of “Sunshine of Your Love.” An instrumental, it focuses on Hendrix’s improvisation skills.When dealing with a posthumous album, an obvious question arises: “Is this what the artist would have wanted?” In the case of “Valleys,” yes and no. It’s doubtful previously recorded songs would have been released on a studio album. But these songs are on fire, and they help fill in the blanks of Hendrix’s last years.
(03/10/10 7:27pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Besnard Lakes’ new album, the curiously titled “The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night,” finds the Montreal collective expanding upon previous albums. A combination of increased instrumentation and tight arrangements leads to an album that manages to sound both epic and intimate at the same time.The Besnard Lakes have a lot in common with the other revered Montreal band, Arcade Fire. Both groups expand beyond the standard guitar(s)/bass/drum set-up and tend to write songs that usually end up as sing-song anthems by their climax. Unfortunately, that level of grandeur isn’t always sustained on this album; instead of offering a change of pace, the slower moments bring it to a complete stop. The final few songs just float away, without any real resolution.Despite unevenness, “The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night” is exhilarating enough at the high points to make it worthwhile. Even at the lowest moments, the group’s passion is always audible, if not deafening.
(03/03/10 8:18pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All doctors are cranky — and some are addicted to drugs, too (at least that’s what television teaches us). “Nurse Jackie” uses the personality traits we’ve come to expect in TV doctors but transplants them to a nurse. Although it sometimes feels like a retread, “Jackie” has characters that seem real and just dirty enough to be fun.The show basically operates as a vehicle for Edie Falco, who plays Jackie, a nurse with a short temper and an addiction to painkillers. Jackie often finds herself skirting (or leaping over) ethical boundaries. Jackie’s clueless nurse-in-training, Zoey (Merritt Wever), provides most of the comedy in what is usually a dark show.The other actors aren’t as successful. Like other Showtime programs, casting is a problem; although some of the actors mature over the season, others have no chemistry and go nowhere.The early episodes are sometimes scattershot, but later episodes find a stable path. “Nurse Jackie” still has some room to improve, but it’s a step up from the standard medical show fare.
(03/01/10 1:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“La Rondine,” the operetta by Giacomo Puccini, follows the story of two lovers linked to each other despite the social conventions of the time. But not even love will save them from the lies that threaten to tear them apart.The show opened Friday and features two more performances 8 p.m. March 5 and 6 at the Musical Arts Center.The story follows Magda, who lives in turn-of-the-century Paris as mistress to her wealthy lover, Rambaldo. While throwing a party, a young man named Ruggero arrives. The son of Rambaldo’s old friend, Ruggero looks for a recommendation for places to visit in Paris.Ruggero goes to a popular café, where Magda follows him, disguised as a working woman. She singles out Ruggero, and the two converse all night. They run away together to Nice, leaving behind the lives they knew.But not all is well in their separate world. When Ruggero asks Magda to marry him, she confesses to a lack of virtue in her past. She refuses to destroy his life by marrying him and forces him to leave, while she remains alone by the sea.Despite its heartbreaking finale, much of “La Rondine” is light. David Effron, chairman of the instrumental conducting department in the Jacobs School of Music, led the orchestra through tangos, waltzes and other dance forms.“This opera was commissioned to be an operetta, which means closer to a musical than an opera,” Effron said. “If you played the music without the singing, you wouldn’t know it was necessarily an opera.”Puccini focused on orchestral colors to tell his story by using groups of instruments to represent different aspects of the tale. He also repeatedly used leitmotifs, melodies repeated to represent specific characters.IU’s new production also features an ending different from the traditionally performed finale. Instead, it focuses on Magda rather than Ruggero. Vincent Liotta, head of the opera stage directing program at IU, said the new ending makes more sense with what has come before it.“Puccini was never really satisfied with the ending,” Liotta said. “For this performance, we have taken a combination of the various endings that he proposed as a way to give the opera both a bittersweet and strong finish.”Meghan Dewald, who portrayed Magda in Friday’s performance, said a key reason for Puccini’s continued popularity is his skill with drama.“The singer doesn’t have to say ‘I’m afraid, I’m heartbroken, I’m happy’ for the audience to know that,” she said. “The orchestra plays the emotion.”For Liotta, “La Rondine” is Puccini at his most mature.“In short, for me it is a neglected masterpiece that I believe more people should have the opportunity to fall in love with,” Liotta said.
(02/25/10 12:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“I thought I’d be a classical composer teaching theory. That was my assumption about my life,” said Jacobs School of Music professor Glenn Gass, who never imagined how different his path in life would be.Instead of being the composer he expected, Gass now teaches courses on rock ’n’ roll while leading possibly the largest and most-respected rock history program in the country.Gass looks how one might expect a professor of rock music to look — bespectacled, bearded and with longer-than-average hair. It’s as if he straddles the divide between one who loves and experiences music and one who teaches others about its many facets.His career started almost accidentally. Gass taught rock history in a Wisconsin federal prison before starting a class at IU as a means to pay for graduate school. After its success as a Collins class, Gass was given a faculty appointment.“It’s a career path I could never, ever have planned or even tried for. Just the right place, the right time, with the right ideas,” Gass said.His duties include courses on the roots of rock ’n’ roll music of the ’60s and more biographical courses focusing on The Beatles and Bob Dylan. In researching for his courses, Gass has been able to meet rock legends like Frank Zappa and Neil Young.“Back in the ’80s, I met quite a few of my heroes, and several came to class,” Gass said. “Lou Reed spent an hour and a half. Back then, rock history in a college was a real novelty.”Rock music itself, however, is not a novelty.“If it didn’t appeal to young people, it would have died,” Gass said. “But because each generation of young people saw themselves in the music, then as they aged, they kept the music with them. There’s still this sense that it’s a language we all still speak.”It’s obvious from talking to Gass for just a few minutes how passionate he is about what he teaches. Every subject branches off into multiple tangents, never quite returning to the home topic, as if his wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm can never be expended.“I think there’s a certain art to teaching, sure,” Gass said. “But what you teach, you’ve got to love. I’m lucky enough to teach The Beatles and Bob Dylan. I never have to convince myself that I really love this. I think that would be torture.”
(02/24/10 8:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This story could have made a great TV movie-of-the-week, where Coco Chanel rises from a dreary, orphaned childhood to become a successful icon of 20th century fashion. Instead, “Coco Before Chanel” cuts out the normal biopic crap and actually makes a movie worth watching.The structure is refreshing: instead of showing Chanel’s years as a famous designer, the story stops just as she achieves her first success. Rather than a by-the-numbers list of Chanel’s accomplishments, the film focuses on her personality and the relationships that shaped her life.Chanel is played by Audrey Tautou. Normally vivacious and charming, here she is gaunt and pale as the soon-to-be famous designer. Her usual beauty is replaced by an austere coldness.Chanel’s relationships with others are sometimes chilling. She lives as a baron’s mistress, using him to supply her monetary needs. Her only real romance, with an Englishman, is strangely cold.“Coco Before Chanel” is a fascinating portrait of a great figure back when she was just plain Coco.