Find out more about any of these flix by visiting IMDb.com |
Planet of the Apes :: The original movie, not the remake (just so that's clear)! Once this movie begins I can't look away. Charlton Heston is perfect in the lead role, and the now famous lines of epic dialouge get funnier every time. Monkey business! 2001 : A Space Odyssey :: Less a movie, more of a wonderful mind-altering trip. Never the same twice. And Kier Dullea gets out-acted by a computer. Wow! Rocky Horror Picture Show :: This film got it all right the first time, and Tim Curry inhabits the lead role completely. For a lesson in high camp, outdated shock value, and a few good tunes, this movie is the one to pick. Truly subversive for it's time! Monty Python & The Holy Grail :: I doubt I could ever tire of this movie. it's note perfect, and always funny as hell. Tee-f**kin-hee! North by Northwest :: Almost any Hitchcock film would suffice ("Psycho" and "Rear Window" are easy substitutes) but I think I'd rather sit through Cary Grant and his easy charm again and again if pressed to do so. A wonderful roller coaster! The Tenant :: For scary movies I don't think I've ever been creeped out by anything as much as this Roman Polanski chiller. In a pinch I might add "Rosemary's Baby" as an understudy, but I find this film just that much spookier. Boo! The Man Who Fell To Earth :: I love a lot of Nicholas Roeg's work but this film was the first I saw, and I know that I could sit through it again and again. Bowie is amazing in the title role, and the sheer oddity of this work makes you wonder how a movie like this could ever have been green-lighted by a major studio. But thankfully it was. Astronomically good! Breathless :: I have watched this Jean-Luc Goddard classic many, many times and although I haven't seen it for a while, just remembering how much I loved it the first time sends shivers up my spine. This film is so good, that even Richard Gere's remake in the 80s wasn't bad. Trés bon! To Kill A Mockingbird :: A classic, and a bit of a tear-jerker to boot. Gregory Peck is amazing, and the girl who plays Scout is a treat. Get out the popcorn Honourable Mentions :: |
After hearing these records (especially yours Syd), I went out and collected the whole catalouge of these artists. |
Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks :: It's hard to convey just how great it was that this record came out when it did since my teenage angst and energy needed a suitable outlet. The Pistols blew everybody's mind, and nowadays it seems almost absurd that their power chords and media antics upset the very foundations of British society but... that's exactly how it was. And thankfully the tunes are as bitchin' now as they were back in '77 so you can still toss it on the turntable. I miss you other Sid! The Smiths - The Smiths :: First time I played this record I only liked one or two songs ("Pretty Girls Make Graves", & "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" were the two) But after a second listen I was hooked. I went on to devote a good chunk of my record allowance to The Smiths full catalouge, as well as almost every one of Morrissey's solo efforts. The Smiths were more than just a band. They really meant something to so many of us who remember how dire the music industry was in those days. Those Charming Men! Momus - Tender Pervert :: While working in a downtown record store, that specialized in UK imports, I happened to see this LP cover and thought "that looks interesting..." And dammit was I ever right! Since then I've met Momus, seen a handful of his live shows, appeared onstage with him, e-mailed him several times, contributed to one of his art exhibits in NYC, and purchased almost every one of his weird and wonderful musical offerings. But nothing topped being blown away by the lyrical genius of this, his 2nd album. Petrifyingly good! David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust :: When I discovered this album I played it till the tape disintegrated. After that I bought every Bowie LP I could find, cut my hair to look like the Pinups cover, and tried to get emaciatingly thin so I could emulate Dave. It didn't work. But along the way I discovered a wonderful talent. Too bad he's kinda crap these days. After "Lodger" it was a slow and painful downhill ride. You were a StarMan once DB! Velvet Underground - & Nico :: This album made me want to live in New York and wear black clothing. And get up to other mischief too. But since I was stuck in Toronto, 15 years too late, I lived vicariously through all the VU and Lou Reed solo work I could get my hands on. Dangerously good! Brian Eno - Here Come The Warm Jets :: Although Bryan Ferry and the entire early Roxy Music canon should be on this list too, it was Eno that always stood out in my mind as the interesting one. HCTWJ, his first solo album, is a tour de force of musical inventiveness and hypnotizing kookiness. Since discovering this disc I've followed Brian through all his ambient noodlings and I even saw him lecture once at the Art Gallery of Ontario. He can do no wrong. Blank Frank Rules! Tori Amos - Boys For Pele :: Although by the time this CD came out I had already seen Tori Amos twice (both times I was on the club guest list), it wasn't till I really listened to this particular disc that I took her seriously. Very seriously! Now I regard her as one of the monumental talents of her decade. And while she's not for everyone, those who do get her understand just how special she is. My little Cornflake Girl! Tom Waits - Rain Dogs :: I knew about Tom Waits before this album was released, but it was only after fully digesting this heavyweight blockbuster of a record that I fell under the spell of ol' Tom W. He is a genius in every sense of the word! And he's also a consumate actor, using the hard luck characters he creates in song to evoke a strange nostalgic atmosphere that reminds us all of a place we've never been to, and that probably never existed anyway, but that we all seem to know so well. The gutter poet laureate! Bob Dylan - Another Side of Bob Dylan :: I share a birthday with Bobby Dylan, and I've always felt a kinship in other ways too. He loves wordpay as much as i do, and he also can't sing all that well. Anyway, this particular album of his was the one that really drew me into the Dylan mystique, and although I haven't paid much attention to him post-1975, I still think his first 7 albums are masterpieces. You done painted yo' masterpiece buddy! 10 Honourable Mentions :: |
I saw Nirvana in concert once, but it was kind of a shambolic show. |
Morrissey - Kingswood Theatre :: I've seen Morrissey about 8 or 9 times now and he is always a trea, but this show was the FIRST time I had ever seen him live (having missed all Toronto appearances by The Smiths in the mid-80s). Anyway it was a magnificent show by a man at the height of his powers (touring on his first 2 solo efforts), and I had free seats in the 10th row. Spectacular! PJ Harvey - The Phoenix :: I've seen PJ three times so far, and twice she played the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto. And both shows were electrifying. But I think the first one stands out cuz she was touring the amazing "Bring You My Love" CD. Plus she was slutted up for the show in a blood red dress and matching platform heels. Sex-sational! Look People - The Beehive :: How many times have I seen Look People perform? Probably close to 100 times (I toured with them after all... twice!). But I recall a show at the short lived Beehive Bar on Queen St West in Toronto and they put on such a great show. The capper though was Great Bob's drum solo in which he eschewed his usual mesmerizing abilities and instead mimicked (and extended) the entire Ringo Starr drum solo from "The End" on the Abbey Road album. Hilarious. The good ol' days ! Sex Pistols - RPM :: I saw the Pistols in the mid 90s on their "Filthy Lucre" tour. there was a beer company promotion going on in Toronto that if you enetred you could win tickets to a secret concert in which no one would know until the band took the stage who was going to be performing. I won one of the may pairs of tickets for that show, and lo and behold I got to see Johnny Rotten et al in a small club venue and got free beer to boot. And I pogo-ed like a fiend. It was like reliving my childhood (in a good way), and the Pistols were actually fookin' brill' mate! Plus I got an extra special favour from my girlfriend during our cab ride home. invigorating! Smashing Pumpkins - "Perfect" video shoot :: I liked the Smashing Pumpkins a lot, but probably wouldn't have put them in a list like this except that once, on a visit to LA, I met a girl (through a mutual friend) who worked in the film industry. She said she was working on the new Smashing Pumpkins video, and asked if I wanted to be a crowd scene extra. I said sure, but what I didn't know was that the live music scenes were being culled from an hour long live set that the band was doing in a basement LA punk club that only held about 80 or 90 people. It was so cool and so intimate. And the band was great. So me and about 80 radio contest promo winners got to stand about 6 feet from Billy Corgan and crew as they raced through the bands biggest hits. Too bad no photos were allowed. Zowie! Bob Marley - Maple Leaf Gardens :: I really barely remember this show (it was in 1979 after all) but I do remember being there. I even found my old ticket stub (price of a GOLD seat at MLG = $10). i went with a group of high school pals, who had an extra ticket come showtime, and so even though I was less familiar with Bob's stuff than they were, I came along (mainly just to smoke dope in the arena). But since then I have milked this story of seeing Bob live many, many times and I do remember that it was a good show. Irie! Failure - The Reverb :: Here's a band from LA that should have been huge but never ever made it. A music industry friend of mine took me to their Toronto show, and although I knew NOTHING about the band i was blown away by how good they were live. I also got to hang out with them after the gig (at a music industry party), and I remember the guitar player saying to me "if this album doesn't make it, we're packing it in." Well, the CD (which I got for myself the following week) tanked even though it's a bloody masterpiece. C'est la vie. Memorable gig though. Racous! Neil Young - CNE Stadium :: I went to see this show because I got free tickets, but also because Soundgarden and Pearl Jam were opening up for ol' Neil. I had seen both opener bands before, at much smaller venues, and I loved them (my grunge days ya know - it was 1993), but dang if Neil didn't steal the show right from under those noisy upstarts. He made an open air stadium seem as intimate as a campfire on a summer night. And I don't even own more than one Neil Young CD. It was just his pure performance ability that won me over that night. Mystifying! The Nits - The Mod Club :: No one's ever really heard of this Dutch band, but I have seen them a number of times and so I know how good they are in concert. I had also turned Kevin Hearn (now of Toronto's own BareNaked Ladies) on to The Nits, and in 2004 he used his influence and arranged for the band to play Toronto with BNL as the opener. It was a pretty memorable evening. First BNL did an acoustic set, and then the Nits came on and gave one of their best performances ever. I've seen them in Europe 3 times, and in NYC once, and in Toronto once as well, but this is the show I'll always remember. Plus I hung out with them backstage and had a few free beers. Gezelig! 10 Honourable Mentions :: |
Not the best books in the world, but a few that stuck with me over the years |
J.R.R. Tolkien - Lord of The Rings :: I'll admit freely that I read this once and loved it. I then read it a second time, 15 years later, and loved it all over again. For different reasons too. It's essentially a comic book romp for boys with vivid imaginations, but it's also a primer in Norse mythology, an amusing insight into British xenophobia, and a thinly veiled metaphor of WW2. But it's also emotionally moving, wonderfully exciting and unsurpassed imaginatively. Precious! Ann Patchett - Bel Canto :: Not a book that will win a Nobel Prize or anything, but damn, what a good read. It's the story of a group of hostages, held up in the President's mansion in some Latin American country. The cast of characters includes a Japanese technology magnate, an opera diva, and several rather likeable terrorists. Opera is the linking theme throughout, and the story is very haunting. Bellisimo! Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth :: I normally wouldn't read a Ken Follett book, but this one was recommended to me, and since I had no other reading materials at the time I dug in. And it's actually a great read. It's a bit of a melodramatic saga, following the life of a cathedral builder in the middle of the 12th century in England, but the historical analysis of the era is fascinating, and the story itself is hard to tear yourself away from. Solid as a rock! Herman Melville - Moby Dick :: A pal of mine said this book is one of those pieces of literature that just HAS to be read. So, with a liesurely few months at my disposal I read it on my lunch hours while living and working in Nassau. And after a slow start I became totally engrossed. The detail is overwhelming, and the ending is dazzling. Not what I expected at all. Dare I say... a whale of a tale! Martin Amis - Money :: Amis is a great writer. No question about it! His observation skills are as sharp as a hawk's, and his loopy, yet devastatingly skewing metaphors and similies are a joy to wade through. I've read a few of his books, and not all of them end well, but the ride is always terrific. But I do think that this book stands up as a fully-formed classic from the very first sentence to the very last page. Bombastic! Tom Wolfe - Bonfire of The Vanities :: I love reading Tom Wolfe because he gives great sentence. Of course his narratives are also so insightful, satirical and so elegantly structured that you sometimes have to put the book down and just digest it all mid-paragraph. I'd recommend almost any Wolfe book (fiction or non-fiction) but Bonfire is a real masterpiece. incindiary! Tom Robbins - Jitterbug Perfume :: I remember that "Still Life with Woodpecker" was the first book of Robbins that I read (and I loved it too), but this book is the one that really stayed with me for some odd reason. And I can never eat beets again without being reminded of this highly amusing and insightful novel. Joyous! Marshall McLuhan - Understanding Media :: Perhaps one of the greatest books ever written. Why? Cuz Marshall McLuhan wrote it. I've read this book about three times now. Some of it I still don't quite comprehend, but anything McLuhan writes (or says) is so usually startlingly original and/or insightful, that trying to take it all at once in is defintely bordering on information overload. So just read it again and again. Visionary! Gabriel Garcia Marquez - 100 Years of Solitude :: I remember loving this book when I read it in college. Apparently going back to it as a grown up is as risky as trying to sympathize with Holden Caulfield once you're over 30, so I'll just choose to remember it as it was that first time - inexplicably beautiful. Bueno! |
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