One of our very first Band of the Week selections was Screaming Tea Party, the masterful UK-based purveyors of the whole loud/soft and violent/gentle dynamic that we’ve grown to love so much. And yet, we haven’t heard much from them lately, most obviously because they still have yet to play any shows in the US. They have, however, just released a fantastic new video for “I’d Rather Be Stuck On The Stair Rail” and also were the subject of a recent short documentary “In The City”. Have a look and listen at both below. Read more
“Okay, okay, what should I do now? I feel like I should give you something special,” Lykke Li said entering her final song last night at the relatively brand new (le) Poisson Rouge. The stage was circular and the audience surrounded her and her band at every turn. She was feeding off of the incredible energy the packed house was relaying back to her and had reached the end of her own (admittedly limited: “I’m a young artist with only an EP and one album!”) catalog. Throughout the set Lykke had danced, wailed, entertained, and delivered like a true rising star. Go ahead and dismiss her as ‘just another buzz-fueled artist’, it’ll just mean I’ll have an easier time getting into future shows. However, unlike Lily Allen or Annie or Bat For Lashes or other potential comparisons, Lykke Li actually has amazing songs (thanks, in part, to Bjorn from Peter Bjorn and John) and charisma to spare in a live setting. Go see her in concert and try your best to not jump on the bandwagon, I did. Resistance is futile: it’s impossible not to love Lykke Li.
With her band pumping up the energy on the tracks from her recently released debut Youth Novels, and the audience knowing each song very well, the evening had a magnetic air about it that was undeniable. Songs such as “Let It Fall” and “Breaking It Up” brought the house down, with Lykke playing auxiliary percussion and dancing and moving as though the beats were coming from someplace deep within her. The band dropped a choice cover version of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” by Vampire Weekend (with Li using the song to brighten up the mood after one of her own slow songs) and saved that little something special to end the show with: a version of “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest (watch/listen below). After first taping a performance for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and then playing to a packed house of superfans in-the-round, it must’ve been a special night for Lykke Li. Well, she gave it right back to the audience. The entire show was something very special indeed.
Listen:
“Little Bit” (Loving Hand remix)
“Can I Kick It?” (A Tribe Called Quest cover, live from this show)
Watch:
“Can I Kick It?” (A Tribe Called Quest cover, live from this show)
See Lykke Li Live:
5 Sept - Bestival, Isle Of Wight
19 Sept - Razzmatazz, Barcelona
20 Sept - Moby Dick, Madrid
22 Sept - AB Club, Brussels
23 Sept - Nouveau Casino, Paris
24 Sept - Paradiso (Upstairs), Amsterdam
26 Sept - Roter Salon, Berlin
27 Sept - Ubel & Gefährlich (Reeperbahn Festival), Hamberg
29 Sept - The Plug, Sheffield
1 Oct - Scala, London
2 Oct - Concorde 2, Brighton
5 Oct - Glee Club, Birmingham
6 Oct - Thekla, Bristol
8 Oct - Academy 2, Liverpool
9 Oct - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
10 Oct - The Duchess, York
19 Oct - Black Cat, Washington, Washington DC
20 Oct - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
23 Oct - Paradise, Boston, Massachusetts
24 Oct - Mod Club, Toronto, Ontario
25 Oct - Empty Bottle, Chicago, Illinois
28 Oct - Richards on Richards, Vancouver, British Columbia
29 Oct - Neumo’s, Seattle, Washington
30 Oct - Doug Fir, Portland, Oregon
1 Nov - Independent, San Francisco, California
3 Nov - El Rey, Los Angeles, California
Visit Lykke Li on MySpace.
Also there: Music Snobbery, So Much Fun It Hurts…, and countless others yet to post about the show.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
It’s that time of the year again… back to school time! As summer wanes and the smell of textbooks again fills the air we’d like to offer you the following mix to enjoy on your way to class. Or while you’re skipping class. Or while you’re enjoying having the kids out of the house for a few hours every day. Whatever. Back to school, and back to mixes rather than muxes! (thanks 8tracks, you rule - get well soon Muxtape)
click the arrow above to listen to this week’s mix
Join EAR FARM’s Community for a link to download the entire mix as a ZIP.
EAR FARM’s Mixtape #23: Back to School
1. “Back to School” by Danny Elfman
2. “The Headmaster Ritual” by The Smiths
3. “School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell)” by Chuck Berry
4. “We Rule The School” by Belle & Sebastian
5. “Nights of the Living Dead” by Tilly and the Wall
6. “Popular” by Nada Surf
7. “Grade School Erection” by Frauke
8. “F**k School” by The Replacements
9. “Late For School” by Ponytail
10. “Cool Scene” by The Dandy Warhols
11. “The Happiest Days of Our Lives” by Pink Floyd
12. “Another Brick In the Wall (Part 2)” by Pink Floyd
13. “Rock ‘N’ Roll High School” by Ramones
14. “Hot For Teacher” by Van Halen
15. “Summer’s Gone” by Placebo
16. “Be True to Your School” by The Beach Boys
*above picture of the Music Conservatory at Oberlin College from HERE; front thumbnail from HERE
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8tracks is a simple way to create and share mixtapes that we’re now using in lieu of Muxtape, we may even like it more. Check back, as we post a brand new mix each week on Friday morning. You can see all of the EAR FARM Weekly Mixes HERE.
Aquarium Drunkard: My Morning Jacket covers “Rocket Man”
Bumpershine: Oasis playing Terminal 5
Clicky Clicky: The Clicky Clicky 200 kicks off with a track from Archers Of Loaf
Coolfer: Is the album as a format dying, or here to stay? Feedback on the Album Format
Friction NYC: FRICTION @ Mercury Lounge w/ Bear Hands, Boy Crisis, Blip Blip Bleep, Bottle Up & Go | 9.5.08
Crustcake: interview with Graveyard
Donewaiting: Neil Diamond Offers Refund For Columbus Show
Fluxblog: on Nine Inch Nails @ Izod Center, 8/27/2008 - “This concert was astonishing. I went in expecting it to rock, and to look cool, but they went much further than that.” Read the review HERE.
Idolator: Black Kids may call it quits
Limewire: Tilly and the Wall to Perform on Season Premiere of 90210 and Sesame Street
Motel de Moka: Star-crossed lovers III
Soft Communication: Neon Lights presents… The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, My Teenage Stride, The Capstan Shafts, and The Beets - TONIGHT
Dr. Dog played their second New York show this past Wednesday night at Bowery Ballroom and EAR FARM was there once again (see the review of the first show HERE). Check out the pictures from the show above. As for how the concert was, know this: I love this band. Dr. Dog delivered well-beyond my expectations and treated those of us in attendance to a fun, high energy show. They sounded spectacular and I left the Ballroom with a smile and a feeling of deep satisfaction. Lucky for us they’ve still got tons of tour dates ahead…
See Dr. Dog Live:
5 Sept - Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
6 Sept – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7 Sept – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
8 Sept - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe
9 Sept - Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11 Sept - Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
12 Sept – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
13 Sept – Austin, TX @ The Parish
16 Sept - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
17 Sept - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
19 Sept - Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar
20 Sept- Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
21 Sept - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
22 Sept - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
23 Sept – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 Sept – Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
26 Sept - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
27 Sept - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
29 Sept - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
30 Sept - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
1 Oct - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
2 Oct - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
3 Oct - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
4 Oct - Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal - Le Petit Campus
6 Oct - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7 Oct - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
8 Oct - Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
9 Oct - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10 Oct- Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (downstairs)
28 Nov - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Visit Dr. Dog on MySpace.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
“Poor Jackie” by Man Man which clocks in at 8:24.
The opening verse of Man Man’s epic song “Poor Jackie” sets the scene for a bawdry tale of a street walking murderess who cuts the hearts out of her victims and paints a moustache on her face to hide from police. The track is the sprawling gypsy-prog epicenter of an otherwise pop-forward album, and a highlight of Man Man’s career to this point. The song opens:
“Jackie hits the streets
She swears that all she sees
Is the hunger in their eyes
And the desperation in their speech”
What wonderful serendipity it was that I’d just listened to the song, lyrics still lingering in my mind, when I arrived at my favorite local espresso joint just the other day. Funny, because those lyrics could easily have been written about the woman working the lonely midday shift that day. It was 4pm, a transient hour. The place was empty except for one single man seated at a corner table reading private documents. Private? You bet. Had to be private the way he was twisted and turned to hide them from the world. I paid him no mind seeing as how he was seated across the room from my favorite spot.
My order: “Hi, I’ll have a latte please.”
Jackie: “Oh hey! Okay, is that to stay or to go?”
Me: “Hey, how’s it going? It’s for here. Thanks. How’ve you been….”
So, I “know” the barista at this particular place. Not because I’m the kind of guy who makes it a point to shake hands and make friends with people who serve me beverages, but rather because she’s nice and saw me enough to finally one day introduce herself - “You’re in here a lot. I’m Jackie…”
I come to this place as though it will energize my exhausted mind, or inspire it, or whatever. The drinks do that? The atmosphere? It’s all supposed to I think. There’s something that keeps bringing people back here. Jackie perhaps? She fixes up my latte and makes it all pretty on top with the foam and everything (the way they all tend to do at this particular place) and I go to my regular seat and set up camp. It’s the familiarity that keeps ‘em coming back here, and Jackie’s part of that. Thankfully, around this time of day, they’re not coming back in droves - the people who come in around 4:00 are pretty much all takeaways. Which makes it a perfect time and place to lose an hour. No bothersome conversations the next table over, no nosy jerks trying to see what you’re writing -or worse, asking “whatcha writin’?”- nothing. Just the purity of coffee-faced writerdom.
But no! Wait. Actually, come to think of it, I was missing those people! The human wallpaper. I thought I didn’t need them around but here it was just me alone with a blank computer screen and all the hushed atmosphere I could ever want and suddenly a realization: I really wanted some bozos to half-listen-to and half-watch. Bah!
That’s when I started paying attention to the steadily slow stream of customers stopping in for a quick order “to go”. All I could see was the hunger in their eyes, and the desperation in their speech…
Customer #1: (white male, 45) “How much are the cookies?”
Jackie: “Two dollars a piece.”
Customer #1: “For which? Both kinds? Are there two different kinds?”
Jackie: “Yes, oatmeal and chocolate chip.”
Customer #1: “Is the lumpy one oatmeal?”
Jackie: “Yes. Well they’re both lumpy. But the one you’re pointing at is oatmeal.”
Customer #1: “And how much is it?”
Jackie: “Two dollars.”
Customer #1: “For this one? It looks bigger than the rest. Is the chocolate chip better or is oatmeal better?”
Jackie: “That depends on your personal preference really.”
Customer #1: “Can I have one of each to try?”
Jackie: “Yes, for two dollars each.”
Customer #1: “Ouch….”
(extended pause: silence)
Customer #1: “I’ll have an oatmeal please. To keep. That one, the big one.”
Customer #2: (white male, 30ish) Nothing. Silence. He leans in and speaks to her. It’s not a whisper, I don’t think, judging by the look on his face and hers. This isn’t a special quiet moment, just a quiet man. An order is placed, I assume, and Jackie goes to work. The gargle of milk frothery fills the air: score! A latte to go. He turns and leaves just as silently as he entered. No “thank you,” no acknowledgment of any exchange, or service rendered, or goods purchased. Bamf! He was gone in an instant.
Customer #3: (Italian couple, late 20s) “Hey.”
Jackie: “How are you?”
Customer #3: “Can I gets a small coffee and -for the lady- a small coffee as well. That’ll do its, yeah.” (Italian flirt talking and coochie coos ensue) “Let’s go back outside, is beautiful. Yes?”
Jackie: “So nice.” (she hands them their drinks and they leave speaking Italian to each other) “Have a good one guys.”
Customer #4: (white male, 35ish) “A coffee.”
Jackie: “Small or big?”
Customer #4: “Uh medium?”
Jackie: “We don’t have a medium.”
Customer #4: “Oh boy. No medium?! Grande then. Yeah?”
(he seemed impressed with his Starbucks wit)
Jackie: (no sign of annoyance) “So that’s a large?”
Customer #5: (black female, 25) “Iced latte.”
Jackie: “You got it.”
Customer #5: “You dont drink iced drinks do you?”
Jackie: “No.”
Customer #5: “But in the summer… when it’s hot… it’s better. Like, when I’m working outside a lot I always have one. And I feel like it goes better with my stomach too.”
Jackie: “I could see that, iced coffee is funny that way sometimes.”
Customer #5: “Yeah, desserts too.”
Jackie: “Here you go, that’s $4.25.”
Customer #5: (counts change from her pocket, no bills) “Uh oh…”
Jackie: “That’s okay, I’ll just put it on your tab!”
Customer #5: “No, I want to pay you today! How late will you be here?”
Jackie: “Until eight o’clock.”
Customer #5: “Okay, see you later then… I’m working late, definitely see you later.”
Customer #6: (Indian male, 40) “Hey.”
Jackie: “Hi, how are you?”
Customer #6: “Pretty good. Just a latte.”
Jackie: “For here or to go?”
Customer #6: “That’s a good question. For go. I mean, to stay here. Yep.”
(she works wonders with the espresso machine as he nervously paces around the cash register/counter area… moments later his drink arrives)
Customer #6: “The way you do that foam makes me want to touch it. The design on it. And I’m not even that into touching things.”
(he really said that. Her: no reply. He tries the latte…)
Customer #6: “Is that different espresso?” (he licks his lips (ew) as he tastes and talks. He sounds like Paul Giamatti’s character in Sideways…) “Usually it starts moving towards berries but not this one. It’s real nutty. And. It’s buzzing. It buzzes in my mouth and hints of something floral.”
Jackie: “No, it’s the same.”
(he tastes again in disbelief)
Customer #6: “Whatever happened to Derek?”
Jackie: “He’s at the other store. He had to move on.”
(another prolonged taste - he savors the coffee and the moment)
Customer #6: “I guess we all do eventually. But good news for us here, it just means more time with you! Right? Well I’ll be right over there like I always am. Look, you can see me from where you’re standing.”
Jackie: “Okay…”
Jackie threw down some verbal ellipsis that signaled the end of the conversation and I decided it might be the end for me too. I’d observed quite a few more interactions, and wrote them all down, but I left out most of them due to their utter banality. This one though, this one left me feeling the need to leave after witnessing the extraordinary discomfort. I had to go and find sanctuary outside the creepy customer zone. But not Jackie. She couldn’t escape it, she still had three more hours to go.
Poor Jackie.
Buy Rabbit Habbits HERE
*front thumbnail from HERE; top photo taken by me
EAR FARM’s 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. Click HERE to see the songs recently featured in EF’s 8+.
In case you weren’t keeping track, Sam Champion is set to release their sophomore album Heavenly Bender this coming Tuesday, September 2nd. Hot dog! And for those who second Tom Petty’s assertion that the waiting is in fact the hardest part, take solace in the fact that you can now pre-order the album over at Amie Street for only three dollars. In the meantime, check out the following pair of amazingly surreal promotional videos the band recently cooked up:
above: Part 1
above: Part 2
Word on the street is that we can expect two more of these videos in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
It seems every time we base a mini mix on artists who happen to be playing a show that day, it also just happens to fall on a Thursday….coincidence?
Maybe, but probably not. Thursday just always seems to bring it musically, and this week is no exception; as always, there’s LOTS going on tonight. To help your decision-making process, consider our latest mini-mix below and choose your own adventure…. Read more
For a while, it seemed like Dr. Dog and I were never meant to be.
On my way out the door, after waiting for more than a month to see them after their initial NYC run was rescheduled, I had an unfortunate run-in with my unstable landlord that left me shaking and in no frame of mind for the rock. Circus music perhaps, but not rock. A few beers later, I mustered up the courage go to head to the Music Hall of Williamsburg, which was the best thing I could have done. While most bands would have failed, Dr. Dog’s laid-back, sunny tunes succeeded in taking the edge off my landlord-induced agita.
Seeing Dr. Dog live was a lot like listening to their 2007 LP We All Belong: Every song reminds me of another song, maybe one I haven’t thought of since my preadolescent years. Which is not to say that Dr. Dog rips people off or plagiarizes. To me they more resemble a group of like-minded enthusiasts than a band, in the traditional sense of the word. Unironically in love with classic rock, they want nothing more than to share their favorite music with the world. I know they are frequently compared to The Beach Boys for the harmonies and The Band for the guitars, but I also found myself thinking, in places, of bands as disparate as the Four Seasons, The Beatles, U2 and Wilco. While it seems like a cohesive aesthetic has yet to form, it’s easy and ultimately pleasurable to get swept along by Dr. Dog’s musical excitement, something akin to trading mixtapes with your friends.
In September, Dr. Dog will embark on a grueling tour: 29 North American shows in just over a month before heading to Europe. Which brings me to the issue of the scores of live plants, large and small, that decorated the stage. Do they bring a mobile greenhouse with them on tour? I kind of hope they leave them in Philly.
Listen: “Worst Trip” (from We All Belong)
See Dr. Dog Live:
5 Sept - Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
6 Sept – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7 Sept – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
8 Sept - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe
9 Sept - Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11 Sept - Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
12 Sept – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
13 Sept – Austin, TX @ The Parish
16 Sept - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
17 Sept - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
19 Sept - Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar
20 Sept- Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
21 Sept - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
22 Sept - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
23 Sept – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 Sept – Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
26 Sept - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
27 Sept - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
29 Sept - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
30 Sept - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
1 Oct - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
2 Oct - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
3 Oct - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
4 Oct - Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal - Le Petit Campus
6 Oct - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7 Oct - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
8 Oct - Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
9 Oct - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10 Oct- Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (downstairs)
28 Nov - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Visit Dr. Dog on MySpace.
SongBlitz: a fun game matching music to album covers
Blogger Arrested Over Guns N’ Roses Leaks
A Modest Proposal: Bye-Bye “Indie,” Hello Again “Alternative”
Fluxblog: Yo La Tengo @ McCarren Pool 8/24/2008
Music is Art: the mia remixtape?
Aquarium Drunkard on Matthew Sweet
All Tomorrow’s Parties NY full lineup revealed
My Morning Jacket & Erykah Badu Perform “Tyrone” in Dallas
The Futureheads compare censorship in the UK to censorship in the US
Christian version of Guitar Hero set to be launched… the title? Guitar Praise
Merge to release subscription-only box set
Glen Campbell, perhaps best known for his ’70s crossover hit “Rhinestone Cowboy,” covers songs by Green Day, U2 and the Foo Fighters
NIN @ Izod Center pics and setlist
What’s hot right now? Leather jackets, fur skirts, the DNC 2k8, fantasy football drafts, St. Germain, Michelle Obama, Madonna’s outfits, pumping your own yogurt at 16 Handles, Tropic Thunder, the Jonas Brothers, etc. etc. ad infinitum… it’s tough to keep up with it all sometimes. We sure can’t. However, one thing that we’ve got covered is the question of ‘what’s hot?’ in the world of music videos. Check them out below. Read more
EF faves Brakes - at least that’s the name to those of you in the UK, here in the States we’re still getting used to their forced name switch to BrakesBrakesBrakes - have gone ahead and dove headfirst into the illustrious, glamorous, and sexy world of blogging, offering regular (and quite detailed) updates on everything Brakes(BrakesBrakes) over on their MySpace page.
Like what? Well, did you know that they’re currently working on their third album, the follow up to 2007’s Beatific Visions, out in the English countryside? It’s true, and according to a blog post from last week, they’ve already recorded demos of the following new tracks: “Hey, Hey It’s a Beautiful Day”, “Crush On You”, “Don’t Take Me To Space(Man)”, “Eternal Return”, “Consumer Producer Chicken or Egg”, “Cigarettes Go Down”, “Leaving England” and “Do You Feel the Same?”. Formal recording will commence in Glasgow in September.
Sounds very promising, yes?
Other bits insights gleaned from the Brakes blog include singer Eamon Hamilton’s Olympics-watching preferences (cycling, namely because it inspires British patriotism) as well as his thoughts on such contemporary acts as the ubiquitous MGMT (”Time To Pretend” = great song, “Time To Pretend” played live = absolute rubbish) and Hercules and Love Affair (good).
The band has one show scheduled for the time being, September 14th at the End of the Road Festival in Salisbury (along with British Sea Power, Bon Iver, Mercury Rev, The Mountain Goats and lots of others, see full lineup HERE). No word on any upcoming US dates (CMJ perhaps, pretty please?).
Until then, we’ll have to sate ourselves with more blog updates from the band. After all, if they blog it, we will come.
Listen: “Shut Us Down” (Camper Van Beethoven cover)
*above pice of Matt Eaton and Eamon Hamilton found HERE (via the Brakes blog of course)
Josh Homme to produce the Arctic Monkeys’ third album?
Listen to another new TV On The Radio song from the upcoming Dear Science, “Dancing Choose”
Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard is playing a September 14th benefit at the Living Room
Britney Spears to skip performance at this year’s VMA’s
Is this the end of the road for corporate festivals?
Oasis kicked off their world tour in Seattle last night
The Village Voice profiles the Brooklyn recording studio the Rare Book Room, home of Silver Jews’ American Water and more
Dr. Dre’s son, Andre Young Jr., found dead at his home at age 20
Check out Heidi Montag’s TEN-MINUTE video for “Overdosin”
Life after Muxtape: where do we go now?
Happy 5th Birthday Coolfer!
Oh, Pretty Boy, Can’t You Show Me Nothing But Surrender?
Horses, horses, horses, horses
Comin in in all directions
White shining silver studs with their nose in flames,
He saw horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses, horses…
So opens Steven Sebring’s (above left) new film, Patti Smith: Dream of Life––or at least the photographic equivalent of the well-known Smith verse does. The first shot poetically depicts a slow-galloping pack of horses against a red background. Enter Smith’s narrating voice and a series of even more elegant images.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life endeavors to be true to its subject matter. It is a reflection of the artist and her art, reaped from the very root of her ideas. Accordingly, the film bends common conceptions of narrative and genre. It is neither a concert documentary, nor a biography of Smith’s life. It does not dwell on Smith’s music or poetry, nor does it expound upon the historical or social context of her art. No, Sebring’s film is a rhythmic meditation on an artist, an act of observance and detached reverence. By employing such a grand visual collage, Sebring reveals that his love for Smith is quite a brainiac-amour. But no more.
Steven Sebring met Patti Smith in 1995, when Spin magazine hired Sebring to do a photo-shoot with Smith. Smith agreed based on the recommendation of Sebring by Michael Stipe. Something magical must have happened on that shoot: for the next 12 years Sebring followed Smith all over the globe, immersing himself in her home life, her stage persona, her personal adventures, her entire world…
In an interview with Filmmaker magazine, Sebring describes a relationship that, to some, may resemble stalking: “I would usually meet her on tour. Like when she went to Japan, I said, ‘I’m going to go to Japan,’ and she wouldn’t believe me. And then I’d show up and she’d be like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ That’s the way it was. At her mother and father’s house in Jersey, it was like ‘I’m gonna go to my Mom and Dad’s house — do you wanna come?’ I said, ‘Yeah, of course!’ So it was like that kind of thing throughout the years.”
But this is obviously the most natural way to film a Smith biography. I mean, let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to follow Patti Smith around? Going to each and every concert, visiting the graves of Arthur Rimbaud and William Blake, hanging out with her both at home and backstage, not to mention chilling with her parents in the house Smith grew up in… Yes, you can accurately state that Sebring is one lucky bastard. If I had a job like that, I think I’d just continue following her around for as long as possible, never actually making the film, but pretending to by carrying around a video camera at all times.
However, Sebring’s reverence––obsession, if you prefer––presents an alternative implication. One scene, in which Sebring follows Smith to the grave of Arthur Rimbaud, casts this relationship under a fresh light.
The camera shows Smith wandering around Rimbaud’s gravesite, focusing on the way she absorbs his spirit from the natural setting. Next Smith stomps around a wooded area where he once stomped, and sits in a urinal he used more than a hundred years ago. Patti Smith never had the chance to meet her hero, so she settles on the sensation she garners from his gravesite. Recognizing these poetic and musical influences is essential to understanding her art. Smith’s music and lyrics are inextricably linked to dead poets and rockers: to Gregory Corso, to William Burroughs, to Jim Morrison, to Jimi Hendrix. Their spirits enable her to create a beauty all her own.
Steven Sebring grasps this phenomenon and imitates the process; but the key difference is that his muse is still alive and in front of his camera at all times. Sebring travels to be around the spirit of his muse while she travels to be around the spirit of hers. Again: the only natural way to make a Patti Smith film is to be around her at all times, soaking in her energy and watching her soak in energy from her own sources. These are the transferences that guide this film and give it life.
Patti Smith: Dream of Life is the product of an intricate relationship. By persisting in close proximity to Smith’s creative energy for twelve years––by watching and observing and learning from his muse––Sebring was able to make his own, very remarkable, work of art. Go Sebring, go and do the watusi, oh do the watusi.
* * *
View the Patti Smith: Dream of Life trailer.
Visit Patti Smith on MySpace.
EAR FARM’s Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted whenever the mood strikes us. This time: three from records dropping today. Click on the band name to visit their site, click on the song name to listen to the song. Read more