From the top of the Needle of Space
Author: Guy Bergstrom
Reformed journalist. Scribbler of speeches and whatnot.
EMP and Needle of Space
Great Wheel of Seattle
SO WHAT’CHA WANT by the Beastie Boys is even better with muppets
The real question isn’t whether adding muppets improves this song. The question is why muppets make it insanely great.
Here’s my theory: contrast always works, and using muppets maximizes the contrast and irony.
This is why every other pop song by a diva has a guest rapper, the gruffer the better. And, shockingly, a lot of gruff rappers feature smooth singers to handle the chorus and even things out. It works both ways.
The muppet verions of classic rock songs never get old because you couldn’t find images that are less hard core and unthreatening. Nobody is afraid of muppets. Teletubbies, now, are trippy if not creepy.
Mini documentary: The football coach who never punts
This is a beautiful little documentary, a 10-minute masterpiece of editing.
Click on the photo to watch it on fivethirtyeight’s site.
Makes you want more, right? No CGI, no Hollywood actors who cost $20 million a movie. Just pure story.
Monkeys amazed by magic tricks
Goats and such, now, don’t care for magic. They want snacks. No snacks? Buh-bye.
Superhero movies: Golden Age or insane glut?
You can’t escape the marketing blitz. Superhero movies have targeted your local multiplex and they WILL. NOT. STOP.
Ever since Hollywood took a risk by turning Tim Burton and Michael Keaton loose on BATMAN, studio execs in Hollywood figured out yes, you can make mountains of money on superhero movies–if you do them right.
Marvel perfected the formula of interlocking movies, and now DC is trying to copy it with BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN leading up to 5.6 bazillion movies with Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Aquaman (what?) and 16 other superheroes only fanboys would know.
Here’s a look at the six comic book films I’m aware of so far. Somebody will point out strays I’ve missed. By the year 2019, every weekend there will be a new Marvel or DC movie opening up, competing with Star Wars and Pixar sequels. All other movies will be relegated to Netflix.
Continue reading “Superhero movies: Golden Age or insane glut?”
Double rainbow at the Dome
Alan Rickman: a tribute
David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Glenn Frey–it’s been a rough week.
Rickman was always an actor’s actor, somebody who didn’t care about the fame or the movie, about being a star. You could tell he only cared about the work.
His work was excellent. Loved him on film, even in little roles. I hear he was great on stage and am sad to have never seen him up there.
SUNRISE by the Olson Bros, Donald Trump and the power of authenticity
Good stuff, right? I’m not a country fan, and I’ve played this song a zillion times.
You probably haven’t heard of the Olson Bros, which is the point of the post: there’s all kinds of buried talent out there, even if they’ve won a national songwriting contest.
I saw the Olson brothers (and they are real-life brothers) at their first show at Savory Faire, and they’ve gotten better every year. Saw them again this weekend at Charlie’s, and they’re great live.
These are local college kids who’ve practiced hard. The giant bull they use as a stands on a field in Mud Bay on the way to Olympia.
Here’s the deal: The great thing about the Series of Tubes is there’s so much stuff out there, you can find whatever you like. The horrible thing about the Series of Tubes is there’s so much stuff out there, it’s crazy hard to separate the brilliant from the banal.
That’s why name ID and PR are so important. It’s why people with zero talent (Snooki, the Situation, the Kardashians) make millions while great musicians, artists and writers toil away, thinking talent is all that matters. If they’re good enough, people will notice.
Except the real formula is Artistic Talent x Publicity Skill Squared.
Donald Trump is proving the effectiveness of great publicity in the presidential race. He doesn’t know a thing about foreign policy or the Federal Reserve and it doesn’t matter right now, because he’s far better at PR than Jeb! and the others running, even after Jeb! wasted $24 million on ads in Iowa and New Hampshire.
This is why real press coverage (earned media) is still hugely important. Trump hasn’t had to respond to the Jeb! advertising assault. Why? Because every day, Trump is getting far more than $24 million in free media coverage by picking fights and saying outrageous things.
HOWEVER: Social media gives me hope.
There’s so much advertising today it’s becoming white noise to people. I thought there couldn’t be more ads on TV than during the 2008 presidential campaign, then 2012 proved me wrong. Billions of dollars will blanket the airwaves in 2016.
My prediction is they’ll run out of ad slots. Karl Rove will have to buy a struggling TV shopping network and split it into three just to find airtime.
Mainstream media and social media are a counterweight this advertising juggernaut. And I think social media’s power is growing. It’s more authentic and powerful to hear your friends and family say, “That band rocks, see them live” or “Buy IMAX tickets to that new movie, don’t wait for Netflix” instead of getting told that from paid announcer on a TV ad.
To get technical, the ethos of journalists and social media is strong, because these are people you know, trust and who don’t have a self-interest in the outcome. The reverse is true for random advertisements: you don’t know them, don’t trust them and they want your money.
So the Olson Bros did the right thing by making a good music video on a shoestring budget. I don’t need a slick music video that cost $850,000 and took a week to shoot on a Nashville set. The music is great and the visuals match. The energy and enthusiasm of the Olson brothers feels real.
There are some things you can’t buy.
The Red Pen of Doom 