Thursday, May 22, 2008

A Little More Screen-Free Time

Time for a little more time away from the glow of the monitor. Last weekend's foray into fewer screen hours helped with the headaches, so I'm aiming for that again. I'm sure I'll have something to write at some point, but until then, enjoy some more good music.

First up - a killer, killer, killer performance of a beautiful - and beautifully crafted - song:



Amazingly, I had never seen the following video until this week. It's from 1986. I was living in the UK at the time (where I bought my first Crowded House single, which still has the HMV price tag on it) and I didn't have access to MTV then:



One of the little delights in that video is the appearance of Neil Finn's wee little kiddo, Liam ("introducing Liam"), a musician in his own right now, and a hirsute one at that:

400% hairier than his toddler self!

And, now, two gems from another of my favorite singer-songwriters, Michael Penn. This first one is, unsurprisingly, the tune that made me a Michael Penn fan in the first place. It's a good entry point into MP's sepia-toned world:



But that radio-friendly tune is just the tip of the iceberg, kids. Go listen to his other music. This next one is off "Resigned" - one of my absolute favorite MP releases. The video for the song which you can see here was directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. (You can find it as an extra on the "Boogie Nights" DVD - you'll see Phillip Seymour Hoffman pop up in the video!) It's one continuous tracking shot in one of the world's longest hallways, in a courthouse in L.A. Sadly, the video is locked from embedding in blogs. Here, however, is a live performance of this cool tune:



Okay, time to wander away from the keyboard. Housecleaning and some Ex Machina reading awaits...

Enjoy Memorial Day, folks. Between showings of Indiana Jones and BBQs, please take a moment to remember the meaning of the day.

Remember them well, those who have died for us.


1 comment:

Washington Cube said...

I gave someone I loved very much a Crowded House cd (best of). The song "Don't Dream It's Over" had special meaning. Can't hear it without a huge ache now.