Black Friday Becomes Smooth Friday

♬When Black Friday comes...♬

This Friday is Black Friday! Whatever that means to you. 

Bargains? 

Crowds? 

Leftovers? 

Yardwork?

Blue movie marathon?

Sleep?

Probably television for many of us. For the college football enthusiasts in the G:TB crowd, we have this slate:

• Noon: Oklahoma State at Colorado (ABC)
• Noon: Navy at East Carolina (ESPN)
• Noon: Minnesota at Wisconsin (CBS)
• Noon: Oregon State at Boise State (Fox)
• Noon: Ball State at Ohio (ESPNU/CBSSN)
• Noon: Miami-Ohio at Bowling Green (ESPNU/CBSSN)
• 3:30: Mississippi State at Ole Miss (ABC)
• 3:30: Liberty at Sam Houston (CBSSN)
• 3:30: Utah State at Colorado State (FS1)
• 3:30: Texas State at South Alabama (ESPN+)
• 4:00: Stanford at San Jose State (CBS)
• 7:30: Georgia Tech at Georgia (ABC)
• 7:30: Iowa at Nebraska (NBC)
• 8:00: Utah at UCF (Fox)

Plus a couple of NBA games on ESPN (many more for NBA TV hounds). 

And a ton of college hoops. No big showdowns, unless you count those founding fathers George Mason versus James Madison. True story: George Mason and James Madison met at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where Madison drafted the Virginia Plan and Mason was an enthusiastic participant. Mason initially supported Madison's Plan, but later changed his mind and went with the opposition. These two men just don't like each other these days, and you should see what happens when they hoop it up.  

♬When Black Friday comes...♬

Yes, the Steely Dan song. One with Jeff Porcaro playing drums on it. You know, Jeff Porcaro. Of the Porcaro brothers? In Toto?? His brother Steve also wrote the Michael Jackson tune "Human Nature," and both brothers played on the track. But you can learn all about that here.

Both Steely Dan and Toto have recurring roles in the gritty, unflinching, true-life rockumentary series Yacht Rock. That cinematic masterpiece sprang to life in 2005 and nothing was ever the same ever again ever. 

For those readers saying to themselves, "Huh. I've never seen Yacht Rock," I have four words for you.

You. And. I. Aren't. Friends.

Five. Five words. Okay, well, there's a quick way to remedy it on Black Friday. Watching every single episode of Yacht Rock (there are 12) will require the following time to binge:

64 minutes, 34 seconds. 

Bingeclock says it takes 6 hours, but maybe that's if you watch it in super slo-mo. That's egregious. The episodes are 5 minutes long! They're wrong. Perhaps trying to scare people away from it. 

An hour, basically. There's no excuse not to watch it! Or watch it again, if it's been a while. Let's get you started:

But.. wait a minute... holy... what the... could it be??

Premiering on HBO on  November 29... Black Friday...

Somebody call Hollywood Steve!

Yah mo' be there! Can Greg, Teej, Marls, and I have a watch party?

Peaches, from the President of the USA

With the lights about to go out in Gheorghia, at least for President Jimmy Carter, there seems to be a lot of nice things being said about the man. Appropriately.

Hospice is about palliative care, making someone feel good with the time they have left. Do you all want to feel pretty good? Watch this.

During my music documentary marathon, I checked this one off along the way. It's worth a return trip. 

Add One More to the To-Watch List

Coming soon...

In the meantime, I'm waiting (for the man).

Add 2 More to the List

You all recall the music documentary quest I embarked upon last year in the nadir of lockdown. I need to go back and examine where I finished. Well, not finished, as it's a living endeavor. Where I stand, rather.

The list of rockumentaries was long but distinguished. So last night I was in a solitary state of Empty-Nester Lester and decided to check back into the world of music+film. And despite there being many entries on the original list that I have yet to take in, check this out: there are a pair of new additions to the mix. To quote Rock Master Scott and the Dynamic Three, here's something fresh! 

First, I watched a film currently on Netflix called Count Me In. It's a piece on drummers and drumming through the years. Exclusively as told by rock drummers themselves. There's no trailer I can find, oddly (unless you click the link above and log into Netflix), so this synopsis will have to do:

Count Me In is an exhilarating celebration of the art of rock drumming, featuring some of the best drummers ever to have graced the drumkit. From Roger Taylor (Queen), Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Cindy Blackman (Santana, Lenny Kravitz), Keith Moon (The Who), Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) and John Bonham (Led Zeppelin), we are taken on a uplifting journey through some of the most iconic music ever created, focusing on the women and men with the sticks, their passions, culture and awe-inspiring energy.

There are way more interviewed drummers than what's listed above, and tons of clips through the years. Why they wouldn't make more noise about the fact that the Human Drum Machine Topper Headon of The Clash offers his thoughts therein is just crazy...

Second, I watched a film currently on Amazon Prime called Under the Volcano. It's about the music studio George Martin (the George Martin) created on the island of Montserrat in the late 1970's. The lineup of artists who recorded there in the waning time before natural disasters struck was . . . well . . . long but distinguished. Excellent old footage and new interviews. It's the second music documentary I've watched about a particular recording studio, and the second one done well.

I'll continue to plow through the extensive catalog of the music docs that caught my eye. Stay tuned.

If any of you have watched these or any other amidst the genre, chime in with recommendations or reviews. I am loath even to think about the notion of another lockdown at this point, but after the wedding we were slated to attend in New Orleans right after JazzFest weekend -- an event that had stayed the course even after the Fest was cancelled a couple of weeks ago -- just got nixed, there's a tad more angst and dread in the air.

I guess that calls for a punk rock documentary next.

They're Making Them Faster Than I Can Watch Them

So it's been a while since I updated the gheorghies on my progress in the Music Documentary Lockdown Challenge.  Mainly because there's been little to no progress.  

In lieu of that, there are even more music docs coming out soon. Check these out:

I think Mr. KQ sent this my way: Shane MacGowan / The Pogues


h/t to OBX Dave, get some Frank Zappa.


THE Chuck Berry


Other Music, NYC record store for the ages, RIP


Songwriters extravaganza



And finally: Camper van Beethoven and Cracker.  

Please Note: this is not a trailer.  It's the whole documentary.

The YouTube notes: In 2016, I and many of my fellow loyal Crumbs spent $75K on Kickstarter to fund this film about David Lowery. The producers made the film...but didn't secure the rights to the music featured in the movie. (Genius.) Hence, it was never released.  This video is a rough cut. Comments welcome. I am making no money off this; rather, I am simply sharing with other loyal Crumbs for their enjoyment. Enjoy.

So I watched it all, as I'm a huge fan of both of his bands, and it's worthy. Dave and others, you'll enjoy.

Music Documentary Project: Early June Update

I've taken my foot off the gas a bit lately, similar to how G:TB was a well-oiled, postcounting machine in the early days of pandemic quarantining and has recently let up. If you can go outside and live, do so.

I also watched some non-music-documentary television.  It can get a tad monotonous to go from music doc to music doc, even if you alternate genres, styles, and approaches as I have tried to do. And so, I pivoted to:

The Last Dance - (Yes, another documentary. So what, I like 'em!) I watched every moment of the MJ saga.  Compelling as all get-out. He is who we thought he was, but moreso. More amazing, more complete as a player. more of a jackass as a teammate or competitor. To me, the most gripping moments were (a) those that demonstrated that he, as any sane person would, hates the 100%-all-the-time fan-clamor and hides out in a hotel room or his house; and (b) the moment he was presented with the suggestion that in order to be the best player/champion he had had to sacrifice being a "good guy," and that thought brought tears, a hasty explanation, and his demanding a break in the recording. It's better when Superman's a human after all.

Letterkenny - I binge-watched several seasons of this preposterous Canadian show (available on on Hulu,annoyingly). Hilarious and addictive, if ultimately a bit redundant. The scene where the guys are playing catch and Squirrelly Dan uncomfortably introduces the subject of his lady friend and her interest in the "butts-stuff" had me laughing heartily. A hard yes.

Seaver - I stumbled upon a one-hour Tom Seaver documentary on the MLB network. I'm an obvious sucker for the content, but there was plenty new to me, especially the unfortunate epilogue of Alzheimer's and his retreat from public life last year. Tom Terrific was the best Met there was, despite the franchise booting it majorly several times over.

Anyway, I have also made time for more music absorption.  Back to the quest...

ReMastered: Devil at the Crossroads (2019) -- This was a tidy, little Netflix piece on the pioneer bluesman Robert Johnson and the generations of intrigue that have surrounded his eerily quick rise from kid with a guitar he couldn't much play to blues god. The story is well-presented and frankly sells itself -- selling one's soul to the Devil for talent.  And then there's his death at age 27. And the fact that (until last month) there were only two photographs ever taken of the man. When I lived across the way from Dave in the fraternity house, he bought a box set of Robert Johnson. I didn't know who the dude was. Turns out many a blues riff and/or style of playing -- which begat many a rock and roll riff and style of playing -- is attributed to one man. At 48 minutes, check it out.

Hip-Hop Evolution (Season 1) -- This is my shit. Z and I have served and rallied here before with old school and older school, but Season 1 of HHE is the jack from way back. Loved it. Planning to continue to dig in on the series and learn lots more along the way.

History of the Eagles (2013) -- Far, far away on the music spectrum from Kurtis Blow and DJ Run, you have Don Henley and Glenn Frey. I like the Eagles nearly as much as the next guy, and there's much to learn and enjoy here. It ultimately devolves into a soap opera, mostly between Frey and Don Felder. And here I thought Don Henley was the douche. But there are cool tidbits like footage of Henley and Frey as up-and-comers in the backing band for Linda Ronstadt, and anything Joe Walsh does is fairly fascinating. Enjoyed it.

The Beastie Boys Story (2020) -- I knew this would be great. I read several unflattering reviews (Pitchfork, AV Club) that called it "no fun." I still knew it would be great. I hadn't heard any of my friends raving about it. I still knew it'd be great.  And... it's great. I feel like I'm the perfect age to be a Beastie Boys fan. When LTI hit, I was a high-school juvenile delinquent Class Clown. As we've written here ad nauseum, when Paul's Boutique launched to crickets, were were jumping around the room heralding what must be a worldwide hit -- college is the perfect time to be exposed to experimentally dope new shit. CYH was a tiny bit more grown up, and we were nearly graduating (well, rob and Dave were). The "Sabotage" video broke and we were early 20's goofballs with jobs. By the time the three bad brothers were starting getting real respect (especially for albums gone by), we were older and commanding more respect than we had a right to. Still clowns, like the B-Boys, of course.  This doc has it all, despite shlocky reviewer's cranky demands for surprises and mayhem. MCA is missed majorly and given a highly fitting tribute.  It's great. Check it out.

The Van Halen Story: The Early Years (2003) -- This low-budget, straight to video obscurity piece was just entertaining enough. Spoiler alert: they paid for the rights to zero VH songs, so you won't hear any. Made me go straight to Spotify after and call up my faves. Also, they only rehash interviews with the band, nothing new -- but lots I hadn't seen. They do get lots of stories from roadies, security, and friends from coming up.  Which is at times better than the sanitized version of wild tales you get from aged rockers. (Eagles, for example.)  "Ed" and "Al" haaaaate "Roth." That's for damn sure. Almost as much as they hate "Dancing in the Street." This one entertained mildly for what it was.

We Jam Econo: The Story Of The Minutemen (2005) -- I loved this one. A long while back, a friend introduced me to The Minutemen. My first reaction was a recoil. Over decades, as I have dug in squarely on punk rock, I have come to love this kind of avant-garde punk. The Minutemen were not hardcore, they were honestly a step-and-a-half from Random Idiots, they were punk with a conscience, and they were beautiful. The documentary, exactly like the band, is pretty lo-fi. And it's solid. The lament of losing D. Boon so many years ago hits home, almost against all likelihood. This ain't no picnic, indeed.

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies (2006) -- I was late to the game on the Pixies. My first wife was a fan during their 1987-1991 existence, and I learned to love their stuff through her influence soon thereafter. Too late, of course.  But they then regrouped in 2004, and we saw them at Constitution Hall in DC. Hell yes. This is a weird doc -- it isn't a retrospective, it's a behind-the-scenes look at the 2004/5 tour I mentioned. They'd reunited after 13 years, and interactions are awkward and yet uncontroversial, and there are excellent clips of songs from these shows but otherwise just some backstage banter that does not enthrall. Plus Black Francis with his shirt off.

It was very interesting to watch the Pixies one after The Minutemen. D. Boon and Mike Watt met with they were 13, and they were best friends until the end. They'd fight some, but like brothers. Loved one another. The four people in the Pixies met via a classified ad. They weren't friends and still aren't. They don't hate each other, but they were a great band the same way a successful small business often operates -- it was a job. They regrouped for money, clearly. It's almost deflating to fans, but hell, it's always about the music more than anything, and the music was and is exceptional to many of us.


I'll keep watching and conveying the highlights.  18 down thus far.  Suggestions and feedback welcomed.

Music Documentary Project: The Origin Story

I've already had productive and fun conversations with you cats about my quest to watch way too many music documentaries this quarantine.  I'll keep you posted, and please keep the suggestions coming.

I somehow forgot to mention in the previous post why I got to compiling the list of the best-ever rockumentaries and set about watching them.

It's this. Arriving at AppleTV+ next Friday:

It's an interesting format that could potentially bleed into the contrived and talky, but hey, it's two of the three MC's and they're on the go.  (Abednego is missed very badly.) And it appears to be tons of old footage and stories.

This has to be worth my time and then some. 

And speaking of upcoming documentaries, one that needs no additional hyping from the likes of me starts tonight. Curious what the level of interest and commitment to watching among the gheorghies is.

Happy watching.

Sample This

In these times of quarantine, stay-at-home, lockdown, house arrest, or whatever you're calling this downtime from the world, it sure helps to have a hobby.

(Clarification: it helps to have an indoor hobby. Dave is going berserk not being able to run around and play sports. Check out his madness at Gheorghe's sister blog.)

I have two activities of choice lately, and they're closely related.  Listening to / watching music and writing / making music.  The latter is a long-standing work in progress; I've threatened to complete an album in the home studio for a while, and -- with inspiration from Dave and FOGTB Lecky -- this is my chance to get there, or at least get close.

In the meantime, while people I know and articles I read advise me on which series to binge watch, I am going against that grain. With certain exceptions (John Oliver, reruns of classic sports events I loved, etc.), I am limiting my programming to one genre: music documentaries. I'm off to a great start, but there's a long way to go.

Step 1: Compile the list.
There are more search returns for "best music documentaries of all time" than you can count -- by a long shot.  And those lists are, as you would figure, a mixed bag.  I made my own list based on culling those recommendations, falling back on my own knowledge of good music docs, and also just pursuing work about bands I like.

My list is now set, but only until someone else whose opinion I value (yes, that includes you people) chimes in with a new rec and I add it.

Step 2: Prioritize.
Eh. I have been a little haphazard. I am trying to juggle 'twixt genres and long form vs. quick hitters to some degree. But so far it's been somewhat random. One x-factor is how I can watch them; if a music documentary is on Netflix or Amazon Prime, I don't know how long I'll be able to see it for free, so it inches up the list.

Step 3: Watch.
This has been fun. It's interesting to watch music docs in succession. It definitely makes the terrific ones stand out, and I catch myself critiquing any time there are any sorts of lulls that drag. You get why some film critics are irascible and stingy with stars; a movie I happen to like may be just fine, but when some reviewer saw three things this week that absolutely blew them away, the one I like simply ain't gonna measure up.

I've also noticed that Hobby 1 bleeds into Hobby 2. Watching scenes about the recording process, studio tips and tricks, or just hearing a good song gets the creativity brewing.

Current Status
Here's where this project stands. First, there were entries on the list that I had seen semi-recently, and even the best ones aren't getting re-watched when I have so much more to view. They included:

I told you how much I liked the Dead doc (saw it in a local old theater), and similarly, the Tom Petty one is a long but great 4-hour number.  We've also had back and forth in the comments on Country Music; it's amazingly good. And I'm an easy mark for The Clash, R.E.M., and Talking Heads, so those were all banner. But anything I watched in the last 2 years won't be revisited.

Nota Bene: Stop Making Sense is one of the few concert films that made this list.  I really wanted true documentaries, not footage of music being played. Of course I love a good show, but this quest is different. I think only Aretha, Prince, and Zeppelin made the list with predominantly concert films.

The First Batch (in order of viewing)
David Crosby: Remember My Name (2019)
The one that launched my plan, it's been on HBO a bit. It's solid, informative, and well done. The takeaway: Crosby is a dick, he knows it, he can't help it, and he wishes he could change. But man, can he sing. Great old footage and photos of CSN and CSNY.

Searching for Sugar Man (2012)
The best thing I have seen in a very long time, period. Someone urged me to watch this years ago, and I put it off. Stupidly. Don't read about this one, please just go watch it.

ZZ Top: That Little Ol' Band from Texas (2019)
After that, I wanted to veer in another direction. This worked just fine. I forgot how good ZZ Top was in the '70s and early '80s. Lots of big, blues-based guitar sound. And lyrical dick jokes. Highly enjoyable.

Sample This (2013)
An oddity that would be the strangest of the lot, were it not for Sugar Man. Cohesion and production values aren't as high, but it does not want for a more fascinating story. My interest stemmed from my favorite Beasties song, "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," which samples, among many other pieces, a 1973 song called "Last Bongo in Belgium" by a random outfit called the Incredible Bongo Band. On that same album is the IBB's take on the song "Apache," and their rendition has been sampled... wait for it... 613 times since. (Ed. Note: it read 611 when I started writing this post. No bullshit.) It's been said that pretty much every hip-hop act has sampled this particular song at least once. Anywho... the backstory, the legacy, and whole thing makes for a super interesting homeboys bonanza for music nerds like me. Check it out.

Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage (2010)
Yep, I wanted to get involved in this debate. Great film. I'm never going to love that much of Rush's music, but I certainly appreciate the band more, and like TR offered, there are quite a few nuggets of Did You Know??? And "Tom Sawyer" is still a lot of fun. Neil Peart's passing earlier this year makes it more impactful, and it's just a well-developed chronology of an influential trio who's been making music longer than anyone not named ZZ Top.

Fleetwood Mac -- Rumours ("Classic Albums” series) (1997)

I figured this would be light fare, and in some aspects, it is. It's just over an hour long, and it's simply what went into one hit album. While it offends any punk rock sensibilities I have, I like Fleetwood Mac and this album quite a bit, so I gave it a whirl. Most of the intrigue involves the dynamics at play among the band members when it was recorded -- basically two intra-band couples were splitting and Mick Fleetwood, the odd man out, was being left by his wife. And yet they came together and made a record that sold a bazillion copies.

That story is told a bit like a soap opera, but it's interesting. More appealing to me is the behind-the-recording stuff. A number of scenes at the mixing board with the engineers and a couple dozen tracks for any given song, and they deconstruct it accordingly. You won't hear a song the same way after it's been broken down like that -- for the better. It also inspires studio fun. "Gold Dust Woman" has tracks of harpsichord, dobro, and other instruments layered into the mix.  And in the scene Lindsey Buckingham describes "Second Hand News," he plays a track from it that's... chair.  A pleather chair in the studio, repurposed as a percussion instrument. Gets you thinking in your own studio.

* * * * *

Okay... so far, so good.  Here's what's left on my long list. You can look up any titles that aren't self-evident. I have seen a number of these before, anywhere from 4 or 5 to 25 or 30 years ago. Long ago enough that it will feel like the first time, to quote a band whose documentary (if it exists) I likely won't be watching.

What do you think?  It beats watching mindless shows about Floridiots with tigers.