by Dino Corvino on January 3rd, 2010
So here we are again, with what seems to be a curse, or a challenge, or a guantlet thrown down. My brother in arms Rob Mentzer had made a series of lists, so I thought I should not let the moment pass. The new year and all.
A decade is a long time. So I am going to try to put these in no order at all. I do not think at least. I do not know, blogging is a lot like free form jazz. We shall just see where it takes us.
- The Black Keys….THICKFREAKNESS…I had thought of making it their first record, the big come up, but decided on this one because of the violence. I thought the first record was shocking in its awesomeness, and the second one revealed that this was not a fluke. The guitar tone, the agression, the violence…I have always said it is like Hound Dog Taylor meets Sonic Youth. And that might be perfect. The output for the band through the decade was worth the top spot.
- The Rollins Band…The Only Way to know for Sure…the live record I had always wanted this band to make. Chicago, the whole deal. My lifelong friend Jason and I were there, and trapped in a snowstorm, so it was an epic time. When we were standing there, Jason turned to me and said, “thats a band with a stairmaster in the tour bus,” talking about how fast and without rest these guys were. It is a seminal live record.
- The Murder City Devils…RIP…I got into these guys when Tom Jordan burned me a CD. Then it was amazing. I had to have everything. A punk band with keyboards, well that was amazing. The songs about Johnny THunders and George Jones…amazing.
- Butch Walker…And the Lets Go Out Tonights…Nothing, nothing at all sounds like LA the way this sounds like LA. There is a reason that Butch is sought after by everyone. His songwriting is second to none. This glorious band made songs about nightlife, about the whole deal. A sort of album about eating at bar time, in your fab clothes. And Sunspot Wendy is jealous that I met him.
- Mos Def…The Exquisite…Just happened at the end of the year. And honestly Mos Def has a revolutionary voice, and we need that in hip hop. It cant all be about syrup.
- Prince…Indigo Nights…it came with the book that documented the dates in England. It is an overwhelming live record. Right up there with Live in Osaka.
- Iggy Pop…Skull Ring…He has to be on the list. It gets no better.
- Scott Holt…From Lettsworth To Legend…The fact that Scott wanted to do a whole album dedicated to his mentor, and his mentor is Buddy Guy…well that seems good. And it is good.
- Rakim…The Seventh Seal…I think Rakim is the best emcee of all time. The fact that he came back with such a high minded, and heavy record, shows just how good he is.
- Rise Against…Appeal to Reason…Blatantly smart. Live the band delivers constantly.
- Lucero…Rebels, Rogues and Sworn Brothers…I think Ben Nichols is the best lyricist of the last 20 years. His tales of love and loss, and heartbreak make ALL the alt country bands shut the hell up, or I would hope so.
That is 11. What do you think?
by Dino Corvino on January 2nd, 2010
My friend Rob Mentzer made a series of lists. Not wanting to be upstaged by Rob, I decided I needed to make a list of my favorite movies of the last decade. I am not going to try to tell you that these are the best movies of the last decade, because that would require a Roger Ebert like seriousness about being comprehensive, and I am going to fail in that regard.
What I noticed up front about this list, the lack of comedy. I love to laugh, and I love comedy. But, I think the Aughts were a decade of crappy comedy. Seth Rogan and Judd Apatow bastardized themselves to such a massive extent, they became uninteresting. The wave of comedy with people like Apatow, or Rogan, or whoever else was a waste of time. Even a movie like THE HANGOVER was simply a sort of rehashing of another movie from the past, Very Bad Things starring Christian Slater. Overall, I am not going to put comedy on the list, unless it is truly amazing. I thought Funny People was shocking in its highs, and might be the best thing Rogan and that crew have ever done. But, not enough to make the list.
So, off we go.
10. Million Dollar Baby. I thought the soft hands of Clint Eastwood, combined with the amazing performances of Morgan Freeman and Hillary Swank are a great combination. The ending is unrepentant in the sort of directness to that being the only option, but I respect the way Eastwood closes the story. Truly good stuff.
9. The Departed. It would be easy to say that this is just another crime story done by Scorsese but this time set in Boston. The fact that these are real people is cool. The cast is also the great thing about it. Nicholson, DeCaprio, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg…and more. They all raise their game to a high degree. And it is the first time I really got to see Ray Winston, who was a revelation.
8. Surfer, Dude. This one is clearly a personal journey choice. I think that it is on the surface a wonderful simple movie. It really is. But, I think some of the themes that it puts together, freedom and integrity, those are amazing. You combine that with surfing, and it was going to make my list.
7. The Bourne Trilogy. I do not know if it is fair to include them all as one, but it is my website. I think that they brought something different to action, the personal. And then they were consistent over three movies. So, I was a fan.
6. Requiem for a Dream. I thought the performances of this movie were exceptional. The fact that someone made a great movie out of a Selby book, that is awesome. Jared Leto delivers an amazing performance. And Darren Aronovsky is top notch.
5. Day Night Day Night. The story of a nameless girl who wants to become a suicide bomber. Hannah Arendt wrote the phrase ‘the banality of evil’ and this movie embodies it. If we are to assume that suicide bombers are evil, then the life of this one is truly banal. 48 hours. I also truly love the fact that we know NOTHING other than what the camera shows us. We never know why she is doing this, or even if she succeeds. I think it is exciting because it forced me to understand and once again see that humanity, all around me, is struggling with these concepts, and this internal life that I know nothing about. Forces are at play. At work.
4. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. I love westerns. I have always loved the story of Jesse James, and Robert Ford. This movie is pastoral in its scope, and the way it is shot is amazingly lingering. I loved it.
3. The Dark Knight. I do not see this showing up on a lot of peoples lists. I tend to wonder about why that is. People went nuts for the movie when it came out. It make you wonder if the response was simply based on the Heath Ledger tragedy, and if we are so ADD as a culture we do not see a lasting impact in these things. The reason I loved the movie is the fact that it placed the essential question on Batman. Will you kill? What would you do? The Joker essentially said…I am going to continue to kill and kill and kill and kill. Nothing will stop me. I am a force of nature, so Batman this is entirely up to you…will you kill me to stop me from killing? I thought LEdger was possessed, and Bale brilliant.
2. Where the Wild Things Are. This movie, like Surfer, Dude, is a personal choice. I think this movie is entirely about little boy rage, and the desire to reconnect to the primal inside of us. These are important things for me. Giant life things for me. You put that together with a book that meant everything to me, and then you really have something.
1. There Will Be Blood. If you know me than this is my second favorite movie of all time. The performance by Daniel Day Lewis is without a doubt the greatest performance I have ever seen by an actor. The story of madness, and greed, and power, and corruption is amazing. Combine that with the great western sense, the anti church theme. Well, we are going great guns.
Some of the others…
The Wrestler, The New World, SpyGame, Red Dragon, Hard Candy, The 25th Hour, Traitor, Micheal Clayton, The Kingdom, Recount, CLoverfield, Tyson, Inside Man, American Gangster
by Dino Corvino on January 1st, 2010
In an ironic twist of fate, I am sick the first day of 2010. I think I was sick the first day of 2009, but my journal is pretty unclear on the whole thing.
Anyway, it is exhausting to move today, so the chair has been a consistent home. I wanted to get away from television after Florida State won their bowl game. So I put in the copy of Pinks Concert video I had gotten a little bit ago.
I am a big Pink fan. I like her voice, I have seen her in concert. She works with musicians that I like (Butch Walker, Tim Armstrong), and I think that of all the pop singers out there now, she seems to be the most fun.
The DVD comes from her massive tour of Austrailia. I think it is one of the last nights of the Sydney dates. It is only about 90 minutes long, but given the scale of the production, I cannot imagine I missed something.
First off, the performer, Pink, looks and sounds amazing. She is clearly in top shape. Her voice is confident and more than able to do anything that the music calls for. She is able to loosely improvise, and have fun with the musicians. Like all big productions, this is a tightly choreographed show, but it still fills like you are seeing a live concert.
The band is top notch and tight. The back up singers remind me of the famous back up singers Madonna had for all those years. The only instruments that are prominent in the staging are the make lead guitar player, who looks to be the band leader. A female bass player, who managed to put her bass down and play a Flying V guitar for a number. And a drummer who had good rock chops, but over all this was musical theatre, and he reflected that.
The production is amazing. It incorporates the circus and Cirque du Soleil. Pink sings the songs live into a hand held mic, except for songs when she is hanging above the stage on bungee cords or Matrix style cabling. You can hear her work hard, and you can here her adlib lyrics.
The thing that really drew me to this show, and the reason I called this uplifting was the way this was shot. A good portion of this is tight shots of Pinks face, and she is funny and laughing. I think it is uplifting when co workers truly enjoy what each other is doing. You can see this especially in music, theatre, sports maybe. When the collective creative energy is soaring. You see musicians who have been together for a long time have this interesting langauge that requires NO TALKING.
It was an uplifting show. I would put it in the top ten of my all time live DVDs. But, that will be another post.
by Dino Corvino on December 27th, 2009
I think it was a pretty good year for movies. No really amazing performance like Daniel Day Lewis in ‘There will Be Blood’, but some good movies none the less. These are my favorites…
1. Tyson. The documentary or art film by Jame Toback is simply riveting for me. Mike Tyson is my favorite athlete of all time, regardless of his fall from grace, and to see him tear himself open like this is amazing. Simply overwhelming. I could not look away.
2. Where the Wild Things Are. This is one of those movies that had SO MUCH to live up to. The book was pivotal for me. I kept my childhood copy all through college, and Jackies son has it now. I immediately went out and got a first edition, and hopefully that will be with me forever. The story of little boy rage is so powerful, and so direct, that I was amazed by it. I think that this movie actually realizes the potential, and surpasses it. And if you do not have that little boy rage, then this movie might ring completely false to you. I hope you have a little bit left.
3. Up. I hate to steal an idea from a friend, but this is one of those movies where you just think Pixar is totally going to fail. Just to miss the mark all toghether, and they do not. They hit the mark, and the whole world is totally enjoyable.
4. Zombieland. I love Woody Harrelson, and I like the curly haired kid. And the cameo by Bill Murray was so awesome. I liked the joy of this whole thing. The senselessness of it all.
5. Sherlock Holmes. My mom and I saw this on Christmas Day. It was swashbuckling. Robert Downey Jr might be our generations most amazing talent. And, I have never, ever cared for Jude Law, in ANYTHING. But, in this he was just fine. Made me laugh even. And Rachel Mcadams is always great.
6. State of Play. This might be a bit of a shock, but it is right there. I dig Crowe, I dig Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck is pretty good as well. The story might be the last movie about the former concept of journalism, versus what journalism is now.
7. Star Trek. Pretty good stuff. Funny enough.
8. Away We Go. The guy from the office, and Mya Rudolph just are great. Maggie Gyllenhaal in her least likeable charecter ever. EVER. And she is in Madison, so that is even funnier.
9. Bad Lieutenant. So, I love Werner Herzog. I adore his work. I absolutely think him to be a visually arresting storyteller, and when he works with an actor like Nic Cage, who can when he wants to take it seriously, he can get a lot out of him. It is awesome. The iguana alone makes it stunning.
10. Moon. Rockwell gives the performance of a lifetime.
Honorable Mentions.
-Sugar. Great baseball movie
-Adventureland…dear kristin stewart…stop sucking, your playing joan jett next, take it seriously. You have talent for days…for a reminder take a look at THE CAKE EATERS, you were in it.
-The Hurt Locker…Thank you Kathryn Bigelow. Thank you to that cast.
Worst Movies…or rather stuff I hated myself for watching
-New Moon
-GI Joe
-Transformers 2…But in all fairness, I just gave up on this dog crap.
-Inglorious Basterds
-The limits of control…seriously JARMUSCH…narrative does not hurt
by Dino Corvino on December 25th, 2009
So, I love riding a bike. A pedal bike. This past summer my good friend Andy spent most of his summer on a bike. It was truly inspirational, and while he will simply say it was common sense, it was very cool.
I am a fat guy. But, in my former life I was an active mountain biker. I think I have a pretty good pedigree in the pedals up until about age 28. Then, I think the night life took over.
But along the way I have had a few inspirational cats come through my life. Ed Magrecke (sp), Cannondale Dean…cats who were committed to this 2 wheel lifestyle. My boys growing up…Marsh, Trowb, Henry, Kurt Lach. All amazing cyclists. I used to ride my bike to the Pub, and the Paper. And it all sort of fell away at some point. Not sure when, but this year that is going to change.
I want to buy an urban bike. A commuter, but not one of these hybrids. I sort of want a bike that will feel like the 20 inch dirt bike of my youth, and still be a common sense bike for going to work. So, I found a couple.
First off is something from Trek…
This bike is called the Trek PDX. It is in my price range, and something that I think looks good. The frame is solid, and the components are going to be good enough for me, for this first year back on the pedals.
Secondly there is this…
This is a Giant SEEK. Very similar. I have not had a chance to see one in real life, because in Wausau they are only at Builers, and I am less than excited about going there. But, the styling of this bike on the Giant Website is truly awesome.
I know these bikes seem plain, and a little simple. But, the reality is that I need to not spend a ton of money to ensure that this is something I am going to want to take on for a summer.
I think it will be.
by Dino Corvino on December 22nd, 2009
This was an exceedingly difficult year. There was nothing that was clear cut, some friends got more famous and as such a little more disconnected, a local boy made good on the talent he possesses. And iloveghosts came out with a record. So, over all it was a surprising year. I am still of the ilk that buys CD’s, almost 100% of my CD’s came from Inner Sleeve in Wausau, Wi. If I downloaded a record, it was the full album. Like I said though, it was a strange year.
1. Blakroc, “Self Titled”. This was one of those that slept on me a bit. I had forgotten about it until about a day ago, when I had started to think about this list. But, a record made by The Black Keys and the NYC hip hop families that I care for makes it obviously the best record. The guitar ton of Dan Auerbach and the drumming of Patrick Karney, combined with the likes of RZA, ODB, Mos Def, Jim Jones and a ton of others, make it perfect. When you look at the output of Dan Auerbach in this year, it is sort of amazing. Check out this clip.
2. Street Sweeper Social Club “Self Titled”. I found these guys when they backed up Public Enemy at the Def Jam Hip Hop Honors this year. I noticed Tom Morello, and then Boots Riley was unavoidable, just a movement about him. It was great. Then I happened to be out west for the NIN/Jane’s Addiction (Janes might be the greatest live band I have ever seen) and SSSC was opening. This was a night that was magic.
3. Mandy Moore, “Amanda Leigh”. So, as most of you know I am not one for the singer songerwriter vibe. It is just not my thing. But, I am a big fan of the pop women, and great pop songs. I also think that few people write songs like Ryan Adams, and I absolutely loved the movie ‘Dedication’ this year. Lets put it all together. Ryan Adams got married to Mandy Moore. Mandy Moore starred with Billy Crudup in above said movie. So, I was paying attention when I heard Mandy put out a new record. For a good part of the year the first single off the record was my song of the year. I played it constantly. Then other great songs came along, and I was clear. But, this is one of those singer songwriter records, and it was absolutely magic. It had a confidence and a swagger about it that I just loved. Check this out.
And now we fall off a little bit.
4. Jay-Z, “The Blueprint 3″. You heard our entire podcast devoted to this record. It really was a great record, and it contained my song of the year. So, it has to be in the top 5. My song of the year.
5. Lady Gaga, “The Fame Monster”. This was one of those records that sort of just explodes. It is like a movement all to itself, and you cannot stop it no matter how hard you try. It gets inside you with this amazing vision of the world, and it never lets you go.
6. Rawkwon, “Only Built for Cuban Linx, Part II”. This I just got. Like a week ago. And it has not stopped being played, it just is a return to emceeing, and beats like the world needs. I hope hip hop follows Raekwon. He knows the way.
7. The Pains of being Pure at Heart, “The Pains of being Pure at Heart”. I do not never know what to say about this band, other than I love them.
8. Japandroids, “Post Nothing”. Again I just simply fell in love with the guitar sound. Like The Black Keys before them, it was a tone thing.
9. Lucero, “1372 Overton Park”. I think Ben Nichols is the best songwriter in the world right now. He is my Bob Dylan. He write lyrics that change my life. I have been lucky enough to see them with friends, and they are a popular band here in Wausau, and maybe they make it here for a festival or something next year. One can hope right. Lucero live is Special. Really special.
10 Meantooth Grin, “Before the Devil Knows Your Dead”. I got to witness ever part of this production. From the birth of Toms blues love, to the cancer, to the song writing, to the art, to it all. Tom is a blessed talent, and I am proud he is my friend. We sat at his house tonight, and talked about how he wants to move music forward in Wausau. I just thought, play your guitar man. Just rip.
I hope that list makes some sense to you. It was a strange year. The ipod got more dominate in my life, and I am not sure if that is a good thing.
by Dino Corvino on December 20th, 2009
A while ago my main man City Pages Pat and I had a long go round about why I liked MMA, and boxing. He could not understand, and had a lot of misconceptions about the whole thing, and we talked it through. I thought it was interesting that someone would have these sort of preconcieved notions, then he told me that he went to the MMA thing in Rothschild a while ago, and it was not the noble pursuit that I was able to articulate. I am sure that is the case. Like everything else, I am sure local MMA is a lot like State Park Speedway. State Park Speedway is still racing, but Dale Junior is not coming to the races.
So, yeah, local MMA is a lot like UFC or WEC or PRIDE…but it is not really the same.
Then I met our Managing Editor, Brad, and Brad is a serious MMA guy. He writes about MMA professionally. Specifically Wisconsin MMA. I found his tales of local events to be even more exciting. And I really liked his writing, a lot.
We are all in the middle of best of lists, for the year for the decade…and I am stuck thinking I want to do a list for MMA. The problem is I am new to this sort of thing. So instead I call upon Brad to write a list…a few lists…
1. Best of MMA 2009
2. Worst of MMA 2009
3. Fighters of the Year
4. Biggest Dissapointment of 2009
5. Least Welcome MMA Trend
by Dino Corvino on December 17th, 2009
I took part in this in the planning and execution. I am proud of it.
by Dino Corvino on December 15th, 2009
I feel like something changed in me over the past few weeks. I feel good in my body, and my mind, and my spirit. I feel progress in my health, and my wellness. And through all this, I have felt supported and actually groovy. And that word brings me to Tom Neal.
I think I met Tom about ten years ago. We both walked into a Great Northern Blues Society meeting, and I think our friendship was natural. I know that Tom looked at me as someone in need of a mentor, and while I fought that, I knew I needed one. He was a great friend, and the most subtle teacher in the world, in fact often times I think I had to go back and review what we talked about just to make sure I learned what I wanted to learn from him.
One of the things that Tom talked about all the time was the art of being groovy or being groovy or groovy itself. I have always hated that word, and all that come along with it. I was and am a child of punk rock, and a direct descendent of the tribe of Iggy Pop. I was an am rather self destructive, and often times nihilistic.
But, over the past 6 months, I have found myself returning again and again to that which is truly important. The groove of life, the ebb and flow of the spirit, and the fact that we are LONG on this Earth, and often times it is easier to get a long than it is to fight. Even if we want, we need to remember that the universe feeds us, and we can find that in the moment.
I used to jokingly write these posts about I need to kill Jim Carlson, or say things like I hate that someone taught me a lesson. But that was just as karmically self defeating as punching myself in the face, or screaming at a cop during a traffic stop.
Tom taught me that. I did not know it at the time, and in all fairness, I resented it I am sure on a level I did not understand. But Tom taught me that slow and steady gets me there, and cool and calm helps me succeed. All the passion and fire bring the results, but often times they can be self defeating. And Tom taught me that.
The moment is undeniable. Sure, some of us pick up shovels and do the work of this world, but so does everyone. When we are dancing, we are dancing. Those moments, the Tom Neal Groovy moment, that moment is in my life now. In a way that it was not before.
Thanks Tom, sorry it took me this long to get it.
by Dino Corvino on November 22nd, 2009
This was a hell of a four days or so. Even I have to admit the colors that painted my universe were vast and rich, and so varied. I ate from a stimuli buffet the likes of a Vegas Style resort. And I came away thrilled.
Waylon Jennings. In general I try to find an artist or genre to spend time with musically over a weekend. I was inspired by my long friendship with Wausau musician Sam Staples, and I decided it was going to be Waylon and Merle Haggard. It ended up just being Waylon, because honestly I had no idea how deep I could get into Waylon Jennings, and how rich it would be when I got there. I had always over looked Waylon, and I was so wrong. The voice is so deep, and so rich, and so true that it is all the things that I find in Cash and Willie, and it is so much more. Like a deep pond in front of me, deep and resolute. Manly and strong. Waylon was a great gift this weekend.
Rob Zombie. I had never seen Zombie before, but my main man Jesse Dayton and his alter ego Captain Clegg were opening for him, so I made the trip to Milwaukee to see him. I was really concerned, because in general the brilliance that is Jesse Dayton is buried underneath the artifice that is this Captain Clegg concept album. The songs are great, but I was terribly apprehensive about the whole thing. I did not want the dress up Unknown Hinson garbage, I just wanted the songs, the power, the speed. I got all of that, and more. The presentation of the Captain Clegg model was amazing. The theatrics were not over whelming, and I still got enough of the Jesse Dayton/Road Kings energy that I felt good.
Zombie on the other hand was a revelation. The last time I remember seeing him perform was the Thunderkiss something or other. He could not deliver it onstage, and was winded and totally lame. This time around I thought he was in shape, clear headed, and a hell of a performer. Would I pay money to see Zombie without Jesse Dayton, maybe, but probably not. He is a million dollar guy, and I get it, but he is not my thing.
New Moon. My bff Jill is a Twilight person. She has read the books, watched the movies and the whole thing. I have done neither. But, she wanted to go, and it seemed important, so off we went. To a sold out afternoon show of this monstrosity. In the lobby I waited in line 20 minutes for pop corn. In Wausau. I was freaked out about that. In line I learned about the Team Jacob v. Team Edward thing. I did not know who Edward or Jacob were, or why one would need to choose them. But, you apparently need to choose (after seeing the movie I am on Team Jacob).
The movie was horrible. Just a big piece of dog crap with unlikeable charecters, people I would not want anything to do with. It was a waste of Kristin Stewart who I love as an actor. The guy Edward, apparently in real life he is trying to be Johnny Depp (only smellier), was terrible. Seriously, not even like Brad Pitt in that other vampire movie bad…just simply bad. He seems to be a bad actor.
And the story is an abomination of the archtype. A vampire is a thing that transcends many cultural stories, and has deep rooted charecteristics and traditions. Apparently these are vampires who do not drink human blood. As I was explained it was about the ‘father’ who thought he would try to do it differently. Dear God what is the point of a vampire unless the blood is the metaphor?
Vampire story = blood as metaphor.
Not some horrid story about a teen girl struggling with a Hamlet syndrome unable to make a decision between the ethereal Edward, and the physical Jacob. The air versus the earth.
And seriously, Edward spent the entire movie RUNNING away from her, and Jacob spent the whole time trying to be with her. Even revealing himself and his ‘pack’ to her.
New Moon was terrible. Like Urban Legends 2 terrible. Like Sniper 3 terrible.
And Me. What a great weekend it was. I got to learn a lot, I got to do a lot, and a lot got done. Clearly it was Scott Holt weekend at Malarkeys, and honestly Tyler was such a good guy that I was blown away by the awesomeness of Malarkeys. I was in my own world, and have no idea what anyone thought, but Tyler was great.
Me, Zombie, New Moon, and Waylon Jennings. We do thing up big.
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