Passages

[fdm]

Eldorado is the only one I bothered with, around when it first came out. Great album as I recall…

[hearthesilence]

Photographer Daniel Kramer who became Dylan's official photographer in the mid-'60s - documenting what may have been the height of Dylan's career, many of those photos have become iconic, particularly those used for the covers of Bringing It All Back Home and Highway 61 Revisited.

[Lemmy Caution]

After knowing the cover for a million years, is interesting to see other photos from the same shoot:

The full cover photo without the outer swirl (well a different take, as the cat has moved):


A different pose, with more of a starring role for the couch:


It's jarring to see the woman in red in another position with Bob, as the cover photo is so iconic and locked in time. Albert Grossman must have had a great eye for couches, as Dylan reportedly traded an original Warhol gift, Double Elvis, for a Grossman couch. Later the last in red Sally Grossman sold it for $1M to finance her husband's Woodstock restaurant. Actually probably the same couch, and that's why Dylan wanted it (?)

[JSC]

Actor Bernard Hill.

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68962192

Most known in Britain as Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale's Boys from the Blackstuff. Also played the lead
in Bellman and True. Elsewhere known for Titanic and Lord of the Rings, etc.

I particularly liked his performance in Our Flesh and Blood from the Play for Today strand.

[beamish14]

Love his performance in Drowning by Numbers

[colinr0380]

Love his performance in Drowning by Numbers

Very much seconded. His TV work is notable too, especially Boys From The Blackstuff where his "Gis a job" line became a bit of a national catchphrase for life in Thatcher's Britain (and I suspect his character was probably an inspiration for the much more upset character of Johnny in Mike Leigh's Naked years later). And he has as excellent run of roles in the 1980s BBC Shakespeare series as the Duke of York in all three parts of Henry VI and then in a small but significant role in Richard III. Plus he's in the Dennis Potter series Lipstick On Your Collar.

But lots of interesting film roles too, inevitably filling out the cast in supporting roles in period films (as in his most familiar role as the ship's Captain in Titanic), including Dr Livingstone in Mountains of The Moon, the 1984 version of The Bounty and in The Ghost and the Darkness. Plus he is in the first feature film by Charles Sturridge (following Sturridge's TV series production of Brideshead Revisited), Runners which was written by a Stephen Poliakoff. And plays the 'boring' husband being forsaken by the titular Shirley Valentine for Tom Conti's Greek stud on an impetuous holiday fling.

Although along with Drowning By Numbers his biggest starring role is with John Hannah in an almost forgotten film that needs to be rediscovered some time, the gay relationship drama Madagascar Skin. I would be very curious to know if Andrew Haigh has ever seen that one and what he made of it!

[zedz]

Bernard Hill was an actor who, from what I've seen, was great anywhere he appeared.


His performance in the fourth episode of Boys from the Blackstuff is an incredible tour-de-force, expanding a character who had been a vivid cartoon earlier in the series into a fully fleshed-out tragic figure over the course of an hour.

[domino harvey]

Steve Albini discussion split off here

[TechnicolorAcid]

Narcisa Hirsch, 96

[hearthesilence]

No news report I can find, but it was announced via official social media sources that Eric "ET" Thorngren passed away on Monday. He worked with Talking Heads and Jerry Harrison for decades as an engineer and mixer, and he also tracked some of the earliest hip-hop at Sugar Hill Records, mixed Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love,” and re-mixed songs for Bob Marley’s Legend album.

[hearthesilence]

Per official social media accounts, Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, the drummer and last surviving member of the MC5, died this morning from heart failure.

What a week.

[Roger Ryan]

Per official social media accounts, Dennis “Machine Gun” Thompson, the drummer and last surviving member of the MC5, died this morning from heart failure.

What a week.

Quite disappointing that none of the members of the MC5 will see the honorary induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. Had the institution made the effort to induct the band only a year ago, Thompson, Wayne Kramer, and manager John Sinclair could have theoretically attended the festivities.

I chatted with Sinclair a couple of times and met Thompson briefly when I was visiting the editing suite where a very good documentary on Detroit's Grande Ballroom was being put together circa 2009 (Thompson had been invited by the producer to view some of the footage). I was also lucky enough to see Kramer perform a couple of times. While I never saw the MC5 in their heyday, my uncle, a Lutheran minister, was actually friends with all the band members in the early 70s and supposedly provided spiritual counseling!

[FrauBlucher]

I know it’s not the thread to discuss this, but that’s my problem with RnR HoF

[dwk]

Entertainment reporter Sam Rubin

[hearthesilence]

I know it’s not the thread to discuss this, but that’s my problem with RnR HoF

It's gotten really bad in recent years. It was already irksome that they snubbed the Velvet Underground for two straight years (even though you couldn't have picked a more obvious band that demanded first-year induction), thereby ensuring that Sterling Morrison wouldn't see it happen - per his widow, he did indeed care and it would have been a very welcome honor. At least Joey Ramone, Joe Strummer and now Dennis Thompson died knowing they were getting in, but now we have 4/5 of MC5, 5/6 of the Spinners, Ron Asheton, George Michael, Whitney Houston, Phife Dawg, at least David Jolicoeur of De La Soul, at least Mary Weiss, at least 4/5 (or 5/6) of the New York Dolls, at least Tom Verlaine, etc, etc....all dying before they could be granted induction even though they were alive and kicking once they were eligible. They would've cared and should've been able to enjoy it. (I know I said I wasn't a fan of Whitney Houston's music, but I've since come around to the idea that it's not for me but it sure meant a hell of a lot to at least one marginalized community, and that should account for something.)

[domino harvey]

Roger Corman discussion split off here

[FrauBlucher]

Susan Backlinie

[hearthesilence]

David Sanborn, per Twitter

"It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications."

Hosted the memorable but short-lived talk show Night Music which brought the likes of the Pixies, The Residents, Sonic Youth and Pere Ubu to mainstream audiences, along with wonderful and unlikely collaborations like Sonny Rollins with Leonard Cohen.

One of the most prolific studio musicians of the past 50+ years, this is probably my favorite musical appearance he's made.

[denti alligator]

Sanborn had a really cool show back in the late 80s or early 90s where he would invite jazz artists on, interview them, and then play with them. Some of the guests included Sun Ra and Christian Marclay. Great stuff. Great player.

[hearthesilence]

That sounds like Night Music - they were definitely on the show.

[brundlefly]

David Sanborn, per Twitter

"It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications."

Hosted the memorable but short-lived talk show Night Music which brought the likes of the Pixies, The Residents, Sonic Youth and Pere Ubu to mainstream audiences, along with wonderful and unlikely collaborations like Sonny Rollins with Leonard Cohen.

One of the most prolific studio musicians of the past 50+ years, this is probably my favorite musical appearance he's made.

Night Music was fantastic, one of those shows you figured someone accidentally let escape on to television. Maybe Sanborn had compromising pictures of Lorne Michaels. Relentlessly omnivorous.

Perhaps its most famous performance involved the Indigo Girls, Daniel Lanois, Don Fleming, and Sanborn joining Sonic Youth on "I Wanna Be Your Dog." Also on that show: Diamanda Galas.

[dadaistnun]

I would be remiss if I didn't link to this second Pere Ubu performance from the same night, with Sanborn and Debbie Harry joining the band on a glorious "Waiting for Mary" - thanks for that link, hearthesilence.

[beamish14]

David Sanborn, per Twitter

"It is with sad and heavy hearts that we convey to you the loss of internationally renowned, 6 time Grammy Award-winning, saxophonist, David Sanborn. Mr. Sanborn passed Sunday afternoon, May 12th, after an extended battle with prostate cancer with complications."

Hosted the memorable but short-lived talk show Night Music which brought the likes of the Pixies, The Residents, Sonic Youth and Pere Ubu to mainstream audiences, along with wonderful and unlikely collaborations like Sonny Rollins with Leonard Cohen.

One of the most prolific studio musicians of the past 50+ years, this is probably my favorite musical appearance he's made.

Night Music was fantastic, one of those shows you figured someone accidentally let escape on to television. Maybe Sanborn had compromising pictures of Lorne Michaels. Relentlessly omnivorous.

Perhaps its most famous performance involved the Indigo Girls, Daniel Lanois, Don Fleming, and Sanborn joining Sonic Youth on "I Wanna Be Your Dog." Also on that show: Diamanda Galas.

Mary Margaret O’Hara’s appearance is my favorite. I love the bizarre intro lead-in

[flyonthewall2983]

Also in the Lethal Weapon scores. Michael Kamen would do a saxophone concerto with David, the album also included a piece from Kamen's Brazil score.

[beamish14]

Alice Munro, the only Canadian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature