Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 10
March 19, 2015
The Best of Townes
I've wanted to do this for awhile, so why not now? Some of us--a few of us--consider the late great Townes Van Zandt one of the great American songwriters ever (and great American fuck-up). You may have heard of him, or not. You may have heard one or more of his songs, or not (or more likely heard them, even in True Detective, and not known it was by him). So here's what I consider his greatest, in no order, both his versions or great covers of his songs by others.
March 18, 2015
Greatest Song Inspired by Civil Rights Struggle and Dylan--and "Ol' Man River"?
Update: Great new article at The New Yorker covers what I wrote last year (below) and much more.
As I've posted before, I consider Sam Cooke's "Change Is Gonna Come" the greatest song of our era. It's still little known that Sam's response to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" becoming the new anthem of the civil rights movement--as it was enshrined at the March on Washington in 1963, via Peter, Paul and Mary--was to 1) record that song himself 2) determine that a black writer should pen such an anthem. So he wrote "Change Is Gonna Come," inspired you might say by Dylan and Martin Luther King Jr. Here's Sam and below that the Peter, Paul and Mary performance at the march. -- G.M.
As I've posted before, I consider Sam Cooke's "Change Is Gonna Come" the greatest song of our era. It's still little known that Sam's response to Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" becoming the new anthem of the civil rights movement--as it was enshrined at the March on Washington in 1963, via Peter, Paul and Mary--was to 1) record that song himself 2) determine that a black writer should pen such an anthem. So he wrote "Change Is Gonna Come," inspired you might say by Dylan and Martin Luther King Jr. Here's Sam and below that the Peter, Paul and Mary performance at the march. -- G.M.
March 17, 2015
March 16, 2015
Life is a Beach
First trailer for the Brian Wilson bio-pic coming in June--w/ Paul Dano as young Bri and John Cusack as older version...
March Sadness
Post up: John Oliver last night with main segment vs. NCAA financials--and unveils his own video game that captures where the riches go and don't go.
March 9, 2015
Oliver's Army
Last night John tackled elections ads in Israel, asked how Daylight Savings Time could still be a thing, and in major segment hit lack of voting rights of U.S. territories such as Guam...
March 8, 2015
Mixing up the Medicine
Fifty year ago today the song that would change (nearly) everything was released--Dylan's first electric single, "Subterranean Homesick Blues." Not a giant hit but every single rocker and folkie was listening (including Bob). Also, you might say, the first "rap" single. Also sparked what some call the first true "music video" precursor, the opening of D.A. Pennebaker's "Don't Look Back" doc. Bob was turning rather "apolitical" then but the song lyric even lent the name for the radical group The Weathermen.
March 2, 2015
Infrastructure Not Boring
Great John Oliver full segment last night... Plus: celebrating Net Neutrality win (which John had helped promote).
February 26, 2015
Gaza Tourism
Powerful new two-minute film, allegedly by Banksy, exposing conditions in Gaza today (as tongue-in-cheek tourist destination). Yes, there's a little Banksy on a wall or two, also.
Foxed Up
Jon Stewart, after getting hit by Fox, can't resist a highlight reel--but with a very serious edge.
The Daily Show
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The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook,Daily Show Video Archive
