Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 167

Explosive Content

Still one of the most amazing/genius videos ever.  Japanese artist, in 14 minutes, depicts every atomic explosion ever on earth--some 2000 of them (in case you've forgotten) since 1945.  Starts slowly with the Trinity test and Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and then unfortunately really picks up.  With musical notes marking each it soon turns into a symphony--or cacophony.  Chilling.   My own book on how the nuclear era started--and the U.S. cover-up of film footage.

Baddest Santa

Didn't know there's a whole web site devoted to, ahem, uncomfortable Santa and kids photos, titled Sketchy Santa.  Anyway:  some genius paired the best/worst of them the shots with a particularly horrid rendition of a popular Christmas song.  Though here it is claimed the song was just a joke, and not by Adam Sandler.


Sketchy Santa from Coty Gonzales on Vimeo.

Covering Mandela

In a rare move, The New Yorker has already posted next week's cover image online.

Re-name It "Odd to Joy"?

In our new film Following the Ninth and related book we cover the amazing influence of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony around the world but I've never seen anything like this.  The title says it all--"Beethoven’s Ode to Joy Played With 167 Theremins Placed Inside Matryoshka Dolls in Japan--
but doesn't include the boogie-woogie aspect.

'Inside' Story

At long last--I've blogged about it for two years--the Coen Brothers' Inside Llewyn Davis opens tomorrow in a few theaters, but NYT already has review up online.  It's quite favorable.  We already knew the T-Bone Burnett music for it was swell, based on excerpts and live shows.  Dave Van Ronk, whose memoir helped inspire it (though he was quite different than main character, trust me), has also gotten a good deal of well-deserved ink this week.  Dylan's publicity has been of another sort (a ridiculous "hate crime" charge in France).    Showtime "concert" doc coming a week from Friday--trailer below.  And below that, full clip from film of trio (with Justin Timberlake and Adam Driver) doing "Please Mr. Kennedy":

When I Met Springsteen at Sing Sing

Forty-one years ago this week I got a phone call at my office at the legendary Crawdaddy, where I served as #2 editor, that would change my life, for several years, anyway.  It was from a fast-talking dude named Mike Appel, inviting me to catch his top (and only) act in a press event/concert upstate the following day, December 7, 1972,  in...Sing Sing Prison.  The act was a total unknown whose debut album had not yet been released, by the name of Bruce Springsteen.  Forty years later, the kid's latest album was just named by our then-competitor, Rolling Stone, as album of the year.

Anyway, with editor Peter Knobler,  I helped create the very first magazine piece about Brucie (and 8,000 words, at that) for Crawdaddy, where I worked for most of the 1970s.  Many other pieces--and dozens of attending club dates--would follow and Bruce would become a good friend for a number of years.  Here's a brief summary and (below) a little video about the day I met Bruce in December 1972--in Sing Sing--which also includes excerpts from his very early live performances, including the acoustic  "Growin' Up" that helped get him his Columbia contract via John Hammond.

Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas

Yesterday I brought you the master's complete (16) string quartets, in a single 9-hour YouTube file, and in a legendary performance by the Quartetto Italiano.  It was a big hit so now I'll present the other half of what's been called the "twin Everests" of music, Beethoven's complete (32) piano sonatas, at almost ten hours. And an even more famous cycle, by the first pianist to record them all, decades ago, in a truly influential way--Arthur Schnabel.  He set the standard.  Go here for the start times of each sonata in the YouTube write-up.   After a slow start with the first couple, they get greater and greater, and then still greater, as you go along.  And as my friend Tim Page once told me, "Beethoven becomes Beethoven" with the slow movement to Sonata No. 7 (go to 2:08).   Note:  Our new film and book explore one of Beethoven's other peaks, The Ninth Symphony, and its incredible political and cultural influence around globe.  See trailer and amazing Bill Moyers segment.

Sandy Hook 911 Calls Released

After lengthy court action and media calls, some of the emergency calls from nearly a year ago are released and reporters listening to them now. (NYT with first excerpts.)  May not offer much new but then again: the recent summary of (still hidden) full report on the tragedy hailed police for getting to the school quickly and acting widely once they got inside.  Left vague was the question of why they sat outside for several minutes before entering.  Their timeline had the killings, and Lanza suicide, all occuring before or just as they arrived, letting them off the hook.  The 911 calls may offer a somewhat different picture, or not.

Maybe We Should Switch Sides?

My, what a difference a few weeks makes.  It seems like just yesterday that the media were filled with stories about the brave Syrian rebels, our aid for them and need for more, maybe even a U.S. air assault (Obama pushed the idea himself).  Now we've have days of reports on how--as many of us charged way back when--the rebels are actually led by jihadists and this could be the main staging ground for al-Qaeda.  The NYT attests to this in story at the top of their site now.  One could read that maybe think that we should actually bolster Assad--since our main goal in the unending war on terror has been stemming al-Qaeda.  Classic:

Some analysts and American officials say the chaos there could force the Obama administration to take a more active role to stave off potential threats among the opposition groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. But striking at jihadist groups in Syria would pose formidable political, military and legal obstacles, and could come at the cost of some kind of accommodation — even if only temporary or tactical — with Mr. Assad’s brutal but secular government, analysts say.

“We need to start talking to the Assad regime again” about counterterrorism and other issues of shared concern, said Ryan C. Crocker, a veteran diplomat who has served in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. “It will have to be done very, very quietly. But bad as Assad is, he is not as bad as the jihadis who would take over in his absence.”

One also needs to pause and imagine what would have happened if everyone had rolled over a couple months backs and not convince Obama to change his mind on bombing and backing (even more than now) those formerly brave/now jihadist rebels.

Beethoven: The Complete Quartets

Someone has uploaded to YouTube--in one nine-hour file (never seen anything this long there)--all 16 of LVB's string quartets, which some consider the Everest of music (though for that you really have to get to quartet 6 and onward, or from 2:15 on).  And it's by the fabled Quartetto Italiano in a legendary cycle.  And good sound quality, for such a file.  Go to YouTube for times for each quartet starting. If you're a newcomer, just go to 8:50 for the second movement of the first quartet (ten minutes long) and see if you get hooked.  Note:  Our new film and book explore one of Beethoven's other peaks, The Ninth Symphony, and its incredible political and cultural influence around globe.  See trailer and amazing Bill Moyers segment.