Today is July 31st. It would have been my dad’s 67th birthday. Heck it is his 67th birthday. Not a day goes by that I do not think about him. This post is written in his memory …
As a child, this film was a constant source of annoyance for me because when my father played it (he taped it off TV), he played it loudly and often at the most inopportune times (like when I was trying to sleep). Having been primarily raised on a steady diet of easy listening (courtesy of my mother), R&B, Hip-Hop (when it was RAP) and a few bits of the old Rock ‘n Roll, the sounds of this post-punk alt-rock band (The The is their name) was more than a slight departure for me.
However, as with so many things in our lives, the years have made this music less of an ear sore and something that is now recalled as being a fond youthful remembrance – not only because of its association with my father, but because, if I am completely honest with myself, some of the music is actually alright.
With the release of 1986 album, Infected, Matt Johnson (the sole constant member of The The), with the aid of a host of guest musicians, put together a feature length piece that was comprised of music videos shot in various locations around the world.
Here is just one sample (featuring ‘Buffalo Stance’ Neneh Cherry – yes I AM dating myself):
Todd Mason says
July 31, 2012 at 9:39 amSo, it was the videos for the album together he taped? Or a concert? Or a concept film incorporating the songs?
Todd Mason recently posted..Saturday Music Club: some folk-rock
iluvcinema says
July 31, 2012 at 9:51 amIf memory serves me correctly there are just a strong of videos there are title cards between them I guess that this the narrative thread?
Here is another video. As you can see the tone and tempo of the song is quite different than Slow Train to Dawn:
http://youtu.be/orIy18qIaCU
iluvcinema recently posted..Tuesday’s Overlooked: Special Edition (Infected: The Movie)
Ja says
July 31, 2012 at 10:52 amI am still tired from being awaken by these tunes. 🙂
Ja recently posted..Is Peyton Manning Still A Top Ten Fantasy Quarterback In 2012?
iluvcinema says
July 31, 2012 at 11:09 amHa ha!
Ja says
July 31, 2012 at 10:57 amI still do not like to get into the “was it better than The Dark Knight” debates, I understand how and why folks would do that. It’s only natural. But I will save that debate for another day. I will just say this: the movie delivered, period! It was dark (borderline morbid-which I have no problem with) and emotionally riveting at times (the interactions between Caine (Alfred) and Bale (Wayne) are classical stuff (although a friend of mine named “Coach” proclaims that they are eerily similar to the on-screen interactions between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in Good Will Hunting (at construction site). But I digress…I loved the film and will likely see it again.
Ja recently posted..Is Peyton Manning Still A Top Ten Fantasy Quarterback In 2012?
iluvcinema says
July 31, 2012 at 11:10 amWrong post, 😉 Did you want me to move it?
iluvcinema recently posted..Tuesday’s Overlooked: Special Edition (Infected: The Movie)
Gerard says
September 7, 2012 at 11:09 pmA late comment after trolling through Todd Mason’s past blog posts.
I became a The The fan after buying the MIND BOMB album. There were one or two movies put out that (I think) were a mix of live performance, touring footage, and videos. I never got around to renting one of them, though I recall one playing on television.
iluvcinema says
September 9, 2012 at 11:23 amThere is also a lot of stuff on YouTube.