Groove of a different but no less essential stripe.  

The embryonic nexus between what we call punk, post-punk and new wave could be distilled down to Fred Smith's alternatingly loopy 4 note 4 bar bassline which opens "Marquee Moon".  That's really more than enough.

Nigel Harrison is a pretty good bass player, but.....

Jinnistan wrote:

I'll avoid the obvious...

This makes me sad. 

I didn't think death did that to me anymore.

It's turning into one of those weeks.

Frederick Wiseman of the pioneering doc Titicut Follies, who continued working rightinto his 90s.  Billy Steinberg might surprise some that a man wrote some of the sexiest feminine lyrics of the '80s (Madonna's "Like a Virgin", Heart's "Alone", DiVinyls "I Touch Myself").  And although I failed to mention James Van Der Beek, it isn't only because I've never seen an episode of Dawson's Creek in my life.  His work in Rules of Attraction justifies a tribute by itself.

Looking back, it's a shame how much Rev. Jesse Jackson became a bit of a punchline in the '80s, as a stalwart but presumably unrealistic political prospect in a Democratic party which was still condescending to the chances of a black man having any kind of leadership position.  And although his chances in 1988, specifically, may have been dim (it was the year of the "highly effective" Willie Horton ad, after all), the question of exactly how much worse could he have been than fucking Dukakis remains one of those eternal dilemmas.  Another example of the perennial mix of tepidity and temerity of the Democrat party.  There's much less debate about the fact that the same year Jackson gave one of the all-time great political speeches at their convention.



 

Jinnistan wrote:

Tom Noonan, creepy charcter actor, maybe best known as the villain from Manhunter.  Maybe my first impression of him was as a hapless government assassin in The Man With One Red Shoe.

The role to catch though in a rare writing and directing role in the fine '90s indie cringe-comedy date film What Happened Was... with Noonan starring alongside Karen Sillas in a compact one-room setting.  Noonan's patented creepiness adds to the awkwardness.

What Happened Was would definitely be one my favorite first time viewings from the last few years. It's up there with Aftersun and Florida Project.

Jinnistan wrote:

And as the bathroom stall assassin in Mean Streets.

How did I never notice this? I've seen that scene a thousand times.


 

Chuck Norris has invaded heaven.

Rock wrote:

People were being pretty insufferable about Norris on BlueSky, but nice to see some chimed in with appreciation.

I dunno, it’s perfectly fine to not like the guy for his movies or politics, but I’ve seen people watch his movies after he passed, presumably scowling with their arms crossed and leave snarky reviews decrying his and their politics. And, like, what are you doing with your lives lol

It's always illuminating how quickly 'virtue signalling' devolves into unvirtuous pogroms on social media.  Many people believe that following the mob is simply easier than being considerate.  As you probably know, I have a disdain for pissing on people's graves.  Or at least someone has to have done some really fucked up shit in order to earn the distinction.  Mostly, I prefer to ignore the wake and let the silence speak for itself.  In America Today, looking around this motherfucker right now, Chuck Norris represents about the most harmless form of conservative politics that I can see.  He's an openly Christian actor who sells beets on infomercials.  He's easy to brush off.  Anyone talking about Walker: Texas Ranger needs to look in the mirror.  I have no sympathy for anyone who hasn't figured out how to change the channel.

But let's get real.  A lot of the early Chuck Norris films are a lot of fun, at least, and a couple (Lone Wolf McQuade, Code of Silence) aren't that bad.  Sure, they're cheesy camp most of the time, that's what makes them so much fun.  And I appreciate those (Octogon, A Force of One, Forced Vengence) which aped the Hong Kong exploitation/B-movie aesthetic as an unironic acknowledgement.  And I also appreciate that Chuck Norris always seemed to winkingly acknowledge that he's not a very good actor, that it wasn't even really the point, and that his wooden machismo, intentionally or not, happened to be hilarious.  But like Hulk Hogan or Sly Stallone, or GI Joe and He-Man even, Chuck Norris became a vanity cartoon version of a heroic American in the '80s.



We can probably mark the 'problematic' era with Norris' association with Cannon, and Invasion USA and Delta Force have their Reagan-era conservative politics.  Both are still fun, in a MST3K way, because they're patently ridiculous while being absurdly sincere.  I still think Firewalker is worse than either because it wasn't any fun at all.  Since then?  Have I seen a Chuck Norris film since then?  I don't believe so.  And appropriate for Chuck's legacy, he would maintain fame into the 21st century largely for becoming a meme-synonym for ridiculousness.  Which....could be worse (Steven Seagal).

I also see here that Chuck Norris does have a final film coming out next year, called Zombie Plane, co-starring Vanilla Ice and Ice-T.  That also seems like an appropriate epitaph for this cemetary we call pop culture.

James Tolkan has a real vivatude problem.