The Body Polite-ic

Today I discovered a key downside to being home sick - in addition to the sickness itself, of course. The Today Show gets really dubious after 9:00 am. This morning's main offender was several minutes of air-time - sponsored no less - spent talking with a woman who was upset that her son's preschool used "ladies first" and the attendant concept of "being a gentleman" to determine which kids in the class would use the bathroom first ahead of nap-time. I can only surmise that this woman's son is her only child, because otherwise she'd appreciate that getting multiple preschoolers to do anything in an orderly fashion is like herding barracudas - just with a slightly lower chance of getting bitten. Rather than jumping down the school's throat for using an admittedly old-fashioned approach to teaching good manners, perhaps she could have used it as a teaching moment for her own child to convey that there are multiple sets of customs that are used to display politeness.

Flash (aah-aah)

I've always enjoyed the 1980 film of Flash Gordon. Because I missed it in the theater, I've never seen it in its full outlandish glory until buying the Blu-ray the other day. Aside from the obvious praise about how good it looks in high-definition, my overall impressions have remained unchanged over the years.

1) As far as creating a comic-book atmosphere, it's about the truest adaptation of a classic character from that era of comics.

2) The American leads are pretty bad, but the supporting actors (mostly Brits) are wonderful, especially Brian Blessed as the borderline insane king of the Hawkmen.

3) The soundtrack by Queen remains awesome.

4) Between the blond beefcake being marched around in a speedo, the well-groomed man in the green suit speaking BBC English and - I suppose - the actress playing Ming the Merciless' daughter, I wonder how many young men came to appreciate their sexuality watching this movie.

5) The most implausible thing about the movie remains the idea that the New York Jets would actually have a quarterback good enough to fight off so many of Ming's soldiers singlehandedly.

Sex Bomb

With record stores seemingly an endangered species, along with bookstores, I've resolved to enjoy them while they last. It's not hard with the store just down the street from my office, because they have several racks of CDs priced $1.00 or less. Obviously, only the most uncritical music fan won't think at least some of their inventory is crap, but it's a rare visit that I don't find something worth picking up.

Today was no exception. I left with nine discs and that abundance left me with a dilemma. I can't decide which CD bargain I'm most excited about. I was able to narrow it down to two, but that's as far as I've gotten.

One was Roxy Music's album For Your Pleasure for a quarter, and the other was the CD-single of Toby Keith performing "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" live (with a spoken intro) for a dime. Bryan Ferry is passionate about screwing those after whom he lusts, while Toby Keith is passionate about bombing those he hates. Who's to say which is better? I respect them both.

Down on Downton

The general consensus is that the first series of Downtown Abbey is a marvelous British period drama but the second run dipped in quality and turned into a soap opera. While there is some truth in that view, it overlooks one key thing not just about Downtown Abbey but also British period dramas in general. Most of the beloved costume dramas from the UK have a strong streak of soap opera in them.

This is as true of programs based on books like Brideshead Revisted and Poldark as it is of the show that Downtown Abbey most resembles - the original Upstairs Downstairs. It's also just as true of the first series of Downtown Abbey meaning that, while there was a distinct dip in quality between the first and second series, it would be a mistake to attribute it to the show suddenly becoming a soap opera. The real culprit seemed to be a lack of focus on the part of the writer, weaving in so many plot threads that not only was it was sometimes unclear which ones we should care about some of those we clearly are meant to focus on felt rushed such as the problems encountered by Mr. Bates late in the series.

Despite that, you have to give credit to the actors for continuing to approach even the more preposterous plot lines with conviction. This is most apparent with Brendan Coyle as Mr. Bates whose dignified performance is a stark contrast with the sensationalistic storyline he's been given. Coyle also starkly contrasts with Maggie Smith as the Countess, whose role has largely degenerated into throwing out pretentiously pithy comments every so often whether the story calls for it or not.

With the third series of Downtown Abbey premiering on PBS tonight, too long after its UK run for most American fans, the biggest question is not what will happen to Bates but rather whether it will be more like the first or the second. Whichever turns out to be the case, the new series is sure to have one thing in common with the previous ones, it will be the classiest soap opera on TV, and that's not a bad thing.

Overdue Sparks

Record companies have been so shameless about reissues since the 1990s that I'm pretty skeptical about buying new editions of albums I already own. This was the case of the reissue of Squeezing Out Sparks. I knew this reissue was out there and what was on it, but for whatever reason(s) I didn't feel the need to buy it. It's only now that I know firsthand what's on it that I appreciate the mistake I made and what I've been missing.

Simply put, the live recording of the entire album included here is a revelation. I've heard plenty of Parker's live performances, and while all of them are strong this batch is special. That's not to say that all the live versions are better than the studio recordings, but many are and even when they're not better Parker and the Rumour's energy - and the sheer strength of the songs themselves - carries the day. More than anything, they sound like they're trying to outrace the end of the world when the end of the world is only a step behind - and gaining. 

Even when the tempo slows down for the haunting "You Can't Be Too Strong", it's only a modest respite because that song still has plenty of edge and a bracing (and even angrier) rendition of "Passion is No Ordinary Word" is up next. This approach doubtless has a lot to do with the circumstances of the album's making. Without going too deep into its history (the liner notes summarize it well), it's fair to say that Squeezing Out Sparks was made at a time when Parker's musical life was join the line. Some bands wilt in that situation, but Parker and the Rumour embraced it and that same drive can be heard in these live performances. 

Between appearing in the movie This Is 40 and the new album with The Rumour, Three Chords Good, Parker is more high-profile than normal lately. I haven't seen This is 40, and despite some good songs I like the news album better in concept (and intention) than in execution. All that aside, there's no denying the quality of this album. You can make a case that some of Parker's other albums were better, but Squeezing Out Sparks was his defining moment. We have the tapes to prove it.