Links Round-Up (All Music, feat. quite a bit of Roger Daltrey)

[moon_custafer]

Symphony-orchestra mosh pits including a full version of Beethoven’s 9th (I think others have pointed out that that’s technically a polonaise not a mosh pit)

Jonathan Miller directs The Mikado (1987)  I love behind-the-scenes stuff, and watching Miller direct his famous, very specific deconstruction of Gilbert-and-Sullivan is probably more entertaining to me than the actual finished show. Everyone involved appears to be a sort of beautiful cartoon even before they get into character and into costume – especially Miller himself, flailing like a scarecrow, riffing on panto and the Marx brothers, and demonstrating just how he wants things said: “Werld.”

Later I found a few clips  from Miller’s version of The Beggar’s Opera (1983) – I think Roger Daltry’s singing has now ruined for me all the versions that use operatic tenors, because they just sound syrupy by comparison. Found out Daltrey went on to play the Street Singer in a 1989 film of the Threepenny Opera. From the reviews I’ve read, this isn’t much like the 1970s stage production except for the presence of Raul Julia, but hey, look at this opening. It immediately reminded me of something else, and if I had editing capabilities I’d make a fanvid matching it up with Scrooge’s intro from The Muppet Christmas Carol.  Then I watched the 1930s film version and wondered if anybody’s ever done the Street Singer as a newscaster or a succession of newscasters. I’m picturing a montage of on-the-spot crews reporting from Mackie’s various crime scenes. (ETA: Here you go)

Also been listening to different versions of “I Gotta Dance to Keep from Cryin’” – originally by Smoky Robinson and the Miracles, but I prefer Jimmy James and the Vagabonds  for being able to make out the lyrics, and for the energy of the live audience. Generally this song seems to work better live—here’s the front man for Mechanical People introducing their version as “a cover of a cover.” (Someone in the audience yells “Inception!”) They cite Smoky Robinson for the original, and then name-drop some bunch of teenagers from 1964 who called themselves The High Numbers.  Gee, I wonder whatever happened to those guys?

(I love that this sixty-year-old footage from a basement club exists at all. I love that the Who’s career basically happened because of this footage—Kit Lambert was shooting a documentary on youth subcultures, filmed this, and then said “Never mind the documentary, I’m going to be this band’s manager!” Looking at it today they’re already recognizably themselves, though Roger is skinnier and shorter-haired than I’ve ever seen him and John holds his bass a little differently. Keith is subdued by his usual standards, but look at him – he’s absolutely aware of where the camera is at any given moment, and he’s playing to it. I love their mod audience. I can feel how hot that room probably was.)

Comments

[shadowkat]

Roger Daltry is among the few famous classic rock musicians that I've seen up close and personal. I was working with the Who's Marketing Manager - Martin Smith - in planning and publicizing the release of The Who's The Kids are Alright on DVD. They made a big deal about Daltry and another manager, who I didn't know, making peace after a long estrangement. He seemed smaller in person. I'm close to six foot, and Daltry is shorter. I love his singing though. He made a great front-man for the Who.

Having seen the Three Penny Opera on Broadway, with Alan Cummings in the lead role - I'd agree that Daltry's was most likely much better. It was a poor staging - and sometime in the early 00s I think?

[sovay]

Jonathan Miller directs The Mikado (1987)

spatch and I just watched that recently! He had never seen Miller's Mikado before. I actually love it as a version, barring the camera occasionally being too in love with video techniques of the '30's/'80's and one gesture illustrating why ironic/sarcastic racism almost never works. My favorite part of the rehearsal footage, beyond the discussion of what they were doing and seeing what the actors looked like out of costume, was Miller completely disintegrating at Eric Idle's improvised groveling. I have very rarely in real life seen someone laugh so hard they fell down.

Have you seen his 1966 Alice in Wonderland? It has a ridiculously good cast including other parts of Beyond the Fringe, but also takes the same kind of stripping-back approach and I really like the results.

[kore]

Aww, this is great! All the music.

I haven't ever seen the whole thing but Daltry does one of my fave versions of the English-lang Mack the Knife there. My UTU comment was "The synchronized dancing is a little much, but the nasty jolly complicity is great. It's like a deranged version of Oliver." (Or the Muppets!)