Longtime fans of Benedict Cumberbatch who've followed his musical tastes know of his appreciation for Radiohead and lead singer Thom Yorke. In the past, Cumberbatch has openly admitted Radiohead's significance to him - as if their music were the soundtrack to his life (never more so than "How To Disappear Completely" - the song he heard before and during his carjacking while filming BBC's "To The Ends of the Earth.")
Radiohead's first hit, "Creep" is the one most people can recognize, but it's not indicative of the band's sound or the albums released while under contract to EMI. While Benedict talks of an extraordinary life, it seems that if one listens to the artists he mentions during interviews and Q&A's, he is drawn to artists who see the extraordinary in the parts that comprise songs, whether it be the music, lyrics, instruments, orchestration - and, in the case of Radiohead and Thom Yorke, distribution. Just last year, the outspokenYorke described Spotify as:
“the last desperate fart of a dying corpse.”
Picturesque, isn't it?
Before that, Thom didn't seem fond of CDs, either. In a 2009 interviewwith Believer, Yorke admitted: "...I always hated CDs. Me and Stanley [Donwood, Radiohead’s longtime album-art designer] always hated CDs. Just a f*cking nightmare," adding that he was happy to see that format disappear.
The message seems to be consistent, even with the press release for the new album:
It's an experiment to see if the mechanics of the system are something that the general public can get its head around ...
If it works well it could be an effective way of handing some control of internet commerce back to people who are creating the work.
Enabling those people who make either music, video or any other kind of digital content to sell it themselves.
Bypassing the self elected gate-keepers.
One might be able to get around gate-keepers, but that cannot be said of the critics. Reviews have been, well, mixed, at best, although there have been close to 500K downloads as of this writing. Zach Schonfeld of AV Club commented that the record illuminates "how Thom Yorke and longtime co-conspirator Nigel Godrich like to spend their free time," before they begin the newest band album, while Mark Beaumont of The Guardian observed that "much of Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes sounds distinctly unambitious" while admitting "it’s unfair to expect Yorke to dismantle and resolder the circuit boards of modern music every time he releases a record." (Mark's review is colorful and well worth the read, by the way. Check it out!)
NME's review, like others, acknowledged the daring that comes more with the distribution of the music than with the contents customers receive: "Not so long ago, musicians like Yorke strived to push the artistic envelope; now it seems the focus has shifted towards finding the most ethical and efficient way to mail it."
For me, the challenge is the delivery service Yorke chose, announcing it on Twitter on Sept. 26.
While elevating the BitTorrent Bundle brand and giving himself artistic freedom and control, what makes it better for the customer? Today's consumers are usually motivated by price AND convenience. The price? $6.00 USD, which is very reasonable IF you love the band and know you'll enjoy the record. However, in the age of iTunes and Amazon, where you can hear a song sample, or Spotify, Pandora and 8Tracks, where you can listen to music at no charge before you buy, it seems a safe bet for Yorke and Radiohead to choose alternative distribution AFTER they earned critical and commercial success with a 6-album deal with EMI that began in 1991. There is less risk and more control for them, but that can't be said for us, the buyer. Times and tastes change - and the music industry has, too. A typical Radiohead fan has likely been along for the ride from the beginning - and my guess is that they enjoy the convenience of digital downloads, streaming radio apps - and the efficiency of iTunes (and they probably bought a few CDs, too.)
Perhaps this is the evolution of digital downloads, and fans will follow where Thom leads. To find out more, you can click on the Twitter link above or check out Radiohead's press release, which details BitTorrent Bundles method for selling Tomorrow's Modern Boxes - or check out the video and audio tracks for "A Brain in A Bottle" below:
To celebrate the weekend, especially one that includes Peter Jackson AND Benedict Cumberbatch appearing at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, it seems appropriate to raise a glass to these fine folks - and the fact you made it through another week.
Earlier this summer, Ed Sheeran released his second album, Multiply, and mentioned to the press that Cumberbatch hoped to appear in the video, but that part of his management team decided it was a poor idea.
Ed Sheeran and Benedict Cumberbatch didn't necessarily work together for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, but it is a shared reason for them to celebrate.
We start with the more traditional Q&A, courtesy of TwoTubesTV, where we hear a glimpse into the songwriting process for Ed, and Benedict's tribute of sorts to his dad, actor Timothy Carlton, by playing "Smaugy."
"Tristan and Isolde with the Potion" J.W. Waterhouse
"Prelude to Tristan and Isolde" - Richard Wagner
"Yes, it's widely acknowledged as one of the peaks of the operatic repertory, notable for Wagner's advanced use of chromaticism, tonality, orchestral colour and harmonic suspension... But it just makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Reminds me of the best of Beethoven and Mozart and the best of what's to come in Strauss and Rachmaninoff. So, a milestone as well as a gut wrencher. The recording of this one that I'm currently wearing out is the BBC Orchestra's."
There are so many types of music that we just "like" without much consideration. Your mind takes in a changing musical landscape - from your morning alarm with dance tracks, your commute playlist with indie hits, sounds of summer on weekends - and maybe coffeehouse tunes in the evening before you go to bed. (Throw in a few guilty pleasure tracks that NO ONE is supposed to see in your smartphone - just because you need them.)
You know what you like.
All of those genres I listed are pretty easy go-to tracks, depending on where you are and what you're doing. Maybe you heard the music in Starbucks or you remember a concert from college. You find music that matches your mood and go with it. You change the station if it doesn't work.
Classical music? Opera? For most of us, it doesn't work quite that way. I think we have definite ideas about both:
"I Am the Resurrection" and "Fools Gold" by the Stone Roses
"...they stand side by side on the album and are inseparably brilliant. I went to Manchester University partly on an insane surge of nostalgia from when I discovered these mischievous mancs and their Madchester ways! God bless the Happy Mondays and Joy Divisionand all the other Tony Wilson 'Factory' recorded bands."
I mean, REALLY love music? I'm not asking you to tell me. It's not a formal inquiry - I promise. I'm asking you to be honest - with you. You have your ear candy music - the stuff that makes you sing or dance or remember a moment at a special place, or with a special someone. When you hear those first few notes of a song that takes you back - THAT'S the good stuff: the REALLY good stuff. It's the music you'll hum long after your hearing is gone. (Keep that in mind when Eminem or Justin Bieber land in your memory banks.)
How? Talent (and location - it's not just important in real estate, you know.)
Why? Benedict Cumberbatch NEEDED her.
See what I mean? DREAM JOB.
So, here's the wrinkle: It sounds like a dream job IF you're a fan of Sherlock (she was), but does the dream become reality when that job is to teach Benedict Cumberbatch (a music lover, but NOT a musician) how to play piano for a minor character (but a key role) in a star-studded film based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play?
When I first read Benedict's Top Tunes on Two Paddocks, I didn't notice anything particularly unusual - UNTIL he wrote about #8: "Hyperballad" by Björk.
Americans might remember her for her awards show fashion sense more than her singing:
Björk. (Click on her name to check out her whimsical website.)
I might have just scanned the paragraph Cumberbatch wrote about the song - and moved on, except his words gave me pause:
"But what about Mitchell, Joplin, Ella, Tina, Oh god I need another list. It's all very white and male....! Damn. Beautiful song, though. And a nod to a lot of dance music that hasn't made it to this top ten."
It's been awhile since we checked the vintage vault for songs favored by Benedict Cumberbatch, hasn't it? It's not completely our fault, you know. He's been a very busy man lately:
I remain convinced there's a play, a story to be told, about Nick Drake. His troubles were not unique, but his talents were. Sad moments can disturb the delicate balance of one's life, and some of us are far too fragile. What can we do? Tell their stories. Strengthen the memory, so they live on.
Perfect for a quiet, introspective mood - with or without added substances. ;)
I don't know that Benedict Cumberbatch is of an age to portray Nick Drake now, but, once upon a time, he hoped to take on the role.
Q: What roles would you most like to play still?
A: "A young Nick Drake (the folk musician) – on film or telly. Play-wise, Oswald from Ghosts, Hamlet obviously. And why not Constantine (from The Seagull) as well." - 20 Questions with Benedict Cumberbatch - "What's On Stage" (April 25, 2005)
It should console him a bit that he'll portray Hamlet - at the Barbican in Autumn 2015, but it would be nice to see a play or small performance piece about Nick in a theater that suits the mood and music.
This fan video is anything but boring. It makes me smile - because the chemistry between Andrew Scott & Benedict Cumberbatch works so well - and Scott made the character of Moriarty fascinating and fun, as well as FUBAR. :)
Nancy Carroll & Benedict Cumberbatch Credit:Geraint Lewis
Before Benedict gave us a bit of "legal dancing" whilst talking with a convention audience, his love of music had already been shared with interviewers - and taken to heart and head by his fans. It may have not been a Top Tunes list, but music is acknowledged to be one of Benedict's many passions, and his appreciation for Friendly Fires, the English indie band from St. Alban's, is longstanding.
In a profile of the actor entitled, "The Fabulous Baker Street Boy" (because who doesn't love a Sherlock Holmes tie-in?), reporter Lesley White wrote:
"After the show (Terence Rattigan's "After the Dance") the actor had showered, danced around to "Skeleton Boy" by Friendly Fires to “shake off” the interwar years, and dived into the National’s Green Room to have a drink with his friends, but then escaped to the fresh air of a balcony, alone. “I just felt, ‘This is too much.’ I was hot. So I walked away from everyone.” - The Sunday Times - Aug. 12, 2010)
Recent media coverage could make one wonder if Benedict Cumberbatch embarked on a goodwill tour as an ambassador for British fashion, British independent cinema - and British charitable works. Luckily for fans, these events have resulted a virtual avalanche of articles, images, videos and eyewitness recaps to make every morning on Tumblr and Twitter feel like Christmas:
Via Nicole Gaudier
While Benedict continues to weave (and occasionally waffle) his way through a steady stream of interviews, charity dinners and Q&A sessions, we're going to re-visit the Top Tunes list he gave to Two Paddocks in 2012 (back in the days before bodyguards, bespoke suits and bemusing attempts to regain privacy by portraying Mr. Napkin Head).
What do you think is the TOP result if you Google "Benedict Cumberbatch dancing"?
Would it be a mash-up of clips featuring Benedict and Tom Hiddleston?
Perhaps it's behind-the-scenes footage of Benedict as Khan on the set of Star Trek Into Darkness?
Maybe. . .just maybe, it's the clip from Sherlock Series 3, Episode 2 ("The Sign of Three"), where Benedict pirouettes rather elegantly (which you can see here on an earlier blog post).
No?
NO.
During Oz Comic-Con earlier in April, attendees reported that Benedict came out prior to a session with the audience when he heard their reaction to the video presentation. What had caused such a commotion?
Party moments at a private celebration, which were shared personally within Benedict's circle of friends, then hacked - and posted publicly.
When we've looked at homes in South Carolina, I'm drawn to the mid-century houses. I even nicknamed one the "Bewitched House" because the crown jewel was its Frigidaire Flair electric range. I am NOT kidding.
I think it's an addiction.
My parents have often said that I was born during the wrong decade. Granted, there was nothing any of us could do about that little hiccup - what with my conception taking place the winter before the Summer of Love (by two people my parents never met). Adoption makes for interesting family trees - a bit like roses that are spliced together in a greenhouse. Besides, I wouldn't have become a mom if it weren't for the advances in diabetes care, BUT -
- they do have a point.
I spent today:
searching on eBay for mid-century modern ANYTHING (dishes, wall decor, Christmas ornaments)
. . . all while wearing a dress. On Sunday. On purpose.
We didn't even leave the house. I wasn't June Cleaver in the pearls and crinoline, but it was a dress.
"Ward, dear, wash up for dinner. I made your favorite!" Photo courtesy:www.muffintopmommy.com (How brilliant is THAT name? I read her latest post - and she makes me laugh, which is ALWAYS a good thing.)
Oh, and I baked cake mix cookies.
Again.
Lemon.
Photo courtesy: www.cookiesleuth.com
I highly recommend, especially in Spring. :)
So, here's to today's technology that let me travel back in time for just a little while - and work on a day of rest.
That's me - a grown-up pleaser kid, former teacher's pet and a late 20th century selection from the palest of the pale suburban moms collection (note the non-existent eyebrows and distinct lack of melanin).
Now, I'm married to a man named Wayne (his middle name, which appears to be the most popular middle name for serial killers, by the way), so the concept of "LilWayne" would just be a distraction and a fit of giggles I could not afford at that moment. I'm telling you - double entendre is a gift that never gets old. Trust me on this one.
Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah.
Why was this kid pouring charm and humor on me like a water hose on his baby sister?
Simple. It was the location: a high school classroom. I was "the sub" - and it was my turn to be tested. It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. (By the way, listening to Lil Wayne should be mandatory for all educators. Know the voices in the students heads that can be louder than yours if you're not careful.)
What was I doing in a room full of estrogen and testosterone run amok? Had I lost my mind?
Actually, no - at least not yet. I had worked in offices before my husband and I had our first and only child in 2002, and I decided I didn't want to return to work full-time after all we had endured to bring the little tax deduction and sleep deprival unit into the world.
I loved being a mom (still do) and was happy to take care of our daughter while my husband commuted 75 miles every night to work a 10-hour shift - and sleep during the day. I enjoyed watching Blue's Clues and The Backyardigans as much as any stay-at-home parent can - and even more, since I sang along - but there's a point where Mommy had to re-establish contact with the outside world, or she might build a shrine in her medicine cabinet to her pharmacist:
So, with my emotional well-being and mad money earning potential in mind, I decided "subbing" was a great way to get to know people in my husband's small hometown, and learn about the schools my daughter would attend from Grades K-12.
What's the worst that could happen?
I'll tell you: high school freshmen. They haven't returned to a fully human state yet, so it's a bit like seating 20 gorillas in a library when one of them smells like a banana and another is in heat.
. . .which brings me back to that high school campus. The same student who smiled and cajoled, pleaded and placated to listen to his iPod during class? He was the one, when I subbed for a science teacher whose health crises in class proved more educational than her lectures, who told me he was grounded if his grades fell below 95. He was at school with his jaw wired due to an injury, consuming nutrients through a straw. He's also the one who earned a $25,000 scholarship his senior year - the only one -
- but he wasn't the only one who listened to Lil Wayne.
Because of students like him, I accepted a full-time job at that high school - coincidentally, during his senior year. I sat at the front desk, answering the phone, greeting the public, helping anyone who asked. . .and learning a little bit about what it means to be a student in a small town in the 21st century (with a little translation help from Urban Dictionary, so I could figure out what they were talking about.)
Because of students like him, I learned to try and keep my eyes from crinkling shut when I laughed out loud, from widening in shock, welling up with tears or rolling skyward in exasperation when they talked about what this teacher said, or what another student did, or how they separated their fighting little brothers in the front yard at 6 am after prom. (Answer: chase them with a bat.)
Silence! I kill you!
I never quite pulled off a poker face - but they knew it - and seemed to know that what I wanted, more than anything, was for them to be okay.
Most importantly, I learned I could NEVER shut my eyes to avoid seeing their reality. . .because they wanted someone to see it, to listen to them talk about it, and to honestly care what happened to them.
Seeing the relief that they "blew a zero" at a party busted by cops. . .seeing their bloodshot eyes when they came to school "blowed" - just another day on the job - 187 in all.
In this small town, predominantly Caucasian, Catholic and Czech, with involved parents and lifelong friends who graduate, go to college and come back to raise their families, time did not stand still and problems didn't stop at the city limits sign. It just seemed many over the age of 30 were supplied with blinders once kids reached 13.
There are always students facing realities no one should - and this school I love was not immune (hunger, poverty, prescription addiction, alcoholic parents, attempted rape, teen pregnancy, custody battles, molestation, abortion) and in our town, teens drinking, driving and dying (every few years - for decades). The town holds their collective breath on school holidays and three day weekends. Kids see their parents on Thursday morning, go home with a friend after school and conduct alcohol poisoning contests with beer pong, Jell-O shots and swamp water until they come back home wiped out and hung over Sunday night. They can be 15 years old - with loving parents who naively trust adults who supply the location and the liquor.
Budgets are tight in schools, and teachers are overwhelmed, overworked and underappreciated - and occasionally micromanaged by administrators. Some should have left the field long ago, when they ran out of patience for students who are basically raising themselves - through experiences I just listed. If a friend confesses to another that she's a victim of sexual abuse or a dyslexic student took care of a vomiting sibling all night, the importance of calculus or a research paper falls down the list, if not completely off.
So, what did the students teach me? What do I think you should remember when you hear about public schools, underperforming students and budget cuts?
A student's radar still works. They know when an adult doesn't give a damn. They sense it when they're 18 months old and they can see through the fake smiles and psuedo-concern when they're 18 years old. They're just tired of pretending it doesn't matter or hurt once they reach puberty. Don't even try.
Young people always trust the wrong person at least once - usually of the opposite sex - who will hurt them deeply, and they will die a little inside, blame themselves - and likely do the same thing over again if an adult doesn't listen and support them.
Teens take it to heart when someone they respect gives up on them - and it motivates them to give up, too.
Adults and second chances are NOT a combination teens put together willingly. EVER.
Teens are educating themselves through every means available to them - including sexual experimentation with peers (hookups with random people they meet at parties/friends with benefits/longterm relationships). They feel like adults because of their actions, but aren't yet wired to adequately handle the psychological price of all they see, hear and do.
Most importantly - now, more than new uniforms, dual credit classes or technology grants for the classroom materials - they need adults who care enough to see what's really happening, to listen to them, to support and reassure them in difficult times and to let them know they can still become the kind of person they want to be - and how they can accomplish it. If their parents aren't listening, they're hoping to find someone who will.
If you're a parent, LOOK. LISTEN. SAY SOMETHING. Ask the questions, challenge the answers, negotiate the solutions when there's conflict. Don't assume anything - good or bad. YOU have the responsibility to teach your child how to live in their generation, not ours.
Don't baby them or sugarcoat the truth. Acknowledge their maturity and experience, but let them know there's more to come - better and worse - and they need to be able to be in control of their lives, not the other way around.
Oh, and what about Lil Wayne? Can he teach us a lesson or two - aside from how to go to jail for weapons possession? Well, yes. He can. The reason his music connects with young people is because he listens to them, and gives them a message they want to hear:
No stress visibly
Neither does it enter me
I think positively
You can't harm me mentally
Not physically
Not spiritually
You'll never get rid of me
I am the epitome
Of "this is what you did to me"
Nothing is what you did for me
Nothing is what you give to me
I take whatever I'm visioning
Now break all the limiting
Now shake all the gimmicking
The fakery
The trickery
And I'm no quitter cause I'm a go I'm a go I'm a go getta and I'm no quitter cause I'm a go I'm a go I'm a go getta
Yeah I I'm gon get it I I'm gon get it yeah I'm gon get it yeah
Cause I'm a go I'm a go I'm a go getta
Who knew? That freshman nailed it. I was the type who could dig Lil Wayne.
It's hard to believe that I will meet the blog count of 2011 so early in 2012. It's a giddy feeling - or it could be the Dr Pepper Ten (for men only, my a$$) I've consumed all day. Are you ready for the dregs of the day in Blog Numero Dos? Let's see.
Confession: I absolutely love singing while I drive. Granted, as a wife, I also control the radio when my husband drives. He lost the right to the radio when he admitted he would listen to a) talk radio or b) Tejano music on his 75-mile commute to work because that allowed him "to think." Puh-lease. That would only provoke me to either think hateful thoughts about her:
or him:
and friends and fellow Facebookers know how much I want to support blonde women and William Shatner - especially his musical career. It all makes perfect sense - at least to me - so I choose the music (and I have no control issues at all.) ;)
As a teen in the 80s, I'd put on the gorgeous vinyl and plastic AM/FM radio headphones that resembled techno earmuffs before firing up the riding lawnmower to landscape the back 9. It looked something like this:
(Okay. I was actually in high school and had ear sweat pouring down my red face as I basted myself for skin cancer.)
Anyway, my parents (who never sang anywhere - EVER) were the first to recognize how much I loved to sing along with Duran Duran, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Queen, Madonna. Nothing touches a Dad more than the sound of mower blades chucking limestone and branches across the yard (before the blades bent) while his only daughter belts out "Like a virgin. . .touched for the VERY FIRST TIME!" as he sits in the den trying to read the paper. Mindful of your self-esteem issues (not everyone can wear stirrup pants, shoulder pads and jelly shoes and look adorable), those kind, loving parents mention it at dinner and you realize you won't be appearing on MTV anytime soon. Thankfully, you escape to your room, tune them out and pray for the day you get your own car.
Why? In your car, you took center stage. Whether it was the vintage muscle car, grandpa's old pickup or a baby blue Ford Pinto (yes, I was that cool), your solo career dreams could flourish. Your commanding presence and vocal stylings would bring an audience to tears (unlike Dad's watery eyes as he took the blades off the Craftsman. Again). Were we supposed to outgrow that? If so. . .OOPS.
Granted, as a mature, responsible adult behind the wheel, you know proper driving procedure. All bets are off, though, when you name that tune in 3 notes or less. Then, as the vocal Olympics begin, you notice the guy in the car next to you. You know. That guy. For him, the driver of the Audi next to your moderately priced late model used car at the stop light, you are the reason to change lanes as quickly as possible. We won't go into great detail about what your children think when you belt out Steve Perry, Freddie Mercury or Katy Perry as you drive them to school. Add some dance moves and watch them visibly shrink. It's a beautiful thing.
If it's been awhile since you serenaded the general public from the comfort of your coupe, sedan or SUV, I encourage you in the spirit of the new year to give it a try. Channel your inner Reba, Adele, Bruno Mars or Cee Lo (as long as you don't rewrite John Lennon lyrics). Granted, it's a bit more risky with the windows rolled down, but life is too short NOT to do something that makes you feel better - either through music that gets you out of a bad mood, or songs that suit the darkness in your soul (at least for the next 3.5 minutes.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to run a quick errand. . .with Steve.
