This week the TAB asked our three city councilors who are running for mayor about their favorite movie, book (or best book read recently) and recording artist. And Andy Levin shared his own list in the paper too, although that list does not seem to be online yet.
So as we head into the last days of summer, why not share your lists too? It could be fun to hear from our other candidates too…but really this is open to everyone.
Not a “list,” but here’s my top 3…
Film: Lost Horizon
Music: The Doors
Book: Contract on America–The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy
Edward O Wilson’s “Half Earth” because it demonstrates with chilling evidence that technology alone can’t possibly avert the global environmental calamity that seems to be proceeding apace and also because he’s the author of a powerful quote that pretty well sums up where we are and where we came from. It goes like this: “We live in a Star Wars civilization with god like technology, medieval institutions and stone age emotions.
John Sayles “Secret of Roan Inish” and the Irish folk musical group Planxty round out my list here. Roan Inish captures the haunting beauty of the West of Ireland and unlike most things Irish, it has a happy ending. It’s a real delight. The group Planxty has been a favorite since the 70’s when each musician broke off from the group to do singles. All were and still are successful. They are fantastic at a show called “Planxty Live at Vicar Street” on You Yube.
“Planet of the Apes” The original 1968 movie totally blew my eight-year-old mind and forever shaped my views about war, prejudice, racism and orangutans.
The Ramones. Seeing them in 1977 blew my teenage mind and forever shaped my views about pop culture, rock n roll, how long songs should be and Republicans.
Currently reading Amor Towle’s “A Gentleman in Moscow.” No mind-blowing yet. No orangutans or Republicans either.
I just posted mine online. I couldn’t resist answering the mayoral questions myself. (Of course, many of my peers here told me I am stuck in the ’70s.)
MOVIE: “Jaws” (Honorable Mention: “Rocky”)
BOOK: Chaim Potok’s “The Chosen”
RECORDING ARTIST: The mighty Earth, Wind & Fire! (Honorable Mention: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band)
@Mike Striar: Yes to Mr. Mojo Risin’! Especially “L.A. Woman” album
Picking one in each category is impossible. I’ll wimp out and list 5 with some variety.
Music: Mogwai, Yo La Tengo, Sunny Day Real Estate, Velvet Underground, Old 97’s, Go! Team.
Movies: Robo Cop (the Verhoeven original, of course), Let’s Get Lost, Love is a Dog from Hell, The Bourne Series, The Usual Suspects.
Books: Crime and Punishment, The Catcher in the Rye, 1984, The Future and its Enemies, In Praise of Shadows.
I was more impressionable in childhood, so that’s when these favorites were cemented. There are probably 10 ties for each category, but I will choose one winner in each that are good representations of my tastes.
Movie: Casablanca
Runner up: Schindler’s List
For reasons that escape me, most of my top ten all-time movies have something to do with WWII. I believe that my parents were part of the Greatest Generation. I also believe that the times they lived in, from the Great Depression through WWII – and how they handled those challenges; gave them the opportunity to be great.
Bonus entry – Favorite TV Series – Breaking Bad
Book: Lord of the Flies
Runner up: Death Be Not Proud
I’ve read better books, but they don’t have the same impact on my psyche as they did when I was nine or ten years old.
Recording Artist – [I’m taking this literally, so “groups” are not eligible] – Paul McCartney
Runners up: Paul Simon & Carole King
The common thread in all of these is that it is the writing that impresses me the most. The acting and the performances were pretty good too.
Trivia – Former Red Sox and current Cubs executive Theo Epstein is connected to Casablanca. His Grandfather and Great Uncle co-wrote the screenplay.
Following Jeffrey Pontiff’s example, I’ll do “fivers,” in no particular order:
*Movies: “Dr. Strangelove,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “The Cotton Club,” “Annie Hall,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”
*Books: “Ironweed,” William Kennedy; “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” John LeCarre; “The Glory and The Dream,” William Manchester; “The Fatal Shore,” Robert Hughes; “The Scramble for Africa,” Thomas Pakenham
*Recording Artists: Martin Carthy; The Bothy Band; Emerson, Lake & Palmer; Kate Rusby; Creedence Clearwater Revival
Obligatory “subject to change” note goes here…
Bob Burke, I noticed your reference to Planxty after I posted my list. They are, indeed, singularly and collectively superb. You might be interested to know that two of the Planxty stalwarts, Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny, have recently teamed with some other Irish music superstars, John Doyle, Paddy Glackin and Mike McGoldrick, to form the band Usher’s Island. Highly recommended.
@Estees. I did not know. I will check Ushers Island out. John Doyle, Paddy Glackin and Mike McGoldrick are all top shelf. I see you rated the Bothy Band as your number one Celtic pick and to be honest with you, I could have just as easily done the same, but they came and departed from the music scene so quickly, they never developed the variations that Planxty has been able to do. Andy Irvine, Paul Brady, Liam O’Flynn and Christie Moore have done.
I do volunteer work over at WUMB 91.9 which I believe is still the only 24 hour a day folk music station in the world. I’ve learned most of what I know about this genre from Gail Gilmore who runs the “Celtic Twilight” program on Sunday between 4 and 7 pm. Listen to that and the followup program “Downeast Ceilidh” show featuring music from Cape Breton and the other parts of Atlantic Canada. Great stuff.
@Estees. And there was a great segment on tonight’s Channel 2’s News Hour about some talented young musicians who are trying to build on the English, Scottish, Irish and Breton folk revival of the 1970’s. of which Martin Carthy was a movable part. They put on a fantastic show at this year’s Newport Folk Festival. More great stuff.
It’s hard to narrow them all down but I selected 5 in no particular order.
Movies
Shawshank Redemption
The Usual Suspects
10 Cloverfield Lane
Get Out
Remembrance
Books
The Pillars of the Earth (The First in the Kingsbridge Trilogy) Ken Follet
South of Broad, Pat Conroy
I Know This Much is True, Wally Lamb
Ladder of Years, Anne Tyler
The Dark Tower series, Stephen King
Music
Queen
Otis Redding
The Altman Brothers
Earth, Wind and Fire
Led Zeppelin
My choices in threes:
Movies
Chinatown
The Godfather trilogy
The Big Lebowski
Books
American Pastoral, Philip Roth
Blood Meridan, Cormac McCarthy
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Music
Van Morrison
Bruce Springsteen
Billy Joel
(Also in the brotherhood of Earth, Wind and Fire and Doors fans)
So hard to pick just one…
Movie- The Quiet Man. Simply the best John Wayne movie ever.
Book- I know this much is true by Wally Lamb. A tough read that for me, slogged down in the middle but raced to the end. Had to go back and read the last 100 pages a second time.
Music- Can’t possibly pick one…