Hallelujah. Now that’s a song I’ve heard hundreds and hundreds of times. Whether it be the original Cohen version or one of the numerous covers by Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Rufus Wainwright and even American Idol participant Jason Castro (horrid IMHO). Let’s just say that the emotional resonance of the song has long warn off. While it is arguably once of the greatest song of the past 30 years, for a long time now, it’s just been another song to me. However last night during Cohen’s performance as 50,000 Israelis sang along with him and he took his hat to chest and closed his eyes to take in the moment I couldn’t help but get enveloped by the strong emotions that clearly everyone in the stadium was feeling. I’ve seen hundreds of concerts in my day and it’s hard to say that I have experienced such a powerful moment during a musical performance. Cohen’s performance of Hallelujah completely transcended what I anticipated to be the pinnacle of cheese. He managed to achieve an intimacy in his performance that I didn’t think was possible in a stadium of 50,000 people.

I’m not sure what Mr. Cohen is like when he is not performing, but on stage he was full of class. During his 3 hour plus performance, Cohen often removed his signature fedora during solos by his band and granted them his full attention as a signature of both respect and awe. Clearly enamored by the incredible backing band he introduced them more than once and even brought his crew on the stage at the end to thank them and all involved with the tour.

As he was just about to step off the stage after his third encore Cohen recited Birkat Cohanim (the priestly blessing) which clearly moved the audience.

“They shall place My name upon the children of Israel, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Former Stone Roses lead singer Ian Brown who once took a vow never to perform in Israel, because “he doesn’t agree with the government’s regime” will be coming for one performance in the end of May.

The former STONE ROSES frontman is close friends with Israeli pop star Nimrod Levy (editors note: who?), who advised the ONE LOVE hitmaker to stay away from his homeland.

Brown says, “Nimrod has told me it isn’t safe to me to go over there. Nimrod told me that it isn’t safe to be in a club, in a city or in the country.

“Palestine is the biggest open-air prison in the world.

“Israel is a brutal regime, but if I didn’t play countries where I didn’t agree wit the regime, I’d never have played a show.

“I can say that without worrying. Let’s put it this way, I haven’t noticed any Mossad (Israeli intelligence agency) agents outside my front door.”

Source.

He followed last year with this gem of a song called “Illegal Attacks” which featured these quite silly lyrics which could have been written by a undergraduate poetry major with an anti-war fetish at a bad liberal college:

So what the fuck is this UK
Gunnin’ with this US of A
In Iraq and Iran and in Afghanistan

Does not a day go by
Without the Israeli Air Force
Fail to drop it’s bombs from the sky?

How many mothers to cry?
How many sons have to die?
How many missions left to fly over Palestine?
‘Cause as a matter of facts
It’s a pact, it’s an act
These are illegal attacks
So bring the soldiers back
These are illegal attacks
It’s contracts for contacts
I’m singing concrete facts
So bring the soldiers back

What ever happened to metaphors and allusions in tunes? You can read the rest of the lyrics and watch the video here. And yes, that is Sinead O’Connor singing background vocals. Sinead of the famous “Sharing Jerusalem: Two Capitals for Two States” debacle of 1997.

I love the Stone Roses as much as the next guy (really, an incredible band), but I will not be attending Ian Brown’s show. First of all, Ian Brown is not the total sum of the Stone Roses and if the lyrics above even remotely represent his current body of work, I think I’d find listening to the sounds of my own bowel movements more appealing.

AN AMERICAN HIPPIE IN ISRAEL. Apparently seen by a few people in a few late night showings in Tel Aviv in the seventies. Never released beyond that.

Yes, an American Hippie in Israel. Horrific dialogue, horrendous direction, LSD soaked scenes….oh just watch it.

But be warned, there is nudity, violence and killer mimes.

And robots being hit with a giant sledgehammer.

Seriously.

Please clarify, does he say “A push of a button and we are turned into wild animals or wild dynamos? Because wild dynamos would be that much more awesome.

DVD release is coming soon. Viewing at my house.

What is your favorite line from the trailer?

That’s my friend Jamye with her fist in the air at the 1:42 mark.

Set in an alternative universe where the Jews lost the War of Independence and set up shop in Sitka,Alaska, the novel is about Meyer Landsman, an alcoholic homicide detective who investigates the murder of a junkie chess player on the eve of the ‘Reversion’ of the Alaska territory to America following the end of its sixty-year authorization of the Jewish homeland.

This is the greatest fit ever. I can’t picture any other director tackling this book and doing it right. What a great fit. Yiddish Noir!!!

via Slashfilm (the greatest movie blog ever)

I recall vividly my first introduction to this time in history. HBO broadcast a docudrama in 1987 called “Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8.” I made numerous trips to the library and digested books about the Yippies and the Black Panthers. It was at this age that I really started to be engaged with history.

The movie, written by West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin, will not likely involve a lot of walking in hallways due to the courtroom location. Sorkin’s trademark witty banter will be evident however. If Sorkin is basing his script on the actual transcript of the trial it is unavoidable. Hoffman entertained all participants and consistently joked with the judge whose last name was also Hoffman. Though he also called him a “disgrace to the Jews,” which certainly didn’t endear him. I can’t wait for this film.

It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since Farley’s death. Farley’s comedy was often hit or miss for me. I don’t think I ever laughed at his Matt Foley motivational speaker character. However two of my favorite SNL skits feature Farley. The first being an audition for Chippendale’s with Patrick Swayze, and the second being this parody commercial (Schmitts Gay Beer anyone?) with Adam Sandler.

The NY Post has a nice article remembering Farley.

via slashfilm.com

I recently bought the soundtrack to Really Rosie with incredibly songs written and performed by Carol King. Really Rosie was a television special broadcast in 1975 that my sister and I were somewhat obsessed with. We must have taken the video out of the public library at least 100 times, destroying the heads and preventing children in the Comsewoque district from seeing it. Screw them. Most of them were Jew-haters anyway.

I vaguely recall seeing a live version of it as well – perhaps produced by the Long Island theater group Kids for Kids? Don’t know. Mother couldn’t confirm. The movie follows a couple of days in the life of a group of kids in Brooklyn (led by the ego driven Rosie) and are based on the stories of Maurice Sendak, who also directed the movie. Sadly, its not available on DVD (yet) but lucky for us some kind soul uploaded the entire movie (part 1, part 2 and part 3) on Youtube.

I can’t get enough of the song Alligators All Around. Such an incredible and unique alphabet song with an amazing melody. You can catch it at the end of part 1. The sound quality on the video is pretty bad but the multi-voiced harmonies at the end of “Alligators” are simply divine on the remastered soundtrack. It’s been over 20 years since I heard this song and I still remember every word. Despite being recorded over 30 years ago (!) the music really holds up. The album is filled with hooks galore with great sing-a-long choruses. Highly recommended.

Anyone else remember Really Rosie?