Speaking of Music (and Movies)...

Speaking of Music (and Movies)…

Well, I “might as well” get it all out in the open now, before I deceive any of y’all…in case you haven’t already guessed, I used to be a Deadhead. Now – mind you – I wasn’t ever your garden variety died in the wool Dead Head stereotype that pops into your minds eye (even mine) whenever the phrase is uttered. (None of them really are that single faceted really, once you get to talkin’ with ‘em.) Yeah, I saw a whole bunch of shows back in the eighties and early nineties, but at the same time I had my left foot in other various scenes as well…I was busy checking out all kinds of live music as a matter of fact, everything from the Clash to Camper Van Beethoven to Husker Du. Talking Heads to Santana to Nuns and Posers (um, I mean Guns and Roses). Cowboy Junkies to James Taylor to Joan Armatrading.

Okay, you get the idea. As my old friend Johnny G. used to say to me when he would get exasperated by my eclectic and ever expanding musical world…”you’ve GOT no musical taste man, ‘cuz you like everything!” (which isn’t quite true really) He meant it as an insult, but to me, that open mindedness has become a point of pride. Sit me down with anybody and the two subjects that we would find to talk for hours about would be music and – of course- food.

So, before I get too far OFFTRACK, I want to tell everyone that if you are at all interested in the music of the late sixties (most specifically the San Francisco scene, and such like) you should rush out and rent yourself the DVD of “Festival Express.” In a word, this was a fantastic rock and roll doc. So cool to see all that old footage of The Dead, The Band, Flying Burrito Bros. (sadly without Graham Parsons at this point), Janis Joplin (she may not always be my cup o’tea, but to see her belt out the tunes live is to understand why so many do hold her in such high esteem…she truly felt the music and in turn made her audience feel it just as intensely…even years later on my TV screen…still gives me the shivers), and a truly ragged out and disheveled looking Sha Na Na(!!!), unearthed after thirty years (many tragic deaths, and frivolous lawsuits later).

I cannot tell you how good I thought this film was. It was neat for me to finally get a chance to glimpse what it was like on that legendary train ride across Canada with all those crazy musicians as history was being made, and good times were being had by all. This is the train trip written about in the Dead’s song “Might As Well”, and I think it may also be the subject of The Band’s “The Shape I’m In” if I am interpreting the lyrics correctly. By the looks of it in the film, everyone on that train was in SOME KIND of shape at all times.

Man! I only wish it was longer, with more interviews from the participants and audience members. There is a nice amount of bonus material (a whole extra disc in fact) – both performances and interview segments – but when the filmmakers themselves tell you in the “making of” interviews that there are still thirty odd hours of footage lurking about, if you’re at all like me, you want to see it. Where is it Goddamn it!?!

This is one movie that I will definitely purchase for the vault some day…it really is that good.