Roger Ebert & Reviews of Neko Case and Jaheim
Jim and Greg welcome Roger Ebert for a pre-Oscar bash. The three critics will discuss some of the best and worst music movies ever made, and Roger shares his rock and roll roots. Also, tune in for a review of the latest solo album from Chicago's own alt-country queen, Neko Case.
Music News
The Sex Pistols were recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and upon the announcement, Jim and Greg predicted that the irreverent punk rock band would not necessarily play nice with the music industry "man." Well, our hosts love to be right. The band posted a letter to the Hall of Fame telling explaining that they aren't anyone's monkey and will not be attending. The Hall of Fame chalked up the behavior to a "punkster" rock and roll attitude, and offered no other comment. With the Pistols out of the picture, now it is up to Ozzy Osbourne to shake things up.
The band Cracker hasn't been heard from in a while, but made news this week when they released not one, but two, greatest hits albums. Cracker achieved success in the early ‘90s with songs like "Teen Angst" and "Euro-Trash Girl," and their record label, Virgin, decided to release a greatest hits album this year. This was apparently done without the band's knowledge or consent, as they were preparing a new album to be released at the same time. Not feeling like their label was taking very good care of them, Cracker decided to retaliate and release their own greatest hits album -- one that is currently outselling the Virgin version.
Roger Ebert
Film critic Roger Ebert joins Jim and Greg this week. The three critics sit down to discuss some of their favorite movies made about music. Roger has called Woodstock the greatest rock documentary ever made. In fact, he thinks it's just one of the best movies ever made. He also recommends Hard Day’s Night and Gimme Shelter. One movie Roger didn't love was Martin Scorcese's film Don’t Look Back. In Roger's original review, he took Bob Dylan to task for being kind of a jerk (though he reconsidered the movie years later).
One of Jim and Greg's favorite rock and roll movies was actually written by Roger Ebert himself. He wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls with Russ Meyer. The movie was quite successful and eventually became a cult classic, particularly in the rock world. The original story, written by Jacqueline Susann, was about struggling actresses. In this version, the actresses were turned into struggling rock stars. Despite the fact that the movie is not mentioned in Fox's official history, it is coming out this year on DVD.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was not our guest's only screenplay. Roger and his partner Russ Meyer also penned a The Sex Pistols movie entitled {tag:Who Killed Bambi}. The movie never came to frution, but Roger describes his memorable experiences meeting Sid Vicious and John Lydon.
Before they let him leave, Jim and Greg ask the movie expert about music. Roger chooses Hank Williams as his DIJ pick, and also talks about being a fan of the Mills Brothers, Laurie Anderson, and fellow Chicago native Liz Phair.
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood Neko Case
Next up Jim and Greg review the latest release from Chicago native Neko Case. Many people know Neko thorugh her work with The New Pornographers, but on her solo albums, she shows her alt-country side and really gets to shine. On Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, Neko is joined by longtime collaborators like Jon Rauhouse and Kelly Hogan, as well new musicians like Howe Gelb. For Greg, this is Neko's best album. As always he is impressed by Neko's exceptional voice, and he also notes the powerful songwriting. Jim agrees, though he wishes Neko would let more of her upbeat, Tammy Wynette side show through. Nevertheless, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood gets a Buy It rating from both critics.
Ghetto Classics Jaheim
Our hosts also tackle the new album by soul singer Jaheim. Ghetto Classics is the last installment in a "ghetto" trilogy, after Ghetto Love and Still Ghetto. Following in the footsteps of smooth singers like Luther Vandross and Teddy Pendergrass, Jaheim loves to sing about love. In his ballads, he is never the player, and prides himself on being respectful of women, even when he is being used and abused. Jim can't imagine that Jaheim ever gets played in real life, but appreciates his old-school, down-to-earth approach to R&B. He and Greg both recommend listeners Burn It.
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