Beltmann

I actually received that DVD as a gift last Christmas. It's a pretty straight-forward, conventional documentary, but it tells his story well--the section devoted to Les and Mary is riveting--and contains some really great contemporary interviews. Definitely recommended.

I agree with the sentiment, but I don't think our relationship with the arts is a childish thing. In fact, I think a sophisticated and passionate relationship with art is one of the hallmarks of maturity.

I teach high school literature. Most days, I play music in my classroom. Trust me, young people have no idea who Bob Dylan is. I'm lucky if 3 or 4 kids out of 130 recognize the name. They all know about Jack's Mannequin, though.

And the same media that twirled their moustaches over the Reverend Wright and Bill Ayers stories and actually treated these as serious questions worthy of debate: Does Michelle Obama hate America? Is Barack Obama a socialist? Is Obama a secret Muslim? Does Obama hate the American flag? Is Obama not a citizen? McCain got plenty of negative coverage, but it really never went any deeper than he's old. With Obama, the negative coverage was (and is) dominated by far more nefarious themes, like his otherness and perhaps un-American-ness. When I complain that modern conservatism is, in general

Sometimes less is more. Modern technology makes it easy and cheap to have a steady stream of new music, but rushing from album to album is the best way to make sure nothing ever truly soaks in.

Why? Isn't it possible for people of equal patriotism to arrive at different conclusions than you? Isn't it possible that people who disagree with your political assumptions are working, in their own way, towards the best interests of this country? While I believed Bush was misguided on nearly every major policy position, I was at least willing to concede that he was doing what he thought was best for the country. I didn't feel the need to demonize Bush as a fascist who probably isn't even a citizen and is most likely in cahoots with Muslims. Heck, I even think Sarah Palin has this count

Same here. Policy shouldn't be based upon theoretical options, but upon realistic options.

Be serious, bleedorange. You are better than that. Of course there are fair criticisms of the health care proposals, and of course many of those criticisms are well within the political mainstream. Some of them are even pretty smart. But that's irrelevant to my larger point, which is that smart and serious conservatives are not driving the conversation right now, whether the topic is health care, war, the economy, torture, etc. Such voices are being drowned out as the modern conservative movement in general abandons its serious traditions in favor of a paranoid, reactionary, and dangerou

Makes sense to me.

Is our country disappearing more now than before? Perhaps, but it has less to do with Obama's policies--which are well within the political mainstream--and more to do with how the opposition has succumbed to unserious fear-mongering and, at times, utter derangement. I think the greatest threat to the idea of America isn't health care reform but the way mainstream conservatism is now defined by a kind of cartoonish demagoguery. Once conservatism was defined by serious Goldwater or Buckley types, but now it's dominated by embarrassing Sarah Palin and Sean Hannity types, whose entire political

I'm 5'11, but there's almost always somebody shorter standing behind me. Am I an ass for staking out my spot and refusing to step aside? Or would I first need to be 6'3" to be an ass? Perhaps venues should systematically seat audience members according to height, shortest in front, tallest in back. That way no one would have to suffer the irritation of human variation.

Like Speed Racer, I like live recordings to be "documents" of a full show. But when I go to KT, I don't really go to it with the expectation of a document. For me, it's a sampler rather than a document, and there's nothing wrong with having a kick-ass sampler loaded with terrific live versions of many of my favorite Wilco tunes. I listen to it frequently--probably more regularly than any other official Wilco release.

I gotta admit that I'm geeky-excited about both of these projects.

I'm about to preview a workprint of a new film by a local filmmaker. His last movie was accepted into a few festivals and I wrote complimentary things about it at the time. This time, he's asked me to offer some advance feedback, and I'm happy to oblige. I'm a big believer in regional filmmaking (and I'm partial to Midwestern stuff). Sometimes the most interesting ideas are happening off the beaten path. Saying that the only movies worth seeing are those that are readily accessible is a lot like saying the only music worth hearing is what spins on Top 40 stations. Indeed, perhaps the best

In the Loop is near the top of my must-see list. Can't wait. Yesterday, I saw The Hurt Locker. Haven't made up my mind about it overall, but there's no doubt that Jeremy Renner gives a terrific performance.

This thread inspired me (and Stacy) to revisit Planes, Trains last night. Definitely holds up, despite the atrocious soundtrack. And I stand by my long-held belief that it contains the finest acting work ever by John Candy and Steve Martin.

Yeah. That also points towards the significance of subjectivity when discussing art. Not only is objectivity impossible, it's also not even particularly desirable. You're right that some common understandings about how and why art works have emerged over time, but even those "standards" don't mean much in the unique moment created between an individual work and an individual spectator. I remember Pauline Kael once chastised some fellow critics for their "saphead objectivity." What she meant, I think, is that art matters most in terms of what is exchanged between artist and viewer, the can

Wasn't he in Skid Row?

The idea of "boxes" suggests a standardized rubric, as if using a checklist is a reasonable way of assessing music. Thing is, not all boxes weigh equally--and their weights are constantly and wildly in flux, depending upon the genre, artist, album, song, or even fragments within a song. And sometimes some boxes don't apply at all. And some artists keep inventing new boxes for themselves. I think Dude is right when he says it's impossible to reduce music to math. Trying to find the science in art is a sure way of missing the art in art.

I agree. I hear a shift in style and approach, but certainly not a decline. For me, the Wilco I like best is YHF or BT, but it's hard to listen to the last two and not recognize the creative ambition. The new music is exploring styles that I might personally have less interest in, but I have to concede that the band is at least being successful with those new styles. In other words, YHF hits the creative target for me, while W(TA) hits the creative target for other listeners.

The stories were always a bit prefabricated, but what set his movies apart was an uncommon humanity, well-rounded and observant characterizations, and a genuine warmth for people and their quirks. Hughes was a good writer.

Yeah, that's how I feel, too.

Good lord, I love that movie. It might not be among the "best" movies ever made, but it's way, way up there on my list of personal favorites.

I remain fans of both bands, but at this point I no longer think of Wilco and Son Volt as occupying the same musical space, and therefore comparisons always end up sounding contrived and meaningless. I can say this: I like both new albums on their own terms, but for me Wilco (The Album) has had more staying power than American Central Dust. Is it a better album? Well, not necessarily. I just happen to prefer W(TA)'s distinct weirdness over the relative monotony of ACD. To my ears, all of Farrar's songs are solid as individual experiences, but as an album they tend to blur together.

Yeah, that's a great example. The flaws don't undermine the achievement; they can't keep down the greatness. Is it great in spite of the flaws, or great partially because of the flaws? I dunno.