The last time I saw a new movie twice in the same week at an actual theater was Inception in the year 2010. Sixteen years later it happened again with EiPC: Elvis Presley in Concert.
In 2010 I had to see Inception twice because I was too stupid to understand it the first time around and I joined friends going to see it with the promise of no spoilers on my end.
With Elvis, I saw it myself on IMAX and I absolutely loved it so much I had to go back just to double-check my taste. I loved it even more the second time. (Update: I saw it a 3rd time. I dragged my wife in and said let’s just get a beer and call it a happy hour. We can leave whenever you want. We stayed until the end.)
Director Baz Luhrmann uncovered a bunch of lost Elvis footage while working on his 2022 bio pic Elvis (starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks) and decided to enlist movie nerd Peter Jackson to whip a proper Elvis documentary into shape.
In retrospect it turns out the big budget blockbuster Elvis book was just a stepping stone to achieving this masterpiece. Epic is the definitive document of one of the most important figures in American history. You’ll notice I didn’t say music. Elvis Presley is American History.
Before Elvis, pop culture didn’t exist, mainstream kids & parents listened to and watched the same thing. After Elvis, teenagers became their own demographic. This continues to this day, the entire world over. It all came from Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
The editing of this movie is phenomenal. The first 15 minutes gets everyone up to speed on who Elvis is and what has happened leading up to him returning to live performances in Las Vegas. Elvis himself is the narrator and it makes one wonder why bio-pic Elvis needed a run time of 159 minutes when Epic packs way more punch in a taut 96.
I should also note that nobody plays Elvis like Elvis. Along with Muhammad Ali, these two actual people have more charisma than any actor who could play them.
Elvis’s band is killer. And watching rehearsals with Ronnie Tutt on drums and James Burton on guitar is a treat. Baz seamlessly edits rehearsals together into performances and doesn’t shy away from later-period Elvis classics like “In The Ghetto” and “Suspicious Minds.” For me the high point were the gospel numbers, because Elvis always fully commits to spiritual music.
Phish Sinks
I recently had a rental car with Sirius/XM Radio so I decided to give Phish radio a shot. It didn’t go well. Listening to Phish radio is like doom-scrolling for my ears.
First of all: nothing rocks. All the tones, especially the guitar, sound the way grabbing a fist-full of overcooked spaghetti feels in your hand. Lame. And all the parts are pointless. They lead nowhere and every single part is repeated ad nauseum. I don’t mean like 8 measures instead of 4. I mean like I can drive all the way home from the store and the same part plays for 15 minutes.
It makes “Where Eagles Dare” (Iron Maiden) sound economical in comparison. (One of the few songs where I heartily approve of overly-indulgent guitar riffs played on endless repeat.)
The lyrics, when there are some, are pointless except for when they are irritatingly inane. Oh, and nobody in the band can sing. Like, at all.
“Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
Run, run, run, run
Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul
You've got to run like an antelope out of control
You've got to run like an antelope out of control”
Score One For Aerosmith!!!
Recently, “Aerosmith” (ie. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry released a new EP with help from English Poser/influencer/singer Yungblood. I already panned this ill-conceived project in a previous story, but the absolute kick to my balls was a “remix”of the Aerosmith classic “Back In The Saddle.”
It wasn’t a remix. It was an abortion. The original drums by Joey Kramer were recut, Steven shared vocals with Yungdumb, and they added all kinds of stupid, superfluous background parts that would give even Mutt Lange pause.
And this on the heels of KISS getting on a knee and kissing Donald Trump’s ring. Band of the People my ass. (Click here for that story)
It has been a tough stretch for this classic rock-loving fool. But I digress…
I have good news to report! Steven Tyler and Joe Perry recently remixed and released their self-titled debut record from 1973 - Aerosmith - and it is splendid. The original record was cut on a small budget and it sounds that way. The updated version isn’t exactly Get A Grip, but the 1973 recordings benefit from a little modern TLC and still sound sleazy & greasy in a way even the Stones couldn’t touch.
Sure, I might be hard on Aerosmith from time to time, but gratuitous haters be warned before you pile on: at their peak Aerosmith were way better than your favorite band and this debut record drives the point home. (Ricki C. editor’s note; From the first time I saw Aerosmith in 1973 - BOTTOM-BILLED to Mott The Hoople and Robin Trower at Merson Auditorium - plus another 4 or 5 times right through 1977 they were THE BEST live band of the 1970’s and in fact replaced The Who on my rock & roll calling card in that live show regard.) Is it a polished debut product like their Boston homeboys The Cars? Not even close. But does it rock? Yes, like a hard place.
If rock n roll is 90% drums and vocals, “One Way Street” and “Write Me A Letter” focus the spotlight squarely on musical savant/party animal Steven Tyler and the criminally underrated Joey Kramer on drums. Aerosmith didn't become a guitar band until Toys in the Attic. Hired guns help flesh out their second record Get Your Wings, but the only major label players on the debut platter are Steven and Joey. And they have more than enough talent to carry the load.
Crank this up and ignore the new “Aerosmith.”
Colin Gawel plays in the duo CG2, and in the bands The League Bowlers and Watershed.
He wrote this blog while working at Colin’s Coffee.