Category Archives: Uncategorized

by | August 25, 2014 · 6:00 am

Elvis Costello’s eclecticism

 

It is no longer accurate to call Elvis Costello a rock star. Rather, he is a professional omnivore—a master, for better and worse, of eclecticism.

Costello presents himself as much as a fan as a participant, and his participation is relentless. He has evolved into one of the most spirited accomplices in tribute gigs, variety evenings, and extracurricular combinations.

This according to “Brilliant mistakes: Elvis Costello’s boundless career” by Nick Paumgarten (The New Yorker LXXXVI/35 [8 November 2010] pp. 48–59.

Today is Costello’s 60th birthday! Below, at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2006.

BONUS: Back in the day.

2 Comments

Filed under Popular music, Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

by | December 13, 2013 · 1:00 am

Thinking resistances

dance etc.

In 2013 Diaphanes launched the series Thinking resistances: Current perspectives on politics and communities in the arts with Dance, politics & co-immunity.

The volume explores the multiple connections between politics, community, dance, and globalization from the perspectives of dance, theater studies, history, philosophy, and sociology. Edited by Gerald Siegmund and Stefan Hölscher, the collection comprises papers presented at an international symposium with the same title that was held in 2010 at Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen.

Below, an excerpt from Xavier Le Roy’s Le sacre du printemps, one of the works discussed in the book.

Comments Off on Thinking resistances

Filed under Uncategorized

by | March 25, 2013 · 1:00 am

Cape Fear redux

 

For his 1991 remake of J. Lee Thompson’s 1962 film Cape fear, Martin Scorsese had the Bernard Herrmann score of the original adapted by Elmer Bernstein.

The score was effectively re-composed for the later film, with Bernstein taking its basic components and redeploying them in often entirely new musical and filmic contexts, while also combining them with his own newly composed music and further preexisting material from Herrmann’s rejected score for Hitchcock’s  Torn curtain (1966).

Bernstein later said that Scorsese “wanted the atmosphere that [Herrmann’s 1962 score] provides” and that it was “much more appropriate for the remake…the first film was not up to the strength of that score.”

This according to “Cape Fear: Remaking a film score” by Jonathan Godsall (The soundtrack IV/2 [2011] pp. 117–135). Below, Cady’s ill-advised release from prison.

Related articles:

 

 

 

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

by | January 23, 2013 · 1:00 am

9/11 music

9-11

The music used in the coverage of the aftermath of the events of 11 September 2001 by two leading 24-hour news networks—CNN in the U.S. and CBC Newsworld in Canada—illuminates the politics of news music and puts the subject in a transnational (if specifically North American) perspective.

Distinct musical responses to 9/11 branded each network’s coverage. While CNN’s music communicated a message of fear and anger to American news consumers, Canadians received sounds and images that invoked the horror and tragedy of the event.

Foregrounding the role of music in this comparison adds a revealing dimension to the story of how networks attempt to tap into the personal narratives of viewers, whether to reflect the mood of the country (and thus ensure market share) or to convince the audience of their particular take on the news.

This according to “The sounds of American and Canadian television news after 9/11: Entoning horror and grief, fear and anger” by James A. Deaville, an article included in Music in the post-9/11 world (New York: Routledge, 2007, pp. 43–70).

Below, an excerpt from CNN’s coverage the day after the attacks.

Related article: Music in political ads

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,