Billy Ruane - Boston's Legendary Promoter - Dead at 52

What can one say about Boston music promotion legend Billy Ruane? 

More than 20 years ago Ruane was the visionary to approach Cambridge's Middle East Restaurant and assure them he could fill their back room - currently stuffed with bellydancers - with admission paying, hard drinking rockers instead.  It is hard to imagine now, a Boston music scene sans the rise of this surprising independent venue outside of the grasp of Don Law. Initially Ruane's booking strategy often saw him putting up his own money to nab high profile shows away from other venues, and on occasion when things turned ugly, paying off troublemaking concertgoers to leave the venue!  With a heady mix of fandom and a dash of actual insanity, Ruane was the ultimate promoter, dancing, drinking and throwing himself on and off the stage during the myriad shows he booked and attended.  In the 1990's he seemed the very spirit of 'the scene'.

While his importance in the history of the Boston music scene is without question, he remained to the end as he ever was.  I saw him out on two occasions in the past month, once at a Muck and the Mires show at Precinct, and the other at the Green Street Grill, enjoying a glass of wine and raving about the sweetbreads special.  Each time I was greeted with the usual sloppy kiss, an impassioned stare, and the question "What are you doing now?"  A question for us all to answer as his passing reminds us how unexpectedly short life can be.

Safety Dance finds new life in the air

Are Men Without Hats getting a royalty?

Ok, to be fair, it does appear to be a cover version.

Beth Ditto Rocks The Paris Runway

The Gossip's Beth Ditto was enlisted as a model for Jean-Paul Gaultier's latest collection.  Clocking in at a size 28 she's hardly the normal runway fare, but check out how she rocks it big girl style with some snaps from Mr. Paparazzi here.

Aerosmith lays off Steven Tyler

Complete story at The Onion

Gary Numan Goes Commercial

Note to young rockers, if you can write a hit about something as ubiquitous as a car, it is going to keep you in eyeliner for a long long time.  

Witness below one godfather of electronic music, Gary Numan in a pair of unpredictable ads, one for Diehard batteries, the other a Scottish public service announcement.  

Perhaps my favorite part of these ads is Numan's unapologetically dour facade, even while these ads show this most seminal music figure must have a sense of humor buried deep within.  In view of Numan's upcoming Pleasure Principle Tour one would imagine he's not at a loss for ways to promote himself, but I do hear that even Gary Numan has to eat. 

Magic Shoppe and 28 Degrees Taurus at the Rosebud Diner Somerville

Made it out last week to see former Green Magnet School guitarist Chris Pearson's newest gig, playing with local trip-rockers Magic Shoppe at my new favorite venue The Rosebud Diner in Somerville.  Why is this my new favorite venue?  Where to start?  First off you can sit down.  Ah, my old bones!  Second, you can order a pizza from your nice waitress and eat it while you watch the bands.  Third, so far I've not seen a bad show here.  The booking is really well done.  Though one might think the lack of stage and low fi sound system could hamper the "I am at a show experience" I completely disagree.  This is a venue with a nice degree of intimacy with the artists but not one where you are on top of them with no escape.  El perfecto. 

But anyway, see below for Magic Shoppe footage.  Though 28 Degrees Taurus turned in a fantastic set, sadly no video, but everyone should check out their boy-girl arty psych burn.  And that drummer, oh he gives me shivers.

Mark E. Smith of The Fall reads sports scores.

I attended a party this weekend where the whole evening ended up with my aging rocker friends cuddling up to a giant Mac to watch videos from YouTube. One, a dedicated Fall fan, brought the following to my attention: a video of Mark E. Smith from The Fall reading football scores on BBC TV.  This just proves anything that Mark E. Smith says sounds amazing, and like a Fall song.   

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains

If anything, my tangle with Lady Gaga left me thinking a lot about the film Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.

Should any of you not seen this cult classic from the 80's, it is no surprise, and yet I must demand you see it now!

Diane Lane stars in one of her first screen roles as Corrine Burns, a bored teen living in a nowhere town with no prospects.  Inspired upon seeing her first punk rock band (fronted by Ray Winstone from Quadrophenia, and featuring members of The Clash) she forms a group with her cousins (including a pubescent Laura Dern) that is riot grrrl before there were riot grrrls. The story unfolds over the next hour and a half with surprising depth, tackling youth, feminism, love, betrayal, disillusionment, selling out, image vs. substance, and the dirty biz of rock and roll.  If you've ever wanted to see members of The Tubes portray Spinal Tap, or just see Diane Lane looking amazing in a see-through shirt, this is the movie for you.  

Extra for experts * when Winstone decry's Lane's descent into style over substance he accuses "You're just a couple of white stripes!" - did that line name the band?   Who knows...?

Lady Gaga at the TD Banknorth Garden - and Christian rebuttal

Oh Lady Gaga, after seeing you play at the Garden last Friday, I want a Bad Romance with you!  

Talk about a crazy show, by the end Gaga had:

1 - Played piano upside down while laying on the piano hood

2 - Wore a dress that moved on its own while she stood still

3 - Danced with trannies

4 - Gave away $20,000 to a local homeless LGBT charity, courtesy of her sponsor, Virgin Mobile

5 - Wore a bustier that shot sparks out of her nipples and vagina

6  - Battled a 25 foot monster, and won.

It would be hard for me to think of something more I could have wanted from this Gaga-extravaganza.  I certainly wasn't bored!  

Today fluttering through the web though found a bizarre analysis of the brilliant video for Bad Romance, filled with heavy handed analysis it seems to miss the idea of the song being possibly about hungering for a romance that is bad for you but oh so good.  Were they never young?

New Pornographers Violence Update

Found video of Neko's freakout:




I just wanted to note, this only shows PART of the freakout.  It went on much longer than this, and cuts off just before Case makes comments about the CD lob showing "hatred" - and that in America, that's the way things are.  

Still seems amazing some boy with a fetish didn't feign responsibility just to get a whoopin' from Case.   

Neko Case is going to kick your ass: The New Pornographers & The Dodos - House Of Blues, Boston

Full of tequila is the right way to see The New Pornographers, so that's the way my companions and I did it. Loaded up on margaritas from the shockingly decent-yet-not-overpriced La Verdad next door, it was surprising to arrive at The House of Blues an hour after the doors opened and yet no band had started. A sharp contrast to the last time I was here - to see Motorhead, The Reverend Horton Heat, and Nashville Pussy, where I found that despite being outside in line when doors opened, by the time I got inside (what, 10 mins later?) Nashville Pussy were already mid-set. WTF? Upon reviewing this tale with others, I have found my story is not uncommon.

Early entry meant sitting through the opening bands, the first of which was an ever expanding acoustic outfit, The Dutchess and The Duke. At first, this Seattle outfit's boy/girl/folksy harmonies/acoustic guitar thing came across sweet as sugar. But as the set list wore on, it became evident this band is a one chord pony - good God did they learn any other keys? Tired of hearing what seemed to be nearly the same song played over and over, I finished the 2nd half of their set by attending to a pressing Scrabble game I'd started on my phone vs the computer.

I won (401 to 352 thank you very much) just in time to catch opener #2, Dodos, who unlike their terrible name, were spellbinding. Sporting a velvet-voiced singer with the looks of a twentyish Brandon Cruz (sigh), atop a band that is equal parts Keane, Plus/Minus (+/-), and a bit of Mission of Burma for added angst, it lead me to ask the musical question "Who can argue with a 3-piece where 2 of the 3 are percussionists?" And by the way did I mention that one is often a marimba? Answer: "Not me".
(video gets better halfway through, not much light).




The main event arrived at last, and as I struggled to catch all of the Pornographers in one frame on my wee camera, I realized there are simply way too many people in this band; 9 in all, including Dan Bejar who would periodically appear on stage, then leave, then return with a beer, then leave again... The band sounded excellent, and all would have gone to plan if not for one incredibly strange moment, when just a few songs into the set someone in the crowd lobbed, with considerable force, a New Pornographers CD AT THE BAND.

The CD struck AC Newman's guitar with a loud thump, then clattered to the stage. A showstopper of a moment, it was certainly the only time I've ever been to a 1000 person venue and seen the band assaulted by someone in the crowd. We're not talking the Sex Pistols - we're talking Canadians, people. Fiery haired songstress Neko Case flew into a rage, "What the fuck was that?" she bellowed with the authority of a dominatrix, "Seriously, whoever did that come up here and I will fucking fight you." It was at this moment most of the men in the room realized that although they would definitely like to make out with Case, they would not want her to be their ex-girlfriend. That is unless they like having their tires slashed. "Who did it because I will seriously pummel your fucking face in. I am a piece of shit white trash and I will fuck you up" she continued, and so it went for the next 5-7 minutes - Case indicating she would beat up every person in the room if she needed to, Newman not really knowing what to do or say, the crowd alternately silent, hooting, and a bit scared. The tension in the air was palpable, sort of like one of those old Zorro movies where he threatens the entire Mexican army and all 500 of them back down because - hey, he's Zorro man, you don't fuck with him!

Nobody admitted to the crime, and eventually the show started back up, and the CD was handed out as a gift to someone in the first row. An hour yet to go, but the defining moment of the show had come and gone. Sadly, no video of that below, you'll just have to settle for the rock.

Devo on The Colbert Report

What a pleasant surprise to find Devo visiting Comedy Central's Colbert Report, promoting their new album "Something for Everybody". Watch the seminal new wavers them explain to Colbert how they've been "proven right" about De-evolution.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Devo
www.colbertnation.com

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Devo - Fresh
www.colbertnation.com

Devo singer Mark Mothersbaugh is looking remarkably slimmed down from how he was appearing just a few years ago, and I salute him. Imagine all the spuds that went uneaten to drop that weight.

I further appreciate that much like when I saw them in 2008 Devo may be older, but they sure are still creepy! Just check out that video running behind them as they play, a woman's crotch, her panties burst into tears, then there is a puppy, then there is a kitten, ow, ow, my head!

Good luck aging new wavers from Ohio. Thank you for continuing to freak me out.

BP Oil Spill Humor - Starring Nat Freedberg of The Upper Crust

What is better than a parody of the BP Oil Spill disasater? It is one featuring Nat Freedberg of The Upper Crust / Titanics / Satanics / Flies.

The Buzzcocks at the Paradise, Boston

It was at some point during "Autonomy" that I realized the last time I saw The Buzzcocks was about 15 years ago at a venue in New York, where I saw the last of the shoegazers - Adorable - opening up for the punk legends.

That same night, I somehow ended up scoring an invite to an after party held in a very New York loft where one could mingle with both of the bands in question. I was with my friend Gretchen, who was hip, arty, and never lost her cool, but that was the night I saw her facade crack for the first and only time. Come to find out The Buzzcocks had played an important part in her young life and she was a gigantic fan. Merely sharing the same room with Pete Shelley was inducing a near nauseous state in her. Watching him from across the room we trembled as we carefully planned something "smart" to say to the seminal vocalist. 15 minutes later, we skittered over to him. "I love your pants" Gretchen said, indicating a smart looking pair of red plaid bondage numbers he was sporting. "Oh thank you!" he cheerfully replied. "My Mum bought them for me!" Knowing the conversation was not going to yield a better nugget than that, we nodded, giggled, and nervously and ran away, spending the rest of the summer recounting our 10 seconds with the legend.

Tonight there were no bondage pants, and Shelley is looking significantly older, more like your portly, balding, Uncle Alan whose main interests are comfy chairs, tea, and biscuits. The sound in the club is mostly terrible, but this can't repress the glee that arises from watching drummer Danny Farrant in action. A tumble of scrawny limbs pounding furiously he is the showpiece of the set. As promised the band's first two albums are played in order, but it's far more exciting when they get to the "all hits" encore.







Drummer Porn:

Despite their claim, I see no evidence of rocking

This friend "Ken" is obviously trying to get regularly mentioned here, evidenced by his forward of this unwatchable video promoting Sioux City set to Starship's "We Built This City on Rock and Roll."



Don't feel bad if you can't watch the entire video, really, who could? It is well established that the members of Starship are doomed to spend the afterlife in a special corner of hell just for having written this song, why torture yourself? But my biggest beef with this video? There is no proof whatsoever that Sioux City does rock. In fact, it seems just the opposite. Full of TV newscasters who think they are "wacky", cheerleaders, bicyclists, hockey players, and firefighters. These people don't rock! Or if they do, they sure ain't showing us here. As for Bret Michaels endorsement... dear god, how would that be a positive?

At least the good folks in Cleveland know how to make a promotional video.

Banned Bands, but not the kind you’re thinking of

So today I was emailing with a friend who is really, really into marching bands. Yes, these people do exist.

Originally, I felt compelled to send him this hot news article from the Miami New Times stating that Frederica Wilson is Proud of Banning "Simulated Sexual Intercourse" in Marching Bands.

Now, color me naïve, I was unaware that simulated intercourse was prevalent in marching bands. But my friend - we’ll call him “Ken” because that’s his name - was quick to let me know yes, it's happening all the time! Just check out the video below around the :20 mark.



Gee, and they’re afraid of kids listening to too much Ozzy!

As I spent some time that day delving into the world of marching bands on the edge, I was surprised to see this list detailing just what marching bands are up to. It appears that, when not simulating sexual intercourse on a football field, they simulate napalming a Cambodian village, or murdering Elvis. USA! USA! USA!

I guess this just helps cement the truth that when it comes to a life in rock and roll, being in your high school band is the gateway drug. No wonder so many rockers get their start there. Mothers, you may want to reconsider nurturing your child’s interest in that glockenspiel. Just sayin'...

Wax Rockers for Sale this Weekend

Problem: I would like to get up close and personal with Johnny Cash, but he's dead.

Solution: Buy wax Johnny Cash statue at the Hollywood Wax Museum's sale this weekend, engage in pathetic fantasy life with wax Johnny Cash in the privacy of your own home.

Same solution available for The Beatles, Cyndi Lauper, Hank Williams Sr., and my pick, Frank Sinatra. Too scared to have a wax figure in your home (which may come to life and eat you, or worse, sing you a song)? Then just buy Michael Jackson's 1988 concert outfit, or the hat worn by Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies.

Lemmy - The Movie

Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to get a peek at "Lemmy" the new documentary about Lemmy Kilmister the singer / icon for heavy metal legends Motorhead, courtesy of the fabulous Boston Independent Film Festival.

Packed with interviews from a wide array of music celebrities (Joan Jett, Henry Rollins, Dee Snyder, Metallica, Mick Jones, Ozzy, and assorted members of Hawkwind and The Rockin' Vickers, Lemmy's early musical projects) about their time spent with Lemmy one on one, or describing how he's impacted their lives from afar, the film does a good job at establishing its subject as an incredibly potent figure in rock and roll history. Visits to Lemmy's (rent controlled, stuffed with freaky stuff, and not particularly tidy) apartment, live footage, and hearing about his worldview from the man himself ("I'm not a nazi. Nothing could be further from the truth. If the Israeli Army had the coolest uniforms in the world I'd wear them!") rounds out the the bill of creating a cogent and enrapturing portrait of surely the most interesting man (nee senior citizen) in metal today.

Sadly, as interesting as the story and subject are, the film does have some editing / narrative problems. It may be that there are just too many interesting Lemmy tidbits to fit in one film, but that said, the whole thing needs to be about a half hour shorter.

Seeing the film in a room of about 400 other metal maniacs made it easy to understand what fans would like to see cut from the film - to start, lengthy interviews with Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, who prattles on about 'integrity' and 'being genuine' while showing he hasn't got 1/3 of a clue about what he's talking about. The crowd booed and grumbled when Grohl and an array of other "artistes" with little cred spoke about their thoughts about Lemmy. But then again, when you're Lemmy, the whole rest of the world looks pretty uncool by comparison. Better to just shut up and rock.

Sir Mix A Lot decries WaMu

Was so pleased to hear a brief interview over the weekend on NPR's news quiz game "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" with Sir Mix A Lot. The reason he was on? To speak about the cover of his fine, booty-positive song "Baby Got Back" by Washington Mutual Bank executives, "Baby Got Bank".

Listen to the audio here, and hear the answer to the question "Sir Mix A Lot, are you worried, as a hip hop artist, that these bankers are a bad role model for our children? Won't kids listen to this music and believe that a career as a bank executive is something to aspire to?"

Where are the Black Girls Who Rock?

Stumbled upon a post over at The Angry Black Woman that made me think - where are the black girl rockers? It is embarrassing that my list is awfully short: Joan Armatrading, Pauline Black of The Selecter and Poly Styrene of X Ray Spex (1/2 Somali). I was hoping I to include Deborah Iyall from Romeo Void (Native American), and Annabella Lwin from Bow Wow Wow (half-Burmese) alas!

I'll be putting on my thinking cap to think of more. Till then here's a nice video from The Objex - rare birds!




UPDATE: My dear beau has brought up Cindy Blackman - drummer for Lenny Kravitz and a rocker in her own right. I could wax poetic for hours about how much I love women drummers - sigh...

Lady Gaga vs. Madonna Video Showdown

I love me some kittens with a whip, so how much did I enjoy this short film by Lady Gaga to accompany her single "Telephone"?



Gaga and Beyonce wearing fabulous clothes. Gaga and Beyonce a dyke couple out to destroy. Please, take me with you Gaga and Beyonce! And while you're at it, Gaga, can I borrow your effin' gigantic hat?

Watching "Telephone" however, does bring to mind the Guy Ritchie directed Madonna video for "What It Feels Like For A Girl", a clip it seems unlikely to imagine Gaga never viewed before conceiving of her own tribute to violence in women, which was banned from MTV when it came out in 2001 for its violent nature.



Contemplating the pair side by side is a good bit of fun. Where "Telephone" is sexy, wild, and over the top, "What It Feels Like..." is far more calculated and downright scary. Lady Gaga may kill a bunch of people in a restaurant, but when Madonna starts victimizing the men that regularly victimize women (with her Granny in tow) she brings us to a place far more edgy and uncomfortable than Gaga is able to reach - and she does it with her pants on.

Regardless of which you like better though, both are awfully enjoyable. You know, if you would like to be a sexy lady outlaw.

Malcolm McClaren - Rock and Roll Swindler - Dead at 64

Sad to hear this news, read the NYTimes Obit here and the Daily Mail here. Both give different reports of his death and a different details about his life.

Apparently had Mesothelioma, the cancer that comes from asbestos exposure. Terrible way to die. I mean, "Buffalo Gals" was no masterpiece, but hardly deserving of such torture.



But seriously, he was a genius, and an inspiration for rock promo people everywhere. I doff my ex-band manager cap to him.

Heavy Metal Cookbook "Hellbent for Cooking" Effin Amazing!

I buy a lot of books that end up not delivering on their promise. For instance, "Bye Bye Baby" by Caroline Sullivan charts a woman's lifelong obsession with The Bay City Rollers, but after the 40th running into the band in a hotel it kind of got boring. The same goes for "I Was a Teenage Dominatrix", where author Shawna Kenney spends most of the book assuring us she's really a good girl, really! YAWN!

I guess I should be more discriminating when it comes to kickily named books, but old habits die hard, and thus my recent purchase of "Hellbent for Cooking: The Heavy Metal Cookbook" by Annick Giroux.

Originally bought with the idea I would give it to a friend who loves Heavy Metal, and... well, cooking, after an in depth go over last night, I don't think I'm going to be able to part with it. Lifelong friendship is one thing, but do I really want to just give away this tome of home cookin' recipies by Anvil, Sepultura, and Uriah Heap? Cleverly, author Giroux has made the recipes so easy even the most simpleminded headbanger will find it within their grasp to whip up egg salad or a pizza from scratch, while more advanced metal connoisseurs might try their hand at making "black metal pie" (you paint a pentacle on the top in chocolate), Moroccan lamb, or even sweetbreads (that's cow brains, people and the recipe is by GWAR, who else?). Most importantly though, the part where one day you can look forward to hosting a dinner party with these foods and when asked about the dishes say "oh, I got the recipie from Thin Lizzy/Accept/Judas Priest..." alone justifies the cover price.

At last a book that delivered even more than it promised.

Now, to the kitchen!

Alex Zane interviews Avril Lavigne - who is as dumb as a post

So since returning from the Europe I have a new media crush, comedian Alex Zane. I discovered him doing his crueller than cruel spelling game on Balls of Steel, but when I got to his My Space page I was pleased to see he posted a video of himself interviewing tiresome Canadian kewl girl wannabe Avril Lavigne. Watching her dumbstruck confusion at Zane's offbeat questions is worth sitting through to the end. Hoo boy, who says you have to be bright to be famous?

PiL on US tour

Excellent reporting from CultureMob here on the impending PiL tour, which being old and rocking I feel compelled to attend, even though I don't recall being particularly impressed when I went to the Pistols reunion about 12 yrs ago, even though I got backstage. Cannot recall how or why this happened, only that Steve Jones was rather grumpy but Glen Matlock a dear. Mr. Lydon would not come out and meet and greet with us sadly, ah, rock and roll swindled again!

Oddly the show in Boston is some new club - Royale (looks like the space formerly known as The Roxy) - I can hardly wait for the first joke about a crappy show there being called a Royale with Cheese. Ooh, I'm gonna make that joke!

PS: What kind of on crack tour routing is this? That band is gonna be tired of driving in circles by the end.

The Dentists and The Claim at Dingwalls London - or what I did on my vacation

Rock never takes a holiday, or is it that even holidays in my mind must rock? So how convenient was it that while in London last week one of my very favorite bands of all time, The Dentists elected to reform for a pair of shows? Flying in from the US I felt I'd made quite the effort (only other Yank in attendance appeared to be fellow Dental fanatic the delightful Mr. Bob Wall), but probably not as much as Dentist vocalist Mick Murphy who'd come all the way from Kenya to reunite with his ex-bandmates for just a few frantic days of rehearsal before the big show.

Here's a compliment I never get to pay - Dingwalls is AN EXCELLENT CLUB. First off the sound system is great so you can actually hear the bands, rather than a lot of garble, second the floor of the venue is comprised of a bunch of terraces, so it's 15 feet - a step up - 15 feet - a step up - etc. so even a short gal like me can see from nearly everywhere. As for drink prices, if someone else is buying they are excellent as well. Dingwalls, will you please open a venue at the end of my block?

The Claim were on first, a band who I had never heard before but who I'd been assured by fellow aging indie-poppers was decidedly worth checking out. And since it had been about 20 yrs since they split up, well, what better time than now? The set felt a bit same-y, but to the (almost entirely male and 40 yrs +) fans in the venue (including Harvey from The Field Mice who is apparently the neighbor of the friend I attended the show with) the geezer pop enthusiasm was obscenely high and at regular intervals that excitement was entirely warranted, as below, with the sparkling version of "Do You Still Feel"



As for The Dentists, it would be hard to maintain much journalistic integrity due to my longtime devotion to the band. Safe to say the set covered all the bases. A good hour of songs covering many years of Dentistry, easily displaying why the band were leaders rather than followers when it came to heartfelt turn of the 90's neo-psychedelic jangle pop. A few things about the set did make me sad though: one was drummer Ian Smith missing the drum fill in "She Dazzled Me With Basil" (picky, picky, picky, aren't I?), the other was upon hearing tunes like "Weirdo", and "Space Man" realizing how much they totally rocked live, but hadn't been captured quite as strongly on CD. At least the video below can serve to stand witness to some of that.

















An excellent night out with these two reunited bands. Shame one has to buy a pricey airplane ticket to make the scene. How sad am I that I missed seeing The Undertones in London just a week later? It seems I'm going to have to take a lot more holidays....

Birds are the new Sonic Youth

Check out this clip of a film by French artist Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, birds going about their daily business, and inadvertently rocking out.



This clip reminds me of my other favorite bird-band, Hatebeak - a death metal band which just happens to have a parrot lead singer. I think this pretty much cements the bond between birds and the rock. Other animals are really going to have to start working working harder to compete. Bears, squirrels, fish, I have my eye on you.

Beardyman - Edinburgh Festival

I don't understand how this man makes these noises with his mouth, I just want more

Best thing about the Who at the Super Bowl

The mod target cymbals on the drum kit played by Zak Starkey, Ringo's son. Also, that Zak Starkey looks like a lost drummer for Spinal Tap.



Some friends complained that Roger Daltrey looked old, hardly able to stomp around the stage, but hey, the guy is nearly 65, he's lucky he made it through the show at all. It was absurd to hear them going on about Teenage Wastelands, that is for sure. Thankfully they had the good sense not to indicate they hope they die before they get old.

Grandma Loves to Rock: Young At Heart

Last night on my local PBS station ran an indie documentary I'd meant to see a few years back "Young At Heart". The subject is a chorus of Northampton MA senior citizens who perform contemporary songs.

OK, sounds kind of boring, doesn't it?

But what if the songs these octogenarians are performing included hits by The Ramones, David Bowie, and Sonic Youth?

Oh yes, now you see my point.

The film paints an intriguing portrait of a throng of indomitable seniors and their driven chorus director Bob Cilman as they rehearse, sing for prison inmates, and contemplate their next European tour. And the songs? Well when was the last time you heard a pair of little old ladies coo "My future is static, it's already had it, I could tuck you in, and we could talk about it" from Sonic Youth's 'Schizophrenia'; or hear a group of people who deal daily with the threat of Alzheimer's deliver the lines "Well we know where we're going, but we don't know where we've been. And we know what we're knowin', but we can't say, what we've seen. And we're not little children. And we know what we want. And the future is certain. Give us time to work it out" from the Talking Heads' 'Road to Nowhere'? Climan's music direction and song selection is amazing as is the passionate, quirky performances from the chorus. Check out the clip below to experience the angry old man take on Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and you'll see what I'm talking about.



And this one, to see the aforementioned clip of 'Schizophrenia'.



And be sure to click here to see the chorus' video for "I Wanna Be Sedated"