M  i  l    M  a  n  i  a

       

        The Official Newsletter of WWW.ARTISTINSANE.COM

 

 

Thanks for reading this issue of Mil Mania!  And, remember, this is a work in progress, subject to many and varied changes — all adding up to a new and improved publication...so I hope!  Please drop me a line to let me know what you think, including any and all suggestions.  Thank you!!!

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Welcome To The June Issue of Mil Mania!

` Volume 2, Issue 6, June 2006

 

Music Mayhem    

As noted in the December edition of Mil Mania, I will continue to include news in every issue to keep readers up to date on the latest happenings with the three acts most prominently featured on www.artistinsane.com.  In addition,  for each issue I will also choose one additional artist — in some cases a new discovery I’ve recently made, in others an individual or group whose work I’ve long appreciated — to make a one-time appearance here.  And, of course, as with all aspects of Mil Mania, feel free to offer suggestions.

 

This month’s featured artist: 

 

The Escape Club — I
heard a phrase from this
group’s second album a
few days ago, and de
cided based on that re
minder to share a bit
about my appreciation of
this rather small but indeed (to me) memorable body of work.  As proved the case with March’s featured artist, Cyndi Lauper, however,  I must offer the disclaimer right up front that my ultimately positive impression was not immediately spawned by what many of you may know them from — their hit song “Wild Wild West”, but evolved much later...upon hearing the wonderfully understated ballad, “I’ll Be There” (and watching its accompanying video).  I in fact bought the album on the strength of that song alone, and were that the only reason I kept it among my collection through the years that followed, still would not feel disappointed.  As it turned out, however, there were several other songs I liked very much as well, and which therefore became the reasons the album never in fact made it to the shelf for several years — remaining instead on the short stack of CD’s atop my stereo which were in most frequent rotation. 
     Boasting the controversial title, Dollars and Sex, one could form many conclusions prior to listening to the album itself...most of which I daresay would be wrong.  For, although there are indeed certain “wild” indulgences, there’s also much that’s surprisingly grounded and wonderfully tongue-in-cheek.  For example, the album opens with a tortured lover’s stubborn lack of acceptance that a relationship is over (“The Edge of Your Bed”), from which it moves into a rollicking comment on rock and roll stereotypes (“Poison”) before mercilessly mocking shallow women of the jet set in the scathing  (but oh, so catchy) “So Fashionable” .  And, by the time it reaches its final track — an exhortation to “Come Alive”, I’m willing to bet you’ll be glad to have taken the time out for this quick “escape”.

     As a side note to my appreciation for this group, I’ve published to my website a letter I wrote in 1998 proposing Trevor Steel for a certain position that was finally filled 7 years later — perhaps proving my then arguably “insane” view may have instead been merely a great idea that was a good bit ahead of its time. 

 

……………………..

 

Third Eye Blind played a televised performance as part of  the Arena Bowl recently, as well as a show at the Indy 500 in late May.  And, they continue to post previously unreleased music and news updates via the blog on their official page at myspace.com. 
    Also, I must note that I’m way behind schedule on starting the aforementioned individual bios for each of the band’s members, but will keep you posted when I’ve finally finished these and sent them off to Adam at The Village Churchyard.
     Finally, here’s a link to a brief but interesting recent article (which, incidentally, starts midway down the page)
    

Brian Fitzpatrick played a series
of shows in late May (alas, none of which I was able to attend!&*^&!), and will be performing in the upcoming Black River Festival in Chester, NJ in August.  In the meantime, he’s playing guitar in a band backing Carrie Engdahl, an artist whose debut EP he produced — and which I got a sneak listen to a few weeks back.  Great job, Brian — in wearing all of your hats for this project (producer, guitarist, and cover designer/graphic artist) very, very well!!! 
     I also got a sneak scoop that Brian indeed has a host of new tunes as potential choices for a new album — and look forward to hearing a few of them at live shows in the months ahead. 

 

Michael McDermott’s having a birthday on August 24th, which means I’m once again organizing a very special event — The 5th Annual McDermott  Birthday Celebration!!!   But, ssshhh….it’s a.. 

     That said, I won’t be giving away any

clues as to the finished gift lest Michael should get wind of what we’re up to... but you can click here in the next week or so to check out all the details of how to get involved (a brief teaser page can be found by following that link now).

 

 

      In the meantime, in case you’re new to all of this, you can go to...

www.artistinsane.comthe_album_jacket.htm

...to view last year’s finished product.

   I’m really excited about this year’s theme, and am looking forward to many McD supporters becoming a part of this truly special “party”! 
     Also, since last month’s issue I’ve completed the promised review pages on Michael’s NYC shows at The Bitter End and The Living Room — the latter of which proved an especially memorable and moving set of music. 
     Here’s hoping for the encore of an East Coast return SOON!

 

   

Ravings of
a Mad Woman

This column corresponds with the Mad Ravings On section of www.artistinsane.com, and is dedicated to selected reviews of movies, television and books… most of which are unlikely to represent “the latest” in any of these categories, but rather a  random selection that represents a new and/or noteworthy discovery to me.
            ………………………..

 

     Another task in the when I get “around to it”  category for a year or more at least has been to expand my website’s “Mad Ravings On” section to include television as a category.  Though by no means a TV junkie, there have always been at least one or two shows available during any given season that I enjoy...a term I use loosely, since the series that has at last moved me so completely as to dig out that round TUIT and start writing is one I find profoundly affecting — though very often in far less than enjoyable ways.
     The series in question is the FX drama now in its third season, Rescue Me.  Starring  its co-writer/creator Denis Leary, the show chronicles the lives of a group of New York City firefighters...heroes who lost three members of their crew on September 11th, one of whom was (Leary’s character) Tommy Gavin’s cousin.  An ensemble piece that offers a full view of not only Tommy’s and his co-workers on duty adventures, the show also delves deeply into each’s personal lives, all of which are wracked by personal demons, broken relationships and essentially “hard times”.  As one summary description I once read noted, Rescue Me is largely about a team of individuals who save others as their own lives are falling apart.  And, while I realize that hardly presents an appealing premise on which to “sell” a show, the actual viewing experience (on the whole, at least) is surprisingly less grim...largely because it so beautifully captures the strength and resilience of the human spirit in facing adversity — thereby bringing about many “small” victories even as each character is forced to deal with arguably “major” defeats.
     For example, one of my favorite scenes from Season 2 features Tommy (who is a recovering alcoholic) standing outside a liquor store, very strongly tempted to go make a purchase.  As we watch, the scene jumps forward, taking us through Tommy’s downing that first drink, and another, and another, and onto a montage of the devastation in his life and family relationships that will result from that one slip.  As the audience watches in horror, lost in the pain Tommy himself feels at re-entering this downward spiral, the camera suddenly brings us back to Tommy still standing outside the liquor store, having actually never entered, and follows him (and the picture of our relief) as he slowly walks away. 
     By the same token, I must confess there are moments throughout the series that make me cringe at times just as there are (far more) moments that I so love.  For, part of revealing truly ALL of these deeply flawed characters is to share as well their sometimes objectionable humor and crudity as well as  their far from politically correct views —circumstances that add up to some truly shocking situations. 
     Be that as it may, as an artist deeply appreciative of my fellow artists’ triumphs — in any artistic form — I revere the show most strongly for the truly enviable level of both acting and writing so fully packed into each episode.   Every member of the cast is masterful, from Leary’s sarcastic, edgy Tommy to Steven Pasquale’s innocently dim Sean to one-time real life firefighter Jack McGee’s wizened and compassionate Chief .  Each presents his character with a deeply involving believability, and inspires empathy and pathos, in addition to a familiarity that makes every one of their trials truly all of our own as well.
     If you’re not already a fan, I suggest you go rent Season 1 on DVD...while it’s easy to get hooked from just one episode, having come in late myself, I can attest that to go back and see “where it all began” makes for an even richer viewing experience.  And, once you’ve checked out all of Season 1, I dare you not to head back to the video store immediately thereafter in search of Season 2. 
     But hurry...Season 3 is currently in progress and you don’t want to have to wait until next May when it’s released on DVD to be “rescued” from having missed it.
    

Click here to check out a page of some other of my all-time favorite series from seasons past and present.

                          (If you haven’t met me yet, you might
                           want to read the Dec. issue  first.)

    
                          I expect most of my readers will remember that in last month’s issue I included a letter from Anon Y Mous, who took issue herself with my characterization of On The Road as “that Kerou-crap book”.  And, I therefore invited her to share a few reasons for her fondness of this author.  Here’s her response:

“Dear Molly.
     I suppose On the Road had a tremendous effect on me because I simultaneously read Windblown World, a  journal Jack kept while writing that book. I came to know the man behind the words...his tenderness, passions, self-doubt, his vision of the world and all things in it as holy.  Your objections to OTR stem from plot, and the poor choices vagabond Sal Paradise (aka Jack) made while traversing America.  Yet that plot could also be viewed as a vehicle to show this lowly wanderer in his various quests...yes, sometimes a drunk with questionable judgment...but he also drank of life, tasted love, reveled in the rapture of music an