joel_rosenbaum

Okay, good question. Hard to answer, and I certainly cannot speak for everyone. In a lot of ways their popularity doesn't make sense. For one, they didn't really press singles. Sure, there are some radio hits but they only had one number one single -- ever -- and that was "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)". So that means if you're getting into Pink Floyd, you're listening to their albums. And all of those albums (well, at least those that people recognize) are concept albums. So, from the jump, you need to make a commitment. For me, I think the physical act of playing an album was kind of a prerequisite. Pop in the tape and go. The music -- at least starting from Meddle on -- is at times ambient, theatrical, or anthemic. That can go really badly and sometimes does, but for their peak period it works (at least for me). If it catches, the music will suck you in. In some ways more like Brian Eno or Jean Michel Jarre than any rock music that you'd recognize. As for the Stones -- I get why people like them too (and also do not particularly feel strongly for/against) -- they sing about cool rock n'roll shit like sex and drugs. Zeppelin, too -- probably the closest comparison -- were far more rock n'roll than Pink Floyd. The fact is Pink Floyd made/makes some pretty dorky music. I mean, Nick Hornby made it kind of a running side plot in "High Fidelity". They sing about depression, alienation, fear of dying. Not exactly rock n' roll shit. Their music is unabashedly progressive rock, which is quite possibly the nerdiest type of rock (recognizing that there is something called "nerd rock"). Yeah man, I don't know why it works, but it does. Transitioning away to some of the other stuff that people have touched on in this thread: "Wish You Were Here" is a great ballad but I think a song like "Time" is probably quintessential Floyd. I mean, if you're going to like them...

p.s. I love that actor's brief contribution to the movie. He chewed the fuck out of that scenery and I applaud him for it. I have some more thoughts that I'll hopefully get to later.

Well, specifically postwar grammar schools. It seems that rampant abuse was supported (perhaps even encouraged) in these schools. I mean you can easily draw a close analogy to current events (USA Gymnastics).

I think it's a fantasy. You can basically assume that everything from Comfortably Numb on is complete fantasy. Pink is dead or very nearly so.

I thought the face masks were a callback to the (holocaust) train scene from the first part of Another Brick... An animated butthole make an (ahem) huge appearance at the end of the movie, though.

Roger Waters (lead singer of Pink Floyd, creative force behind the album) hated this movie. He felt that Pink is a completely unsympathetic character... and he's right! Pink is a terrible human being. But I don't see what Waters was expecting, the movie follows the lyrics of the album pretty closely. If you don't believe me, here is Roger Waters (in 1979) explaining the Wall to an interviewer as it plays. He comes across as kind of an airhead, which I suppose is appropriate for a rock star. If anything, it's a good reminder of how different music and music journalism was back then. The movie only took out one song (the radio staple, "Hey You") and only added one ("When the Tigers Broke Free"). And that added song is kind of important for exposition. It is pretty much the only thing on the album that makes Pink sympathetic. It is interesting to revisit this movie twenty years after I last watched/was obsessed with it. It doesn't hold up in adulthood. But I can see parts about why I liked it.

I was hoping the punchline would be "Laser Floyd" almost assuredly showing at your local planetarium

Damn! I should have checked -- I assumed that availability would not be an issue. There are six DVD copies available in my local library, though. I'm assuming it should be similar for others.

Okay then! I guess I'll set this one up with a quote about the production:

Wait what? Hold on a second folks. I've got a couple of selections in mind and I don't think they'll make me terribly popular. I'm going to need a minute or two.

Not a gun guy but lead, which is very soft, is used for buckshot.

Which were worse, the Jay Ward or the Hanna-Barbera live action movies?

Touche! I wonder what the actual hit rate is.

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf

Salud!

Haven't listened to the episode yet, nor found time to catch the movie, and was wondering how the hell this topic got to five pages in a day. So my unsolicited thoughts are: some guests just don't bring their best. That's fine, every comedian has a bad set every once in a while. ETA: dont feed the trolls

Was about to recommend this. CLP has *two* copies of this movie, but both are currently checked out. I know there are some Pittsburghers 'round here...

The last time I saw Nothing But Trouble, I spent the entire time waiting for Digital Underground to appear.

To answer Jessica's question: Cocaine readily diffuses into the bloodstream, so yes. Rod Stewart apparently agrees: 


I mean ... I was never a Star Wars guy but I did see Phantom Menace in the theater. There was a lot of hype for that movie and the immediate response was stunned silence. Then denial. Finally acceptance. And this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxKtZmQgxrI

I don't know if any of you have ever been PBS Create! watchers but there was a time in my life when my wife and I would watch cooking shows on that channel religiously. One of the cool/stranger ones was hosted by Marja Vongerichten, wife of Jean-Georges, featuring Korean food, recipes, etc. The reason why I bring it up is that the show was de facto hosted by her neighbor Hugh Jackman (with occasional appearances by Deborra Lee Furness). Heather Graham also makes a lot of appearances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwIhQG6DVCg

Always the one that I remember. That and Fatso. Oh, and Happy New Year's everyone.

I think watching Wonder Woman -- which people love -- was when the realization dawned on me that I'll probably never like superhero/comic book movies. At least not at this stage in my life. I didn't like the Avengers or Logan either, so that just about writes off three of the most highly regarded comic book features of the last five years.

I haven't seen Get Out as horror movies are not something I can watch with my wife, and I'd rather not watch it in brief increments (which is how I watch movies for this podcast). As for movies that stuck with me the most, I would probably have to say the Babadook, recognizing that it's a few years old now. I did watch that in increments unfortunately but it definitely stuck with me. I found myself surprised picking this since Big Sick and Ladybird (also liked this a lot) were pretty good/great films and I saw them both in the theater. I almost picked Coco.