BOOMERANGST: Three Dots and a Cloud of Dust by Roy Trakin
If I were President, I’d immediately pass three laws: make marijuana legal and tax it, give the terminally ill the right to die with dignity and allow everyone guilt-free adultery one weekend every year, a single concession each for the young, the old and those suffering from midlife crisis… Beck‘s audacious, industrial reworking of Bob Dylan‘s “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat,” which was heard over the closing 2009 film preview segment of this year’s Oscar telecast is the highlight of the current War Child Presents Heroes album on Astralwerks, which benefits the humanitarian organization providing assistance to children affected by war, but it’s not the only one. The gimmick here finds today’s generation of alterna-icons performing covers of their own seminal influences, with some of the more inspired match-ups featuring The Kooks doing justice to The Kinks‘ “Victoria,” The Hold Steady‘s inevitable homage to Bruce Springsteen‘s “Atlantic City,” Lily Allen and Mick Jones‘ transformation of The Clash‘s “Straight to Hell” into a tinker toy nursery rhyme, Karen O and Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ faithful take on The Ramones‘ “Sheena is a Punk Rocker,” Franz Ferdinand‘s deadpan version of Blondie‘s “Call Me,” Rufus Wainwright‘s miniaturist medley from Brian Wilson‘s Smile, Scissor Sisters‘ campy Bee Gees-like disco rave-up on Roxy Music‘s “Do the Strand,” Elbow stripping down U2‘s “Running to Stand Still” to its lilting melody, before building a dramatic coda and TV on the Radio‘s tribal, trip-hop deconstruction of David Bowie‘s “Heroes”… Best viral YouTube video of the week is the hilarious “Meshugene Men,” a take-off on Mad Men, with perfect casting and a plot about the Sterling-Kugel ad agency developing a campaign to market mayonnaise to Jews, here… Shunting aside fears of salmonella, my current late-night snack includes a spoonful of peanut butter mixed with jelly. Hey, at least I’m not eating any bread… Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a charming, likable rock & roll fable and valentine to New York City in which the nice Jewish girl captures the geeky mixtape freak, an updated version of Martin Scorsese‘s After Hours, with Michael Cera and Kat Dennings almost getting upstaged by Ari Graynor‘s lovable drunk girl and a way-hip soundtrack that boasts Devendra Banhart, Vampire Weekend, Band of Horses, We Are Scientists and Richard Hawley. Actually made me miss Manhattan… This week’s Flight of the Conchords is the best yet, as Murray convinces Brett and Jemaine to dress up as a Simon & Garfunkel tribute band, only to have a Garfunkel groupie played by Mary Lynn Rajskub seduce Jemaine before the real Art shows up at the end to reclaim her. Comic Patton Oswalt, so good in United States of Tara as John Corbett‘s partner in his landscaping business, is a scream as an Elton John impersonator. There are also Bono and Barack Obama clones… Speaking of Rajskub, her scenes with Janeane Garofalo as dueling computer wonks in 24 are classic… Ruth’s Chris Steak House is the best meat and potatoes place this side of Peter Luger in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (take that, Larry King). In fact, I remember when Luger was the only thing in that neighborhood… I never appreciated Conan O’Brien as much as I did in his final Late Night before moving to the 11:30 slot… Look out for The Decemberists. The band’s new Capitol album, The Hazards of Love, could be the one to put the Portland folk-rock group led by singer-songwriter Colin Meloy, into the big leagues. Their Hollywood Bowl show with the L.A. Philharmonic two summers ago was one of the year’s best concerts…
