Music on Television

I received a Roku for Father's Day, a device that lets you watch Netflix movies on your T.V. Here are some early results-

Man on Wire- the story of the young Frenchman who tightrope-walked between the twin towers is an emotional bath for vertigo sufferers, which I am. Yes, the French play every moment to its highest histrionic quotient, but I was still riveted and unable to sit down as he prepared to take that first step on the wire. It's a must-see even if frenzied French drama makes your skin crawl.

Heavy Metal in Baghdad- two guys from Vice Magazine fall in love with the only heavy metal band in Baghdad and do everything in their power (man, are these trust-fund babies or is Vice really that profitable? They seem to have cash to burn) to help these guys out and to get a documentary out of it. It's hard not to root for the band members, even if the Vice guys annoyingly keep reminding us how dangerous everything is. This is also an interesting window into the lives of ordinary Iraqis and how the war tore their lives apart.

Scott Walker: 30th Century Man- The Walker Brothers never did anything for me and neither has this man's solo work, but his story is intriguing so why not? This is mostly talking heads paying homage to the man's genius, but Walker's singular path is worth the ride even if the early crooning or the later darkness don't land you in "the man's a marvel" camp.

Mission of Burma Story: Not a Photograph- these guys reunited for some shows and the movie documents that attempt and the paths these three have taken since the break-up. I actually found drummer Peter Prescott (remember the Volcano Suns?) the most endearing, especially when he muses on the extraordinary attention they're getting for the weeks of the reunion to be followed by relentless inattention upon the tour's end. The filmmakers dug up some early footage I'd never seen before, and at 79 minutes this is an east romp, a nice reminder of the band and an interesting walk through three lives and how they've changed. Those early records still sound great, by the way, at least to these ears.

Dead Kennedys: The Early Years Live- I've never been a big fan and Jello as public figure always annoyed me, but it's eye-opening to see some of this live footage. The man was quite the little punk rock showman, especially as the rest of the band looks petrified in the very early videos. And they look so damn young! It's worth a half hour if only to see the old venues and to admire Jello's energy, no matter how irritating you might find him.

Dinosaur Jr.: Live in the Middle East- this captures a New York stop of the 2006 reunion tour in which they only played songs from the first three albums (or early singles, eps, etc.). The sound is awful but the quality of the tunes shines through. It's bizarre to see Lou and J sharing a stage (anyone remember "The Freed Pig"?) but Lou especially appeared to be immersed in what they were doing. J ain't gonna supply an emotional connection, but he's still a monster on guitar. They were noisy and melodic and angry, and it was a clear reminder of what a huge live band they used to be. They also have big pop hooks, which came screaming out during the second encore of "Freak Scene," "Repulsion," "In a Jar" and "Just Like Heaven." By the way, the new record is as good as Beyond- another bleeding miracle.

Dwarves: Fuck You Up and Get: Live- if you saw 'em in the early days, this is a tired spectacle. Blag and HWCBN are there, but only in body. No danger, no power, no Vadge. No point.