Blue Like Jazz, the Movie

Can I just say, "FINALLY!"?

I like Don Miller. I have long loved the rascally Steve Taylor. The latter, musician-turned-filmmaker, pushed buttons and stretched the envelope in the small little "Christian" sub-culture I was a part of long ago. I credit much of my great and relative sanity (and a lot of my absurdist humor) to him and what he did musically, lyrically, and even artistically. When he released his first movie - The Second Chance - my whole church went. As a church boy from an urban neighborhood with a lot of condescending suburbanites coming through, a lot of that movie resonated with me, to be honest. A lot of the dialog really hit home for me and some of my friends. But it wasn't quite satisfying. Michael W Smith (the envelope of the Christian sub-culture) actually did a decent job being the condescending suburbanite pastor's kid, but I wasn't convinced that he fully turned (and I think the point was that he was still learning). But what stood out to me as a Taylor fan was the lack of visual punch. Starting with his own music videos as early as the mid-80's with Meltdown at Madame Tussaud's (a song I vehemently disagree with now, but still, it's cool for what it is), he has been a great visual innovator - if not always the best storyteller through those visuals.

Donald Miller is a fine writer. A conversational essayist with quite a bit of self-deflective humor and pathos. No And I liked Blue Like Jazz as a book. But not nearly as much as many others. I'm not sure his fanboys and girls found in him the voice of a fellow traveler or of a liberator, but I thought the narrative a bit disjointed. Maybe I wasn't ready to be liberated yet. I'm not sure. But I found the next book, Searching for God Knows What (which started shortly after he got together with Steve Taylor and they plotted out the idea of making the movie. Miller went to a script-writing conference. Hence, the book begins and is framed by the idea of what makes a popular hit versus the substance and yet relevance of the person of Jesus.

Anyway, yay for this film. The confession booth is the emotional crux of it (and I like the idea of it), but it really looks stylistically capable.

Alpha Male to Amy

Alpha Male - Mars Ill (I have to admit that I prefer the remix version on Backwaterprophets to the original. But, period, how many songs, rap or otherwise, address male chauvinism - especially from a male - in such a direct way?)

Always on My Mind - Pet Shop Boys and Willie Nelson (Not together, necessarily.)

Always Active - CookBook & Uno Mas (ft. DJ Activ8)

Am I in Sync? - Steve Taylor (fortunately, the novelty desynched synthesizer works with the outdated cheesy new wave here) (also, the homemade video is just more proof that ST fans are always nerds)

Am I too Late? - Old 97's

Am I Winnin Somethin - Mike Knott

Amame - Juanes

Amazing - The Choir

Amazing Grace (Give It Back) - Sixpence None the Richer

Amazing Grace / Nearer My Lord to Thee - Ladysmith Black Mambazo (There are no words to describe what a sad cliche these powerful songs have become to my ears. "Hey, I can do gospel! I can pretend to be soulful or spiritual!" It's sad. But then, there's versions like this wonderful South African gospel choir's rendition. Or, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama's "House of the Rising Son" version. They reinstate hope.)

American Music - Violent Femmes

American Patrol - Glenn Miller Orchestra

Ammunition - Switchfoot

Amsterdam - Peter Bjorn & John (Wow. The crowds in the live versions are a big part of the reason I rarely go out to catch an act. Morons.)

Amy's Song - Switchfoot (For those keeping score at home: That's three Switchfoot songs b/t Al-Am, one of which I skipped over b/c it didn't quite grab me.)

Music for a Saturday

Who loves you baby?
Who gives you good credit,
Who says you'll regret it?



What does this say about my taste in music that this is my 666th post? Then again, Steve Taylor has always been known to play with the occult and garner the hate-vision of far-right conservatives.