SOUNDTRACK: BOSNIAN RAINBOWS-“Turtle Neck” (2013).
I had listened to most of the preview of this album, and I was mixed about it. But I have to say that of all the songs “Turtle Neck” is my favorite. It begins as most of these songs do with a very simple melody. There’s an easy vocal melody, accompanying guitars and interesting keyboard notes dropped in. As with most of these songs it has a very 80s feel to it. The big difference with this song is that it is 6 minutes longs and allows Omar Rodriguez-Lopez some wiggle room to goof off. Like the weird little noises (effects, guitars what have you) that sprinkle the ends of the verses.
But it’s at the 3 minute mark that Omar really takes over—the song turns kind of sinister with a great dark bassline. And then comes the guitar solo—screaming, noisy, more or less out of control, while wailing notes and off-kilter scales litter the one-minute instrumental section. Then Teri joins the tone with a wholly new vocal section that compliments what Omar is doing. The wildness kind of wears itself out until the end of the song recreates the beginning sweetness.
It’s probably the best encapsulation of the combination of pretty and wild that Bosnian Rainbows put together.
[READ: June 18, 2013] “Pedigree”
This is a Personal History, so I assume it is true. I don’t know Walter Kirn at all, and really I only read this because the main person he talks about is named Clark. Of course, the Clark in this story, Clark Rockefeller, is an unmitigated fraud.
It turns out that the story of Clark Rockefeller, and his real name Christian Gerhartsreiter, is fairly well-known in popular culture (there was even a Lifetime movie made about him. Of course, I don’t watch movies on that network, so this whole story passed me by. I wonder if this narrative is more or less interesting if you already know the truth.
This narrative begins with Walter explaining how he got to know Clark. Clark had signed up to take a dog who had been injured and rehabilitated (it was a Gordon setter who had been hit by a car and now used a wheelchair for its back legs). Clark had been vetted and talked to Walter, who was supposed to transport the animal. Things were complicated and the trip from Montana to Manhattan was more difficult and costly than Walter imagined. But Clark was there with an envelope and an offer of a place to stay and fabulous people to meet and a tour of all of Rockefeller Center. When asked about his source of income, Clark explained his job as “a freelance central banker for Thailand.” And Walter accepted it all.
Later, the envelope proved to hold a check for $500 (not even half of what Walter spent). None of the famous people showed and the tour didn’t materialize. Nevertheless, the ruse was surprisingly complex–like the man who claimed to be from MOMA authenticating the Mondrians and Rothkos that Rockefeller had on his wall. (more…)
I Just Read About That... 