RE: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records



My daughter and her boy-friend took me to see the movie on Friday for my
birthday. 
I loved the harp, would have loved more, liked the Howlin' Wolf character,
wasn't always with them on their attempts to draw too fine parallels with
Blues and gangster rap, but all in all, I thought it was pretty good. 
I was particularly impressed with Beyonce's singing, and I cackled at the
little scene where Jagger meets Muddy Waters and is subsequently reckoned as
"skinny"... 
Despite the film's weaknesses, as has been suggested here before, if it
sparks someone's interest in the harmonica, or even Chicago Blues, it's
worth what ever else.
Brad Trainham
 

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Mark Lavoie
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2008 5:01 PM
To: Bill Hines; harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records

Bill,
Thank you!

"Cadillac Records" is Great for the Blues.

 Having Kim Wilson's harmonica playing, being heard through out the film, is
the best exposure the harmonica has had in quite sometime.

With Beyonce playing Etta James, it will be interesting, to see if her
demograhpic starts showing up at Blues Festivals, Blues Clubs and so on.
 It is her generation that will  keep this American Art form Alive!
Stay tuned!
Mark

Mark Lavoie
4849 Bristol Rd
Bristol, VT  05443

802-236-5665
http://www.deltagrooveproductions.com/music/artists/billsimmarlavoie/main.ht
ml
www.myspace.com/theharmonicaman
www.middlebury.net/lavoie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Hines" <billhines4@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2008 2:52 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] Cadillac Records


>I just got back from watching the film. I thoroughly enjoyed it and
> don't know what everyone else is getting all worked up about, other than
> to take the opportunity to demonstrate one's encyclopedic knowledge of
> the history of the blues, which is probably flawed and not factual
> anyway since as most legends and tales go, they get distorted over time.
> The old trick where you tell someone a story, then they recite it to
> someone else, and by the 4th person it's pretty messed up.
>
> Look, right at the beginning, in BIG BOLD words on the screen, it says
> "Based on a true story". Get the word BASED in there. Maybe they should
> have capitalized it. Plus if it would have been totally factual they
> would have had to introduce dozens more characters and make it much more
> complex and much longer and it would have been horrible. Try writing a
> two hour movie about the history of any genre of movie. You have to take
> shortcuts.
>
> Was it the best movie I ever saw? No. But I'm buying it on DVD and
> really enjoyed my two hours of relaxation and $6.50 spent. I never
> *ever* thought I'd be sitting there watching a major Hollywood movie
> about Muddy Waters, LITTLE WALTER (how pissed would you all have been if
> they left him out and they could have justifiably done so), Howlin'
> Wolf, Willie Dixon, and on and on. Up on the big screen. And a chance to
> once again introduce the "real blues" to the general public and
> harmonica and dispel the common conception of front porch twanging
> cryin' music (blues) and "oh suzanna" (harmonica).  A hell of a lot of
> credit to whomever made this happen and for doing as good a job as they
> did in telling the story.
>
> AND to show a lot of people where their "rock and roll" came from. That
> the stones, beach boys, elvis, and others did not invent this. They took
> something that existed, something the loved, and morphed it.
>
> Why would anyone want to boycott that. The portrayal of Howling Wolf was
> amazing, as was Beyonce as Etta James, and I have to give Adrian Brody
> credit even though I think he's a total pompous ass.
>
> Bill
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