DVD Review: Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum is a captivating documentary about the history and controversy over one of the Twentieth Century’s most enduring architectural landmarks. Wright worked on the project for 16 years, and died just six months prior to its completion. The Guggenheim is his most famous work, yet his original ideas for the building were far more radical than what was eventually built. In every way the man was an architectural genius, a true artist of the discipline.

Microcinema’s new Guggenheim Museum DVD is hosted by Neil Levine, a scholar of architecture and a Harvard professor. While these are rock-solid credentials, I like the way he eases us into his studies of Wright. In 1976, Levine and his wife were looking for a reason to tour the United States. They wanted to see the nation, but they also wanted something more than simply a road-trip.

After being talked into taking his architecture class on a tour of a Wright home in Massachusetts, Levine was hooked. The couple then spent five months touring America - visiting roughly 150 Wright-designed homes during the trip.

When wealthy art-collector Solomon Guggenheim decided he wanted a permanent location to display his world-class collection of modern, abstract art - he commissioned the already famous Frank Lloyd Wright to design it. As anyone who has seen The Guggenheim knows, the architect’s vision was as uncompromising as any of the art housed inside. It is often said that the greatest piece of art that the museum holds is the building itself.

Wright began work on the structure in 1943. His benefactor Solomon Guggenheim passed in 1949, which led to a great deal of difficulty in bringing the initial concepts to light. In fact, Wright’s innovative spiral design was nearly abandoned in favor of the box-like structure of the Museum Of Modern Art - which had recently opened.

Thankfully, Frank Lloyd Wright’s imaginative motif won out in the end. But where did such a notion originate? After all, there was no building in Manhattan that even remotely resembled The Guggenheim. This is where Levine earns his paycheck. By showing us the ancient Mesopotamian Ziggurat Temple forms, the inspiration becomes crystal clear. Add to this the first building described in The Bible, The Tower Of Babel, and suddenly new light is shed on where such an inventive piece of architecture came from.

There was much more to the initial design however. If you look at The Guggenheim, it is an inverted cone - a concrete tornado if you will. Like the Great Pyramids, the paintings of the Tower Of Babel describe a flat bottom.

To Wright, that shape seemed dull and stagnant. His wish was for the museum to imply action, and with modern technology - he felt that he could make his building simulate motion and activity, by design alone.

To a degree, the architect won this battle. On one of the biggest conceptual points he had though, we all lost. Wright’s idea was that an elevator would take visitors to the top of the interior, where they could leisurely walk down the ramps, admiring the pieces on display. At the floor level, we would all be reunited afterwards - making the whole experience much more social than idly working one’s way up, then back down.

It is typical of one of the many reasons people revere the designs of the man. As thoroughly modern as The Guggenheim still looks, the impetus was as populist as the Midwestern (Wisconsin, to be exact) origins of Frank Lloyd Wright. Over 100 years ago, he developed what came to be known as the Prairie House. These were the small, 1500 square-foot, single-level houses that sprang up like wildfire in the Post-WWII era. They represented affordable housing for blue-collar families, with an emphasis on relative ease of maintenance.

The entire country is filled with tracts of this type. These fifties-era fading suburbs may be a cliché now, but the Baby Boom would not have happened without them. It is little wonder that the American Institute of Architects named Frank Lloyd Wright "The Greatest American Architect Of All Time” in 1991.

The man was a genius. Learning about his most famous building with the Guggenheim Museum DVD is a fine place to start. Then you can get into how his ideas have probably been felt (or lived in) by just about every American born in the past 100 years, and you will get an idea of why I respect him so much.



Article first published as DVD Review: Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum on Blogcritics.

Book Review: Dear Hacker: Letters To The Editor Of 2600 by Emmanuel Goldstein

This book came out a few months ago, but I am such a fan of 2600: The Hacker Quarterly — I just had to say something about it. I have been curious about hackers since I bought my first computer back in 1987. It always seemed like a closed world to me. Not because I wanted to do anything ‘bad,’ but because I wanted to know more about the computer itself. The only problem was, I had spent time in Silicon Valley, with real coders — and knew I had no skills in that department whatsoever.

Even more so than in the previous collection, The Best Of 2600 (2008), Emmanuel Goldstein spells out what he considers a hacker to be. It is certainly not the demonized evil kid the media has presented us with. No, a true hacker as defined by 2600, (which has been publishing since 1984 by the way) is a person with a quest for knowledge. If one discovers things that could be used for ill will — then they have discovered flaws that have always been there. The difference between a hacker and a criminal is what the person does with the knowledge once they have it.

Dear Hacker is nothing more than a collection of letters to the editor of 2600 magazine, broken down into nine sections. These include “The Magic Of The Corporate World,” “The Challenges Of Life As A Hacker,” and “A Culture Of Rebels.” Believe me, those titles may sound somewhat incendiary, but they are not at all. In fact, what comes through is the humanity of these people. On one page you will find a writer talking about how she discovered a massive security hole in a major credit corporation, and reported it to them — right next to some misguided schlump looking for help in hacking his ex’s Yahoo account to mess with it.

In all cases, Goldstein’s integrity shines through. In the former he praises her for doing what he would have done. In the latter, he calls the guy out with a razor-sharp satirical response. The poor bastard probably never even got the joke — but I did.

Goldstein’s Hacker Quarterly is approaching its 30th anniversary, and yes, he has taken his fair share of harassment from those in power. I love the fact that he lives by the idea that information is free — it is what you do with the information that makes you wrong or right.

2600 is iconic in my mind. The idea that public information should be freely shared is so subversive, it is almost — oh what, a part of the Fourth Amendment to The Constitution? Conveniently forgotten perhaps, but there nonetheless.

As Isaac Asimov put it in The World Of Ideas: Writers “ Why does one think they need to stop learning when they get out of school? Learning is a life-long process.” I whole-heartedly agree, and so does 2600. That is the very root of what Emmanuel Goldstein has been saying for the past 27 years. A real hacker is synonymous with a real learner. Maybe the term is hopelessly polluted in the public mind. But the spirit never dies.

I checked out Dear Hacker from my local library, and you can too. If they do not have it, then ask them to get it. That is hacking in the most fundamental sense. Don’t take the “officials” at face value — you have a right to request a book purchase from the library. And never be intimidated by bureaucracy, it is all a house of cards based on insecurity (on their part) in the first place.

I think Emmanuel Goldstein would agree with me on this. Even though he would only be selling one copy to a library, versus say ten or twenty individual ones — the concept has always been about sharing. I seriously doubt this guy is getting rich here, so it is obviously a labor of love.

Embrace learning, curiosity, and individualism. You are not a Communist, or a member of the Taliban by doing so. Dear Hacker says it better than I ever could. Check it out (literally).



Article first published as Book Review: Dear Hacker: Letters To The Editor Of 2600 by Emmanuel Goldstein on Blogcritics.

DVD Review: Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch: The Complete Series

Wheelie And The Chopper Bunch was one of the last great Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Sadly it only ran for one season, from 1974 to 1975. The new Wheelie And The Chopper Bunch: The Complete Series is a three-DVD set containing all 13 episodes, and they are as great as ever.

Each episode is comprised of three shorts, each running six minutes - for a grand total of 39 individual stories. That is a healthy output, no matter how you look at it. Our heroes were Wheelie, a red Volkswagon Beetle - and his girlfriend Rota Ree, a yellow sports car. Their antagonists were the Chopper Bunch, four bumbling motorcycles. The gang was led by Chopper, and also included Revs, Hi-Riser, and Scrambles. The Chopper Bunch were occasionally put in their places by Captain Tough (a police car), and Fishtail (a police motorcycle).

The plotlines revolved around the Chopper Bunch provoking Wheelie through various schemes. Much of this had to do with trying to steal Rota away from Wheelie, as if that would ever happen. The Bunch never questioned Chopper’s plans, even though they inevitably went horribly wrong.

The very first short was titled “Get A Doctor,” and sets the stage for what was to follow. Wheelie is up against the Chopper Bunch in a cross country race, from New Car City to Camshaft-Cisco. The grand prize? A date with Rota Ree, which is enough to rev everyone’s motor. After many shenanigans, including trying to mail a flattened Wheelie without a stamp, the Chopper Bunch get busted by a postal truck, and end up sorting mail.

“Razzle Dazzle Paint Job” was another early winner. The Chopper Bunch incur the wrath of Captain Tough, who sends Fishtail out after them. Meanwhile, Wheelie has been given a certificate for a free paint job, which Chopper is trying to steal. Captain Tough and Fishtail are sort of a Laurel And Hardy combination, and get a lot of exposure in this one. The Chopper Bunch get theirs at The Razzle Dazzle Paint Shop, where their antics (as always) backfire.

Things get really fun during “Wheelie Goes Hawaiian.” Everybody has gone to Hawaii for the Outrigger Race. Captain Tough and Fishtail also happen to be there, on vacation. The Chopper Bunch rig up a palm tree catapult trap for Wheelie, which lands him on a rock. When he escapes to rejoin the race on a raft, the Chopper Bunch turn a remote controlled shark on him. He retaliates with a remote of his own - and sends the shark after them. Score another one for Wheelie.

In “Dr. Crankenstein, ” we find famous director Federico Fuellini making a movie starring Wheelie, and the Chopper Bunch are jealous. Even funnier is the Dragnet parody, “Dragsternet.” Captain Tough as Sergeant Friday is a hoot. Then there is “Dragula.” Obviously Rob Zombie was inspired by this one, he wrote a hit song by the same name.

“Johnny Crash” takes on the man in black, with Wheelie auditioning for the Johnny Crash TV show. We find motorcycle Johnny Crash strumming his guitar and singing “I was a fool to pop my gaskets, and make myself a wreckage over you” in front of the camera. Despite the Chopper Bunch’s best efforts, Wheelie gets the gig when he pulls a fiddle out of his trunk and plays up a storm.

The final short of the series is “Wheelie’s Clean Sweep.” It provides a nice ending to the show. In it, Wheelie meets Rota’s father, a street sweeper. Wheelie takes over the job, so the old man can have a day off. The Chopper Bunch decide to have a little fun (don’t they ever learn?) and wind up in the city dump. Wheelie has scored big points with Rota’s dad, and the series winds up with the Bunch taunting Chopper with “We told ya, we told ya, we told ya.”

Wheelie And The Chopper Bunch were competing with The Bugs Bunny Show during the entire run, which is probably the biggest reason the series only lasted one season. Go back and look at these beautifully drawn, and often hilarious stories though. The show was very well done. Absolute fun for the whole family, and a reminder of the Hanna-Barbera team's genius.



Article first published as DVD Review: Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch: The Complete Series on Blogcritics.

Music Review: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Tao Of The Dead

Tao Of The Dead is the best thing the group …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead have recorded in nearly 10 years. For a band that I had just about completely written off, it is an amazing achievement. Although this is only February, I have a very strong feeling this album will be high on many Top 10 lists at the end of 2011. By going back to their roots (or their Tao, if you will), Trail Of Dead have made the strongest statement of their entire career.

In 2002, the Austin, Texas group released their major label debut Source Tags & Codes on Interscope Records. For many of us fans, it was not only album of the year, but one of the finest records of the decade. Worlds Apart (2005) and So Divided (2006) followed, with an expanded lineup. I must admit that this version of the group was not really for me, or for Interscope either as it turned out. They were dropped from the label, and The Century Of Self (2009) was released independently.

When word started leaking out that the band had scaled back to a four-piece and were working on songs for some sort of “epic,” I was intrigued. On the one hand, getting back to basics was exactly what I was hoping they would do. On the other, I had some definite concerns about this “epic” business.

Main songwriter and vocalist Conrad Keely conceived of Tao as a tribute to classic prog albums of the '70s. In the vinyl days, you got two separate suites when you bought albums such as Close To The Edge by Yes, or Dark Side Of The Moon by Pink Floyd. Such was his idea for Tao. The first 11 cuts segue together seamlessly, and constitute "Part I." "Tao Of The Dead Part II: Strange News From Another Planet" is a 16:32 track made up of five “movements.” These segments refer back to each other throughout the piece.

One of the things Trail Of Dead have always specialized in is the art of the slowly-building song. The introduction can go on seemingly forever, while the tension is gradually increased. Then comes the incredible guitar-fueled release.

Nowhere is this better displayed than on the first track, “Introduction: Let’s Experiment.” When the break finally comes, it is shocking. They reproduce the glorious saxophone moment when Clarence Clemons takes Bruce Springsteen’s “Jungleland” into a truly magical realm. That has always been one of my favorite musical touches in The Boss’s nearly 40-year career. Trail Of Dead pretty much “had me at hello” with this brilliant bit.

There are many, many other honorable mentions on Tao Of The Dead. The way the first 11 tracks flow together is one. Obviously, great care was taken in making this a unified work. A nod to The Rolling Stones’ “Jumping Jack Flash,” as the main riff of “Pure Radio Cosplay,” works nicely. In fact, during the “Pure Radio Cosplay (Reprise),” which comes towards the end, “Introduction,” melds with “Cosplay.” The effect is that of Bruce and The Stones together in the studio.

The four cuts that make up the middle section of “Part I,” titled “Fall Of The Empire,” “The Wasteland,” “The Spiral Jetty,” and “Weight Of The Sun,” really make the case for Neely’s vision. Each of these relatively short songs have a similar acoustic/electric guitar makeup, and just fit together perfectly. Cut number 11, “The Fairlight Pendant,” closes out the suite in a gloriously manic, instrumental manner.

Then we come to the much more experimental “Strange News From Another Planet.” It works as something of a summation of the previous tunes. There is certainly nothing “otherworldly” about this lengthy track. Trail Of Dead’s greatest talent lay in their ability to mix powerful guitar riffs with catchy-as-hell hooks. On “Strange News,” this ability is prominently displayed.

The progressive rock cover art resembles that of Roger Dean, and was done by the multi-talented Conrad Keely. Tao Of The Dead is a fabulous album, and there is already a spot reserved for it in my Top 10 of 2011.


Article first published as Music Review: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - Tao Of The Dead on Blogcritics.

Music Review: Various Artists - CTI Records: The Cool Revolution

I remember when CDs were first introduced to the marketplace. There was a ridiculous amount of noise from retailers having to do with them being forced to reconfigure their existing racks to hold the small items. At the time, the “long-box” was introduced as a way to minimize shrinkage. My thought back then was to keep the 12” x 12” cover format, and house the individual CD inside. We would have preserved the glorious art (which has now been reduced to a joke) and nobody would have had to change a thing — except that you would have had the “indestructible” CD rather than the somewhat fragile vinyl method of delivery.

Well, 25 years later, the great label CTI has offered up their version of this idea with the beautiful CTI Records: The Cool Revolution. This four-CD set is packaged as a classic double LP. With cover art featuring reproductions of the original albums, a nice (full-sized) booklet, and the discs themselves, this is the definition of cool in my book.

Oh, and by the way, the music is pretty great too. With artists such as Chet Baker, Airto, and Stanley Turrentine (among many others), how can you go wrong? Turrentine’s “Sugar” opens the set, and sets us off in a marvelous way. Other highlights on the first disc include not one, but two versions of the great Miles Davis track “So What” from Kind Of Blue. Both Ron Carter and George Benson take their stabs at this de facto jazz standard.

I must confess that I took a lot of the jazz snobs at face value back when I was expanding my listening palette out from Ted Nugent and KISS. The line on CTI was that it was watered-down, vanilla muzak. Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, how do you call a guy like Chet Baker a pale imitation? The man may have been white, but he could blow as fabulously as Miles did. Of this, there is no doubt in my mind. Give a listen to his “Autumn Leaves” if you do not believe me.

Maybe some of this ill-advised pretentiousness towards the label stems from their biggest hit, Deodato’s “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001).” I should have seen through the baloney right from the start, because I dug this track even as a little kid. And yes, it still sounds great.

In fact, all 39 tracks on this set deserve mention. Whoever came up with the title CTI Records: The Cool Revolution was a genius. This is about as cool a retrospective set as there ever has been. Thank you, thank you. What an excellent way to introduce yourself to a much maligned label, and style of music. Perfection.



Article first published as Music Review: Various Artists - CTI Records: The Cool Revolution on Blogcritics.

DVD Review: John Wayne: Bigger Than Life

“The Duke” (John Wayne) really was bigger than life. I loved this guy from the moment I went to one of my very first theatre films. The movie in question was The Cowboys in 1972. I apologize if this is a spoiler, 39 years later, but the climactic scene of Wayne being killed by Bruce Dern still gets to me.

There is a modestly priced triple-DVD set out now called John Wayne: Bigger Than Life. The press release calls it “A celebration of The Duke, America’s most iconic tough-guy hero.” Okie-dokie then, but it does not quite deliver. Clearly, the point was to present his 1963 film McLintock! In a framework that would entice shoppers.

To that end, the set works quite well. I have never been much of a fan of McLintock! though. In fact, I have always considered it one of Wayne’s (many) career mistakes. But with over 150 films under his belt, who can deny him a clinker now and then?

How about Stagecoach? Or The Searchers? Anyone up for the original True Grit? These are the movies that made the man a legend. So why none of them are discussed in depth in the documentary portions of the set is far beyond me.

Instead, we are offered “Rare John Wayne TV Appearances.” Yes, Wayne did show up on Art Linkletter’s People Are Funny, the Colgate Comedy Show, and even (not making this up), The Lucy Show.

Why do I need to see this? It seems that the only reason John Wayne bothered to show up at these gigs at all was in an effort to promote his latest flicks. It also feels as if his ever-present bottle of bourbon was just out of camera range.

Besides McLintock!, the only reason to get this set is the documentary, The American West Of John Ford (1971). Ford was a magnificent visual artist who stamped the look of “The Old West” into our minds forever with his use of Monument Valley in Arizona as his most common location.

The truth is, you should not buy this set unless you are expecting nothing more than The American West of John Ford and McLintock!

The rest is filler. Actually, I should take that back. If you are a member of the Tea Party, you might enjoy No Substitute For Victory (1970). Hard-righter Wayne takes on the hippies and peaceniks in this televised segment about the crisis of confidence over our involvement in Vietnam. He acts like a freaking jackass, to be honest.

In the end, John Wayne: Bigger Than Life is a curio. For some, (like myself) who cannot get enough of The Duke, it is worth a look. Otherwise, go to your favorite rental house and get The Searchers.



Article first published as DVD Review: John Wayne: Bigger Than Life on Blogcritics.

Book Review: A**-hole-ol-o-gy: The Cheat Sheet by Chris Illuminati

Although I have been called many things over the years, the word “a**hole” seems to crop up the most. So when I came across a book titled A**-hole-ol-o-gy: The Cheat Sheet, I was curious. What could this guy possibly know that I don’t already? I also wondered if there might be some tips in it that I may have somehow overlooked.

What I found was a wealth of funny material, delivered in a practically Biblical manner. The Introduction features “The Ten Demandments” of a true a**hole. These include such gems as: “The a**hole cares about the a**hole the most,” and “The a**hole is always right.”

Words to live by, without a doubt. Actually, beneath all of the bravado and humor, there is an underlying point. Author Chris Illuminati (nice name), is pointing out that nice guys really do finish last. Political correctness aside, nobody respects a wimp. Illuminati is not going to lead you to this conclusion easily though. Essays such as “Borrow A Friend’s Car, Then Sell It,” or “Take Your Dad To A Strip-Club To Blackmail Him,” are not your usual self-help topics, after all.

There are moments when Mr. Illuminati gets it completely right however. The nine individual chapters are broken down into smaller sections that present: “The Problem,” “The ’Hole Truth,” (offering solutions), and “Don’t Be A Douche,” (drawing the line between being a man, and being an idiot).

My favorite came in the chapter titled “How To Deal With Friends.” The essay is “How To Handle A Loud Cell Phone Talker.” It is a situation we have all been faced with at one time or another. How do you tell Joe or Jane Jerk to shut the f*** up when they are being so obnoxious with their phone? You want to say something, in fact you want to call this person out for being so damned rude, but you keep quiet and follow the rules of polite society. Are the details of your upcoming grocery store trip really that important to the rest of us? I think not. A**hole-ol-o-gy offers some excellent recommendations on how to put these evolutionary deficients in their places.

This type of (somewhat) practical advice is balanced out by hilarious essays such as: “You Got Caught Masturbating, What Now?,” “Your Friend Brought A Girl To A Guy‘s Night Out” or “Visit The Office Fridge For Free Food.”

The main point the author is hitting is very simple: BE the alpha-male at all times. In that respect, items such as “Dealing With Customer Service,” or “Keeping The Repairman From Screwing You Over” become words of wisdom.

Act like an a**hole first, and ask questions later seems to be the motto. Or as the back-cover blurb proudly asks: “What would an a**hole do?” The mock-religious tones make the whole thing even more comical. But as the great bard Homer Simpson once put it, “It’s funny because it’s true.”

My recommendation is that A**-hole-ol-o-gy: The Cheat Sheet would make the perfect Father’s Day gift. That is unless he (like me) has already written his own version of the book. Then just give it to him for laughs.



Article first published as Book Review: A**-hole-ol-o-gy: The Cheat Sheet by Chris Illuminati on Blogcritics.