Showing posts with label velvet underground. Show all posts
Showing posts with label velvet underground. Show all posts

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Being Human Season 2 Episode 5

being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america

Tonight at 9PM/8PM Central on BBC America, Being Human returns with a new episode. This one really gives us some insight into Mitchell. 1969 - kinda like the hangover from the summer of love, at least for Mitchell. He wakes up blood-soaked, not even sure where he is. He wakes to the sounds of The Velvet underground featuring Nico singing Venus in Furs from their 1967 debut album.



He panicks when he hears a noise in another room, only to figure out it is Herrick, who leaves to pick up the car, while Mitchell must clear the scene of any evidence of the debauchery that has taken place. He cleans to the sounds of Herman's Hermits 1964 hit Something Good.



When he goes to leave, he sees the police interviewing the building, and slips into an apartment, taking the pretty young woman by surprise. When we cut back to the present day, the house is invaded by the police, who take Mitchell away, surprising his mystified flatmates.

being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america
being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america

Mitchell is taken to the police headquarters, where he meets with the current chief. He brings Mitchell the cell of a recidivist prisoner, one he would like Mitchell to take out, while he watches. Mitchell is less than impressed, and leaves. When he gets home, he finds George and Annie chatting, George speaking of his girlfriend Sam and their growing relationship. Mitchell mentions his relationship with Lucy. The boys leave, and there is an eye calling to Annie, a fellow ghost. Seems she wants Annie to babysit her child, also a ghost. Annie reluctantly agrees, but for only a few hours. We return to 1969, with Mitchell telling his prisoner way more than he should, obviously struggling with what his vampire life leads him to do.

being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america
being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america
being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america

In perhaps the scariest scene of the show, Mitchell runs in to Lucy outside the hospital, and something is definitely wrong. He can't stop smiling, and it is so very eerie. I mean, could dinner with Lucy cause a dark and brooding vampire to change this much? We hope not, because Lucy leaves Mitchell to chat with the evil religious zealot, and they obviously have plans afoot. Back at the flat, Annie is struggling with her ghostly charge, but George steps in to help her quiet him. They discuss their lives, and George's desire to have kids of his own.

being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america
being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america

In 1969, Mitchell's prisoner escapes, and retrieves a policeman to aide her cause. Unfortunately, it is Herrick, who seems to have discovered his fascination with uniforms. George meets Sam and her daughter at the schoolyard, trying his best to win over the daughter. Annie discovers the secret to watching the baby, and starts to really like having him around.

being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america
being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america being human,season 2,episode 5,bbc america

George starts talking to his flatmates about his plans, which include moving Sam and her daughter in with the vampire and ghost. Annie understands the desire to form a family - she'd like to adopt 'little Tim', but Mitchell will have none of it. He thinks George is rushing things, and it is a bad idea. And thinks Annie is going mad. He and George exchange words, and George decides he might have to move on. Will Annie keep Tim, or will his Mother return? Will George, Sam and Molly live happily ever after? Will the Constable leave Mitchell alone or did he just push too hard? Did Herrick make his kill his hostage? And who is making love to the sound of Jefferson Airplane's Somebody To Love?



Guess you will have to tune in to find out. You can find out more about Being Human online at their official website here.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Good Morning with the Velvet Underground

velvet underground,lou reed

The supergroup got together in the early 60s, and consisted of Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, and Maureen Tucker. They were managed by Andy Warhol, who thought it was be a great idea to bring German-born Nico on board to sing lead vocals for the band. Reed and Cale, the major creative forces for the band, wrote the song Sunday Morning for Nico, but when it came time to record, Reed decided to sing it instead. Nico would sing the backing vocals. At first met with resistance, Reed fought to do it, and it proved successful. And a lovely track. Enjoy.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Worth Another Listen - Lou Reed



At one point in time, I wanted no more than to have Lou Reed be my next husband. For a long time I thought that. He was so beautiful, so tortured, those eyes, those lips...




Lou Reed is probably best remembered as the singer/songwriter for Take A Walk On The Wildside, a highly evocative and poetic song that continues to play on the airwaves somewhere. It was released in 1972, and reached #16 on the Billboard charts, but has a longevity that is tough to beat. I remember it playiing for years on Rock radio in Philly. It appeared on the noted album Transformer, which also included the great songs Vicious, Perfect Day and Satellite of Love.



Lou was also a part of the great band The Velvet Underground, thought to be the inspiration to many artists who followed them. There was a combination of rock, hard rock, cinema verite, New York chic, and theatricality, the early roots of the punk and glam rock movements. The Underground formed in the mid 60s, and released their first record in 1966. The band included Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison and Maureen Tucker. Andy Warhol loved them, and started to manage them. Although they found little commercial success, the artistry of Reed and Cale are still seen in those recording, and the Underground were inducted in to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Lou left the band in 1970.




He never stopped putting out great music, but the 1989 release of the album New York was just one of those moments that stand in my mind. I bought it [on vinyl, people!] and played it on a turntable, and was entranced. It comes close to perfection. I loved every song, but in particular Romeo Had Juliette, Halloween Parade and Sick Of You stand out.



Reed was born on March 2, 1942. It is said in his teens he exhibited some signs of homosexuality, and was sent away for electro-shock therapy to 'cure' him. Following that, he went on to college and eventually moved to NYC to pursue a career in music. Frankly, I can't conceive of having electricity coursing thru my brain with the hopes of killing brain cells and still wanting to go forward. Between the feelings of never being good enough, and the physical damage it must have done, it is nothing short of miraculous what Reed accomplished. To find out more about Lou Reed, go to his website here.

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