My Amazon Reviews: The Smiths "The Sound of The Smiths"

  Smithy Sounding
5 Out of 5 Stars

Morrissey and Johnny Marr composed the most idiosyncratic duos of the 80's as the core of The Smiths. Morrissey of the complex and quintessentially droll gay Brit lyrical sensibility, Marr of the melodic yet jangular guitar mixture. Despite the dichotomy (and the friction that ultimately broke the band apart), when the two men clicked, they created brilliant bits of hit single obtuseness. "The Sound of The Smiths" captures that perfectly.

The finest examples are songs like "How Soon is Now," where the unbearably devious guitar riff anchors the song, dragging you into the Morrissey's usual tale of desperate relationships with a sickening thud. Then there's the jangling tease of "This Charming Man," about a piece of insecure street trade being solicited by a man of class. And who can resist the sardonic call of "Panic's" "Hang the DJ, hang the DJ, hang the DJ"?

While it is hard for me not to recommend any single Smiths album or the many compilations, I can also safely say that any of their four proper albums (especially the debut) is likely a better buy than their multiple best ofs. But if all you're really looking for is the brilliant decade of genre defining singles, "The Sound of The Smiths" is invaluable.

A great night of theater

Joel and I have been season ticket holders for The People's Light and Theater for several years. As a Theatre Arts major in college, I still have an appreciation for well done stage work, and this organization has maybe let me down twice in the last seven years. But last night was a special treat. The current run is a parable called "Nathan The Wise," set in 12 Century Jerusalem. What we didn't know was that the lead for this production was David Strathairn. For those that don't know, Stathairn was nominated for an Oscar as Edward R Murrow in the excellent bio-pic, "Good Night and Good Luck."

When we first walked in and saw the array of head-shots and actors on the lobby wall, my first thought was "it can't be that David Strathairn. But when he walked on stage, I realized it was. As I would list him the class of actors that would include Paul Giametti or Liam Neeson, seeing him perform in a theater that holds maybe 500 people (and was about half full) all but gave me goose-bumps. It certainly helps that the ensemble crew that People's Light usually has on stage is top drawer, and "Nathan The Wise" is no exception. I strongly recommend anyone in the Philadelphia area get to see "Nathan The Wise" before the production wraps on Oct 11.

I will always be a Duckman

If I had to pick a film moment that captured up why I loved John Hughes' movies, this scene from Pretty In Pink sums it all up: