FUN WITH YOU TUBE
So, over dinner last night I mentioned to the Czarina of All Knowledge that I’d caught part of a song that afternoon on the oldies station that I had never heard before (which is unusual) but thought was pretty good. It was a male/female duet and I hadn’t caught the name but the lyrics “summer wine” were prominent, and she said, “Oh, you mean Summer Wine by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.” It wasn’t a question, and, as usual, she was right.
I’m not a huge Nancy Sinatra fan (Though I admit that the Paleolithic-era video she made for “These Boots Are Made For Walking” haunted my adolescent dreams. Look it up.) but I was enough intrigued by the song to go to You Tube. There was indeed a Lee Hazlewood/ Nancy Sinatra video of it, and although the quality is not the best, I liked its austere, dare I say Bergman-like atmosphere to share it here. Check it out.
Of course, there were other version of the song and on a whim I watched the Ville Valo and Natalia Avelon cover, because, with those names, who wouldn’t? Turns out Ville Valo is a Finnish singer who won the “Golden God” award from METAL HAMMER magazine (what?) in 2004 and Natalia Avelon is a Polish-German actress and the duet was on the soundtrack of a 2007 German film called DAS WILDE LEBEN (EIGHT MILES HIGH in English speaking countries) about a rock star groupie in the 1960s, starring Avelon as said groupie, but, Holy Cats, who cares about the movie? I’d rather have watched Valo and Avelon stare at each other across the table for the entire length of the video. You can see why, yourself.
My You Tube video excursion led to spending a pleasant hour or two wandering down the dusty side-streets of 1960s musical history and gave me enough material for three or four more posts, easily. Let me know if you want to see them.
Also. Lately I’ve been going through my video collection, trying to impose order on the chaos therein, and have discovered a number of duplicate DVDs or VHSs that I had upgraded to DVD. So, lucky readers, I’m going to unload some of them on you. First up, a DVD of THE MYSTERIANS, one of my favorite Japanese 1950s sf movies, to one of the lucky readers who writes in with the correct answer to this question: To what American actor does Viller Valo bear more than a passing resemblance to?
You have through next Saturday to chime in.
Looks like Jack Sparrow, er, Johnny Depp.
Among the many things for which I am hideously ashamed, liking Lee & Nancy ranks right up there. Lady Bird is another fave of mine. Even the horrible warbling in Jackson.
Sure, post away on the ’60s stuff. For me it is damned near contemporary since my musical tastes sorta atrophied about then. Where’s that r to r player? Damn, it was around here somewhere. By the 8-track, you say?
I think her best stuff is mostly her country stuff that she did with Hazelwood. I like her well enough, just not to the level that she’s on my ipod.
Though, come to think of it, I am probably going to put this on my ipod, so there you go.
I do think the VV and Avelon version is a little better, though, so will also check if that is available. I have no trouble with the idea of having different versions of the same song on the ipod.
Speaking of technology, I hope that one doesn’t go away anytime too soon. I’m already irritated by having to replace my VHS tapes.
Avelon has got the sultry look down, doesn’t she?
I’m all for some posts on the 60′s stuff. I might learn something and I’m happy reading about anything you care to post about.
Bob is right. He does look quite similar to Depp. I thought it was just in this video but if you browse around the interweb a bit you can find a number of side-by-side comparisons of the two of them. You can also find, amusingly enough, people discussing which of the two is hotter. Anyone here want to cast your vote?
John did not mention tha ti also began to sing it.
I think that they are both pretty hot. Apparently Ville Valo is part Romanian.
That is suppose to be I started to sing it
Agree with Bob, he looks like Depp. Natalia Avelon kind of reminds me of Lyndsy Fonseca from Nikita. Every time I hear Boots I think of China Beach or Full Metal Jacket and it rattles around in my head for days. Still have a few 8-tracks but no way to play them.