I selected the featured image because it’s No Kings Day and the Kaiser of Chaos hates windmills. The stupid son-of-a-bitch thinks they cause cancer. How exactly is a mystery to me but so is his appeal.
We saw Peter Frampton last night at the Saenger Theatre on Canal Street. I wrote this in advance, so I’ll share my thoughts about my reunion with the Other Peter another time. I’m certain I loved it. All I got for you now is this picture of the nifty souvenir ticket we paid extra for:
Let’s get to the theme song. It is, perhaps, my favorite Frampton tune. It has remarkably mature lyrics for a song written by a 22-year-old.
Wind Of Change was written in 1972 by Peter Frampton. It was the title track of his debut album. We have two versions for your listening pleasure: the studio OG and a solo acoustic version from 2016.
I’m glad that Frampton’s reputation has reverted to its pre-teen idol status as a great guitarist and respected musician. He’s always regretted the shirtless Annie Leibovitz picture that made teenyboppers swoon but how can you reject superstardom? Besides, he’s a good-looking guy, so why not flaunt it?
One more Frampton tune before we move on. It was his standard opener back in the day. It works with the protests as well.
I was there. I’ve always dug Bill Graham’s intro: Peter Frampton was indeed “an honorary member of San Francisco society” in 1975.
We begin our second act with a look at last Saturday’s New Orleans election.
It’s Helena: New Orleans Mayor-elect Helena Moreno is one of those people who has succeeded at most things in life. Before running for office, she was a respected anchor at WDSU-TV news in New Orleans. That’s why she’s such a cogent communicator.
Moreno was a state representative before winning an at-large seat on the City Council. Like your humble blogger, she’s a practical progressive who’s a member of the get shit done wing of the Democratic party. She’s well aware of what we’re up against with the Clownfish as Governor and the Insult Comedian as president.
New Orleans has been in the doldrums during Mayor Teedy’s second term. Scandal has taken a toll on her popularity. She’s engaged in a string of losing battles with the Council led by Moreno and her ally JP Morrell who was reelected last week. They want to get the city moving again after the stagnation of the Cantrell mayoralty.
Helena’s opponents State Senator Royce Duplessis and Councilman Oliver Thomas misread the public mood. Duplessis ran against the council, blaming Moreno for our current woes. The voters blamed the mayor.
Oliver Thomas ran an implicitly race based campaign, pointing out that Moreno is a transplant and white. It worked for C Ray Nagin in his 2006 race against Mitch Landrieu. It did not work this time: voters have known Helena for a long time. Besides, Oliver’s time has passed. He was once the mayor in waiting but his felony bribery conviction delayed his run for Mayor by some 15 years.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the Moreno administration. She’s an energetic and able person. I’ve only met her a few times, but her kindness is legendary: a few years back she helped a mutual friend find her lost cat. No camera crews were involved.
Helena has brought a wind of change to New Orleans. Just say Yes to the City of NO:
Diane Keaton RIP: Diane Keaton brought something unique to the movies. She was a style-setter as well as a fine actress. Keaton died this week at the age of 79.
Keaton had a quirky screen presence that combined goofiness with intelligence. It’s a hard balancing act to pull off but she did so with aplomb. As a young actress she was in a series of classic films directed by Francis Coppola, Woody Allen, and Warren Beatty. My favorite Keaton performance was in Warren Beatty’s Reds, a film which I have argued should have won best picture in 1981. That’s why it ended up atop the Diane Keaton Dozen.
I’ve rated the movies based on Keaton’s performance therein. That’s why Reds is number one ahead of her Oscar winning role in Annie Hall and why I’ve rated Godfather II above the OG.
The Diane Keaton Dozen
- Reds
- Annie Hall
- The Godfather Part II
- The Godfather
- Â Manhattan
- Love and Death
- Shoot The Moon
- Crimes Of The Heart
- The Family Stone
- Play It Again, Sam
- Baby Boom
- Something’s Gotta Give
The last word of our second act goes to Ella Fitzgerald:
We begin our third act by skipping our favorite stolen feature. Separated At Birth will return next week.
Your Basic Basie: We conclude the transition from Your Weekly Oscar to Your Basic Basie with the opening track from their final joint album.
Have I told you lately how much I love Count Basie? Oscar, however, was my first love.
How’s that for finality?
The Best Of Letterman: More Keaton kontent. I hate when other people do that. Does that make me a hypocrite? Discuss amongst yourselves.
Saturday GIF Horse: An image from Annie Hall featuring Annie’s catch phrase.
I can’t resist posting this post-Frampton Humble Pie tune:
Classic Movie Trailer: Reds, what else?
Grading Time: I give Reds 4 stars and an Adrastos Grade of A. It’s a stone cold classic.
Toon Time: We have two toons addressing Trump’s role as “peacemaker” abroad and war monger at home:
Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.
Saturday Closer: Peter Frampton live in Chile with a song from his Humble Pie days.
That’s all for this week. The last word goes to Diane Keaton and Al Pacino in The Godfather:
