Bobby Darin - "Long Line Rider" (1968)

Bobby Darin lived like a man on fire. With so much talent and so little time to nurture it, he had to do it all as quickly as he could. And he succeeded brilliantly, entertaining us all for too short a time, as he went from night club performer, to dancer, folk singer and composer.

This song really caught my attention when I was about 13 or so. It seems that there was a prison farm in Arkansas where the inmates were disappearing at an alarming rate. When all was said and done I believe there were over 100 bodies found beneath the grounds of the prison farm.

The movie “Cool Hand Luke” had just come out the year before, in 1967, just before Mr. Darin went into seclusion in a trailer in Big Sur after RFK's assassination (he was present that night) to write songs and re-invent himself yet again.

The subject matter in this song may seem more suited to Bob Dylan than the usually shark skin suited Bobby Darin, but watch and listen. Check out those dance moves. And notice that in introducing Mr. Darin, the usually flippant Dean Martin doesn’t have a whole lot to say…

To hear the original studio recording of this record, hit this link; and be sure to follow the bass line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDYt2W_rb3s

“Long Line Rider” by Bobby Darin

Wettin' it down, boss

Wet it down

Wipin' it off, boss

Wipe it off

Doin' ten to twenty hard

Swingin' twelve pounds in the yard

Every day

Every day

I came in with a group of twenty

There ain't left but half as many

In the clay

In the clay

Long line rider, turn away

There's a farm in Arkansas

Got some secrets in its floor

In decay

In decay

You can tell where they're at

Nothin' grows, the ground is flat

Where they lay

Where they lay

Long line rider, turn away

All the records show so clear

Not a single man was here

Anyway

Anyway

That's the tale the warden tells

As he counts his empty shells

By the day

By the day

Hey, long line rider, turn away

Someone screams investigate

Excuse me sir, it's a little late

Let us pray

Let us pray

This kinda thing can't happen here

'Specially not in an election year

Outta my way

Outta my way

Hey, long line rider, turn away

There's a funny taste in the air

Big bulldozers everywhere

Diggin' clay

Turnin' clay

And the ground coughs up some roots

Wearin' denim shirts and boots

Haul 'em away

Haul 'em away

Hey, long line rider, turn away

Well, I heard a brother moan

"Why they plowin' up my home?"

In this way

In this way

I said, "Buddy, shake your gloom

They're just here to make more room

In the clay"

USA

"Telstar" with Kevin Spacey and Con O'Neill (2009)

Before the Beatles, or any of the bands comprising the “British Invasion”, there was a group of talented; although a bit strange; young guys working in London to create a new sound. Their dream was to put a “sound” to the idea of what was happening in space with satellites such as Telstar. They sought to give the public a unique new audio vision of the space race. These guys were way ahead of their time.

The sounds associated with David Bowie’s “Major Tom” record originated with these guys dropping marbles into toilets, and anything else it took to achieve their vision. Working against all accepted principles of recording, they actually succeeded in accomplishing their goal with the 1962 hit record named, aptly, “Telstar”. While the rest of the country was listening to Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (with Ringo Starr on drums), and bands such as Cliff Richards and the Shadows, or Gene Vincent; Joe Meek, played in this movie by Con O’Neill;  stayed true to his vision, leaving behind a string of hits which eventually culminated in his rapid decline.

An excellent performance by Kevin Spacey, who has never made a bad film; at least in my opinion; along with a tightly wound script, based on the whirlwind career of a largely forgotten genius; make this film an informative, as well as entertaining one to watch. And, you will be surprised, if you are over 55, that you may remember hearing some of this music as a kid. Also; note the unique guitar sound that has permeated all of the “Spaghetti Westerns”, as well as films such as  “Pulp Fiction”, and you will realize just how far ahead of the curve Joe Meek and his band were.

This is the original recording of “Telstar” from 1962, courtesy; as always; of You Tube;

"The Usual Suspects" with Chazz Palminteri, Benicio Del Toro and Kevin Spacey (1995)

With a cast like this one, this is a movie that I have revisited over and over again, for the sheer joy of watching the actors ply their trade. In this bizarre tale, written by Chris McQuarrie, a ship berthed pier side in San Pedro, is set afire and 27 victims are dead.  All of the “usual suspects” are then rounded up for interrogation. There is only one witness left, but his story makes little sense; or does it?

Veteran Customs Agent Dave Kujan, played by Chazz Palminteri, leaves New York, bound for the West Coast, in an attempt to find out who, or what, was the motivation behind the crime. And, just exactly what was the crime in the first place?

When a truck is hijacked in New York, six weeks earlier, things go horribly wrong, and five men; all career criminals; are brought in for questioning. As they sit in a common holding cell, they plot a way to “pay back” their hosts.

The Police in San Pedro Police discover $91 million worth of alleged drug money with the bodies. There are only two survivors. One is a badly burned, and scared, Hungarian terrorist; the other is “Verbal” Kint, played with perfection by Kevin Spacey, who is a crippled con-artist. Under pressure by Customs Agent Kujan, Kint is hard pressed to come up with a believable explanation for what went wrong. This is where the story really begins.

Dean Keaton, played by Gabriel Byrne, is one of the “usual suspects” rounded up. As an ex-police officer with a spotted career, he is the angriest of the 5 suspects. He is trying to go straight, and considers his incarceration to be an insult. He is talked into doing the proverbial “just one more job.”

Approached by the mysterious attorney Kobayashi, played by Pete Postlethwaite, the 5 men agree to the plan, which involves $91 million dollars, supposedly in exchange for some jewels. When the jewels turn out to be cocaine, the 5 men are less than pleased. But they are stuck, as Kobayashi represents a criminal mastermind known as Keyser Soze. As the 5 “suspects” are drawn deeper into Soze’s plans, they become aware that each of them have wronged Mr. Soze at some point or other; albeit unwittingly.

“Verbal” Kint, as the last survivor, is the only person who can put together the pieces of a puzzle so diverse, that it may take watching this film more than once to fully understand it. At least, that was my experience. “Verbal” is able to use all of his wits to outwit Customs Agent Kujan, and in the end the viewer is left wondering just who is Keyser Soze, and does he in fact even exist? This may be one of Kevin Spacey’s greatest roles. As a standout in a cast of some of Hollywood’s best character actors, this is a film you will want to re-visit from time to time, if only to watch his performance.

"21" with Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth and Laurence Fishburne

This is a very good movie! Jim Sturgess plays Ben Campbell, a seemingly "nerdy" student at M.I.T. in Boston. His goal is to win the $300,000 scholarship necessary for him to attend Harvard Med School. Ben has a mundane job and is working his way through college, but there is really no question, that without the scholarship, his dreams will likely never be realized.

Professor Rosa, played by Kevin Spacey, is Ben's Math teacher, who is very impressed with Ben's ability to think quickly under pressure. A chance exchange between Ben and the Professor leads Ben to be recruited into a select group of Professor Rosa's students who spend their weekends in Las Vegas, with the Professor, "counting" cards at blackjack tables in some of the biggest casinos. They are very successful, but "odds", being "odds", are never a sure thing.

Teammate Jill Taylor, played by Kate Bosworth, and Ben, develop a romance, which is completely against the "rules" of the team. Emotions color the ability to calculate, causing problems, which the Professor, himself a former "card counter", has warned the team about. But youth is folly, and as Ben's love for Jill grows, he loses his restraint, falling victim to greed. This brings about the downfall of the "team", for which Ben is penalized by losing all the profits he has made on the weekend gambling trips. In short, he is now, once again broke.

"Teamates" Choi, played by Aaron Yoo, and Kianna, played by Liza Lapira, all give credible performances in this fast paced and unusual drama as the team draws the attention of "the eye in the sky", that vast array of security cameras which adorn all major casinos, searching for "teams", just like this one, "counting cards."

Casino Security members Cole Williams, played by Laurence Fishburne and his partner Terry, played by Jack McGee are excellent as the casino security team who have seen it all before. As a matter of fact, through the magic of facial recognition software, they even know the Professor, who has been banned from every major casino in Vegas.

As Ben bounces back and forth between the two world's of being a student in Boston during the week, and playing a dot com millionaire in Las Vegas on weekends, the odds quickly shift from the cards to the heart of human nature. When he is finally busted by the security team, he is forced to make the toughest decision of his life.

A surprise twist rounds out this quirky, and off-beat drama, where everything is just as it seems, but somehow not quite the way it should be.