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April 15, 2021:

MUSIC SOOTHES THE SAVAGE BEAST

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, listening to various and sundried soundtracks, which is relaxing me after an initially trying day. The initially trying day was initially trying, that much I can tell you. I was up by nine-thirty after about seven hours of sleep and I decided to go right to Jiffy Lube to get oil, water, coolant, and whatever else was causing the car to smoke like a fiend. I made it there without incident, they did all of the above plus they said my filters were in need of replacement as were my wiper blades, so I told them to go ahead and do that, which they did. That tally came to about $180, which was double what the original estimate was for the original work. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes. I pulled out, got about two blocks and the car started chugging or lurching back and forth as if it were having an episode of something or other. I couldn’t believe it, really. So, I turned to start going home (I was actually going to drive to the Infiniti dealer to get a plastic radiator cap, as mine was missing). It just kept lurching and chugging like crazy, so I pulled over and turned the engine off, as the heat indicator was in the red. I started it up after a few minutes and drove normally for about two blocks before it began doing the same thing. I managed to get home. I was quite irritated by that point. So, I called the mechanic place that got me my replacement engine and they said to have it towed in. I called AAA and they had someone here in about thirty minutes, a really nice chap. He asked what the issue was, and I told him and he thought from the sound of it that it was the alternator and he did some kind of test and said it was that. Then he towed the car to the mechanic in Studio City, just a mile-and-a-half away and I drove with him.

Once at the mechanic, I mentioned what the tow guy had said about the alternator, but the mechanic just said, “He’s not a mechanic and everyone has an opinion.” So, he said they’d run a diagnostic and call me in the morning. I implored him to keep it as inexpensive as possible and he said he would. They’re pretty nice at this place, so I’m hoping he will, but it’s very nerve-wracking to have no idea what that’s going to be. He assured me I’d have the car back by the end of Friday, so that’s good. He’ll also do the smog check because I need that to renew my registration. The tow driver was nice enough to drive me back home, which he certainly didn’t need to do. So, that was the initially trying part of the day.

But music soothes the savage beast, so I’m feeling better now, what with being a savage beast and all. And now, I’m listening to the Pete Jolly album, Little Bird, which was a hugely influential album for me when I bought it because it was on Ava Records, a favorite label of mine – this was in 1963. I’d already learned to enjoy jazz, but I just loved Pete and his boys. Also, I had to have it because it had the theme from To Kill a Mockingbird on it as well as my favorite song from back then, Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most. Also, the title song became a favorite. I played this album to death back then. I was fifteen. I bought all his albums as they came out. Eventually, he ended up on A&M Records. And I still listen to all his Ava albums, which thankfully all were issued in Japan. That was especially good news, because the US releases of his stuff here were done by Jolly himself and they were all mono. The Japan imports are all stereo and sound terrific.

Otherwise, I did manage to watch two motion pictures, the first of which was entitled A Dandy in Aspic, one of those spy thrillers that were so popular, this one from 1968. I don’t think I made it all the way through when I first got this UK DVD, but I did this time. This was directed by Anthony Mann, a director I love, and it was, sadly, his final film. He died before shooting finished and star Laurence Harvey directed what was left. So, it’s really hard to know what the film would have been like if Mann had finished it and supervised the editing. What we have is a muddled, disjointed, but occasionally interesting film, with a great cast, including Harvey, Tom Courtney, Peter Cook, Mia Farrow, and Lionel Stander. There are too many incidents where people just conveniently happen to be there when Harvey shows up – at the races, in different locations around the globe, etc. And I followed that with another lo-fi sci-fi motion picture made the year before Teenages from Outer Space, this one entitled The Astounding She-Monster. I saw this one at the Lido Theater and thought it was truly horrible even at my young age. I do remember it being a kiddie matinee and the children in attendance being very derisive and throwing popcorn boxes at the screen, and with good reason I might add. It’s certainly one of the stupidest movies ever made and it kind of makes Teenagers from Outer Space look good, even though this film had a much bigger budget than Teenagers had – $14,000 for Teenagers and $18,000 for She-Monster. First of all, how can you have such an awful movie be three hours long – oh, wait, it’s really only sixty-two minutes long but just seems like three hours. And then there’s the She-Monster herself, a comely woman in a gold lame skin-tight suit (I imagine it’s gold lame – the film is in black-and-white). People shriek in terror when she appears and run from her like the dickens, which is problematic dramatically because the She-Monster walks very, VERY slowly. They could be miles away before she even got a few feet and yet they constantly are running from the cabin, the one set in the film, only to end up – back at the cabin. It’s amusing on some level, but I never quite figured out what that level is. Even at ten I was horrified – not as in scared – just horrified that these people thought that anyone would be scared by a woman with painted arched eyebrows in a gold lame skin-tight suit would be frightening. This is yet another film from the Wade Williams “collection” and another horrible element – looks like 16mm complete with cue marks, endless scratches, a few splices – a complete joke and, of course, open matter with enough head room that you could show another movie up there.

Yesterday, as you already know, was initially trying with the motor car stuff. Once I was back home from that, I finally answered e-mails and caught up on stuff. I had a lengthy conversation with dear reader Jeanne post-surgery, and she was surprised she felt better than she’d expected, so that was very good. I ordered food from Barbie-Q – a pulled pork dinner – which turned out to be a cup of pulled pork – not sure I’d call it a dinner – but it was a nice-sized cup and filling, so it was fine. For sides, I got coleslaw and a small Caesar. I’ve had their pulled pork sandwich many times, but I didn’t mind the loss of the bread and the meat was delicious. I think it had about nine carbs from what I read online, but that’s still way under what a Keto allotment is (around fifty and I have been averaging about four a day). I’m giving this kooky diet one more week and if I don’t see a result then I think I’ll go back to 1000 calories a day, which is slow, but at least works. I’ve given it a week for the ketosis to click in, so we’ll see what happens. After that, I watched the movies and then began listening to music and the rest you know, save for that my evening snack was some salami and provolone.

Today, I’ll be up when I’m up, I’ll hopefully get news about the motor car so please send most excellent vibes and xylophones that the price will be reasonable and also that everything proceeds smoothly for the rest of the week, then I have to write the copy for the back of the Blu-ray wrap – you know what it includes and all that stuff, so that will take a while. We’ll announce our two new titles at some point in the evening. Then I’ll watch, listen, and relax.

Tomorrow, I’ll hopefully be able to pick up the motor car and I’ll go to the mail place and get whatever’s arrived in the past few days, and then it’s more of the same and praying that everything that needs to go smoothly goes smoothly. Saturday, we do all the audio commentaries and then perhaps have a nice meal afterwards. If I wasn’t on this damn diet, I’d recommend Astro Burger – haven’t been there in over a year, but that’s a no-go at this point. And Sunday will be a day of rest.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up when I’m up, hopefully get reasonable news about the motor car, I’ll write copy for the back of the Blu-ray wrap, we’ll announce two new titles, I’ll eat, then I’ll watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: What are your favorite films of Laurence Harvey and Mia Farrow? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that music has soothed the savage beast.

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