Tim Gaskill

American Idol: The Defense Rests

May 22, 2008 by Tim Gaskill

“Couldn’t pay me to sit through that.”

The haters of American Idol are legion and the above comment came from a friend when I told him I was going to the final performance night. And this is one of the nicer comments I’ve heard regarding A.I., a favorite topic of mine. The show, to recap for those who could possibly be unfamiliar with, was originally conceived and produced by Satan. (Regular ‘lopers already know that Satan also created DRM, cable TV, and Microsoft.) Critics of the show have noted that this blight on the rich tapestry of human accomplishment—following thousands of years of progress in the arts and technology—is surely proof of the impending apocalypse. That this over-hyped, overplayed and played out excuse for reality television is still being massaged into the network lineup year after year by the evil overlords at Fox is proof that the dumbed-down masses, who get product placement so blatant as to be shameless shoved willingly in their faces, are also in league with Satan. How else can you explain why 25 million Americans fawn over these wannabe singers, these “pitchy” middle-of-the-road hacks seeking quick fame and fortune?

Movies with Movement is What I Like

February 29, 2008 by Tim Gaskill

Make that love.

We had some friends over for dinner recently and the discussion, as is common, turned to movies. Everyone’s opinion on what makes a good movie may differ, but there is one fundamental thing a movie needs: movement. For example, my friend Dave said that while he liked “Cloverfield,” he had a problem with the monster itself. It didn’t seem to have a purpose and its movements were random. Now Godzilla, on the other hand, was always on the go. He moved and did it with purpose. He was on his way somewhere. I had to agree. I too liked “Cloverfield,” but the monster’s intent was like its shape, amorphous and random. So what could have been a new, genre-defining monster movie was merely an engaging and likable affair that featured a bit of credibility stretching by using a hand-held camera POV for its duration. There is a world of difference between “like” and “love.”

This year, two movies in particular were competing for Best Picture at the Oscars. One was Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood,” loosely based on “Oil!” by Upton Sinclair, and the other was (eventual winner) Joel and Ethan Coen’s “No Country for Old Men,” based on the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name. Both movies feature sadistic central characters and have a theme of “the times they are a changin'”; the first due to unabated oil development around the turn of the last century and the other to a rising tide of drug running and criminality along the Texas border in 1980. But there’s a key difference to what separates the first movie from merely being an attractive, if long-winded exercise in greed and megalomania, to a thought provoking, riveting, and accomplished feat of storytelling in the latter: movement.
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End of the Fear: A Wish List for 2008

December 21, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

Every year begs to be reviewed. As arbitrary as yearly events are, their placement in a 365-day box has been something that always fascinates us and makes the December weekend newspapers a bit more interesting. Top X [where X=5, or is divisible by] lists spout either a particular reviewer’s or a collection of reviewers’ primary picks in entertainment, sports, business, politics, etc. As handy as they are, lists have a short shelf life and are interesting for about the time it takes to read them. The main reason being that most of what ends up on these lists is forgotten by the following February, rarely to the end of the following year. (Unless, of course, it is a Grammy-nominated record and ends up somehow being relevant 18 months later.)

Ash in a Digital Earn

October 19, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

Back in June, I read a review of the new Ash album “Twilight of the Innocents” on the Guardian Unlimited website where it was mentioned that the band, a personal favorite, was about to end its recording career. Their traditional recording career that is. From this point forward the band members would be “dedicating ourselves wholly to the art of the single for the digital age.” For this I applaud them as, presumably, one won’t have to buy expensive imports and will just be able to download new Ash songs from the website or an online retailer like iTunes.

For those not familiar with Ash, you may remember the wonderful single “A Life Less Ordinary,” from a terrible movie of the same name. Always a bit of an indie underdog, Ash’s last album, a pop-rock meisterwerk called “Meltdown,” went virtually unnoticed in this country. I thought then that something might give, like a breakup or a total sell out. Instead, they’ve taken matters into their own hands. With the latest album not even released in this country, the internet could be the band’s savior, as long as there are no international or crazy DRM restrictions involved. I wish them luck in their future. But what I really like is this newfound artistic freedom that bands like Ash are planning, and how it is actually starting to take shape with other bands.
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Active Eight

August 24, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

Unless your name is Elton John, we all pretty much have our own personal reasons why we love the internet. For proof, try to find someone who has a set of bookmarks even remotely similar to your own. They are the digital equivalent of snowflakes. But one myth that needs to be shot down is the “internet is for lazy people” canard. The internet certainly does not make you any lazier than you were in the first place. It’s always easier to apportion blame on something that can’t argue back. In fact, the internet can inspire you to be less lazy, while saving you a lot of time, money and hassle too.

Unable to sit still for too long, I probably suffer from a physical equivalent of ADD. I gotta move. And as much as I love my house, it’s really there to eat, sleep, put the kids to bed and watch the occasional movie or baseball game. (Which, by the way, I consider active activities. Thanks Netflix, Blockbuster and DirecTV.) After all, life is a collection of experiences and if you like to get out and take charge of those experiences, the internet is your friend. Your big, wise, all-knowing friend.

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The Scream, or They Do It So We Don’t Have To

June 29, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

Driving home late Wednesday night through Hollywood, my car got stopped by police and bodyguards outside of Amoeba Music, the greatest store on planet Earth. There was, to put it mildly, a melee and I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Did someone have an early release iPhone? Maybe it was Paris Hilton, post-Larry King Live? All I could gather was screaming, flashes, cell phones, exhortations of love, and hundreds of people on both sides of the Cahuenga Blvd. My car, in the left hand lane, was forced to stop to let a limo out from behind Amoeba. Whatever. I was in no hurry. All I could see through the windows was a hand wave to the crowd; well wishes and love being exchanged from crowd to celebrity, and back. A force feedback loop of emotions from admiration to adoration. It was like something out of “A Hard Day’s Night.”

I started thinking about the scream, and where it comes from. There is something so primal about it that we can all relate and vicariously thrill to the scream as it comes from a place we don’t normally inhabit or take part in within the structure of our normal day-to-day activities. (Possible exceptions: dealing with bad drivers and unruly kids.) From our infancy, to adolescence, to adulthood the scream represents different things. It starts off as communication, followed by rebellion, and finally back to communication, albeit in art form.

Rhino What I Like

May 11, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

I have a recurring dream, some would call it a nightmare. It goes something like this: the head of Rhino Records calls me in the middle of the night. They have access to newly unearthed Styx demos, outtakes, and obscure b-sides and they need me to collate and select tracks for the ultimate box set. I say, No way — I’m out of the business, and hang up the phone. Secretly, my mind starts to reel. Could it be they have access to some original unreleased band recordings from their Wooden Nickel label days? Maybe it’s some pre-Styx incarnation with live recordings featuring the almost telepathic playing of the fraternal rhythm section of John (now deceased) and Chuck Panozzo? I bet it’s Tommy Shaw’s solo-acoustic demo that led to his being asked to join the band.

Sensing vulnerability on my part, Rhino Records keep calling me back: “Only you can do this. You understand Dennis, J.Y. and Tommy. You are the One who gets their lyrical pomposity, their muscular yet sensitive arrangements, Dennis DeYoung’s falsetto. You have to put them into a critical perspective and, most importantly, dignify their achievements with your liner notes. You’ve actually listened to ‘Man of Miracles‘ and ‘The Serpent is Rising‘! Remember, you actually saw them live at the peak of their powers in the late 70s. And with The Cars opening for God’s sake! You have the skill sets. You must take this assignment!”

“I’ll think about it.” Click.

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“You havin’ a laugh?” – The New Yorker Cartoons

March 23, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

There’s an amazing through line that links cartoons from The New Yorker down the ages. As if they were written by an inspired, singular hand, but with multiple unique voices, these cartoons serve as perhaps the greatest cultural mimic of our times. Not all humor is so lucky.

When Andy Millman, Ricky Gervais’ character in the HBO/BBC show “Extras,” finally gets his sitcom produced, it comes complete with a tiresome, corporation-inserted catchphrase (“You havin’ a laugh? Is she havin’ a laugh?) tacked on to his character. Designed to appeal to a large audience, this corporate dumbing down becomes a reflection on Andy, the audience, and the very art of humor. In “Extras,” the world within a world of TV critics, friends, celebrities and co-workers are “Havin’ a laugh,” but with semi-tragic consequences. In a sense, everyone who comes into contact with this sell out is tainted by the commercialism. What was merely a tired expression from the north of England can never really be heard with the same ears ever again. It has been downgraded to a Class-1 riposte.

My Life in the Slow Lane

February 2, 2007 by Tim Gaskill

Or, That’s What I Like: My Commute

For all the bitching and moaning I could do about my daily commute here in Los Angeles, I have to admit I kinda like it. I don’t have much time at home to watch television or read, so for me, the next best thing to doing nothing and getting something out of it is to sit in the car and get schooled in music, listen to morning DJs, “read” audiobooks or listen intently as some poor soul takes a ride on Howard Stern’s Sybian.

Mornings are an interesting time in LA. The weather is normally good, the traffic bad. For my sins, I spend between two and three hours a day “driving” and, honestly, my biggest worry is the gasoline bill. Looking for entertainment to bridge the gap between boredom and frustration, I take advantage of the merging technologies with me on the road every day.
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That’s What I Like: Sexy Time. (Actually, Borat)

November 10, 2006 by Tim Gaskill

The Less You Know, perhaps the better.

Therefore please don’t read this piece if you plan on seeing “Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Don’t even look at it. Just stop, purchase tickets online, then head straight to the nearest movie theatre and witness this movie. It’s that simple. If you have seen it already, congratulations. You survived the experience and you may continue. If not, stop already. Besides, I’m too lazy to to explain the concept.