Smoking is Such a Drag
Oh my God, I just saw the best film I've seen in years--Thank You For Smoking, the bitingly funny new independent film starring Aaron Eckhart, Rob Lowe and the inimitable William H. Macy (Cumberland, Md.'s own, doncha know). It was hilarious, smart, quick and made me laugh out loud (and think). Good stuff. Go see it.
A few of the songs used in the film made me think of the amazing 1997 concept album by k.d. lang--Drag. I played the hell out of this thing when it came out, and on repeated listenings, it's still a beautiful record. Each of the songs she chose had something to do with smoking (odd, since she's a non-smoker). And admittedly some of them are a stretch in terms of fitting the concept, but God, do they sound good (note: two references to God in this article--hmm...). Her cover of the Hollies "The Air that I Breathe" is leaps and bounds better than the original, and her version of "The Joker" would make Steve Miller blush (I did this song once in Atlanta for karaoke--odd choice; I don't recommend it). The most beautiful song on the album is a song called "My Old Addiction," 6.5 minutes of pure emotion and orchestral beauty. Drag is well worth a listen; it's as good as anything k.d. has done.
And she looks HOT in the photos. Now what does that say about me?
posted by shumakes music at 3/25/2006 04:27:00 PM
2 Comments:
I was given drag much later in kd's career, and I had thought that the titled referred to the fact that all the songs had been originally performed by men. I don't know if that is even true, but that is what I thought. Now I learn its all about smoking. Who knew.
3:21 PM
I don't think they were all performed by men, though many of them were--one is a Jane Siberry song; another was done by women including Julie London and Carmen McRae. But yeah, it's a great collection.
3:23 PM
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