Monday, March 14, 2005

The Past, the Present, and the Crue

Ok, Wow.

I take back everything bad I've ever said about anything Motley Crue.
I keep forgetting that listening to a CD is like watching a movie on Video. It's not the original medium, and therefore, not the way it is really intended to be experienced.

Case in Point:
A few years back, I had a friend who lived in a loft. And I think it was 1 Thursday a month, they would screen feature length films on a 35mm projector one of the roommates was given when he quit his job at the Village North Theatre. That's right a 35 mm Projector. And they had this bad ass 20 foot screen. And rows of sofas and ashtrays and people sat around being all artistic drinking wine and wearing their thrift store clothes... the required uniform of any film school student. Anyhoo, one week the film of record was Taxi Driver. Now. Before I move forward with this story, I have to move backwards.

Once upon a time, I was dating a boy in high school...my first boyfriend to be exact. And one night we cuddled in to watch Taxi Driver on video. We were very serious film watchers, having experienced A Clockwork Orange a couple weekends before. Hours were spent having IN DEPTH conversations about these films and their impact on the genre OF film. We never called them "movies". They were "Films", God!. We were 17. We were retarded.

Anyway, about a half hour before the movie ended, turn to my boyfriend and I say "Pause it." He looks at me and I say "Is this movie ever going to end???" Without missing a beat he completely agreed and we took 5 to collect ourselves and suffer through the ending moments. More concisely: The first time I saw Taxi Driver, it was on video and I hated it.

Meanwhile, back in the world of the original story. As the lights went down, I, and the other film savants settled in to experience what even I could admit was a real treat. And it was. It was a completely different film. I was rapt. And so was everyone else. So much so that the icky-ness of the Harvey Keitel/Jodi Ofster dancing scene was palpable. And I, in my MST3K way, mumbled under my breath "Well, THAT was creepy, Jeeesus." The room erupted in relieved laughter. It was amazing. I am a FIRM believer that if people didn't like a film and they've only seen it on video, that is largely the reason why.

Anyway, my point is, going to concerts and seeing bands live is a similar animal. You go and you experience the music the way it was supposed to be experienced. It makes the music make sense. It makes you say "OOhhh! I GET it now. THAT's what they meant."

And such was the experience of witnessing the spectacle that was and is Motley Crue.

and Nikki Sixx is friggin' hot.

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