"The real Van Ronk had friends, and was a member of the IWW—his music connected him to peers as an artist and a worker."
He was so well-known and liked in the NYC folk scene that he was known as "The Mayor of MacDougal Street", which became the title of his autobiography.
Nice analysis and juxtaposing of the Coen Brothers view vs. reality.
It seems so challenging to initiate conversations about larger social systems intuitively designed to discourage conversations about larger social systems.
Dave Van Ronk may not have sung protest songs, but he did an album of Brecht songs, which is pretty damn political. Great album, he's got the voice for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhUxSC4MfKw
::The Coens are throughout their work fascinated with the isolated individual buffeted by fate....The world is an inimical place. Shit happens and you're fucked. Inside Llewyn Davis, though, suggests that it is not the world that is shitting on the Coen Brothers' characters, but the Coen Brothers themselves.::
You know something, Noah? You just explained to me why I've never really been able to get on board with Coen Brothers movies, despite acknowledging how brilliant they often are. It's because they never really have any sense of community or heart, do they? As far as they've come in their careers, they always end up at the same point BLOOD SIMPLE did, as a joke that the main characters are never in on.
With a few exceptions like RAISING ARIZONA, which I love for its knockabout comedy; FARGO, which has a surprising amount of warmth thank largely to its Minnesota/Dakotas setting as exemplified by Mrs. Joel Coen, Frances McDormand; and O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?, which plays Depression-Era Warner Brothers social commentary as goofy farce, I've always felt a bit pushed away by Coen Brothers movies. Even the ones I was sure I'd love like HAIL, CAESAR!, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, and DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS...just land a bit flat for me.
"The real Van Ronk had friends, and was a member of the IWW—his music connected him to peers as an artist and a worker."
He was so well-known and liked in the NYC folk scene that he was known as "The Mayor of MacDougal Street", which became the title of his autobiography.
Nice analysis and juxtaposing of the Coen Brothers view vs. reality.
It seems so challenging to initiate conversations about larger social systems intuitively designed to discourage conversations about larger social systems.
My sense is that your essays do this with ease.
Hats off.
I am humbled by your intelligence. But I realized just now that I am smart enough to be a subscriber...so that's something 😜
Dave Van Ronk may not have sung protest songs, but he did an album of Brecht songs, which is pretty damn political. Great album, he's got the voice for it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhUxSC4MfKw
I’m not seeing any more movies, though i saw a few Coen brothers’ when I did.
This is s related gem though:
https://tidal.com/track/39199355?u
::The Coens are throughout their work fascinated with the isolated individual buffeted by fate....The world is an inimical place. Shit happens and you're fucked. Inside Llewyn Davis, though, suggests that it is not the world that is shitting on the Coen Brothers' characters, but the Coen Brothers themselves.::
You know something, Noah? You just explained to me why I've never really been able to get on board with Coen Brothers movies, despite acknowledging how brilliant they often are. It's because they never really have any sense of community or heart, do they? As far as they've come in their careers, they always end up at the same point BLOOD SIMPLE did, as a joke that the main characters are never in on.
With a few exceptions like RAISING ARIZONA, which I love for its knockabout comedy; FARGO, which has a surprising amount of warmth thank largely to its Minnesota/Dakotas setting as exemplified by Mrs. Joel Coen, Frances McDormand; and O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?, which plays Depression-Era Warner Brothers social commentary as goofy farce, I've always felt a bit pushed away by Coen Brothers movies. Even the ones I was sure I'd love like HAIL, CAESAR!, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, and DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS...just land a bit flat for me.