A POP STEW POTPURRI: RATING OLD SHANDLING TV, NEW SINGLES NOVEL
By JOHN YOUNGREN
We’re going to be doing a few reviews here at "Pop Stew," as you’ve probably already noticed. I have a tendency to burn through books, CDs, DVDs and related materials at an alarming rate, and now that I’ve created a new place to vent, I can share my opinions on some of these items with the world (and maybe count my purchases as a tax write-off, but let me chat with my CPA about that).
In any event, I decided what was best to do was create some kind of rating system for people to follow when it comes to the aforementioned "Pop Stew" reviews of books, movies, CDs, DVDs, TV shows, etc.
Because of the fun "stew" theme (created by a team of marketing specialists after testing the "Pop Stew" name with focus groups across the country), I decided to use carrots (which you often find in stew -- get it?).
Until we can find a graphic representation of said carrots, we’ll just refer to the number of carrots at the end of each review:
THE NEW "POP STEW" RATING SYSTEM
4 Carrots: Excellent. See it, read it, listen to it, buy it.
3 Carrots: Very good. Better than most of what’s out there.
2 Carrots: Worthy try but falls short in some areas.
1 Carrot: Disappointment. Stinks. I hate it.
* * *
A SHANDLING AFFAIR: As the late-night talk show wars heated up in the early ‘90s – hard to believe Jay Leno is celebrating 10 years with the "Tonight Show" this spring, isn’t it? – Garry Shandling, one of TV’s consistently funny comics, was offered a late-night show of his own, to follow David Letterman on CBS.
Shandling thought long and hard and then decided not to take the job. And, rather than hosting a new talk show in the real world, he decided to create, produce and star in a series about a fictional talk show host in a sort of television parallel universe.
In other words, Shandling wasn’t a talk show host, but he played one on TV.
The resulting "The Larry Sanders Show" was breakthrough television, as cynical as it was literate, as much fun as it was intelligent. It aired for six seasons on HBO, a precursor to the cable network’s long line of successful original programming since, including "The Sopranos" and "Sex in the City."
And now the first season of Shandling’s sitcom – set behind the scenes of a network talk show most along the lines of Johnny Carson’s "Tonight Show – is newly available on DVD (about $50), a delightful compilation (all 13 episodes) of 1992-93, the show’s landmark year one.
Unlike so many network programs, whose early episodes have a kind of over-acted quality to them – as actors and writers find their voice and pace – "Sanders" seemed to spring fully-formed from the womb, as a review of the first season demonstrates. Right from the start, Shandling’s portrayal of neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders is a dead-on mix of sardonic insecurity, all-too-hilarious neuroses, humor, intelligence and showbiz.
Nearly all of "Larry’s" guests are real-life actors and actresses, most of them cast – in a spirit the show would further perfect in later seasons – as themselves, most often spoofing their own public personas or work. Everyone involved seems to be a good sport; the joy in watching "Sanders" is in the down moments: For example, Larry is all smiles when the camera is on and the lights are up and guest Carol Burnett is sharing an anecdote. But once the spotlight fades, he has nothing to say to her.
As Larry puts it on another episodes, when his wife (Megan Gallagher) convinces him to host a dinner party: "It’ll be like work for me, honey. We have a couch. I’ll talk to guests. It’s what I do every night."
Shandling – who is interviewed in-depth on the disc by Washington Post TV columnist Tom Shales, a longtime "Sanders" fan – wisely stepped away from the rigors of the "Sanders" show of his own accord after six seasons and 89 episodes, before he burned out the premise and the character. But the premise was too compelling for other writers to leave alone. In fact, a number of sitcoms, from "NewsRadio" and "Just Shoot Me" to the more recent (and less successful) "Wednesday 9:30/8:30 Central" have tried similar "inside baseball" approaches, all owing some debt to Shandling.
Word is, ensuing seasons of "Sanders" are going to be released on DVD in the near future. Let’s get to it.
This is one show perfectly suited to watch again and again.
["POP STEW" RATING: FOUR CARROTS]
* * *
NOT-SO-WILD NIGHT: First-time novelist Jill Davis – a former newspaper columnist and comedy writer for "Late Show with David Letterman" – has recently published "Girls’ Poker Night," a wise and witty (if somewhat predictable) walk through the single ins and outs of New York City.
"Girls’ Poker Night" (Random House, $24) at first feels like yet another riff on the Bridget Jones-inspired wave of thirtys0mething single women stories, all about people trying to find their way in the world.
So, sure enough, Davis’ central (and seemingly autobiographical) character, Ruby Capote, tries to fit into a new job (as a newspaper humor columnist) and find love as just another single girl in the big city.
The central conceit of "Girls’ Poker Night" is a once-a-week bullshit and bonding session Ruby and her makeshift set of girlfriends have, a kind of book club with peanuts and poker chips. Of course, poker isn’t the real point here – Ruby and her pals mainly get together to talk about men, jobs, men, money, men, marriage and men.
It all seems kind of flirty and fun until Davis – a seemingly talented writer – gets bogged down in a would-be relationship for Ruby that turns trite and predictable. Maybe it’s from reading too many of these kinds of books lately, but somehow I just knew that the central plotline – would Ruby and her gorgeous, conveniently single editor Michael ever get together? – would somehow work itself through by the end.
Davis’ has a light comic touch and a good knack for storytelling; in fact, many of the novel’s set pieces are more interesting than the main plot itself. I think the problem with "Girls’ Poker Night" may be that Davis’ Ruby character is a little too autobiographical, whether the author chooses to admit that or not.
And, let’s be honest: Who’s not going to write a happy ending for themselves?
["POP STEW" RATING: TWO CARROTS]
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another exciting edition of the one and only, award-winning "Pop Stew!"
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
MCCARTNEY MEMORIES: THE ACT YOU’VE KNOWN FOR ALL THESE YEARS
By JOHN YOUNGREN
Paul McCartney is so hot he's cool again, which may sound strange when you first hear it, but trust me -- longtime Macca followers know exactly what I mean.
In the pantheon of cultural icons, there are only a handful that seem to ebb and flow like McCartney, songwriting genius to some, showbiz sellout to others. And, as a Macca fan and observer for nearly 25 years -- I first caught on to the ex- Beatle with his late ‘70s’ Wings' album "Back to the Egg" -- I've pretty much seen it all when it comes to Paulie's popularity.
For the past six months or so, he's been booming. Getting Central Park to chant along with his would-be, world-be anthem "Freedom," written in honor of the victims of Sept. 11. Singing the same song to huge acclaim at the Super Bowl. Getting engaged and talking about it with Larry King. Releasing a new -- and pretty well-received -- album. Singing his Academy Award-nominated song, "Vanilla Sky," at the Oscars. And, this week, launching a new North American tour -- his first in nine years -- in Oakland, Calif.
All of which is a bit coincidental for me, because it was 12 years ago this week that I first saw McCartney play live, on April 1, 1990, in Berkeley, Calif. The concert remains one of the great highlights of my life. I can still remember the tears in my eyes when McCartney first appeared; the way my nerves jolted when he sang some of his earliest hits.
Three years later, in 1993, I saw McCartney play live again -- this time on his "New World Tour," in Boulder, Colo. Unlike the Berkeley night, which registers in simple memory, after Boulder I put some thoughts down on paper…
* * *
FROM THE YOUNGREN JOURNALS -- MAY 26, 1993:
BOULDER -- So we're sitting in what were some pretty decent seats at Folsom Field, waiting for the show to begin (as opposed to waiting for the transport to come). Our seats were on what was about the 30-yard line, staring down at the side angle of McCartney's stage, which jutted out until about the 25-yard line from the end zone area.
Behind the massive stage, we were watching the dressing room/locker room area, where there was some activity. McCartney opens his shows on this "New World Tour" with a 10-minute video featuring Beatles music and glimpses of him throughout his career. Because of our angle and the conflicting sunlight, we couldn't see the video on the large JumboTron screens to each side.
But we saw something better.
Because a minute or two before they were supposed to take the stage -- as the video was winding down -- the Paul McCartney band came dashing out of the locker room building and made its way toward the rear of the performance area. There were maybe 4,000 or so people who could see this; you had to be in one of the far right sections of the stadium to be able to see what was going on. Roadies and security and other officials surrounded them, and they were moving at a fairly quick pace. And, toward the back of the line, dressed all in black, was Paul McCartney himself.
As the people around us in the bleachers began to recognize that they were getting a sneak preview of the Beatle himself, everyone in the section began leaping up, looking and waving. And Macca, dependable ham that he is, played right back to us, leaning backwards and doing kind of an exaggerated wave or two, then striding along while parceling an assortment of thumb's up signs, etc.
Our section began to cheer, and McCartney was right there. It was a dramatic sensation. For a moment, you really felt as though he was making eye contact with you and you alone.
It was as if one of those grainy old black and white videos of the Beatles getting off the airplane at JFK or waving to their fans outside of a New York hotel room all those years ago had come to life. Paul McCartney stepped out of the newsreel and into this stadium. A little grayer, surer. His hair's longer these days. But that is Paul McCartney. And he is waving at me.
As I’ve said, I saw McCartney at Berkeley (in 1990). I've had several people ask me to contrast the shows. The thing is, this is hard -- because I enjoyed both immensely. The short answer is, McCartney at Berkeley was one of the great experiences of my life -- it was the first time I'd ever seen him, or any Beatle, and it was a thrill just being there. But his Boulder show may have been better -- and this is barely -- from 1990's performance, at least in a technical sense. He's never been in finer voice. And his selection of songs was intriguing.
He opened with, of all things, the Beatles' "Drive My Car." He then quickly jumped into his own "Coming Up." Some of his early song selections seemed a little off the wall, but if you're a fan it was still fun. He sang "Another Day," for example. He sang "Let Me Roll It." He alternated instruments and varied from acoustic and electric guitars to his own trademark Hofner bass to piano. A couple of times, a specially-designed platform he had allowed him to float out over the first several rows of the people in the seats facing him from the field.
McCartney's stage persona is practiced and gracious. He is the consummate rock showman. He did his usual "are you havin' a good time?" and "whoo whoo whoo" bantering, interspersed with a wolf call or two. He did five or six songs from his (then new) "Off The Ground" album, including the title track and "Hope of Deliverance," the single. He didn't do very much of his other recent solo material. He did maybe four or five songs in the "Unplugged" vein, as that MTV special and CD have turned out to be so popular since his 1990 tour.
McCartney uses his Beatles hits as a kind of wake-up call throughout the show. He seemingly tries to counter-balance his solo songs, particularly the new stuff, with strong Beatles material, as thematically placed as possible. Sometimes, this works: His "C'Mon People," from the new CD, came off very well when he did it during his "Let It Be" set. Sometimes, this doesn't: As the crowd began to move and rock during "Sgt. Pepper," it was something of a comedown when McCartney launched into "Biker Like An Icon."
The show lasts a cool 2-1/2 hours. McCartney doesn't dink around. He sings lead on every song, and he works hard throughout the show. His encore was simple, if a bit overwhelming: "Band On The Run," followed by "I Saw Her Standing There," and then, "Hey Jude."
It seems as though he designed the show for two audiences -- people like me, who were fortunate enough to also see him in 1990, and people seeing him in '93 for the first time. He doesn't let the first-timers down -- he does all the REALLY big McCartney Beatles' songs, like "Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road," "Yesterday" and, of course, "Hey Jude." But, for someone like me, he simply substitutes one Beatles classic for another. For example, in 1990, he sang "Fool on the Hill." Three years later, he does "Magical Mystery Tour," instead. In 1990, he did "Back in the USSR" Three years later, it’s "Fixing a Hole."
My personal favorite part of the Boulder concert was an amazing run Macca went on late in the show. He sang "Michelle," which was fun. Then, shortly thereafter, he did "Paperback Writer," "Fixing a Hole" and "Penny Lane." Disappointments: No "Maybe I'm Amazed" (he did it in '90). And no Abbey Road "Golden Slumbers" medley (also in '90).
Think about this: If you're Paul McCartney, with all the songs you've written, and you've got 2-1/2 hours to perform and you know there are at least maybe 10 songs you've absolutely GOT to do, how do you choose the rest? From a (40-year) career? Mind-boggling.
* * *
PAUL POST-SCRIPT: Several months after I saw McCartney in Boulder, McCartney released "Paul is Live," a live compilation of performances from his 1993 tour. Several tracks on the album, including "Let Me Roll It," "Peace in the Neighborhood," "Michelle," "Biker Like An Icon," "Penny Lane" and "Live and Let Die," were culled from his Boulder appearance, meaning -- if you count my cheers in the crowd, which I’m sure are plainly audible on the record, though I’ve never personally been able to pick them out -- I've appeared on a Paul McCartney CD.
And hey: How many people can say that?
* * *
PAUL POST-SCRIPT, PART II: The 2002 incarnation of McCartney (sans his late wife Linda, and with a new band he’s been working into shape in recent months) kicked off his new concert tour Monday in Oakland, and published reports made it sound like he was as smooth as ever. Associated Press said McCartney’s set, dominated by Beatles tunes from "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Yesterday" to "The End" and "Getting Better," "rocked, in a 2-1/2 hour show before 15,000 fans. The ex-Beatle, who turns 60 in June, hit all the high points of his Beatles, Wings and solo years -- a career that now spans more than four decades."
The Salt Lake City media was even speculating that there was a chance McCartney would be convinced to visit Utah – though nothing official has been decided, and inside sources say such a visit is very unlikely.
For some of us, maybe it’s time to start thinking about another road trip.
Mac’s hot. So he’s cool again.
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another exciting edition of the one and only, award-winning "Pop Stew!"
By JOHN YOUNGREN
Paul McCartney is so hot he's cool again, which may sound strange when you first hear it, but trust me -- longtime Macca followers know exactly what I mean.
In the pantheon of cultural icons, there are only a handful that seem to ebb and flow like McCartney, songwriting genius to some, showbiz sellout to others. And, as a Macca fan and observer for nearly 25 years -- I first caught on to the ex- Beatle with his late ‘70s’ Wings' album "Back to the Egg" -- I've pretty much seen it all when it comes to Paulie's popularity.
For the past six months or so, he's been booming. Getting Central Park to chant along with his would-be, world-be anthem "Freedom," written in honor of the victims of Sept. 11. Singing the same song to huge acclaim at the Super Bowl. Getting engaged and talking about it with Larry King. Releasing a new -- and pretty well-received -- album. Singing his Academy Award-nominated song, "Vanilla Sky," at the Oscars. And, this week, launching a new North American tour -- his first in nine years -- in Oakland, Calif.
All of which is a bit coincidental for me, because it was 12 years ago this week that I first saw McCartney play live, on April 1, 1990, in Berkeley, Calif. The concert remains one of the great highlights of my life. I can still remember the tears in my eyes when McCartney first appeared; the way my nerves jolted when he sang some of his earliest hits.
Three years later, in 1993, I saw McCartney play live again -- this time on his "New World Tour," in Boulder, Colo. Unlike the Berkeley night, which registers in simple memory, after Boulder I put some thoughts down on paper…
* * *
FROM THE YOUNGREN JOURNALS -- MAY 26, 1993:
BOULDER -- So we're sitting in what were some pretty decent seats at Folsom Field, waiting for the show to begin (as opposed to waiting for the transport to come). Our seats were on what was about the 30-yard line, staring down at the side angle of McCartney's stage, which jutted out until about the 25-yard line from the end zone area.
Behind the massive stage, we were watching the dressing room/locker room area, where there was some activity. McCartney opens his shows on this "New World Tour" with a 10-minute video featuring Beatles music and glimpses of him throughout his career. Because of our angle and the conflicting sunlight, we couldn't see the video on the large JumboTron screens to each side.
But we saw something better.
Because a minute or two before they were supposed to take the stage -- as the video was winding down -- the Paul McCartney band came dashing out of the locker room building and made its way toward the rear of the performance area. There were maybe 4,000 or so people who could see this; you had to be in one of the far right sections of the stadium to be able to see what was going on. Roadies and security and other officials surrounded them, and they were moving at a fairly quick pace. And, toward the back of the line, dressed all in black, was Paul McCartney himself.
As the people around us in the bleachers began to recognize that they were getting a sneak preview of the Beatle himself, everyone in the section began leaping up, looking and waving. And Macca, dependable ham that he is, played right back to us, leaning backwards and doing kind of an exaggerated wave or two, then striding along while parceling an assortment of thumb's up signs, etc.
Our section began to cheer, and McCartney was right there. It was a dramatic sensation. For a moment, you really felt as though he was making eye contact with you and you alone.
It was as if one of those grainy old black and white videos of the Beatles getting off the airplane at JFK or waving to their fans outside of a New York hotel room all those years ago had come to life. Paul McCartney stepped out of the newsreel and into this stadium. A little grayer, surer. His hair's longer these days. But that is Paul McCartney. And he is waving at me.
As I’ve said, I saw McCartney at Berkeley (in 1990). I've had several people ask me to contrast the shows. The thing is, this is hard -- because I enjoyed both immensely. The short answer is, McCartney at Berkeley was one of the great experiences of my life -- it was the first time I'd ever seen him, or any Beatle, and it was a thrill just being there. But his Boulder show may have been better -- and this is barely -- from 1990's performance, at least in a technical sense. He's never been in finer voice. And his selection of songs was intriguing.
He opened with, of all things, the Beatles' "Drive My Car." He then quickly jumped into his own "Coming Up." Some of his early song selections seemed a little off the wall, but if you're a fan it was still fun. He sang "Another Day," for example. He sang "Let Me Roll It." He alternated instruments and varied from acoustic and electric guitars to his own trademark Hofner bass to piano. A couple of times, a specially-designed platform he had allowed him to float out over the first several rows of the people in the seats facing him from the field.
McCartney's stage persona is practiced and gracious. He is the consummate rock showman. He did his usual "are you havin' a good time?" and "whoo whoo whoo" bantering, interspersed with a wolf call or two. He did five or six songs from his (then new) "Off The Ground" album, including the title track and "Hope of Deliverance," the single. He didn't do very much of his other recent solo material. He did maybe four or five songs in the "Unplugged" vein, as that MTV special and CD have turned out to be so popular since his 1990 tour.
McCartney uses his Beatles hits as a kind of wake-up call throughout the show. He seemingly tries to counter-balance his solo songs, particularly the new stuff, with strong Beatles material, as thematically placed as possible. Sometimes, this works: His "C'Mon People," from the new CD, came off very well when he did it during his "Let It Be" set. Sometimes, this doesn't: As the crowd began to move and rock during "Sgt. Pepper," it was something of a comedown when McCartney launched into "Biker Like An Icon."
The show lasts a cool 2-1/2 hours. McCartney doesn't dink around. He sings lead on every song, and he works hard throughout the show. His encore was simple, if a bit overwhelming: "Band On The Run," followed by "I Saw Her Standing There," and then, "Hey Jude."
It seems as though he designed the show for two audiences -- people like me, who were fortunate enough to also see him in 1990, and people seeing him in '93 for the first time. He doesn't let the first-timers down -- he does all the REALLY big McCartney Beatles' songs, like "Let It Be," "The Long and Winding Road," "Yesterday" and, of course, "Hey Jude." But, for someone like me, he simply substitutes one Beatles classic for another. For example, in 1990, he sang "Fool on the Hill." Three years later, he does "Magical Mystery Tour," instead. In 1990, he did "Back in the USSR" Three years later, it’s "Fixing a Hole."
My personal favorite part of the Boulder concert was an amazing run Macca went on late in the show. He sang "Michelle," which was fun. Then, shortly thereafter, he did "Paperback Writer," "Fixing a Hole" and "Penny Lane." Disappointments: No "Maybe I'm Amazed" (he did it in '90). And no Abbey Road "Golden Slumbers" medley (also in '90).
Think about this: If you're Paul McCartney, with all the songs you've written, and you've got 2-1/2 hours to perform and you know there are at least maybe 10 songs you've absolutely GOT to do, how do you choose the rest? From a (40-year) career? Mind-boggling.
* * *
PAUL POST-SCRIPT: Several months after I saw McCartney in Boulder, McCartney released "Paul is Live," a live compilation of performances from his 1993 tour. Several tracks on the album, including "Let Me Roll It," "Peace in the Neighborhood," "Michelle," "Biker Like An Icon," "Penny Lane" and "Live and Let Die," were culled from his Boulder appearance, meaning -- if you count my cheers in the crowd, which I’m sure are plainly audible on the record, though I’ve never personally been able to pick them out -- I've appeared on a Paul McCartney CD.
And hey: How many people can say that?
* * *
PAUL POST-SCRIPT, PART II: The 2002 incarnation of McCartney (sans his late wife Linda, and with a new band he’s been working into shape in recent months) kicked off his new concert tour Monday in Oakland, and published reports made it sound like he was as smooth as ever. Associated Press said McCartney’s set, dominated by Beatles tunes from "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Yesterday" to "The End" and "Getting Better," "rocked, in a 2-1/2 hour show before 15,000 fans. The ex-Beatle, who turns 60 in June, hit all the high points of his Beatles, Wings and solo years -- a career that now spans more than four decades."
The Salt Lake City media was even speculating that there was a chance McCartney would be convinced to visit Utah – though nothing official has been decided, and inside sources say such a visit is very unlikely.
For some of us, maybe it’s time to start thinking about another road trip.
Mac’s hot. So he’s cool again.
# # #
That’s it for this time. Tune in again soon for another exciting edition of the one and only, award-winning "Pop Stew!"
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