Tube Tunes is a frequently-updated look at music offerings on television, including viewing suggestions, reviews and articles.


Sticks & Stones magazine

Sticks & Stones/ Tube Tunes e-mail list

Contact

Special Report: The Academy Awards

That was a lot of, um, television to sit through to get to Bob Dylan, wasn't it? In fact, you'd need to have a more than passing interest in film to weather that 3-hour-plus extravaganza.

And yet it was worth it, particularly for those pulling for Dylan -- which, in this contest was like pulling for Michael Jordan in a one-on-one game against, say, Louie Anderson. Our American Bard gave an inspired, if odd performance of his song "Things Have Changed" from the film Wonder Boys, then graciously accepted the award for Best Original Song for a film. That he did so from a stage somewhere in Australia in front of a camera hung at a precarious angle above his head just added to the mystique. And yes, he did look a bit like Vincent Price, didn't he? At that angle with that dull pallor and that moustache anyway.

The rest of the music was OK and nothing more. Sting showed how far he's fallen with a positively respectable performance of a positively bland song from The Emperor's New Groove… didn't Jaguar pay enough, Gordon? Randy Newman added another loser to his list of solid film songs (and found the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs somewhere to help sing it… call off the "Where Are They Now?" dogs, we found her). Bjork, seemingly sensing that her own bland song might fall flat, wore a dress made to resemble a swan draped around her neck. It was more interesting than her tune from Dancer in the Dark. In her defense, director Lars von Trier penned the lyrics. As a lyricist he's a good director.

The performance of "A Love Before Time," a song from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was far and away the best. As the song was sung, dancers recreated fight scenes from the film, flying gracefully about the stage in tightly choreographed moves.

It was no surprise to see Dylan win this competition. Even better, he actually deserved it. "Things Have Changed" is one of the best songs he's written in a long time, it perfectly fit the film and gave it an emotional heft that few other musicians could have contributed. And he may have even opened a few eyes with his acceptance speech. After giving a downright creepy performance -- helped, no doubt, by the black backdrop and "what were they thinking" tight camera shot from that odd angle -- he spoke briefly, thanking Wonder Boys director Curtis Hanson and his record label. By dialing down the eccentricity a bit, Bob showed that he's just a regular guy. Sort of.
posted by John Kenyon at 8:31 AM