(The original version of this journal entry, with embedded hyperlinks, can be found here:
http://theoldanarchist.livejournal.com/2007/06/29/)
The theme for this song list is of a speculative and imaginal Weimar, a collage, if you will, combining a variety of disparate elements, amongst which are the following:
*the true and historical Weimar of the Berlin Dada Club, the Munich Soviet, the Wilhelmshaven mutiny, the Spartacist Revolt, the Kapp Putsch, and the street battles between the Freikorps and the Communists, etc.
*the grotesque representation of Weimar in Brecht's drama; Christopher Isherwood's
Berlin Stories and Alfred Döblin's
Berlin Alexanderplatz, the
fractured and
jarring artwork of John Heartfield, George Grosz, Otto Dix, Max Beckmann, and Hannah Höch, etc.; the dark shadows and sharp angles of the Expressionist films of directors F. W. Murnau (
Nosferatu), Robert Wiene (
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), and Fritz Lang (
Metropolis)
*revolutionary Dublin, from the period immediately preceding the Easter Rising of 1916 and its bloody aftermath; straight on through the War for Independence and the Civil War
*the London and New York punk scenes of the mid-to-late '70s
*the noirish San Francisco & Los Angeles of Hammett and Chandler in the period of the '20s through the '50s
The sci-fi/fantasy "visions" are inspired by a variety of films and tv shows, including
Blade Runner and
Max Headroom. But the greatest influence on the visual aspects of the show are the films of Terry Gilliam, whose work---from
Time Bandits,
Brazil, and
Baron Munchausen through
The Fisher King and
12 Monkeys---has been an inspiration to me for more than two decades.
People who are already familiar with my musical tastes will recognize the presence of "the usual suspects," i.e., William S. Burroughs, Tom Waits, Nick Cave, John Zorn, Charlie Haden, Charles Mingus, The Pogues, The Clash, Sonic Youth, Calexico, John Coltrane, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk.
But, truly, the greatest musical presence here, the one that overarches everything, even though his name appears only once on this list, is Kurt Weill, to whose music I have been listening a great deal over the past year or so. It is his indirect influence, by way of the numerous unique interpretations of his music I have been slowly discovering, that dominates this project.
In addition to the great interest this music holds for me in general, the "larger purpose" it serves is as inspiration for the
To Carthage then I came... musical project I have been thinking about/obsessing over/working on, fitfully, for the past 8-10 months. As I continue to attempt to draw a picture of
Carthage, City by the Sea, this music has provided models for settings, characters, and mood.
{Imagine the boat coming downriver, bringing Lysander to the strange city... A city at war with an external enemy and with itself, a city festering in its own corruption and decadence, a city tetering on the brink of revolution... As the dock approaches, dark and exotic music creeps by him upon the waters... This is not a dream...}
Les Négresses Vertes: La Valse 1:31
Andre Marchand & Grey Larsen: La Valse du Temps Qui Va (The Waltz of Time Passing)/Plum Creek 4:57
Tom Waits:
Calliope 1:59
The Dubliners: Marino Waltz 2:40
John Kirkpatrick: Cheshire Hornpipe 4:10
The Chieftains: Strike the Gay Harp/Tiarna Maigheó (Lord Mayo)/The Lady on the Island/The Sailor on the Rock 6:20
Emil Zrihan: Kochav Tzedek (mawal) 2:21
Andrew Cronshaw: The Blacksmith 3:06
The Klezmorim: Medyatsiner Waltz 3:05
Klezmer Conservatory Band: Piccolo Doyne 6:29
Hamza El Din: Song With Tar 4:44
Galata Mevlevi & Sema Ensemble: Peshrey 3:00
Masada: Idalah-Abal 8:25
John Coltrane:
Olé 18:16
Master Musicians of Jajouka: Gabahay 6:02
{A noirish triptych of tales from three masters of pulp menace, setting the mood... Segueing into a dark and dissonant theme of the city of night...}
William S. Burroughs:
Scandal at the Jungle Hiltons 1:41
Nick Cave:
Mack the Knife 4:51
Tom Waits:
Walking Spanish 3:05
Raymond Scott Orchestrette:
Naked City 4:43
The Pogues:
Metropolis 2:50
Calexico:
Midtown 3:32
Tom Waits:
Midtown 1:04
Naked City:
A Shot In The Dark 3:09
{On the streets of the Old City, anger, menace, and a sense of impending disaster linger like steam in the alleys and mist on the harbor...}
X-Ray Spex: The Day The World Turned Day-Glo 2:50
Siouxsie & The Banshees: The Passenger 4:10
Sonic Youth: The Sprawl 7:42
Television:
Friction 4:46 {All us boys are gonna wind up in jail.}
Wire: Pink Flag 3:46 {How many dead are alive?}
The Clash: London Calling 3:20 {London calling to the zombies of death/Quit holdin' out and draw another breath.}
The Mekons: Trouble Down South 4:15 {The dead sleep on, but the living have risen/Revenge is a red flag soaked in a brother's blood/Despots beware, this is the start of our freedom!}
The Specials: Ghost Town 5:57
Talking Heads: Life During Wartime 3:42
Joe Henry: This Afternoon 5:44
{An autumnal chamber suite signals a moment of respite and mourning in the midst of a period of dissonance and dissension...}
Elvis Costello w/
The Brodsky Quartet: Lost in the Stars 3:56
Van Dyke Parks (w/ The Fowler Brothers & The Armadillo String Quartet): Johnny Johnson Medley (a. Overture b. Johnny's Melody c. Aggie's Sewing Machine) 5:41 / Johnny's Speech 1:45 / No Man's Land :48
Henry Kaiser: Autumn Waltz 2:54
Henry Threadgill: The Great Hall 3:38
John Zorn: Der Kleine Leutnant Des Lieben Gottes 5:22
Armadillo String Quartet: Youkali Tango 4:41
{The presence of death hovers over the city... In the taverns along the waterfront, tales are told out of old almanacs and songs sung of far-off lands... The women of The Old City weep as another generation of their men prepare to go to sea, many never to return... And the endless war rages on...}
Deborah Harry &
The Jazz Passengers: The City And The Sea 8:04
The Persuasions: O' Heavenly Salvation 3:34
Mark Bingham: Hurricane Introduction 1:00
Ute Lemper: Bilbao Song 4:33
Teresa Stratas: Youkali Tango 6:39
Dagmar Krause: Surabaya Johnny 4:07
Lotte Lenya: Pirate Jenny 4:04
Bill Frisell (w/
Hal Willner): Spanish Ladies 2:22
Richard Thompson (w/ Jack Shit): Mingulay Boat Song 4:13
David Thomas (w/
Kate St. John & Warren Ellis): What Do We Do With A Drunken Sailor? 3:45
Stan Ridgway (w/ Kate St. John &
Mary Margaret O'Hara): Hanging Johnny 3:28
Nick Cave (w/
Warren Ellis): Fire Down Below 2:50
Joseph Arthur: Coast Of High Barbary 4:02
Jack Shit: Boney Was A Warrior 1:55
Jarvis Cocker: A Drop Of Nelson's Blood 7:11
The Pogues: Turkish Song Of The Damned 3:28
Roy Harris: The Royal Oak 2:03
Eliza Carthy &
The Kings of Calicutt: Jackie Tar 4:47
Martin Carthy & family: Hog-Eye Man 2:44
John C. Reilly (w/ Jack Shit &
Loudon Wainwright III): My Son John 1:38
Kate McGarrigle &
Rufus Wainwright: Lowlands Away 3:26
White Magic: A Long Time Ago 2:35
Eliza Carthy (w/ Kate St. John, Warren Ellis &
Robyn Hitchcock): Rolling Sea 4:50
Robin Holcomb (w/ Bill Frisell &
Wayne Horvitz): Dead Horse 2:55
{The sailor home from sea & the soldier home from war... Romantic moments along the waterfront... Then the ships come in baring coffins, and the true cost of fifteen years of war becomes clear...}
The Ink Spots: I Cover The Waterfront 2:54
Tom Waits: Rainbirds 3:07
Charlie Haden Trio: Speak Low 5:27
Charlie Haden Quartet West: Ou Es-Tu, Mon Amour? (Where Are You, My Love?) 6:47
Les Négresses Vertes: C'Est Pas la Mer À Boire 4:31
Rufus Wainwright: It's Only A Paper Moon 4:42
Ute Lemper: Want To Buy Some Illusions 2:51
John Coltrane &
Johnny Hartman: Lush Life 5:26
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Still In Love 4:46
Holly Cole: Little Boy Blue 2:58
Nico: These Days 3:32
Eszter Balint: Un Poison Violent, C'est ça L'amour 5:05
{A funeral march for eight fallen comrades... Meanwhile, the army goes on recruiting... Soldiers and sailors mutiny... A general strike is called... Workers and students join the mutineers... Street battles rage... Anyone can be shot down at any time...}
Joe Henry: Widows Of The Revolution 4:39
PJ Harvey: The Ballad Of The Soldier's Wife 4:26
Tom Waits: Soldier's Things 3:20
Stannard Ridgway & The Fowler Brothers: The Cannon Song 2:11
The Pogues: The Battle March 4:10 / Medley (The Recruiting Sergeant/The Rocky Road/Road To Dublin/The Galway Races) 4:01
Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick: Arthur McBride & The Sergeant 3:24
Derek Warfield: Tri-Coloured Ribbon 3:45
Paddy Reilly: Come Out Ye Black And Tans 2:35
Derek Warfield: Banna Strand 4:29
Ronnie Drew: The Rebel 3:15
The Dubliners featuring
Luke Kelly &
Ronnie Drew: Rebellion Medley (Wrap The Green Flag Round Me/The West's Awake/A Nation Once Again) 4:34
The Clash: The Rebel Waltz 3:26
The Mekons: Darkness And Doubt 5:16
Wire: I Am The Fly 3:09
The Fall: Bombast 3:08
Alternative TV: Action Time Vision 2:33
Magazine: Shot By Both Sides 4:04
Mission of Burma: That's When I Reach For My Revolver 3:53
The Clash: Police & Thieves 6:00
Naked City: You Will Be Shot 1:31 / I Want To Live 2:12
{A little night music plays as Lysander & The Questers prepare to set sail once again... The stars their destination...}
Al Cohn &
Zoot Sims: Improvisation For Unaccompanied Saxophones 2:27
Paul Bley: Kid Dynamite 3:15
Willem Breuker Kollektief: Revolver 0:00
Charlie Haden &
Sharon Freeman: Speak Low 4:23
Phil Woods: Lost In The Stars 6:12
Sonny Rollins: Moritat 0:00
Charlie Haden Quartet West: The Long Goodbye 6:08
Charles Mingus: Goodbye Pork-Pie Hat 5:44
Naked City: Chinatown 4:28
{20 minutes into the future... The Questers reach the wreck of time, a nightmare landscape of frozen death and destruction out of a Brueghel painting... The ship is abandoned... They continue on foot across the desert of the real... As Lysander reminds them, 'This is what we are fighting against: the false life, without meaning or hope; and the false death, without deliverance or salvation...'}
Master Musicians of Jajouka: The Middle Of The Night 5:53
Galata Mevlevi & Sema Ensemble: Kamanche Taksim 1:41
Kronos Quartet: Lux Aeterna 3:58
Paul Buckmaster: "Introduccion" (12 Monkeys Theme) :52
John Zorn: Night Walk 1:09
Milan Knizak: Broken Music Composition 3:31
Television: Marquee Moon 10:47
Ocean Colour Scene: Hundred Mile City 3:55
Paul Buckmaster: Cole's Fourth Dream :25
Tom Waits: The Earth Died Screaming 3:38
W. S. Burroughs: Naked Lunch excerpts ("You Got Any Eggs For Fats?") 7:16
John Zorn: Inhaling The Image 1:49
Sonic Youth: Trilogy (a. The Wonder 4:15 / b. Hyperstation 7:13 / z. Eliminator Jr. 2:37)
British Sea Power: Lately 13:59
Les Rallizes Denudes: Fucked Up And Naked 8:37
The Mars Volta: Eunuch Provocateur 8:48
Andy Hawkins: River Blindness 10:10
65daysofstatic: 23Kid 4:32
Tom Waits: In The Colosseum 4:50
W. S. Burroughs: Uranian Willy 2:00
{The voyage back to liberate the city... Is there reason to hope?}
Jean-Marc Vivenza: Simultanéité aérienne (from Aérobruitisme dynamiqe) 8:52
Goldfrapp: Utopia 4:08
Sigur Ros: Avalon 4:12
Ben Neill &
david wojnarowicz: Itsofomo (excerpt from Liberty) :26
Olivier Messiaen (composer),
Ensemble d'Ondes Martenot de Montréal (performer): Oraison 7:42
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Seasons (a. One Mind Winter/Summer b. Ninth Ghost) 10:34
M83: Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts 17:44
Paul Buckmaster: "Introduccion" (12 Monkeys Theme reprise) 1:03
Emil Zrihan: Kochav Tzedek 3:42
The Chieftains: Eibhli Gheal Chiúin Ni Chearbhaill 3:53
[139 tracks - 9:??:??]