Steel Kaleidoscopes

Revisiting Quadrophenia

 

It took me a while to find it.

Pictured above is the S&M Cafe, which was the mods' hangout from the classic rock film "Quadrophenia."

Formerly Alfredo's, it's located at 4-6 Essex Street in Islington and was tucked away down some back streets, a reasonable walk from the Angel tube station.

As it was a nice summer evening, I wanted to have a glass of something red sitting outside at one of the tables, but was told I would need to order dinner to sit outside. Dinner options revolved around sausage and mashed potatoes, so I passed.

So this is where Jimmy and his pals got lit, plotting against the rockers.

I snapped the picture then headed out of 1973 and back into 2009. 

'I'm a Great Cook'

 

Glenn Close can be creepy.

'It's a Wonderful Life'

Every holiday season, the topic of Christmas movies comes up in the workplace and at parties.

And people are always flabbergasted that I admit to never having seen "It's a Wonderful Life."

I love the look on people's faces. It's like I told them I never got a driver's license or kissed a girl.

It's been a quirky badge of honor.

But no more.

Last weekend in the comfort of the Centennial Hotel in Concord, N.H., on a bitter cold Norman Rockwell winter night, I finally watched George Bailey lasso the moon in Bedford Falls.

As had been advertised, it was a charming movie with a strong, endearing message.

And worth the wait.

'No Regrets' and 'My Way'

The popularity of last year's movie "La Vie en Rose" propelled the music of French singer Edith Piaf to the playlist of a few more stereos.

Upon listening to Piaf's music, the song "Non, je ne Regrette Rien," commonly referred to as "No Regrets," has an unmistakable melody similar to Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

In fact, while Piaf is singing "that is my crying for you" toward the end of the song, you can almost hear Sinatra singing "I did it my way" over the same score.

So did Paul Anka, who wrote "My Way" for Sinatra in 1969, copy the melody of "No Regrets"?

Sort of.

"No Regrets" was composed by Charles Dumont with lyrics by Michel Vaucaire in 1956, and was made famous by Piaf in 1960.

But the melody of "My Way" is actually inspired by the French song "Comme d'habitude," which was composed by Claude Francois and Jacques Revaux in 1967.

So it was Francois and Revaux who actually borrowed from their French countrymen, Dumont and Vaucaire, who had written the popular melody 11 years earlier.

"No Regrets" is simply a great song that inspired others.

And it inspired the song for which Ol' Blue Eyes is arguably most remembered.

But These Go To 11...

 

Logical, of course.

Digital Graffiti

This video is pretty amazing.

It's titled MUTO, a wall-painted animation by blu.

Not sure if this is traditional animation created by a series of photos or if these are digital effects laced on an existing graffiti-laced wall.

It's just a tad over seven minutes but worth watching.

Oconomowoc

One of our beloved classic movies premiered in a somewhat obscure city in the midwest before opening in the major markets.

On Aug. 12, 1939, "The Wizard of Oz" premiered at the Strand Theatre in Oconomowoc, Wis.  A few days later it was shown at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollowood followed by Loew's Capitol Theater in New York.

The movie opened nationally on Aug. 25, but it was those few lucky people in tiny Oconomowoc who first laid their eyes on Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow.

For Oconomowoc residents, there's no place like home.

So Long, Roy Scheider

In the summer of '75, there was no bigger movie than "Jaws."

It was the classic definition of a summer blockbuster, and the only movie to this date that sold out while I waited in line.

Roy Scheider, who, ironically, passed away at 75 on Sunday, will be best known for his role as the logical yet paranoid police chief Martin Brody, who was forced into a crash course on the dining routine of the Great White Shark.

If there's an ocean in heaven, we're gonna need a bigger boat.

Top 5 Christopher Walken Movies

The guy's a freak, in the nicest sense.

When Christopher Walken leaves his imprint on celluloid, it's a unique smudge.

Here are the five essential Walken movies:

5. King of New York
Emulates supreme power with restraint amid violence.

4. Blast from the Past
Quirky dad establishes family values under ground.

3. The Dead Zone
Stellar performance in pristine Stephen King adaptation.

2. Nick of Time
Brilliant and creepy in a classic nail-biter.

1. Suicide Kings
A venemous performance, a man among boys.

The Everlasting Gobstopper

When you return the gobstopper, good things can happen.