The Filtered Excellence: November 13: 2020

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Bob Geldof once asked “Where is the filtered excellence!?” It’s right here. Once a week we take a break from comedy to bring you this week’s picks of the best things to watch, the most interesting things to do, great things to try, the best picks to read, our favorite things to listen to and more.

WATCH THIS

Colin Quinn & Friends: A Drive In Comedy Show. As the pandemic put the world on pause, Colin Quinn called upon Rich Vos, Bonnie McFarlane, Robert Kelly, Rachel Feinstein, Marina Franklin, Dan Soder, and Sam Jay to do what seemed to be impossible: Perform stand up comedy in a socially distanced environment. With the New York City skyline as a backdrop, this new HBO Max special shows how the comics perform their sets amidst crashing waves, and an audience that can only respond with flashing lights and car horns. While the performers are still shaking off some on-stage rust, they haven’t lost their ability to tear each other apart with hilariously pointed observations backstage. What was supposed to be an experiment becomes a special that perfectly captures comedy in the new normal. Colin Quinn & Friends: A Drive In Comedy Show is available now on HBO Max.

You Don’t Know Ivan Julian. As a founding member of Richard Hell & The Voidoids, frontman for the bands The Outsets and The Lovelies, a distinguished hired gun for The Clash and Matthew Sweet, a produce for such bands as The Fleshtones, or running a Williamburg studio, Ivan Julian has been a fixture of the New York music scene for over 45 years. But outside of the circle of musicians that have worked with him, true punk devotees, guitar geeks, and a deep well of critical acclaim, Ivan Julian remains largely a cult figure. This new documentary from Geoffray Barbier aims to fix this, as Julian tells stories about being a child of a Naval officer, spending time in Haiti and Cuba; becoming a professional musician at 17 as a touring member of The Foundations, and one of the few Black musicians to be actively involved in New York’s downtown music scene. The doc also shows how Julian came up with the distinctive riffs for the punk anthems ‘Blank Generation’ and ‘Love Comes In Spurts’, at work on new material, and how Super Giraffe Sound remains one of the few studios devoted to old school recording. It shows how the New York music community rallied behind Julian as he battled cancer. With appearances by Richard Hell, Vernon Reid, Garland Jeffreys, Alejandro Escovedo, Richard Barrone, and other notable friends, Barbier gives us a unique look at one of rock’s unsung heroes. You Don’t Know Ivan Julian is available now on Amazon.

LISTEN TO THIS

Power Up By AC/DC. After the death of founding member Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd’s extensive legal troubles, and the health-related retirements of Brian Johnson and Cliff Williams, odds of a new AC/DC material were between slim and none. Miraculously, all of the health and legal problems went away, nephew Steve Young was added as the new second guitarist, and Angus Young was able to rally the band together for their 17th studio album. Dedicated to Malcolm Young, his spirit is all over such songs as ‘Rejection’, ‘Demon Fire’ and the lead single, ‘Shot In The Dark’. With tales of good times, bad women and high volume riffs and Johnson’s distinctive growl, Power Up is the sound of a band rising from the ashes of death and despair to give us the pure rock n roll album that is much needed. Power Up by AC/DC is available now through Amazon, Apple Music and all major streaming outlets.

Lovecraft Country Soundtrack. Lovecraft Country had its fair share of great performances and storylines, but what really fueled the show was how it incoporated music to drive along the narrative. The soundtrack features 62 songs clocking in at two hours, with cast members Wunmi Mosaku and Jurnee Smollett singing period classics such as ‘Whole Lotta Shakin Goin’ On’, ‘Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby’, ‘Chain Gang Blues’, alongside a stirring musical score pieces by Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq. Capturing the joy, pain, tension and terror, it’s the perfect companion piece to one of this season’s breakout shows. The soundtrack to Lovecraft Country is available now through Amazon, Apple Music and all streaming outlets.

STREAM THIS

Songs For Drella by Lou Reed & John Cale. In 1989, Lou Reed and John Cale reunited at St Ann’s Church in Brooklyn Heights for Songs For Drella, an extended suite of songs honoring their long time friend, mentor and collaborator, Andy Warhol. Later that year, Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Ed Lachlan (Carol, Velvet Goldmine shot their performance at an audience-less Brooklyn Academy Of Music Opera House. The doors of St. Ann’s Warehouse remain closed due to the pandemic, but now you can view this seminal performance for free through their website. With songs channeling Warhol’s inner thoughts, third person narratives, and lyrical remembrances from Reed and Cale , it’s a moving, powerful eulogy to a pop art icon. Songs For Drella by Lou Reed & John Cale is available to stream at www.stannswarehouse.com through November 19th.

DO THIS

Wear A Mask

Wash Your Hands

Practice Social Distancing.

Stay Safe.

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Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas

Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.