Video Free Silver Lake: Guest Column by Shadow Shadow Shade

By Claire McKeown of Shadow Shadow Shade

Friends: This week Video Free Silver Lake is lucky enough to have Claire McKeown, singstress from one of our favorite L.A. bands, to take on curatorial responsibilities, thus giving our regular contributor "Jed" a much needed break.  In addition to occasionally contributing to RFSL and SSS, Claire is also one of the two vocalists in L.A.'s Dirt Bird.  As of "press time", the Sunset Junction Street Fair is "cancelled" due to over $400,000 in allegedly unpaid fees, despite SSS having been scheduled to play there (on Saturday, August 27th at 5pm on the Edgecliffe Stage). Should the festival become uncancelled (stay tuned to the 24 hour news cycle/facebook/twitter -- there is supposedly a hearing scheduled today which may lead to a reconsideration of the decision to cancel) for updates, be sure to see them perform there. Dirt Bird plays at the Hotel Cafe on Sunday August 28th, at 9pm.  Click here to watch SSS's recent video for "Say Yes", and here for SSS's "White Horse" trilogy, recently screened in the 7th annual Hollyshorts! festival, and starring Jason Ritter and Anna Wilson.

[Update, 11:19 a.m.: Sunset Junction appears to be back on schedule.]

Hello all. Claire McKeown from SSS and Dirt Bird here.  Thought I would share some of my music videos and live performance obesession. I wanted to also include some of my favorite uses of music in movies but then this post would be mammoth. Maybe an other time.

1. This first post is Klaus Nomi and David Bowie's live taping on SNL in 1979. I put Nomi first because I think he totally upstaged Bowie. I hear that Bowie never talked to him again after this performance. It is by far my favorite version of this song.

David Bowie & Klaus Nomi - The Man Who Sold The World from André Goldvasser on Vimeo.

2. Andy Kaufman clearly loves Slim Whitman, as do I. What a voice. If you don't have Whitman's Yodeling record do yourself a favor and get it. Also if you haven't heard Slim's version of Alex North's Unchained Melody you must! It will make you cry.  This is one of my favorite songs he sings and to watch Kaufman pretty much dying in admiration makes it that much better.

3. Nina Simone live! This is an unbelievable performance.  She is such a great singer, songwriter, and a beautiful pianist. Everything I could ever hope to be as a musician.  Her back up band is pretty hot shit too.

4. This is my friends band Goodnight Billygoat's 'Dioscuri part 2'.  I love love love them so much. They are the kindred band to my other band  Dirt Bird. I dream that they stop being able to write their own music so they will need me to. I'm half joking.  They make these amazing stop motion movies (it takes them about 6 months to make each 15 min movie) and play this gorgeous music to it. I have been lucky enough to arrange some choral vocals for their upcoming release. They work out of Portland, Oregon but do come down  to LA to play quite frequently. You have to go see them next  time they are in town.

Dioscuri Part II from Good Night Billygoat on Vimeo.

5. This is one of my favorite modern music video's Jonathan Wilson's song is gorgeous. SSS was lucky to work with the director Michael Graham on our 'White Horse Trilogy' and as much as I love our video's this one still takes the cake.  Michael uses all natural lighting which is what makes it  visually spectacular. It brings in that milky visual that reminds me of Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon'. Gorgeous gorgeousity.

6. There's is no way I could do any post on music without Harry Nilsson. I am in deep love with the man. This is a rare live taping of his song "Life Line" from his concept album and animated movie 'The Point'. Nilsson never played live shows.  He was terrified of it. Damn perfectionist. I think he would have made a bigger name for himself if he had played out more. So happy we have access to some of his rare live tapings. Thank you You tube!

7. The queen herself before she was the queen of soul.  This is a much jazzier Aretha Franklin but still unbelivable. "Running Out of Fools" live taping from 1964. One of my voice students brought this song into a lesson and I have been foaming at the mouth over this song ever since.  She found it through a version of the song sung by Neko Case, which I hear is a great version too.

8. Crispin Glover's 'Clowny Clown Clown'. I love this video. I find it to be deliciously scathing of pop culture. There is just something of about it. What is it? I also love that he is tying a ton of stuff together that he has been working on over the past twenty years or so.  Notice Mr. Far's appearance in this video. I love it when you actually have to know a bunch of hidden obscure things to really not understand something. I think Glover's pretty damn smart.

Mr. Far on David Letterman. Glover is supposedly off his head on acid but this was around the time that he wouldn't reprise his role as McFly in the new 'Back to the Future' movies and so they just got a look alike.

9. Roy Orbison on The Johnny Cash show "Crying". This is the sweetest version of this song I have ever heard. I have no words for how much I adore Mr. Orbison.

10. This is just a song. Roy Wood's "And the Rain Came Down On Everything".  Roy Wood used to work with Jeff Lynne. He is a fantastic writer and singer himself. Let this into your life.

  

11. So here we are at the last Video. It is perfect to end with one of my favorite song discoveries of last year: Brian Eno's "How Many Worlds". The video that goes with it is a time lapse video. It works perfectly with this amazing song that I want to play for every one in the world so they can love it as much as I do.

Well wasn't that nice? Let's all say thank you to Ms. Claire for those lovely song/videos. I'll be back again next week. If you feel like emailing with me, you can sometimes reach me at RFSLJed at gmail dot com!