EpisoDE 7 of HBO's Vinyl last night was another rather dark, DEpressing affair. Richie doesn't sign Elvis, and they lose all their money. (A nice twist as to 'how' they lose it). Things I didn't like: Ray Romano's character is staring to grate. He's just very whiney. I guess not everyone loves Raymond. And the guy who is now in the mail room - not a very interesting character or plot line IMO. Last night would have been better served showing what DEvon, or any number of more exciting cast members were up to. The plus? The scene w. Elvis in the hotel room was actually pretty good. I do like the show, but hope for some 'Rays' of light next Sunday.

Really, they only have three more episodes?! to get something together so the season finale cliffhanger
isn't just "say, look at the mess this fellow's made"?? They'd better get a move on.
It really does seem more and more like each episode was written by someone
who's only read a synopsis of the previous episode, and nothing that came before.

The Gram Parsons was pretty funny, though! Where did that come from, I wonder

Yep, this episode was a mixed bag. But I was impressed with Ray Ramano, thought he brought a lot of depth to the character in this episode. Not just the pissed off, disillusioned whiner that he has been.

I think I liked Richie better when he was a bit out of control. What did he do when he sobered up? Read a self help book, proceeded to gamble away $90k, while convincing his friend the money was stolen... THEN he decided to have a couple drinks. He did that in the wrong order.

To me the beauty of this last episode is, in part, how much it contrasted in every way with the previous episode. When Richie was at the apex of his wilding the production, direction, camerawork, editing, script, lighting was all off-kilter, chaotic, disjointed, nonlinear, jarring, surreal, fvcked up.

This episode, Richie has sobered up. His mind is clearing--but not clear--he is basically going from moment to moment. And the entire show slows down. This episode, to me, was about carefully crafted moments rather than almost violently spewed/painted brushstrokes vomited on canvas.

The pace could have been mistaken as almost sluggish. But it's just a closer more detailed, and more careful walk. Slower breaths.

The camera angles are oblique and canny. Light is as important as it was in the previous episode, but it's light here, rather than shadow.

There are so many details...like the Gram character (what a riot), the mention of Manassas, how genuinely smoov and cool Richie is, and constantly selling, seducing, and attracting. This episode was about bare-bones contrast between him and Ray Romano. Almost a clinical look at it. A good man, and a not-good man--Scorsese may have little to do with this series, but this past episode emanated Scorsese's belief that life is nihilistic, subtext underlying almost every one of his films.

Details like Richie throwing the plant when they left the lame-o party. Effortlessly bribing the clerk at the hotel in Vegas.

The subtlety and restraint in the jet sale scene -- shown by both Ray Romano and Bobby Cannavale. They're seething. They don't dare let on they're seething because they both know they need the money. Barely a flick of an upper lip. Standing there while the idiot competitor gloats and boasts, and displays his abject vulgarity and cluelessness. They're both furious, and pride-hurt, for different reasons. They get through it.

The decision to go to the party afterall. The heat you feel when you go from east coast to west coast. Even tho their suit were light wool gaberdine, they were still wool. And too dark. Too "heavy" in every way. They trudge across the sand in the outfits that worked in NY and were so guido and square in LA--while beautiful tanned near-naked people are playing volleyball. It's partly so amusing and glimmering with pathos because it's so realistic--particularly then--that era. New York was already old, Brill Building, bricks and mortar. Los Angeles 1970s music industry (vs. "record men!" as they exclaimed in unison at one point) was on another far hipper planet than NY (except for what was emerging with punk and, soon enough, hip hop--which we've seen allusions to already).

And again, at the party: the encounters with various people--the sly, not quite unkind, mention of getting to the buffet before Mama Cass. The decision to go to Vegas--and how all of that--to me, almost every moment, is brilliant, beautiful--the pointed disappointment for Ray Romano seeing Vegas-era Elvis. The girls living in Henderson--Richie's well-oiled comment of "Oh, c'mon no one's from Vegas--where are you really from?" Iowa, Minneapolis. So true.

The girl wanting to be with Richie. And with his charisma (and given his agenda to meet with Elvis alone, unimpeded by Zak's uncouth) redirects her---with mild regret, because for a moment he'd begun to reach for her neck, which we've come to see is a sign he's being turned on, the animal he is, grasping his prey by the throat---like a pimp, sending her off to Ray Romano to actualize his 3-some fantasy. (And to keep him busy and out of Richie's hair.)

More moments and details: Ray Romano's boorishness, unaccustomed to being off the leash--Richie's forbearing impatience with him at the blackjack table.

To me, the Elvis scene was staggering. Mesmerizing. Richie casts a trust spell of intimacy on people--that's how he makes things happen. He makes them feel like he gets them. And he kinda does. At least in the moment of seduction. Whether he can follow through on it is another story (see: Harlem soul singer he sold out). Colonel Tom playing Elvis like a puppet in front of Richie--at Richie's expense. Richie really felt that he and Elvis had come to a visionary plane together--and Richie had done that without coke, without any drugs, or booze, or anything, he'd gotten to that transcendent place with Elvis...they were both honestly riffing on what they could do, where they could go...returning Elvis to place of authenticity in his music and his career, and himself. And you think--while watching it--holy shit: what if someone had actually been able to get through to him like this, and somehow get him "back to that place of truth and beauty" (as the Gram Parsons character was entreating Richie to do himself--tho the Gram character's preachy delivery and sense of familiarity was repugnant to Richie). The command that Colonel Tom had--in the world and over Elvis--is greater than anything Richie can come up to. He's bested in every way. Elvis careens away...Richie is dismissed. We are left to wonder (as if Richie) whether Elvis was a cypher--an empty hazy shell--whether he has any wits about him, did they really connect at all? or is he so flaked out he floats from moment to moment, untethered and under the control of Colonel Tom? And Richie...would he have remained interested in "freeing" Elvis from the bonds of mind- and soul-numbing drugs and subservience to Colonel Tom? or would American Century simply have become his new master, exploiting him for whatever they could get?

And we're left to wonder how far ahead Richie was plotting to set up Zak? At what point did he know what he was going to do? Was there any good will involved at all in helping his "friend" have a 3-some? How much was he corrupting Zak, seducing him into the world of wanton sex and drugs, while he watched dispassionately and acted as puppetmaster? Was he doing him a favor or making him complicit?

When Zak was raving about turning the $90,000 into "a million bucks!!!" and Richie prudently leads him away from the gaming tables...did he know there was a possibility he would return himself? Did he reason that he wouldn't need to do that if he signed Elvis? But had it in his hip pocket? Or was it a decision he made recklessly and self-destructively to play perversely with the possibility of once and for all grinding himself and American Century into the dirt, after he'd "lost" the seduction/signing of Elvis? In other words, a big "F u ck It"?

That's something compulsive personalities and addicts do all the time. That's what he did on the plane ordering the vodka. Zak now has been pretty much permanently muzzled---a dedicated husband and father, he's now f ucked young girls, done mountains of coke, behaved shamefully in front of Elvis' management, lost the tiny "fortune" of the company---he can never bitch or be sanctimonious toward Richie, ever again. Which Richie most certainly did coldly construct.

That's just some of what, to me, made this past episode worlds more interesting and carefully rendered than last week's. Both are sort of works of abstract expressionism--but this week was a Willem de Kooning vs. a bombastic Pollack.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-29 10:34 by swiss.

Great review! However, Richis'a ability to get himself into trouble it's almost annoying!! Let's see what the show still has in store for us...

Thanks for holding all those details up to the light for us, swiss.
The contrast between NY and LA was indeed well summed up in the record men's trudge across the beach in their wool.

But one big barrier for me is that - weary as I am of Richie fvkcing himself and everyone else up -
"partridges landing on his shotgun" don't persuade me that he's exuding charisma or sex appeal
or whatever else he's supposed to be oozing. All he oozes for me is "Typical Scorsese-Style Main Character",
and they forgot to invest him with any reason for me to care what happens to him.

And as DEmerson notes they wasted an awful lot of the episode in the mailroom. Why.

There was some nice music, though, as usual. Well done Mick :E



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-03-29 13:23 by with sssoul.

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frankotero
Gotdablouse, you nailed it on the head about the tension. It makes me less excited about the music and how it's been made. This reminds me of a comment a close friend of mine made about The Stones. It was in reference to the Tony Sanchez book, he said if I really knew The Stones I would probably hate them. Since then I was more careful with my fandom. Don't like to focus on anything other than how I enjoy the music, concerts and collecting. Still, I enjoy seeing the 1970s folklore/scenery in the show. But yeah, the reality and nastiness of business is a real drag at times.

This is so very, very true. The more I learned about the RS as people and as businessmen, the less I liked or respected them. Unfortunately, with the internet, it's almost impossible to avoid this information.

>>>That's something compulsive personalities and addicts do all the time. That's what he did on the plane ordering the vodka. Zak now has been pretty much permanently muzzled---a dedicated husband and father, he's now f ucked young girls, done mountains of coke, behaved shamefully in front of Elvis' management, lost the tiny "fortune" of the company---he can never bitch or be sanctimonious toward Richie, ever again. Which Richie most certainly did coldly construct.

Did he do that deliberately? Or did his addictiveness extend to gambling, and pinning it on Zak was an improvised way of eluding rresponsibility for the loss of the money, with the serendipitous bonus of having Zak indebted to him forever?

Revisit Las Vegas with Zak and Richie.
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Appreciate your insightful and detailed analysis, swiss. Nihilistic world view...world weary is how I've usually thought of it, but maybe that's the same.

Glad to see you around here more, holes and all.

Episode 7 is my favorite episode up to now. The fact that Bobby isn't "overacting" makes him a more believeable character.And the scenes with Elvis and the scenes with Colonel Parker are just brilliant.
Rock and roll,
Mops

Well, I've watched episode 7 again and liked it better this time.
The scene in which Richie loses $90k was very well acted, and except for all the uninteresting bits
(the mailroom, Juno's evil mom, etc) it was quite a lively little episode.

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swiss
That's just some of what, to me, made this past episode worlds more interesting and carefully rendered than last week's. Both are sort of works of abstract expressionism--but this week was a Willem de Kooning vs. a bombastic Pollack.

Thanks for your extended commentary. Jackson Pollack was an amazing expression of post WW2 America. All these ideas and expression that had been repressed for long years of war had a chance to explode on the cultural scene. I once asked my father what his favorite decade was and he said the 1950s (America)

Got some free HBO so I will start with Vinyl. They can spare me the drama. I just want to see the backgrounds for that era. You know...the old automobiles onward...interiors....the way they have the women looking... Like the cover of the Free Wheeling Bob Dylan album...only 53 years ago. Cafe Au Go Go...went there many times





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-04-02 00:32 by triceratops.

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triceratops

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swiss
That's just some of what, to me, made this past episode worlds more interesting and carefully rendered than last week's. Both are sort of works of abstract expressionism--but this week was a Willem de Kooning vs. a bombastic Pollack.

Thanks for your extended commentary. Jackson Pollack was an amazing expression of post WW2 America. All these ideas and expression that had been repressed for long years of war had a chance to explode on the cultural scene....I once asked my father what his favorite decade was and he said the 1950s (America)

NYC still feels a bit like that world in places, tops. Pollack is one of my favs, I could stand in front of his painting at MOMA all day.

That was a really clever twist...and I believed that it WAS Zak's fault that the $$ was lost and the girls made off with it...and then, you find out Richie returned to the tables and pissed away the $90,000 and then pins it on Zak. Ray Romano was GREAT last week! He played the crushed loser so well, and I think you're right Bliss. Richie can now OWN Zak! He got the POWER back!
I want a return to that murder thread and possible arrest of Richie.
I may have nodded off..someone tell me more about this Gram Parsons character...who was he? And yes, the Elvis segment was brilliant and I did come away feeling sorry for Elvis. If this portrayal is real at all, he WAS a puppet with no control over his own destiny.

I thought the Elvis thing was brilliant too. My take on it was not so much that he as a puppet, but that he was too far gone in his drug isolated bubble to make any decisions of his own anymore. The way he was so quickly distracted by the Colonel was sad and probably accurate too.

Looking forward to tonight's episode.

I thought Sunday's episode was the best so far. The actual story has acquired some depth. I just for the life of me can not understand these poor casting choices.
I figure an operation at the level of Jagger and Scorsese has about the best and smartest candidates to cast from. And all our heroes, our revered rockstars got to where they are for a reason; because they were special, charismatic, magnetic. I understand that it is better to follow this show as a tale, and not a documentary, and that there will always be quibbles about who played a certain real personality. But my issue is not that so-and-so didn't look like Plant or Lennon or Parsons. It is that they seemed to have picked really plain, boring looking actors. I could take a chubby Bowie, if said Bowie was charismatic. What I get from every one of these portrayals is this "Yuk, aw shucks" kind of vibe.
There are plenty stunning faces out there.That has been a major disappointment for me. Could it be that Jagger doesn't want anyone looking too good? I don't believe that. To me it smacks of today's Hollywood that has lost any kind of edge it used to have.

The Micky Dolenz impersonator did all right! :E
I'd love it if you'd elaborate on what you mean by that "'Yuk, aw shucks' kind of vibe"
because although I too am baffled by their casting choices I have no idea what you mean by that.

Ah, so his office WAS bugged and Richie's really about to hit rock bottom, eh! At the same time things seem to be picking up for Zak, Devon and the Nasty Bits. What's next !

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Yeah - episode 8, another laugh fest. Richie gets taken in...at least we see why the guy (Zac?) in the mail room plot has been given so much time - maybe.
I guess ultimately, this show is not gonna be much of a feel good, fun times representation of the era. Which is fine...but don't you usually root for the main characters to overcome their obstacles? Interesting to see that there's only 2 more episodes. I'll be watching, and rooting for Richie and Co. but it's not looking good...

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with sssoul
The Micky Dolenz impersonator did all right! :E
I'd love it if you'd elaborate on what you mean by that "'Yuk, aw shucks' kind of vibe"
because although I too am baffled by their casting choices I have no idea what you mean by that.

Sorry, Ms WithSssoul, that wasnt a very good description on my part. I guess what I'm trying to say, is these guys came across as not the brightest bulb in the pack; not much motivation; a stoner; kind of boring.
They were all Stoners back then, but there is Hendrix/Stoner, and then there is Brad-Pitt-in-'True-Romance'/Stoner. Gram Parsons is supposed to have come in and galvanized Chris Hillman; just charmed the Byrds into doing a 180. And then he went on to form another band with him. Stephen Stills clashed with Neil Young for dominance in two bands. I just wasn't able to feel any kind of fire, or magnetism from these actors in that scenario of Vinyl.
IMO these portrayals would work better with someone who may not have the physical likeness, but who exudes a magic.
Take Michael Shannon, as Plant maybe. Cillian Murphy, Giovanni Ribisi,Shawn Hatosy - those are some intense faces.
The Behind-the-Scenes people are all dynamic and fiery; but the superstars come off as anything but.

It was nice to see something about music for a change; Lester's lesson in the roots of rock was charming
and the kid Zak signs is sweet. However, even in the '70s I find it farfetched that the Nasty Bits
was playing in clubs, making demos and signing record contracts with only one song to play;
Richie's swirl down the toilet is taking 100% predictable turns that I can't make myself care about;
and if his kids threw a cat down a stairwell (did I hear that right??) they can go to hell too.
And even if the whiny mailroom wuss is about to discover something musical,
that doesn't make his dull scenes interesting retroactively, and he's still a gormless wuss.

But Lester's lesson was charming.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-04-05 15:48 by with sssoul.

PalaceRev2000, I was writing at the same time you were (just a lot slower!) - my post above
isn't meant as a reply to yours, nor meant to ignore you. Thanks for clarifying what you meant.
I found the Gram Parsons hilariously dorky and wonder if that was intentional - I don't know whether to hope not or hope so :E

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with sssoul
PalaceRev2000, I was writing at the same time you were (just a lot slower!) - my post above
isn't meant as a reply to yours, nor meant to ignore you. Thanks for clarifying what you meant.
I found the Gram Parsons hilariously dorky and wonder if that was intentional - I don't know whether to hope not or hope so :E

'Dorky' - once again you say it best. That is the word I was looking for. You know, it has been said that Jagger wasn't too fond of Gram Parsons. Maybe...

I liked that scene with Lester on guitar too. And while I enjoyed James Jagger finally showing a side of himself besides that sneer, I thought the nasty Bits rendition of the new song was...boorish. I'm thinking the character Lester would not have gone for the cussing. There is no elegance in that at all; no cleverness.

btw _ was wondering who the singer signed by Zac is based on. There was a guy named Jobriath who was hyped as another Bowie, and went down as a major bust; retired and died at the Chelsea . Could they be setting this up?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2016-04-05 15:46 by Palace Revolution 2000.

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Palace Revolution 2000
I liked that scene with Lester on guitar too. And while I enjoyed James Jagger finally showing a side of himself besides that sneer,
I thought the nasty Bits rendition of the new song was...boorish.

It was definitely a much more evocative tune when Lester was performing it.
The gratuitous effing seemed out of place to me too. The record company will make them change that, though -
it's only 1973 after all. Or maybe Lester will take it back and make a husky comeback after all.

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with sssoul
It was nice to see something about music for a change; Lester's lesson in the roots of rock was charming
.....

But Lester's lesson was charming.

that EAB medley exemplar was one of best scenes in the series so far - yes: finally about music instead of a look at misbehaving adults.

i've been thinking all through this that the music business was (and is) bad enough that there was no reason to throw a record executive murdering someone in the mix.

i do not agree at all that NYC in the 70's was out of step and passe and that LA was the hip and creative place. so much was brewing and nascent in NYC that an LA viewpoint could even begin to regurgitate. as the saying goes, when it's 3:00 in New York, it's 1937 in LA.

the mickey dolenz sighting was so fleeting - i would love to know what made that stand out among the musician check-off list from the party scene....

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CloudCat
the mickey dolenz sighting was so fleeting - i would love to know what made that stand out
among the musician check-off list from the party scene....

Do you mean my remark about it? I was sort of joking, but the fact that you couldn't see him at all
made it much more effective than the rest of the impersonations.

I also liked all the garbage in the street in front of the bank in the latest episode - that was funny.

CloudCat, I guess you're from New York? :E

um, i must be as i didn't even notice the garbage in the street in front of the bank
- just looked normal to me..........


thanks for clarifying the rave review for the actor's portrayal of mickey dolenz - yeah, that was pretty good now that you mention it!

I wonder which character will die from a drug overdose