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Bryan Thomas

@munkiman.bsky.social

Here for posts on: Music. Films. TV Shows. Writing. Fiction/Poetry. Art. History. Science. Humor. Progressive Politics. Photography. Nature. Ecology. Hippies. Navel-Gazing Existentialism. Baseball. Not even sure if I'm in the right place, tbh. We'll see.

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Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

A very cool babysitter took my little brother and I to see the Monkees' film HEAD -- which had premiered in NYC on November 6, 1968 -- on a Saturday matinee double-bill with the Beatles' Yellow Submarine at the Brookhurst Theater in Anaheim. My little kid brain was pretty much blown. more: alt text

On November 6, 1968, HEAD -- "the most extraordinary adventure, western, comedy, love story, mystery, drama, musical, documentary satire ever made…" -- had its gala premiere at the Columbia Pictures Studio on West 54th Street in Manhattan. The band were at a crossroads at the time, and probably a little uncertain about their future. Earlier in the year, in March, they’d released their last Top Ten single, “Valleri,” and completed the second season of their prime-time NBC TV show, “The Monkees,” but they weren’t happy with the show and everyone involved decided that they were going down the wrong track. They met with network execs in an attempt to convince them to let them change the show from a zany sitcom to a variety program. NBC wasn’t convinced, however, and with that, “The Monkees” was cancelled, and dropped from the network’s fall schedule; in September, “I Dream Of Jeannie” would inherit their former time-slot (Monday nights, 7:30 ET). At the time, the band were busy working on their film debut anyway (they were more than a month into the production of HEAD, which originally had the working title Changes, no doubt a reflection of what exactly the band were going through at the time). The origin of the screenplay had originally been started during a weekend at an Ojai, California, golf resort. Joining all four four members of the band — Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork — were producers Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, who also brought along their friend who they had tasked to direct the film, a then-struggling B-movie actor named Jack Nicholson, not exactly a household name in 1968. Apparently, it was quite a wild weekend, and everyone present is said to have smoked copious amounts of marijuana and possibly done other recreational drugs, randomly spewing their ideas in a kind of rambling collective stream of consciousness rant about what a Monkees film should be.And so what is HEAD? Well, it’s not easy to sum up, but let’s say that it’s certainly an acidic social commentary about the band’s own commercial superficiality, presented while the band takes a kind of unimaginably weird trip of rapidly-edited series sequences in the kinds of genre-movies that you might have seen on late night TV at the time: there are war scenes, adventure scenes, horror scenes, comedy scenes, drama scenes, western scenes, sci-fi scenes, romance scenes, and on and on. Except, in HEAD‘s filmic reality, as this is a poke at the band’s fake image, this all turns out to be happening primarily (if not exclusively) on a studio backlot, essentially letting us know that all entertainment is, in some way, fake. But HEAD is even more than that — it’s also a social commentary on just about everything the counterculture was concerned with at the time: things like corporations taking over the manufacture of nearly everything, police brutality, the invasion of privacy and personal space, drug use, the use of war and death and tragedy for TV ratings, and especially big media’s manipulation of the truth and its net result: deception.In one of the film’s memorable sequence in the desert, a large Coca-Cola vending machine materializes in the desert like one of Stanley Kubrick’s monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey (released on April 3, 1968, while HEAD was still in production). Few probably knew that this was meant to be a symbolic nod to French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard, who once called the youth generation of the sixties “the children of Marx and Coca Cola,” and when Micky Dolenz blows it up after it has taken his last coin, it’s supposed to be about mindless consumerism. The Coca-Cola Company reportedly wasn’t amused at the fact that the Monkees’ used an uncooperative soda machine to make this point, and apparently tried to get an injunction against the movie, but since the film disappeared rather quickly after its release, they probably dropped the idea (and certainly after HEAD started showing on cable and home video in 1986, when Columbia Pictures was owned by Coca-Cola, the scene no longer meant what it had originally). Nicholson later took these tapes of the band’s Ojai writing session and the producers riffing while higher than kites and, according to Rafelson, then structured them into a screenplay while under the influence of LSD. At least twenty-five different of these story ideas were interwoven together, which can possibly be summed up with the recollection of one of the film’s great tossed-off lines: "The tragedy of your times, my young friends, is that you may get exactly what you want."
Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

What a day for @willharrisinva.bsky.social! First, the debut of his podcast "Letting Them Talk" drops, and now we get a brand new "Random Roles," this time with actress Diane Lane, talking with her about her career (briefly, as a full career recap would take *hours*). Congratulations, Will!

Diane Lane on the cautionary Anniversary, the slept-on Rumble Fish, and panicking on live TV

Diane Lane discusses acting with Laurence Olivier, flying in Kenny Rogers' helicopter, and being pissed about a decades-old Emmys snub.

avclub.com

Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

This was a really entertaining podcast! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/l...

Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Sean Dunn, aka Sandwich Guy, was found NOT GUILTY of misdemeanor assault by a jury in federal court in DC today, November 6, 2025. Dunn threw a sandwich at a federal officer at 14th and U streets in August, shouting, "Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!"

Never forget that a hungry Sean Dunn sacrificed his Subway sandwich to make a statement, and that statement was basically "Fuck you, get out of my city."Today: Sean Dunn, who will forever be known as Sandwich Guy, was found not guilty of misdemeanor assault by a jury in federal court in DC Thursday. It was never in doubt that Dunn threw a sandwich at a federal officer at 14th and U streets in August, shouting, “Fuck you! You fucking fascists! Why are you here? I don’t want you in my city!” according to a federal indictment. It’s also undeniable that Dunn’s airborne-footlong protest, video of which went viral, became an unlikely symbol of local resistance to the Trump administration during its crackdown on DC this summer, precisely because of the disconnect between the seriousness of the incident and the government’s response. Despite Dunn’s offer to surrender, the administration sent armed troops to his apartment and filmed his arrest. The office of US Attorney for DC Jeanine Pirro charged him with felony assault;he lost his job as a paralegal at the Department of Justice, with US Attorney General Pam Bondi calling him “an example of the Deep State.” Meanwhile, stylized, Bansky-style images of a man preparing to wing a hoagie appeared all over DC. Words: https://washingtonian.com/2025/11/06/sandwich-guy-not-guilty/
Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Remembering Texas Country and folk singer, musician, songwriter, recording artist, and performer Guy Clark, born on November 6, 1941, in Monahans, Texas — he died on May 17, 2016. Fave songs: "The Randall Knife," "Boats to Build," "Stuff That Works," and "She Ain't Goin' Nowhere." (more: alt text)

Guy Clark released more than twenty albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, Lyle Lovett, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, and Rodney Crowell. Guy Clark won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album: My Favorite Picture Of You. Clark eventually settled in Nashville, where he helped create the progressive country and outlaw country genres. His songs "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting for a Train" that helped launch his career were covered by numerous performers. He was an accomplished luthier and often plays his own guitars. He achieved success as a songwriter with Jerry Jeff Walker's recordings of "L.A. Freeway" and "Desperados Waiting for a Train." Clark has been a mentor to such other singers as Steve Earle and Rodney Crowell. He organized Earle's first job as a writer in Nashville. In the 1970s, the Clarks' home in Nashville was an open house for songwriters and musicians and it features in the video Heartworn Highways, an evocation of the songwriter scene in Nashville at that time. He was married to songwriter and artist, Susanna Clark from 1972 through her death from cancer on June 27, 2012. Fave songs: "The Randall Knife" (from Dublin Blues, 1995): This deeply personal song about his father is a standout. Critics note how its very specific details create universal emotional resonance for listeners who connect the story to their own family heirlooms and memories. "Boats to Build" (from Boats to Build, 1992): A beautifully literary and self-reflective tune about a change of pace and simple construction, praised for its sure-fingered guitar picking and wise phrasing. "She Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (from Old No. 1, 1975): Full of mystery and delicate prose, this narrative-driven song is an early gem from his debut that critics enjoy for its cliffhanger quality.
Eric Alper @thatericalper.com · 11mo ago

On this day in 1941, country legend Guy Clark was born. A master songwriter and storyteller, his songs were recorded by Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, and Johnny Cash. His words built worlds as finely as the guitars he crafted.

Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

The move comes after Trump announced that his administration would be freezing SNAP benefits until the government shutdown ends, despite over 40 million Americans relying on it (like me). Donations will go to two different area nonprofits: the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and St. Joseph Center.

LateNighter@latenightercom.bsky.social · 11mo ago

'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' is taking a stance against Trump’s SNAP benefit cuts with more than just words this week, springing into action with the launch of a food bank.

Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

I've also seen Sunday, October 31st for the U.S. -- with November 13th for the UK release date -- but November 5th (a Friday) probably makes more sense. The original cover photo idea was to be a close-up photo of a baboon's anus but the band suggested an ear underwater. "Fearless" is my favorite.

Classic Album Art@classicalbumart.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Meddle, Pink Floyd's sixth album, was released on this day, November 5, 1971 Meddle was certified gold US in October 1973 and 2x platinum in '94 What's your favourite track?

Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

#OneAlbumADay; Elton John's 4th studio LP, 'Madman Across the Water,' was released on November 5, 1971. While 'Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player' (1973) was my first EJ LP, this one is my favorite, especially the title track and "Razor Face" (Rick Wakeman plays on both tracks) More: alt text

'Madman' is now seen as a transitional work. It marks the last appearance of Elton John's band's lead guitarist Caleb Quaye and drummer Roger Pope (who would return in 1975), while it introduces his live touring band -- guitarist Davey Johnstone, drummer Nigel Olssen, and bassist Dee Murray -- who had not been playing on his albums, due to producer Gus Dudgeon's lack of faith in the group for studio recordings. Instead, most of the tracks were backed by studio players and string arrangements put together by Paul Buckmaster. Johnstone's band Magna Carta had previously worked with Dudgeon. The album's title song was initially going to be released on John's previous album 'Tumbleweed Connection,' featuring guitarist Mick Ronson on lead guitar; however, it was set aside and was re-recorded for this album with Johnstone playing the guitar parts. One of the highlights was the opening track, “Tiny Dancer,” with lyrics by Bernie Taupin, whose first wife, Maxine Feibelmann, was indeed a “seamstress for the band.” Taupin, in interviews, has said he was trying to capture the vibe of what he saw when he and his wife came to Southern California in the fall of 1970. "It seemed like sunshine just radiated from the populace,” Taupin told Rolling Stone. “I guess I was trying to capture the spirit of that time, encapsulated by the women we met, especially at the clothes stores and restaurants and bars all up and down the Sunset Strip. They were these free spirits, sexy, all hip-huggers and lacy blouses, very ethereal the way they moved.” “They were just so different from what I’d been used to in England,” Taupin continued. “They had this thing about embroidering your clothes. They wanted to sew patches on your jeans. They mothered you and slept with you. It was the perfect Oedipal complex.” (more at Wikipedia)
Bryan Thomas@munkiman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Just watched the delightful interview Stephen Colbert did w/ Robert Plant, during which Colbert quoted from "Tom Bombadil's Song" by J.R.R. Tolkien, published in the Oxford Magazine in 1934, long before The Lord of the Rings was written. Colbert is a Tolkien fanatic, and Plant is too. More: alt text

Colbert quoted this part: O slender as a willow-wand! O clearer than clear water! O reed by the living pool! Fair river-daughter! O spring-time and summer-time, and spring again after! O wind on the waterfall, and the leaves' laughter! "Tom Bombadil's Song" is not a single, specific poem by J.R.R. Tolkien, but rather a number of songs and verses sung by the character Tom Bombadil (and later by Frodo, at his instruction) within the narrative of The Lord of the Rings. These verses are characterized by their playful rhythm, simple language, and recurring refrains like "Hey dol! merry dol! ring a dong dillo!" The character of Tom Bombadil and his associated songs first appeared in the standalone poem "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil," published in the Oxford Magazine in 1934, long before The Lord of the Rings was written. This earlier work was later published as part of a collection of 16 poems in a book also titled The Adventures of Tom Bombadil in 1962. Plant and Colbert expressed a mutual, enthusiastic love for J.R.R. Tolkien's works, effectively "nerding out" over the topic and almost ignoring the rest of the show's agenda. Colbert noted that Plant's home in the West Midlands of the UK was the same area where Tolkien lived from a young age. This shared landscape was a major point of connection, with Plant explaining that the mystical environment influenced him and resonated with Tolkien's writing. Plant joked that he used to meet with "The Inklings," the famous literary group that included Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, in a pub in Oxford, to which Colbert enthusiastically responded, mentioning the actual pub, "The Eagle and Child" (or "The Bird and Baby"). Plant discussed how he wove Tolkien references into Led Zeppelin lyrics for songs like "Ramble On" and "The Battle of Evermore," adding that his bandmates were largely unaware of the source material at the time.