W&W: Wilco and Wall-E

What a cute and cuddly trash can!

Similarities abound between the unique Pixar film Wall-E and Wilco's critically acclaimed 2002 effort Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  Discovering comparable motifs between these two was easier than making a Kirstie Alley fat joke 2 years ago (apparently she lost the weight now).  I wouldn't be surprised if Jeff Tweedy and the late Jay Bennett consulted with the filmmakers to create this progressive thinking, environmentally-charged animated picture to expose children to meaningful art.

Now, I could just about go song-by-song down the list of what Rolling Stone named the third best album of the 2000's and find a relation to plot points in Wall-E, and that is exactly what I am going to do.


"I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" - I never thought trash collectors could cause a grown man to tear up, but damnit if Wall-E didn't come close.  That little compactor almost made we want to go out and hug a can-collecting vagrant or two on the street and maybe duet a Hello Dolly number while I was at it.  The last and loneliest of his species, Wall-E "assassins (trash) down the avenue" and has his heart broken after sharing a seedling (that sounds dirty, but was not meant as a play on words) with his new found beau, Eve.  The despair and isolation of the Earth Wall-E now inhabits mirrors the themes of hopeless love and isolation found throughout YHF.  Wall-E could have easily sung to Eve "what was I thinking when I let go of you."

"Kamera" - "I need a camera, to my eye," opens this tune.  And I'm pretty sure Wall-E's eyes are made of cameras.  Check.

"Radio Cure" - The refrain to this ditty mentions "Electronic surgical words."  Interesting seeing as Pixar took a gigantic leap in featuring a main character who could only speak in the robotic, electronic surgical language of love.  I also find it interesting that Pixar took the risk on this experimental film and they were rewarded with a hit, while Warner Bros. found YHF too risky and non-mainstream which lead to the disintegration of Wilco's record deal.  Looks like Pixar made the right call while Warner Bros. added to the decline of music business.

"War on War" - Wall-E may be viewed by some on the right as an affront on the American way of life.  I see it as calling us on our shit.  I am an American and I know plenty of lazy, overweight, fast-food loving Americans, and 3 people from other countries that love the same things.  This movie makes it's points, and inflates them to satirize the state of our world to try and make a change.  It uses the comedic scenes of obese future humans losing the use of their legs after generations of inactivity.  It is a attack on our "wars" against obesity, global warming and robot marriage.

"Jesus, Etc." - Because this album was released soon after the 9/11 attacks, some people believe this song is an homage to that day because of lines like "Tall buildings shake."  But the reality is this song was recorded months prior to that day.  Still the mood of the country at the time gave this song new meaning to certain fans and the cover art may have added to this feeling.  YHF's cover features the two Marina City buildings in downtown Chicago, that some critics speculate to also be in reference to the World Trade Centers.  Wilco 9/11 conspiracies aside, Wall-E definitely has it's fair share of towers built by centuries of garbage accumulation and also examines the new American experience in a way never before seen in a children's movie.

"Ashes of American Flags" - This song gives the most blatant connection to Wall-E.  Tweedy references the disbanding of the America that he loves and examines the country as a shadow of its' former self.  Wall-E's version of Earth shows a far cry from what we live in now.  The line about fallen leaves filling up shopping bags also leads to an obvious mention of the trash that surrounds and decorates Wall-E's world.

"Heavy Metal Drummer" -  Tweedy nostalgically sings, "I sincerely miss those heavy metal bands used to go see on the Landing in the summer."  And Wall-E definitely shares some nostalgia and longing for the past.

"I'm the Man Who Loves You" - I have the distinct advantage that I can read, write and speak robot, and Wall-E says this exact phrase to Eve at 38, 42, 58 and 107 minutes into the film.

"Pot Kettle Black"- This phrase is used to accuse a person of being guilty of the thing that they are pointing out.  For instance, if it was discovered that Chris Hansen was an online child predator or Hitler's father was Jewish, they would be calling the pot kettle black.  There are quite a few human characters, including one played by the great Fred Willard, in the movie that are responsible for the near death of Earth.  These same people probably spent their time focusing on how music lyrics and video games would destroy society before any environmental or twinkie-obsession problem could.

"Poor Places" - Strange and entrancing lyrics highlight this standout on YHF.  It is truly just a beautiful song.  Similarly beautiful is the scene when Wall-E and Eve ride a fire extinguisher through the star-filled expanse of space.

"Reservations" - I'm not even going to try and compare this.  But still the percentages of songs that compare is pretty astounding, if you even believe a word I wrote.

Check in next when I compare efforts from lady-killers Jack White and Brad Pitt.

Together, Forever - Music and Movies

What a man, what a man, what a mighty good man, you  are B.A. Baracus.

Recently an imaginary friend of mine asked me an intriguing question: would I rather live without music or movies?  To which I said, "B.A. Baracus Khan that is an intriguing question."  But I found a fatal flaw in his brain-beater, what would movies be without music.  If I chose movies, then mood-altering scores would theoretically be erased from classic films.  Music-less movies would eradicate classics like West Side Story and "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" from South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut.  Either way the conclusion I came to on this question, flawed logic aside, was that I could not live in a world without music.  Exhibit A: No matter how terrible Vanilla Ice's music career was, it is Grammy Award worthy compared to the alternative.  Exhibit B: see Exhibit A.  Sure there are plenty of terrible actors who tried to cut it as singers, looking at you Hasselhoff this ain't Germany.  But Vanilla Ice's role in Cool As Ice portraying a James Dean wannabe who clearly was kicked in the head by a horse as a child, gives more than a few reasons for Hollywood to close its doors forever.

I'll try to leave Vanilla Ice alone for the remainder of this piece in exchange for making an actual point.  Movies and music are interrelated in ways other than just Patrick Bateman debating the latest Genesis cassette tape or the amazing soundtrack to Space Jam.  They touch on a number of similar artistic motifs like loneliness, rebellion, or defeating the performance-enhanced aliens from Moron Mountain in a game of basketball, and deal with these issues through very different means.  I took a moment to match up some albums that I view as classics with films that approach similar themes briefed in those albums and will release them in a series the next few days.  I can't promise they will match up like The Dark Side of Oz, but that is only because I don't know how to put an album on repeat on my iPod, so I couldn't test that theory.

Blonde on Blonde on Pulp Fiction

I would have preferred he titled this album Goofy White Guy Afro on Goofy White Guy Afro.

Uma definitely looks a little better pre-cardiac arrest in this one.

 













By the time this Blonde on Blonde hit the shelves Dylan had already alienated himself from those "fans" expecting him to strum his acoustic on the back of food carts for the rest of his life by going electric.  Dylan got more backlash for introducing this newfangled and wild technology called electricity into his act than Michael Jackson ever did for inviting children over for "Jesus Juice" "cock"tail parties (excuse the crassness but I couldn't refuse).  Blonde on Blonde signified his total transformation from pigeonholed strummer into full-blown bummer to the trust-fund folkies in Newport, but what this album really signified was a sprawling, innovative masterpiece.  Dylan drew from blues, country, and yes, folk music and paired that with surreal lyrics to create a multi-cultural music stew.  A mix-and-match concept also favored by Tarrantino.


Alluding to different areas of influence is a characteristic that has landed Quentin Tarantino with numerous high-paying movie deals and good-looking women that weren't drawn in by his rolling pan face.  Pulp Fiction and Blonde on Blonde are both pastiches that clearly reveal their creator's inspiration and their respect for their elders.  PF weaves together multiple characters and story lines together to form a pastiche within the pastiche.  I think I've just been incepted.  Also I said the word pastiche too much and now have a craving for quiche.  

Similarly, Dylan's album changes lanes that may seem erratic to some, but a master and commander like Bobby D guides the wheel beautifully like Steve McQueen, or for my lamer friends who never saw Bullitt, like Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) in Fast and the Furious aside from all the explosions and half-naked ladies.  Folkie ballads like "Visions of Johanna" and "Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" lie in stark contrast with the unrestrained fun of "Rainy Day Women #12 and 35."  Would I be stretching it with a pun like "Every Uma must get stoned?"   

PF follows this same up-and-down margarita blending of genres and tempo by employing long and tongue-in-cheeky conversations between hitmen about hamburgers followed by ultra-violent general badassery by Bruce Willis.  Then mixed and repeated without the ball gag.  

Both these works were inspired by their creator's predecessors, then infused with their own diversified interests to give birth to a whole new type of cool.  The only missing link would be Harvey Keitel singing  the nonexistent backup vocals on "I Want You."

Check back tomorrow when I explain the relation between Wilco and robot movies. (p.s. it will not be about Real Steel)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Unfortunately, I couldn't land John Candy as a regular contributor to this blog.  My sources tell me that he is dead.

Hello blogosphere, stumblers....Mom and Dad!  And welcome to the inaugural post upon this blog that will touch on an array of topics in the pop culture world.  Let me get my credentials out on the web before I begin.  I am a 22-year-old college graduate with a degree in pizza delivery.  Damn, my mistake.  Actually my degree is in Journalism, but since I currently work as a pizza delivery man I tell people that my degree is in pizza delivery to make myself feel more accomplished.  I enjoy music, sports, movies, television, curling, unicycling and dinosaurs.  Hopefully, I will have time to brief you on my knowledge of all those subjects.  Despite the name of this blog, I will not be grading or critically thinking about the existence of American aquariums, because the Shedd wins every time.  The name is a lyrical pun and if you don't understand it, Google it.  That is the point of Google, right?

Anyways, I hope to bring a new perspective, among the infinite number of perspectives now on the web, with my views and thoughts on the latest happenings in the world of pop culture.  I can't promise breaking news because I'd rather leave the "real work" to those annoying channels on television that play the same stuff over and over.  Instead I will promise to, like Steve Martin in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, do whatever I must to find a way to bring you some fresh, interesting content.  I do not intend on becoming a jaded dick like Martin in that film, but this is my first post maybe I'm being naive.  The plan is to have a few laughs on this blog because laughter is an enjoyable action.  Whether it is me laughing to keep from crying at being the only one reading this blog, you laughing at my failed attempt at an engaging blog or just something being somewhat funny to you, I'll take it.  Anyways, Mazel Tov!