Consolers of the Violent

We play instruments in black-and-white just as well as in technicolor.

Sorry for the long delay, but I've been on the couch watching Halloween movies without my wisdom teeth the past week.  I'm sure everyone reading this was on the edge of their La-z Boy chairs after I teased a Brad Pitt and Jack White connection in this blog.  Well, worry not.  In this blog I will blow your mind into believing that the 1999 film version of Fight Club and The Raconteurs 2008 release Consolers of the Lonely share some major commonalities. 

To those who haven't seen the movie, I will ruin it for you in this next sentence, so be prepared.  The major twist in the end of the movie unveils that the seemingly radically different two main characters are actually the same person.  The cool, muscular, anti-corporate Brad Pitt is a figment of Edward Norton's soft, pale-skinned and twisted imagination.  The two sides of Norton's coin work together to create "Fight Club," the violence-prone, anti-establishment, anti-advertisement club Norton's character starts in the basement of his rundown house.  His creation overpowers him and grows to have chapters throughout the country.  The monster he created ends up moving past what Norton thought he was getting into and not even he can stop this powerhouse.

"No wonder so many girls like me." -Brad Pitt on the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Similarly, Consolers of the Lonely manically splits itself into two categories.  It pits the dark, edgy and heavy songs like "Consolers of the Lonely," "Attention," and "Five on the Five" against the softer Americana-vibe of "Rich Kid Blues," "Old Enough," and the bonfire sing-along ready "Carolina Drama."  This difference in feel, sound and vibe is even apparent in the demeanor and appearance of the chief songwriters, Jack White and Brendan Benson.  Similar to the differing appearance of Tyler Durden and unnamed narrator played by Norton, White's pale skin and dark hair give him a more hardcore look than the comparably cuddly Benson.  Don't get me wrong Benson is a total badass!  "The Swamp" is one of the greatest songs ever written about purchasing vegetables and prostitutes from the same South American man.  Yes, it might be the only song about that, but still....keyboard solo.

Anyways, these personality differences you might describe as good vs. evil, but more accurately: edgy vs. straight-edgy, go a long way in rounding out the sound of the album and the story in the film.  The  protagonists and antagonists complete the story by somehow working together in an imperfect harmony (Fact: the actual harmonies in Consolers of the Lonely are perfect, just ask Olmec).  They both develop a grittiness that isn't too hot in today's popular culture. 

Fight Club's visual atmosphere appears scratched up especially whenever Brad Pitt's character is featured.  It makes the audience feel the loss of control taking place in the main character's life.  Also adding to that feeling of chaos and danger is the choice to shoot the majority of the film at night.  And everyone knows all the fun and danger takes place at night.  Except for human mistakes like Kenny Chesney and Uncle Kracker.

Consolers of the Lonely has the same nighttime dangerous feel to it.  By randomly alternating between slow and fast, hard and soft, a chaos is created that leaves the listener guessing what's next.  And I could bore you with more comparisons between these two classics like how they are both throwbacks to old staples (Raconteurs to the Who, and Fight Club to The Graduate, which director David Fincher explains far better than me), but I think these hits just boil down to being badass.  They are both manly entertainment that I would associate with drinking Scotch, fishing with your bare hands and fighting Nazis.

For your enjoyment, the lighter side of Fight Club....

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.