Monday, March 21, 2005
Newsflash: Incidence Arises From Circumstance
The whole Schiavo circus is so surreal by this point, it's slipped the bounds of parody, satire, whatever. The midnight Capitol jam session, the tapdance on separation of powers, Tom DeLay ranting that Democrats "have so far cost Mrs. Schiavo two meals already today" (actually, since yesterday was Sunday, she really only missed brunch, so he's counting "br-" and "-unch" separately--why won't the media tell the truth?!), the usual journalistic ass-kissery now employed in the service of Bush's defence of "life" (and almost no mention of the Texas law signed by Gov. W. that allows hospitals to pull the plug on poor people), one of these "life" advocates comparing journalists covering the story to Saddam's Minister of Information (on a day when 45 people, including one American, were killed in Iraq), and on and on.
The attempt (apparently unsuccessful) to subpoena Terri Schiavo to get her out of the hospice and onto Capitol Hill to be paraded before a loving nation still represents, for me, some sort of low-water mark in the affair. In its over-the-top tastelessness, it reminded me of something, but I couldn't figure out what. Then it hit me--it's the sort of gross-out scene that often winds up on South Park. Actually, it sort of already did.
I should say right now that I will always watch South Park, even though the show is often bogged down in "anti-PC," "look, we skewer everyone" tediousness and bogus "envelope-pushing," mainly because Cartman's voice is comedy gold. That voice has always been funny and always will be funny. If Cartman told me I had emphysema, I'd probably laugh. But another reason I'll always watch is that the show is responsible for one of the most mind-blowing television segments I've ever seen, one that eerily foreshadowed our Schiavo moment.
It's the episode where Kenny is actually dying (a neat trick in itself, since it takes a while until you figure out that his death this time isn't played for laughs). Cartman learns that stem-cell research can save Kenny's life, and travels to Capitol Hill to appear before Congress and beg them to make such research legal. At a loss for words and on the verge of tears, he decides to make his case "in the words of a timeless song." He begins to sing Asia's "Heat of the Moment." One legislator joins in, and then another, and soon the whole chamber is singing an a capella version of the turgid, keyboard-riff-having high point of a band that merged the wonder-twin powers of the Buggles and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
I won't deny that part of the reason I love this scene can be chalked up to the sort of sense memory that can be triggered by a bad song from one's youth. I mean, I guess Cartman could have sung "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight" and it would have had the same effect. But "Heat of the Moment" is a real home-run here because the song is such a grand amalgamation of fake gestures employed in a desperate belly-flop toward sincerity--the purposeful arena-drenched power chords (I'm guessing Trevor Horn produced the song, but the 40 seconds it would take to confirm this on allmusic are 40 seconds I'll never get back), the Spector-ass "Be My Baby" drum pattern (ingeniously evoked by the cartoon Congressman via foot-stamping), "Do you remember when we used to dance / And incidence arose from circumstance?"--so that what first seems like a random choice by stoned 30-something writers starts to look like just what that scene called for.
Too often this show is overwhelmed by its contention that nothing means anything, nothing is worth caring about, get over it, etc. But here's one instance where that impulse works. If we actually have to have an argument about whether or not a stem cell deserves to be protected in our "culture of life," there's a certain dignity in opting out by leading a rousing chorus of some collective-memory doggrel. And as a gesture, singing it is no more fake or empty than dragging Terry Schiavo into Congress and in front of the cameras.
On the subject of Asia (the band, not the continent), in searching for this clip I made a startling discovery:
Way to go, Geoff Downes!
Also:
Steve Howe, are you listening? We need a miracle...
The attempt (apparently unsuccessful) to subpoena Terri Schiavo to get her out of the hospice and onto Capitol Hill to be paraded before a loving nation still represents, for me, some sort of low-water mark in the affair. In its over-the-top tastelessness, it reminded me of something, but I couldn't figure out what. Then it hit me--it's the sort of gross-out scene that often winds up on South Park. Actually, it sort of already did.
I should say right now that I will always watch South Park, even though the show is often bogged down in "anti-PC," "look, we skewer everyone" tediousness and bogus "envelope-pushing," mainly because Cartman's voice is comedy gold. That voice has always been funny and always will be funny. If Cartman told me I had emphysema, I'd probably laugh. But another reason I'll always watch is that the show is responsible for one of the most mind-blowing television segments I've ever seen, one that eerily foreshadowed our Schiavo moment.
It's the episode where Kenny is actually dying (a neat trick in itself, since it takes a while until you figure out that his death this time isn't played for laughs). Cartman learns that stem-cell research can save Kenny's life, and travels to Capitol Hill to appear before Congress and beg them to make such research legal. At a loss for words and on the verge of tears, he decides to make his case "in the words of a timeless song." He begins to sing Asia's "Heat of the Moment." One legislator joins in, and then another, and soon the whole chamber is singing an a capella version of the turgid, keyboard-riff-having high point of a band that merged the wonder-twin powers of the Buggles and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.
I won't deny that part of the reason I love this scene can be chalked up to the sort of sense memory that can be triggered by a bad song from one's youth. I mean, I guess Cartman could have sung "I Just Died In Your Arms Tonight" and it would have had the same effect. But "Heat of the Moment" is a real home-run here because the song is such a grand amalgamation of fake gestures employed in a desperate belly-flop toward sincerity--the purposeful arena-drenched power chords (I'm guessing Trevor Horn produced the song, but the 40 seconds it would take to confirm this on allmusic are 40 seconds I'll never get back), the Spector-ass "Be My Baby" drum pattern (ingeniously evoked by the cartoon Congressman via foot-stamping), "Do you remember when we used to dance / And incidence arose from circumstance?"--so that what first seems like a random choice by stoned 30-something writers starts to look like just what that scene called for.
Too often this show is overwhelmed by its contention that nothing means anything, nothing is worth caring about, get over it, etc. But here's one instance where that impulse works. If we actually have to have an argument about whether or not a stem cell deserves to be protected in our "culture of life," there's a certain dignity in opting out by leading a rousing chorus of some collective-memory doggrel. And as a gesture, singing it is no more fake or empty than dragging Terry Schiavo into Congress and in front of the cameras.
On the subject of Asia (the band, not the continent), in searching for this clip I made a startling discovery:
January 30, 2005
PRESS RELEASE
What do James Bond and Eric Cartman have in common? Read on...
You may recall Cartman singing "Heat of the Moment" on Capitol Hill in Kenny's final episode of South Park, where Kenny actually died and went to heaven.
All those Senators joining in the chorus, a tribute to democracy and the power of satire.
Now we can confirm that "Heat of the Moment" has been chosen as a lead song in Pierce Brosnan's new film, The Matador.
Distributed by Miramax, this black comedy/thriller stars Brosnan as a hired killer who meets Greg Kinnear in Mexico City, setting off an odd and stirring chain of events. The film recently made its worldwide debut to critical acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival.
The Matador also stars Hope Davis, Philip Baker Hall, Dylan Baker, Roberto Sosa and Adam Scott, and is directed by Richard Shepard.
More information to follow.
Way to go, Geoff Downes!
Also:
February 08, 2005
We can now confirm that Carl Palmer will be guesting on "Heat of the Moment" and "Only Time Will Tell" with Asia on all of their Italian dates except at the Magic Bus in Venezia on February 24. This is the first time for Carl to play live with the band in 14 years!
Steve Howe, are you listening? We need a miracle...
