Watching Mozart in the Jungle.

I've been curious about the series Mozart in the Jungle.  My interest mainly stemmed from the participation in the show by British actor Malcolm McDowell.  I've always been a huge fan of his work and he's been mentioning Mozart in the Jungle during his latest convention appearances.

Usually it doesn't take me long to check out McDowell's performance in anything I'm aware of.  But Mozart in the Jungle is a production of Amazon - available at this time only via streaming and I'm not much into (what I deem) new fangled viewing methods.  The show's second season premiered weeks ago and the recent Golden Globe Awards gave a victory to Mozart in the Jungle for best comedy or musical series.  With the win fueling interest, Amazon made Mozart in the Jungle available for free streaming over the weekend and I decided to indulge.  Each of the show's two seasons are comprised of ten episodes running at an average of about twenty five minutes.  I watched all but one segment of the show.  The result left me a bit bleary eyed (but not nearly as badly as McDowell from undergoing the ludvico treatment in A Clockwork Orange) and a huge fan of Mozart in the Jungle. 

Mozart in the Jungle revolves around the New York Orchestra.  The major players in the show's storyline include a young female bassoonist looking to make the grade to perform in the big time, the orchestra's unconventional new maestro who has arrived on the scene amid a whirlwind of fanatic attention and Thomas, the former conductor who attempts to accept the new situation as an agent of change even if he is not a hundred percent favorable to it.  The episodes are highly enjoyable as independent entities, but there are continuing story arcs which provide additional substance to the series large cast of characters.  My favorite supporting character is the aging percussionist who hasn't seemed willing to give up a single hippie trait.  Secret politics play out in the board rooms funding the orchestra while romances weave throughout the lives of the musicians.  I had sort of feared when approaching this show that it would be filled with young angst amid dating frenzies and adherents to the show biz saying of "Let's put on a show"!  Instead I was entranced by clever scripts concerning the life efforts of the musicians of various ages.  The new orchestra conductor's methods (such as breaking into an abandoned lot in the middle of a city block to get in touch with the city's soil and spirit) at first befuddles the orchestra.  But the orchestra warms up to his actions, as I did.     

Overall I would say Mozart in the Jungle is a charming series with a magnificently quirky attitude. 

For me, Malcolm McDowell is the highlight.  He plays Thomas, the orchestra's former leader.  Thomas is an eccentric.  You can never be sure of what he has in mind.  That makes for a lot of fun and McDowell acts with great gusto.  He played a similar highly esteemed eccentric of grand ideas most recently in Franklin and Bash, which ran for several seasons on TNT.  Here's hoping that Mozart in the Jungle runs for more outstanding seasons!

Myself & Mozart in the Jungle star Malcolm McDowell at Horrorfind.  

Changes

I have never been much for change.  I feel comfortable adhering to set patterns.

Ah, the change that can come from a minute or a mile!

Last week my blogging was cheerfully concerned with David Bowie, who was in the news for the release of his latest album Blackstar to coincide with his birthday last Friday.  The two new videos from Blackstar were mesmerizingly cryptic.  The visuals were lavishly stunning and the words were enigmatically endearing.   These elements were found in all of Bowie’s output and is a great part of my attraction to his work.  His imagination was drawn to the otherworldly outcast.  He was creating what fueled my dreams.

Before the excitement of Blackstar’s release had time to fade, a fresh wave of Bowie emotion surged to the forefront of the news.  Bowie had died before weekend’s wane.

Apparently the musical genius had been suffering from cancer.  He shared so many roles with the world via his music – Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, etc. – but his role as cancer fighter he played out privately.

Released videos from Blackstar have been scrutinized for farewell clues.  With an artist as intellectual and vibrant as Bowie, a multitude of clues can be found or imagined.

I’ve read a lot about Bowie and watched/listened eagerly to everything of his I could.  Articles and more about him have stoked the media over the last few days.  I have no greater knowledge about him to share, other then to express my personal adoration of his work.  I thought he was wonderfully bizarre as the title character in The Man Who Fell to Earth.  I loved the futuristic noir styling Bowie incorporated into his 90’s album Outside.  Outside and Diamond Dogs (which began life as a musical version of George Orwell’s 1984) played with paranoia and dark visions of a futuristic society.  This and other elements of Bowie’s charisma remind me of another of the icons I adore – Patrick McGoohan.

Patrick McGoohan’s probably most famous for his work as star of The Prisoner, a 60’s series he also worked behind the scenes to bring to life.  The program revolved around a secret agent who found himself mysteriously transported to an enigmatic village at an unknown locale.  The Prisoner has the edge of Kafka as it dealt with the manifestations of government, education and more upon the life of citizens.

There are some cool connections I can stretch between McGoohan and Bowie.  Patrick McGoohan played a spy using the name David Jones in the film Ice Station Zebra and David Bowie was born with the name David Jones.  Both Bowie and McGoohan died in the month of January.  Both Patrick McGoohan and David Bowie are at the top of my list of favorite artists.

Artists have always been my heroes.  How appropriate that one of Bowie’s songs is called Heroes.  And then there’s also that early hit of Bowie’s called changes that is always due a new listening.

The Many Names and Abilities of David Bowie

Today is the birthday of David Bowie - but when Bowie was born his name was David Jones.

It seems somewhat appropriate for an iconic musician who shed his apparent identity with each new album to have selected a new name to start his career.  Actually adopting a stage name is not all that uncommon, and David Jones/Bowie allegedly selected his new name thanks to the popularity of the bowie knife and a desire to not be confused with the Davy Jones who was heating up the music and television world as a Monkee.  But even with the Bowie moniker in place, David Jones became famous under yet another name…Ziggy Stardust.

It should probably be no surprise that an artist so talented at creating characters from his work would be equally adapt at fashioning concept albums.  Many of Bowie’s albums follow through a concept in form of character or world.  Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars was an exploration of the inner alien rock star – his success and corruption.  The album was influential in its visual attributes which were coined glam rock.  Bowie had toyed in the sci-fi realm earlier with the song Space Oddity at the time sci-fi was really just emerging as a vital component in everyday society from film (2001 A Space Odyssey) to the real moon landing.  Bowie’s future concept albums would draw on sci-fi elements from Diamond Dogs which gained life as an interpretation of George Orwell’s 1984 to Outside which took listeners to a dire future society where art could have dark origins and influence.  I greatly enjoy all of David Bowie’s work, but Outside is a particular favorite – although only after multiple listenings which I often find to be the case with Bowie’s innovatively rich out put.

Due to Bowie’s changing musical viewpoints, he is often referred to as a chameleon of music.  No surprise then that a character master should find his way to the theater.  Bowie portrayed John Merrick – better known as The Elephant Man – on the New York stage.  His film work has been more numerous – although still usually in a role of an outsider.  There is no surprise seeing him in The Man Who Fell To Earth as an alien seduced by Earth’s vices as he attempts to complete an mysterious mission.  Other notable roles of Bowie’s include his rapidly aging  vampyric character in The Hunger from directot Tony Scott and as cult favorite scientist Nikola Tesla in director Christopher Nolan’s enigmatic meditation on magic called The Prestige.

Of course Bowie’s contribution to film isn’t limited to acting.  He’s provided soundtracks to many notable films.  In fact his theme of Putting Out the Fire from the remake of Cat People is what first brought the David Bowie name to my attention!