A Farewell to Mr. Duke

Like most people, my first introduction to Thompson was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which I read when I was a senior in high school. A lot of people I knew were entranced solely by the unbelievable tales of drug and alcohol consumption, but for me all of that was secondary. What fascinated me was his style. He was hysterical, biting, over-the-top; he pulled no punches; he was "punk" before the word had any real meaning (and he remained it even after it lost what meaning it had). I began reading everything of his I could get my hands on: The Great Shark Hunt, Generation of Swine, Hell's Angels, Better than Sex, all amazing and frantic works. For me, though, his best work (and my fifth favorite book of all time) was Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72. It is the best book I've ever read about the American political process and should be mandatory in every college Intro to Political Scinece class. Thompson covered issues and events in a way that nobody else would, cutting through the bullshit to get to the heart of the matter. And he made it (gonzo journalism) seem so easy. When I would write back in those days, it was his voice that I would ape, using it as a flashlight to find my own.

A lot of people regarded the good Doctor as a wholly cynical creature, but those people just weren't paying attention. I think one of the reasons he spoke to me so much back then, and still does today, is because no matter what absurdities he saw transpire in the world of politics, and how angry or frustrated they made him, he always believed that the American people wouldn't let themselves be hoodwinked by "those bastards". He was a sturdy and consistant voice of dissent in a media that is filled to the brim with spineless fuck wits, and he was needed more than ever. What did he know that would make him do this? What finally made this fearless son of a bitch cash in his chips? It's a good question, but one for another day. There will be time for such contemplations for when the expense accounts run out. Rest in peace, Doc.

It's a shame about Ray

Dutch and I finally saw Ray last night and, to be honest, my feelings are pretty mixed. First, the good stuff: everything you've heard about Jamie Foxx's performance is true. He is incredible. He isn't just doing some half-assed impersonation, he really does become Ray Charles. Another performance in the film that hasn't received any press (as far as I know) is Curtis Armstrong's Ahmet. You may know Curtis better as Booger from Revenge of the Nerds. Well, he's pretty good here too. As far as a score is concerned, you couldn't ask for better material. It's too bad that the soundtrack that's for sale doesn't contain all the songs we hear in the movie, but if it did it would probably be two disc long (not that there's anything wrong with that). The movie also doesn't shy away from some of the darker aspects of its subject's life, in the way, say, A Beautiful Mind does. Charles loved the ladies, and he loved the Horse and thankfully neither of these is swept under the rug.

All that being said, Ray falls victim to so many of the problems that plague biopics. For starters, in almost all of the scenes outside of the studio or off the stage, it comes across as pretty heavy handed and cheesy (the scene where Ray and Margie come up with "Hit the Road, Jack" is the worst offender). The film also gives very simple explanations for complicated things, like the reasons behind Charles' heroin addiction. I can see how you might want to simplify things (Ray's guilt over his brother's death led to his smack habit) for the sake of time, but the movie clocks in at about two and a half hours and feels longer than that. Maybe if it had left out some of the repetitive incidents there would've been more time to delve deeper into the life of a complex man. How the director (Taylor Hackford) got nominated for an Oscar is beyond me. I mean, was there really any need for that psychedelic detox scene near the end?

Again, I want to state how amazing Jamie Foxx was. Between this, Collateral and his little performance on the Grammys the other night, I'm pretty sure he can do anything. I wouldn't doubt that he has the ability to write the Great American Novel if he wanted to. It's just a shame that such a dynamic performance is in such a by-the-numbers, TV mini-series type movie. Foxx and Charles deserve better.