1075 – Charlie and his Orchestra

11 Apr 20194 Jun 2019 pnea

In the twisted annals of the Third Reich, few stories are so improbable as that of “Charlie and his Orchestra.” Even as Nazis campaigned against “degenerate” jazz music, persecuting musicians and throwing “swing kids” into concentration camps, behind the scenes Joseph Goebbels and his Propaganda Ministry were creating a jazz orchestra that would serve up Nazi propaganda backed by the latest music.

Let’s go bombing

You’re Driving Me Crazy

Elmer’s Tune (German Submarines)

Thanks For The Memory

wiki: Charlie and his Orchestra (also referred to as the “Templin band” and “Bruno and His Swinging Tigers”) were a Nazi-sponsored German propaganda swing band. Jazz music styles were seen by Nazi authorities as rebellious but, ironically, propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels conceived of using the style in shortwave radio broadcasts aimed initially at the United Kingdom, and later the United States, after the German declaration of war on 11 December 1941.

British listeners heard the band every Wednesday and Saturday at about 9 pm. The importance of the band in the propaganda war was underscored by a BBC survey released after World War II, which indicated that 26.5 percent of all British listeners had at some point heard programmes from Germany. The German Propaganda Ministry also distributed their music on 78 rpm records to POW camps and occupied countries.

Propaganda Swing: Dr. Goebbels’ Jazz Orchestra (1991 documentary)

movies

1018 – Green Book (2018)

9 Mar 20191 Jun 2021 pnea

timespace coordinates: a tour of the Deep South, 1962

Green-Book Green Book is a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly. Set in 1962, the film is inspired by the true story of a tour of the Deep South by Jamaican–American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and Italian-American bouncer Tony Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen) who served as Shirley’s driver and bodyguard.

green book alternative poster

The film was written by Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie and Vallelonga’s son, Nick Vallelonga, based on interviews with his father and Shirley, as well as letters his father wrote to his mother. The film is named after The Negro Motorist Green Book, a mid-20th century guidebook for African-American travelers written by Victor Hugo Green, to help them find motels and restaurants that would accept them at a time of widespread racial segregation and sunset towns. (wiki)

imdb / controversies

movies

0899 – Blindspotting (2018)

14 Dec 201822 Jun 2021 pnea

timespace coordinates: 2010’s Oakland California

Blindspotting is a 2018 American comedy-drama film written, produced by and starring Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. Carlos López Estrada directs while Janina Gavankar, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Ethan Embry, Tisha Campbell-Martin, Utkarsh Ambudkar, and Wayne Knight also star. The plot follows a parolee with three days left on his sentence, only to have him witness a police shooting that threatens to ruin a lifelong friendship.

The screenplay for Blindspotting was written by Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs over a period of nine years. Daveed, who grew up in Oakland, and Rafael, who grew up in bordering Berkeley, California, felt that cinematic portrayals of the San Francisco Bay Area have constantly “missed something”. They wanted to draw attention to the culture, community, and sense of “heightened reality” that shape life in Oakland. The film addresses issues of gentrification, police violence, and racism. (wiki)

blindspotting.movie / imdb

documentary, music

0894 – The Weird World of Blowfly (2010)

12 Dec 201824 Nov 2021 pnea

The Weird World of Blowfly is a 2010 documentary film about rapper and hip hop musician Clarence Reid, a/k/a Blowfly, directed by Jonathan Furmanski. In addition to Reid, the film features collaborators Tom Bowker and Otto von Schirach along with perspectives from Chuck D, Ice-T, and Die Ärzte. (wiki)

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Clarence Reid is a musician who wrote and produced romantic and spiritual songs for some of the greatest Southern soul and R&B acts of the 1960s and ’70s. He is also the gonzo performer Blowfly, Clarence’s freaky alter ego and the original X-rated rapper. “The Weird World of Blowfly” explores both sides of this hilarious and controversial artist, providing a rare, inside peek at the infamous linguist’s daily life. Now 69-years-old, with a gold-spangled superhero costume and a catalog of the world’s raunchiest tunes, Blowfly tours the world, still struggling for success and recognition after 50 years of making music. The film highlights both Clarence’s and Blowfly’s unique contributions to music history, including Top-10 R&B hits and what might be the world’s first rap song, recorded in 1965. Shot over the course of two years, the film follows Clarence at home and around the world, featuring dozens of classic Blowfly songs as well as new hits. A revealing portrait of an unheralded man… (imdb)

documentary, movies, music, Uncategorized

892 – Bodied (2017)

11 Dec 201820 Nov 2019 pnea

Bodied is a 2017 American battle rap comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Kahn. It was written by Alex Larsen (aka Kid Twist.) and produced by Eminem, his manager Paul Rosenberg, and Adi Shankar. The film stars Calum Worthy as Adam, a graduate student who becomes a competitive battle rapper after becoming immersed in the scene while working on his graduate thesis on the subject. (wiki)

Shoniqua Shandai, Walter Perez, Rory Uphold also star in the film. Well known battle rappers Dizaster, Dumbfoundead, Hollow Da Don and media personality Charlamagne Tha God are among the supporting cast.

imdb / rottentomatoes

documentary, Uncategorized

882 – The Minds of Men (2018 Documentary)

6 Dec 201811 May 2019 pnea

“The Minds of Men” is a 3+ year investigation into the experimentation, art, and practice of social engineering and mind control during the Cold War – a mind-bending journey into the past that gives startling insight into the world we are living in today.