The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit - * * * 1/2

There was a time when the Beatles hadn't set foot in America. This is a documentary of that first visit, and is an interesting window into the Beatles phenomenon.

Here are the lads from Liverpool invading the U.S. -- and they practically look like kids. In this documentary, you get a front row seat on the Ed Sullivan show -- in New York and in Florida. You get to see the girls screaming. You get to see how charming the lads are.

They get to spend a lot of time in a hotel suite, watching themselves on TV, looking out the window to adoring fans, and sometimes looking bored. This is a different time, when there was only one phone in the room, and whenever someone calls, the lads (yes, they answer the phone themselves) tell the person on the other end that they're blocking the line.

It's fascinating to watch the Beatles taking public transportation (a train) between gigs. They mingle with everyday passengers, talking to whomever wanted to talk to them. It's a far cry from the private jets and motorcades of today.

I was also surprised at how aware the Beatles were of their record sales. I could see their manager Brian Epstein being on top of this, but it seems like all the Beatles know how many units they're moving on any particular day.

This is a fascinating piece of history that all fans of the Beatles and music should watch.

The Beatles - The First U.S. Visit (1991) DVD

Mayor of the Sunset Strip - * * * 1/2

Viewed on DVD

Sam, who plays bass in Chris Mess, loaned me this documentary after she and Chris told me about this LA music fixture. This documentary feels a little like Forrest Gump's jaunt through history, only Bingenheimer's journey is through music.

Bingenheimer, a D.J. on LA's radio station KROQ, was the first to play bands that went on to be major recording artists. From KROQ's website:

"He was the first to play records by - and interviews with such artists on his KROQ show as: Blondie, The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, Van Halen, The Go-Go's, Nina Hagen, The Cramps, Nena, The Clash, The Cure, The Smiths, The B-52's, Billy Idol, Adam Ant, Echobelly, Ride, X, Siouxie and the Banshees, Bad Religion, Duran Duran, The Jam, The Bangles, The Runaways, Redd Kross, Bananrama, Joan Jett, Tom Petty, Dramarama, Teenage Fan Club, Suede, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen, No Doubt, Blur, Elastica, Belly, L7, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Rialto, Placebo, Oasis, The Verve, Kent, Ash, Gene, Travis, Coldplay, Doves, JJ72, The Strokes, Starsailor, The Hives, The Vines, Black Rebel, Motorcycle Club, and The Electric Soft Parade plus over 300 celebrity interviews!"

Bingenheimer is one of those people behind the curtain, creating the LA scene, which in turn becomes the world scene. You tend not to hear of these people until someone notices and writes a book, does a news story, or a documentary film.

The "Gumpian" part of this documentary is that Bingenheimer has been around and discovered many of the major music artists past thirty years. There are pictures of the Beatles, with Bingenheimer standing off to the side. He was there with the Monkees. He hangs out with David Bowie. There were times I wondered if this was a mockumentary not unlike Woody Allen's Zelig, as Bingenheimer seemed to be everywhere.

What struck me almost from the beginning was the sadness surrounding Bingenheimer. This was especially evident in his meeting with David Bowie. It's obvious the two know each other, that they might even be friends; but underneath it all, Bingenheimer is really just a music fan who happens to be in a position of influence. The sadness comes from Bingenheimer understanding that this is his station in life.

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To see another documentary about a different type of influential person, see Big City Dick, about Seattle fixture Richard Peterson and his influence on bands like Stone Temple Pilots.

Firefly - Disc 1 - * * *

Viewed on DVD -- 2/17/06

I have a feeling Firefly, the TV series, and Serenity, the movie based on the series, will one day be considered great Sci-Fi by the masses. But for now, people don't seem to know what to do with it. I know I didn't when it first came on TV. I remember thinking, is this a Western or a Sci-Fi?

And then there's the Joss Whedon effect. Someone out there really wants me to know that not only did Joss Whedon create Firefly, but he directed it, wrote it, produced it, and even wrote the theme song. Talented guy. I keep wondering if he went to the John Carpenter school of movie credit s (e.g. "John Carpenter's The Thing"), or if he just wants to make sure all his high-school buddies know he's the one responsible for this show. (To set the record straight, Joss is from Buffy the Vampire fame, so they're trying to connect him to that audience.)

All that aside, the pilot of Firefly is gripping and pretty original. If you've never heard anything about it, it concerns a crew of veterans (now space cowboys) who are crusing around space in a Firefly-class ship, looking for a way to make a living. The winners of the war, "The Alliance," are hot on their tale. The ship is falling apart. The captain has a big ego. And no one wants to pay them. Add to that a Doctor who has brought his Jessica Alba-like sister, who is really a highly trained instrument of war, and it gets even better.

So, I look forward to watching the other Firefly shows, after just seeing a few of them. Unfortunately, there probably won't be any more of this franchise, since they haven't performed up to Hollywood TV or movie standards.