Oh MY!

[annathepiper]

So, there's this new article on Russell Crowe in GQ. I'd already heard about this courtesy of russell_daily, where a couple of pics from said article had been posted, but I hadn't actually glanced at the text.

However, I just saw a thread up on OKP Kenora about the article--and my eyes damn near popped out of my head when I read that Russell has been collaborating with Alan Doyle on writing a song. In other words, my favorite actor has collaborated with my favorite singer on a SONG.

Russell is not as good a lyricist as Alan--but there are certain TOFOG songs that do reach out and grab me, like "Wendy" or "Painted Veil" or "Judas Cart". His style is definitely rougher than Alan's. But there is a certain kind of rough grace to his lyrics for me. The thought of The Doyle coming in on a song with him, though--WOW. I mean, WOW. I think the only thing that would make me swoon harder is if they actually sing something together. :D I've been fantasizing about them singing together ever since I learned that Russell was a GBS fan and heard TOFOG do a GBS song in concert... this makes me wonder whether it might actually happen someday!


Here's the relevant snippet of the article:

He leads me back to the book-lined office of his waterfront Sydney home, disappears for a moment, and returns, his face full of fatherly delight, his 1-year-old son, Charlie, in his arms. When Charlie has taken his leave, Crowe suggests we listen to some music. He guides me through the highlights of (Last Night We Were) the Delicious Wolves, by the Canadian Hawksley Workman, a record Crowe was introduced to in Toronto by his Cinderella Man costar Renée Zellweger. Together we take sensible, mystified pleasure in the line You took your clothes off to remind me of the ocean. Then he asks whether I would like to hear his own latest song. He has been collaborating with a songwriter named Alan Doyle, from a Canadian band he likes called Great Big Sea; this new song, “Raewyn,” has a different level of poise and grace than much of the records by Crowe’s band, Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts, and its lyrics are both elegant and more direct. It draws on two traumatic early deaths in the Crowe family tree—his mother’s sister Raewyn and his father’s brother Charlie—and on his own new family, on how these are linked by name and heritage, and of what it is to be a parent and a child:

“My mother’s sister committed suicide when she was 21. Slashed her wrists in the bath. And my father’s youngest brother died in a scuba-diving accident when he was 17. It just hadn’t occurred to me what my father would have been able to say to my mother when she lost her sister, because he had had the same experience, and how close that must make them.”

Growing up, were you very aware of all this history?

She died while I was alive. He died just before I was born. It was one of the odd things, when Dani wanted to call the baby Charlie and I said, “I don’t think that’ll go down very well in my family.” We’ve had two Charles Crowes. One died scuba diving at 17. The other, the uncle of my grandfather, died in the Battle of Britain at 21. But Dani had an Uncle Charlie who moved from York to Hollywood and lived till he was 96. So I went on two things: a combination of genes and third-time lucky.

Did I mention WOW? :D

Comments

but

[mpulse.livejournal.com]

what about Circus and Things have got to change?, especially the videos putting them even more into perspective...

hope the Doyle/Crowe collaberation is true,

Re: but

[annathepiper]

"Things Have Got To Change" is also high on my list of well-written TOFOG songs--there are certain times when that song has been a theme song for my life. But "Wendy", "Painted Veil", and "Judas Cart" are all TOFOG ditties I tend to listen to a little more often, so I think they grab me harder.

"Circus" I don't listen to as often--but I'll cheerfully grant you that it's one of the strongest songs on Gaslight.

Damn, I'm tickled pink by the idea of Russell and Alan working together. :D If this kind of thing is going to be happening, this makes GBS being on hiatus for a while a LOT easier for me to deal with. :D

Do you have the DVD?

[mpulse.livejournal.com]

circus quickly upped on me from that one...

Re: Do you have the DVD?

[annathepiper]

I do indeed own a copy of Texas. I haven't looked at the "Circus" video in a while, but from what I remember, yeah, it was a good one. :)

Re: Do you have the DVD?

[upgasm.livejournal.com]

loved Circus, i used to watch it every time on tofogworld jeje

Re: Do you have the DVD?

[annathepiper]

I don't give that song or its video enough credit, I think. It's not in my regular TOFOG rotation on my iPod... but then, I don't usually listen to most of Gaslight anyway, and there's good stuff on there that surprises me anew every time I listen to it.

Nice icon you have there. :)

[mizkit.livejournal.com]

You're such a geek. :)

[annathepiper]

*giggle* Yes. Yes, I am. (Hey, what can I say--it just pleases me to ridiculous extremes that my favorite actor loves the same band I do. ;) And loves them to the extent that he's actually working on writing songs with their lead singer!)

[silme711.livejournal.com]

mmmmmm...The GQ article is great. One of the best I read in a while.

*sighs*..I wish I'd know who Alan Doyle is..I need a bit research, I guess :)

[annathepiper]

He is the lead singer of my favorite band, Great Big Sea. :) His bio on the band's site can be found here.

He wrote "How Did We Get From Saying I Love You?", a song released on GBS's second album, and which Russell and TOFOG did on their 2001 tour. ^_^

[boxer-ferret.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links.. I didn't know anything about them.

Check this out.. right-hand column... http://www.herald.ns.ca/stories/2005/02/12/fEntertainment259.raw.html

A new release later this year, apparently.

[annathepiper]

You are most welcome! I'm always happy to share data on GBS. :)

And OOH, new TOFOG recording soon? YAY! I've been hoping to hear something about that; even if TOFOG never tours again (or at least never tours where I can actually go see them play), I'll be happy as long as they keep putting out good records. :D

Since GBS is also in theory coming out with a new album this year, it shall be a good musical year for the Anna. Thank YOU for that link!