Oh, hello there.
Since I have a moment of your precious time, I'll tell you what I like to do with mine.
Besides helping AIDS-ridden children in Africa or volunteering at the burn ward at Children's Hospital, I like to watch movies. More specific, I like to watch movies and listen to CDs. More, more specific, I like to watch them together. More, more, more specific, I like to see if their themes coincide, or music changes as the movie does.
You may have heard of people doing this with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and Wizard of Oz. (Since dubbed, The Dark Side of Oz) Marijuana, or hooch as the kids call it, is often the preferred catalyst for recognizing such synchronicity. Not for me though; it is both illegal, hard to obtain, and harmful to your temple. Instead, I get the mind workin' with a tall glass of OJ and apricot jam sandwich.
Since most of the children burn victims have died of infection-related complications at the hospital, and the AIDS problem is now under control in Africa, (I'd like to think I had something to do with that) I have a whole summer dedicated to finding subtle coincidences between both mediums and assuming that the later made one is paying an homage to the earlier made one. It's gonna be a gas.
Here are a few that I have in mind:
(Remember to mute the film clip and turn up the music clip real loud.)
Midnight Cowboy (1969) and WWF The Music, Vol. 3 (1998)
-Why They Sync
Midnight Cowboy is a film about a lovely young Texan (Joe Buck played by a strapping Jon Voight) in an ugly, decaying New York City. His sexual prowess back in the Long-Horn state does not translate so well in the Big Apple. A handicapped Dustin Hoffman plays his enemy, mentor, and eventual friend. WWF Vol. 3's tracks likewise chronicle the rise, fall, shame, and redemption of Joe Buck as the selected wrestler's theme music corresponds to the films thematic and tonal order. The Rock's "Do You Smell It" plays at times in the film where Dustin Hoffman is cooking and as Joe Buck puts on cologne. Coincidence? Or did the producers of Vol. 3 have Midnight Cowboy in mind when putting together the album. Let's take another look:
Hmmmm, me thinks I smell synchronicity! Notice the intensity of the horns when Buck and hag start kissing; the intensity grows as they cut to Jon Voight's firm 'lil ass.
New Name: Midnight Grapplin'
Birth of a Nation (1915) and N.W.A.'s Niggaz4Life (1991)
-Why They Sync
The way I see it, NWA's Niggaz4Life album was made purely to satirize the overt racism and misogyny found in D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation. Although Eazy, Dre, and the boys did not come flat out and say it, Niggaz' themes and mocking tone undoubtedly pays a scornful homage to a film that was as racist as it was cinematically revolutionary. Song's such as "Real Niggaz Don't Die," "Real Niggaz," "Niggaz 4 Life," and "She Swallowed It" sync up to scenes depicting the KKK lynch characters in blackface and Afro-Americans terrorizing wholesome women and children. The brilliance of such parody is NWA's timing. The black communities' answer to Griffith comes exactly 75 years after the film's release; I can just see Dre and Yella in the studio chuckling as they say "We got you now D.W.!"
Ah, the genius of Dre! MC Ren's line at :35 "And run me outta my neighborhood" comes right as the camera cuts to the KKK stampeding through the forest. It happens again at 1:48 as he says "A million white motherfuckers on my back like I shot the president." If you think Dark Side of the Moon is chock full of Oz references, you need to sit down for 3 hours and play Niggaz two 1/2 times over Birth of a Nation my friend.
New Name: Birth of Niggaz
The Passion of the Christ (2004) and William Hung's Inspiration (2004)
-Why They Sync
Both seminal works of art have touched Christians and music-lovers alike with their honest portrayals of suffering and death. One cannot help but feel as though their skin is being flayed and head pierced by thorns whenever they hear one syllable uttered by William Hung. Oh yeah, and watching Jesus' torture is pretty horrible too. Nonetheless, Mel Gibson's Passion and Hung's Inspiration go hand-in-hand. Released in the same year, one can not help but think the producers planned on having the public tryan' find similarities between them. Hung's covers of "YMCA" and "She Bangs" undeniably fit the tonal mood of Christ's last days as a mortal; while Elton John covers "Circle of Life" and "Rocket Man" perfectly sync to Christ's excruciatingly long death and subsequent resurrection. Let's see an example, yes?
We can assume that William Hung's cover of this R. Kelly classic is playing throughout Christ's head as he is brutally flogged and publicly shamed. Moreover, the closing track of Inspiration, "Shake your Bon-Bon" perfectly coincides with the closing of Passion as Christ begins his resurrection.
New Name: Singing and Sunging, Hanging and Hunging OR: Hunging Around: Jesus Rocks!
These have been a few examples of albums that synchronize with a film; either thematically or mood wise. Here are a few more that I can't wait to try out:
The Who-The Who Sell Out (1967) and Rushmore (1998) Common Theme: Handjobs
Curtis Mayfield- Superfly Soundtrack (1972) and Superfly (1972) Common Theme: Superfly
Dane Cook-Random Stand up CD and The Hangover (2010): See how the digression of comedy, humanity complement each other; decrease D-bag population via head explosions
Static-X-Wisconsin Death Trip (1999) and Stroszek (1977) Common Theme: Wisconsin Death Trip
The Police-Synchronicity (1983) and a blank T.V. screen: See if Sting is all powerful, i.e. transposing himself onto my screen and making a movie which syncs to this album; which I'm sure he'll gladly do.
Thomas Dolby-The Golden Age of Wireless (1982) and The Fly (1986) Common Theme: Insect-like Nerdlingers
Snoop Doggy Dogg- Doggystyle (1993) and There Will Be Blood (2007) Common Theme: Why the Fuck not.
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