While we sort of detest random and indiscriminate features that have nothing to do with the daily, weekly or monthly discourse, we did want to steer the conversation back to music. So every week (or so…) we’re going to do a regular feature called, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, where one of our writers is going to discuss an old soundtrack and film, why its great and why you should know it.
The Soundtrack: “Wonder Boys” (2000) directed by Curtis Hanson
The Film: A tale of mutual appreciation and inspiration. A once venerated literary figure turned College English Professor (a startlingly good Michael Douglas) lives in jeopardy of not fulfilling the promise of his critically well-received first novel. Six years, 2,000 pages, one crumbling marriage and one new affair later (Frances McDormand) , the teacher has still failed to reign in his unwieldy, rambling and marijuana propelled tome. His editor (Robert Downey Jr.) suffers due to the author’s fruitless efforts and returns for a weekend. The spiritual and emotional floundering takes a turn for the better when an odd, but brilliant student and writer (Tobey Maguire) enters his live and mutual difficulties eventually enliven and actuate positive change. Based on the novel of the same name by author, Michael Chabon.
What Sets It Apart: The music perfectly compliments the picture, serving as an extension to the main character, Professor Grady Tripp (Douglas). The director of the film, Curtis Hanson, wanted the music to explore Grady’s character as well as the movie’s themes: past promise, future success, and a sense of purpose.
“We focused on the singer/songwriters of the late sixties and seventies whose poetry is akin to the self-revelatory, literary voices of the ‘wonder boys’ in the movie. We also felt these poets would’ve appealed to the younger Grady, a pot-head intellectual with an appreciation for a well turned phrase,” Curtis said in the DVD commentary. That’s why the soundtrack features the likes of Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Van Morrison, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan, who has four tracks included on it.
man – oh man
The Money Shot: The first half of the film the music is almost imperceptible aside from score. But around the midway point, Neil Young’s song “Old Man” which plays Douglas’ character sits in his car reading one of his student’s rough drafts for a novel. Here the lyrics say what we have already figured out, and that is that his troubled student, James Leer, for better or worse, is indeed alot like him. Another key music sequence features Bob Dylan’s new classic, “Not Dark Yet.” The song was the first one chosen by Hanson and his music supervisor after deciding Dylan’s music would play an integral role. The scene has Tripp arriving home after listening to a moving passage his student has written that suggest his creativity and brilliance has gone cold. According to Hanson, it was shot in a way to accommodate the song, and as Tripp wanders through his house, again “the lyrics reflect what Grady is feeling at this emotional low point in the movie.” He’s old, he’s washed up, but more importantly, he’s alone.
Behind the Music: It had been a dream of Hanson’s to work with Bob Dylan ever since Dylan scored Sam Peckinpah’s “Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid” in 1973. Likewise, Dylan admired Hanson’s previous film, “L.A. Confidential.” So when Hanson heard Dylan might be interested in contributing an original song to the film, he invited him to watch some rough cut footage, and finally convinced him to do it. The result was the song, “Things Have Changed” which plays over both the opening and ending credits. As to why Dylan, Hanson stated, “Who knows more about being a Wonder Boy and the trap it can be, about the expectations and the fear of repeating yourself?”
Bonus Tracks: – Bob Dylan won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for “Things Have Changed,” which he then performed live via satellite from Australia for the broadcast.
– Curtis Hanson’s next film, “8 Mile,” also won the Oscar for Best Song with Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”
– Dylan also provided the original song, “Huck’s Tune,” for Curtis Hanson’s not-so-great film, “Lucky You” in 2007. In addition to that, he’s also contributed originals for “Gods and Generals,” “North Country,” and will have a track included in Olivier Dahan’s (“La Vie En Rose”) upcoming film, “My Own Love Song.”
– “Not Dark Yet” has also been used in the sub-par films, “Knockaround Guys” and “Henry Poole is Here.”
– While on tour in 2002, Bob Dylan regularly covered Neil Young’s “Old Man,” although in 1985 Dylan criticized Young for “sounding like him.”
Choice Cuts: “Things Have Changed” – Bob Dylan, “Not Dark Yet” – Bob Dylan, “Old Man” – Neil Young, “Philosophers Stone” – Van Morrison