Hello there listeners and readers,

As promised, this week I'm featuring soundtrack pieces to the great films of Wim Wenders. A tribute of sorts. If you didn't already know, and most of you do, Wim Wenders one of my favorite all time directors. As a matter of a fact, he directed my favorite movie of all time, "Wings Of Desire". He is considered to be the most "American" of the foreign directors making movies today. He is German, and after losing interest in the German cinema at the time of his late teens, he mainly watched American films. Much like me, he is a big fan of rock and roll, and he has been quoted in saying that if he never found rock and roll, he "would have been a lawyer instead of a film maker". His films mostly deal with life's characters in real and surreal situations, and some of his movies move in what would seem in real time. By most people standards, his films would be considered slow, but mostly they just demand an attention span, which most people seem to do not have. There really isn't a bad Wenders film in my opinion. Some are better than others, and I would go as far to say that, some of them are masterpieces. "Paris, Texas", "Alice In The Cities", "The American Friend", "The State Of Things", "Faraway, So Close", "Until The End Of The World", "The End Of Violence", "The Buena Vista Social Club", and "Wings Of Desire" are some of my favorite movies ever made. His movies are experienced, not just watched. They have to be enveloped. You have to give yourself to his characters and let yourself go with the dialogue. If you do that, you'll be just fine. The main reason I'm doing this show, is to celebrate one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Three years ago, I found out that Bono of U2, and Wim were planning to do a science fiction movie together called "The Billion Dollar Hotel". With a name like Bono attached to the project, I was intrigued by the prospect of Wenders finally making a picture that would be seen by many people. After budget problems the film was changed from a science fiction feature to a story about various characters that live in a run down hotel in Los Angeles, California. The name was also changed to "The Million Dollar Hotel". Soon after I found that information, I had heard that Mel Gibson would star in the feature, and he would also help get it financed. I again thought, "Wow!!! It's really going to happen, Wenders will finally break into the mainstream!" The production came and went and there was a proposed released date of February 2000. The movie was released that month only in Europe, but to critical praise. It even won the "Silver Berlin Award" at the Berlin Film Festival in 2000. I was waiting all of the year 2000 to see it. During that year, after being pushed by interviewers that the film was slow in pace and boring in the story and plot, Mel Gibson jokingly lashed the film by saying that "It's as slow as a dog's ass". He later said that he didn't think the film was slow, but he said that because he was sick of people putting down a film that wasn't a typical Mel Gibson action film. I will say that the film isn't for everybody...especially the above mentioned persons with the attention span of a fly. 2000 came and went, and in January 2001, I found a released date for the movie set on the first Friday of February. I woke up that Friday morning to no Wim Wenders film on the screens here in San Antonio. It took me two weeks to discover that the film was only released in New York and Los Angeles to my dismay. In the middle of March I received a phone call from Ross telling me that "The Million Dollar Hotel" was just released on video and was at Blockbuster as we spoke. How could this be? A Mel Gibson film straight to video? I watched the movie and of course in true Wim Wenders fashion, it was a character piece. This time about love, death, stereotypes, and the insane world of the modern media that we subject our lives to. A truly amazing cast not only with Mr. Gibson pulling in a stellar performance, but also great work from Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich, Jimmy Smits, Peter Stormare, Amanda Plummer, Gloria Stewart, Donal Logue, Bud Cort, and Julian Sands. There are several other cameos too, but come on......what could go wrong with a cast like that? It turns out....nothing. The movie made $53,000 in America, and proved to me that most Americans really have an attention span of a fly and don't deserve to see a well written movie like this beautiful love story. If you like Jerry Bruckheimer films, and find scripts written by Nora Ephron to be the most engaging things ever written, then DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE!!! If you consider yourself to have a brain for great cinema, and like well written characters, then please try to find it letterboxed (DVD) and enjoy. One line of dialogue can change the whole film for you, and it just gets better the more you watch it. I think it's one of the best ensemble pieces ever...............plus it's directed by Wim Wenders. :o) For Wim and his Rock and Roll cohorts:

Music For Listeners 06/09/01
Wim Wenders Soundtrack Music

1) Graeme Revell-"Opening Titles" From the CD soundtrack to 'Until The End Of The World'.
2) U2-"The First Time" From the CD soundtrack to 'The Million Dollar Hotel'.
3) Howie B-"Don't Even Know She Got One" From the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
4) Peter Handke-"Lied Vom Kindsen (Song Of Childhood) Verse 1" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
5) The Buena Vista Social Club-"Chan Chan" From the CD soundtrack to the film "The Buena Vista Social Club".
6) Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds-"Faraway, So Close" From the CD soundtrack to "Faraway, So Close".
7) Passengers-"Beach Sequence" From the CD 'Original Soundtracks 1' Used in the Michelangelo Antonioni/Wim Wenders film "Beyond The Clouds".
8) Ry Cooder-"Define Violence" Can be found on both the CD "song" track and the score to the film "The End Of Violence".
9) Jurgen Kniper-"Ripley's Game" From the CD 'Wim Wenders: Road Music' From the movie "The American Friend" Great movie starring Dennis Hopper.
10)Crime And The City Solution-"Six Bells Chime" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
11) Bono and the MDH Band-"Falling At Your Feet" From the CD soundtrack to "The Million Dollar Hotel".
12) Depeche Mode-"Death's Door" From the CD soundtrack to "Until The End Of The World". One of my favorite songs from the "Mode", and I think it can only be found on this soundtrack.
13) Ry Cooder-"Paris, Texas" From the vinyl LP soundtrack to "Paris, Texas".
14) Ry Cooder-"Vamos Empazar" From the CD score to "The End Of Violence".
15) The Buena Vista Social Club-"Murmullo" From the CD soundtrack to "The Buena Vista Social Club".
16) Laurie Anderson-"Speak My Language" From the CD soundtrack to "Faraway, So Close" Early stripped down version before she re-recorded it for her album 'Bright Red'.
17) Madredeus-"Guitarra (Guitar)" From the CD 'Ainda'. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the film "Lisbon Story".
18) Peter Handke-"Lied Vom Kindsen (Song Of Childhood) Verse 2" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
19) Bono and The MDH Band-"Never Let Me Go" From the CD soundtrack to "The Million Dollar Hotel".
20) Nick Cave-"The Carny" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
21) DJ Shadow-"Untitled Heavy Beat (Part 1 & 2)" From the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
22) House Of Love-"Call Me" From the CD soundtrack to "Faraway, So Close".
23) Jane Siberry with K.D. Lang-"Calling All Angels" From the CD soundtrack to "Until The End Of The World".
24) Daniel Lanois and the MDH Band-"The First Time (Reprise)" From the CD soundtrack to "The Million Dollar Hotel".
25) Ry Cooder-"Houston In Two Seconds" From the vinyl LP soundtrack to "Paris, Texas".
26) Jurgen Kniper-"The Survivors" From the CD 'Wim Wenders: Road Music'. Used in the film "The State Of Things".
27) Chuck Berry-"Memphis" From the vinyl LP 'The Great Twenty-Eight'. There is no known soundtrack for the film "Alice In The Cities", but in the picture, the main character goes to see Chuck Berry live in concert. This is a studio version which is good, but not as good as the live version in the film. This is the closest thing I'll get to playing a song from this great movie.
28) The Buena Vista Social Club-"Candela" From the CD soundtrack to "The Buena Vista Social Club". Possibly the sexiest song ever! "I'm burning, I'm burning."
29) Eels-"Bad News" From the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
30) Peter Handke-"Lied Vom Kindsen (Song Of Childhood) Verse 3" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
31) Madredeus-"A Cidade E Os Campos (The City And The Fields)" From the the CD 'Ainda'. The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to the film "Lisbon Story".
32) Can-"Last Night Sleep" From the CD soundtrack to "Until The End Of The World".
33) "Shouldn't you know" Dialogue read by Traci Lind from the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
34) Ry Cooder-"Observatory" From the CD score to the film "The End Of Violence".
35) "Strange World" Dialogue read by Bill Pullman from the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
36) Jurgen Kniper-"Der Himmel Uber Berlin (The Sky Over Berlin)" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire". "Der Himmel Uber Berlin" is the German title for the film "Wings Of Desire".
38) Jurgen Kniper-"A Kind Of Courage" From the CD 'Wim Wenders: Road Music' From the movie "The State Of Things".
39) "The Shape Of Things" Dialogue from the film "The State Of Things".
40) Jurgen Kniper-"Das Spiel Ist Aus" From the CD 'Wim Wenders: Road Music'. From the movie "The American Friend'.
41) Peter Handke-"Lied Vom Kindsen (Song Of Childhood) Verse 4" From the CD soundtrack "Wings Of Desire".
42) Jurgen Kniper-"Marions Liebeserklarung" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
43) U2 with Daniel Lanois on pedal steel-"Ground Beneath Her Feet" From the CD soundtrack to "The Million Dollar Hotel".
44) U2-"Until The End Of The World" From the CD soundtrack to "Until The End Of The World". I like the version on Achtung Baby a little more, but this is the first version of the song made for the film.
45) U2-"Stay (Faraway, So Close)" From the CD soundtrack to 'Faraway, So Close'. Again...I like the album version on the CD 'Zooropa' a little more, but this is the original version of the song made for the film.
46) R.E.M.-"Fretless" From the CD soundtrack to "Until The End Of The World".
47) "Unintentional Prayers" Dialogue read by Andie MacDowell from the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
48) Spain-"Every Time I Try" From the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
49) "In A Heartbeat" Dialogue read by Bill Pullman from the CD songtrack to "The End Of Violence".
50) Peter Gabriel-"The Blood Of Eden (For Wim Wenders' "Until The End Of The World") From the UK CD single to "The Blood Of Eden". In the movie, but not on the soundtrack. ???
51) Ry Cooder-"The End Of Violence (End Titles)" From the CD score to "The End Of Violence".
52) Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds-"(I'll Love You) 'Till The End Of The World" From the CD soundtrack "Until The End Of The World".
53) Peter Handke-"Schlusswort (Final Word)" From the soundtrack "Wings Of Desire".
54) Graeme Revell-"Finale" From the CD soundtrack to "Until The End Of The World".
55) Minimal Compact-"When I Go" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
56) Tuxedomoon-"Pas Attendre" From the CD soundtrack to "Wings Of Desire".
57) Milla Jovovich And The MDH Band-"Satellite Of Love" From the CD soundtrack to "The Million Dollar Hotel".

WOW! 57 songs.....This show was the second longest show I've done. The Pink Floyd show was a little bit longer, but not by much. I couldn't stop. There are so many good songs, and I could have gone on with this show for another couple of hours. Thanks to Wim Wenders for making his vision of life that personally, helps me understand my own better. His films are different than most, please watch them with an open mind and an open heart.

"Wow, after I jumped it occurred to me, life is perfect, life is the best. Full of magic, beauty, opportunity, and television.......and surprises, lot of surprises, yeah. And then there's the best stuff of course, better than anything anyone ever made up 'cause it's real."

Peace and hugs,
Michael