HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ PAUL BERGMANN
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Paul Bergmann — a singer-songer currently singing & songing out of America’s east coast, whose latest single ‘Lover of the Good times’ is both great AND available over on Bandcamp (and you can also find it kicking off the HI54 Mix CD ‘INDIE AMERICA, USA’).
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
RT and the 44's. They were this mythical band for me when I first moved to L.A. It was first time the music really fit the soul of the place for me. The songs were dark, enveloping and simple.
When I first heard “Lost My Way” it fundamentally changed me and took me to this part of my self I didn't really know. RT's put out too many good songs and doesn't seem to give a shit about commercial success. Lives in Oklahoma now... I've never met him.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
Barry Lyndon. It's 4 hours long and every shot is a painting. It's shot in either natural light or candlelight. Scenes are felt wholly in real time, and every moment is rich with this element of beauty and despair. There's nothing else that comes close.
It's a gorgeous, molasses-moving tragedy. And there's a particularly moving expression of tender masculinity when Barry is holding his dying uncle in his arms and he says, “Kiss me, my boy. For we will never meet again.”
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
“Savage Detectives” by Roberto Bolano. He has this beautiful way of writing that is both circuitous and direct. He'll over-explain the mundane in this sprawling fashion and then make some devastating cursory comment on humanity.
The act of reading his books is a conscious act of letting go for me; if you try to keep up with the details you'll lose sight of the entire thing. It's a really amazing piece of writing; sweeping and sharply in tune.
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
LilNas X's twitter account. He has this effortless multi-layered self-awareness in regards to his (and Old Town Road's) role in popular culture. He'll joke that Columbia will fire him if they catch him without his cowboy hat on. It's all so perfect.
And it never discounts him or the song; it just elevates everything. I've always wanted to do this as an artist and have never figured it out. And he makes it look so easy.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
Elevate your legs for at least 10 minutes a day. Helps relieve stress, improve circulation, and boost your mood.
I've also had a lot of revelations when doing this so I equate it to a gentle high.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that Paul Bergmann thinks you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go get buzzed off elevated legs, make sure to follow Paul on the Facebook / Instagram / Twitter and then also give ‘Lover of the Good Times’ a listen below…
