Friday, January 17, 2014

Musical Interlude: Celluloid Heroes (1972)

Let me start with a little personal note.

In the late 80's, I began dating an aspiring singer-songwriter who was part of a rotating ensemble of performers at a small basement nightclub up the street from my apartment. We'd met a few years earlier when she was working at a since-closed neighborhood bakery, but it took about 5 years before we'd start dating. It lasted 8 years before we split up and went our separate ways. Haven't heard from her in nearly 15 years, so suffice to say, she's moved on with her life, as I have.

The reason I bring this up is because one of the staples of her nightclub set list, before she formed a modestly successful band, was a cover of the Kinks' 1972 hit, "Celluloid Heroes", a reflective ballad celebrating Hollywood's past, enshrined on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard.

There are some concert clips, but the embedding codes have been disabled. I found the following slide show, which features some of the Hollywood legends name-checked in "Celluloid Heroes", one of Ray Davies' best works. So, let's take a walk down Memory Lane with the Kinks and "Celluloid Heroes":

2 comments:

magicdog said...

Always have time for The Kinks!

Davies always had a flair for the past and what once was but can never be again. I never get to hear this song on the radio - at least not in these parts.

hobbyfan said...

Ditto. You just have to tune in at the right time on a classic rock station that's willing to play it.

Ray Davies would do another time trip 11 years later with the very pseudo-personal "Come Dancing". I think that'll be up soon.