Niki N. Phaser

Spanish band Amphetamine Discharge are not an easy band to find, in every sense of the word. Like most people who have heard the combination of these two words, I first encountered this band while watching Abre Los Ojos and I guess, in a way, I should be grateful to Alejandro Amenabar for making this band and this song, Glamour, known to me, as well as for inspiring Cameron Crowe’s Vanilla Sky. The heavy-phasered bass that opens Glamour will instantly make you wonder “what famous band that is not one of my favourites did this song ?”. It’s a song that will make you jump, not pogo-like, but more in a jump-wait-jump tempo. Glamour is rock, no doubt about it, but it’s the bassline that leads the song, not the guitars, even though there is well-done guitar solo for the bridge. Aurora López Moreno’s vocals will also bring you in an art-punk mood, her voice being quite Kim Gordon-esque in some parts. I will not go into the lyrics, because they aren’t too intelligible, but this is one of the cases where the music will make you forget the words. Just remember that on an album (the Abre Los Ojos soundtrack), where this song is joined by the likes of Massive Attack and Sneaker Pimps, Amphetamine Discharge’s Glamour rules. Totally.

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE

Cameron Crowe (source:www.gawker.com)

But, not to be rude, I will refresh your memory: Cameron Crowe is one of the most influential movie directors of our times. He is responsible for Jerry Maguire, Say Anything, Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous, Singles and Elizabethtown, so far and he is currently working on a new comedy with Reese Whiterspoon and Ben Stiller. He also wrote the novel and the screenplay Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In his younger days, he used to write for Rolling Stones, just like the character from Almost Famous. He received numerous awards, but I am not the one to pay much attention to such trivial matters, as the Oscars…

What makes Cameron Crowe an idol for me… Well, he did everything I like and is still doing it, successfully. He wrote about music and even composed some songs with his wife, Nancy Wilson, the guitar chick from Heart. He wrote a novel and also a book based on his interviews with Billy Wilder, which is his hero. He did all these great movies which spawned memorable characters, like Spicoli and Lloyd Dobler, memorable lines like Show me the money and classic images like John Cusack holding the stereo above his head…

So, music, literature and film, the best things in life… Cameron Crowe did it all (and with a vengeance). I don’t think I will DO all of these things, but at least, now I will write about them… even literature… I might just review a Chuck Palahniuk novel from time to time, who knows… Keep phasing on…