Benjamin Gibbard, Jay Farrar - One Fast Move Or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur
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CD Details
Artist: Benjamin Gibbard, Jay FarrarEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2009-10-20
Music Label: Atlantic
Soundtracks:
- California Zephyr
- Low Life Kingdom
- Williamine
- All In One
- Breathe Our Iodine
- These Roads Don't Move
- Big Sur
- One Fast Move Or I'm Gone
- Final Horrors
- Sea Engines
- The Void
- San Francisco
Music reviews of One Fast Move Or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur
Music Review: Review of the film, not the soundtrack...
Rating: 4 Stars
"One Fast Move Or I'm Gone" tells the story of Jack Kerouac's journey to Big Sur, California in an attempt to escape from the perils of fame and alcoholism. Kerouac laid down the whole scene himself in his novel "Big Sur". The film retraces his steps while offering up passages from the novel. We get the straight poop from some of the folks who were there such as Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Carolyn Cassady and Michael McClure (his dependable pretentious self). In addition, a number of artists (i.e. Tom Waits, Robert Hunter) and academic types chime in.
The film lays out many of the things that make Kerouac great and, unintentionally, makes clear the fan mindset that drove him to the edge and, eventually, over it. As for the first, Kerouac's need to write, even through the most traumatic and dreadful experiences, comes through very clearly. The location filming underscores the environment that this alcoholic poet was living in and does a great job of bringing out the beauty of Big Sur, but also the ominous qualities of nature there. In "Big Sur" Kerouac went to great lengths to note these opposing images and their impact on his fevered mind, and it is nothing short of amazing that a man could, first, function artistically under such circumstances and, second, have the desire to do so.
There are some insightful comments from Tom Waits, always clever and entertaining, not the least of which was if Kerouac were alive today and undergoing such an ordeal, we would just dope him up and he would have a decent chance of being blissfully ignorant of any existential quandries. Of course, he would never write another word and we would all be the less for it.
That is actually the thematic heart of the film and, in many ways, all things Kerouac. Kerouac was Kerouac, with all the baggage that came from the Catholic upbringing, the guilt that goes with that, the alcoholism, a child he basically deserted, the unhealthy relationshop with his mother, etc. Throw into that abyss the unmitigated joy he is so famous for. That's quiet a gumbo and it makes for a rather tragic story (certainly a tragic end). But would Kerouac have changed that story? Even if he knew the outcome (the last ten years of his life being hell; gruesome death at forty seven)? Would we change it for Jack if we could?
In the end, the art survives and long after the artist is gone it still lives in the hearts and minds of those it speaks to. Was it worth the trade off? A life sacrificed on the altar of art. Who knows, but the film does a solid job of underscoring that question and making it clear that it's at the core of Kerouac's Big Sur and Kerouac himself.
Now, as far as the fan mindset mentioned earlier, Kerouac went to Big Sur in large part to get away from overly enthusiastic fans. Fans who projected their own ideas onto Kerouac's art and expected him to be what they wanted him to be. With a few exceptions, it is very easy to imagine most of the commentators in this film being those obtrusive fans. In fairness, there is something about the Kerouac mystique that brings that out in people. Everyone seems to want to read a passage of Kerouac in that upbeat, back and forth be-bop rhythm...and they all sound damn awkward doing it. They are, however, awkward with enthusiam and that helps sell the bit even if the merits are somewhat inconclusive.
When it comes to Kerouac enthusiasts, genuine insightful commentary is rare and people tend to fall back on the cliches. The aforementioned Tom Waits and Patti Smith do a nice job of bucking that hackneyed trend. Coincidentally, their outward demeanor is of a laid back sort and they feel no pressure to talk-FAST-AND-aBOUT-how-JACK-I-said-JACK-was-really-a-JAZZ-musician or that kind of thing. They seem to take a step back from Kerouac and see the situation somewhat objectively (Smith's comments about what it means to be a king are particularly spot-on).
Dar Williams is stunningly annoying. I'm not really sure who she is (a folk singer of some sort, I think), but she comes off like a college sophmore, straddling the line between giggly high school and oh-so-sophisticated poetry readings. The insights are banal and obvious. When she breaks down in tears while reading from the final passages of "Big Sur", you want to throw your bongo drum at the television. Amber Tamblyn (an actor?) is almost as bad when she raises her head from silently reading "Big Sur" and says in her cutest exasperated motherly voice, "Oh, Jack!" Jesus, how did these scenes get past the editor?
This is a pretty good look at Kerouac. But the reality is, as in all films about Kerouac, what makes it most interesting is Kerouac himself. They are reading his writing, you are seeing pictures and film of Kerouac, and you are visiting his old haunts. All films about Jack Kerouac have a lot in common with the Elvis Presley film "Girl Happy". The film has lots of flaws, but damn it, Elvis is in it.
Description of One Fast Move Or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur
Jack Kerouac was a literary rock star, lionized by his fans. He was called the avatar of the Beat Movement, a new voice of his generation. But along with sudden fame and media hype came his unraveling. The new film, One Fast Move or I'm Gone- Kerouac's Big Sur, takes us back to the cabin he retreated to in the Big Sur woods, the Beat haunts of San Francisco and New York City for an unflinching look at the compelling events his book is based on. The story unfolds through Kerouac's prose, first-hand recollections from Kerouac's contemporaries, as well as writers, poets, actors and musicians who have been deeply influenced by Kerouac's unique gifts.Appearing in the film are Sam Shepard, Patti Smith, Tom Waits, S.E. Hinton, Donal Logue, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Robert Hunter and many more. The stunning, High Definition visual imagery is set to original music composed and performed by recording artists Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.Gibbard stayed in Big Sur to compose songs for his band's 2008 Grammy-nominated album, Narrow Stairs. For many years, Jay Farrar's songwriting has been inspired and influenced by Kerouac's compositional style. Gibbard and Farrar, having never previously met, discovered a mutual kinship in their passion for Kerouac's work while recording several songs for the documentary, produced by Kerouac Films. After the initial San Francisco recording session in July 2007, they decided to develop the project further to create an album using Kerouac's own words from the book as the lyrics.
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