Slog - Comments on The Fly: The Opera http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera The Fly began its life cycle in 1957, as a short story in Playboy. It pupated into the 1958 film starring Vincent Price, then matured into David Cronenberg's 1986 freak-out that probably did extremely weird things to Jeff Goldblum's sex life: Now, apparently, it's decaying as an opera in LA, composed by soundtrack guy Howard Shore (who wrote the music to the 1986 film as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Naked Lunch, with Ornette Coleman), directed by Cronenberg, and conducted by Plácido Domingo. The critics are stomping it—but in a way that makes me want to... Copyright 2008 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:15:31 -0800 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:25:19 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Mr. Poe Shore's best score (it should be noted) was/is The Game. The Fly had a good score, but as far as listening outside the film, Ronnie's Visit and The Street are the only good tracks. All of LOTR was mediocre, and when it isn't it doesn't take long for the smooth score to turn into something so obnoxious you wish you were either dead, or worse, watching one of the movies.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133835 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133835 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:26:40 -0800 Comment by reverend dr dj riz i'm reserving judgement until i hear the music. howard shore's bombast for lord of the rings is what that elephant needed, but on closer listening there are bits of melody that stand up well on their own ( that enya/annie lenox elf music crap excepted)..his other work for cronenberg, specifically his collaboration with ornette coleman for naked lunch, is strong and indicative of what he can do when he's at full creative power.

]]> reverend dr dj riz http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133851 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133851 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:33:13 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe Oh God, how could I forget? Shore's score to the '96 Crash is by far one of the worst movie scores of all time. Absolutely atrocious. I liked the movie, though.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133855 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133855 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:33:51 -0800 Comment by max solomon you know, the 80's sucked. let's stop going through the dustbin of history, unless it is to celebrate the ouevre of The Volcano Suns. who fucking rocked.

]]> max solomon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133862 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133862 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:36:27 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe @2

The best track to come out of all three of the LOTR movies was Enya's The Council of Elrond. And, big surprise, it was barely in the movie. If I recall (only saw it once), it was butchered between mindless tears and sobs in that half-ass "relationship" you're supposed to care about with Liv and Viggo.

(In my opinion.)

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133866 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133866 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:37:46 -0800 Comment by NapoleonXIV What kind of aria does one sing whilst regurgitating fly digestive juices onto one's victim's leg?

]]> NapoleonXIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133887 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133887 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:48:59 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe @4

The 80's didn't suck. Just because you spent all of your money on cocaine, tacky clothes and Aqua Net for your wife doesn't mean the movies weren't perizzle tizight. The Fly, Die Hard, Excalibur, Children of a Lesser God, E.T., 'night, Mother, The Accused, Barfly, Dead Ringers, anything by John Hughes sans Pretty in Pink, Hellraiser, One from the Heart, Raiders of the Motherfucking Lost Ark...don't be crazy. The 80's were awesome.

Plus, I was born in '86. That makes the 80s the best decade of ever.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133890 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133890 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:50:25 -0800 Comment by NapoleonXIV Erm...I think I mean gurgitating.

]]> NapoleonXIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133891 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133891 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:50:26 -0800 Comment by David An abortion aria sounds the same as any other boring opera song, except the words are about abortion. I'm just guessing.

Agree w/Mr. Poe @5, too. But is Shore's "Crash" score (I haven't seen it) worse than his score for Kevin Smith's "Dogma"? That was some of the worst music I've ever heard....bad in a way that actually kind of worked for that movie, though.

]]> David http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133895 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133895 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:52:35 -0800 Comment by NapoleonXIV The only thing this thread is doing for me is to force me to make up rhyming lists for abortion. Abortion, apportion, contortion, absorption, etc.

]]> NapoleonXIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133911 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133911 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:58:51 -0800 Comment by Mr. Poe I never bothered to listen to Dogma's score, but I did download Alanis' Still. I love her.

I'm sure it's equally atrocious if you're asking, but it can't possibly be worse. Think of the worst dingy-clanky tracks on Pay it Forward and multiply the wackness by 5,000. Ugh.

]]> Mr. Poe http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133913 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133913 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:59:54 -0800 Comment by David Napoleon XIV,
I usually go for Donizetti's "Il dolce suono...Spargi d'amaro pianto," myself.

]]> David http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133929 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133929 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:05:40 -0800 Comment by NapoleonXIV I'd not envisioned the Fly as a soprano, David.

Then again, I'd not envisioned The Fly as an opera to begin with.

]]> NapoleonXIV http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133971 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1133971 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 16:26:39 -0800 Comment by genevieve In college I was in a musical about Frida Kahlo in which I sang an aria about miscarriage. Not that much harder to imagine an aria about abortion.

]]> genevieve http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1134141 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/the_fly_the_opera#c1134141 Theater Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:25:19 -0800