Going Viral

Old people; we don’t pay them much attention do we? With the Christmas countdown already upon us-courtesy of Marks and Spencer, Argos and Jim Carey, most of us can start to look forward to the Yuletide tradition of Granddad’s casually racist rants, and Grandma’s bemoanings of the youth of today. Instead, why not tune out and plug into another set of geriatrics; the endearing stars of viral hit, ‘Breakfast at Sulimay’s’
Bill, Ann and Joe, residents of Philadelphia’s Fishtown for a collective sum of 100 years plus are idealistic old timers through and through, used to gathering weekly in their local caf? Sulimay’s to discuss the state of the world. It wasn’t long before Woodshop Production’s Marc Brodzik started to listen in. Despite having little knowledge of music, the three now regularly discuss and critique new releases, refreshingly free from the hype that blights our judgements. As war veteran Joe says about Wilco’s ‘Wilco the Song’, ‘I think dancers might like it, if somebody’s going to have a party that might be a good album to have at your party’. As well as pouring over new releases, the three now also interview bands. Compared to the sycophantic thinly veiled brown-nosing bands may find with other interviewers, Joe, Ann and Bill, asking such simple questions as ‘Have you made an album?’ causes bands with even the highest pretensions of self delusion to sit up straight and mumble their answers awkwardly. Toronto band Holy Fuck, can be obviously seen to balk with embarrassment at Joe’s mention of their obscene name, clearly realising that what may be cool to the kids, might not ring true in the real world.
‘Breakfast at Sulimay’s’ is an often hilarious, fresh look at new music. It gently reminds those of us too caught up in the scene that music is just music, that costumes, makeup and lights are just that, not props by which to make ‘cooler’ music. Ann, a trooper with cursory language, denounces MGMT’s ‘Kids’ video as being made by, ‘Some sick son of a bitch,’ and the band as looking like, ‘wood fairies.’ Names and looks mean nothing to these three; it’s purely about the music. Except of course in the case of Shakira’s sex-romp for the ‘She Wolf,’ video, when Bill wistfully claims, ‘If she only weighed a hundred more pounds….’

http://www.woodshopfilms.com/index.php/breakfast-at-sulimays

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