Saw "Taking Woodstock" this morning. Ang Lee, of course, and reasonably well done. But not as good as "The Ice Storm" as period Americana, and of course nowhere near as good as "Brokeback Mountain". Still, it did catch some of the whole end-Sixties ambience. And I liked it that the focus of the film wasn't on the concert itself. I also liked Eliot--- good character, and nicely understated. Liev Schreiber was fun but wasted in his role--- nowhere near enough screen time. And I do wonder how many people watching the film here in the Year Nine caught the bit at the end--- that the "next" concert being planned, the one in California with the Rolling Stones, would be the nightmare at Altamont...

Well, the soundtrack did make me want to hear early Jefferson Airplane again. I came home and got "Somebody to Love" and "Wooden Ships" at iTunes. I might add "Volunteers" and "We Can Be Together". I always loved "Wooden Ships". Probably heard it first as a Crosby, Stills & Nash song, then by a long-forgotten jazz-blues band from Detroit called Ides of March. Horns and kettledrums on the Ides of March version--- not bad at all, really. But Jefferson Airplane's version was always my favourite. The young Grace Slick's voice, of course. Someone wrote back in the mid-Sixties that Grace Slick and Janis Joplin were the two poles for female vocalists. I always preferred the very early Ms. Slick--- icy, ethereal, distanced. I never liked Joplin. I prefer cold to hot, distance and ethereality to "soul". And Gracie Slick c. 1965 was far sexier than Joplin ever was--- that Zooey Deschanel look.

A very-lost album by members of Jefferson Airplane--- "Blows Against the Empire", their sci-fi opus. There's a song on it called "Have You Seen The Stars Tonight?" that I half-remember. Slow, pretty, romantic. I'll see if I can find it.

Elastica's "Stutter". Once again, not a song that makes me feel any better. I remain convinced that I really am Jake Barnes--- and a Jake Barnes who'd never merit a glance from Lady Brett. "Stutter" is just not a song that's likely ever to make me have any confidence in myself.

I'll go see "Time Traveler's Wife" tomorrow. I have "Coraline" to watch on DVD tonight. I think "Coraline" does merit a bottle of pinot gris.

Miss Ginny at ginny_mccoo usually updates on Saturdays. I'll hope she keeps that up this weekend. And I just may have an icy gin-and-tonic in Miss Ginny's honour this afternoon.