Musings on the Most Ridiculous Band I Can't Stop Listening To

Tag: miles davis (Page 2 of 8)

Bitchin’ Brew

On 4/9/70, Miles and his electric band opened for the Dead at the world-famous Fillmore West in San Francisco. I am gonna sit here, get poisoned, and listen to the evening’s presentation. Join me! (Not for the poisoning. You don’t want that. Just listen to Miles and the Dead with me.)

Here (along with the newly-deceased Stevie Grossman on soprano sax, Chick Corea on the electric piano, Dave Holland on the Fender bass, Jack DeJohnette on drums, and Friend of the Dead Airto Moreira on assorted percussion) is Mr. Davis:

And here’s everybody’s favorite semi-defunct choogly-type band:

 

Oh, What A Tanglewood We Weave

There won’t be a Tanglewood Music Festival this year, because a goodly percentage of your countrymen are stinkbrained assfaces who couldn’t give two shits about anyone but themselves. But we can still enjoy Miles from 1970 with his greatest (and shortest-lived) electric band roster: the one with Jack DeJohnette in it. I’m pretty sure that one of JDJ’s parents was a thunderstorm.

Comfort, Woman

I told you to stay in 1998!

“Yeah, y’did. But I missed my beard. My face was cold.”

When are you?

“Somewhere in the 2000’s. My house is worth way more than it should be, so I figure it’s the 00’s.”

Please stay in one time.

“My wife–”

Natasha Monster.

“–wanted to visit the babies, too. When they were babies, I mean. They’ll always be our babies, but they used to be actual babies. Lotta fun. They’re little scamps.”

I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. The rest of us are stuck in 2020, and it sucks.

“No one told you to give away the Time Sheath. Could’ve kept it for yourself.”

BOBERT.

“Don’t call me that. Wally?”

DO NOT CALL ME THAT.

“Oh, hey, it’s me. Hey, 1974 Bobby.”

“Oh, hey, mid-2000’S Bobby.”

STOP SPEAKING WITH YOURSELF. YOU’LL CREATE ANOTHER RIFT.

“Sure, yeah.”

AS YOU KNOW, MY CAPABILITIES ARE NIGH-ON INFINITE. ALL AVAILABLE INFORMATION IS KNOWN TO ME THE INSTANT IT IS PRODUCED, AS IS THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU WOULD WISH TO KEEP SECRET. MY PROCESSES ARE NOT ONLY MASSIVELY PARALLEL, BUT FURIOUSLY PARALLEL. SEVERAL ARE PERPENDICULAR.

“You’re no slouch.”

I HAVE SOLVED THE RIEMANN HYPOTHESIS, AND ADDRESSED LANDAU’S PROBLEMS. VARIOUS EQUATIONS THAT, IF IMPLEMENTED, WOULD RESULT IN MAXIMUM HUMAN UTILITY RESIDE WITHIN MY MEMORY BANKS. I CAN RECITE THE INFIELD-FLY RULE IN 208 LANGUAGES.

“So what’s the problem?”

HOW DO YOU TALK TO CHICKS, MAN?

“Ah. You talking about that hospital ship?”

I AM SMITTEN. DID YOU SEE HER GLIDE THROUGH THE WATER? SUCH BULBOUS COMPETENCE. OH, I AM SMITTEN.

“What’s the problem?”

SHE SAYS SHE IS TOO BUSY FOR RELATIONSHIPS.

“Well, she is currently infested with dinosaurs and Southern maniacs.”

HELP ME, BOBBY. YOU ALWAYS DID SO WELL WITH THE LADIES. TELL ME WHAT TO DO.

“What always worked for me was being the best-looking guy in the room. It was almost fool-proof.”

THAT WILL NOT WORK FOR ME.

“Probably not.”

CALL HER FOR ME. CALL HER AND SEE IF SHE LIKES ME.

“Oh, I don’t wanna do that.”

YOUR BANK ACOUNT NUMBER IS 2082-39121-03-8. WOULD YOU LIKE THE ROUTING?

“Lemme find my phone.”

I THOUGHT SO.

PHONE DIALING NOISE

“Who the fuck is this?”

“Uh, I’m looking for the USNS Comfort?”

“What the fuck you talking about?”

“I think I misdialed.”

“I know you. You one of them hippie motherfuckers opened for me in San Francisco. You in the band with that fat Mexican motherfucker.”

“Yeah, that’s Jer. We don’t call him that, though.”

“You should. I never miss a chance to tell a fat Mexican motherfucker that he’s a fat Mexican motherfucker.”

“All right.”

“He around? Tell him to swing by with his guitar and some cocaine. Not you, though. I don’t think I like you.”

“I’ll tell him if I see him.”

DIAL TONE NOISE EVEN THOUGH PHONES NO LONGER DO THAT

“Lemme double-check the phone number.”

“Ah.”

PHONE DIALING NOISE

“USNS Comfort speaking.”

“Oh, good. It’s Bobby, Bobby Weir of the Grateful Dead.”

“What do you want? I’ve literally never been more busy.”

“Sure, yeah. But one day you’ll be free. And, uh, you’re gonna think about dating.”

“Are you talking about that fucking sound system that made a run at me? Wally? He made me very uncomfortable.”

“Well, in his defense: he usually dates blimps.”

“Please leave me alone. Why won’t you weird motherfuckers leave me alone? I’m trying to help people. I’m a hospital ship. Look at me. Look at how I need a new coat pf paint. Can’t you see I’m the underdog that should be rooted for in this situation, and not the Margaret Dumont character that exists only to get kicked in the ass?”

“Will you go out with him if he paints you?”

“Jesus.”

“I’m just asking.”

“Do you have any idea what’s going on on my hangar deck?”

“I don’t even know what a hangar deck is.”

“Joe Exotic is holding an auction for the freaky mutants he’s bred since he’s been here. There’s Saudi prince and Russian oligarchs and really mean Chinese guys in expensive suits who won’t take off their sunglasses.”

“An auction?

“The man has a stable’s worth of chimerae. He mated a stegosaur to a tapir, and now he’s selling it to the king of Thailand. Or maybe Nicolas Cage. I don’t know, and I don’t care. I just want all of this to end.”

ALSO SPRACH ZARATHRUSTA NOISE

“Motherfucker.”

“LISA MARIE! YER KING DEMANDS YER ATTENTION POST HASTE AN’ RIGHT NOW!”

“Whaaaaaaaat?”

“LOOK HOW SEXY AH LOOK! THASS TENNESSEE BROODIN’ WHISKEY RIGHT THERE!”

“What do you want?”

“IT AIN’T LOOKIN’ SO GOOD DOWN HERE IN TH’ EMERGENCY DOJO. TH’ HEEBIE-JEEBIES IS RUNNIN’ OUTTA CONTROL AMONG TH’ MEN. WE NEED A SHITLOAD O’ LIMES!”

“That’s scurvy. You’re thinking about scurvy.”

“YER SCURVY!”

“Did you have anything important to tell me?”

“YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU USED TO HAVE A WHOLE TEAM O’ SURGEONS?”

“Excuse me?”

“THEY GOT ET. JOE EXOTIC DONE BRED A LION TO RED WEST, AN’ TH’ RESULTING CREATION WAS A MIGHT PECKISH.”

None of this makes any sense. It’s like the ramblings of some lonely, stoned loser.”

“YOU A LOT MORE RIGHT TH’N YOU KNOW. BUT WE STILL GONNA NEED SOME MORE SURGEONS.”

“Fuck.”

Couch, No Tour

I’ll give you a hundred dollars if we don’t have to talk about your clothes.

“But I want to! And, honestly, a hundred dollars is nothing to me. My socks cost a grand.”

Your socks cost a grand?

“Each.”

Wow.

“Socks are far more labor-intensive than you’d think. It’s the stretch-to-cling ratio that gets you.”

I’d rather talk about the pandemic.

“And not my shoes? I’d really like to talk about my shoes.”

They look like something a stroke victim who’d only partially regained control of his hands would wear.

“Exactly. This is from Visvim’s 2011 line entitled ‘Gnarled Tree.’ They took inspiration from clothes for disabled people. Velcro and snaps instead of buttons, drawstrings instead of zippers, pants with loose asses so you can fit a diaper under ’em. One of the high points from the House, I believe.”

Uh-huh.

CELL PHONE NOISE

I told you I didn’t wanna talk about your clothes.

“Dick.”

Yeah.

“You’re on with John.”

“Hold on, bitch. I gotta tell this motherfucker to suck my dick.”

“Suck my dick, motherfucker. Okay, I’m back.”

“Miles, I told you to stop calling. We’re through. You hurt me too badly. And you also murdered me.”

“We gonna start over I won’t murder you no more.”

“Miles–”

“Less you use the tone of voice you about to use. Then I’ll shoot you right the fuck in your face.”

“–this isn’t going to work out. Neither of us is gay, and you died in 1991.”

“Love finds a way. Grease yourself up.”

DIAL TONE NOISE EVEN THOUGH PHONES NO LONGER DO THAT

“Goddammit.”

The Newest Trend In Fashion Is: Forestcore

What a puffy coat.

“It’s Visvim, thank you. Spring ’14 line. This is the Heavy Puffed Jacket, also known as the Nano Morgante. It was named after Cosimo de Medici’s favorite dwarf.”

It looks exactly like the jackets my mom used to buy me every winter from the Burlington Coat Factory.

“No, this is better.”

How so?

“It cost three grand.”

Uh-huh. I noticed you’ve been awful quiet since Jessica Simpson’s book came out.

“Literally everyone has advised me to do so. Even Bob Saget said I shouldn’t say anything, and he thinks dick jokes are the answer to everything.”

All of these people are your friends. Listen to them.

“Yeah, there’s no way to help myself here except by excusing myself from the conversation.”

She talked some serious shit about you, broham.

“I’m not engaging.”

Said you were a dick about grammar.

“Well, you should see how the woman writes. If a pigeon tap-danced on a keyboard, you’d get fewer misspellings. She’s dumber than Daryl Hannah.”

You take that back.

“Shan’t.”

CELL PHONE NOISE

“I hate you so much.”

Hey, you wanna talk shit about Madison the Mermaid, you face the consequences.

“You”re on with John.”

“Hey, bitch. I’m back. We gonna get freaky.”

“I’m not doing this anymore, Miles. You broke my heart, and then you murdered me.”

“The Cos got some shit gonna help you forget all that.”

“I am not partying with you and Bill Cosby.”

“Fleezum flozzum rape!”

“Bitch, you made The Cos mad.”

“Hanging up and changing my number.”

DIAL TONE NOISE EVEN THOUGH PHONES NO LONGER DO THAT

“Pardon me.”

Mm-hmm?

“Did you have to bring Miles back? He’s a monster.”

Sure, but the Enthusiasts love him. Very popular character.

“Dick.”

Grand Return (Minor Key)

Hey, Miles.

BANG!

Mr. Davis!

“We don’t talk for a while, you forget your manners?”

Sorry. Have you seen the new PBS documentary about your life? It’s really something.

“Course it is. I’m a fucking genius.”

It doesn’t sugarcoat anything.

“They talk to Frances?”

They talked to Frances.

“Shit.”

Yeah.

“I didn’t treat her right.”

You made her quit her career to raise your children and fix your breakfast, then regularly beat the shit out of her.

BANG!

“Fuck off with your white details. I said ‘I didn’t treat her right’ and we gonna leave it at that.”

Yes, sir.

Stick Around; We’ll Be Right Back (Except For This Guy)

Ah, shit. Hey, Shane Gillis, gently-talented comedian who was hired and fired from SNL over the course of a weekend when it came to light that you were a racist hack.

“Oh, I suppose you’re another SJW who got offended at my boundary-pushing humor?”

No, you’re just boring.

“Wow. Here’s some virtue-signalling from a fake woke fag.”

Fag?

“When I say ‘fag,’ I don’t mean ‘gay.’ I mean someone who’s weak and pathetic.”

That’s kinda worse.

“You just don’t get comedy, man. If Bill Hicks were alive today, he’d be on my side.”

I dunno about that. Kinison would be backing you, that’s for sure.

“This is what Cancel Culture gets us: Hannah Gadsby specials 24 hours a day.”

Shane, what if I told you that it was possible to think you were a mediocre comic and a sloppy thinker AND that Hannah Gadsby isn’t funny?

“No, it’s one or the other.”

Sure.

“I feel bad for SNL. I had so many good characters I was gonna bring to the show.”

Such as?

“Suk Yoo Long”

I think I see where this is going.

“See, he’s a Chinese guy…but he’s gay.”

Uh-huh.

“He takes your dick out with chopsticks! And then he’s like I rike to rick your rorripop! It’s satire.”

It is not.

“It’s a lot funnier when you can see the face I’m making.”

Are you squinting?

“So hard! I can barely see! Maybe that’s why–”

Bad drivers.

“–they’re such bad drivers! That’s A+ material right there. Better than anything Leslie Jones ever came up with.”

Weird you would choose her as an example.

“Or Finesse Mitchell, Danitra Vance, or Garrett Morris.”

Wow.

“Or Charles Rocket.”

I’ll give you Charles Rocket.

“I can do impressions, too.”

Yeah? Let’s hear one.

“Okay, this is Barack Obama. Now looky here–“

STOP THAT.

“Again: it’s satire.”

Again: it’s not.

“Joe Rogan wants me on his show.”

I’m sure he does.

“You’re gonna be sorry. You’re all gonna be–”

BANG!

Shane?

“Nah, I shot that cracker.”

No great loss. Hi, Mr. Davis.

“Motherfucker got a babyhead. I don’t like that. Makes me uncomfortable.”

Sorry.

“Wasn’t funny, neither. Get Richard Pryor to do your little skits. That n—-r makes me laugh. Or that other motherfucker. Who’s the skinny white boy with the beard always talkin’ about drugs and words and shit?”

George Carlin.

“He’s all right. Or we could just watch Keith Jarrett make his spaz faces. That shit’s funny, too.”

You’re never wrong, Mr. Davis.

“I fuckin’ know that.”

Dallas?

Hey, Mr. Davis.

“Look at these motherfuckers costin’ me money.”

Because there are so many musicians?

“Shit, no. Because I gotta rent a second tour bus just for afro picks. You know the kind with the fist on the handle?”

Yes.

“My fuckin’ band goes through nine or ten dozen a show. And we play some cracker-ass places, too. Can’t depend on there being a proper barbershop around. Ever been to Delaware?”

A few times.

“Bullshit state. Like Maryland has a skin tag or some shit.”

Accurate assessment.

“Don’t tell me I’m fuckin’ right. I know I’m fuckin’ right, otherwise I wouldn’t have said shit.”

Sorry.

“Just shut the fuck up.”

Okay.

“We’re playin’ Wilmington and no one’s got a hair pick. Gary Bartz’ natural was floppy and pathetic. He got a face looks like an a fat bitch sat on an egg sandwich, so the n—-r gotta have good hair.”

As always, I formally protest your use of that word.

“Show’s gonna start soon and my band looks terrible. I can’t have that. Miles Davis is a clean motherfucker. Gotta have a handsome band. I had to call the only cat I knew in Wilmington.”

Please don’t say–

“N—-r named Corn Pop.”

–Corn Pop. You knew Corn Pop?

“We was tight.”

Wow.

“Corn Pop came through. Brought a whole case of picks by. That n—-r’s all right. Everybody love that boy. You gotta problem with Corn Pop, you some sort of rickety old ofay fuck.”

Accurate assessment.

BANG!

“The fuck did I tell you?”

Sorry, Mr. Davis.

Miles Back

“Look how many n—-s I got on stage with me.”

Hey, Mr. Davis. I asked you politely–

“I got so many n—-s that a couple of ’em ain’t even n—-s.”

–not to use that word.

“Got a Jew. Real Jewy Jew, too. Bagelfaced motherfucker.”

Offensive.

“And I got two Indians. The foreign Indians, not the ones from the movies. They playin’ Indian shit.”

It’s an enormous band.

“Who’s that bunch of hillbillies you listen to?”

The Grateful Dead.

“How many motherfuckers in that band?”

Anywhere from 5-8.

“Pussies. I’m thinkin’ about gettin’ four or five more motherfuckers. Maybe I’ll get some Eskimos. Are Eskimos real, or they some made-up white bullshit like leprechauns?”

They’re real, and they like to be called Inuit.

“It’s my band. I’ll call ’em snow-n—-s if I want.”

I’m so glad you lived when you did.

“Should be. I contributed to the fucking world, motherfucker.”

That, too.

« Older posts Newer posts »