Hellloooooo? Echo in the Canyon

Okay, to be honest, I looked forward to this movie for months. Couldn't wait for it to get here. Drug my husband way out to Regal Arbor @ Great Hills the first night it played and I'm still having to make up for it. How can you make a movie about that great music that came out of Laurel Canyon in the late sixties into the 70's and bore the shit out of people? How long have you got?

First off, is Jakob Dylan in the mafia, because everybody in the show seemed scared shitless of him. I mean, it's not like he's Bob or anything. I noticed first with Fiona Apple who acted terrified. Beck was pretty reticent as was Cat Power a.k.a. Chan Marshall. It was weirdly set up, the whole show, as a series of duets and trios all pretty much featuring Jakob. I like Jakob. Don't get me wrong. I never change the station when "One Headlight" comes on. But, he has a very strange effect on people and it makes the whole documentary very uncomfortable to watch. Like when some star's just gotten out of rehab and is trying to push a project on late nite television. You just feel so bad for 'em. That's how I felt throughout this whole thing.

And where the 'f' was Peter Tork? He lived right smack in the middle of Laurel Canyon. People who were really there talk about hanging with the Monkees and how wild and fun their parties were. But, they didn't even get a mention and not one peep about Jimi Hendrix on tour with the Monkees. There was so much left out material, it left big huge gaping holes in this film. You expect a lot when there is that much clout, money, talent behind a project and Echo in the Canyon flat out does not deliver.

Tom Petty was good, as you would expect, just because he's just so dang cool. Michelle Phillips played the class whore. There were a series of duet singers with Jakob, talented, but pretty ho-hum. Poor old Stephen Stills came off like somebody jacked with his crack pipe. Ringo and that car. I'm saying it again, Ringo and that car. Please. Neil in that weird last scene reminiscent of his own dark history with Laurel Canyon gave you the feeling that he really didn't want anything to do with the whole mess.

What could have helped this movie would have been a lot, repeat, a LOT more archival footage, more background on the actual songs and music with stories, again, STORIES. More Joni, Zappa, Captain Beefheart, The Doors, more Neil Young. Less Eric Clapton and less duos with Jakob. And, maybe some weird therapy with Metallica's therapist to help those poor old singers not be so terrified. All in all, I got more about the scene from Quentin Tarantino and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and they weren't even trying to make a music documentary. 

To make myself feel better, I went back and read Peter Tork's interview in Rolling Stone and put on some of those good old school jams. It really, really was a great time. And everybody knows what Jenny said...

She doesn't believe what she hears at all
Ooh, she started dancin' to that fine fine music
You know her life is saved by rock 'n' roll, yeah rock 'n' roll 
Despite all the computations
You could just dance
To that rock 'n' roll station