Have Fun, Stay Single

Today I was home with a horrible headache. So long as I stayed still, I was OK, but any sudden movement resulted in stinging barbs of pain lashing through my head. Inbetween lieing in bed trying to sleep, I watched some TV...and of course daytime TV is simply lacking. Luckily, I have On Demand, and one of the movies available (ending today amazingly) was Singles.

It's been a long time since I've seen the movie, but it's still just as good as the first time I saw it. For those of you young-uns who haven't seen it...or GASP...haven't heard of it, do yourself a favor and rent it some night this week.

Singles was released in 1992, following the wave of the Seattle sound, and features guest appearances by Eddie Vedder / Pearl Jam, Chris Cornell / Soundgarden, and Jerry Cantrell / Alice In Chains. It's a sharply astute portrayal of the single scene, and it focuses on the inter-related stories of six 20-something friends as they navigate the ups and downs of dating. What I really like about the film is that none of the six characters are played by ridiculously good looking actors, lending it a sense of believability.

As a personal aside to the whole grunge thing, I remember that the summer Pearl Jam/etc.. hit it big I was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training. Needless to say, you don't have time to stay current with what's going on in the real world while at basic training, so upon returning home I was shocked at an entirely new shift in the direction of music. I might as well have been still listening to 8-tracks.


Anywho, the movie is chock full of some super quotes:

Janet Livermore: People need people, Steve. It has nothing to do with sex. OK, maybe 40 percent. 60 percent. Forget it.

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Linda Powell: I think that, a) you have an act, and that, b) not having an act is your act.

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Steve Dunne: My dad left home when I was eight. You know what he said to me? Have fun, stay single. I was eight.

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Club Interviewer: Talking here with Cliff Poncier. Cliff, any comments on the "Seattle Sound" and Citizen Dick's place in it?
Cliff Poncier: Well, I don't like to reduce us to just being part of the "Seattle Sound." I'd like to think of us as expanding more. Like, we're huge in Europe right now. I mean, we've got records... uh, a big record just broke in Belgium.
Club Interviewer: Now, a song like "Touch Me, I'm Dick" is about... what?
Cliff Poncier: Well, I think "Touch Me, I'm Dick," in essence, speaks for itself, you know. I think that, you know, that's basically what the song is, um... about... is about, you know... I-I think a lot of people might think it's actually about, you know,"My name is Dick, and, you know, you can touch me," but, I think, you know, it can be seen either way.

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Steve Dunne: [calling Linda] Linda Powell? Steve Dunne. Hey, yeah, I met you... 61 hours ago. Yeah, that was me. Listen, uh, do you want to get some dinner? Uh, how about some lunch? No lunch. Coffee? Water? How about some water? I'll meet you where you're already having lunch, and we'll have some water.

And now for some tunes from a classic soundtrack (personally, I think Paul Westerberg has the two best tracks on the CD):

Paul Westerberg - Dyslexic Heart : Singles Soundtrack

Soundgarden - Birth Ritual : Singles Soundtrack

Pearl Jam - State Of Love And Trust : Singles Soundtrack

Smashing Pumpkins - Drown : Singles Soundtrack

Paul Westerberg -Waiting For Somebody : Singles Soundtrack

And, added by popular demand (i.e. Sally)...

The Lovemongers - Battle of Evermore (Led Zeppelin cover) : Singles Soundtrack