Oh. Man.
Tonight, I’m watching “Jesus Christ Superstar,” the original movie from 1973. I say all that to differentiate it from the also-available on DVD 2000 video remake, uhm, which I’ve also recently watched. See, what you all don’t know is that for the last maybe three months, “Jesus Christ Superstar” has been tearing through my life in a way it hasn’t done since I was a kid. It is now a raging firestorm and I’m willingly standing in the middle of the red-hot blaze. There is much to say. MUCH to say about JCS: My history with JCS. The impact on my little sheltered life. Comparing various versions — uh, which I’m currently doing.
On our recent road trip, I stuck a JCS CD in during the long, mind-numbing stretch through the high desert and sang all the parts. More than once. Even when Jesus and Judas sing over each other: One of my twelve chosen will leave to betray me — Cut out the dramatics, you know very well WHO — why don’t you go do it — you want me to do it — hurry, they’re waiting — if you knew why I do it — I don’t care why you do it …… Um, yeah. Even then. It was appalling and self-indulgent and along the way, MB died — literally, he is DEAD and I had to dig his grave in the high Sierras with a spoon I found between the seat cushions — but on a positive note, it was also totally worth it. I needed to sing Jesus and Judas. I needed to scream:
ALLLLLLL RIIIIIIIIGHHHHT!!! I’LLLLL DIIIIIIIE!
JUST WATCH ME DIIIIIIE!!
SEEE-EE-EE-EE, SEEE HOW I DIII-I-I-I-E!
I just DID. Now, of course, I didn’t think MB would take it as a hint and cack it on me, but at least the last sounds he heard were the familiar, dulcet tones of me tormenting him. So I’m pretty sure he was happy. Or at least comfortable. Well, death probably seemed a lot like life to him, is all I’m saying.
But now. Watch out, peeps. It’s coming. The JCS train is on da tracks, barreling towards you. There’s no hope for you, I’m afraid: It’s either jump off the tracks or climb on board!
Yay!!!! Ride that wave!
My mind is clearer now
At last all too well
I can see where we all soon will be
JEEEEEEEESUUUUUUUS
You’ve started to believe the things they say of you
You really do believe this talk of God is TRUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEEEE
goosebumps!
That’s kind of interesting b/c right now I’ve got Godspell on the brain..
on the willows there
we hung up our lyres
for our captors there required
of the songs
and our tormentors mirth
Saying, sing us one of the songs of Zion
Sing us one of the songs of Zion
Sing us one of the songs of Zion
But how can we sing
sing the Lords song
in a foriegn land
Oops, forgot to mention. Did you know that Bette Midler almost got the role of Mary Magdalene in the original movie? Apparently her audition just blew them away but her looks didn’t fit the rest of the cast at all so they had to pass her over…
Actually, Midler was turned down for the stage production – not the film.
She was too good – it would have tipped the balance completely to have a Magdalene so far better than everybody else. Amazing. The stories of that audition and what it was like give me goosebumps! She was unknown – but she already was a star.
Try not to get worried
Try not to hang onto
Problems that upset you
Don’t you know
Everything’s all right, yes
Everything’s fine
I think my favorite, though, is Judas singing “Damned for all time”.
Shivers.
Okay, I’ll stop now.
Yup – getting chased through the desert by tanks. That movie was TRIPPIN’. Doncha get me wrong, now!
BTW – I can now confess that for a while I disliked Norman Jewison. I was a teen re-reading “A Tale of Two Cities” and I thought it would be COOL to have a voiceover of Carton’s last words as the camera followed him to the guillotine, and then upward to the blade, and then the blade would drop – and that would be the end. Roll credits in silence.
And Jewison BEAT ME TO IT.
I felt like the second guy to climb Everest. “What? Hilary told me he turned around 500 feet short! And there’s that flag of his when I get up there – nobody told me!”
Murray Head’s “Damned for all Time” on the original concept album. A-MAZING.
Unbelievable, totally.
Wasn’t Jewison responsible for “Moonstruck”? One of my all time favorites.
Kate P – yes!!
He also directed the Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming – which is a long-time O’Malley family favorite.
And let us not forget Rollerball.