Thursday, November 27, 2014

Appreciating Lilyhammer!


Disaster Amnesiac realizes that it's been quite some time since my last post. Tons of personal, professional and artistic obligations have made it tough for me to muster the needed attention to detail, so essential to even the most half-assed blogging attempts.
That said, a recent spell of "sick in bed with a cold" afforded a chance to binge watch the most current season of Lilyhammer, Steven Van Zandt's excellent Netflix-based gangster show.
After wrapping up Season 3, Disaster Amnesiac just wants to say how much I enjoy Lilyhammer, along with a few notes as the some of the reasons why.
To start, the writing for the show, having been initially good to great, has gotten more brilliant as the show has progressed. This veritable Sopranos spin off has spun its own unique thread; the way that United States culture is reflected off of the Norwegian setting of the show is smart and witty, and the insights from this wittiness often leaves this viewer with all kinds of fascinating food for thought as regards that culture.
Secondly, the acting, with its contrast of East Coast U.S. heat against Norse understated cool, is always compelling. Van Zandt has proven himself to be a top flight satirist with this vehicle. There was always a certain black comedy emanating from his appearances on the Sopranos, and on Lilyhammer he perfects that particular mode.
Last, it's quite fun for this music fan to see the various "guests acts" that Van Zandt, an enthusiastic and dedicated fan himself, programs into each episode. Scandinavian Rock 'n Roll culture is quite fascinating to view from his curatorial perspective.
Take it from Disaster Amnesiac, if you've not done so already, and have time to do so, check out a few episodes of Lillyhammer. It's one of the best shows going!

2 comments:

Pig State Recon said...

Any Springsteen tunes backing these episodes? I only just missed out on that Little Steven-era E-Street Band; Nils Lofgren had replaced him for the Born In The USA tour shows I saw. But maybe acting has been his real calling all along.

Mark Pino On Drums said...

I believe so, yes. Still, Van Zandt gets some really god music into each episode. Bruce made a great cameo in the season finale of the most recent season!