Vinyl: The Music Or The Characters? | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Entertainment

Vinyl: The Music Or The Characters?

Some of Us Still Haven't Figured it Out

9
Vinyl: The Music Or The Characters?
Newsweek

I write while listening to the superb soundtrack...

We have now seen 7 of the 10 episodes of Season 1 of "Vinyl," the new HBO Original Series about the Rock ‘n’ Roll scene in 1970s New York City, and I for one am still not sure what gives. Is this about the characters or the music?

After six episodes — a “reasonable” sample size — I had the following assessment: this show is about the characters, with the time period and context simply acting as the canvas on which the characters are painted. In this assessment, the plot line was nothing new or unique: you had the main character, Richie Finestra, with a slew of major problems in his life from being at a murder scene to his wife running away because he can’t keep sober; Jamie Vine, the ambitious assistant working for Richie who has categorically “rebelled” from the opulent, clean, lifestyle of her family, and in particular her holocaust-surviving mother, who she cannot gain even an ounce of acceptance from because the mother disapproves of her choice to work hard at her passion; and then you have Richie’s Jewish partner, Zak Yankovich who wanted to do nothing more than sell their record company, take home a fat check, pay for his daughter’s bat mitzvah and live happily ever after off the money from the sale. All in all, nothing overly compelling in the plot-line.

The first two episodes left us unsure about whether this was, at the end of the day, a character show or a music show. We had Richie yelling “Let’s show people how rock ’n’ roll is supposed to make you feel!” in his effort to both find the purity of rock ‘n’ roll through all the junk and to bring his record label back from near bankruptcy. In this search, we had the discovery of the Nasty Bits—by Jamie Vine of all people—an early punk rock band, playing loud and messy – exactly what Richie was looking for. We were introduced to Lester Grimes, a guitar player with passionate vocals that was Richie’s first “discovery” before Richie was a big record executive; we saw Richie’s obsession with his musical purity and greatness when Richie tried convincing Lester to come back by tempting him with tapes of their first recordings. And that seemed to be where the music ended. During the middle episodes of the season it was all about the characters and their problems: Richie with his personal life from the murder scene to his wife running away with his children because he cant stay sober, Zak almost committing suicide worrying about money issues, Jamie and her unaccepting mother. But I for one did not care, and this is where the musical context, even as a canvas comes into play.

I kept watching—religiously—despite the focus on the characters, despite the plot line being nothing “new”, and because of the nostalgia for the era and the music. Executive Producers Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger are intimately familiar with the period and the show holds nothing back: for one hour a week I feel like I'm living in 70s era New York City: the “gold” of rock ‘n’ roll. And that is a rush that will keep me coming back.

I am writing this after episode 7 because episode 7 fooled me. Richie and Zak go to hang out at a party in the Malibu beach house of Lou Meshejian, a rival music executive who bought Richie’s corporate jet, as Richie and Zak try to cut costs to keep their record company alive. The east-coast/west-coast identity is palpable in this excellent scene: Zak and Richie are trying to mingle at this “party” that is quite, calm, and peaceful, unlike their parties on the east coast – loud, wild, taking no prisoners. And now I start to be fooled by episode 7: Richie is talking to Gram Parsons who invites him to come watch the sunrise with them at Joshua Tree, telling him he will find “that thing of beauty that you lost or let go,” telling him he will feel “it.” I am convinced the narrative is coming back to the music, the “it” that Richie is looking for is music that “show[s] people how rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to make you feel!”

Fast Forward to Richie and Zak in Law Vegas, at an Elvis show. Zak cannot contain his angst at the fact that “the king of rock ‘n’ roll is singing about lettuce” in front of a bunch of grandmas. After the show Richie tries to convince Elvis to drop his label and sign with Richie, stressing that the king of rock ‘n’ roll has become diluted, soft, has “sold out;” a notion that is confirmed by the king when he tells Richie that his current label wants him to make two Christmas albums that year – albums where, as in Richie’s words, “artists go to die.”

I. Love. This. Scene. First the sunrise at Joshua Tree and now this – the show is getting back to the music, not only as a canvas but as the driving force for the plot line, albeit one riddled with regurgitated personal character issues. Despite Elvis’ manager—The Colonel—getting in the way of Richie signing Elvis, I'm elated because I'm convinced that something has changed: I used to watch the show despite the music being only a canvas just because I'm nostalgic for the rock ‘n’ roll, but now the music is regaining again the driving force of the plotline, like it was in the first two episodes. And in a matter of minutes all of this changes. I am utterly confused: the episode ends with a flashback showing Richie gamble away all of the money from the sale of their jet – enough money to keep the record label afloat for three months, without which they couldn’t be afloat for a single month. Why ruin a music episode with yet another character action, another character problem, bringing the show back to the characters?

Despite this music-heavy episode, I can no longer convince myself that this show is about the music because the episode ends with another Richie-centric moment. But you better the hell believe I’ll watch next week: nostalgia for rock ‘n’ roll is powerful enough to keep me coming back, regardless of the music’s roll in the plot line. For one hour a week, this visceral nostalgia for rock ‘n’ roll is satisfied; for one hour a week I escape to 1970s New York City, where rock ‘n’ roll is alive and booming.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

181086
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

8006
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

453049
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

23641
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments