6A - Monday, January 14, 2013
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.cam
6A - Monday, January 14, 2013 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
Chase talks music, debut
feature film 'Fade'
This is not a
year-end list
Former 'Sopranos'
boss delves into
'60s subculture
By CARLY KEYES
Daily Arts Writer
In his feature film directorial
debut, "Not Fade Away," David
Chase displays his passion for
rock 'n' roll music. Set in subur-
ban New Jersey, the movie fol-
lows a group of hopeful teenagers
as their band tries to "make it"
during the '60s, when the genre
exploded into American culture.
During an interview with The
Michigan Daily, Chase made it
clear that this is a film about music.
"I wanted to use lesser-known
album tracks," Chase said. "I had
an idea of the music I wanted, and
I went out and gotit."
Chase described how most of
the popular '60s tunes are already
largely associated with other clas-
sic films and directors.
"I believe that when you go to
clear The Rolling Stones' music,
you have to ask Marty Scorsese,"
he said.
And despite the monumental
historical events during that time,
he didn't want to focus on that.
"Depicting an era like the '60s
is kind of a fool's errand, and it's
been done," Chase said.
"Nobody (in the film) goes to
a protest march. You can assume
that they're taking drugs, but you
don't really see that. Nobody's
seeing flowers or anything like
that. One guy goes to Vietnam, but
you don't follow him to Vietnam."
But what's most unique about
"Not Fade Away" - apart from the
paramount focus on rock 'n' roll
- is that the story, for Chase, is a
personal one. Though they never
left the basement or settled on a
name, Chase played drums in a
band with his friends while grow-
ing up in New Jersey during this
epic music movement.
"The film is autobiographical
in terms of the feelings involved
Chase uses some of the more obscure tracks of the '60s to foster individuality in his film.
on the part of the lead character,
but not necessarily the events or
the other people," he explained.
"Except for the part about the
father. That was kind of mne and
my father."
James Gandolfini ("Zero Dark
Thirty") plays the father who
strongly discourages his son,
Douglas (John Magaro, "Liberal
Arts"), from pursuing a music
career. Gandolfini reunites with
Chase for the first time since they
worked together on "The Sopra-
nos," the mostcfinancially success-
ful television series of all time.
Chase, who created the criti-
cally acclaimed show and wrote
and directed multiple episodes,
feels a certain amount of individ-
ual pressure to perform with his
successive projects.
"I never expected creating
something that so many people
knew about and invested so much
in," he said. "I thought there's no
way I can do anything like that
again. Yet, you feel like if you
haven't done something like that
again, you've failed."
This project marked Chase's
first major jump from the small
screen to the silver screen, and
it forced him to alter his typical
writing routine.
"There was always a solid out-
line," he explained. "This time
I decided to say, 'I'm going to sit
down and write (the screenplay)
and see what happens.' I went in
without a map."
Steven Van Zandt, another for-
mer cast member of "The Sopra-
nos" and a musician with Bruce
Springteen's E Street band, pro-
duced the music and wrote the
film's original song, "St. Valen-
tine's Day Massacre." Originally,
he and Chase wanted to cast
musicians who could also act,
and considered using well-known
entertainers.
"Stars are stars and they're use-
ful in many different ways," Chase
said. "But, in retrospect, I'm really
glad we didn't use them. I think it
would've skewed the movie in a
way."
By the time filming began, Van
Zandt had molded the actors into
a truly talented band who did all
of their own vocal work and most
of their instrumental parts.
In "Not Fade Away," Chase
paints a picture of a musical era
that's a far cry from the pop mel-
odies, country ballads and rap
anthems on today's mainstream
radio stations. But, asserting that
issues America faced - sexual,
gender and racial politics - still
permeate strongly five decades
later, Chase believessome things
haven't changed.
"The '60s never got solved," he
stated, noting the major differ-
ence is that now "there's no music
to lead you through it."
Chase expanded upon this
stark contrast between the over-
arching culture of the two gen-
erations.
"Now everybody's tattooed
and has piercings. Everybody
looks like an outlaw, and they're
not really. People back then who
looked like outlaws were out-
laws."
Similarly, as authentically
showcased in "Not Fade Away,"
Chase believes that people who
looked like musicians were musi-
cians, too.
've written before about
why I don't believe in the
concept of the "best TV
show ever" or year-end lists, or
rankings in general. Our own
best televi-
sion of 2012
list was com-
piled through
a thorough
democratic
process, but,
as with any
best-of list, KAYLA
it's limited to UPADHYAYA
those fixed 10
slots, so great
shows sometimes get crowded
out.
Because I watch what many
consider to be "too much televi-
sion," I have a whole lot of last-
ing 2012 TV memories. Many
of these moments happened on
shows that made.our list: Megan
Draper's rendition of "Zou Bisou
Bisou" on "Mad Men"; every sec-
ond of Anna Gunn's performance
in "Fifty-One" on "Breaking
Bad"; Louis C.K.'s brief return to
"Parks and Recreation"; Matthew
and Mary's duet on "Downton
Abbey"; Kristina telling her fam-.
ily about her cancer on "Parent-
hood"; Ray saying "slim leg" four
times in nine seconds on "Girls";
Morgan Saylor's reading of "We
killed someone" on "Homeland."
ButI also want to give a shout-
out to the shows that didn't make
our list because, believe me, they
too featured many ofthe year's
defining TV moments and, even
thoughI hate year-end lists,
some sort of yearly reflection is
expected of us writers. So let's just
call this my anti-year-end list (or
not even a list at all... a collection
of anecdotes in absolutely no par-
ticular order) soI don't feel like a
sellout.
While Daily Arts's list consists
of almost entirely dramas, both
new and established comedies
left their mark in 2012. "Louie"
continued to be the saddest funny
show on air, capping off a near-
perfect season with "New Year's
Eve,"-an emotional masterpiece
that convinced me that those
calling the show the "Sopranos"
of TV comedy are 100-percent
right.
In the face of probable cancel-
lation, "Cougar Town" turned
in its best season. "Happy End-
ings" gave us a krumping Elisha
Cuthbert and Brad and Max's 4
best shenanigan yet: a bar mitz-
vah emcee group called "Boyz
II Menorah." "Community"
somehow topped its first fake clip
show with a second. "30 Rock"
wavered, but it also concocted
the most bizarre and hilarious
rendering of Leap Day. And when
I attempted to make a list of my
favorite lines from 2012, about
half belonged to the mouth of
Jane Krakowski's Jenna Maroney
("Go jump back up your mother!"
and "I'm goingto be constructive
here, you should kill yourself" are
tied for first place).
But most of my TV time is
occupiedby dramas and, this
year, there were many episodes of
both cable and network dramas
that I admire. Too many, in fact,
to list. And this isn't supposed to
be a list anyway, remember? But
here are some thoughts on the
moments I can't stop thinking
about: Boyd Crowder's town hall
speech on "Justified" made me
hope that Walton Goggins one
day runs for president. "Revenge"
became the showI most look
forward to every week. "The
Vampire Diaries" put forth a sea-
son finale so shocking, I actually
fell off of my couch. "Nashville"
put Connie Britton and Hayden
Panettiere on a stage together
and made magic happen (the
show also made me love Panet-
tiere - another act of sorcery).
This is just a
tribute.
4
RELEASE DATE- Monday, January 14,2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
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Page 3
As with every year, TV lost
some good ones in 2012. The USA
soap "Political Animals," with its
powerhouse cast led by Sigour-
ney Weaver and Carla Gugino,
mixed politics and family drama
to great effect. Phoebe Tonkin's
Faye, a teen witch on the CW's
"Secret Circle,"'was one of my
favorite female characters until
the series was vanquished.
Remember, this is not a best-of
list, but if I were hypothetically
forced at gunpoint to choose a top
show for 2012, it would be one
thatdid not make the Daily's list
at all. It would be a show that I
myself despised during its promo-
tional campaign and after seeing
its pilot. After I got sick of my
friend nagging me to give "New
Girl" -yes, the FOX sitcom that
boasts a wide-eyed, ukulele-bear-
ing Zooey Deschanel - a second
chance, I tuned back in for what I
was certain would be a shitshow.
Instead, I met a show that had
figured its characters out. Max
Greenfield's Emmy-nominated
performance as Schmidt - who
wears kimonos and loses count-
less dollars to the Douchebag Jar
by sayingthings like "Have you
seen my sharkskin laptop sleeve?"
and "Damnit, I can't find my driv-
ingmoccasins anywhere!" -is
aseason one highlight, but it's
Jake Johnson's surly, perpetually
uncomfortable Nick Miller who
emerges as the hilarious standout
in the show's 2012 run.
"New Girl" wasn'tthe only
show that proved me wrong in
2012. When Shonda Rhimes's
"Scandal" came to ABC last
spring, I was certain it would be a
hilarious disaster. The executive
producer of "Grey's Anatomy"
attempting a political thriller?
Come on. As it turns out, the
Kerry Washington-led serial
about D.C.'s premier "fixer" and
public relations wizard Olivia
Pope could easily be mistaken for
a cable drama. It's sexy and smart
and manages to tie geopolitical
issues into its pulpy narrative
organically.
I didn't evengetto dozens of
shows I wanted to discuss. But
hey, having too many great shows
is a good problem for a TV lover
to have. Just don't make me sort
them into a numbered list, I beg
of you.
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