Monday, February 8, 2021

The Drifting Psycho Focus Of William Robert Thornton

Movie stars making rock records? Include us out, right? Steven Seagal? Bruce Willis? So you might ignore Billy Bob Thornton's albums, should you stumble across them in the seedy emporia you frequent. File under: vanity projects by would-be rock stars buying studio time. Except that Billy Bob is the real deal.


And just as he nails every moment he's on screen with that beady-eyed drifting psycho focus, shifting between beauty and ugliness, vulnerability and creepiness, his music blurs the heartworn and the sinister in a disoriented Twin Peaks groove. Bar-stool gothic lyrics, drumbeats rolling like tumbleweed, guitars echoing from an empty room.

If this is new to you, you're in for a treat. Four solo albums, but nothing from his blues band. The cutting edge of the sling blade, a lonely feast for the nighthawk at the diner.



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18 comments:

  1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 8, 2021 at 7:13 AM

    Astonishing, really. The guy is a deep and dark genius of sorts. Nobody looks like him - from one angle, a matinee idol, from another, a leering retard - and nobody sounds like him.

    Fave Billy Bob screen performance? There's a big choice.

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    Replies
    1. Bell-eyeFebruary 8, 2021 at 9:25 AM

      Lorne Malvo

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    2. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 8, 2021 at 11:15 AM

      Good call.

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    3. RobFebruary 8, 2021 at 6:40 PM

      A predictably obvious choice perhaps, but for me it has to be Ed Crane in the The Man Who Wasn't There.

      Delete
    4. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 8, 2021 at 6:44 PM

      There are many "predictably obvious choices", and that's what makes him a great actor.

      Delete
  2. pmacFebruary 8, 2021 at 6:28 PM

    Willie Soke in Bad Santa.

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  3. One Buck GuyFebruary 8, 2021 at 7:29 PM

    Hmm. Toss up? Hey, I'll cheat and say Lorne Malvo on the small screen and Jacob in "A Simple Plan" for the big screen.

    It's probably not his best, but check out "One False Move", back when he was a bit player rather than a featured star. He's a truly chilling psychopath in that one. Lorne Malvo in training.

    As for his music? Meh. Picked up the debut album back in the day, which should have been right up my alley, dark Americana and all that. But he's mumbing through a bunch of pretty samey songs, to my delicate ears. It's fine, I guess, but not an album I listened to more than two or three times.

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  4. vincentsearFebruary 8, 2021 at 10:36 PM

    is there a link somewhere or are those days gone?

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 9, 2021 at 6:21 AM

      I wait until somebody asks, generally, because most of the 4/5 Guys© have most of the albums. But no, those days haven't gone anywhere, and I'm happy to loadup any of the albums on th IoF© on request.

      Stealth Link™ embedded in this comment for your security and convenience. All links have been tested and are guaranteed over 90% Covid-free!

      Delete
    2. vincentsearFebruary 9, 2021 at 11:20 PM

      tanks'a'million, pal. love what you do here.

      Delete
    3. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 10, 2021 at 3:13 AM

      Thanks for the postcard, and enjoy your stay. Please leave your towel in the hamper!

      Delete
  5. bumppaFebruary 8, 2021 at 11:05 PM

    Carl Childers
    Nothing comes close

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    1. Farquhar Throckmorton IIIFebruary 9, 2021 at 6:25 AM

      Liza wit' a Z, Steven wit' a V, an' Karl wit' a K. This would be my vote, too. Intensity.

      Delete
  6. HDFebruary 10, 2021 at 9:42 AM

    I vaguely remember or hallucinate Billy Bob and Warren Zevon having an enlightening discussion about their OCD issues on the Letterman show years ago. Back when network television still accidentally provided occasional entertainment.

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