O Brother, Where Art Thou?
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OBWAT Quotes
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O Brother Where Art Thou Quotes
Learn about "O Brother, Where Art Thou" quotes for a good laugh. The movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou" was made in 2000 and is a rough remake of Homer's poem "The Odyssey." This movie is set in the American south in the 1930s. "O Brother, Where Art Thou" starred George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill, Holly Hunter as Penny, John Turturro as Pete, Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar O'Donnell, and John Goodman as Big Dan Teague. The mishaps and blunders make this movie a great one to enjoy. Learn the quotes and relive "O Brother, Where Art Thou" again and again.
"Damn! We're in a tight spot!" This line was repeated throughout the movie by Ulysses Everett McGill. There were many "tight spots" through the movie and you come to anticipate when he might declare it!
"I don't want FOP damn it, I'm a Dapper Dan Man!" Ulysses Everett McGill says this regarding his precious hair jelly. Everett has to have Dapper Dan or nothing!
"Well, it didn't look like a two-horse town, but try finding a decent hair jelly." Once again Everett laments his quest for his hair jelly. He has a hard time finding Dapper Dan while on the run with Pete and Delmar.
"Them syreens did this to Pete. They loved him up and turned him into a horny toad." Delmar O'Donnell says this regarding the sirens at the river. Delmar is scared for Pete, who is missing, but Delmar thinks he is a toad.
"We thought you was a toad!" Delmar says in the movie theater. "What?" Pete says. "We thought you was a toad!" Pete is in the movie theater and Delmar cannot believe it. He was certain the sirens had turned Pete into a toad.
"Do not seek the treasure!" Pete tells Delmar this in the movie theater. He knows the danger that the flood will bring and is warning Pete to stay away from the homestead.
"I'm gonna visit those foreclosing son-of-a-guns at the Indianola Savings & Loan, slap that money on the barrelhead and buy back the family farm. You ain't no kind of man if you ain't got land." Delmar O'Donnell is fed up! He wants his property back.
"I don't know Delmar. The blind are reputed to possess sensitivities compensating for their lack of sight, even to the point of developing paranormal psychic powers. Now, clearly seeing into the future would fall into neatly into that category; its not so surprising then that an organism deprived of its earthly vision…" Everett tells Delmar about the blind man who told him about the treasure. He is trying to convince Delmar using his fancy words.
"Go to sleep you little baby, Go to sleep you little baby, You and me and the devil makes three, Don't need no other lovin' baby. Go to sleep you little baby, Go to sleep you little baby, Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones, And be my ever lovin' baby." The sirens sing this to Everett, Pete, and Delmar. They lure the men into the water with this lullaby.
"No, wait, honey! Finding one little ring in the middle of all that water is one hell of a heroic task!" Everett concludes his discussion with Penny about the ring that was in the house that has now been flooded. Penny refuses to take no for an answer. She wants her ring.
O Brother Where Art Thou Quotes
Learn about "O Brother, Where Art Thou" quotes for a good laugh. The movie "O Brother, Where Art Thou" was made in 2000 and is a rough remake of Homer's poem "The Odyssey." This movie is set in the American south in the 1930s. "O Brother, Where Art Thou" starred George Clooney as Ulysses Everett McGill, Holly Hunter as Penny, John Turturro as Pete, Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar O'Donnell, and John Goodman as Big Dan Teague. The mishaps and blunders make this movie a great one to enjoy. Learn the quotes and relive "O Brother, Where Art Thou" again and again.
"Damn! We're in a tight spot!" This line was repeated throughout the movie by Ulysses Everett McGill. There were many "tight spots" through the movie and you come to anticipate when he might declare it!
"I don't want FOP damn it, I'm a Dapper Dan Man!" Ulysses Everett McGill says this regarding his precious hair jelly. Everett has to have Dapper Dan or nothing!
"Well, it didn't look like a two-horse town, but try finding a decent hair jelly." Once again Everett laments his quest for his hair jelly. He has a hard time finding Dapper Dan while on the run with Pete and Delmar.
"Them syreens did this to Pete. They loved him up and turned him into a horny toad." Delmar O'Donnell says this regarding the sirens at the river. Delmar is scared for Pete, who is missing, but Delmar thinks he is a toad.
"We thought you was a toad!" Delmar says in the movie theater. "What?" Pete says. "We thought you was a toad!" Pete is in the movie theater and Delmar cannot believe it. He was certain the sirens had turned Pete into a toad.
"Do not seek the treasure!" Pete tells Delmar this in the movie theater. He knows the danger that the flood will bring and is warning Pete to stay away from the homestead.
"I'm gonna visit those foreclosing son-of-a-guns at the Indianola Savings & Loan, slap that money on the barrelhead and buy back the family farm. You ain't no kind of man if you ain't got land." Delmar O'Donnell is fed up! He wants his property back.
"I don't know Delmar. The blind are reputed to possess sensitivities compensating for their lack of sight, even to the point of developing paranormal psychic powers. Now, clearly seeing into the future would fall into neatly into that category; its not so surprising then that an organism deprived of its earthly vision…" Everett tells Delmar about the blind man who told him about the treasure. He is trying to convince Delmar using his fancy words.
"Go to sleep you little baby, Go to sleep you little baby, You and me and the devil makes three, Don't need no other lovin' baby. Go to sleep you little baby, Go to sleep you little baby, Come and lay your bones on the alabaster stones, And be my ever lovin' baby." The sirens sing this to Everett, Pete, and Delmar. They lure the men into the water with this lullaby.
"No, wait, honey! Finding one little ring in the middle of all that water is one hell of a heroic task!" Everett concludes his discussion with Penny about the ring that was in the house that has now been flooded. Penny refuses to take no for an answer. She wants her ring.
Merlin- More than a little bit enthusiastic about Clooney
- Posts : 1217
Join date : 2010-12-06
Location : Liverpool UK
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
They missed out my favourite line: "My hair!"
Katiedot- Admin
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Join date : 2010-12-05
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Also "I'll stamp my foot and count to 3". But Gee's a dapper dan alright!!
fluffy- Ooh, Mr Clooney!
- Posts : 959
Join date : 2011-03-02
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Can't believe we don't have a thread for this film yet!
Here's George and friends pretending to sing:
Here's George and friends pretending to sing:
Katiedot- Admin
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Join date : 2010-12-05
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I heard George sang his own part. Is that true? Does anyone know?
Guest- Guest
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
No he didn't. He wanted to and even went into the recording studio with the Coen bros but they didn't use his voice.
George gives different versions of what happened and why. One story he likes to say is that he couldn't sing and he destroyed all the tapes from that session.
A longer version he first gave was that he could sing (and the Coen bros said much the same) but this style of singing is very particular and he couldn't achieve this style.
In any case, no, that's not him singing.
George gives different versions of what happened and why. One story he likes to say is that he couldn't sing and he destroyed all the tapes from that session.
A longer version he first gave was that he could sing (and the Coen bros said much the same) but this style of singing is very particular and he couldn't achieve this style.
In any case, no, that's not him singing.
Katiedot- Admin
- Posts : 13223
Join date : 2010-12-05
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
When they are all gathered in that building and the governor "forgives" them for their wrong deeds and they are all singing "you are my sunshine", THAT is George really singing in his own voice. Very distinct, and VERY nice!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
- Posts : 19324
Join date : 2010-12-06
Location : George's House
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Hey Melbert, I love your new avatar! I hope he didn't spill his drink when he lurched like that. IMO he has the most amazing eyes.
cindigirl- Happy Clooney-looney!
- Posts : 5313
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Location : NJ, USA
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
He was scared to share his drink with me!!!!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
- Posts : 19324
Join date : 2010-12-06
Location : George's House
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Don't think he's scared of you Mel, maybe he's saying to Eli that if I give you this drink will you leave me alone please?
cindigirl- Happy Clooney-looney!
- Posts : 5313
Join date : 2010-12-06
Location : NJ, USA
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Last edited by Katiedot on Sun 22 May 2011, 19:18; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added the video)
Atalante- Clooney-love. And they said it wouldn't last
- Posts : 1987
Join date : 2010-12-31
Location : Little Old Belgium
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
No - He's very surprised to see you Melbert and is anxious to get you - well, get you. Hope you have fun and share most of the details.
blubelle- Ooh, Mr Clooney!
- Posts : 959
Join date : 2010-12-22
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Oh Blubelle, I will share EVERY detail!!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
- Posts : 19324
Join date : 2010-12-06
Location : George's House
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I love OBWAT one of my favourite movies. My family would look at me very oddly when I would come out with one of the lines! LOL
Dexterdidit- Achieving total Clooney-dom
- Posts : 2772
Join date : 2010-12-06
Location : Somewhere in Oz
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
And this is the guy who really did sing on OBWAT:
. . . One highlight of the show was guitarist Dan Tyminski, who provided the singing voice for George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou? taking over the vocal duties for a rendition of that movie's hit song "Man of Constant Sorrow."
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Katiedot- Admin
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Join date : 2010-12-05
Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
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Story Notes for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Weeknights during prime time on AMC, you can catch Story Notes -- real time trivia and facts about your favorite movies! Below is the online version of the Story Notes for O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Award Notes
The O Brother soundtrack won five Grammys, including Album of the Year, and has sold over nine million copies."I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" won a CMA Award for Single of the Year.
Holly Hunter won an Oscar for playing a mute woman in The Piano (1993).
George Clooney won a Golden Globe for his performance as Everett. He's since been nominated for eight more Golden Globes, seven Academy Awards, and 100 other awards.
Biography Notes
Cinematographer Roger Deakins has worked with the Coens on every movie since Barton Fink (1991). He was nominated for an Oscar for this movie.
George Clooney was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky.
Chris Thomas King's own music is a more modern take on blues, with rap and hip-hop influences.
John Turturro played the son of a restaurant owner in Do The Right Thing (1989).
Stephen Root was also in the Coens' No Country for Old Men (2007) and The Ladykillers (2004).
Instead of his hair, George Clooney is obsessed with his teeth in the Coens' Intolerable Cruelty (2003).
Charles Durning (Pappy) played a cop in The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Dick Tracy (1990).
Charles Durning won a Tony for playing Big Daddy in the 1989 revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
A year later, Clooney played the ringleader of a much bigger group, as Danny Ocean in Ocean's Eleven.
George Clooney's aunt was singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, from White Christmas (1954).
Charles Durning played another dancing governor in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). He was nominated for an Oscar for that movie.
Michael Badalucco's next movie was the Coens' The Man Who Wasn't There (2001).
Though he's playing the father of several little girls, George Clooney has no kids of his own. Clooney: "I've always known fatherhood wasn't for me. [My priority] is my work."
Casting Notes
George Clooney had just finished his stint on ER and was on his way to becoming a major movie star.
John Turturro was in the Coens' Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1994), and The Big Lebowski (1998).
The third escapee (Delmar) is character actor Tim Blake Nelson, from Minority Report (1998) and Holes (2003).
Frank Collison played Horace Bing for six seasons on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman ('1993-1998).
A few years later, Chris Thomas King (Tommy) played band leader Lowell Fulson in Ray (2004).
Stephen Root played a radio station owner as Jimmy James on NewsRadio (1995-1999). His character is the third blind man in the movie.
Charles Durning played Waring Hudsucker in the Coens' The Hudsucker Proxy (1994).
At the time, Michael Badalucco (driver) was playing lawyer Jimmy Berluti on The Practice (1997-2004).
Musetta Vander (Siren) played a teacher that turns into a praying mantis on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
John Goodman is a Coen Brothers favorite. He's worked with them on five movies, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy and this movie.
Daniel Von Bargen (Sheriff) played an eye patch-wearing commandant on Malcolm in the Middle.
Wayne Duvall (Homer Stokes) is Robert Duvall's cousin. He was also the coach in Leatherheads, a 2008 football movie directed by and starring George Clooney.
Ed Gale (The Little Man) played the title role in Howard the Duck (1986).
Ray McKinnon plays Assistant U.S. Attorney Lincoln Potter on Sons of Anarchy.
Pappy's advisers are played by character actors Brian Reddy and J.R. Horne.
Finance Notes
$10 in 1937 would be the equivalent of roughly $150 in today's money.
In 1937, a gallon of gas cost ten cents.
History Notes
Before 1960, census takers had to go door to door to count the population; now it's mostly done by mail.
Governor Pappy O'Daniel is based on W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, who was governor of Texas from 1939-1941.
The Great Depression lasted throughout the '30s. The unemployment rate peaked at 25% in 1933.
In 1937, roughly one out of ten men had hitchhiked at some point in their life.
In the '30s, millions of Americans lost their farms due to severe dust storms that plagued the U.S.
George Nelson was a real bank robber in the '30s who teamed up with John Dillinger.
Nelson probably got the nickname "Babyface" from a bank teller who was describing him to the cops.
Chain gangs were one of the few integrated southern institutions during the Depression.
After dying out in the 1870s, the Ku Klux Klan came back in 1915, inspired by The Birth of a Nation.
Franklin Roosevelt, who was President in 1937, had a "brain trust" of advisers to help with the New Deal.
The real George Nelson died in a shootout with the FBI in 1934.
One of the worst floods in U.S. history occurred in 1937 when the Ohio River overflowed.
The Hoover Dam first started generating hydroelectric power in 1936.
Music Notes
"Po Lazarus" is a recording of actual prisoners from Parchman Farm prison in 1959. The Coens tracked down one of the prisoners, Joe Carter, and paid him $20,000 for using his voice.
O Brother's soundtrack revives '30s-era songs with recordings by modern country and bluegrass artists.
Musician and producer T-Bone Burnett composed the movie's score and produced the soundtrack. Burnett: "The Coens have a tremendous following among the musicians in this country."
"O Death" is a traditional Appalachian song. The final version was written by a Baptist preacher in 1916.
"You Are My Sunshine" was the campaign song of Louisiana's "singing governor" Jimmie Davis.
The gravediggers are three of the Fairfield Four, a gospel group that's been around for over 90 years.
Plot Notes
Everett later identifies himself as Jordan Rivers. The Jordan River is where Jesus was baptized.
John Turturro was 42 when he played Pete.
Everett, a skeptic throughout the movie, turns to prayer when there's no rational option left.
In The Odyssey, the Cyclops kills and eats many of Ulysses' men.
Pop Culture Notes
Director Joel Coen says O Brother is "a Three Stooges movie in a lot of ways."
Sheriff Cooley wears mirrored glasses and is called "the devil," just like Boss Godfrey in Cool Hand Luke.
In Moby Dick (1851), Ishmael uses a coffin as a floatation device after his ship is destroyed.
The plot of Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well revolves around a wedding ring.
Press Notes
The Sirens all appeared in a photo spread for Maxim magazine in 2000.
The NY Times said: "Rather than wallow in nostalgia for the past, [the Coens] dare to reinvent it...to make it something strange, beautiful and new. [O Brother, Where Art Thou?] is bona fide."
Quote Notes
Clooney: "It's all about my hair, this movie. I'm in love with my hair. Which seems perfect for me."
Ethan Coen: "It pretends to be a big important movie, but the grandiosity is obviously a joke."
Tim Blake Nelson: "Delmar is a follower. He's just honored to be in the presence of two geniuses."
Joel Coen: "We decided we were probably making the Lawrence of Arabia of hayseed movies."
Mia Tate (Siren): "They just dropped us in a river in Mississippi... and said "Beckon the men."
Christy Taylor (Siren) on seducing Tim Blake Nelson: "I really made him blush. It was very sincere."
Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar): "I would say this movie is [the Coen Brothers'] least violent film."
John Turturro has called this movie "a hillbilly musical comedy adventure."
Ethan Coen: "It's a Ma and Pa Kettle movie, but with really big production values."
Script Notes
Neither of the Coen Brothers have read The Odyssey. They used the comic book version to write the movie.
Waldrip might be a nod to author Howard Waldrop, who told the story of Hercules set in '30s Mississippi.
Deus ex machina is a plot device used in Greek drama to save the hero at the last minute. The flood is Everett's deus ex machina.
Set Notes
Clooney had his Uncle Jack record himself reading the entire script in his Kentucky accent. Clooney based Everett's accent on that recording.
Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar) was Joel Coen's neighbor. Joel hadn't really seen him act in anything. When the Coens sent him the script, he thought they were asking his advice as a former Classics major.
Clooney based his dance on clog dancers he saw growing up in Kentucky. Clooney: "It's sort of like Lord of the Dance...none of their upper body moves, their legs are going nuts."
Source Notes
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a loose adaptation of The Odyssey. The Coens updated Homer's Trojan War epic to Depression-era Mississippi, circa 1937.
In The Odyssey, the blind prophet Tiresias predicts the hero's fate.
Everett's first name, Ulysses, is the Roman name for the hero in The Odyssey.
The Baptists represent the Lotus Eaters in The Odyssey, who live in a peaceful, dream-like state.
The movie's title comes from Preston Sturges' Depression-era satire Sullivan's Travels (1941). In that movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the title of the epic film that Sullivan wants to make.
Homer Stokes is thought to be based on Louisiana "share the wealth" governor Huey Long.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses is reunited with his wife after proving his worth in an archery competition.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses disguises himself to enter a contest and win back his wife and title.
In The Odyssey, our hero Ulysses encounters a one-eyed Cyclops named Polyphemus.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses escapes from the Cyclops by stabbing him in his single eye.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses talks to his dead friend when he visits the Underworld.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses returns to Ithaca to find his wife Penelope (Penny here) plagued by suitors.
"Homer" Stokes is a nod to Homer, who wrote The Odyssey.
In The Odyssey, a witch named Circe turns Ulysses' men into pigs after feeding them a feast.
In The Odyssey, the men plug their ears to keep from being led to their death by the Sirens' singing.
Odysseus, the Greek name for Ulysses, means "man who is in constant pain and sorrow."
Tommy is based on blues musician Tommy Johnson, who is rumored to have sold his soul to learn guitar. That legend is also attributed to guitarist Robert Johnson, but it originated with Tommy.
Symbolism Note
In the Coens' movies, fire often represents evil and death, while water stands for redemption.
Tech Note
The shooting locations were actually lush and green -- they were digitally altered to look dry and dusty. This was the first major Hollywood movie to digitally manipulate the look of an entire film.
Trivia Notes
"Fop" was first used in 1672 to describe men who were extremely vain about their appearance. "Dapper Dan" is a similar term for a swanky and well-groomed man.
Itta Bena, Mississippi is the birthplace of blues legend B.B. King.
George Nelson killed more FBI agents than anyone in history.
"Horny toads" are actually short-horned lizards.
Fricassee is a stewed chicken dish. It's also mentioned in the Coen brothers' Fargo (1996).
A succubus is a female demon that takes the form of a human woman to seduce men.
Woolworth's was founded in 1879 as one of the first five-and-dime stores in the U.S.
"Cast the first stone" comes from a Bible passage where Jesus saves an adulteress from being stoned.
Wardrobe Note
Stokes' red cloak marks him as a Kleagle, the person in charge of recruiting members to the Klan.
Story Notes for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Weeknights during prime time on AMC, you can catch Story Notes -- real time trivia and facts about your favorite movies! Below is the online version of the Story Notes for O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
Award Notes
The O Brother soundtrack won five Grammys, including Album of the Year, and has sold over nine million copies."I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" won a CMA Award for Single of the Year.
Holly Hunter won an Oscar for playing a mute woman in The Piano (1993).
George Clooney won a Golden Globe for his performance as Everett. He's since been nominated for eight more Golden Globes, seven Academy Awards, and 100 other awards.
Biography Notes
Cinematographer Roger Deakins has worked with the Coens on every movie since Barton Fink (1991). He was nominated for an Oscar for this movie.
George Clooney was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky.
Chris Thomas King's own music is a more modern take on blues, with rap and hip-hop influences.
John Turturro played the son of a restaurant owner in Do The Right Thing (1989).
Stephen Root was also in the Coens' No Country for Old Men (2007) and The Ladykillers (2004).
Instead of his hair, George Clooney is obsessed with his teeth in the Coens' Intolerable Cruelty (2003).
Charles Durning (Pappy) played a cop in The Sting (1973), Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Dick Tracy (1990).
Charles Durning won a Tony for playing Big Daddy in the 1989 revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
A year later, Clooney played the ringleader of a much bigger group, as Danny Ocean in Ocean's Eleven.
George Clooney's aunt was singer and actress Rosemary Clooney, from White Christmas (1954).
Charles Durning played another dancing governor in The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982). He was nominated for an Oscar for that movie.
Michael Badalucco's next movie was the Coens' The Man Who Wasn't There (2001).
Though he's playing the father of several little girls, George Clooney has no kids of his own. Clooney: "I've always known fatherhood wasn't for me. [My priority] is my work."
Casting Notes
George Clooney had just finished his stint on ER and was on his way to becoming a major movie star.
John Turturro was in the Coens' Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1994), and The Big Lebowski (1998).
The third escapee (Delmar) is character actor Tim Blake Nelson, from Minority Report (1998) and Holes (2003).
Frank Collison played Horace Bing for six seasons on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman ('1993-1998).
A few years later, Chris Thomas King (Tommy) played band leader Lowell Fulson in Ray (2004).
Stephen Root played a radio station owner as Jimmy James on NewsRadio (1995-1999). His character is the third blind man in the movie.
Charles Durning played Waring Hudsucker in the Coens' The Hudsucker Proxy (1994).
At the time, Michael Badalucco (driver) was playing lawyer Jimmy Berluti on The Practice (1997-2004).
Musetta Vander (Siren) played a teacher that turns into a praying mantis on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
John Goodman is a Coen Brothers favorite. He's worked with them on five movies, The Big Lebowski, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy and this movie.
Daniel Von Bargen (Sheriff) played an eye patch-wearing commandant on Malcolm in the Middle.
Wayne Duvall (Homer Stokes) is Robert Duvall's cousin. He was also the coach in Leatherheads, a 2008 football movie directed by and starring George Clooney.
Ed Gale (The Little Man) played the title role in Howard the Duck (1986).
Ray McKinnon plays Assistant U.S. Attorney Lincoln Potter on Sons of Anarchy.
Pappy's advisers are played by character actors Brian Reddy and J.R. Horne.
Finance Notes
$10 in 1937 would be the equivalent of roughly $150 in today's money.
In 1937, a gallon of gas cost ten cents.
History Notes
Before 1960, census takers had to go door to door to count the population; now it's mostly done by mail.
Governor Pappy O'Daniel is based on W. Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, who was governor of Texas from 1939-1941.
The Great Depression lasted throughout the '30s. The unemployment rate peaked at 25% in 1933.
In 1937, roughly one out of ten men had hitchhiked at some point in their life.
In the '30s, millions of Americans lost their farms due to severe dust storms that plagued the U.S.
George Nelson was a real bank robber in the '30s who teamed up with John Dillinger.
Nelson probably got the nickname "Babyface" from a bank teller who was describing him to the cops.
Chain gangs were one of the few integrated southern institutions during the Depression.
After dying out in the 1870s, the Ku Klux Klan came back in 1915, inspired by The Birth of a Nation.
Franklin Roosevelt, who was President in 1937, had a "brain trust" of advisers to help with the New Deal.
The real George Nelson died in a shootout with the FBI in 1934.
One of the worst floods in U.S. history occurred in 1937 when the Ohio River overflowed.
The Hoover Dam first started generating hydroelectric power in 1936.
Music Notes
"Po Lazarus" is a recording of actual prisoners from Parchman Farm prison in 1959. The Coens tracked down one of the prisoners, Joe Carter, and paid him $20,000 for using his voice.
O Brother's soundtrack revives '30s-era songs with recordings by modern country and bluegrass artists.
Musician and producer T-Bone Burnett composed the movie's score and produced the soundtrack. Burnett: "The Coens have a tremendous following among the musicians in this country."
"O Death" is a traditional Appalachian song. The final version was written by a Baptist preacher in 1916.
"You Are My Sunshine" was the campaign song of Louisiana's "singing governor" Jimmie Davis.
The gravediggers are three of the Fairfield Four, a gospel group that's been around for over 90 years.
Plot Notes
Everett later identifies himself as Jordan Rivers. The Jordan River is where Jesus was baptized.
John Turturro was 42 when he played Pete.
Everett, a skeptic throughout the movie, turns to prayer when there's no rational option left.
In The Odyssey, the Cyclops kills and eats many of Ulysses' men.
Pop Culture Notes
Director Joel Coen says O Brother is "a Three Stooges movie in a lot of ways."
Sheriff Cooley wears mirrored glasses and is called "the devil," just like Boss Godfrey in Cool Hand Luke.
In Moby Dick (1851), Ishmael uses a coffin as a floatation device after his ship is destroyed.
The plot of Shakespeare's All's Well That Ends Well revolves around a wedding ring.
Press Notes
The Sirens all appeared in a photo spread for Maxim magazine in 2000.
The NY Times said: "Rather than wallow in nostalgia for the past, [the Coens] dare to reinvent it...to make it something strange, beautiful and new. [O Brother, Where Art Thou?] is bona fide."
Quote Notes
Clooney: "It's all about my hair, this movie. I'm in love with my hair. Which seems perfect for me."
Ethan Coen: "It pretends to be a big important movie, but the grandiosity is obviously a joke."
Tim Blake Nelson: "Delmar is a follower. He's just honored to be in the presence of two geniuses."
Joel Coen: "We decided we were probably making the Lawrence of Arabia of hayseed movies."
Mia Tate (Siren): "They just dropped us in a river in Mississippi... and said "Beckon the men."
Christy Taylor (Siren) on seducing Tim Blake Nelson: "I really made him blush. It was very sincere."
Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar): "I would say this movie is [the Coen Brothers'] least violent film."
John Turturro has called this movie "a hillbilly musical comedy adventure."
Ethan Coen: "It's a Ma and Pa Kettle movie, but with really big production values."
Script Notes
Neither of the Coen Brothers have read The Odyssey. They used the comic book version to write the movie.
Waldrip might be a nod to author Howard Waldrop, who told the story of Hercules set in '30s Mississippi.
Deus ex machina is a plot device used in Greek drama to save the hero at the last minute. The flood is Everett's deus ex machina.
Set Notes
Clooney had his Uncle Jack record himself reading the entire script in his Kentucky accent. Clooney based Everett's accent on that recording.
Tim Blake Nelson (Delmar) was Joel Coen's neighbor. Joel hadn't really seen him act in anything. When the Coens sent him the script, he thought they were asking his advice as a former Classics major.
Clooney based his dance on clog dancers he saw growing up in Kentucky. Clooney: "It's sort of like Lord of the Dance...none of their upper body moves, their legs are going nuts."
Source Notes
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), by Joel and Ethan Coen, is a loose adaptation of The Odyssey. The Coens updated Homer's Trojan War epic to Depression-era Mississippi, circa 1937.
In The Odyssey, the blind prophet Tiresias predicts the hero's fate.
Everett's first name, Ulysses, is the Roman name for the hero in The Odyssey.
The Baptists represent the Lotus Eaters in The Odyssey, who live in a peaceful, dream-like state.
The movie's title comes from Preston Sturges' Depression-era satire Sullivan's Travels (1941). In that movie, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is the title of the epic film that Sullivan wants to make.
Homer Stokes is thought to be based on Louisiana "share the wealth" governor Huey Long.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses is reunited with his wife after proving his worth in an archery competition.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses disguises himself to enter a contest and win back his wife and title.
In The Odyssey, our hero Ulysses encounters a one-eyed Cyclops named Polyphemus.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses escapes from the Cyclops by stabbing him in his single eye.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses talks to his dead friend when he visits the Underworld.
In The Odyssey, Ulysses returns to Ithaca to find his wife Penelope (Penny here) plagued by suitors.
"Homer" Stokes is a nod to Homer, who wrote The Odyssey.
In The Odyssey, a witch named Circe turns Ulysses' men into pigs after feeding them a feast.
In The Odyssey, the men plug their ears to keep from being led to their death by the Sirens' singing.
Odysseus, the Greek name for Ulysses, means "man who is in constant pain and sorrow."
Tommy is based on blues musician Tommy Johnson, who is rumored to have sold his soul to learn guitar. That legend is also attributed to guitarist Robert Johnson, but it originated with Tommy.
Symbolism Note
In the Coens' movies, fire often represents evil and death, while water stands for redemption.
Tech Note
The shooting locations were actually lush and green -- they were digitally altered to look dry and dusty. This was the first major Hollywood movie to digitally manipulate the look of an entire film.
Trivia Notes
"Fop" was first used in 1672 to describe men who were extremely vain about their appearance. "Dapper Dan" is a similar term for a swanky and well-groomed man.
Itta Bena, Mississippi is the birthplace of blues legend B.B. King.
George Nelson killed more FBI agents than anyone in history.
"Horny toads" are actually short-horned lizards.
Fricassee is a stewed chicken dish. It's also mentioned in the Coen brothers' Fargo (1996).
A succubus is a female demon that takes the form of a human woman to seduce men.
Woolworth's was founded in 1879 as one of the first five-and-dime stores in the U.S.
"Cast the first stone" comes from a Bible passage where Jesus saves an adulteress from being stoned.
Wardrobe Note
Stokes' red cloak marks him as a Kleagle, the person in charge of recruiting members to the Klan.
Merlin- More than a little bit enthusiastic about Clooney
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
"Clooney based his dance on clog dancers he saw growing up in Kentucky. Clooney: "It's sort of like Lord of the Dance...none of their upper body moves, their legs are going nuts.""
I really must watch the film again now !
Thanks Merlin for all that
I really must watch the film again now !
Thanks Merlin for all that
Joanna- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
he was F A N T A S T I C in this dance!!!
and his face!!!
BRAVO!!!
and his face!!!
BRAVO!!!
George Clooney won a Golden Globe for his performance as Everett. He's since been nominated for eight more Golden Globes, seven Academy Awards, and 100 other awards.
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Thanks Merlin. That was wonderful. Learned alot I didn't know. I LOVE this film!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
me2 - my favorite film
Vi- Clooney-phile
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Thanks Merlin for the story line on O Brother. Charles Durling (Pappy) also played a newspaper editor in One Fine Day, And he was seen a lot on the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond" where he plays a priest.
I read somewhere that he is a war hero. I love him - just looking at his expressions makes me laugh.
I read somewhere that he is a war hero. I love him - just looking at his expressions makes me laugh.
cindigirl- Happy Clooney-looney!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
oh, forgot he was in one fine day ! Charles Durling is also in one of my favourite movie of all time : Tootsie He's very sweet in that one
macs- Shooting hoops with George Clooney
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
A few interesting facts about Charles Durning:
Was one of a few survivors to the infamous massacre of American POWs by German SS troops at Malmedy, Belgium, during World War II. The surrendering engineering battalion, captured behind enemy lines when the main American forces retreated, were gathered together and brought to a large field. As the German guards backed away from the prisoners, machine guns that were hidden in trucks opened fire on them. Approximately 88 US soldiers died, a good number of them by a single shot at close range through the head, indicating that those who survived the initial volley were subsequently executed. Only about 20 of the group of approximately 100 managed to escape the massacre and make their way to American lines. The incident was re-created in Battle of the Bulge (1965) starring Henry Fonda.
During his days as a professional boxer he once fought on the same card as Jack Warden in Madison Square Garden.
Studied the Martial Arts earlier in his career
Won Broadway's 1990 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for portraying Big Daddy in a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
His wife, Mary Ann, was his childhood sweetheart.
Served with the 1st Infantry Division in World War II. He landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 during the Normandy invasion. He was awarded several decorations, including the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts.
Former professional boxer.
Survived the bloody D-Day assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Took him 50 years to talk about his experiences of that day.
Was kicked out of the American Academy of Dramatic Art drama school because they thought he had no talent. Another famous thespian to be booted from the school was Jason Robards.
His first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house. His career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16, before going into acting. His first professional play was in Buffalo before he went off to war.
His breakthrough role occurred on Broadway in 1972 starring in "That Championship Season" where he was noticed by director George Roy Hill who cast him in his acclaimed Oscar-winning movie The Sting (1973).
His idol is James Cagney, who also proved he could be tough and dance, too.
Despite the wounds he received in WWII (he was shot in the legs and hip by machine-gun fire), he went on to become a professional dancer and dance teacher. He taught at the Fred Astaire studios and relied upon it when he couldn't find acting work.
Was one of a few survivors to the infamous massacre of American POWs by German SS troops at Malmedy, Belgium, during World War II. The surrendering engineering battalion, captured behind enemy lines when the main American forces retreated, were gathered together and brought to a large field. As the German guards backed away from the prisoners, machine guns that were hidden in trucks opened fire on them. Approximately 88 US soldiers died, a good number of them by a single shot at close range through the head, indicating that those who survived the initial volley were subsequently executed. Only about 20 of the group of approximately 100 managed to escape the massacre and make their way to American lines. The incident was re-created in Battle of the Bulge (1965) starring Henry Fonda.
During his days as a professional boxer he once fought on the same card as Jack Warden in Madison Square Garden.
Studied the Martial Arts earlier in his career
Won Broadway's 1990 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for portraying Big Daddy in a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."
His wife, Mary Ann, was his childhood sweetheart.
Served with the 1st Infantry Division in World War II. He landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944 during the Normandy invasion. He was awarded several decorations, including the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal, and three Purple Hearts.
Former professional boxer.
Survived the bloody D-Day assault on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. Took him 50 years to talk about his experiences of that day.
Was kicked out of the American Academy of Dramatic Art drama school because they thought he had no talent. Another famous thespian to be booted from the school was Jason Robards.
His first job in the entertainment field was as an usher at a burlesque house. His career officially started as a singer with a band at the age of 16, before going into acting. His first professional play was in Buffalo before he went off to war.
His breakthrough role occurred on Broadway in 1972 starring in "That Championship Season" where he was noticed by director George Roy Hill who cast him in his acclaimed Oscar-winning movie The Sting (1973).
His idol is James Cagney, who also proved he could be tough and dance, too.
Despite the wounds he received in WWII (he was shot in the legs and hip by machine-gun fire), he went on to become a professional dancer and dance teacher. He taught at the Fred Astaire studios and relied upon it when he couldn't find acting work.
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I knew there was something I loved about Charles Durling. He's a good man.
Sent you a PM!
Sent you a PM!
cindigirl- Happy Clooney-looney!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
His wife, Mary Ann, was his childhood sweetheart.
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Regarding the clog dancing, the roots of it is in Scotch-Irish dancing. The ancestors of the Appalachian peoples of Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, the Virginias, etc., came from the Scotland/Ireland/England/Wales area. Now, the mountain folk of Appalachia did the "crazy legs" dancing that is characteristic of clog dancing.
MM- Ooh, Mr Clooney!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I was watching OBWAT on DVD, and I noticed Gee in in Everett McGill character. I remember reading Rosemary Clooney's autobiography, Girl Singer, and seeing photos of Andrew Clooney (Gee's grandfather). Andrew had a Clark Gable mustache, and Everett McGill's haircut. Andrew was born in 1902, the same year that Clark Gable was born. Oddly enough, Andrew looked a lot like Clark Gable. Mmmmm.
MM- Ooh, Mr Clooney!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
WOW!!!!!
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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Joanna- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
thanks
nice idea to post all of them
thanks!
nice idea to post all of them
thanks!
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I LOVE OBWAT!!!!!!!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
me too, one of my favs
playfuldeb- Clooneyfied!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Watching OBWAT on amc now. Love this movie!
Lakin460- Slow dancing with George Clooney
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Damn, mine isn't on til 6:30 tonight!!!
melbert- George Clooney fan forever!
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Joanna- George Clooney fan forever!
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Joanna- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Thanks Jo - that's one of the more beautiful parts of the film.
I know the soundtrack won some awards. One of the sirens is singer Emmy Lou Harris
I know the soundtrack won some awards. One of the sirens is singer Emmy Lou Harris
cindigirl- Happy Clooney-looney!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' will always remain my favorite movie.
This movie was the one that showed me G's funny side in his acting.
This movie was the one that showed me G's funny side in his acting.
Maggy- Totally loving George Clooney
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
he was very good in it!
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
yeeeeessssssssss
he was wonderful
he was wonderful
Vi- Clooney-phile
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O BROTHER'S MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
I didn't find a "O Brother..." thread so I'll put this here. It looks like the movie helped Dan's career, interesting story.
O BROTHER'S MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
Dan Tyminski helps push bluegrass to front line
BY ANDREW DANSBY
May 9, 2001 12:00 AM ET
When Bill Monroe died in 1996, many feared that bluegrass would be buried with him. With his hawklike features, white sideburns and appropriate attire, Monroe embodied more than bluegrass style, he defined the entire genre in our public consciousness. But in Monroe's absence, artists as varied as Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Jim Lauderdale and Patty Loveless have taken successful stabs at bluegrass records. What gets missed in the wake created by these higher-profile projects are the tremors of brilliance that have existed all along among the existing players. Perhaps the biggest head-turner recently within the greater spectrum of mountain music is the fact that the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou pushed past the 1 million copies sold point this week.
Boasting mountain-minded tunes from the likes of Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Norman Blake, John Hartford and others, the soundtrack's "single" has also drawn some attention to one of the genre's biggest talents, Dan Tyminski, a thirty-four-year-old Vermont-born whiz on things with strings who possesses a rich tenor that defies the scorn of elitists with regional prejudices. To bluegrass fans, Tyminski's success pinch hitting for George Clooney on "I Am Man of Constant Sorrow," a song from the early part of last century definitively arranged by the late great Carter Stanley, is no great surprise. Over the past ten-plus years, he's played in two of bluegrass's most accomplished ensembles, the Lonesome River Band and Alison Krauss and Union Station (or, as Tyminski calls the group, "AKUS"). But in the past year, he has been swept into an acoustic whirlpool, as a trio of pursuits (O Brother tour dates, an upcoming AKUS album and his own solo recording, Carry Me Across the Mountain) have made him a household voice, even if he may not be a household name.
"It's a little freaky just how it goes over," Tyminski says about playing the song live. "It's like the movie, the audience immediately freaks out. I'm just now getting used to hear my voice coming out of someone else." Tyminski landed the role of Ulysses Everett McGill's singing voice after Clooney gave it his best go. "He really wanted to sing. Especially because some of the other [actors] were doing their own stuff. We actually went into the studio and I played some guitar and he wanted to sing. We did the song a few times, and he actually did a very good job. He can sing, but I don't think he felt really comfortable with it. When he got out of there, he said, 'I'll tell you what, I'll act, you sing.'"
For Tyminski, the path to that point started with a music-loving family that soaked up any bluegrass show that was within reach. His older brother, Stan, sang and played guitar and upon returning home from a stint in the navy, brought home a bluegrass classic that served as Tyminski's epiphany. "He picked up J.D. Crowe and the New South somewhere. It was playing in his vehicle when he pulled up in the driveway. I was thrilled to see him, but something about J.D.'s music, that's the very moment I got the bug."
After performing with his brother in a group called Green Mountain Bluegrass in the mid-Eighties, Tyminski joined the Lonesome River Band, one of bluegrass's most awarded and popular ensembles, on vocals and mandolin. After recording three albums with the LRB, a soul-searching series of flip-flops ensued: out of LRB ("Careerwise, the hardest point of my life," he says. "There were many sleepless nights."), in with AKUS (which he pronounces ache-us), quick return to LRB, another return to AKUS, where he's resided since the mid-Nineties as a guitarist and vocalist. In addition to forward-thinking, yet tradition-reverent music that has made Alison Krauss and Union Station one of the most consistently outstanding acoustic ensembles in American music (regardless of genre), the band is a structural marvel, with its namesake the anti-leader in the traditional control-freak sense of the word, as used musically.
"There was so much that drew me to Alison's band," Tyminski says. "Just rhythmically, the band impressed me so much, not to mention Alison, herself, is one of the most phenomenal talents I've ever seen or heard. I will say, she has the best niche for finding songs."
After the release and promotion of the pop-colored Forget About It, Krauss and Union Station took a one year hiatus, "a siesta, so to speak." In addition to his O Brother work, Tyminski called on a collection of friends, who happen to be among bluegrass's finest pickers, to record Carry Me Across the Mountain, an acoustic gem that traipses through various styles of the form, from the Louvin-esque "I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair" (performed with his brother, Stan) to "Be Assured," a Skaggsy gospel gem written by AKUS cohort Ron Block with lovely harmony vocals provided by Dwight McCall (of J.D. Crowe's new New South). The album proved what Tyminski's turns in front of the mic with AKUS already suggested, that his instrumental chops were second only to a voice that fit the bluegrass bill for high and lonesome like a well-worn boot. "The stars just lined up," Tyminski says of the album. "They're all friends and some of them are heroes and we just went in looking to have a good time."
The siesta is over though, and AKUS are putting the finishing touches on their next album (due in August), which Tyminski likens to one of the band's most exciting and enduring albums, 1997's So Long, So Wrong. But before the album's release there is a possible O Brother tour; a June 13th date has already been booked for New York City's Carnegie Hall.
And as for the future of bluegrass, Tyminski's busy schedule is the best barometer. "We've seen attendance steadily grow. I look at some of the other festivals that are going on and they're just thriving," he says. "I think just the fact that it's so pure is very appealing to people. There's no studio magic or tricks, you're listening to people standing and playing music together, which you don't hear as much anymore. And I'm seeing a lot of young people playing. From the musician perspective, it'll thrive for a long time, because there's so much young talent makings its mark right now. I hope when my kids are my age, its still going strong."
And the success of O Brother's music suggests an audience that has been lying in wait for a bellwether to lead them to that sound. "Since the success of the soundtrack, I've seen producer after producer scratching their head and asking, 'What is it about that record?' -- asking us like we know some secret. Who knows, but everything was right for that one."
Following whatever sort of tour O Brother may spawn, there will be a Dan Tyminski tour later this year, and soon after that AKUS will hit the road again. And while the time away from home may not be Tyminski's favorite part of the year's work, the chance to let studio cabin fever wear off is welcome. "I'm starting to collect some songs now to do a follow-up to my record," he says, "but, I don't know when there will be time. I've been inside for so long now that I have studio sores. But, this will be a busy year, and it's already been an exciting one."
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O BROTHER'S MAN OF CONSTANT SORROW
Dan Tyminski helps push bluegrass to front line
BY ANDREW DANSBY
May 9, 2001 12:00 AM ET
When Bill Monroe died in 1996, many feared that bluegrass would be buried with him. With his hawklike features, white sideburns and appropriate attire, Monroe embodied more than bluegrass style, he defined the entire genre in our public consciousness. But in Monroe's absence, artists as varied as Steve Earle, Dolly Parton, Jim Lauderdale and Patty Loveless have taken successful stabs at bluegrass records. What gets missed in the wake created by these higher-profile projects are the tremors of brilliance that have existed all along among the existing players. Perhaps the biggest head-turner recently within the greater spectrum of mountain music is the fact that the soundtrack to the Coen Brothers' O Brother Where Art Thou pushed past the 1 million copies sold point this week.
Boasting mountain-minded tunes from the likes of Ralph Stanley, Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Norman Blake, John Hartford and others, the soundtrack's "single" has also drawn some attention to one of the genre's biggest talents, Dan Tyminski, a thirty-four-year-old Vermont-born whiz on things with strings who possesses a rich tenor that defies the scorn of elitists with regional prejudices. To bluegrass fans, Tyminski's success pinch hitting for George Clooney on "I Am Man of Constant Sorrow," a song from the early part of last century definitively arranged by the late great Carter Stanley, is no great surprise. Over the past ten-plus years, he's played in two of bluegrass's most accomplished ensembles, the Lonesome River Band and Alison Krauss and Union Station (or, as Tyminski calls the group, "AKUS"). But in the past year, he has been swept into an acoustic whirlpool, as a trio of pursuits (O Brother tour dates, an upcoming AKUS album and his own solo recording, Carry Me Across the Mountain) have made him a household voice, even if he may not be a household name.
"It's a little freaky just how it goes over," Tyminski says about playing the song live. "It's like the movie, the audience immediately freaks out. I'm just now getting used to hear my voice coming out of someone else." Tyminski landed the role of Ulysses Everett McGill's singing voice after Clooney gave it his best go. "He really wanted to sing. Especially because some of the other [actors] were doing their own stuff. We actually went into the studio and I played some guitar and he wanted to sing. We did the song a few times, and he actually did a very good job. He can sing, but I don't think he felt really comfortable with it. When he got out of there, he said, 'I'll tell you what, I'll act, you sing.'"
For Tyminski, the path to that point started with a music-loving family that soaked up any bluegrass show that was within reach. His older brother, Stan, sang and played guitar and upon returning home from a stint in the navy, brought home a bluegrass classic that served as Tyminski's epiphany. "He picked up J.D. Crowe and the New South somewhere. It was playing in his vehicle when he pulled up in the driveway. I was thrilled to see him, but something about J.D.'s music, that's the very moment I got the bug."
After performing with his brother in a group called Green Mountain Bluegrass in the mid-Eighties, Tyminski joined the Lonesome River Band, one of bluegrass's most awarded and popular ensembles, on vocals and mandolin. After recording three albums with the LRB, a soul-searching series of flip-flops ensued: out of LRB ("Careerwise, the hardest point of my life," he says. "There were many sleepless nights."), in with AKUS (which he pronounces ache-us), quick return to LRB, another return to AKUS, where he's resided since the mid-Nineties as a guitarist and vocalist. In addition to forward-thinking, yet tradition-reverent music that has made Alison Krauss and Union Station one of the most consistently outstanding acoustic ensembles in American music (regardless of genre), the band is a structural marvel, with its namesake the anti-leader in the traditional control-freak sense of the word, as used musically.
"There was so much that drew me to Alison's band," Tyminski says. "Just rhythmically, the band impressed me so much, not to mention Alison, herself, is one of the most phenomenal talents I've ever seen or heard. I will say, she has the best niche for finding songs."
After the release and promotion of the pop-colored Forget About It, Krauss and Union Station took a one year hiatus, "a siesta, so to speak." In addition to his O Brother work, Tyminski called on a collection of friends, who happen to be among bluegrass's finest pickers, to record Carry Me Across the Mountain, an acoustic gem that traipses through various styles of the form, from the Louvin-esque "I Dreamed of an Old Love Affair" (performed with his brother, Stan) to "Be Assured," a Skaggsy gospel gem written by AKUS cohort Ron Block with lovely harmony vocals provided by Dwight McCall (of J.D. Crowe's new New South). The album proved what Tyminski's turns in front of the mic with AKUS already suggested, that his instrumental chops were second only to a voice that fit the bluegrass bill for high and lonesome like a well-worn boot. "The stars just lined up," Tyminski says of the album. "They're all friends and some of them are heroes and we just went in looking to have a good time."
The siesta is over though, and AKUS are putting the finishing touches on their next album (due in August), which Tyminski likens to one of the band's most exciting and enduring albums, 1997's So Long, So Wrong. But before the album's release there is a possible O Brother tour; a June 13th date has already been booked for New York City's Carnegie Hall.
And as for the future of bluegrass, Tyminski's busy schedule is the best barometer. "We've seen attendance steadily grow. I look at some of the other festivals that are going on and they're just thriving," he says. "I think just the fact that it's so pure is very appealing to people. There's no studio magic or tricks, you're listening to people standing and playing music together, which you don't hear as much anymore. And I'm seeing a lot of young people playing. From the musician perspective, it'll thrive for a long time, because there's so much young talent makings its mark right now. I hope when my kids are my age, its still going strong."
And the success of O Brother's music suggests an audience that has been lying in wait for a bellwether to lead them to that sound. "Since the success of the soundtrack, I've seen producer after producer scratching their head and asking, 'What is it about that record?' -- asking us like we know some secret. Who knows, but everything was right for that one."
Following whatever sort of tour O Brother may spawn, there will be a Dan Tyminski tour later this year, and soon after that AKUS will hit the road again. And while the time away from home may not be Tyminski's favorite part of the year's work, the chance to let studio cabin fever wear off is welcome. "I'm starting to collect some songs now to do a follow-up to my record," he says, "but, I don't know when there will be time. I've been inside for so long now that I have studio sores. But, this will be a busy year, and it's already been an exciting one."
Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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Mazy- Achieving total Clooney-dom
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Soo sweet
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Whoever moved this for me THANK YOU. I did a search and didn't find this one. Thanks again
Mazy- Achieving total Clooney-dom
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I moved it Mazy, you're welcome x
theminis- Moderator
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
I thought it was most likely you Theminis, thanks a lot.theminis wrote:I moved it Mazy, you're welcome x
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
AWARDS SHOW HONORS PAST AND PRESENT STYLES
BY ANDREW DANSBY
November 8, 2001 12:00 AM ET
Country music honored a return to its roots at the Country Music Association's thirty-fifth annual awards show and celebration last night at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Although Tim McGraw took the evening's top prize, Entertainer of the Year, the old-time music soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou? was the evening's big winner, taking awards for Album of the Year and Single of the Year for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," as performed by the film's fictional Soggy Bottom Boys (singer Dan Tyminski off-screen).
The look back to country music's past was also reflected in a number of the live music pairings. Garth Brooks and George Jones sang their duet, "Beer Run," from Jones' new album, The Rock: Stone Cold Country, while Brad Paisley was joined by Jones, Buck Owens and "Whisperin'" Bill Anderson for his "Too Country," from Paisley's latest album, Part II), which earned the crew an award for Vocal Event of the Year.
The 2001 Country Music Association Awards winners:
Entertainer of the Year
Tim McGraw
Male Vocalist of the Year
Toby Keith
Female Vocalist of the Year
Lee Ann Womack
Horizon Award
Keith Urban
Vocal Group of the Year
Lonestar
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks and Dunn
Single of the Year
"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," the Soggy Bottom Boys featuring Dan Tyminski
Album of the Year
Various Artists, O Brother Where Art Thou?
Song of the Year
"Murder on Music Row," Larry Cordle, Larry Shell
Vocal Event of the Year
"Too Country," Brad Paisley with George Jones, Buck Owens and Bill Anderson
Musician of the Year
Dann Huff
Video of the Year
"Born to Fly," Sara Evans
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BY ANDREW DANSBY
November 8, 2001 12:00 AM ET
Country music honored a return to its roots at the Country Music Association's thirty-fifth annual awards show and celebration last night at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. Although Tim McGraw took the evening's top prize, Entertainer of the Year, the old-time music soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou? was the evening's big winner, taking awards for Album of the Year and Single of the Year for "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," as performed by the film's fictional Soggy Bottom Boys (singer Dan Tyminski off-screen).
The look back to country music's past was also reflected in a number of the live music pairings. Garth Brooks and George Jones sang their duet, "Beer Run," from Jones' new album, The Rock: Stone Cold Country, while Brad Paisley was joined by Jones, Buck Owens and "Whisperin'" Bill Anderson for his "Too Country," from Paisley's latest album, Part II), which earned the crew an award for Vocal Event of the Year.
The 2001 Country Music Association Awards winners:
Entertainer of the Year
Tim McGraw
Male Vocalist of the Year
Toby Keith
Female Vocalist of the Year
Lee Ann Womack
Horizon Award
Keith Urban
Vocal Group of the Year
Lonestar
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks and Dunn
Single of the Year
"I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," the Soggy Bottom Boys featuring Dan Tyminski
Album of the Year
Various Artists, O Brother Where Art Thou?
Song of the Year
"Murder on Music Row," Larry Cordle, Larry Shell
Vocal Event of the Year
"Too Country," Brad Paisley with George Jones, Buck Owens and Bill Anderson
Musician of the Year
Dann Huff
Video of the Year
"Born to Fly," Sara Evans
Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook
Mazy- Achieving total Clooney-dom
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Re: O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Nice ppl still talking about this film!
it's me- George Clooney fan forever!
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