Ponytail Picks #6 - Three
That's not confusing at all...
The number three, more than any other, spurs imagination. Here are a few bits of culture to inspire you to think of the third way this weekend.
LISTEN
3 Track-3s from 3 Trios
“Come, Gone”
Sonny Rollins, with Ray Brown & Shelly Manne, from Way Out West
Mr. Rollins on the cover of this album, breaking stereotypes, is hard to pass up. But there’s more to this piece than its cheeky visual.
You see, jazz of this type is usually performed by a quartet: a horn, bass, drums, and a piano. But for this record, Rollins went with the “strolling” technique—where the band keeps playing while the piano player goes for a “permanent stroll.” This track makes you feel like they’re right behind him, soundtracking his wandering (not lost) walk.
“To Know Him is To Love Him”
Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris’ Trio
Supergroups were nothing new for country music when Dolly, Linda, and Emmylou decided to join forces. But this powerhouse might take the cake for the whole genre. The only legitimate rival I can think of is when Johnny, Kris, Waylon, and Willie assembled to form Highwayman. And that ain’t a trio, so…
The ‘80s were a time of experimentation for a lot of artists, but Trio couldn’t be more traditional. This song displays that in full force. And thank God for that.
“Sugarcube”
Yo La Tengo, from I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One
Yo La Tengo is such a timeless band. I guess that’s what ties all these songs together, really. They’re all timeless.
When the pride of Hoboken released I Can Hear the Heart, they’d already been selling records for 10 years. But with this album, Georgia, Ira, and James found the alchemy of folk, ambience, fuzzy punk, and freakout-noise that they’ve relied on ever since.
“Sugarcube” lands firmly in the third category, and it remains one of the band’s most iconic tracks. It’s a simple, sweet love song, but I’ve always particularly loved the line in the bridge:
“And though I like to act the part of being tough,
I crumble like a sugarcube
for you.”
The actual marriage between Georgia and Ira adds a certain level of authenticity to the lyric that I find endearing.
For fun, I’ve included Yo La Tengo’s video for “Sugarcube,” starring David Cross (Arrested Development), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul), and John Ennis (Mr. Show). Remember when music videos were this fun, and indie rock was more than a vibe?
WATCH
Three sets of unofficial trilogies each featuring three main characters
The Uneasy Undercurrents Trilogy
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)
Your Sister’s Sister (2011)
Ex Machina (2014)
The Tentative Team-up Trilogy
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
True Grit (2010)
The Animated Adventure Trilogy
Shrek (2001)
Ice Age (2002)
Onward (2020)
-JB
READ
3 Absolute Legends Sharing Their Realities through Substack
Yes, that Salman Rushdie. This man’s legend was cemented by the dramatic reception of his 1988 novel The Satanic Verses, which resulted in a fatwā being ordered by the Supreme leader of Iran that marked the writer for death. But what caught my eye about this newsletter was the book Rushdie chose to reference for its title, Haroun and the Sea of Stories.
A children’s novel, Haroun weaves fantasy and philosophy together the way only a master could. With it, Rushdie reveals the powerful magic of storytelling, a theme he continues to explore through his Substack posts. Well worth your time.
Is there any living person that’s cooler than Patti Smith? I can’t think of one. The immensely influential poet and songwriter’s newsletter is decidedly more intimate than most others I’ve come by.
Sometimes, she shares a poem, sings a song, or adds to her serialized tale, The Melting. Other times, she’d just like you to check out the cool rock she found. But no matter the day’s fixation, she always leaves you wanting more. Could someone write The Tao of Patti? I would read that book.
You probably know Nick Offerman for his role as Ron Swanson on the hit sitcom Parks & Recreation. Offerman is the kind of actor and comedian that embodies his characters so well that people often mistake his pretending for the real thing.
It helps that he shares an interest or two with the libertarian public servant he played on TV, but a scroll through his Substack posts quickly presents a more complex, empathetic, and, yes, funny human being with the capacity to challenge dual-thinking in ways few others can.
Nick is famous. But the “donkey thoughts” he shares with subscribers reveal him to also be a normal person. To further remove the barriers between us, he regularly welcomes thoughts and questions from his subscribers. He even answered one of mine in a recent post. Check it out!
-AK
That’s it for this week. The press is closed until next time, when we get into that antiquated technology we call