The Last Waltz Update

Friends,

I don't think I've mentioned it here, but Emily & I just got a new laptop because my laptop is depressingly slow, out of date, and starting to work strangely. Plus, with Emily's pending school, we'll need two computers so I can keep writing, and she can do her homework.

Now, what does this have to do with the title? Remember when my cousin gave me the bootleg version of The Last Waltz? Well, I can watch it now because this laptop plays dual layer DVDs.

In case you didn't know, this bootleg version of the film is roughly 94% of the entire concert. See the Scorsese documentary of this concert, you only get 56%. So that's 38% more Last Waltzing in video. Whoo!

This bootleg version stops about halfway through the first Jam session. So I'm missing the rest of that, the second jam session (which has Stephen Stills) and it also does not have the last song they played, "Don't Do It." But, if I buy the special edition of the Scorese doc, then I'll get what I'm missing on the bootleg.

The boot's the video quality is poor (black and white, so you can't see the fabled wad of cocaine on Neil Young's nose that Scorsese edited out of his version), and occasionally the audio gets a little wonky, but for a bootleg, it's really damn good, especially for this seminal event where you'd think a bootleg would be tough to get. And despite those complaints, it's still pretty cool because I got both Muddy Waters songs, all the poetry readings, all the Joni Mitchell songs, all the Dylan songs, and other stuff that makes up that extra 38%.

What does that mean to you? Well, sometime soon I'm going to see about trying to copy this DVD, and if I can get it to work, those of you who are interested might wind up with copies. Of course, that is all depending on whether or not I can get it to work. I might not be able to figure this out because this DVD has bested me before, and it might do it again. Keep your fingers crossed.

viva el mustache