Bogart By Twilight

Greg Dulli's "not nearly popular enough" ninties band The Afghan Whigs was often described as "cinematic". The Whigs even had a one film deal written into their record contract, which sadly never came to be. They were guitar rock by way of a Motown revue, that was way to sexy for the Grunge years. Their next to last album Black Love seemed to be the long lost soundtrack to a film noir. After their demise Dulli moved on to the even more "widescreen" and sexy Twilight Singers, btw, the Singers have nothing to do with sad vampires.They've had songs featured in the FX show Rescue Me. The Twilight Singers newest, "Dynamite Steps" is smokey and open and waiting for Bogart to walk in the room and steal your girl.

I rewatched The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon over the past couple of days. Bogart, like Cary Grant, could show up and knock on your door, throw a nod your wife's way, and she'd walk out with him without really knowing why. And you'd be cool with it.  Of course the ladies in the films, Mary Astor and Lauren Bacall give as good as Bogey does. Step by step, icy stare by icy stare. And I could listen to Greg Dulli sing about them all day long.

Bogart was equal parts cool, calculating, dangerous and funny. There was no one else you could put in a trench coat and fedora who could pull it off quite like he could, and he knew it.Bogart was short, balding, and well, a little funny looking. And that was half the fun. With a little nod or a wink, we were in on the joke right along with him.