"It doesn't matter who you are, it's important that you're part of this wave of ballads. ”

This is the original intention of the Coen brothers to create "Drunken Country Folk", through which they present a picture of an era, and every character and every ballad in the play is not chosen randomly, which is also the conclusion that Lan Li has come to after listening to the soundtrack repeatedly in the past few days.

Stark-Sands plays Troy-Nelson, who sings two songs in the movie.

"The-Last-Thing-On-My-Mind" was originally sung by 60s folk singer Tom-Paxton, and "Five-Hundred-Miles" with Jim and Jane is a popular classic.

In fact, Stark's voice is crystal clear and the tail notes are lively and exciting, and they don't fit the true meaning of the original song. The same is true of Troy in the story, who simply joins the wave with enthusiasm.

Neither track nor Stark was able to bring out the essence of the original, but this is precisely what the Coen brothers were saying, because Stark's Troy represented a group of folk singers at the time.

In the wave of folk songs, because of love and because of liking, simply joining in may just enjoy the happiness brought by music in the mood of playing tickets; although they lack a deep understanding of music, they can love it carefree; they do not think deeply about the meaning of music, but they become simpler because of their simplicity; coupled with their pleasing appearance and pleasing personality, they have more commercial value.

To put it simply, it's the opposite of Levine-Davis.

So, in the movie, Troy is appreciated by Bob Dylan's agent, Albert-Grossman, and becomes a big hit in the bar.

The same goes for "five hundred miles".

The original work is deeply moving, vividly interpreting the wanderer's memories and longing for his hometown, but he is timid and discouraged from his hometown.

Under the interpretation of Troy, Jim, and Jane, it reveals more small and fresh lightness, and a touch of sorrow has evolved into a trace of happiness and sweetness, as if you can feel the call from your hometown and the waiting of your lover;

In addition, "The-Auld-Triangle" appears as a four-piece choir with a cappella gimmick to attract attention, while "The-Storms-Are-On-The-Ocean" inexplicably alternative instruments are added in an attempt to create something new.

And the out-of-place "Please-Mr.-Kennedy" song is completely reduced to a saliva song, lacking connotation, lack of arrangement, lack of lyrics, and even lack of a theme, just creating a light-hearted entertainment effect in a bunch of rhythms.

All of this confirms one thing, Greenwich folk songs are losing their essence, the pursuit of technique, soul and core has disappeared, for the sake of fame, for profit, for success, they are gradually merging towards the fashion trend, completely losing the essential color of the original birth of the ballad, reduced to a part of the assembly line product of the market.

In the movie, Levine's only compromise is "Please, Mr. Kennedy", and he has to participate in the recording process for the sake of quick money, but it seems out of place from beginning to end, so that he does not hesitate to give up the copyright, hoping that he will never be in the song.

But ironically, the song later became a huge commercial success.

This is true of both Levine Davis and Dave van Lunck: he insisted on incorporating his own humanity and creativity into art, but never got what he deserved.

A further irony comes from reality. After the film ended, "500 Miles" became the most popular track on the entire soundtrack. On the one hand, because of Justin Timberlake's strong influence, he gained a group of additional fans, and on the other hand, because the arrangement and re-creation of this song is the most in line with the popular trend in the market.

It's not that business is bad, it's not that fashion is wrong, in fact, it's the most helpless part of life. The compromise between art and the market is a subject that every artist must challenge and then make his or her own choice. Elegant art is not necessarily noble, vulgar art is not necessarily boring, in the final analysis, art is higher than life, but it comes from life.

Therefore, there is never a distinction between high and low art.

The reason why it is ironic is because it is precisely the opposite of the artistic spirit that Levine and Dave insisted on, or the ridicule of the movie "Drunken Folk", I have to say that the real world also coincides with the ridicule of the Coen brothers in the movie, and once again gave Levine-David a slap in the face.

Furthermore, it is also a slap in the face to all stubborn art creators.

Art is incomparably important, but life is even more important, after all, not every ordinary person can get rid of the shackles of life and pursue the edification of art; however, everyone attaches importance to life, when the material level reaches a certain level, what should be the emptiness and boredom of the spiritual level? What about the development of art and the inheritance of culture?

Perhaps, like Vincent van Gogh, most artists must be in a state of misery towards the end of self-understanding, or like Levien Davis, headless flies in the same place, trying to change, but unable to know what to do or what to do.

This kind of helplessness, this kind of dazedness, is precisely the afterglow left by the "drunken country ballad".

On the flight back from London to New York, the soundtrack was played over and over again, but Lan Li couldn't help but have a thought: can "Don Quixote" still succeed if he does it again?

Absurdly but realistically, Lan Li's answer is no.

If that point in time is missed, "Don Quixote" will be doomed to be drowned in the wave of fast food culture, just like the album "About Levine Davis" – or "About Dave Van Lunck".

Some clues can be glimpsed from the Coen brothers' choice of actors, who consciously got close to the character's temperament and selected actors who were closer to their true colors.

They chose Stark Saunders to play Troy Nelson instead of an actor whose vocal traits are closer to those of Tom Paxton.

They chose Justin Timberlake to play Jim because in real life, Justin is the top pop superstar. Of Justin's two solo albums, the first was unanimously recognized for its artistry but sold slightly less, while the second was more popular and more popular, reaping huge market returns, but taking a step back artistically.

They also chose Adam Driver to play Al-Cody, the singer who sang "Please, Kennedy" with Jim and Levine, who had his own persistence and at the same time had his own character, and his life was between Jim and Levine, struggling. The same is true of the real-life Adam.

It's not a bad thing, it's not a criticism.

It is just a game between the contradiction between art and commerce, some people choose the former, some people choose the latter, and in the tide of the times, it is often the latter that succeeds and the former disappears in obscurity. For art creators, it is inevitable that there will be some sighs.

In the same way, they chose Lance Hall to play Levine Davis.

Because in real life, Lan Li is an incompatible artistic creator, both in the fields of folk and performance, even if he won the Oscar, Lan Li's career choice can often create unexpected surprises and make people fall through the glasses. It seems that Lan Li is more like Bob Dylan, but in his bones, Lan Li has always been Dave Van Lunck.

Unearthed Bob Dylan's agent Albert Grossman is the prototype of the Chicago bar owner and manager Bud in the movie, and the discerning Bole in reality became Levine's last chance in the movie.

Bud had heard Levine's effigative "The-Death-of-Queen-Jane" and responded, "I don't see the business opportunity in this song." ”

This phrase comes from the joke of the Coen brothers, who were known in the industry as "pure business opportunists", and from the endless debate between business and art.

In the eyes of the older generation, folk singers are like believers, believing in ideals, refusing to compromise, living in poverty, being defeated by reality in the midst of their namelessness, but for businessmen, for outsiders, they do not see the meaning.

The cruelest part of reality is that this group of folk singers have to make their own choices in the face of the oppression of life, and in front of those stubborn and stupid, powerful and realistic music publishers, they slowly bow their heads, and gradually learn to find a balance between public aesthetics and self-feelings.

So, Troy Nelson has a future, so Jim and Jane have a stable life and become middle class, so Levine Davis is a loser who can't see tomorrow.

So, it didn't take long for Bob Dylan to sign a label with him, so Dave Van Lunck, a pioneer of folk songs, was unknown.

It's not easy to stick to your dreams, and it's even harder to stick to art.

Only by truly understanding the tide of the whole era, only by truly understanding the confrontation between art and commerce, can each character be truly given a soul, for example, Troy must be simple and fresh, not only in the arrangement, but also in the way of singing, and for example, Jim and Jane must be more trendy, and the song "Five Hundred Miles" must be weakened and more relaxed.

Finally, there is Levine Davis, who performs a number of tracks.

Throughout the film, Levien performs a total of six tracks, but they are scattered throughout different passages of the film, forming a circle at the beginning and end.