A favorite moment in movie history? When Jeff Bridges walks out of a motel room beaming to himself for losing his virginity to Cybil Shepherd and she turns round and scowls, "I don't even think you did it right."
Bridges ego and deflation in that moment, and he was just a kid, made me a fan.
But not of his country music. I couldn't wear "Crazy Heart" because I didn't like the songs. I dissed the songwriter, the entirely unremarkable T-Bone Burnett, and the the singer, Ryan Bingham, and they both have the same trouble as Jeff Bridges: a unique way to be unremarkable.
Bridges first album, self named, is just a drag. There is nothing much to say about this bland exercise in twang except he looks cool on the cover.
He is the Kris Kristofferson-opposite.
Maybe, MAYBE, Kris has made a great acting performance somewhere but I saw A Star Is Born and he was awful in it. How can you be emasculated by Barbra Streisand and still suck it up? Do people really think drunks act that way. And that was his best. I just took a look at his IMB… OK, let's give him "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"… maybe his first two but after that? Gag me with a spoon.
But recordings? I'm not gonna mention the one Janis Joplin or Willie nelson covered… I'm not gonna mention him wiping the floor with George Jones at Carnegie Hall… But how about "Sunday Morning Coming Down"???
Back to Jeff, Kris can't even come close to Bridges movies, his father (was?) great and his big brother as well… maybe it is something in the water? Should I tell you about Lebowski or is that too obvious?
I am not disappointed Jeff's album sucked. The movies are what matter.