Quentin Tarantino (cool name don’t you think?) dominated cinema in the 1990’s and continues to delight with his ground-breaking work and cool-as-fuck films. By now he has a solid boxset of bold and brash movies which are guaranteed to make you sit up and take notice. Not only can he grab your attention but the styles and attitudes are so slick and polished that it’s no surprise he has affected modern day pop culture in almost every way. Whether that’s tributes and homages in other movies or TV spots (The Simpsons every week), his ability to revive a faltering career (Harvey Keitel, John Travolta), discover Hollywood’s next big thing (Christoph Waltz), create icnonic images (see above), deliver quotes for the ages (“Oh I’m sorry, did I break your concentration?”), or influence the pop charts with his soundtracks…
So I’ve recently had a bit of an obsession with Tarantino movies and in doing so have found I can’t listen to a song at the moment without thinking how well it might suit a Tarantino type scene. Here’s my playlist, think of it as a recommendation to Quentin himself for his next big flick (I want royalties):
Coffee In The Pot – Supergrass (2005)
This playful tunes uses all the instrumentals you would associate with a Tarantino film. It sounds almost as if it’s roots belong deep in Mexico somewhere, a beautiful warm country full of good people but notorious with gang wars, gun crimes, drug runs…
Human Performance – Parquet Courts (2016)
A dusty roadside, maybe as Butch and Fabienne drive away on the motorcycle in the closing scene of Pulp Fiction.
Die, All Right! – The Hives (Veni Vidi Vicious – 2000)
OK, so you could argue this song has been written almost with a Tarantino soundtrack in mind. But maybe it’s that it just sounds so damn perfect for a full blown killing spree at a white wedding church? And “Howlin’ Pete” (that’s a registered trademark) is surely a name straight out of an early draft script for The Hateful Eight (2015).
The Snake – Al Wilson (1974)
Straight out of the dance scene down in Mexico from Death Proof. It’s got the booming sharp vocal sounds and charismatic quips that very much suit this, or indeed any deadly seductive scene of his.
Callin’ All – The La’s (1986)
In the quick beat of the guitar and echoed backing vocals you are carried on a journey to a not-too-distant land. One of debauchery. Tarantino-style.
Switchblade Smiles – Kasabian (2011)
It’s the slow build-up in the intro and in around 3:02, you can almost see a high-pressure situation and a bead of sweat dripping from somebody with a confession or with imminent danger. Very much suited to Inglourious Basterds (2009) if it was a bit more comic-book and a bit less historical. That could have proved difficult considering it’s set during the Second World War…
My Sharona – The Knack (1979)
OK I’m cheating here, but did you know that this was Tarantino’s original choice for the gimp scene in Pulp Fiction? He couldn’t get approval, so had to settle for Comanche by The Revels, and now it’s hard to imagine anything else but I wonder if this will still be used at some point?
Rainy Day – Susan Christie (1970)
This is bit of a random pick but I feel this is just asking for a remix. A subtle one, still the very defined echoed vocals and strumming guitar but one for the rolling credits as you sit in the cinema reeling from another blasting bloodshed, action packed blockbuster. Similar to how Nancy Sinatra’s Bang, Bang was used.
Danza Delle Ore – Amilcare Ponchielli (1876)
Better known as The Dance of the Hours, and even better known for it’s inclusion in Disney’s Fantasia (1940) I’m imagining this to be used similar to The Thieving Magpie in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (1971). We should even draw comparison’s back to Mickey & co. with Fantasia designed to almost encourage the viewer to see the animator’s hand taking each stroke of his brush, so let’s stick this into Reservoir Dogs and watch Mr Blonde cut off an ear with a razorblade; an art in itself.
Best actor John Travolta !