“High Desert Cosmonaut,” the award-winning feature film about the ICED BORSCHT & OTHER DELIGHTS weblog, contains one of the finest soundtracks of the (no-longer new) millennium. What follows is a detailed account of the soundtrack’s finest moments.
Our journey begins on some nameless highway in the American Southwest. Grainy, 1970s-style cinematography captures an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme ambling toward nowhere on the desert thoroughfares. Glen Campbell‘s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” accompanies the opening credits.
Unrelenting sunshine rips apart this serene travelscape. The desert’s blast-furnace heat brings with it “Let’s Turkey Trot” by Today’s Sounds.
Critics find the next several minutes of the film — where our protagonist runs into some jams in the black part of town — meandering and disjointed. But don’t blame this lack of cohesion on the spicy Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway number, “Be Real Black for Me.” A very hott scene involving bumper pool is hard to forget.
Nervy and raw sexual tension from the ‘hood soon gives way to Hank Thompson‘s “I Cast a Lonesome Shadow.” You’ll shed a tear as our besotted hero is overcome by the cold, lonely prison of his cheap hotel room.
Wanderlust turns sour and our boy finds himself back in the familiar environs of Madison, Wisconsin. The din of Bongzilla‘s hit ditty “Amerijuanican” fills the air. Fisticuffs ensue!
Relative tranquility soon follows, and viewers are awash in the sounds of NON‘s “Cruenta Voluptas.” However, the tone gets creepy. One senses some foreshadowing. Indeed, we soon discover that our leading man is lost in darkness and confusion…again.
Is there any way to claw out of these catacombs? For things to get better? The next scene features a cameo by Gary Busey, which answers this question with a resounding “no.” Cue the foreboding sounds of the Eagles and “New Kid in Town.”
A lighter atmosphere soon prevails and we enjoy the clinking of bar-room beer bottles amidst Bobby Bare‘s “Dropkick Me Jesus.” A visit to the nearest truckstop diner does nothing to squelch the upbeat timbre of the moment; distant background sounds soon form the shape of “Safina” by Secret Chiefs 3. However, this roadside rest gives way to road rage, and near tragedy. Ken Nordine‘s “Crimson” articulates the film’s burgeoning nervousness!
Somber introspection replaces the frenzied energy of earlier scenes. Our lost hero battles his own soul to the tune of Anton Lavey‘s “Hello Central, Give Me No Man’s Land.” Sweeping melancholy devours all, consumes everything. The only nearby entity is the cold indifferent weigh station, which is closed.
There may be light at the end of this dreary tunnel, though. A tall, honest Injun picks up our hitchhiking protagonist to the accompaniment of Red Sovine‘s “Phantom 309.” Long happy talks ensue between driver and hitcher. Their inevitable parting ushers in a spiritual moment. Cue “Happy Like Larry (He Taught Me How to Die),” by the Zip Code Rapists. Our hero reclaims that which is lost. He is emboldened. He is jamming to Thin Lizzy‘s “Cowboy Song.”
Does everything end so groovy, though? Can unmitigated optimism displace the heartache of the film’s first six hours? A careful listen to Scenic‘s “Ionia” tells us that things are not as placid as they seem.
At the risk of providing too many spoilers, I will say that things end on a hopeful note. Barry Adamson‘s “Civilization” rolls with the end credits. Make of this what you will. The film’s sequel, due in early 2010, reportedly takes place in Vancouver, Washington, and features an original score by Philip Glass.
