I can't say Jack's Mannequin is one of my favorite bands, in fact, I find their studio albums a little flat and the songwriting a bit too sentimental for my tastes, but I have seen to about 100 live shows, including many legendary acts, and the best, most electric performance was from this plucky, little, now defunct band. Holiday From Real (included later in this post) is also on my short list for my favorite song. (I don't have a true favorite song.) And for that, they will always be special to me.
Now, having mentioned mannequins and recently defunct bands, I feel justified shoe-horning in a song from the band I have most wanted to put on this site from the very first time I ever posted a song. My favorite local band: Single File. Common Struggles. Great album. Buy it.
I have been wanting to see Dear Jack for a long time. I first learned about this film from a Daily Show interview with Andrew McMahon in 2008. As I remember the story from that interview, Warner Brothers had sent out a film crew to shoot a "making of" documentary for Jack Mannequin's first album and at one point Andrew stepped out of the studio to take a call. Thinking the call was from his agent the camera crew followed and accidentally filmed a call from his doctor saying "Get to the hospital now. You have leukemia. You are starting treatment today." A truly incredible moment caught on film. (I saw it. This footage exists.) Like the Zapruder Film, an attempt to film something fun and meaningless accidentally caught something shocking and profound. But, this awesome footage didn't even make it into the final cut of the film which was a shame as it would have been it's finest moment. In my imagination, this movie began with several minutes of generic "making of" footage before this call and a sudden left turn to a cancer documentary. What was in the movie was moving and a stunning portrait of one man's triumph over cancer, but the loss of this scene is inexcusable and a first act twist could have really made the film into something unforgettable.
The truth was Andrew knew he was sick before he got the missing call, (How sick he was was a surprise.) but he had been feeling weak for months before his diagnosis and references to illness permeated "Everything in Transit", the album he was writing. The most haunting lines are found at the beginning of Holiday From Real.
There are a critical shortage of people on the National Bone Marrow Registry. I signed up in 2008. I have twice been called in for secondary testing and am currently waiting to hear if I will be asked to donate. [Update: It's happening.] Please sign up. I don't have enough marrow for everyone. You could save the life of a musical genius or someone far less important like a nine-year-old. Be the Match.
We will close with one more thematically appropriate song about the prison-like nature of hospitals.
