ONE MUSIC^PH

There are three ways to look at the title of the multi-award musical La La Land starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. First is to treat it as a direct reference to the city of Los Angeles which is commonly called simply as L.A. Second is the famous idiom referring to one’s disconnection from reality. And third, is to comprehend the title as a signification of a world built by music. Using the third perspective, it may seem at first that Gosling would not be the perfect choice to be the lead actor in such a musical. Well, his Golden Globes win as Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical definitely eradicates that presumption. Some people may not know it, but his award-winning performance for La La Land not only validates his brilliance as an actor, but as a musician as well.

 

In case you don’t know it yet, Gosling is a member of the rock duo called Dead Man’s Bones, and he even has an on-stage name of “Baby Goose.” His partner for this musical venture is his friend Zach Shields, and they have in fact a self-titled album released back in 2009. Their first album is a collaboration with the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir which was started by iconic American rock band Red Hot Chili Pepper bassist Flea.

Watch Ryan Gosling perform for Dead Man's Bones in the YouTube video below.

 

As to why Gosling and Shields decided to form a rock duo, the story behind it is quite fascinating as well. Back in 2005, the two of them discovered that they both share an obsession with the Disneyland ride called Haunted Mansion, and they thought that writing stories about ghosts and monsters through music would be a great idea to channel that obsession. Lo and behold, Dead Man’s Bones is one of the more intriguing musical acts involving a Hollywood talent. Producing indie, folk and gothic rock music, Dead Man’s Bones remains active in the music scene up to this very day. So when you think about it, Gosling is not new to the world of La La Land, but it was really a revelation for moviegoers to see him be part of a musical movie especially when it features a different music genre from what he’s used to playing. His character in the movie, Sebastian, has a professed mission to “save jazz.” Although hardcore jazz fans  who are deeply in the know of music would find lots of criticisms about Sebastian’s positioning when it comes to his personal mission, casual music fans nonetheless may find La La Land as a beautiful movie musical to rediscover or appreciate even more the jazz genre.

 

Truth be told, even if Gosling didn’t win the Best Actor award at the Golden Globes, and even if La La Land didn’t dominate the awards, “Baby Goose’s” performance for the movie proved to be a much-needed refresher flick for music appreciation.

Have you seen La La Land? What are your thoughts on Ryan Gosling's performance? Comment below!