‘Wolves’ Writer Offers Dark Poems With a Beat

Hollywood success and rock ‘n’ roll abandon are rarely compatible--witness the musical output of Bruce Willis and David Hasselhoff. But Michael Blake, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Dances With Wolves,” overcame the odds Thursday night at the Alligator Lounge.

With rock-band backing, Blake growled out a series of darkly trenchant poems that were equal parts anger, insight, disaffection and sly humor. Far from a vanity side-project, Blake’s set was, in effect, “Day of the Locust” with a backbeat.

Blake’s wry rants took sharp pokes at politics-as-usual, Hollywood’s commercial instincts and the perils of religion and advertising--with the writer offering up his words in a winning, down-to-earth, straightforwardly intent manner.

Blake’s musical support was exceptional, thanks to a lineup that contained half of seminal L.A. band X--drummer D.J. Bonebrake and guitarist Tony Gilkyson--and a couple of crack session players on bass and keyboards. Gilkyson, who wrote the music for Blake’s words and produced his recently released album, kicked in standout work. Masterfully moving from delicately tumbling blues licks to fierce stinging solos, his music perfectly backed Blake’s shifting discontent.