B-Side Guys

Fifty seconds of screen time can launch a mythology that outlasts the original moment by decades. The Gristle’s “JENNINGS” builds its entire framework around Clint Eastwood’s first credited film appearance—a lab technician role so brief it barely registers as performance, yet significant enough to mark the beginning of what would become cinematic legend. This Stockholm duo has discovered something profound in examining origins rather than achievements, finding inspiration in potential rather than fulfillment.

Max Malmquist and Andreas Angel’s approach to garage rock feels deliberately muscular without sacrificing the melodic sensibilities that separate lasting songs from mere exercises in volume. Their “Muddy Waters on a Triumph chopper” description proves accurate—the production maintains blues foundations while adding enough mechanical aggression to suggest actual motorcycle engines rather than metaphorical ones. The Jack White influences emerge through riff construction rather than direct imitation, creating arrangements that honor influence without becoming tribute.

The lyrical construction reveals fascinating preoccupation with the psychological archaeology of famous figures. When Malmquist wonders “what was in your boy room / That you painted blue,” he’s attempting to excavate the formative influences that shaped someone who would eventually become larger than human scale. This approach transforms celebrity fascination into something more substantial—genuine curiosity about how extraordinary people develop from ordinary circumstances.

Malmquist’s vocal delivery carries enough conviction to make the Eastwood obsession feel earned rather than arbitrary. His performance suggests someone who has genuinely spent time thinking about persistence, artistic longevity, and what it means to continue creating into advanced age. The phrasing captures both admiration and bewilderment—recognizing achievement while remaining mystified by the practical mechanics of sustained creativity.

“JENNINGS” succeeds because it examines fame as ongoing process rather than fixed achievement. The Gristle have created something that honors artistic endurance while acknowledging how certain figures transcend their original contexts to become almost mythological. The track suggests that understanding greatness might require looking backward toward moments when potential was still just potential, before legend calcified into fact.