Film

Classic concert: Bob Dylan Hard Rain TV Broadcast Video (May 23rd, 1976)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

BobDylan_hardrain76

In pouring rain, Dylan plays the open air Hughes Stadium at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. He has elected to film this show to replace the aborted TV special from Clearwater. In the longest set of the tour, there are several highlights, not all appearing in the TV special. … Included in the TV special, although in a most peculiar order, are second encore “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” the entire Dylan/Baez set (“Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Railroad Boy,” “Deportees,” and “I Pity the Poor Immigrant”); three songs from the first set (“Maggie’s Farm,” “One Too Many Mornings,” and “Mozambique”); and three from the last set (two tremendously powerful readings of songs from Blood on the Tracks, “Idiot Wind” and “Shelter from the Storm” and a faded “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”). Despite the storm clouds raging, the crowd appears to be very enthusiastic, even singing “Happy Birthday” for Dylan before the second encore.
~Clinton Heylin (Bob Dylan: A Life in Stolen Moments Day by Day 1941-1995)

Dylan appeared on the September 11-17, 1976 issue of TV Guide and consented to a rare interview with the magazine to promote his first network television special.

Four of the eleven (ten in the video below) performances heard in the television broadcast (“Maggie’s Farm”, “One Too Many Mornings”, “Shelter from the Storm”, and “Idiot Wind”) were included on the nine track album of the same name released by Columbia records ten days before the special aired.

This is a fantastic historical TV-concert and a glimpse into one of the days of The Rolling Thunder Revue. Continue reading “Classic concert: Bob Dylan Hard Rain TV Broadcast Video (May 23rd, 1976)” →

Documentary: Alone with Chrissie Hynde 2017 (Arena, BBC)

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

‘Being in a band is the one time in my life that I’m a real team player.’
– Chrissie Hynde

Chrissie Hynde offer us a glimpse into her backstage life through this fine documentary, Arena: Alone with Chrissie Hynde (aired February 2017). Not so much a history lesson as a glimpse into the everyday life of one of the most interesting woman in rock/music the last decades. Intersped with some great performances by Pretenders and Chrissie Hynde.

Director: Nicola Roberts

“Arena spent the summer with supercool self-confessed rock chick Chrissie Hynde – shopping for clothes in Paris, hanging out with Sandra Bernhard in New York, life in London and a special trip back to her home town of Akron, Ohio.

A thoughtful and intimate portrait of a ‘lone, hungry, irritable wolf’, featuring a glorious live performance at one of London’s newest venues.

In this expanded version, Chrissie also takes us on a walking tour of Nashville and meets up with Dan Auerbach – the lead singer of the Black Keys who produced her latest album.”
– BBC

Continue reading “Documentary: Alone with Chrissie Hynde 2017 (Arena, BBC)” →

Great documentary: Tom Waits Tales from a Cracked Jukebox BBC 2017

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

 

BBC:
Tom Waits is one of the most original musicians of the last five decades. Renowned for his gravelly voice and dazzling mix of musical styles, he’s also one of modern music’s most enigmatic and influential artists.

His songs have been covered by Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Norah Jones, among many others. But Waits has always pursued his own creative vision, with little concern for musical fashion.

In a long career of restless reinvention, from the barfly poet of his early albums to the junkyard ringmaster of Swordfishtrombones, his songs chronicle lives from the margins of American society – drifters, dreamers, hobos and hoodlums – and his music draws on a rich mix of influences, including the blues, jazz, Weimar cabaret and film noir.

Using rare archive, audio recordings and interviews, this film is a bewitching after-hours trip through the surreal, moonlit world of Waits’ music – a portrait of a pioneering musician and his unique, alternative American songbook.

Credits:
Executive Producer Richard Bright
Director James Maycock
Production Manager Fiona Crawford
Production Coordinator Fiona Dorman
Editor Bradley Richards
Camera Operator Luke Finn

Interviewed Guest: Terry Gilliam, Lucinda Williams, Ian Rankin, Ed Harcourt, Ralph Carney, Bones Howe, Ute Lemper, Nitin Sawhney, Guy Garvey and Jim Sclavunos

– Hallgeir

Tom Waits For No One – Academy award winning short film 1979

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen

Tom Waits Fo No One (short)
director: John Lamb

Tom Waits performed in 1978 live at the La Brea stage in Hollywood, photographed and rotoscoped.The original live action was shot with 5 cameras – 2 high, 2 low and one hand held.. shot by Dan O’Dowd and crew..The music from “The One That Got Away” blared in the background as Tom sang the lyrics. Donna Gordon is the dancer performing as the stripper, 6 takes and 13 hours of video footage were edited to make a 5 1/2 minute live action short which we turned into animation.

A total of 5,500 frames were captured, re-drawn, inked and painted by hand onto celluloid acitate to create this film. Produced by Lyon Lamb Video Animation Systems and directed by John Lamb, the film bore some cool new technology and talent ..and was created specifically for a burgeoning video music market that didn’t yet exist and arguably may be the first music video created for the MTV market.

However, a series of unfortunate events prohibited the film from ever being released or sold commercially, consequently catapulting it into obscurity.

In 1979, an Academy Award was presented to Lyon Lamb for the technology used in this short. Continue reading “Tom Waits For No One – Academy award winning short film 1979” →

Tom Waits: Fishing with John (TV episode) 1992

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Fishing with John (1992)

Tom Waits as himself on a fishing trip with John Lurie. Lurie and Waits fish for red snapper in Jamaica. Tom periodically becomes grumpy. A game of cards on dry land makes Tom feel much better. Waits catches a fish and puts it in his pants.

Fishing with John is a 1991 television series conceived, directed by and starring actor and musician John Lurie, which earned a cult following. On the surface, the series resembles a standard travel or fishing show: in each episode, Lurie takes a famous guest on a fishing expedition. Since Lurie has no expert knowledge of fishing, the interest is in the interaction between Lurie and his guests, all of whom are his friends. Nothing particularly unusual actually happens, but the show is edited and narrated in a way to suggest that Lurie and his guest are involved in dramatic and even supernatural adventures.

Continue reading “Tom Waits: Fishing with John (TV episode) 1992” →

Tom Waits: Second Hand Stories – Documentary 2006

Posted on by Hallgeir Olsen




Tom Waits – Second Hand Stories (2006) is an overview of this maverick performer’s career since 1983 and the release of the magnificent Swordfishtrombones, up to present times. An insightful documentary reviewing the second incarnation of the legendary performer, arguably his more creative and experimental period. Through a blend of studio and performance footage, interviews and photographs, the programme tell us the story of these important Tom Waits years.

Also known as,Tom Waits: Under Review 1983-2006 (2006)

A so-called “talking heads”-style documentary. Not enough music/video clips, of course, but with some interesting views on this part of Mr. Waits’s career. Continue reading “Tom Waits: Second Hand Stories – Documentary 2006” →