For one night only, Stuart Shapiro, the captain behind Night Flight—the late-night rock ‘n’ roll/trash film/and beyond! program that was the beating heart of cable television during the eighties—is taking over Cinefamily. Screening an evening of Night Flight’s rare gems and unfathomable awesomeness, he’ll present selections that could explode any two-bit flat screen. He speaks here with Nolan Knight on how Otis Redding and the Circle Jerks helped launch television into another galaxy.

What was your upbringing like and what were some of the major influences that brought you to the creation of Night Flight?
Mostly as an independent film distributor. My company was International Harmony in New York, which I started in 1976. I had a bunch of cult type of movies—Tunnel Vision was the first movie I distributed. I had a lot of music from these titles too—Rust Never Sleeps, Reggae Sunsplash, The Space Movie, The Blank Generation, D.O.A. with the Sex Pistols—I was very involved with the independent feature film distribution, which I kind of spawned into a lot of midnight screenings.
What was the initial idea for Night Flight?
Basically—at the time in 1980, cable had just started to take its foothold. USA Network hadn’t even become USA yet. At that time there was this sort of evangelistic attitude that cable was really gonna come out and be another world for alternative programming. It was gonna be the birth of a freer reign of programming. It’s hard to think today what it might have been like back then but in the 1970s—in terms of your choice of programming—there was very little. Cable was supposed to be this new bastion of entertainment but it really wasn’t happening. I was so involved in late-night theatrical exhibition—it was always a very social experience. I mean, when a lot of people think about midnights they think of just The Rocky Horror Picture Show but there was a whole culture of concert film midnight movies—The Song Remains the Same, Pink Floyd—so I knew that there was a culture of late-night [moviegoers] that were hungry for programming late at night on the weekends. In the beginning, the cable system was going dark late at night—there was really nothing on, so I felt it was a wonderful opportunity to try to put cool hip programming on television. So we pitched the idea. Jeff Franklin, who became my partner on Night Flight, had a friend who worked at USA Network, which at that time was called Madison Square Garden Network. We basically pitched them on the idea of giving us a two-hour time slot as a test. They agreed to give us two hours on Friday night and two on Saturday night, eleven to one, from June until September. We kind of opened up Night Flight a lot with my movie catalog that I actually had already.
And the USA Network had no control over the content of your programming?
It was the height of freedom. I had this time slot and Jeffrey was my partner but I was a creative force along with a lot of associates I worked with. I had control over the time slot.
The music featured on the show was wide ranging—from Circle Jerks to Otis Redding to Zappa. What kind of an impact did this variety have on the viewership at that time?
We looked at stuff really primitive in those days. We never programmed for ratings because it was really hard to tell a different rating from another, but Night Flight was a very very high rated show. We programmed variety but looking back, I can’t really tell you if Bob Marley in Reggae Sunsplash did better than some other movie.
What made you decide to include New Wave Theatre into Night Flight?
I think David had come to us. David Jove had New Wave Theatre on for, I think, one season on local access television here in L.A. He came to us in New York with the shows and pitched us on becoming a production partner. I felt that he was the outer crust of what Night Flight stood for. It became important for us in terms of Night Flight being able to be so bold.
Can you reflect a bit on its host, Peter Ivers?
When I listen to Peter now, I think that he was a poet. When you listen to him speak, he really was a rapper to a degree—he was very very poetic and quite visionary. Both he and David were committed to a higher worldly order, you could say. Peter was a beacon. I’ve only learned, later on in life, in what way New Wave Theatre made its appeal because I’ve come across so many people over the years who have come to me and said almost the identical thing—they tend to be people from the middle of America more than anywhere and they would say, ‘God, you know I thought I was just a freak on my own until I turned on Night Flight and saw New Wave Theatre and realized that there really was a world out there that was like me.’ I always became more and more aware of the influence of this sort of cultural freedom of expression that New Wave Theatre exemplified. If you came from New York or L.A., you would be exposed to that. But if you had cable for the first time in your entire life and came in contact with New Wave Theatre from some small town in Kansas, it was really a beacon of life.
Are there any future plans to resurrect Night Flight in an online format or for television?
Well, we’re building NightFlight.com right now and it’s a pretty cool concept. It should be live sometime in a month or so. The concept is a video blog—kind of a community of discovery where you embed YouTube links and underneath there would be commentary—both a forum and a blog. We would actually have bloggers going in and writing—a good stable of interesting content providers. The idea is for it to be a Night Flight YouTube with a social network community around it. One of the elements that I think is really important to Night Flight is that there is a discovery element to everything we put on. We’re trying to bring that to an online experience where people would host and share—old stuff, new stuff, whatever—and it would be category centric. There will be animation and comedy and video and music. That’s what I’m pushing for.
So what are some of the things in store for us at Thursday’s Night Flight Night at Cinefamily?
Well, it’s an hour and a half film that I put together—a “Best of” which I called Born Again because I thought it was funny—in the Night Flight vein of sarcasm. The thing that’s the most exciting about it is the interviews. There are interviews with Johnny Rotten, Billy Idol, Ozzy Osbourne, Frank Zappa, Freddie Mercury, Annie Lennox—it’s a really rife spattering of interviews. What you will come away with—which is really amazing—is how beautiful, both visually and intelligent, the interviews are. I don’t know how much you’ve seen of the interviews on Night Flight but when you haven’t seen it for twenty-five years, it’s really amazing.
I caught one online with John Waters and Divine during the filming of Polyester that I thought was really candid and excellent.
That interview with Divine is priceless! It’s in the fuckin’ movie!

L.A. RECORD AND DON’T KNOCK THE ROCK PRESENT NIGHT FLIGHT TRIBUTE NIGHT WITH STUART SHAPIRO ON THUR., AUG. 27, AT CINEFAMILY, 411 N. FAIRFAX AVE., LOS ANGELES. 8 PM / $10 / ALL AGES. CINEFAMILY.ORG. VISIT NIGHT FLIGHT AT NIGHTFLIGHT.COM.

THUR., JULY 2 at 8 PM: Chicano Rock!: The Sounds of East Los Angeles

“Let’s take a trip down Whittier Boulevard!” chant Thee Midniters, in Jon Wilkman’s beautiful love letter to the soulful sounds of So Cal. Narrated by Edward James Olmos, this lively and inspiring film explores more than fifty years in the musical history of East Los Angeles, America’s largest Mexican-American community. For decades, generations of East L.A. artists created a unique musical voice, and in the process, proudly expressed their cultural identity, from ’40s pachuco swing to ’50s teen idol Ritchie Valens, ’60s garage rock and soul, to punk and beyond. Chicano Rock! features the timeless music of these eras, including Lalo Guerrero, Ritchie Valens, Cannibal and the Headhunters, Thee Midniters, El Chicano, Tierra, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, and Alice Velasquez (The Bags, Cholita, Las Tres). Jam-packed with rare footage, photos, artifacts, Chicano Rock! treats you to an exhilarating lowrider cruise that could only happen on the streets of Los Angeles. Author Gene Aguilera (“The Golden Age of Chicano Rock ‘n Roll”) will be on-hand to spin classic 45s, and we’ve also got a post-screening live set by a very special seminal L.A. punk band!

Dir. Jon Wilkman, 2008, digital presentation, 60 min.

Tickets – $12

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THUR., JULY 9 at 8 PM: B-MUSIC & DJ ANDY VOTEL PRESENT: Hungarian Rock Night

British DJ extraordinaire Andy Votel will be in person at the Cinefamily to spin tunes and to present what is both a remarkable achievement in Hungarian pop culture and Eastern European film, starring some of the leading lights of both Communist era New Wave cinema and the forward-thinking Hungarian rock scene. Szép lányok, ne sírjatok! (aka Don’t Cry, Pretty Girls) stars Jaroslava Schallerova (fresh from her leading role in Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders) alongside Hungarian rock goddess Sarolta Zalatnay and a cast of freak-rock non-actors plucked from the disgruntled state-governed Qualiton and Pepita record label rosters to make this underhanded tribute to the ‘silenced’ pop group Illes, in disguise as a working-class drama/rock festival liberation expose. Directed by Marta Mészáros (wife of Hungarian New Wave luminary Miklós Jancsó) and featuring heavy footage of bands like Metro, Syrius and Omega (who can be heard on the recently released “Well Hung” compilation on Finders Keepers records), this buried and previously untranslated film holds serious appeal to fans of both Polish and Czech Cinema, Mod culture, Youth culture and obscure 70′s rock music.

Dir. Marta Mészáros 1970, digital presentation, 90 min

Tickets – $10

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THUR., JULY 16 at 8 PM: America’s Lost Band: The Remains

“Had these Boston bad boys stuck it out beyond their 1966 debut, we might today be calling them–and not the Stones–the World’s Greatest Rock N’ Roll band.” -Mark Kemp, Paste Magazine

They played The Ed Sullivan Show, were hand-picked by Paul McCartney to open for the Beatles, and then…gone. America’s Lost Band captures the essence of The Remains, one of the best of American rock bands you’ve never heard. The story follows guitarist Barry Tashian, keyboardist Billy Briggs, bassist Vern Miller and drummer Chip Damiani, the four young original members of The Remains, from their earliest beginnings to their all-too-early end, when they broke up on the brink of fame, right after opening for the Beatles’ last-ever tour in 1966. America’s Lost Band finds the heart of music that refuses to die, culminating in the band’s recent well-deserved rediscovery and reunion. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Michael Stich, producer Fred Cantor, Remains keyboardist Bill Briggs and Remains frontman Barry Tashian (who will also be on hand to sign copies of his book “Ticket To Ride”, as well as your Remains albums!), in addition to a live set by psych garage rockers The Living Sickness!

Dir. Michael Stich, 2008, HDCAM, 66 min.

Tickets – $12

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THUR., JULY 23 at 8 PM: It Came From Detroit

In a smashing, energetic presentation, It Came From Detroit lovingly puts on display the “Motor City”, home to an internationally renowned and influential garage rock scene. Starting with The Gories in the 1980s, the bands of the Detroit garage scene have been known for two things: an impeccable knowledge of rock history, and a raucous live show. As bands such as the White Stripes, The Von Bondies, and the Electric Six started to develop a following overseas, journalists everywhere started to hype Detroit as “the next Seattle”, and It Came From Detroit documents the evolution of this scene, from its humble underground beginnings to its ascension as a trend known the world over. And, perhaps most touchingly, the film deals as well with how the unexpected popularity of certain key bands impacts the scene’s small group of friends, as some are catapulted to global recognition, while others are barely known outside of Detroit’s crumbling confines. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director James R. Petix, plus a live set by special musical guests!

Dir. James R. Petix, 2008, digital presentation, 102 min.

Tickets – $12

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THUR., JULY 30 at 8 PM: Pardon Us For Living But The Graveyard Is Full

30+ years. 2000+ shows. No hits. No sleep. In 1976, a gang of kids from Queens stumbled upon some abandoned instruments in the basement of the house they were renting and ended up forming a band. Little did they realize that thirty years later, they’d still be struggling to play their music and pay the bills. The Fleshtones were an integral part of the ’70s NYC underground scene and, amazingly, having soldiered on as a paradox, simultaneously legendary and obscure: boasting a rabid worldwide fan base and a reputation as a white-hot live act, but barely able to keep a record label for two albums in a row and ignored in all histories of the scene they helped create. Stunning vintage footage, insight from Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Clem Burke (Blondie) and Handsome Dick Manitoba (The Dictators), and candid self-deprecating interviews with band members Peter Zaremba, Keith Streng, Bill Milhizer and Ken Fox add up to a thoroughly entertaining portrait of the real hardest-working garage band in show biz. The evening’s screening will be followed by a live set by special musical guests!

Dir. Geoffray Barbier, 2009, digital presentation, 65 min.

Tickets – $12

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SAT., AUG. 1: BMI Roundtable Panel: Music, in Film, TV and New Media ’09

Join us for an intimate discussion of the changing landscape for music rights and new media. Musicians can find out how to get their music into films, TV and new media, and filmmakers can learn how to clear the rights for music for their work. The afternoon’s event will be moderated by Michael Des Barres, and guests include Doreen Ringer-Ross (BMI), music supervisors Tracy McKnight (Julien Donkey-Boy, Human Nature, Murderball) and Howard Paar (The L-Word, Dogtown and Z-Boys, Ken Park), composer Jay Ferguson (“The Office”), DKTR founder/film director Allison Anders (Border Radio, Grace Of My Heart, Things Behind The Sun), and more!

Tickets – $7

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THUR., AUG. 6: Wesley Willis’s Joyrides and Haack…The King Of Techno

Despite impossible odds, self-proclaimed rock ‘n roll star and “Chicago City Artist” Wesley Willis became an underground rock icon, revered artist and hero to many before his untimely death in 2003. Through his force of personality, his drawing talents, his unique vocabulary and an incredibly focused and singular songwriting style, Wesley’s creativity attracted people from all walks of life, and helped him to overcome the daily torment of schizophrenia, a haunting condition which plagued him throughout his adult life. Directors Chris Bagley and Kim Shively spent five years on the road and at home with Willis (along withn his many family members, friends and collaborators) to create the definitive portrait of Wesley as prolific artist and musician, on his path from obscurity to fame–a journey which will leave you uplifted, tickled and adrenalized.

Bruce Haack was one of the most musically and lyrically inventive artists of the early electronic age, combining homemade analog synths, classical, country, pop and acid rock elements into one massive, heady stew. His craft evolved from his passion and creation of numerous kids’ records, and today his work has inspired the likes of world-renowned musicians such as Beck, the Beastie Boys and Mouse On Mars, proving he’s an almost-lost treasure ripe for rediscovery. Packed with warped visuals, wild music and far out stories, Haack follows the King of Techno as he drops in on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and golden-oldie game show host Garry Moore, playing his bizarre instruments such as the Peopleodian, a device played by touching peoples’ skin! Directed in true Haack spirit, for kids, adults and music fans alike, Philip Anagnos’ directorial debut will send you out humming “School For Robots” and scrambling for Haack’s records! Director Philip Anagnos will appear in person for a post-screening Q&A session!

Wesley Willis’s Joyrides  Dirs. Chris Bagley & Kim Shivley, 2008, DigiBeta, 78 min.

Haack: The King of Techno  Dir. Philip Anagnos, 2004, DigiBeta, 57 min.

I Need That Record! asks the simple question: why have over 3,000 independent record stores in the U.S. closed in the past decade? As much a cool history lesson on vinyl as a portrait of greedy record labels, media consolidation, homogenized radio, big box stores, e-commerce, shoddy “stars” pushed by big money and even the digital revolution, the film is, at its core, a loving tribute to the cherished nerdy record stores which for decades have nurtured our access to the music we all love. In addition to the exploration of its juicy premise, the film contains interviews with Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Ian MacKaye (Fugazi), Mike Watt (Minutemen), Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith Group), Chris Frantz (Talking Heads), Pat Carney (The Black Keys), composer Glenn Branca, authors Noam Chomsky and Legs McNeil, rock photographer Bob Gruen–and dozens of indie record stores across the U.S. of A.! The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Brendan Toller, a panel discussion (moderated by Michael Des Barres, featuring special guests) on the fate of the indie record store today, a Danny Benair Record Club listening party (bring a record to share if you want!), and a record swap on the Cinefamily outdoor patio!

Dir. Brendan Toller, 2008, digital presentation, 77 min.

Tickets – $10

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THUR., AUG. 20 at 8 PM: ON/OFF: Mark Stewart from The Pop Group to The Maffia

This one’s a must for all post-punk junkies! The name of singer/industrial hip-hop pioneer Mark Stewart may not be instantly familiar, but his influence is felt the world over. From his early days with confrontational post-punk pioneers The Pop Group to his myriad collaborations with the likes of Trent Reznor, Massive Attack and Primal Scream, Stewart has provided ghostly beats and haunting vocals for over thirty years, and shows no signs of stopping. German filmmaker Tøni Schifer, who followed Stewart around for three years, has crafted a detailed, intimate portrait of the artist, supplemented by interviews with Stewart himself, his Pop Group co-horts Dan Catsis, Gareth Sager and John Waddington, Keith Levine (P.I.L.), Janine Rainforth (Maximum Joy), Douglas Hart (The Jesus & Mary Chain), Fritz Catlin (23 Skidoo), Daniel Miller (Mute Records), Nick Cave, Mick Harvey, Massive Attack and many others, plus some terrific never-before-seen vintage performance footage. Plus, scenes of the wildly eccentric Stewart interacting with his mother are not to be missed! Straight from Berlin, director Tøni Schifer will be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A!

Dir: Tøni Schifer, 2009, DigiBeta, 90 min.

Tickets – $12

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SPECIAL SATURDAY SCREENING

SAT., AUG. 22 at 5 PM: Of All The Things

The most unique comeback story of the year. Dennis Lambert was one of the most successful and diverse songwriter/producers of the ’70s and ’80s, with hits like “Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got)”, “Rhinestone Cowboy”, “Don’t Pull Your Love”, “Baby Come Back” and “Night Shift”. He had chart-toppers in almost every genre of music–at one point, four of his songs were simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, a feat previously accomplished only by The Beatles. That was then. Today, he’s a 60-year-old family man selling real estate in Florida. But it turns out his obscure 1972 solo album is huge–in the Philippines. A Filipino concert promoter has been begging Dennis to tour for decades, and in 2007 he finally agreed. Of All The Things is a hilarious and touching pop/rock/country/R&B documentary that follows Dennis on his whirlwind tour, as he rediscovers his passion for music and thousands of fans he never knew he had. Some lives deserve an encore. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dennis Lambert, his documentarian/son Jody Lambert, and some very special guests!

Dir. Jody Lambert, 2008, HDCAM, 83 min.

Tickets – $10

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THUR., AUG. 27 at 8 PM: Night Flight tribute night

Before infomercials took over the late-night airwaves, overnight programming was a staid line-up of reruns, talk shows, and old movies. Throughout most of the ’80s however, there was one anarchic alternative—-Night Flight. Premiering on the fledgling USA Network on June 5, 1981–two months before MTV’s arrival—-Night Flight was a glorious amalgamation of music videos, short films, cartoons, interviews, concerts, and cult movies. For many viewers, it was a video primer to the counterculture of the Reagan era, featuring artists and films that at the time could not be seen anywhere else and for seven years, Night Flight was required viewing for stoners, punkers, headbangers, and insomniacs. Now, twenty years after the final episode was aired, the show’s producers have gone back into their video vaults and emerged with this best-of program that will bring tears of joy to fans’ sleep-deprived eyes, as well as a musical feature film picked from the Night Flight programming schedule archives! Night Flight creator Stuart Shapiro will appear in-person for a Q&A after the program!

Tickets – $10

Such Hawks Such Hounds explores the music and musicians of the American hard rock underground circa 1970-2007. With appearances by Acid King, Comets on Fire, Dead Meadow, Earthless, Fatso Jetson, High on Fire, Kyuss, Om, Sleep, Sunn O))) and many more, this feature documentary is a multi-sensory sampling of the psychedelic and/or ’70s proto-metal-derived styles that have in recent years formed a rich tapestry of unclassifiable sounds. Through interviews, live performances and archival footage, Such Hawks taps the cinematic possibilities of an exciting and ever-evolving subgenre.

@ Echoplex
enter at
1154 Glendale Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026

8pm / FREE / all ages

The Silent Movie Theatre-hosted Don’t Knock the Rock ’08 music film series hit awesome territory with its second feature: You Think You Really Know Me: The Gary Wilson Story. The 2005 documentary starts off chronicling (now-defunct) Motel Records’ successful attempt to track down Gary Wilson, the reclusive, eccentric mastermind behind 1977′s ground-breaking opus You Think You Really Know Me (an album Wilson originally self-released after recording it in his parents’ basement.) After the reunion, the film delves into Gary Wilson’s past (we have the privilege of seeing footage from the comically bizarre short films Gary and his friends made as teenagers) and his current life (he lives with his girlfriend and dog in San Diego, where he works night shifts at an adult bookstore.)

The film is somewhat sloppily made but has a good sense of humor and is a real treat nonetheless, especially for the avid Gary fan who’s been wondering what he’s been up to all these years. The real highlight of the night, though, was the live performance.

Wilson’s live performances are always inspired, musically slick,and very avant-garde, and after the frenzied parade of mannequins, duct tape, and flour captured in the documentary’s live concert footage, the bar was set.

Gary waddled out in furry red regalia with a blow-up doll strapped to his back and proceeded to meet the high expectations that had been set for his performance. The first song was a crowd-pleaser (“I Wanna Lose Control”) and as Gary sang about wanting “to lose control for about fifteen minutes,” we believed him.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t seem to let quite as loose as he usually does. It could have been the unusual format (two songs at the front of a brightly lit movie theatre), and not being able to play with his old friends The Blind Dates may have played a part as well. That night, Wilson was backed by a pick-up band of sorts, including lo-fi disciple Ariel Pink on bass and a former Motel Records exec from the film on drums. The band played extremely well; it’s just not an easy task to replicate twenty years’ worth of chemistry. Several moviegoers later commented that the times they had seen Gary perform with the original Blind Dates, he had seemed more comfortable and the show was a lot better.

Even with that said, though, Gary delivered an outstanding performance that night.

Gary and company ended the evening with the classic “6.4 = Make Out.” After being doused with baby powder (or was it flour?) by Shauna Guidici, Gary slithered to the floor and writhed around down there, largely out of view of anyone beyond the front row, for the rest of the song.

Despite such flamboyant antics, Gary Wilson never came off as showy or ostentatious, rather just a strange, brilliant man oozing with creativity and raw energy. It’s qualities like these, and the ability to unselfconsciously channel his feelings and impulses into a compelling, innovative musical performance, that made Wilson’s performance at the Theatre one of the best local performances of the year.

— Regina Cherene

The Gary Wilson Story: You Think You Really Know Me? Dude, I don’t know who the fuck you are. But thanks to Allison and Tiffany Anders, I do now. When I first saw the preview and heard about this film, I thought it was just going to be about some obscure and eccentric musician, some character that passed by under the radar like lots of the talented crazies I’m fascinated with (i.e. Jesse White, Hasil Adkins, Syd Barrett [okay he isn’t obscure], Peter Green, Roky Erickson [not obscure either], Ross Johnson, Jack Star or The Legendary Stardust Cowboy). But what I got was a lot more! Gary disappeared in the late ’70s after some cool CBGB shows. Detectives were hired, the whole nine yards.

Finally he turns up in San Diego working at a “spank tank” (read: porn store). And it turns out that he’s just a normal Catholic guy, fueled by the great horror films of the ’60s like Carnival of Souls and The Mask, which follows an archaeologist who believes he is cursed by a mask that causes him to have “Welsh Rarebit”-like nightmares. It’s an interesting 3-D movie, but what makes it striking is the sound scheme. It’s truly ahead of its time. I can’t think of another film that makes such mesmerizing, hypnotic use of echo delineation. I’d be curious to know how they did it; sounds are slowed down to a throbbing groan, echoes reverberate in and out and a sonic thumping pounds every time someone gets ready to put on the mask–it definitely left a mark on the young Gary Wilson.

Also we’re treated to tons of old home movies and films of Gary in the ’70s and hilarious interviews with his Dad. And to put the icing on the cake, his music is immense! All kinds of styles from Captain Beefheart, Brian Eno and The Red Crayola to art bands of the mid-’70s like the Electric Eels or Alex Chilton’s rare Bach’s Bottom, a play on The Box Tops. I keep watching these docs wishing that these guys had gotten their rightful fame during their prime. Maybe that’s why I push so hard for my Ross Johnson article and interview to be printed. In truth that’s all I wanted in taking this gig…. All the dude ever wanted was his rug back.

– Malibu Mike Murphy

The guys and gal known as The Wrecking Crew played on everything in the ’60s–from Alvin and the
Chipmunks to Frank Sinatra and everything in-between! I don’t even know where to start; the two-hour film only scratched the surface. The funny thing was that the band wasn’t even made up of rock and rollers–they all came from a bebop background and could read music. The old guard session men were apparently too snobbish to play on rock records, so this scruffy bunch of bohemians came in and contributed more to rock and roll then you can ever imagine. The were (in the studio) The Byrds, The Association, Herb Alpert, Sonny and Cher, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Ray Charles, The Mamas and the Papas, The Monkees, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley, They were part of producer Phil Spector’s trademark “Wall of Sound.” They also did tons of cool television theme songs (Batman), film scores (The Pink Panther), and advertising jingles. The Wrecking Crew worked everyday, recording Tommy Sands in the morning, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood’s “These Boots are Made for Walking” in the afternoon and in the evening worked on Pet Sounds. Blaine alone is credited with having played on at least 40 U.S. #1 hits and more than 150 Top Ten records.

Who were they? Mainly they were, guitar: Tommy “the most recorded guitarist in history” Tedesco, Glen Campbell, Bill Pittman. Bass: Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson (and Sax). Keyboards: Leon Russell, Mac Rebennack (aka Dr. John). Drums: Hal Blaine. Trumpet: Tony Terran, Ollie Mitchell. And conductor/arranger: Jack Nitzsche. The documentary great, with lots of interviews with Tedesco (whose son Denny directed it) Carol Kaye, Plas Johnson, Glen Cambell, Hal Blaine, Cher (there’s a great shot of a 16-year-old Cher surrounded by The Wrecking Crew), Brian Wilson, Dick Clark, Lou Adler, Mickey Dolenz and Frank Zappa. It covers the ups and downs, too. (The only thing I didn’t see
covered was Tommy Tedesco’s stint in Fernwood Tonight’s house band, Happy Kayne and the Mirth-Makers.) All you need is love and The Wrecking Crew. Out Of The Pool!

– Malibu Mike Murphy

First of all, I hate festivals! I think it stems from my mom taking me to see Donovan at the Hollywood Bowl in 1970. I was 8 and to this day the smell of patchouli gives me petit mal seizures. Hippies were filthy earth monkeys! But Don’t Knock the Rock festivals are different–they aren’t like Lollypopalooza or Chimichanga; for one, you’re not sweatin’ your ass off in some God-forsaken wasteland and you’re not bombarded by hundreds of sub-par acts on eight different stages with only two bands that you actually want to see, which are playing simultaneously at the opposite ends of the uninhabitable badlands.  Thank God that DKTR festivals are broken up over a period of time at different, comfortable venues with nobody walking around playing hacky sack.  The opening night’s show could not have been better; tonight was very different than most nights due to a very high concentration of blue
“Orgone energy” fuzz in the atmosphere. (Orgone energy is the life force discovered by Wilhelm Reich in the ’40s.) But don’t write me off as some New Ager yet; I know whence I speak and there was universal Jungian consciousness occurring.  Also the kid assured me it was “Kind Bud” and not “Train-wreck.”

Allison and Tiffany Anders at Don’t Knock The Rock couldn’t have picked a better venue or film. I have been to several of the films shown at Hollywood Forever and this vibe was totally different. There was a lack of the cheese and wine crowd, for one, but there were also far fewer cinephiles–this was more like the crowd you see at Amoeba and the kids were here to rock!

And rock they did! The T.A.M.I. Show stood for both Teenage Awards Music International and Teen Age Music International, so don’t ask. But what it really was about is the USA going toe to toe with England! And we spanked some royal limey ass! Even Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones claimed that following James Brown & The Famous Flames was the biggest mistake of their careers, because no matter how well they performed, they could not top him. He was on fire! Lesley Gore sang her little heart out! The Supremes and the Beach Boys were Amazing. The Wrecking Crew (which you can see a documentary about on Thursday at the Silent Movie Theater, also part of DKTR fest) was the house band! The film quality was superb, borrowed from Quentin T’s archive. It was one hell of an opening night!

Those that know me know I could go on and on about the Silent Actors buried there, I’m only gunna mention one, cause it’s his grass you’re parking your asses on, and that’s the original swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks. That’s his grave that the long moat goes up to, and that’s his
memorial lawn that the films are shown on (please see The Gaucho or The Mask Of Zorro). As his epitaph says, “Goodnight sweet prince and may The Supremes and Lesley Gore, sing thee to thy rest”

– Malibu Mike Murphy