"So, let us not be blind to our differences - but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." JFK, June 10, 1963.
Actor Bob Hoskins, left, was joined in 1987 by ex-Beatle George Harrison, cofounder of HandMade Films, when the British movie academy named Hoskins best actor for his role in HandMade’s drama “Mona Lisa.”
Once upon a time, a couple of desperate English filmmakers embarked on a quest to find a champion, and to their everlasting surprise, discovered one where they might have least expected it.
It was the late-1970s, and producer John Goldstone and Monty Python’s Flying Circus founding member Eric Idle trekked across the Atlantic with caps in hand to scramble together the money to make “Monty Python’s Life of Brian.” EMI Films had summarily backed out of the project, leaving Goldstone, who also produced the troupe’s debut feature film, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” and the Pythons flummoxed about what to do.
“Eric and I came to New York, and then we came out here and started going through everybody we knew,” Goldstone, 76, said this week from his home of more than a decade in Oxnard. “We went to Mike Medavoy, at United Artists at that time, and he said he would put up half the money, but that we’d have to get the other half from others.”
Enter a Beatle to the rescue: guitarist, singer and songwriter George Harrison.
“Eric said George had always been a huge Python fan, and Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam had become friendly with him,” Goldstone said. “So Eric said ‘Why don’t we see whether George could help?’ We went to his house in the Hollywood Hills, and I can’t remember if we had sent him the script or if he had read it, but he said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it.’ And that was it.”
Through Harrison’s manager, Denis O’Brien, a boutique company, HandMade Films, was set up to handle the financing. HandMade was created initially with the sole goal of seeing “Life of Brian” to completion. Harrison put his English estate, Friar Park, up as collateral against a bank loan for about $2 million that covered the other half of the film’s overall $4-million production budget, Goldstone said.
“We went to Denis and said ‘We want the same deal we had with EMI, which gave us full control and the final cut,’” Goldstone recalled. “He said ‘Fine — OK,’ and that was kind of that. It was terribly straightforward.”
The unlikely side effect was not just that “Life of Brian” was indeed completed and became a global hit commercially, but that HandMade Films continued to produce other projects and became an important force in British cinema during the 1980s.
The company made enough films to merit its own celebratory festival, dubbed The (Other) HandMade’s Tale Film Festival, which opens Thursday, Oct. 10, and runs through Oct. 20 at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. It is organized by English producer, humorist and Beatles authority Martin Lewis under the umbrella of the ongoing Mods & Rockers Film Festival, which is marking its 20th anniversary this year.
HandMade Films’ 1982 comedy ‘The Missionary’ starring Monty Python’s Michael Palin and actress Maggie Smith. (HandMade Films)
That’s just one of several anniversaries “The (Other) HandMade’s Tale” series is acknowledging: This year is the 50th anniversary of the Python troupe, which also included John Cleese, Graham Chapman and Terry Jones, and the 40th anniversary both of “Life of Brian” and the creation of HandMade Films.
Among the projects earning a spotlight are additional Python pictures including Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits” (1981), “Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl “and Michael Palin’s “The Missionary” (both 1982) as well as Malcolm Mowbray’s “A Private Function” (1984) and director Neil Jordan’s acclaimed early film “Mona Lisa” (1986).
The latter film earned a best actor BAFTA award for relative newcomer Bob Hoskins, who had established his star credentials a few years earlier with “The Long Good Friday,” which was distributed by HandMade and also featured a breakout performance from Helen Mirren.
Various principals will take part in Q&A sessions before or after many of the screenings, which begin tonight with “An Accidental Studio,” a documentary about HandMade Films by Terry Jones’ son Bill Jones and his film collaborator Ben Timlett.
Monty Python’s John Cleese, top, appeared in director Terry Gilliam’s 1981 adventure-fantasy “Time Bandits,” made for George Harrison’s HandMade Films company.
(HandMade Films)
Lewis will extend the festival briefly into November with a strategically timed screening of HandMade’s 1986 flop musical “Shanghai Surprise” starring Madonna and her then-new husband Sean Penn, to coincide with her residency at the Wiltern Theatre. It will screen Nov. 18 — one of Madonna’s nights off during the Wiltern run — at the Laemmle NoHo theater in North Hollywood, and tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 14. Lewis has invited her to be guest of honor for what he believes to be the film’s first major L.A. screening since it premiered in 1986.
Goldstone, Medavoy and Lewis co-hosted a private reception Monday night in Hollywood that drew several of Harrison’s friends, family members and associates including the Who’s Pete Townshend and his wife, composer Rachel Fuller, actress Kathy Bates, lyricist Tim Rice, producer-talent manager-musician Peter Asher and Harrison’s sister-in-law and former HandMade executive Linda Arias.
Lewis also pulled together an ad-hoc band consisting of musicians who played with Harrison on different projects: guitarist Laurence Juber, bassist Nathan East, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes, drummer Jim Keltner and singer Bird York, who teamed on performances of four of Harrison’s best-known songs.
But the surviving Python members were MIA for various reasons. Lewis noted that Palin recently had heart surgery and is unable to attend the festival. Idle had to cancel a recent appearance in England because of an unspecified “family emergency” and also is not expected to attend. Gilliam, the troupe’s lone American member, renounced his U.S. citizenship years ago in political protest and is precluded from visiting more than 30 days a year, a number he’s already used up in 2019. Terry Jones is battling dementia and makes few public appearances.
English musician Neil Innes, sometimes referred to as “the seventh Python” because of his close association with the comedy ensemble, spoke about Harrison and HandMade in a separate interview. He was a friend and confidant of Harrison through his membership in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, a collective of art student-musicians that played around England roughly at the same time as the Beatles.
Innes, also known for his role as one of the Rutles, the Beatles sendup band created on the Python spinoff TV show “Rutland Weekend Television” and featured on “Saturday Night Live,” is currently emceeing a tour for the Bootleg Beatles. He acted and played music in various Python projects but was aced out of a more prominent onscreen role in “Life of Brian” because of the financing imbroglio.
“I was so looking forward to playing the soldier who was trying not to laugh at Michael Palin [as Pontius Pilate] because I knew I could take him on,” Innes, 74, said from his home in southwest France.
“Because of EMI pulling out its money and George stepping in, it was delayed six months, and by that time I was doing a British television series called ‘The Innes Book of Records,’” Innes said. “I got a call from the [HandMade] film office because they had done the credits early on and I had already been given this huge credit. They said, ‘You’d better get down here and do something.’ So I ended up being the Samaritan being chased by gladiators and having a heart attack,” he said with a laugh. “It didn’t really stretch my talent.
“I wish I could [be] there” in the States for the HandMade Festival, Innes said, adding that he is supportive of the effort because “A lot of people don’t know that side of George, who was much more of a Renaissance man than people think. He had a feeling for all kinds of things and by golly, we all sure miss him.”
After turning out nearly two-dozen films through the 1980s, HandMade was sold to new owners in the early 1990s. But Innes underscored the important role HandMade played in sustaining British cinema during turbulent years.
“There were not many victories at that time,” he said, “so it was great when HandMade went on to make more films. ‘The Long Good Friday’ was another one. George stepped in and rescued that,” another case of EMI Films getting cold feet, Goldstone said, when producer Sir Lew Grade considered the gangster film too violent.
HandMade distributed it to much acclaim, and followed it by producing “Mona Lisa.”
“I think some American suits wanted to have Bob Hoskins’ voice dubbed,” Innes recalled, “but George resisted it. HandMade Films was a real player. More people should know about the film-connoisseur Beatle.”
'The OTHER Handmade's Tale' Film Festival
Where:Ahrya Fine Arts, Beverly Hills
When: Thursday through Oct. 20
Tickets: $13 general admission; select screenings more
You can get Bonnie "Prince" Billy's new song "In Good Faith" over on Bandcamp which also features five volumes of the BPB Mix Tape series of rarities, live covers, alternate takes...
There's also a new Billy album I Made A Place, out November 15th.
I'm really appreciating Billy's unique take on Americana, especially in these troubling times, the artist is the guy with a flashlight in the dark cave...
It's Stipe's solo debut and the first new music we've heard from him since R.E.M. split up in 2011.
About the song, Stipe says:
I took a long break from music, and I wanted to jump back in. I love “Your Capricious Soul” — it’s my first solo work. I want to add my voice to this exciting shift in consciousness. Extinction Rebellion gave me the incentive to push the release and not wait. Our relationship to the environment has been a lifelong concern, and I now feel hopeful—optimistic, even. I believe we can bring the kind of change needed to improve our beautiful planet earth, our standing and our place on it.
Wilco Ode To Joy The Avett BrothersCloser Than Together Allah-LasLAHS DIIVDeceiver San FerminThe Cormorant I Bonnie "Prince" BillyBPB Mix Tape Vol. 5 The New PornographersIn The Morse Code Of Brake Lights
ARCHIVAL
Patti Smith live, John Mayall & Eric Clapton, Mance Lipscomb, Charley Jordan, Furry Lewis/Frank Stokes, Phil Ochs, The Beatles (Abbey Road 40th anniversary)
They were the saddest of times; they were the happiest of times.
They were the times. They were our times.
One of the happiest things that happened this year was the release of Purple Mountains, David Berman (of The Silver Jews) first album in several years. And it was good.
But then, because it is Now, something tragic had to happen, and right after we heard this brilliant album we lost David to depression and suicide.
I felt strongly at the time that we the living had to keep singing these songs.
I wanted his friends to show up at the dates on his cancelled 2019 tour and sing his songs.
Kevin Morby and Woods covered Purple Mountains’ “All My Happiness Is Gone” at this weekend’s Woodsist festival in honor of David Berman. Singer-songwriter Anna St. Louis and Little Wings frontman Kyle Field joined them in their tribute, and you can watch a video of it via Brooklyn Vegan below.
The members of Woods worked closely with Berman to make Purple Mountains, his final album before his death in early August. They were Berman’s backing band on the record, and Woods members Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earl worked as producers on the album. St. Louis also sang on Purple Mountains. They join Stephen Malkmus, Bill Callahan, and First Aid Kit as artists who have covered Berman’s work in the weeks after his death.
P.S. If you're thinking about killing yourself, please don't. WE NEED YOU!!!
Three songs from Berman's last album Purple Mountains:
Little Wings covering "All My Happiness Is Gone":
David Berman & Stephen Malkmus (Pavement): "Advice To The Graduate" (1994)
Stephen Malkmus does two Silver Jews songs in tribute to his late friend:
Mark Lanegan Band Somebody's Knocking Sheer MagA Distant Call Kim GordonNo Home Record Devendra BanhartMa (first single "Taking A Page") Vivian GirlsMemory Sam Fender Hypnotic Missiles Jesse MalinSunset Kids Liam Gallagher Why Me? Why Not Brittany HowardJaime (Solo debut from Alabama Shakes singer/guitarist) Y La BambaEntre Los Dos The White StripesThe Final Concert: The Snowden Grove Amphitheater (Southaven, Mississippi)
There have been numerous tweets by Donald Trump targeting House Intelligence Chair Adam Schiff, a Democrat representing Los Angeles in the U.S. Congress.
Several of them attempt to give Schiff one of Trump's famous derogatory nicknames, calling him "Little" or "Liddle" Adam Schiff; although Schiff is actually 5'11".
More than one anti-Trump pundit has pointed out Trump frequently misspells words and mangles grammar, often stating this is proof Trump is suffering from a type of dementia. In this case; however, the "misspelling" is quite deliberate, has been done repeatedly (thus can't just be a one-time spelling error); meant to link Schiff to untold tales of depravity and child abuse.... and unleash the unhinged crazies on the fringe who believe these wild, unfounded conspiracy theories and will attack Schiff as a Jew, a liberal, a child-abusing Cabal member, and a traitor.
An organization called "Liddle Kidz" and has been targeted by Qanon for being part of the Cabal's child abuse ring. You can find it all over the Internet, for example here... They imply that "Liddle Kidz" and Schiff are working together and that's why Trump is spelling "Little" as "Liddle".
This article says "several" Liddle Kidz workshops have been hosted in Schiff's district (the Liddle Kidz website mentions a main office in Vancouver, Washington):
From a QAnon site:
They also frequently mention The Standard Hotel. Again, the only known connection is that it is located in Schiff's Congressional district (as if he were knowledgable about & responsible for everyone & everything happening in one of the busiest areas in Los Angeles or indeed anywhere in the U.S.). Some online "experts" have implied that the extreme exploitation of children, including satanic rituals and even snuff films, takes place at the hotel on a regular basis. (I was at The Standard Hotel recently and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.)
A small but troubling group of far-right extremists, gathered under the QAnon umbrella, have alleged that a "Cabal" of elites from the worlds of politics, business, and entertainment have secretly held rituals involving the kidnapping, rape, torture, and abuse of children. Some of them even allege that goes as far as mass murder, cannibalism, the drinking of blood, and the harvesting of "adrenochrome" from the victims. Adrenochrome was apparently made up by Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It is posited by Qanon that scared children produce extra-special life-giving adrenochrome, which Qanon say helps keep these sick elitists alive through the centuries.
Some QAnon people apparently believe that not only The Elite (led by Hillary, Obama, George Soros, etc.) are bad and evil, but also that they are demons, aliens, or undead, and need adrenochrome and/or blood to keep their centuries-old bodies going.
It would be laughable; of course, except that some people believe this nonsense and have even killed people for it.
Needless to say, it is horrible to make these kinds of accusations especially when there is no evidence of mass child abductions/disappearances. The fact is, most of these people know these allegations are false but make them anyway to score points against political opponents.
To make accusations of child abuse and even murder against political opponents without any evidence, just making things up out of thin air... clearly these are threats to democracy we must confront now or regret later. They are also reflect the desperation of the far-right.
They know they are losing and their Orange King is about to Fall...
Leonard Cohen's son Adam collected the songs Leonard was working on at the time of his death, added some of Leonard's favorite musicians (such as Jorge Mas the Spanish laud player who performed with Leonard for his final eight years touring), and the result is Thanks For The Dance, Leonard Cohen's final album.
You can pre-order Thanks For The Dancehere. You'll receive an immediate download of the first single "The Goal" and the rest of the album when it is released on November 22, 2019.
THE GOAL by Leonard Cohen (1934 - 2016) I can't leave my house Or answer the phone I'm going down again But I'm not alone
Settling at last Accounts of the soul This for the trash That paid in full
As for the fall, it Began long ago Can't stop the rain Can't stop the snow
I sit in my chair I look at the street The neighbor returns My smile of defeat
I move with the leaves I shine with the chrome I'm almost alive I'm almost at home
No one to follow And nothing to teach Except that the goal Falls short of the reach
Mark Lanegan BandSomebody's Knocking (October 18, Heavenly Recordings) Bonnie "Prince" BillyI Made A Place (November 15, Drag City) Kim GordanNo Home Record (October 11, Matador) Vivian GirlsMemory (September 20, Polyvinyl)
Mark Lanegan BandSomebody's Knocking
Bonnie "Prince" BillyI Made A Place (November 15, Drag City).
Single out now: "At The Back Of The Pit"
Kim GordanNo Home Record
Vivian GirlsMemory First album since 2011. Well worth a listen...
Daniel Johnston, Rest In Peace
Kurt Cobain, with Flea, wears a Daniel Johnston T-shirt at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards Phoebe Bridgers and M. Ward cover Daniel Johnston...
Bonnie "Prince" Billy is one of America's finest singer/songwriters. He's currently on a creative roll which has included several recent releases, including four volumes of "mixtapes", available at Bandcamp, containing wonderful live recordings, demos, outtakes, covers, rarities, and such.
Billy's got a new album I Made A Place out November 15, 2019 on Drag City.
10-11 Irvine, CA - UC Irvine, Bren Events Center 10-12 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl 10-14 Palo Alto, CA - Stanford University Frost Amphitheatre 10-17 Denver, CO - The Mission Ballroom 10-19 Lincoln, NE - Pinnacle Bank Arena 10-20 Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland 10-22 St. Louis, MO - Stifel Theatre 10-23 Ames, IA - Iowa State University C.Y. Stephens Auditorium 10-24 Mankato, MN - Mankato Civic Center 10-26 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom 10-27 Bloomington, IN - Indiana University Auditorium 10-29 Normal, IL - Illinois State University Braden Auditorium 10-30 Chicago, IL - Credit Union 1 Arena at UIC 11-01 South Bend, IN - Morris Performing Arts Center 11-02 Muncie, IN - Ball State University Emens Auditorium 11-04 Columbus, OH - Ohio State University Mershon Auditorium 11-05 East Lansing, MI - MSU Performing Arts Wharton Center 11-06 Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan Hill Auditorium 11-08 Highland Heights, KY - NKU BB&T Arena 11-09 Akron, OH - U of A EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall 11-10 Moon Township, PA - UPMC Events Center 11-12 Baltimore, MD - UMBC Event Center 11-13 Petersburg, VA - Virginia State University Multi-Purpose Center 11-15 University Park, PA - PSU Eisenhower Auditorium 11-17 Ithaca, NY - Ithaca College Athletics and Events Center 11-19 Lowell, MA - University of Massachussetts Tsongas Arena 11-20 Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center 11-21 Philadelphia, PA - The Met Philadelphia
Blind Willie Walker (1896 - 1933) "South Carolina Rag"/"Dupree Blues". Walker is said to have influenced the guitar style of Reverend Gary Davis. He only recorded 4 sides (only two of which were released) before dying in his mid-30s.
The Falun Gong is a religious cult (based on qigong and Daoist traditions), whose members have suffered discrimination in China, and who often appear in public in the U.S. and Europe to protest Chinese government policies against them.
Many people who advocate for democracy in China (and places currently dominated by China), such as supporters of the Tibetans and the (Muslim) Uighurs are quite familiar with the Falun Gong. While we may have thought they were unusual, we still supported their right to practice their belief in China without harassment.
Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi, who now lives in New York, has decided to throw the considerable weight of his movement to support U.S. President Trump (who he apparently sees as essentially a divine agent of change, who will thwart the will of Chinese Communist government, leading to increased power for the Falun Gong movement).
Supporting Trump was a huge tactical and moral mistake.
That's why activists are calling for a boycott against The Epoch Times and Shen Yun (the Chinese performance troupe), both owned and controlled by the Falun Gong.
You may have noticed dozens of YouTube ads recently for The Epoch Times, formerly known as a free newspaper of little consequence, now a full-on MAGA Pro-Trump internet-based "news" outlet, promoting even the bizarre QAnon conspiracy. I have taken to blocking the many annoying Epoch Times ads on YouTube. The Epoch Times spent over $1.5 million on these ads. Facebook banned The Epoch Times from advertising on their platform after numerous examples of deceptive practices.
One of Falun Gong's biggest Western outreach is the Shen Yun performance troupe, which tries to mask its links to the cult.
Activists have called for a boycott against the Falun Gong's Epoch Times and Shen Yun to protest their support for Mr. Trump. I support that call 100%.
What will be less clear to OANN’s viewers is that the movie’s funder, digital video company New Tang Dynasty, is closely tied to a spiritual movement that reportedly believes Donald Trump, Bannon’s former boss, will help usher in the end times.
New Tang Dynasty is part of the Epoch Media Group, a collection of far-right media outlets linked to Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual movement that has been repressed by the Chinese government. The group’s members apparently now see Trump’s presidency and Chinese trade war as a fateful moment.
Summer Indie Music Playlist 2019: Purple Mountains, The Hold Steady, Sleater-Kinney, Oh Sees, King Gizzard, Jesca Hoop, Kaiser Chiefs, Bad Books, Tim Hardin, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Mikal Cronin...
Purple MountainsPurple Mountains The late, great David Berman of The Silver Jews, whose first album featured three future members of Pavement, sadly took his own life last week, but not before releasing this amazing album. A little tough to listen to, under the circumstances, but still an important document. Vital.
The Hold SteadyThrashing Thru The Passion. I'm gonna go ahead and say "return to form" for the boys from the bars in St. Paul & Brooklyn. Lately, they've been trying to be more "adult" and "literate", including some Craig Finn solo albums. They can't sing about popping pills and getting drunk forever (or can they?) but now it sounds as if they're managing to explore other topics without losing their edge or their unique sound and sensibility. Two great guitarists, an awesome singer, and some of the most devoted fans you will ever encounter...
Sleater-Kinney The Center Won't Hold. Their second album since their comeback. Founding member drummer Janet Weiss quit the band in July 2019 just before this album (which she plays on) was released, saying the band was going in a "new direction" and she was leaving.
You can decide if you like the band's "new direction"....
If you need to rock the f*** out, here's two albums of metal-type nonsense to rock your world:
Oh SeesFace Stabber
AND...
King Gizzard & The Lizard WizardInfest The Rats' Nest
And why not a little political humor?
Bruce W. Nelson "Moscow Mitch" (YouTube):
Jesca HoopStonechild. She previously did an album with Sam from Iron & Wine. She's got a great voice and some cool songs.
Kaiser ChiefsDuck. Very popular in the U.K. and well-worth a listen.
Bad BooksBad Books III (feat Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra's Andy Hull & Robert McDowell). A very good album.
Tim Hardin Live At Woodstock. "It could have made his career, but a lukewarm performance cemented Hardin's spot on the list of also-rans..." That's the conventional wisdom, but most of us have never heard the performance until now. It is uneven, but interesting for historical purposes and hints at the greatness that Hardin often approached... Look for his Lost In L.A. release from Record Store Day 2018... I just re-read Patti Smith's memoir Just Kids and it was nice to read that she and Robert Mapplethorpe adored Tim Hardin (and Tim Buckley!)... I had also forgotten how much she talked about life at the Chelsea with the likes of Harry Smith, the folklorist... this paperback version of Just Kids says it has "additional material". It did seem more detailed to me this time around... I liked Patti's follow-up volume, but would love to read more about the beginnings and early successes of The Patti Smith Group at CBGB's, etc.
Bonnie "Prince" BillyBPB Mixtapes, Vol. I - IV. Bonnie "Prince" Billy's team has been releasing "Mixtapes" on Bandcamp, consisting of live takes and rarities. The four mixtapes are a must for any fan of Billy. It's all in anticipation of a new album When We Are Inhuman, out August 30th...
Mikal Cronin "Show Me". Mikal Cronin, known equally for his work with Ty Segall and his own excellent solo material, returns with his fourth solo album Seeker, due out October 25th.... A single, "Show Me", is available with a pre-order on Bandcamp now:
