DVD Review: “Fan of the Dead”, Dir by Nicolas Garreau

Text and live photos © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen
DVD cover from the Internet

Fan of the Dead
Directed, produced and written by Nicolas Garreau
Cheezy Flicks, 2008
60 minutes, USD $12.99
www.cheezyflicks.com
www.fanofthedead.com

I have no memory of where I was when I heard about the killing of Robert Kennedy or Martin Luther King, but I know exactly where I was when I first saw George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). It was at the Walker Theater in Brooklyn, during a revival showing in the early ‘70s. Whatever the opening film was, the three tough Bensonhurst guys behind me kept kicking my chair and harassing me; but I refused to move. Then NotLD came on, and by the time it was over, we were all sitting together.

[Karl Hardman, who played Harry Cooper in the first film; he appears in this documentary (d. 2007)]

The director / producer / writer of Fan of the Dead, Nicholas Garreau, is fascinated by all things George A. Romero. We watch as he plans a three-day journey from his home in France, and chronicles his journey to the Pittsburgh area, which is to Romero as Maine is to Stephen King or Baltimore to John Waters. In those short days, he plans to seek out locations that Romero used in his films.

While the main focus of this documentary is the original Romero trilogy of NotLD, Dawn of the Dead (1978) - which Garreau calls by its European name, Zombie - and Day of the Dead (1985), he also seeks out the Night of the Living Dead remake (1999; Romero screenplay) and even one segment of Creepshow (1982). Most likely it was time constraints that kept him from searching for the locations of Martin (1977) and The Crazies (1973), not to mention lack of said zombies.

[Kyra Schon, who was little Karen Cooper in the first film (her character in on the shirt in the background); she appears in this documentary with Karl Hardman, her real father]

Garreau, whose musings to his hand-held camera are translated from French by a narrator, is a true fan-boy, and I use that term affectionately. He is both bemused by what is happening and the people that he meets, and giddy with excitement – in the words of Ed Grimley – like waking up Christmas morning and finding a whole fort, y’know.

The chapters are broken up into days, with titles of the films whose locations were visited on that day. Most of this is essentially a road trip as he travels from location to location, and his honest exhilaration is catching. His giddy look at lamp posts, elevator doors, and where houses used to stand, is catching, and you just want to say, bon pour vous. When he finds the now iconic basement from the first film (nowhere near the house indicated in the film), you, the viewer, almost want someone there to high-five.

[Marilyn Eastman was Helen Cooper, and a cameo as the zombie who eats the bug off the tree in the first film]

The centerpiece of the film is a trip to the Pittsburgh Comic Convention, where Garreau interviews some of the actors who played both major and minor roles in the trilogy, and then he goes on a tour of the mall in which the second film is set, let by one of the film’s stars, Ken Foree (who was also excellent in Stuart Gordon’s From Beyond, I would like to add). This sightseeing expedition is accompanied by some of the same actors, who narrate for the fans who signed up for the tour (hell, I would have gone). The viewer can tell how much the actors (including Foree and David Emge, two of the four main leads) are enjoying not only the attention from the fans, but getting to share their experiences (e.g., “This spot is where…”). Garreau has obviously made a good impression on them, as they acknowledge him by name more than once.

Garreau’s extensive knowledge of the series is evident as he wonders through graveyards indicating the actions of a scene by the names on the stones which appear in the film. And yes, he does say the line, “They’re coming to get you Barbara” at the appropriate spot, as I’m sure many others have. As I would.

[Make-up artist / actor / director Tom Savini]

I’m just sorry he could not use some of the footage from the films to compare then and now (especially since the first NotLD is out of copyright and readily available), so unless you’re a fan on Garreau’s level, I would recommend viewing at least the three original zombie films (68-85) before watching this. Certainly, I recognized the cemetery and mall that was central to the first two, but I’m less familiar with the third one, so the locations seemed less of a bonus to me (though I intend to re-watch Day of the Dead, and then watch this documentary again. As for the remake of NotLD, well, Romero was the screenplay writer, and it was directed by Tom Savini, so it seems a bit out there, but what do I know?

This is a love letter to George Romero’s work, and both to and for his fans.

The bonus tracks include a photo collection of the trip, and some older psychotronic trailers (such as “Horrors of the Black Museum”), snack intermission shorts, and some regional restaurant ads that were shown in theaters. All fun stuff.

Book Review: “White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day,” by Richie Unterberger

Text © Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen
Images from the Internet

White Light/White Heat: The Velvet Underground Day-By-Day
By Richie Unterberger
Jawbone Press (London), 2009
367 pages, USD $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-906002-22-0
www.jawbonepress.com

If it’s true that God is in the details, then White Light/White Heat must be considered some kind of scripture, especially for those Velvet Underground fans, both informed and not.

But I get ahead of myself.

Richie Unterberger has a long record of rock journalism, with a number of books, including the topics of obscure bands, the history of folk rock, and the Beatles; this is only the latest in a long line of his informative and enjoyable readings by him. WL/WH is the latest in a series of Day-By-Day tomes by different authors about various bands, such as the Byrds. I haven’t read the others, but this is certainly a good start.

Essentially the book is broken down into sections, usually in calendar headings with a date – exact if known, vague if not – but Unterberger still keeps the flow going at all times in as close to chronological order as can be expected, if not more so.

It starts with the pre-original band (Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Angus MacLise, and Nico), and brings the reader up to speed, as it were, with their history just prior to /relevant to the band, with what was happening in their lives that would influence them, or direct them, into this group of both like-minded musicians, and not (i.e., Nico). Some of the other musicians aren’t “revealed” early on, such as Maureen Tucker, until they show up in the time of the band.

Unterberger takes many sources, including previous books (such as Victor Bockris’ Transformer: The Lou Reed Story [who is of the dreaded “This is what Lou Reed was thinking when…” style] and Nico: The Life and Lies of an Icon, by Richard Witts), articles, fanzines, and first hand accounts from over 100 people interviewed personally by the author. He does not just repeat the information, however, he synthesizes all of the accounts, and then clarifies whenever he can. For example, he might say that something is quoted – even by the band members - as being on a certain date, but since so-and-so was someplace else from such-and-such a time, it more likely was around this time. This thoughtful processing and evaluating makes WL/WH an invaluable resource.

It is also this progression that takes the conglomeration of old and new information that keeps it all fresh and, well, fascinating. Like oral histories, there are definitely some contradictions from the different multitude of sources, and Unterberger works it into a nice mixture that respects the source, and yet makes it innovative and new.

This is a big book in many ways, but certainly due to the importance of the subject matter in a cultural context, and the physical volume itself. I’ll start with the latter.

An oversized paperback on thick, glossy paper (it is physically heavy), with clear and often large photos and images throughout, the text is teeny-tiny serif type (7 pt?), with three columns per page. On a normal book, that would be the equivalent of three pages there to one page here. In other words, this 360-plus page book would actually be over 1,000 pages in any regular size print book. The reader is definitely getting his or her money’s worth on sheer volume alone.

Needless to say, it took me a hell of a long time to get through this book, which is a good thing, because I did not read it as much as savor it. There is a lot of detailed information to process, and to Unterberger’s credit, I never felt bored or lost interest, even after Nico, Reed and Cale left the band, their places taken up by Doug Yule and Willie Alexander, to name a few.

Who can argue that the Velvet Underground were one of the more important musical entities during their period – whether one enjoyed their music or not – on so many scenes, be it rock’n’roll, rock, avant-garde, jazz, and yes, punk. They would as easily be put in the Captain Beefheart category as, say, the Stooges. Unterberger takes their influential status in the musical strata and is hardly cowed by it, nor is he condescending, but he seems to be as objective as possible (of course, there is no such thing as true objectivity), while it is obvious he is a fan at the same time.

My long-time friend Walter Ocner is a veteran VU fan in good standing, and he recently summed up WL/WH in one word: “Brilliant.” It’s hard to argue with that.

Some additional Richie Unterberger's books, in no particular order:

Road Trip to See the Ghosts, Spring 2010, Vol 5: Eastend, SK

Text and photos (c) Robert Barry Francos, 2010

This April, fellow photographer John Penner and I went on a two-day road trip through southwestern Saskatchewan in search of ghost towns.

After many hours of driving and still more towns to go, we decided to stay the night at the infamous town of Eastend (pop. under 600), in the heart of the grasslands. During the summer, this town is packed with tourists heading towards (or from) the Grasslands and Cypress Hills provincial parks.

This area is also where dinosaur bones are often found, including one of the largest and most intact Tyrannosaurus Rex (or T.rex, as they call it there), named "Scotty" when it was found in 1994. We visited the Centre on the way out of town the next day.

Here is the fifth part a photo journal of the trip, with descriptions. The images can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Eastend, Saskatchewan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastend,_Saskatchewan

The main street of downtown Eastend.


Madhatter's Flowers and Gifts, which is also the Sears outlet and the Petro-Canada real estate office; Petro-Canada owns and leases properties (334 Redcoat Dr).


Jack's Cafe, where we had a nice dinner (326 Redcoat Dr).


The "Club" and Charlie's.


Charlie's Lunch, where we had a fun breakfast, talking the the owner-cook's owner-server-wife about cameras. He was off fishing, so she started the eggs, and he came back in time to finish them off. We made our own toast. The place had a very homey feel to it. They also had a computer with Internet access, but we didn't use it (327 Redcoat Dr).


Three-county fire department. This service consists of 26 volunteers, 1 Pumper Truck, 1 rural fire truck, and a 9-1-1 Rescue Unit.


The gas station, which doubles as Chester Fried franchise, whose slogan is "The Crispy, Moisturized Chicken." We took their word for it and walked on by.


St. Patrick's, but not a cathedral.


On the main downtown strip.


This was the first RCMP station in the area, but now it's gated off.


Cypress Hotel and Bar, where we stayed (343 Redcoat Drive).


Sign just inside the Cypress Hotel door. It made me laugh that they used a Labatt's ad, and made a pun about it.


Road going south, facing Montana about 50 miles/80 kilometers south.


Sign made of rocks on the hill.


Signs, signs, everywhere signs...


The old and new elevators.


Art studio for sale.


Read the sign carefully...


The T.rex Discovery Centre
www.trexcentre.ca

From the parking lot. The Centre is actually built into the side of the hill, with huge glass windows that overlooks the town and a beautiful vista.



Four T.Rex's in a row. And where exactly is Marc Bolan...?


The actual fossilized bones of Scotty. The tail section is in the middle. The ulna on the bottom is how they determined the size of the beastie.


Brittany, our tour guide.


Scotty and the school kids


Careful! It bites!


Dino bones of the hippo family.


The administrator's office. Looks like s/he enjoys the work.


The way out of the Centre over the Frenchman's River, and outta town.

Introducing John Watts

Text and photos © Robert Barry Francos
Video taken by RBF; song © John Watts

On September 12, 2009, at the annual meeting of the Institute of General Semantics, I had the honor to introduce British singer John Watts. He was around for the second wave of punk (the UK phase), and he sold mil\lions of records. Below is the introduction I prepared, which tells a bit more about the man.

At one point, I flubbed reading, and ad libbed, “I can’t even read my own hand\writing.” Holding up the print-out facing the audience, I added, “And it’s printed!” That got a laugh, and I finished the intro.

It was also a pleasure hear him perform, and to talk to John at length toward the end of the well-attended conference. I shot the video with my digital still camera. The sound during the introduction is muddy, but the song itself came out, well, all right. Not as brilliant as the song, but there ya go.

Here is his Website: http://www.myspace.com/fischerz

Here is what I said as the introduction:

In my role as a music reviewer, I am often expected to put labels on artists, to translate and place their sounds into a printed, time-binding medium which, given the ephemeral conditions of music performance and the possibilities created by recording, produces an oxymoron if ever I understood one.

There are two ways to consider a musician beyond category. One is to perceive them to be so out of the loop that they’re a sort of head-scratcher, and the other is to find them competent in so many styles that one label just won’t suit. John Watts falls to the latter group.

Where to start? Pop, punk, singer-songwriter, poet, filmmaker, humorist, troubadour, psychologist, multimedia artiste; these labels include only a few that could, theoretically, apply to such a wide-ranging set of talents, if General Semanticists were to endorse such a practice.

What we do know is that John Watts has been recording in multiple styles and across a wide selection of instrumentation for three decades, resulting in 17 albums, which have collectively sold over 2 million copies. Perhaps another descriptor could be “popular.”

Ever extending his repertoire, John’s new release is titled Morethanmusic & Films, a multimedia package CD/DVD, samples of which you may encounter tonight. If you are interested in a copy, the only place to get it is from John, so be sure to see him after.

Here, bursting out of limiting boxes and celebrating multiple forms of creative expression is John Watts, live.

Road Trip to See the Ghosts, Spring 2010, Vol 4: Scotsguard and the Bridge

Text and photos (c) Robert Barry Francos, 2010

This April, fellow photographer John Penner and I went on a two-day road trip through southwestern Saskatchewan in search of ghost towns.

Many of the houses were left wide open and ranged from either ransacked at some point, or actually relatively intact.

Here is the fourth part a photo journal of the trip, with descriptions. The images can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Scotsguard, Saskatchewan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotsguard,_Saskatchewan

In the heart of town is a scorched section. Here is a house burned to the ground, it's detris laying about among the cinders. The fires were just in the fall of last year.


This tree looked interesting, the way the bark was contrasted against itself.


The second fire took this shed, though some of it is still standing.


The car was between the house and shed, so which one it was affected by (or both), is unknown.


A tricycle lays outside the shed.


This house was owned by a packrat. Everypart of the house, yard, barn, and garage was filled with boxes and boxes of things, to the point where the structures could not be entered. There was also stuff littered all over the lawn. The person who owns it no longer resides there, and those very few left in the town are in a quandry what to do with the mess.


Trees and shed in ill shape.


The garage is being held up by a 2x4s. Note the boxes visible through the door.


Even the doghouse was packed.


The wooden slates that were used as a walkway is reminiscent of a boardwalk.


There were a few bicycles lying around, and in this "children's area," a carriage and another tricycle.



What's left of a wooden sled.


Wooden roof shingles in buckets.


Mrs. Hagen, one of the last residents (who, with her husband, is buying up most of the surrounding property). They had two fires in one month, the results are seen earlier. She was very generous with her time, telling us the recent history (such as it was) of the area.


There are three cemeteries next to each other, each of different denomination. This was in the Catholic one, which had many stones in Polish.



Brige over Rock Creek and railroad tracks, Route 13
This beautiful and fancy bridge actually goes over the railroad, connecting fields for some farmer. I am assuming it was built by the railroad, though.