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Film & Television Series Music SkeletonPete Says

Joe Meek: Star-Crossed Wizard of Odd

Con O'Neil as Joe Meek
Telstar: The Joe Meek Story
Directed by Nick Moran
Format: DVD Only, Aspect Ratio:16X9
Running Time: 119 Minutes

I am so happy to see this 2008 British bio-pic get a DVD release in the United States. It will hit the racks via The Inception Media Group on March 20, 2012.

SkeletonPete is Instro-Mental…
I’ve been a fan of instrumental pop since I was a kid with a transistor radio strapped to the handlebars of my first two wheeler bicycle. Percy Faith’s “Theme From A Summer Place”, “Green Onions” by Booker T. and The MG’s, Santo and Johnny’s “Sleepwalk”, the Tijuana Brass tunes and even the Bert Kaempfurt hits were all just fine with me. Then in late 1962 “Telstar” arrived on the airwaves like its namesake – an outre sounding slice of the future. Its buzzy pre-Moog melody rendered by quirky Clavioline keyboard was irresistible, as was its rolling “Peggy Sue” style drumming. I have collected many cover versions of the song over the years, but nothing comes close to the original’s unique sonics and dynamism. The auteur of this mini-masterpiece was Joe Meek.

Black Box Rock…
Far from the rarified and clinical confines of EMI’s Abbey Road complex, Meek produced his unique sonic creations in an jerry-rigged 3 floor apartment above a leather goods shop. This did not deter him from blessing us with such gems as “Telstar”, The Honeycombs’ “Have I The Right” and recording hundreds of other sides. His production of John Leyton’s #1 hit “Johnny Remember Me”, with reverbed soundscape and haunting female vocal, could be heard as a progenitor of Ennio Morricone’s spaghetti western soundtracks. His home brewed electronic audio inventions spearheaded the evolution of sound recording in the 1960’s. Yet he did not live to hear Sgt. Pepper.
What It Is…
Telstar, the film, is a beautifully produced and superbly acted recounting of Meek’s meteoric flame out. The great ensemble cast is headed by Con O’Neil as the titular “mad genius”. The Tony Award winner O’Neil previously played the manic record producer on stage in London (2005) to rave reviews. It’s a whisper to a scream performance that conveys every shade of emotion from the joy of acclaim to the depths of amphetamine fueled paranoia.

Kevin Spacey plays astute financial backer Major Wilfred Banks, a buttoned down, stiff-upper-lip, remnant of the old empire who believes in Joe’s genius but tries unsuccessfully to keep his ego and spending in check.

The screenplay, written by James Hicks and director Nick Moran (Harry Potter’s Scabior), is filled with fast paced, quick witted banter and loaded with historical minutiae. The set direction accurately represents the cramped apartment studio with backup vocalists in the bathroom, the string section on the floor below, and the landlady banging on the ceiling to quiet the racket. Visual clues to other Meek acts (Mike Berry, Cliff Bennett) adorn the walls in the form of vintage posters. A neat background detail is the cover of London Records LP “Sounds of the Tornadoes” album, which “accurately” misspells the bands’ name. Scenes of promotional gimmicks concocted for Screaming Lord Sutch will illicit grins and chuckles for their naive but effective ingenuity.

If you are a fan of sixties “Brit-Pop” you’ll be treated to portrayals of some of your faves in their formative years. Richie Blackmore and Mitch Mitchell at one point or another played in bands recorded by Meek. The Tornados, under various names and configurations, backed Gene Vincent, Billy Fury and the aforementioned Lord Sutch. They were essentially the “house band” for Meek’s RGM productions; a bed-sit “Wrecking Crew” of sorts.

Tornados drummer Clem Cattini, wonderfully characterized by James Corden, went on to play sessions for innumerable songs you know including The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me”, Johnny Kidd and The Pirates’ “Shakin All Over” and T. Rex’s “Bang A Gong”. He is the monstrous psychedelic pulse of Dovovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” – often miss-credited to John Bonham. The list of 45 Number 1 singles he played on can be found here. Cattini himself makes a cameo appearance in the film, as do Chas Hodges and John Leyton.

The Day The Music Died, Again…
Meek’s demise came at his own hand on February 3, 1967. Using a shotgun registered to Heinz Burt whose career he nurtured and whose affection he sort, Meek first killed his landlady Mrs. Shenton then pulled the trigger on himself. It was eight years to the day after the plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and “The Big Bopper”. Meek, a spiritualist and Holly devotee believed he had divined the date of the crash and (according to the film) tried to warn Holly during the guitarists’ British tour.

What’s Missing…
I love this film and would have equally loved to know more about its production. A second audio commentary from the director, writer and cast members or a production bonus feature would have been a nice touch. Missing that, you can snoop around YouTube for the BBC’s Arena documentary on Meek. Its archival footage and interviews with the major players (many now deceased) will clue you in to the amount of attention that was paid to “Telstar’s” historical accuracy.

SkeletonPete Says…
1960’s fans should own this look at Britain’s pre-Beatles music biz. Use of original recordings in approximately 95% of the film is commendable and appreciated. Gene Vincent’s “Temptation Baby” and credits closer “Crawdaddy Simone” by The Syndicats are particularly fun.

Both those familiar with or currently unaware of Meek’s story will be impressed by the performances and the amount of information imparted during the film’s less than 90 minute running time. It is densely packed experience and repeat viewings are rewarding.

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Andy Says Film & Television Series

Remembering Richard “Kip” Carpenter (1933-2012)

Many won’t remember Richard Carpenter as I do, but he had a profound influence on me as a writer, musician and as a spiritual person. He even inadvertently shaped my first visit to England, including a near-disastrous side trip to Nottingham back in 1994 (a story I will save for another time). Here is my tribute to Richard Carpenter.

“The fire burned bright in him, and for awhile, it warmed us all…”

This week the UK mourned the passing of screenwriter, author and actor Richard Carpenter.

Richard Carpenter (or Kip, as he was commonly known) was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England in 1933. Kip studied acting at the Old Vic Theatre School and later went on to act in many British TV shows and films in the fifties and sixties.

After his stint as an actor, Kip turned his attention behind the camera where he went on to create many popular British TV shows including Catweazle (1969), about an 11th century wizard accidentally transported to the present day, the historical drama Dick Turpin (1979-82) and the adventure series The Smuggler (1981).

However, to this day, he is best known internationally for creating the HTV/Goldcrest series Robin of Sherwood, which ran for three seasons (1984-1986) and starred Michael Praed (Dynasty, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne) as Robin of Loxley and Jason Connery (The Secret Life of Ian Fleming, Smallville) as Robert of Huntingdon.


The Hooded Man

To date, Robin of Sherwood is considered one of the most influential treatments of the Robin Hood legend on screen and it was the first to introduce a Saracen in the character of Nasir (portrayed by Mark Ryan – First Knight, Transformers, The Prestige) as one of the outlaws (later inspiring the character of Azeem in Kevin Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, so much so, the name had to be changed from Nazeem to Azeem to avoid rights issues).

Without putting too fine a point on it, no other version of Robin Hood has matched the setting, atmosphere and the level of detail for the period, in spite of some niggling issues with King Richard’s timeline (King Richard as portrayed by the indomitable John Rhys-Davies — Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings), while maintaining the spirit of swashbuckling action/adventure, romance and fantasy.

Swords, Sorcerers and The Old Gods

Richard Carpenter’s Robin of Sherwood had a unique spin on the classic legend. It was the first to incorporate elements of mysticism, magic, sword and sorcery throughout the series. It included pagan themes and prominently featured the Horned God, Herne the Hunter, as a central figure. “We can all of us be gods…” Herne (played by John Abineri – Doctor Who, Godfather III) says to Robin of Loxley in the first episode, Robin Hood and the Sorcerer.

As quoted in a 1998 interview with Allen W. Wright, Richard explains why:

“Robin Hood is one of the few perennial legends with no magic in it. There is a fragment of a ballad called Robin Hood and the witch I believe – but tantalisingly breaks off after a stanza. The middle Ages were extremely superstitious and much remained of the old pre-Christian fertility and tree worship religions. You must remember that the country was largely based on agriculture: and the crops and the turning year were extremely important to everyone. Vestiges of this still remain throughout Europe. Although the Mother Goddess was supreme – the male principle was considered equally important. The question is whether Herne is a shaman or if he – like shamans do – ‘becomes’ the god at certain times after practising certain rituals.”

Sadly, the series came to an end when Goldcrest was forced to pull out due to financial trouble with their film division. Goldcrest was behind two enormously successful films, Chariots of Fire (1981) and Gandhi (1982), but hit hard times in the mid-1980s. HTV could not afford to produce Robin of Sherwood alone and no more episodes were made.

The Spirit of Sherwood and The Children of Israel

Richard’s vision of unity extended beyond the outlaws themselves… I can’t help but be warmed and inspired by his message of peace in the episode Children of Israel. When a Jewish family, fleeing persecution at the hands of the Sheriff of Nottingham and Sir Guy of Gisburne, is discovered by Nasir, he gently coaxes the frightened children out of hiding. There is a moment when the typically stoic and silent Saracen smiles, letting them know they are safe with the outlaws. Nasir informs Robin that he understands some of their language and a bond is formed between the Muslim and the “Children of Israel.” I still get misty thinking about it.

The Outlaw’s Return – Robin of Sherwood 20 Years Later

In 2011 it was announced by Stansfilm Productions that Kip had a new script for Robin of Sherwood, which would pick up after the series ended, 20 years later. In a recent interview with Clive Mantle (Aliens 3, Game of Thrones) who played Little John in the series, he stated that many of the surviving cast (including Ray Winstone — Sexy Beast, 44 Inch Chest, Hugo) had approached ITV a few of years earlier about the possibility of making a TV movie or mini series (written by Richard Carpenter) to finish the outlaw’s tale.

Sadly, with his passing, it seems unlikely that Kip’s Hooded Man will return to our screens. I hold out hope that perhaps someone will pick up his mantle… much like Robert of Huntingdon did from Robin of Loxley.

And perhaps… Herne will choose him/her?

Andy Says…

As reported on the Robin of Sherwood fan site, Spirit of Sherwood, Richard died of a heart attack on February 26, 2012. He is survived by his wife, actress Annabelle “Annie” Lee (Mad Mab in the RoS episode Rutterkin) and their two children, Tom and Harriet.

It is a shame that Kip’s work is not as well known here in the States, but his legacy survives and extends far beyond another clichéd retelling of the Robin Hood legend. It lives on in the hearts of all that were touched by his unique vision. It was one where the common man (and woman) rises up against tyranny and oppression. Through unity, friendship, strength of will and spirit, he fights the good fight, inspiring all those with whom he connects –- men, women, friars, shepherds, Saracens, noblemen and Saxon peasants alike — all fighting alongside one another against the “greatest enemy.” Whether it is Medieval England or here in the 21st century, it is a lesson we could do well to remember during these troubled times.

“Nothing is forgotten… Nothing is ever forgotten.” You won’t be forgotten either, Kip.

Resources and Links

Robin of Sherwood is available on DVD from Acorn Media and Amazon.com and has also recently been reissued on Blu-Ray (region free) and remastered for both sound and picture quality.

For more on Robin of Sherwood, please visit Christine Haire’s site Spirit of Sherwood, the Official Robin of Sherwood Fan Club.

For more on the bold outlaw himself, visit Allen W. Wright’s Robin Hood Bold Outlaw of Barnsdale and Sherwood.

For more on Robin of Sherwood: The Return, please visit Stansfilm Productions.

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Film & Television Series SkeletonPete Says Toys & Collectibles

Diamond Select Toys’ Next Wave of Universal Monsters Collectibles

Diamond Select Mini-Mates, "Kings of Fools" Quasimodo and Esmeralda

Toy Fair 2012 revelations continue with a look at Diamond Select Toys. In this centennial year of Universal Pictures, Diamond Select is poised to continue their roll-out of licensed Universal Monsters figures with an interesting assortment of creature creations. Product waves 1 & 2 gave us exceptional interpretations of the “top tier” in Universal’s horror hierarchy, featuring Frankenstein, Count Dracula, The Mummy, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Select packaging added great extras like the Mummy’s massive sarcophagus and a jaw-dropping Julie Adams figurine for the Gillman to menace.

Phantoms and Mutants and Moles, oh my…
Waves 3 & 4 – due in September 2012 and 2013 respectively – will offer an intriguing variety as we dive deeper into the monster pantheon. Some of my favorite characters will be represented including silent horror icon Lon Chaney Sr. in the role of The Phantom of the Opera and the mother of all bug-eyed monsters The Metaluna Mutant from 1955’s “This Island Earth”. Select packaging will again include impressive extras (pipe organ, Metalunan Interocitor) and collectors should be aware of some Toys R Us variants. The Invisible Man is listed for a Toys R Us September 2012 release also but wasn’t on display – or was he?

The pictured Wave 4 prototypes (some still awaiting licensor approval) give us a sneak peek at the next range of silent through 50’s options. This time Chaney Sr. portrays Notre Dame’s hunchback, Quasimodo. Boris Karloff’s Dr. Jeckyll is complimented by his monstrous Mr. Hyde in select “roof top” edition. Karloff’s J&H terrorized comedians Abbott & Costello and is a fun, unexpected, choice. I’m extremely jazzed to add The Mole Man (“The Mole People”, 1956) to the collection. I always loved those creepy claws.

More Monstrous Fun…
Other goodies expand the “Retro Cloth” line with Series 3’s “Bride of Frankenstein” and “Creature From the Black Lagoon” and Munsters fans will love the details on the “racer” garbed Herman, Grandpa, and Lily characters due for September 2012 release. The Munster kids – werewolf Eddie and and misfit Marilyn – will arrive in a two pack this summer and sometime in the future we may even be treated to a Munster’s mansion grand stairway, with house pet “Spot”.

For those strapped for shelf space (like myself) the very popular Mini-Mates figures can quench your collector itch without making you a candidate for an episode of Hoarders. A nice option for memorabilia minded Dads and Uncles, the design ingenuity of these blocky little babies always makes me chuckle. Mummy and silent Hunchback sets are in the pipeline for later this year.

Diamond’s newest Universal related product is a line of vinyl “Bust Banks”. Starting with the Frankenstein monster (prototype pictured) and the Black Lagoon Creature. Imagine the coolness factor of carting these puppies to the local TD Bank change counting machine. Both are slated for September 2012.

SkeletonPete Says…
Diamond continues to produce quality sculpted figures in packages priced to give buyers the opportunity to own display pieces as well as keep pristine packages for their collections. Considering that Frankenstein’s bride was on the short list for the Universal Monsters line, my personal wish-list would include Ernest Thesiger’s Dr. Pretorius (complete with bottled homunculi), Dwight Frye as Fritz, and of course Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein.

Keep an eye on SkeletonPete for information on Diamond’s first wave of “Mad Monster Party” figures, and hit Ken Pierce’s PiercingMetal Musings for Toy Fair coverage, soon to include Marvel Select, DC Direct and superhero mini-mates.

Click any image to launch the gallery

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Books & Graphic Novels Film & Television Series SkeletonPete Says

Blinded Me With Sci-Fi: Ridley Scott’s “Prophets of Science Fiction”

What It Is…
That today’s science and medical technologies were once only figments in the realm of the fantastic is something we all know but often take for granted. For instance, everyone knows the name “Frankenstein”, the doctor and the cadaverous namesake it represents, but details of the idea’s inception are lost in time to the public at large. Science Channel remedies that with a new series focusing specifically on the writers who imagined a future that in many instances has come to pass. “Prophets of Science Fiction” is presented by producer/director Ridley Scott who, as the creator of such modern Sci-Fi classics as “Alien” and “Blade Runner”, is totally at home in the genre. He uses his on-screen time to tie the strands of biographical and technological information – presented by numerous interviewees and graphic sources – into a cohesive package. The format has the feel of two of my favorite BBC series James Burke’s “Connections” and “The Day The Universe Changed”. Those shows presented the lineage of invention through seemingly disparate thought threads and varied serendipities which rendered unexpected and ingenious outcomes.

Episode 1 Preview – Mary Shelly
As the de facto mother of science fiction literature Mary Shelly is the natural subject of the premiere episode. Only a teenager in 1816 when she began her novel as a challenge to out scare her husband Percy and their summer companions Dr. John Polidori and Lord Byron, Mary imagined the story which became “Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus” when completed two years later.

At first published anonymously, Shelly went on to embrace her authorship and bid her “hideous progeny go forth and prosper”. Prosper it did with multiple editions in her lifetime and innumerable adaptations and co-optings in the nearly two centuries since. Even the story’s genesis during that “haunted summer” at Lake Geneva has been explored on film as the stylish Victorian prologue to James Whale’s 1935 “Bride of Frankenstein and the psychosis of Ken Russell’s “Gothic”.

As prescient as she was it’s unlikely Mrs. Shelly could have foreseen Frankenberry breakfast cereal or Herman Munster as she formulated her tale of science gone wrong cloaked in the stench of the charnel house.

The episode explores the science fact of “Frankenstein” from the early electrical experiments of Luigi Galvani to Dr. Reggie Edgerton’s spinal cord research and looks at the work of the Human Genome Project and genetic cartographers, as well as those on a quest to create artificial intelligence. L.A. Chief Coroner Harvey describes the “gray area” between somatic death and molecular death and the harvesting of tissue and organs for transplant.

On the creative side Shelly biographers relate how the teenager’s personal experiences; her mother’s death after her birth; familial alienation; and the loss of her own first born, filter their way into the story, often in the personality of “the monster”. The subtext being a tale of parental abandonment.

The series premieres tonight (Nov 9, 2011) on Science Channel @ 10PM EST.

SkeletonPete Says…
Ahh, a series after my own heart. Something to truly relish. I am and have always been fascinated with process vs. product, often more interested in reading the biography of an author than their actual works. “Prophets of Science Fiction” brings to light the personal and contemporaneous catalysts of these visionary creators and nicely interpolates the historical and fictional with the latter day science they prognosticated. I’m very much looking forward to upcoming episodes highlighting H.G. Wells, Isac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Jules Verne, and even “newbie” George Lucas.

Wishlist
How about a similar spin on horror writers like Lovecraft, Poe, Bierce, Blackwood and King hosted by the likes of John Carpenter, Wes Craven or George Romero.

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Books & Graphic Novels Film & Television Series SkeletonPete Says

Vlad, Not Vlad: Will the Real Dracula Please Stand Up

“Dracula, The Vampire and the Voivode”
Documentary DVD, Region 0, 84 minutes
Release Date: October 4, 2011

At this moment in time, over one hundred years after its first publication, “Dracula” is so ingrained in the cultural conscious that it seems hard to imagine a time when the tale of the blood quaffing Count did not exist. In its seven year gestation the story began life as a stage play with the choice role intended for the actor Henry Irving whom author Abraham (Bram) Stoker revered and managed. Bram was crestfallen when Irving passed on mounting the play but completed his vision as a novel which has never been out of print since. The eventual adaption of the book via stage and film versions has since made Count Dracula a familiar character to nearly everyone on the planet.

Totally Stoked
“Dracula, The Vampire and the Voivode”, a documentary DVD from Virgil Films and Walking Shadows, is an enjoyable look at both the mythological entity of Stoker’s imagination and the actual historical figure, Vlad Tepes, who has become intwined with it. Part biography and part travelogue it serves as an excellent visual companion to Dracula overviews like David J Skal’s “Hollywood Gothic” and Florescu & McNally’s “In Search of Dracula”, though it stands to refute some of the assumptions of the latter. The film was written and directed by Michael Bayley Hughes.

Viewers are taken on a scenic jaunt through the areas of the world intrinsically tied to the lives of author Stoker and Voivode (Prince) Vlad, as well as key sights described in the book including the 199 church steps in Whitby, England and the town of Bistrita where Jonathan Harker spends the night before his trip to Castle Dracula. We also see The Stoker’s residence at 27 Cheyne Walk in London’s Chelsea section (neighborhood of contemporary author Oscar Wilde and one hundred years later Rolling Stone Keith Richards), and Bram’s family home in Dublin Ireland where he spent a sickly childhood.

Throughout the film members of worldwide Stoker and Dracula societies lend their scholarship and insights to the settings. I was fascinated to hear commentator Tina Rath suggest that Pre-Raphaelite Artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s scandalous exhumation of his wife Lizzie (nee Siddal), in order to retrieve a book of poems he buried with her, likely became tied to Lucy Westenra’s exhumation/staking, as well as a plot point in another of Stoker’s stories, “The Secret of the Growing Gold”. Transylvanian Society of Dracula President Nicolae Paduraru describes the finer points of the folkloric stregoi, a ghostly “negative emanation from the grave”, versus the physical figure of the vampire and their cultural lines of demarcation.

From the Land Beyond, Beyond…
The film also candidly deals with the dichotomy of historical veracity versus bottom line tourism necessitated in post communist Transylvania, the “land beyond the forest”. In actuality, Stoker never visited that part of the world but instead relied heavily on travel tomes by authors like Emily Gerard, the wife of a Romanian army officer who spent two years there, for his information. Combining a freewheeling imagination with his civil service skills for cataloging and description, Stoker’s interpolation of folklore, sense of place, and creative license has led to many fact versus fiction conundrums, which the documentary attempts to untangle. As we see commerce often trumps accuracy. The building of a tourist placebo, the Stoker inspired Castle Dracula hotel, at the Borgo Pass in Romania is just one example of the life imitating art circumstances that have followed in the story’s path.

What’s Missing…
On the down side, the DVD is without marked scene selections, so navigating for specific repeat play is daunting and it seems a shame its vistas are presented in 4:3 aspect ratio rather than widescreen. The “bonus slide show” is superfluous at best, giving an unfortunate “sell-through” feel to what is otherwise an excellent product.

SkeletonPete Says…
Ah, Fall has arrived and it was fun to get the witching season off to such a great start. Minus the few missteps mentioned above, I wholeheartedly enjoyed this dual biography, especially the description of Stoker’s writing process and the “where ideas came from” points of view. In fact it led me to purchase a copy of “Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula” as transcribed and annotated by Robert Eighteen-Bisang & Elizabeth Miller. I can recommend the film for both its historical depth and entertainment value as an addition to the video libraries of vampire aficionados and novices alike.