Rocky Horror Excerpt – Happy Birthday, Joan Jett!

Joan Jett, who played Columbia in the 2000 Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, turns 54 today.

The following is an excerpt of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Music on Film by Dave Thompson (Limelight Editions) as posted on the author’s website.

It’s a scene that plays out every night across America, and across a large chunk of the rest of the world too.  A tiny and probably downtrodden movie theater parked away in a back street somewhere, clinging on to life with a handful of screens where others might boast dozens; and luring in the locals not with the glitz and blitz of the modern movie-going experience (hard seats, handkerchief screens, overpriced popcorn and so on and so forth) but with a chance to remember when going to the movies was fun.

The days when the décor was flash and the usherettes smiled, and the ice-cream lady had a tray around her neck.

The days when you went to the movies because you wanted to, not because you’d been bludgeoned into submission by wall-to-wall advertising.

The days when you took a chance on an unknown, and it changed your life, rather than sitting through the blockbusters because nothing changed at all.

And the days when you didn’t just shrug and say you’d wait for something to come out on DVD, because there were no DVDs in those days, or home video rentals either.  You saw a movie when the movie house screened it, then you waited for them to screen it again.  And if sufficient people demanded it, it might come around again next year.  Or next month.  Or next week.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show comes around every week.

Keep reading this excerpt on Dave Thompson’s website…

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is simultaneously one of the iconographic touchstones of 1970s cinema, and a timeless romp that appeals equally to every fresh generation. Created with a sharp eye for cult and context alike, Rocky Horror leaped effortlessly from stage to celluloid, losing none of its immediacy and spontaneity in the process – and maybe gathering more. Dave Thompson goes deep inside the phenomenon to trace the story and the strangeness that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Music on Film: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Dave Thompson is the author of The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Music on Film. Below is an excerpt from his book as posted on bookgasm.com.

THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW was the brainchild of an actor who was essentially forced out of the London production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR when he suggested that King Herod (for whom he was understudy) be played as Elvis Presley. The producers, whose hands were on both the tiller and the purse strings, preferred him to tap dance. Neither party would budge, and Richard O’Brien quit the religious rock biz on the spot.

He filled his suddenly vacant time by writing a rock ’n’ roll musical that would allow Elvis full rein, penning songs around a plotline lifted straight from the 1950s B movies that he loved so much. Born in Cheltenham, England, in 1942, O’Brien was a teen throughout that era, growing up with the infant yowlings of the newborn rock’n’roll and the Cold War paranoia of period Hollywood schlock.

But he was also separated from those influences, not only by the customary dislocation that exists between audience and artist but also by distance. In 1952, when O’Brien was ten, his family relocated to a farm in Taraunga, New Zealand—the other side of the world in terms of geography; the other side of the universe in the realm of culture.

“New Zealand reminds me very much of the American mid-west,” an older O’Brien told journalist Patricia Morrisroe. “There were two movie houses where I grew up. One showed all the latest releases and the other showed all the B-movies. I went to the movies a lot. What else can you do in a small-town parochial society? You see films, you play sports. If you were a bit of a punk like me you hung out in street corners and tried to pick up girls, not very success- fully. The girls wanted to flirt but didn’t want to be picked up. This was the fifties, remember.”

Keep reading on bookgasm…

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is simultaneously one of the iconographic touchstones of 1970s cinema, and a timeless romp that appeals equally to every fresh generation. Created with a sharp eye for cult and context alike, Rocky Horror leaped effortlessly from stage to celluloid, losing none of its immediacy and spontaneity in the process – and maybe gathering more. Dave Thompson goes deep inside the phenomenon to trace the story and the strangeness that is The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Purple Rain Excerpt

The following is an excerpt posted by Bookgasm from Purple Rain: Music on Film by John Kenneth Muir.

“I saw a movie called Reckless (1984), in a screening room, which was done by Jamie Foley,” Robert Cavallo explains. That cult film was a rebellious rock ’n’ roll anthem featuring Aidan Quinn and Daryl Hannah as star-crossed lovers in an American steel town, and it featured a pulsing, hard-rock soundtrack from the likes of INXS, Bob Seger, and Romeo Void.

“I was alone in the screening room, other than a young man sitting in the back,” Cavallo says. “As I walked out, the young man said to me, ‘Well, what did you think?’ And I said, ‘It was pretty good … but I especially enjoyed the editing.’ I wasn’t kidding. It was good. I thought it was really well edited,” Cavallo emphasizes. “And he said, ‘Oh, I did that. Jamie’s my friend; he made the movie, and I was the editor. We went to USC film school.’”

That young man was Albert Magnoli, a native of Connecticut and a recent graduate of USC School of Cinematic Arts (until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television). He had discovered his interest in film during undergraduate school, and almost unexpectedly.

“I grew up in New England, in Connecticut, and in undergraduate school, I took a course—I was a literature major—that pretty much changed my life,” Mr. Magnoli remembered. “It was a course that dealt with the films of Ingmar Bergman and how they related to literature; Bergman in relation to stories and novels. The professor was extremely good at finding comparisons between Ingmar Bergman’s philosophies and the philosophies of Kierkegaard, Dostoyevsky, etc.

“We tracked Ingmar Bergman from the 1950s all the way to, at that time, the 1970s, and that was an extremely rich time for Ingmar Bergman,” Magnoli reminisces. “He started off doing romantic comedies and then concentrated on films that dealt with his background and religious philosophy. We watched The Seventh Seal (1957), Persona (1966), Shame (1968), and Cries and Whispers (1972) and they just had an enormous impact on me.

“What ended up happening was, there was a film course being offered in the school. I wasn’t part of it, but someone in the course came to me and asked if I had any short stories that could be turned into a short film,” the director says. “At the time I was writing short stories, and said I had one, and gave it to him. The location of that story needed a factory, and I had worked in a factory during the summer months, so I said, ‘I have a factory, and it’s down in Newington. I’ll talk to the manager and see if he’ll let us film in there.’ And sure enough, he did. He let us film from midnight till six a.m.

“We had one night to do it,” Magnoli details. “So I brought my friend and his crew to this factory. We were all juniors in college at the time. And when we got there, he looked at me and said, ‘Where should the camera go?’”

“I said, ‘I thought this was your film class!’ And he said, ‘I’m just the choreographer, not the director. You know the factory—just tell me where to put the camera.’ I said, ‘Well, let me see what the camera looks like.’ It was a little Super 8 camera on a tripod. I looked through the viewfinder, and at that point I knew where the camera should go. And then I started setting up shots. Essentially, we filmed for the next five or six hours. We had our actors, we finished, and as I was riding back to college, I said to my friend, ‘This is very interesting.’”

Keep reading this excerpt on Bookgasm…

Purple Rain: Music on Film

In the summer of 1984, a small, low-budget film came out of nowhere and unexpectedly debuted at the number one slot at the box office, unseating reigning champion Ghostbusters and making its star, Prince, a household name. By the end of the year, the film was a multiple-award winner, a trend setter in terms of fashion, and recognized on many prominent critical “top ten” lists. Purple Rain: Music on Film explores in detail the behind-the-scenes struggles and triumphs of the film’s making, from the trouble casting a female lead to star opposite Prince, to concerns that the movie’s urban vibe and sound wouldn’t play in Peoria. Featuring extensive new interviews with the film’s director, producer, and assistant editor, Purple Rain reveals a 1980s cult-classic as you’ve never seen, heard or experienced it before. Let’s go crazy…

Chicago Stage Style

This week, we are highlighting some bloggers and podcasters who frequently review our books and interview our authors. Do check out these blogs and podcasts for all the great content they have to offer.

Chicago Stage Style celebrates the best of Chicago’s vibrant theatre and performing arts community through up to date news, insightful reviews by industry professionals, and useful photo links to all of the city’s most important performances and venues.  Chicago has long been renowned for its innovations in the arts and architecture.  While it has earned its nickname as the Second City, within the past several decades it has also become one of the most vital and important theatre cities in America.  From Tony Award winning regional theatres to adventurous and edgy storefronts, see why Chicago is Second to None! Visit their site to read their reviews!

Below are a few excerpts of some Chicago Stage Style reviews:

Voice and Speech Training in the new Millennium by Nancy Saklad
“Where to begin on such a marvel of a book?  I would like to state that the amount of information you’ll gain from the reading of this book will literally amaze you. I would have never dreamed there were so many aspects of the voice; Saklad captures every fine detail through her extensive interviews with the great legends.”

The Actor as Storyteller by Bruce Miller
“With so many fine books on acting technique already readily available on bookshelves and now online, you may question the need to rush out and buy this Limelight Editions 2012 release.  The reason, Miller tells us, is that so few aspiring young actors these days has a strong enough grasp on the craft of acting, and yet college and university theatre programs are packed.  Eager young thespians rushing into the professional arena seeking their shot at fame and fortune are in for plenty disappointment without some practical advice.  And that is where Miller’s thought provoking introductory comes in handy.”

The Gentlemen Press Agent by Robert Simonson
“Robert Simonson’s new biography on Debuskey, titled The Gentleman Press Agent, takes a thoughtful view of a little known or understood career, the likes of which may never be seen again.”

The Broadway Musical Quiz Book by Laura Frankos
“Frankos possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of musical theatre from A to Z…”

Broadway Musicals by Peter Filichia
“If you’re anything like me, there are probably a number of books covering Broadway musicals already lining your personal library shelf.”

The Play That Changed My Life edited by Ben Hodges
“This very digestible 173 page soft cover book assembles 19 of today’s hottest playwrights to answer the book’s title, and the responses are as diverse and intriguing as the playwrights chosen.”

At This Theatre by Robert Viagas & Louis Botto
“I was quite amazed to open the latest edition of this indispensable theatre companion and discover how much has been added and updated.”

Blumenfled’s Dictionary of Acting and Show Business by Robert Blumenfeld
“These are both very useful reference books I know I will consult frequently, and other industry professionals are likely to do the same.”

The Applause Libretto Library Series
“I salute Applause Books for turning out these clean, readable librettos, with their entertaining forewords, facts and photos.”

The Playbill Broadway Yearbook
“The Yearbook allows me and other fortunate theatre fans out there to enjoy the entire season of not only the wonderful Playbill cover art and “billboard” credits page of each show to open on Broadway between June 2009 and May 2010, but many insiders treats not available elsewhere. ..”

I Got The Show Right Here by Cy Feuer
“Written at the ripe age of 92 (three years before his death), “I Got the Show Right Here” is filled with the bittersweet wisdom, regret and honesty of a remarkably long life….”

Geniuses of the American Musical Theatre by Herbert Keyser
“Their stories will hopefully encourage readers to dig out some old albums, CD’s, videos and iTunes, or go out and see their work performed on a stage….”

A Twist of Lemmon by Chris Lemmon
“”A Twist of Lemmon” expresses that all with a full heart and a healthy sense of humor.  Jack Lemmon deserved no less.”

Music on Film: West Side Story by Barry Monush
“Each of the paperback volumes by Limelight Editions is devoted to one major motion picture and fits easily in the palm of your hand.”

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)
“It’s safe to say that the guys behind “The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged)” definitely know their stuff, and have a pretty creative way in showing it.”

Jerry Orbach: Prince of the City by John Anthony Gilvey
“Gilvey’s easily readable 224 page paperback gives us a rare close-up of the real man behind all those characters…It is a rich and vivid portrait of a man who spent five decades in the spotlight and yet left us much too soon.”

I Know Where I’m Going by Charlotte Chandler
““I Know Where I’m Going” is a beautiful book that reaches far beyond a simple biography, it’s a story about one of the most talented and deserving actresses of our time, Katharine Hepburn.”

Theatre World by Ben Hodges and Scott Denny
“Fortunately, Theatre World offers large and healthy sections devoted to the more interesting and notable Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and selected Professional Regional companies, all of which contribute to the continued sustenance of the American theatre as a whole…”

Horton Foote: America’s Storyteller by Wilborn Hampton
“Wilborn Hampton has crafted a remarkable portrait of the man whose work as filmmaker and dramatist over a sixty year period included grand successes but also financial strain…”

Stagecraft by Robert Blumenfeld
“We should thank the brilliant mind of Robert Blumenfeld for his incredible acting techniques bible, “Stagecraft”…

The Last Five Years Libretto
“Applause never fails at presenting an artistic design.  They even throw in a preface written by the playwright himself, giving you a pretty appealing look into the writer’s mind.  Brown’s work is a compassionate piece of musical theatre that any would enjoy.”

Memphis Libretto
“These are true blood musical characters; the dialogue breathes each being with life as they struggle to keep a love connection with music.  Something not all musicals possess.”

West Side Story and the American Imagination by Misha Berson
“Something’s Coming, Something Good – West Side Story and the American Imagination” is the most in-depth look into the original musical on the planet.”

Lucille Ball FAQ by James Sheridan & Barry Monush
“…should be mandatory reading for all Lucy fans.  And because the authors have not written a straight narrative but a series of thematically related chapters, it is also a great introductory course for those who know her only peripherally….”

Rock the Audition by Sheri Sanders
“Sanders’ intelligence is only matched by her wit and charm; I say wit because of her high level of humor and enthusiasm, which is something hard to find in many good reads.”

13 Libretto
“”13″ is almost the antithesis of the contemporary Broadway musical.  And guess what?  It is good.  Very good, indeed…”

The Best American Short Plays edited by Barbara Parisi
“Once again I’m just impressed something of this caliber exists so that theatre patrons everywhere can experience the work of new playwrights.”

Broadway Musicals: Show by Show by Stanley Green
“I cannot find a single unfavorable thing to say about Green’s work…Trust me, “Broadway Musicals: Show by Show” will do everything but disappoint.”

The Playbill Broadway Yearbook
“…an invaluable reference that you can come back to often.”

Other reviews:

Music on Film: Grease by Stephen Tropiano

Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin

Four Reasons Why Purple Rain (1984) Endures

Guest Blogger: John Kenneth Muir, author of Purple Rain: Music on Film

Just past the quarter-century mark, director Albert Magnoli’s Purple Rain (1984) continues to fascinate and intrigue global audiences.  An MTV-era update of the classic back-stage musical format, Purple Rain introduced a wide audience to Prince and his world in the Minneapolis music scene.

Although the Reagan decade is long since over – as is the Prince fashion craze of ruffled collars – Purple Rain continues to gain enthusiastic new fans the world around. Here are four reasons why:

1. Purple Rain is as close to getting “to know” the real Prince as we’re likely to get.

The artist who changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and declared the Internet “dead” in 2010 is an enigmatic, mysterious fellow.  What makes him tick?  From what inner turmoil does his creative genius derive?

Although featuring a heavily fictionalized account of his life, Purple Rain remains the closest we are likely to get to an authentic Prince screen biography.  The film reveals the turmoil in his home life among his parents, and the relationships roiling Prince’s band mates in the Revolution.

At the start of Purple Rain, Prince emerges from smog and fog in silhouette and finally becomes visible…at least for the duration of the movie. This is as clearly as we have ever viewed the man, and his later films, including Under the Cherry Moon (1985) and Graffiti Bridge (1990) assiduously steered away from offering any further biographical detail.

2. The film is multi-faceted in its depiction of an icon. 

We’ve all seen big-screen musical biographies, and most often, they gloss over warts to forge a heroic, larger-than-life portrait of a talent we’ve come to love.  Consider Cool as Ice (1990), or even 8 Mile (2002), both of which failed to capture the real life experience or apparent rage driving performers such as Vanilla Ice or Eminem.

Or consider the superficial, bubble gum Rick Springfield vehicle, Hard to Hold (1984).  By contrast, Purple Rain reveals Prince in all his flawed and human dimensions.  He’s a genius, but he’s difficult.  He’s talented, but he’s demanding.  He’s an iconoclast and a perfectionist, and he’s anchored by nagging self-doubt.

In one of the film’s most famous scene, Prince sits back-stage – sulking in his tent as it were – making funny voices with a hand-puppet.  He comes off as angst-ridden, self-centered, and isolated.  Purple Rain is willing to reveal Prince in all his human shades, even the unflattering ones, and that’s why some critics (including Roger Ebert) listed it as one of the top ten films of 1984.

3. Purple Rain is the perfect fusion of music and meaning.

While prepping Purple Rain, director Magnoli had the opportunity to choose a wide array of tunes from Prince’s (largely) unpublished music catalog.  Selecting from over a hundred such pieces, Magnoli was able to tailor the music directly to the film’s biographical content.

“Let’s Go Crazy,” the opening anthem, played as an introduction to Prince’s world.

“Take me with U” concerns the open road, and the burgeoning of a romance between Prince and Apollonia.

The song’s opposite, “Darling Nikki” is about betrayal and rage in a romantic relationship…a humiliating song for Apollonia to endure.

The climactic tune “Purple Rain” concerns forgiveness and love, and has been called a celebration of women, or what critic David Denby termed “both an apology for bad behavior and a promise of sexual ecstasy.”

Finally, “Baby I’m a Star” is valediction, heroic triumph after challenges external and internal are beaten back.

Even the song written expressly for the film, “When Doves Cry,” reflects beautifully the film’s thematic content.  It’s re-states the film’s central conflict: that Prince may be “just like his father,” a failure in love and in music.

4. Morris Day and Jerome.

How many back-stage or biographical musicals expend the time and energy to create competitors for their heroes, especially competitors that serve so adroitly as comic relief?

Morris Day and Jerome Benton lighten up Purple Rain tremendously, and give the film a jaunty, humorous bent.

Morris Day and Jerome proved so intensely popular as foils for Prince that Purple Rain producer Robert Cavallo wanted to make a sequel to Purple Rain…about the duo making further mischief in Las Vegas.

Purple Rain: Music on Film

In the summer of 1984, a small, low-budget film came out of nowhere and unexpectedly debuted at the number one slot at the box office, unseating reigning champion Ghostbusters and making its star, Prince, a household name. By the end of the year, the film was a multiple-award winner, a trend setter in terms of fashion, and recognized on many prominent critical “top ten” lists. Purple Rain: Music on Film explores in detail the behind-the-scenes struggles and triumphs of the film’s making, from the trouble casting a female lead to star opposite Prince, to concerns that the movie’s urban vibe and sound wouldn’t play in Peoria. Featuring extensive new interviews with the film’s director, producer, and assistant editor, Purple Rain reveals a 1980s cult-classic as you’ve never seen, heard or experienced it before. Let’s go crazy…

Visit John Kenneth Muir’s blog, Reflections on Film/TV

George Harrison and the Movies

Guest Blogger: Ray Morton, author of A Hard Day’s Night: Music on Film

To commemorate George Harrison’s birthday on February 25 (and because I write a lot about movies), I thought it would be fun to take a look at “the quiet Beatle’s” long and fascinating relationship with the cinema.

Harrison’s first participation in the movies was his work on The Beatles’s debut film, 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night. In the film, a fictionalized documentary about a “typical” day in the extraordinary life of the Fab Four at the height of Beatlemania, Harrison played a simplified version of himself and greatly impressed director Richard Lester with the quiet force of his acting, especially in the stellar scene in which Harrison befuddles a condescending television producer: “[George] never attempted to do too much or too little but everything he did was spot on.”

In addition to acting in the film, Harrison also contributed to the film’s soundtrack, playing guitar of all of the original songs written (by John Lennon and Paul McCartney): “A Hard Day’s Night,” “I Should Have Known Better,” “If I Fell,” “And I Love Her,” “Tell Me Why,” and “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You,” on which he also sang the lead vocal. He also wrote and sang “Don’t Bother Me,” a previously released single that was used as background music in the picture. A Hard Day’s Night also had a profound effect on Harrison’s personal life – during the first week of shooting he met Patti Boyd, a model who was cast in a small role in the movie (playing a schoolgirl who flirts with Paul). Harrison and Boyd began dating shortly afterwards and she eventually became his first wife.

Harrison’s next cinematic foray was in the sequel to A Hard Day’s Night, 1965’s Help!, where he once again played “George” in a surreal romp that found the Beatles tangling with the members of an eastern cult, a wily femme fatale, some stuffy government officials, and a couple of mad scientists. Harrison wrote and sang the lead on “I Need You,” an original song written for the film and played guitar on the original Lennon/McCartney songs written for the movie: “Help!,” “You’re Going to Lose That Girl,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” “Ticket to Ride,” “The Night Before,” and “Another Girl.” Like A Hard Day’s Night, Help! had a significant impact on Harrison’s personal life. During the filming of a scene set in an Indian restaurant, Harrison became friendly with several Indian musicians that appeared in the scene. This led to the interest in Indian music and eventually to the Indian spiritual beliefs that influenced Harrison’s work and life for the rest of his life.

Harrison participated in all of the other Beatles film projects, including promotional films (the precursors of modern music videos) for some of the band’s songs, 1967’s Magical Mystery Tour (in which he acted, played music, and co-wrote the instrumental song “Flying”), 1968’s animated Yellow Submarine (writing and singing the lead on “It’s All Too Much” and “Only a Northern Song” and making a cameo appearance along with the other Beatles in the film’s live action coda), and the 1970 documentary Let It Be, in which Harrison is seen having a testy exchange with Paul McCartney that actually resulted in the guitarist quitting (off screen) the band for several days.

Following the break-up of the Beatles in 1970, Harrison’s next motion picture project was 1972’s The Concert for Bangladesh, a documentary about the benefit show Harrison produced at Madison Square Garden in 1971 to benefit the victims of the Bangladesh Liberation War. Harrison produced the film and appeared as one of the performers.

Later in the 1970s, Harrison became friends with comedian Eric Idle, a member of the Monty Python troupe (Harrison appeared as himself in Idle’s riotous Beatles spoof mocumentary The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash). When the backers of the Pythons’ religious satire The Life of Brian pulled out, Harrison agreed to finance the making of the film himself. His stated reason for investing in the project was that he wanted to see the movie and knew if he didn’t bankroll the movie, he’d never get the chance, which led Idle to quip that Harrison had just purchased the “world’s most expensive cinema ticket.” To produce the film (in which Harrison also made a cameo appearance as Mr. Papadopolous), Harrison and his business manager Denis O’Brien formed a company called Handmade Films. Originally, the company was only meant to finance Brian, but following that film’s tremendous box office success, Harrison and O’Brien decided to make it an ongoing concern. The company went on to become one of the most significant and successful production companies of the 1980s, generating a number of popular classics, including The Long Good Friday, Time Bandits, Mona Lisa, and Withnail & I before dissolving in 1994.

Apart from his producing work, Harrison also contributed songs to two movie soundtracks in the 1980s: he did a cover version of Bob Dylan’s “I Don’t Want to Do It” for 1985’s Porky’s Revenge and co-wrote (with Tom Petty), co-produced (with Jeff Lynne), played guitar, and sang the lead on “Cheer Down” for 1989’s Lethal Weapon 2.

Movies lost a great friend when Harrison passed away in 2001. His contributions to pop music are legendary and will live forever. Thanks to the permanency of film, so will his contributions to cinema.

Happy Birthday, George!

A Hard Day’s Night: Music on Film by Ray Morton is the story of the making of the greatest rock-and-roll movie of all time. Beginning with introductions to the film’s stars – chronicling their rise from a raggedy teenage skiffle band to the biggest pop act in the world – the book goes on to tell how the American film company United Artists wanted to make a quick, low-budget movie starring the Fab Four so its record division could put out a motion picture soundtrack album full of new Beatles songs, in order to allow the studio to cash in on the incredible wave of Beatlemania then sweeping the planet. Director Richard Lester, producer Walter Shenson, and screenwriter Alun Owen were hired to churn out just another cheap exploitation film, but instead used the opportunity to create a startlingly  fresh and original movie that broke new ground both in subject matter (instead of simply following genre tradition and sticking the band in some corny made-up plot, they had the Beatles play themselves in a narrative based on their own incredible real-life experiences) and in form (Lester’s inspired, surrealist approach to the film’s musical numbers kicked off the entire music video revolution). Covered is the film’s frantic six-week shoot, the lively recording sessions that resulted in seven great new Beatles songs, and how both the film and the album met with great critical and popular success.

‘Tis the Season: Holiday Gift Ideas for the Music and Arts Lover on Your Shopping List

It’s that time of year again, and we here at Hal Leonard wanted to make sure our readers didn’t miss out on gift opportunities this holiday season. We’ve made our list (and checked it twice) of great holiday gift ideas for the music and performing arts lover on your shopping list. Whether your mother-in-law prefers Lucille Ball or Led Zeppelin, Hal Leonard has just the book you’re looking for. Read on for our list of holiday must-haves:

DELUXE BOXED SETS

Show-by-Show Deluxe Set
By Stanley Green

Broadway Musicals: Show-by-Showis the bestselling, most comprehensive Broadway reference book today. In this new and expanded edition you’ll find over 300 of the most important and memorable productions of the American musical theatre. You’ll also find over 300 movies documented including writer, director, choreographer, cast and song lists, plot summary and more. Available for purchase here.

Unlocking the Masters Deluxe Set
Bach’s Keyboard Music, Beethoven’s Symphonies, and Brahms, A Listener’s Guide
The big three – Bach, Beethoven and Brahms – all together in one deluxe set! Each volume presents an in-depth exploration of the composer’s world of musical intimacies in an easy-to-read, nuts-and-bolts manner. Available for purchase here.

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The Musician’s Ultimate Toolbox
How to Make Your Band Sound Great and The Studio Musician’s Handbook
By Bobby Owsinski

These two volumes offer the practicing musician great titles from the Bobby Owsinski Handbook series of titles. How to Make Your Band Sound Great explores every aspect of playing with other musicians, including the equipment, hardware and software used in today’s increasingly technological world. The Studio Musician’s Handbook, reveals the inner workings of a major Hollywood recording session. Available for purchase here.

The Actor’s Ultimate Toolbox
Duo! The Best Scenes for the ’90s and Duo! The Best Scenes for Two for the 21st Century

These two volumes offer a full spectrum of scenes from the ’90s and the 2000s. Each scene has a synopsis of the play, character descriptions and notes on how to propel the scene to full power! Includes: Angles in America, Burn This, Lettice and Lovage, Driving Miss Daisy, Other People’s Money, M. Butterfly, August: Osage County, George & Martha, Intimate Apparel, Take Me Out, and Water Music. Available for purchase here.

Fab Four FAQ Deluxe Set
Fab Four FAQ and Fab Four FAQ 2.0, The Solo Years

Fab Four FAQ contains everything left to know about the Beatles. Stories unknown by most fans, trends unseen and history revealed. Fab Four FAQ 2.0, The Solo Years, picks up where Fab Four FAQ left off, presenting in-depth information on their careers as solo artists. Both books are loaded with images of rare period ephemera, including periodicals, single sleeves, and movie stills. This is the first comprehensive biography of all four ex-Beatles. Available for purchase here.

The Songwriter’s Ultimate Toolbox Boxed Set
How to Write Songs on Guitar, Songwriting Sourcebook, How to Write Songs in Altered Guitar Tunings
By Rikky Rooksby

The bestselling How to Write Songs on Guitar shows you tips and tricks by classic songwriters, from Bob Dylan to the Beatles to Tori Amos. The Songwriting Sourcebook shows you how to turn chords into great songs and compliments How to Write Songs on Guitar. How to Write Songs in Altered Guitar Tunings is the latest installment from Rikky Rooksby and is the only book that explains how to write songs with altered tunings. Available for purchase here.

Stevie Ray Vaughan – Day by Day, Night After Night
Deluxe Box Set
By Craig Hopkins

This boxed set combines both volumes of Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day by Day, Night After Night, one of the most lavishly illustrated and detailed musician biographies ever written. In a day-by-day format, Craig Hopkins presents an award-winning and unprecedented celebration of Vaughan’s life and music. His Early Years, 1954-1982, the first volume in this deluxe set, covers the complete history of the guitar legend’s roots, from his childhood to the eve of his first major record release. The second volume, His Final Years, 1983-1990, covers Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s recording career, from their debut release through their rise to international stardom. Available for purchase here.

The Dream Factory: Fender Custom Shop
By Tom Wheeler

This third in a series of hardcover books joins the award-winning titles The Stratocaster Chronicles and The Soul of Tone by author/historian Tom Wheeler. In nearly 600 pages, The Dream Factory features hundreds of full-color photos of incredibly rare, collectible, and limited-edition handcrafted guitars. Learn how the Fender Custom Shop, originally intended to employ just two master craftsmen, grew into the most prolific custom instrument shop in the music industry. Available for purchase here.

FOR MUSIC AND MOVIE LOVERS

Led Zeppelin FAQ

Bad Reputation

The Beach Boys FAQ

Screen World 62

A Hard Day's Night

The Vampire Film

11 Reasons Why This is Spinal Tap Still Rocks

Guest Blogger: John Kenneth Muir, author of This is Spinal Tap: Music on Film, An Askew View, The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia, Mercy in Her Eyes, Best in Show, The Unseen Force, TV Year, and the forthcoming Purple Rain: Music on Film

Today goes up to eleven. Or three elevens, really, if we’re being technical.  But since today is 11/11/11, it seems an appropriate occasion to remember the production that made the idea of “going up to eleven” a famous (or infamous) catchphrase: 1984’s This is Spinal Tap.  Even twenty-seven years after release, the Rob Reiner comedy endures as one of the funniest ever made, and so below I enumerate the eleven reasons the film continues to “rock.”

1. Nobody does it better, to quote vintage Carly Simon, circa 1976.  There have been other rock-and-roll comedies such as Rock Star (2002) and other mock documentaries such as CB-4 (2002) or FUBAR (2002) but none has demonstrated the longevity or appeal of This is Spinal Tap. A quarter century later, this mockumentary remains the untopped gold standard of the form.
2. The music is great, even without the comedy.  For all their hilarious lyrics, the rock anthems in This is Spinal Tap are pretty damned good in their own right, perhaps because the film’s stars – Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean – composed and performed them themselves.  The up-shot is you can tap your toes to hits like “Sex Farm,” “Big Bottom,” “Hellhole,” “Stonehenge” and rest, even if you have absolutely no sense of humor, or no familiarity whatsoever with heavy metal.
3.  It’s “based on a true story.”  Okay, well not really.  But the events of This is Spinal Tap and the story of a hapless rock band on tour certainly ring true.  For instance, Bob Dylan got lost behind stage in the documentary film Don’t Look Back, just like Tap did at its NC stop in the comedy.  In 1956, Screamin’ Jay Hawkin was trapped in a coffin on stage, not unlike Derek Small’s entrapment in an embryonic “pod” during one performance.  And stagecraft is just part of the story.  Tap is also bedeviled by a diva in Jeanine (June Chadwick), a latter day Yoko Ono or Anita Pallenberg, and director Marty Di Bergi sure looks a lot like Marty Scorsese in The Last Waltz (1978), doesn’t he?
4.  It’s highly quotable.  Besides Napoleon Dynamite, has there been another cult film that created as many famous quotes as This is Spinal Tap?  The film brought us not only the ubiquitous “this goes up to eleven,” but “there’s a fine line between stupid and clever,” “you can’t dust for vomit,” and a host of others.
5. It evokes on nostalgia for the 1980s.  The year of Spinal Tap – 1984 – was also the year of Prince’s debut film, Purple Rain, Ghostbusters, Gremlins and other pop-culture touchstones.  When we watch Spinal Tap, we remember not only that bygone year, but the Reagan decade itself, and the era of hair bands, Rubik cubes, and Smurfs.
6. We all like to slow down and watch a train wreck.  Today, “embarrassment” or cringe-inducing humor is incredibly popular thanks to comics such as Larry David or Ricky Gervais. This is Spinal Tap perfected this particular brand of humor more than two decades ago, and there’s something incredibly compelling about watching a film about a band falling apart; about a tour that goes straight to hell.  As human beings, we’re drawn to train wrecks, and This is Spinal Tap is one band’s slow-motion train wreck…a fact which makes us rubber-neckers, I suppose.
7. It’s not just a movie. Spinal Tap is a philosophy of life.  In September of 2000, a reader wrote to The New York Times and opined that This is Spinal Tap possesses many of the answers to coping with life’s stresses.  For instance, the writer suggests that remarks such as “I’ll rise above it, I’m a professional” and “It’s a problem; it gets solved” possess a deep if simple sense of wisdom.
8. It’s not just funny. It’s smart.  This is Spinal Tap is a real movie about a fake band; and a fake documentary too.  Scholars have crafted lengthy dissertations on the film and its significance, not just in terms of the form (aping cinema verite), but in terms of content.  Over a decade ago, Carl Plangina wrote “Gender, Power and a Cucumber: Satirizing Masculinity in This is Spinal Tap” which exposed how the film utilized satire to expose the hyper-masculine mythology of the heavy metal milieu.
9. It’s about “projecting power,” or “perseverance.” The makers of Spinal Tap labored hard over a period of years to bring us the film, but in the body of the comedy itself, we watch with a sense of admiration as Nigel, David and Derek face each new dilemma and setback with a determination that the show must go on; even if the audience is getting smaller, or their appeal is growing “more selective.”
10. The humor seems wicked, but the film is actually affectionate.  Tap faces some tough times on its American tour, and meets with some harsh, ego-destroying realities.  And yet This is Spinal Tap never feels truly mean-spirited.  The band members may be dolts, but they’re well-meaning dolts that we care about, and wish to see succeed.  We root for Tap, even when they are dealing with midgets, or playing at air force bases.
11. There but for the grace of God go I.  I’ll be honest here: I’ve had a few Spinal Tap moments myself, either at conventions, or at under-attended book signings.  Spinal Tap reminds us all how lucky we are when such things go well, and how – frankly — things could be worse, even when we believe we’re having a bad day.

 THIS IS SPINAL TAP: Music on Film
In 1984, four comedians – Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Rob Reiner, and Harry Shearer – unleashed This Is Spinal Tap, the world’s first “mock-rockumentary” and a joke that has lasted into the 21st century and inspired a generation of imitations. Now, award-winning film journalist John Kenneth Muir (An Askew View: The Films of Kevin Smith) escorts the reader through a quarter-century of heavy metal laughs, offering a detailed history of the film’s genesis and an up-close look at the reasons why this beloved rock-and-roll movie comedy has endured for so long, – and even met acceptance in the rock-and-roll culture it lampoons. Features interview material with the cinematographer, editor, and some supporting cast members of This Is Spinal Tap as well as “King of Nostalgia” Joe Franklin.
Available for purchase here.

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5th Annual Fire Island Theater and Literary Fest a Success!

Guest Blogger: Ben Hodges, editor of the Theatre World series

The 5th Annual Fire Island Theater and Literary Festival took place the weekend of October 14, 15, 16, at the Madison Fire Island Pines in Fire Island, New York, surrounding the 52nd and 50th anniversaries, respectively, of the stage and film versions of West Side Story. The event was hosted by Andrew Kirtzman of the Madison Fire Island Pines and produced by Theatre World editor in chief Ben Hodges. The event was hosted by Drama Desk-nominated Sirius Radio host Christine Pedi, who interviewed Applause Books authors Misha Berson (Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination), and Barry Monush (West Side Story: Music on Film). Original stage and film performer Harvey Evans was also in attendance. Selections from the show were sung by Bill Coyle and Patrician Noonan. Approximately 100 people were in attendance.