Mekons and Graham Parker? We've got 'em!

Graham Parker shares his thoughts on the recently completed (I think) documentary about him, Don't Ask Me No Questions, by director Michael Gramaglia. I had mentioned the project this past summer.

On the 27th of August 1997 I did a solo gig at the Long Island Brewing Company on the Jericho Turnpike on Long Island, New York (thanks Johannes at the Struck By Lightning website gig list!). The rather excellent Elliot Murphy opened. At some point after the show, a fellow named Michael Gramaglia, along with his brother John, approached me and proposed the idea of doing a documentary. He claimed to be in the midst of creating a film about the Ramones. I had no reason to doubt him, but at that point in time, I considered the idea of a documentary about me to be quite ridiculous. “No one’s gonna be interested,” I asserted forcefully. “The Ramones? Now that’s a story.” Continued here.



I also very recently found out about a documentary being made about the Mekons called Revenge of the Mekons. Inspired by the recent success of the crowd sourcing for the Graham Parker film, director Joe Angio is using Kickstarter to raise some funds in order to finish it. Watch the trailer below, donate on Kickstarter here, and visit the film's website here.



Read an interview with director Angio over at the Quietus.

Graham Parker and the Rumor - Lakeside Lounge

Around twelve noon yesterday I received a text from my man, Godlis, telling me that Graham Parker & the Rumor (or some approximation thereof) were going to play the Lakeside Lounge on Avenue B. Despite some bumps & tricky negotiating, I managed to meet up with him, and we made the show. Needless to say, the joint was packed, but we managed to get there early enough to get a decent spot from which Godlis snapped these shots. I'm not exactly sure why all of these guys were in town, but I'd guess that it had something to do with Nick Lowe's three night stint further down & across town at the City Winery. On hand were Martin Belmont (guitar), Bob Andrews keyboards), Steve Goulding (drums), and Jeremy Chatsky (bass).



A very loose & casual affair, the set lasted about an hour. It included a bunch of R&B standards, a couple of Johnny Cash tunes, as well as some Parkerilla nuggets like "White Honey," "Lady Doctor," and "Fool's Gold." They also did a nice take on Nick Lowe's "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (co-written by Steve Goulding). It definitely wasn't a return to the barn burning days of yore, but a chance to see these guys do this sort of thing in such an intimate setting was certainly worth the time & trouble of getting there. Parker has such a great voice...he's one of those guys who just opens his mouth, and out comes this distinctive & cutting soulful sound that, when singing the words he's known for, cuts right to the heart of things.





Special thanks to Godlis for the photos - all are by him & used with his permission. Seen on the scene: Roberta Bayley, Dave Robinson (Stiff Records), Andy Schwartz, Doug Wygal, Jahn Xavier, Scott Schinder, and probably some others I'm forgetting.

Don't ask me no questions just give 'em some cash

As mentioned back at the end of July, film director Michael Gramaglia (End of the Century: the Story of the Ramones) has been soliciting funds via Kickstarter to finish his next film which is about Graham Parker. As of this writing, there's nine days to go, and he's about $5000 short of the goal. It's definitely doable, but not guaranteed. Click the link below to visit the project page, view a trailer, and make a donation. A donation can be anything you'd like - from $1.00 to whatever. I sent $45.00 if you're wondering.

Before and After: Hold Back the Night

Before - The Tramps:


After - Graham Parker & the Rumour:

More film - Graham Parker, Exene Cervenka, Basquiat

In other film news, here are a few things that I'll be looking out for:

Michael Gramaglia, director of the excellent End of the Century: the story of the Ramones, has turned his cameras on Graham Parker for his next project. Being that this blog is named after one his songs, I'd pretty much be a complete jackass if I didn't mention this project. Plus it looks like it's going to be pretty good. View a trailer, and make a donation to the project at Kickstarter.



Exene Cervenka of X has exhumed an old film, shot with friends in 1986, called Bad Day. Included in the cast of this irony laced western are Chris Desjardins, Dave Alvin, John Doe, and Kevin Costner. Exene has seen fit to make the entire film available as a pay-what-you-want download via the film's official website. All she asks in return is that downloaders not share the actual file, but steer friends to the film's website to donate & download it themselves. Some of the proceeds will be donated to the Gulf Coast aid organization the Committee for Plaquemines Recovery that helps the people affected in the Gulf region.



Lastly, we have Jean Michel Basquiat - The Radiant Child, from Tamra Davis.