The story of the Zombies comes back to life with new documentary
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Both the book and the film are lovingly crafted offerings that detail how a British band formed by teenagers became a quick success with their single 'Tell Her No.'
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Although the Zombies faced plenty of hurdles during their career, they had a happy ending: after originally dissolving because they were sinking into obscurity, the Zombies were inducted into the
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Blunstone, who turned 80 last month, won't be going back to insurance this time. He's recording a new album, and will be launching a full US tour with his own band next year. He recently spoke to the Globe via Zoom from his home outside of London.
Q.
What was your response when the film was proposed?
A.
There was a slight concern that there wasn't enough film of the Zombies from the '60s to make the documentary work. But Robert's just done a great job finding film clips that I never knew existed. It was wonderful seeing my life passing by on the screen.
Q.
The group was formed before the British Invasion. Did you think that conquering America was a possibility?
A.
Absolutely not. The Beatles changed everything. Before that, British bands would just play in Britain. But of course all British bands wanted to play in America. It's the home of the blues, jazz, and rock and roll. As I say in the documentary, I've never been quite sure if the Zombies were a lucky band or an unlucky band. Maybe later our timing wasn't so good, but at the start we were around at just the right time.
Q.
And when you reached that dream of playing America, how did it differ from what you imagined it would be like?
A.
When you're 18, I think you tend to just accept what happens the next day. It's only now looking back I realize it wasn't natural or normal at all. There were very few people flying over the Atlantic in the mid-'60s. We were doing five shows a day. And on every show we had to follow Patti LaBelle and her fantastic group the Bluebells, and they brought the house down every time.
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Q.
Even by the standards of the '60s, the gap between what the band was earning and what you actually pocketed was stunning. Are you bitter about that?
A.
I think I've got a fairly philosophical approach about it. It was such a long time ago. And I've realized that the music business is very up and down. You have to be sensitive to write and record music, but then you have to be tenacious as well to stay in the music business. It's a strange combination.
Q.
The film also has footage of one of the several
A.
I did know about it because Rolling Stone had [original bassist] Chris White ring the manager of one of the fake Zombies, and the manager explained that the lead singer and the Zombies had died in a car crash and they wanted to honor his name and the music of the Zombies! And in the '80s there was another band and they were very bad, which makes it a lot worse. Now I need to emphasize that I don't recommend this as a way of doing business, but I heard a story that they were playing one of their terrible concerts and a Zombies fan went into the dressing room and pulled a gun on them. And after that they stopped.
Q.
These days it's common for classic rock bands to keep touring with just one original member, or even none. Was there any thought of a 'Zombies featuring Colin Blunstone?'
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A
. No, there hasn't been one conversation about that. I think it's probably the same as when 'Time of the Season' was a hit 18 months after the Zombies finished. With most bands there would be a conversation about the band reforming and going out and playing, but we felt the band had finished, we were all involved in other projects and it was best to go forward rather than go backwards, and it's the same thought process in this instance.
The interview was edited and condensed.
'Hung Up on a Dream: A Film Experience with Colin Blunstone and Rooney Unplugged,' Friday, July 11, 7:15 p.m., Somerville Theater, 55 Davis Square, Somerville. Tickets: $47.15 to $90.35 at
Noah Schaffer can be reached at noahschaffer@yahoo.com
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Elle
2 hours ago
- Elle
Amanda Knox's Real-Life Case Was a Lot More Complicated Than It Looks in the Hulu Series
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. It's been nearly two decades since the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy first became international news. However, most of the media attention was devoted to the suspects in this case, with lurid speculation and grisly details dominating the headlines. Almost immediately in November 2007, Kercher's roommate, Amanda Knox, became the face of this story, fitting the mold of guilty and innocent depending on the publication or news outlet. Knox was convicted and subsequently acquitted of Kercher's murder, not to mention various appeals and retrials in between. Now, an eight-part Hulu true crime drama will depict not only the events in the weeks before and after, but also the decade-plus fight to clear Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito's names. Considering there has already been a Lifetime movie, a Netflix documentary (that Knox was part of), the Matt Damon-starring Stillwater (which was inspired by Knox's story), and two memoirs penned by Knox, it might seem there isn't much left to say. However, Knox is a producer on The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, alongside Monica Lewinsky, allowing Knox to have a voice alongside a collaborator whose entire character was also scrutinized by tabloids when she was in her early twenties. The series, created by K.J. Steinberg, sets out to show how Knox ended up behind bars, including how she became a suspect, the prolonged interrogation, the mishandling of evidence, and the ongoing trial-by-media, spanning 16 years. Tell Me Lies star Grace Van Patten plays Amanda with Sharon Horgan as Knox's mother, Edda Mellas. However, Kercher's family was not involved (Stephanie Kercher told The Guardian last year that the family found it 'difficult to understand' how the dramatized retelling serves any purpose). To help make sense of it all, below you'll find a guide to some of the real-life events depicted in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. However, if you don't know much about the case, be warned: There are some spoilers for the show ahead. Knox is studying at the University of Washington when she applies to spend an academic year abroad, opting for the picturesque Italian college town of Perugia. As reported by Rolling Stone, the 20-year-old Knox wants to 'expand her horizons' and 'live without a safety net' in her junior year. Knox rents a room in a cottage at 7 Via della Pergola, taking the last available spot in the four-bedroom accommodation. Kercher is also part of a study abroad program and has already moved in; the two other roommates are both Italian women in their late 20s. In the weeks after moving in, Kercher and Knox hang out with the guys living in the basement apartment below them. It is here they meet 20-year-old Rudy Guede, a basketball acquaintance of Kercher's new boyfriend, Giacomo Silenzi. On October 25, Knox and Kercher go to a Schubert recital at the local university, and when Kercher leaves at the intermission, 23-year-old student Raffaele Sollecito approaches Knox. The two immediately hit it off, with Sollecito hanging out at the bar (Le Chic) where Knox works later that same evening. Knox goes back to Sollecito's apartment that night, and the pair are inseparable for the next week. Knox is scheduled to work a shift at Le Chic on the evening of November 1, but owner Patrick Lumumba texts that it is so quiet that she doesn't need to come in. Knox and Sollecito cook, smoke a joint, and watch Amelie. They turn their phones off for the evening. The following morning, Knox leaves Sollecito's apartment to return to her place, where she showers, changes her clothes, and grabs a mop and bucket, to clean up a leaky pipe at Sollecito's. When Knox arrives home, the front door is ajar. Knox's two other roommates are away for the holiday weekend (All Saints' Day), and Kercher's door is closed. Knox explains her thought process after she finds drops of blood in an email sent to friends and family two days later (and shared with Rolling Stone), saying she believed it was 'nothing to worry about.' It is only when she sees feces in the toilet in the other bathroom that Knox panics that there might be an intruder. Knox calls Sollecito, whose apartment is a five-minute walk away. A broken window in another room suggests that someone had been there, and Kercher isn't answering her phone. Sollecito tries to break down Kercher's locked bedroom door, but it won't budge. They return outside, where Sollecito called the carabinieri (Italian military police). In the meantime, two postal police arrive with two cellphones that have been found in a bush half a mile away, which are registered to Knox's roommate, Filomena Romanelli. Then Romanelli, her boyfriend, and two of her friends arrive. One of Romanelli's friends breaks down Kercher's door, and Kercher's partially clothed body (which is covered with a duvet) is discovered inside. Someone had cut Kercher's throat, and her time of death is estimated to be between 8:30 P.M. on November 1 and 4 A.M. the following morning (the long timeframe is due to a delay in taking body temperature). While Kercher's British friends fly home to the UK, and Knox's two roommates hire lawyers, Knox voluntarily speaks with the Italian police without legal representation. Knox is interviewed multiple times over the next few days, and her phone is tapped. Paparazzi capture Knox kissing Sollecito outside the 'House of Horrors,' and her seemingly at-ease and amorous behavior in the days after the murder becomes a cornerstone in the court of public opinion. Knox's mother encourages her to fly home, but Knox thinks she can help with the investigation. But on the night of November 5, Knox accompanies Sollecito to the police station, and they are both interrogated for prolonged periods overnight. Sollecito admits that Knox could've left in the middle of the night while he slept, and the sleep-deprived Knox signs a confession that she was in the room next door to Kercher's when she was stabbed and that it was her boss, Patrick Lumumba, who killed Kercher. Knox, Sollecito, and Lumumba are all arrested. Patrons from Le Chic provide an alibi for Lumumba. Meanwhile, the Rome forensic police match the fingerprints in Kercher's bedroom to Rudy Guede, who is arrested in Germany on November 20. Lumumba is released and later sues Knox for slander. Then, Guede is extradited to Italy in December. Guede, Knox, and Sollecito are charged with murder. They will be held in detention until a trial date is set. A working theory in these early stages regarding the motive from 'public minister' Giuliano Mignini (whose job is part detective, part district attorney) is that Kercher was killed in a satanic ritual. Later, this is downgraded to 'a drug-fueled sex game that went awry' (as per The New York Times). Leaks are common from the start, with security footage from a lingerie shop or theories from the prosecution ending up in the news Guede has an expedited trial, which comes with a reduced maximum sentence. He is found guilty of sexual assault and murder. He is sentenced to 30 years. Knox and Sollecito are now formally indicted on murder charges. In the lead up to this indictment, Knox's family speaks about how much Knox is being vilified by the tabloid press, with many publications twisting the childhood nickname 'Foxy Knoxy' (that Knox earned when she played soccer) to have sexual connotations. Knox and Sollecito's trial begins January 16, and the prosecution is still maintaining it was a 'drug-fueled sex game gone awry.' Sollecito's lawyer counters that they were 'two lovebirds in the first week of their romance,' not a couple looking for excitement. Knox is also painted as a 'she-devil' who manipulated Sollecito into doing whatever she wanted. The trial doesn't conclude until December, and during these 12 months, Knox remains a fascination for the media—represented as a temptress and an innocent. Knox testifies that the police hit her during the interrogation, and the Italian justice system is now under the international microscope. The defense argues that DNA evidence is contaminated (due to how many people walked through the crime scene) and that the evidence is mainly circumstantial. Regardless of these factors and an emotional appeal by Knox, in December, a jury of six civilians and two judges finds Knox and Sollecito guilty on all counts. Knox receives a sentence of 26 years (she has an additional guilty verdict for slander against Lumumba), and Sollecito gets 25 years. The appeal trial begins for Knox and Sollecito. Both defense teams are focusing on DNA evidence, including traces of Sollecito's DNA on Kercher's bra clasp (which wasn't discovered at the crime scene until 47 days after the murder) and traces of Kercher's DNA found on the alleged murder weapon—a bread knife recovered from Sollecito's kitchen. After being behind bars for nearly four years, Knox and Sollecito are acquitted on October 3. Slander against Lumumba is the only charge for which Knox receives a guilty verdict (the three-year sentence has already been served by this point). The DNA evidence that was vital in convicting the pair in 2009 now helps overturn the verdict; independent experts successfully argued that contamination was a possibility. The prosecution team states that they will appeal this appellate court verdict to the Italian Supreme Court. Knox returns to Seattle the following day, where the press are waiting outside her family home. Guede's conviction of sexual assault and murder is upheld, though his sentence has already been reduced from 30 to 16 years. On Valentine's Day, the prosecution team files an appeal to the Italian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) to seek a new trial for Knox and Sollecito. The Italian justice system allows for various appeals on both the defense and prosecution side. In this instance, if the acquittal is reversed, then Knox can be tried in absentia. 'We're not considering that possibility; for us, she has been acquitted. That's how the system works, but for us it's a hypothesis far into the future,' says one of Knox's lawyers, Luciano Ghirga. Two days later, it is reported that Knox has sold a tell-all memoir to HarperCollins for nearly $4 million. The Court of Cassation (the Italian Supreme Court) overturns Knox and Sollecito's acquittal on March 26, meaning they will have to stand trial again. HarperCollins says they will still release Knox's memoir, Waiting to Be Heard, as planned, on April 30. The retrial begins September 30 with neither Knox nor Sollecito present in the Florentine court. While Sollecito attends some court hearings, Knox remains in the U.S. throughout this new trial as she is afraid that if she returns to Italy, authorities will put her in prison again. On January 30, Knox and Sollecito are re-convicted of murder. Knox's new sentence is 28 and a half years, Sollecito's is still 25 years. The process continues to swing between courthouses, and the pair can appeal this latest twist. The following day, a teary Knox appears on Good Morning America, saying she 'will never go willingly back' to Italy and plans to fight any extradition attempt. In a verdict that shocks Italy, the Court of Cassation overturns the convictions of Knox and Sollecito, rather than sending the case back down to the lower court. They are cleared of all charges (except for Knox's slander charge). They will not face a retrial. Neither Sollecito nor Knox is present in court to hear the verdict. In September, the Court of Cassation explains its verdict is informed by the 'culpable omissions of investigative activity' and 'contradictory evidence.' The Netflix documentary Amanda Knox premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Knox, Sollecito, Mignini, and freelance reporter Nick Pisa (whose regular coverage included salacious exclusive stories for The Daily Mail that fueled the perception of Knox) participated in this account of the events. The documentary goes on to receive two Emmy nominations. The European Court of Human Rights orders Italy to pay €18,400 (approximately $21,000) in damages for failing to provide Knox with access to a lawyer during the November 2007 interviews. However, they found no evidence of the 'inhuman or degrading treatment' that Knox alleged took place during the interrogations. Knox returns to Italy for the first time in nearly a decade. In the years since her conviction was overturned, Knox has been working with nonprofits like the Innocence Project. At the Criminal Justice Festival in Modena, she serves as a keynote speaker and is a guest on a panel discussing trials by media. Knox marries author Christopher Robinson. In an interview with the New York Times, Knox announces the birth of her first child, Eureka. Knox remains close with Catholic priest Don Saulo, who was the chaplain at Cappane prison where Knox was incarcerated for four years. Don Saulo helps facilitate a meeting in the summer of 2022 with prosecutor Mignini. The latter was instrumental in painting Knox as a sex-crazed vixen, but Knox wants to meet face-to-face. Her family voices objections to Knox writing to and meeting with the prosecutor. 'But I was haunted by this 'Why?' question. Why did this happen to me? If they had done their job correctly, I would be a footnote in Meredith's story,' Knox tells The Guardian. Knox also reunites with Sollecito during this trip in the town of Gubbio, which was where they had planned to visit 15 years earlier. On her podcast, Labyrinths, Knox explains the slander conviction is one that some people see as 'proof that I am a liar and I am an unsavory person and that I have something to hide and I've never told the full truth about what happened to Meredith and only somebody who was involved in the crime would ever even make statements that implicated themselves and others.' It is why she has fought to have it overturned. Knox is convicted again of this charge in an appellate court in Florence, Italy. The highest court (Court of Cassation) in Italy upholds the slander conviction against Knox. Knox releases her second memoir, Free: My Search For Meaning.
USA Today
3 hours ago
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Amanda Knox, Monica Lewinsky reclaim the red carpet together
Amanda Knox and Monica Lewinsky are reclaiming their stories on the red carpet. The "Waiting to Be Heard" author and the anti-bullying activist posed together on the red carpet Aug. 19 while promoting their new eight-part Hulu series "The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox" (now streaming). For the show's New York City premiere, Knox wore a long, lacy Giambattista Valli Paris dress paired with pink Aquazzura heels, while Lewinsky stunned in a gold dress and pumps. It's been nearly two decades since Knox, then a 20-year-old student at the University of Washington, traveled 5,600 miles to study abroad in Perugia, Italy, about two hours north of Rome. Knox moved into an apartment, which she'd share with Meredith Kercher, a 21-year-old British student. The two had become friends, but police arrested Knox and charged her with murdering Kercher. The new Hulu show follows Knox's nightmare journey, spending nearly four years in an Italian prison before being acquitted in 2011. She'd be found guilty (again) in 2014 and finally exonerated in 2015. Lewinsky, too, has faced the scrutiny of mainstream media's sometimes harsh light. The media painted the former White House intern, who had an affair with President Bill Clinton in the 1990s while he was in office, as a "little tart" (The Wall Street Journal) and "a ditsy, predatory White House intern" (The New York Times). Amanda Knox: 'Twisted Tale' asks, 'in the wake of trauma, how do you rebuild your life?' Monica Lewinsky produced 'Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox' on Hulu Over the past decade, though, Lewinsky reclaimed the affair's public fallout as a contributing writer to Vanity Fair with a viral 2015 TED talk about public shaming. In more recent years, Lewinsky – who is credited as an executive producer on "Twisted Tale" – has rebounded as a rising producer in Hollywood. Knox said that Lewinsky "held my hand through this experience because she's been a trailblazer in this regard of a woman who had her worst experience used to bury her and turn her into a punchline," adding that she came "back and reclaimed her sense of self and her purpose in life and didn't allow all of these external forces to diminish her." She first stepped into the industry in September 2021 as a producer on Ryan Murphy's "Impeachment: American Crime Story," partly inspired by events in her own life. That fall, she executive-produced the HBO documentary "15 Minutes of Shame." "From my own experience, the first step was surviving," Lewinsky told USA TODAY. "Holding on to the hope that things can change. It won't be as bad as it is in the eye of the storm forever." Knox told USA TODAY that Lewinsky's reclamation made her believe that "there was perhaps a path forward for me in this world." So Knox asked to meet, and the pair later became friends. When Lewinsky learned four years later that Knox wanted to adapt her 2013 memoir, she reached out. The rest is history (or a Hulu series out now).
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Perrie Edwards Talks Zayn Malik Split In Interview
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