Latest news with #FrankZappa
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Nova '78' Review: William S. Burroughs Takes Center Stage In An Immersive, Arty New York Time Capsule
Imagine going to a gig where The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards couldn't make it, so Patti Smith stepped up to break the news, read you a poem, offered you your money back from her own pocket, and Frank Zappa filled in for him instead. Let's go even further. Imagine it wasn't really a gig at all, but a multimedia celebration of an author — William S. Burroughs (1914-1997) — a superstar counterculture writer whose shadow loomed large over the '60s in ways that could never be replicated today. Compiled from original footage of the three-day event that took place in 1978 at Manhattan's Entermedia Theater (now the Village East, a shortish walk to CBGB's), Nova '78 is an immersive time capsule that captures the arty essence of New York in the aftermath of punk and offers yet more proof that Burroughs was way ahead of anyone else in terms of political futurology. All of this was shot, at the time and on the hoof, at the gnomically titled Nova Convention by Howard Brookner, subject of co-director Aaron Brookner's personal 2016 documentary Uncle Howard, and, if you don't know much about the art-rock-lit scene of the time, there are no concessions made. Even if you do know, there are surprises: a cringingly awkward interpretive dance performed to a tone poem turns out to be a collaboration between… oh, Merce Cunningham and John Cage. Directors Brookner and Rodrigo Areias wisely leave that kind of information to the end, which is perhaps how it should be, since the event itself unfolded that way (Brookner's sound man was a then-very-unknown Jim Jarmusch). This, after all, was a time when a new kind of culture was emerging from the ashes of the '60s, and, certainly, some of the names popping up — Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary, Brion Gysin — were pretty long in the tooth by then. More from Deadline Jackie Chan Fever Hits Locarno As Veteran Actor Accepts Honorary Award & Toasts To The Future: "I Can Still Fight" North And South Korea Are Reunified In Syeyoung Park's Locarno Competition Title 'The Fin' - First Trailer Emma Thompson Talks 'Harry Potter', 'Love Actually' & How Donald Trump Stalked Her On The Set Of 'Primary Colors' - Locarno Thankfully, American punk wasn't quite so myopic on the subject of age, compared to the youth-focused rebellion engendered in the U.K. by The Sex Pistols. This is reflected in Easy Rider screenwriter Terry Southern's now-famous introduction to the event, describing Burroughs as 'grand, groovy and beloved' before referencing the then-recent mass suicide that had just taken place at Jonestown in Guyana. Taking the stage, in a very dark and punk-inflected moment, Burroughs then riffs on that, pretending to read a note from Dr. Benway, a notorious character from his 1959 novel Naked Lunch, and making a dark excuse for his non-appearance ('I have a few more calls to make tonight…'). There's not much explanation as to what the Nova Convention actually is, and, at the start of the film, Burroughs is asked to to describe it. He can't, most likely because the film is very much a reflection of New York in that instant; at the age of 64, he's just there, in the middle of this strange cultural moment, at a time when the country is experiencing an identity crisis and his more recent readers are finally starting to understand what he's always been on about. In the'60s, his past heroin addiction was seen as rebellious and somehow even cool, but in the post-Watergate '70s it had become a very chilling metaphor for societal control. In that respect, as a documentary, some may find Nova '78 somewhat forbidding, especially when Burroughs finally lays out his manifesto, which is basically that space is the future, but not quite for the same reason Elon Musk thinks it is. Citing mankind's dependence on 'the aqualung of time', Burroughs suggests that we need a whole new dimension, not just more of the same in different surroundings. 'It is necessary to travel,' he says. 'It is not necessary — and it's becoming increasingly difficult — to live.' All of this, however, goes over everybody's heads because it seems, well, like science fiction, which is the area of the bookshop that most of Burroughs's books used to end up in. But while it is very much a look back at history, Nova '78 also shows Burroughs as a prognosticator; though he seems stoically bewildered by some of the tributes performed in his name back then, there is not a chance in hell that he would be surprised by the state of the world today. He wanted out years ago. Title: Nova '78'Festival: Locarno (Out of Competition)Directors: Aaron Brookner, Rodrigo AreiasInternational sales: Pinball LondonRunning time: 1 hr 18 mins Best of Deadline Broadway's 2024-2025 Season: All Of Deadline's Reviews Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Winners Through The Years Deadline Studio At Sundance Film Festival Photo Gallery: Dylan O'Brien, Ayo Edebiri, Jennifer Lopez, Lily Gladstone, Benedict Cumberbatch & More
Daily Mail
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
University Challenge music question stumps entire team as stunned viewers jeer 'wake up!' - but can YOU get it right?
University Challenge contestants were left stunned on Monday as the show's music round left them scrambling, while viewers urged them to 'wake up' while watching along. The beloved BBC show returned for a brand new week as Amol Rajan welcomed another batch of hopefuls. Fans watched as Amol, 42, introduced the two teams who represented Newcastle University and the University of Edinburgh. As the game got underway, the brainiacs had their hands firmly on the buzzers as they battled it out. However, for Edinburgh, they were left stumped when it came to the music round as they were played four pieces of music. Amol told how the first piece of music was composed by an American artist and composer as it blasted into the studio. The students guessed it was Glenn Branca but they were incorrect, with it turning out to be Frank Zappa. Following on with the American theme, the next track was by a band from 1990. Struggling to come up with an answer, the team blurred out Anthrax, which was wrong, as it turned out to be Megadeth with Five Magics. The final piece, from 2001, played out in the studio as the students tried to crack this guess. They confidently answered Blur, before Amol told them it was in fact Gorillaz. Fans watching at home were left less than impressed at the scenes and took to social media to share their frustrations. One posted: 'Wake up you younguns! I got them and I'm ancient!' A second who also got the correct answer, simply said: '#UniversityChallenge Gorillaz." Meanwhile, one seemingly 'easy' music question left every single University Challenge contestant stumped last week. During the episode, four students from the University of Bath battled against opponents from the University of Southampton. Amol gave the Southampton team a hint, saying the first artist based the song on her friendship with Nellee Hooper. The clip played, and the team answered correctly that it was Icelandic singer-songwriter Bjork. The next clue was: 'This singer sang this song in honour of her collaboration with Marvin Gaye.' But as the clip played, the team looked clueless. They turned to one another for answers, but each was more unsure than the last. One team member shook his head, and admitted: 'I don't know,' before his teammate passed on behalf of the group.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
This Swinging Laurel Canyon Abode Has Hosted Everyone From Mick Jagger to a 1980s Bond Girl
Situated between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, Laurel Canyon has a long artistic legacy in L.A.'s entertainment industry lore. Early 20th-century hunting cabins gave way to bohemian cottages and secluded bungalows that, over the decades, attracted a who's who of the film and music industries, including Joni Mitchell, Frank Zappa, and Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas. This 1956 midcentury residence, now available for the first time in 25 years, shows signs of that lineage, playing host to some of pop culture's biggest names, from Mick Jagger and Marilyn Manson to Gwen Stefani and Heath Ledger. It was previously owned by the actor and singer Olivia d'Abo, best known for her role on the sitcom The Wonder Years, and her cousin Maryam d'Abo, a former Bond girl (1987's The Living Daylights), also spent time there. Continuing the theme, the current owner, Nico Golfar, runs an event company that has worked with numerous celebs. The three-bedroom, two-bath abode is listed for $1.6 million with Mason Canter at Keller Williams Realty Los Feliz. More from Robb Report Maestro Dobel Just Dropped a New Collection of High-End Extra Añejo Tequilas French Artist Claire Tabouret's Hand-Painted Home in L.A. Lists for $3 Million A Perfectly Preserved 1960 Richard Neutra Masterpiece in L.A. Hits the Market for $8 Million The Mulholland Drive home could use a little love from whoever snaps it up, but its creative flourishes and original details, such as the irregular flagstone floors, make it by far a more interesting option than your typical fixer-upper. A swooping, freestanding fireplace with a circular opening anchors the open-concept main and provides a template for the curving walls and circular cutouts in the ceiling. To one side of the fireplace is a slightly sunken living room, while the other side is home to a pop art-red built-in dining banquette and a pass-through kitchen. The primary suite includes a funky bathroom with a rainfall shower above a double-size soaking tub, along with a wood-paneled W.C. Currently configured with two bedrooms, the third bedroom has been converted into an office with direct access to the backyard. There, you'll find a large pool, accompanied by a small patio with just enough room for an al fresco dining spot and a fire pit. This part of Laurel Canyon is famously appealing to Hollywood heavy hitters, in part due to its easy access to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and the Burbank studios. Among the immediate area's past and present residents are Quentin Tarantino, Justin Bateman, Will Ferrell, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Ball, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Last year, the musician Rufus Wainwright listed his property for $2.2 million (it didn't sell), and Rob Zombie just spun his secluded side-by-side homes in the canyon on the market for $9 of Robb Report The 10 Priciest Neighborhoods in America (And How They Got to Be That Way) In Pictures: Most Expensive Properties Click here to read the full article.
The Age
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Faith in the universal language of music
How do you find faith in people? How do you find, among the bombardment of grim daily news, the thing to hold onto that gives you faith? You listen. You watch, and then flowing from that, you feel. Where do these three things coalesce into one? Music. Music is, after all, elementally the sound of the human within us. It is the rising of the emotions that in their forming describe the singular and the plural strands of a life. To see, and hear, the connection from creator of the sound to the listener is to have one's faith in people, at that most basic level of commonality, that we are all the one species, restored, if needed, and reaffirmed. It is a joy to behold. Thus, it has been a joy to behold, and deeply moving, to have been watching the ABC series, The Piano. Here, a piano is set up centre stage in a public place, be it Southern Cross station or Preston Market, and piano players with no public profile are invited to play, to stretch their soul across 88 keys. Two quotes come to mind. As Beethoven said, 'Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.' Or as Frank Zappa said, 'Music is the best.' Loading A lot of the players had a story behind what they played. They did not tell it through words but in the music. Call it the key of life, as Stevie Wonder did. Some performed their own compositions that spoke of an event in their life. There have been songs of survival, redemption and love. The players captured it all in minor and major expressions, in the subdued touch and the hammered lightning. And, as equally importantly, in the space between the notes. You could see and hear the essence, the core of the creativity, flowing through heart and mind, down to the fingers, onto the keys, and then out into the air. This is where it fell into the hearts and minds of the audience. You could see it in their faces, the sway of their shoulders, the tapping of their feet. As a young player said, the piano holds the universe. As do the strings of a guitar. To paraphase Bob Dylan, and before him Walt Whitman, it contains multitudes, as do we. Loading In these bustling, busy places of transport and commerce, the players revealed that music truly has no frontiers. There are no borders to stop its travel. Of course, some will not like a certain style, and that's fine. Others will. But when it hits you, you stop. Or as Bob Marley said, when music hits you, you feel no pain. In the cacophony of wars around the world, in the cruel calculus of death and destruction, music is the haven. Of course, a sonata or a pop song cannot halt the flight of a bullet or missile, but it gives this: Faith, that through this universal language of music, we can all cross the bridge to the one humanity.
Irish Independent
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Kerry venue set to host world-renowned throat singing band hailing from the heart of Central Asia
That's if the reputation of legendary quartet Huun-Huur-Tu is anything to go by. The throat singing and music group, from the Russian republic of Tuva on the Mongolian border, will play at Saint John the Evangelist Church in Tralee on Sunday, June 1. The group's performance promises to be an inspiring one which will evoke the vast south Siberian steppe. On the night, the ensemble will play traditional instruments such as the igil (horse head fiddle) and doshpuluur (three-stringed lute) and dress in traditional Tuvan garb. Huun-Huur-Tu will appear at the Ashe Street venue as its members celebrate 30 years since the band was formed. Over the past three decades, the group has established itself as the one of the foremost throat singing and world music acts and captivated audiences all over the globe. The band has previously collaborated with artists such as The Chieftains and Frank Zappa. Huun-Huur-Tu will play at 8pm at Saint John the Evangelist Church in Tralee on Sunday, June 1.
