#jack elliott

[mikyapixie]

𝐎𝐧 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 𝟒, 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟎, 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐄. 𝐂𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐀 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐎𝐧 𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭!

[clownes-van-zandt]

Ramblin' Jack Elliott

taken by Edmund Teske in 1952

[bobdylan-n-jonimitchell]

Joan Baez & Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, February 2025.

[genevieveetguy]

. He hates these cans. Stay away from the cans.

The Jerk, Carl Reiner (1979)

[oldshowbiz]

Starsky and Hutch: The Background Music

[richardjlockleyhobson]

I hate these nowhere places, full of nobodies, doing nothing. A load of jerks on dope, of one sort or another. I have to keep saying to myself, don’t take the shit, keep the creeps out ... 

…

I was proud to be in Sheffield, 1972 to 1984. In the 70’s, the city council was very forward thinking in its solutions for people’s health and helping the unemployed. A brilliant, affordable, pioneering transport system, subsidising night clubs and cultural venues, building parks - things that only now are being considered and adopted by some cities here in the States. I discovered that Sheffield was immensely important in the history of filmmaking in the UK. In the time of World War 1, it was an important production centre - for, for instance, early documentaries, “Westerns” and re-enactments of WW1 battle scenes. I read somewhere that it was where the Documentary form was invented and nurtured. Well all of that history seems to be lost. When I graduated Art School, myself and some of the other Psalter Lane graduates founded The Sheffield Independent Film Group. I lived in a rent controlled flat. My tiny overheads meant that I could spend time and money on shooting little experimental films, basically work for free making almost zero-budget music videos for local bands. You could get actors, and artists, to work with you for free or for favours. Everyone seemed to want to work in a way that crossed boundaries between media. Sheffield, as a city, seemed to nurture people economically so no-one was looking to be paid. There was, at that time, a ground-swell of Independent Film in the UK, with a strong feminist movement of women filmmakers. In discussions with the women in the SFI, I thought that it was important, in trying to change the status quo between the sexes, to address issues going on with Men as much as Women. I worked with a feminist performance artist to come up with the idea of a male protagonist stuck in “old-fashioned” ideas about women. In reaction to the naturalistic style of filmmaking that was so common in the indie world back then, in the late 70’s, I wanted the film to look like a retro-noir, with a simplistic, noir-ish story. As The Sheffield Independent Film Group became more about politics, conventionality in filmmaking, and for me, administration, I was immensely inspired to have been welcomed by the local bands in their effort to work in film and film/video projections. I thought that the Human League and Cabaret Voltaire in particular were doing fantastic, pioneering, important, Art - in music and their ideas for films - thoroughly refreshing compared to the way independent filmmaking was going.

…

I did a first cut, a rough assembly, as a “demo” for Richard and Mal of Cabaret Voltaire to look at. I left in slates (clapper boards), overexposed shots and some dead-time, then laid several tracks from Voice Of America over the cut. The synchronicity was truly amazing. I can still remember the emotional impact the effect had on me. But I wanted original music, and shorter tracks, and so, once they agreed to do it, I consulted two friends as editors, who cut the film down to what exists now. The old cut of the 2nd act was part of the Doublevision VHS release. It’s called “Hallucination Sequence”. The rest of the rough cut was sadly dismantled. In the first act of the film, there’s an atmosphere of downbeat emotion, detachment and missed connection between the two leads. Johnny’s bitter diatribe in the taxi cab is enhanced by Cabaret Voltaire’s music, the sad flashback enhanced by the sweet/sad music from a different composer. What I call the second act - with Johnny drugged and hallucinating, is my favourite part of the film. Here the visual storytelling and Cabaret Voltaire’s music work together to create an atmosphere of dislocation, suffering, confusion. The third act is less easy to define. The schmaltzy added-on ending (I guess an echo of “Blade Runner”? ) with “Lorraine” taking over the voiceover, creates an up beat ending, in contrast to the rest of the film. “Sensoria” for the Cabaret Voltaire launched my music-video career in the UK but even more-so in the US. It was a hard decision to leave town and go to London. I never understood why the music scene in Sheffield from 1975 onwards never gathered the kudos of Manchester and Liverpool. Perhaps because there was no Factory Records? And perhaps because all of the Sheffield electronic and Industrial bands were too experimental, and antagonistic to the conventions of “Rock Music”.

…

Johnny YesNo — 1981-1982-1983 — Directed by Peter Care for The Sheffield Independent Film Group — Written by Peter Care & Debbie Smith — Produced by Jim Pearse — Original Music by Cabaret Voltaire — Photography by Alf Bower, Peter Care & Russell Murray — Editing by Sharon Pemberton & Richard Woolley — Art Direction by Debbie Smith — Sound Edited by Moya Burns — Additional Music by Nomusic — Financed by Yorkshire Arts Association — Nominated for a Gold Hugo/Best Short Film at the 1982 Chicago International Film Festival.

…

We had a great relationship with Peter whilst working on Johnny YesNo. Peter trusted us, and unlike doing a promotional video, off the shelf, there was a real interaction – a synergy between image and sound. We worked to Peter’s cuts – projected onto the studio wall so we could mix in direct response to the film. That common ground was something we were always able to find (largely through shared love of film, music) and we had a social life together – working with people is great when you share the same sense of humour and points of reference. We didn’t need to explain our music to Peter and he didn’t have to explain his visual ideas – we just inherently understood where the other was coming from. — Stephen Mallinder

[meatthawsmoth]

I was fascinated by the way Woody sang without any fancy embellishments or histrionics like some of our pop singers. He was totally real and natural and telling it like it is, not putting in a lot of false grunts and groans for the ladies in the balcony.

Ramblin’ Jack Elliott on Woody Guthrie

[pprincesspeacee]

I’m about halfway through the new Bob Dylan film and I’m not saying it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, but it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen