Howl Movie Opening in England
In advance of next week’s UK opening at London’s Curzon cinema on Shaftesbury Avenue, James Campbell has a review in The Guardian – “Howl At The Movies – Is the new film about Allen Ginsberg and the Howl obscenity trial a little too sane?” (Well, we, of course, would say no!). “I once filmed the middle-aged Ginsberg reading “Howl” to an audience of professors at a literary conference in New York. It was about as wild as a Women’s Institute evening.”, writes The Independent ‘s Kevin Jackson, (we think, he’s being tongue-in-cheek here)
His “elegy for the tragic history of poetry on film”, usefully places the Howl movie in a much wider filmic context. Matthew Sweet will be discussing the film on BBC Radio 3’s Night Waves this upcoming Tuesday night. Tune in if you can. Meanwhile the reviews continue to roll in, and of the DVD too.
Reviews of the photographs also. This, from England’s (with – “the beat goes on” – a not-so-creative sub-header! – “the beat goes on”! – (When will editors finally put that tiresome cliché to rest!) – not that we’re suggesting the Boulder Weekly’s “Babes, booze and Buddhism” is much of an improvement! – reviews Johanna Demetrakas’ Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche documentary (noted here last week) under that lead.
There is also a Variety review of the film here
Music
Producer Hal Willner will be joining Philip Glass (“Hal Willner reads poetry by Allen Ginsberg accompanied by the solo piano of Philip Glass”) in a performance at John Zorn’s East Village (New York City music venue, The Stone on Feb 22 (this Tuesday),
Michael Brown ’s 2009 composition for cello and piano Five A.M. “after Allen Ginsberg” (after Allen’s poem of the same title), recorded at the Rose Studio at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center can be seen in performance and accessed here.
“Drunk Chicken / America “, Allen’s collaboration with U2 (previously only available on the 2007 Remastered Deluxe Version of their album, The Joshua Tree, is now being included in a brand-new U2 Collection, Duals – regrettably, a fan-club-only CD
“A Western Ballad” another interpretation, of, this time, a very early poem of Allen’s, (by singer-songwriter Shannon McNally, announced as the title-track of her newest recording from Sacred Sumac Records), has been temporarily delayed, but will be available and in the stores March 22nd (Allen collaborated with arranger Mark Bingham on a new arrangement of this piece in the late 1980’s. Bingham waited till he had the right singer, Shannon McNally, to record it)
Small World
Finally, spare a thought for Mark Heck (yes, that’s his name!) and his shot for eternity through Allen! (story courtesy the Syracuse Post-Standard )