This week, we celebrate Revolutions Per Movie’s 1 year anniversary with filmmaker and actor OWEN KLINE (A24’s Funny Pages), who chose one of the most anticipated music films to discuss on the podcast, THE WHO’S TOMMY.
We discuss the chicken/egg of the movie vs. the lp, the baked bean mythology, Ken Russell’s pre-filmmaking history from being a ballet dancer to dodging the war, Russell’s early BBC Composer films, Richard Lester and Lindsay Anderson, Robert Crumb and Fantagraphics Books, being a cultural dinosaur, the concept of selling out, the precision of the film that betrays its midnight movie status, Who’s Next, how the Tommy LP kept The Who from breaking up, the ARP synth, the use of repetition in both the LP and the movie, transgressive music, how and why Townshend kept changing the shape of the story of Tommy, the aborted projects LIFEHOUSE & THE ANGELS that used elements to make the film Tommy, could we pick up the concept album plot before seeing the movie (and even after seeing it!), Ann-Margret’s Oscar-nominated performance, the amount of sweat that appears on actors in the film, the surprising debut acting turn of Roger Daltrey, the UK white boy blues movement, Russell’s choice of having the actor sing, including Jack Nicholson’s strange turn, Keith Moon’s approach to Uncle Ernie, Chris’s concept double album Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernickel, Tina Turner’s incredible performance as the acid queen and how Mick Jagger was in talks to do the role instead, does Elton John and Tina turner steal the film, the strange final 1/3 of the film, Dauhgltrey’s perfect cartwheels, acting through song and so much more!
We are also joined by special guest Barry Winch, who starred in TOMMYas ‘Young Tommy’!!! He illuminates us both about being a child on the set of the strange film, what it was like working with Ken Russell, Ann-Margret & Oliver Reed, how they got honest performances out of him as a child actor, how The Who protested going to the premiere unless he was invited (since he was underage), how Ken Russell himself accidentally cast him, his family’s acting history, playing hide and seek with Oliver Reed, what it felt like being on the set of that movie, what the Tommy props from the film have been auctioned at, why he wasn’t allowed to wander around the set, his favorite memories and some moments of being afraid as well.
All this and more as we celebrate the one year anniversary of REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE!!!
OWEN KLINE:
https://a24films.com/films/funny-pages
REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE:
Host Chris Slusarenko (Eyelids, Guided By Voices, owner of Clinton Street Video rental store) is joined by actors, musicians, comedians, writers & directors who each week pick out their favorite music documentary, musical, music-themed fiction film or music videos to discuss. Fun, weird, and insightful, Revolutions Per Movie is your deep dive into our life-long obsessions where music and film collide.
Revolutions Per Movies releases new episodes every Thursday. If you like the show, please subscribe, rate, and review it on your favorite podcast app.
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