Who: Phil Marcade, the Rousers + Friends (Steve Shevlin, Barry Ryan, Danny Ray, JF Vergel), the Waldos, Lenny Kaye, Andy Shernoff, Lynne Von, Daddy Long Legs, Legs McNeil
What: New York City book launch of Punk Avenue: Inside the New York City Underground 1972-1982 by Phil Marcade (Three Rooms Press, May 2, $15.95)
Where: Le Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleecker St., 212-505-3474
When: Tuesday, May 2, $20-$25, 7:00
Why: “Why were the seventies so important and interesting? Probably because nobody cared,” Debbie Harry writes in the preface to Phil Marcade’s Punk Avenue. In the foreword, legendary punk chronicler Legs McNeil explains, “If I ever was going to direct a movie of Please Kill Me, the book Gillian McCain and I did, I would put Philippe Marcade in the background of every scene, giggling with some exotic French beauty — just like in real life.” On May 2, Marcade, who was the lead singer of the Senders going back to 1976, will emerge from the background and be front and center at Le Poisson Rouge for a party celebrating the release of his book, which details the early punk scene in New York City, from his stint in jail to his fling with Nan Goldin, from the 1977 blackout to hanging with just about everyone who was part of the punk scene, at such places as Max’s Kansas City, the Chelsea Hotel, and CBGB’s. Marcade will perform with the Rousers + Friends, including Steve Shevlin, Barry Ryan, Danny Ray, and JF Vergel, along with the Waldos (feat. Walter Lure from the Heartbreakers), Lenny Kaye, Andy Shernoff of the Dictators, Lynne Von, Daddy Long Legs, and other special guests. In addition, Marcade will sit down with McNeil for a conversation and sign copies of the book.
Burton and Taylor. Bogie and Bacall. Gable and Lombard. Michelson and Michelson? In Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story, documentarian Daniel Raim traces the sixty-year relationship between storyboard artist and production designer Harold Michelson and his wife, film researcher extraordinaire Lillian, and their roles in Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond. New York City native Harold was a bombardier navigator in WWII who developed a talent for illustration. Lillian lived in a series of orphanages, seeking to be part of a family. She accepted Harold’s offer to move to Los Angeles to be with him mainly because she had no better plan for her life — and his mother didn’t approve. But soon their love blossomed, as did their impact on the movie industry. Harold had a natural ability for creating storyboards that incorporated camera angles and other technical elements that was a boon for directors; meanwhile, Lillian did extensive research for a myriad of films, doing whatever it took in order to make sure every possible detail was correct, from major plot points to clothing and household objects in backgrounds. Among those paying tribute to the happy couple, whose work was often uncredited, are Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, Mel Brooks, and such production designers as Gene Allen, James D. Bissell, Rick Carter, Richard Sylbert, and Tom Walsh. Raim, who wrote, directed, produced (with his wife, Jennifer Raim), and shot (with Battiste Fenwick) the documentary, includes clips from many of the films Harold and/or Lillian worked on, including The Ten Commandments, Full Metal Jacket, Rosemary’s Baby, Spaceballs, The Birds, Scarface, and Winter Kills, in which Harold discusses how his storyboards were turned into a gripping scene.
Vanessa Gould’s surprising charmer, Obit., might primarily be about the documentation of individual death by the New York Times obituaries desk, but at its heart it’s a celebration of life. “It’s almost never depressing because we’re almost always writing about someone in his or her eighties or nineties who has died after a long, rich, creative, fulfilling life,” obituaries senior writer Margalit Fox explains. “In an obit of eight hundred words or so, maybe a sentence or two will be about the death and the other ninety percent is about the life. So it’s counterintuitive, ironic even, but obits have next to nothing to do with death and, in fact, absolutely everything to do with the life.” Inspired by an obituary the New York Times ran about a friend of hers at her urging, Gould spent about a week in the Times offices, capturing the obit writers and editors in action as they do extensive research (online and on the phone), work hard on the lede, carefully fact check, and get just the right photo for what they consider legitimate news stories, not simply memorials to the deceased. “It’s a once-only chance to make the dead live again,” obituaries writer (and former food critic) William Grimes notes. They are shown deciding whose life was newsworthy, keeping to a specific word count, and pitching for better placement of their story while attempting to capture the essence of the individual they are writing about. When researching the death of typewriter repairman Manson Whitlock, Fox hits the keys of an old Royal, attempting to incorporate the sound and feel of the instrument in her article. In addition to the obviously famous and influential, they also cover such people as Slinky creator Richard T. James, Bill Haley bass player Marshall Lytle, television remote inventor Gene Polley, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka plaintiff Zelma Henderson, aviatrix Elinor Smith, advertising executive Richie Rich, Skylab saviour Jack A. Kinzler, and William P. Wilson, the JFK aide who helped orchestrate John F. Kennedy’s critical televised debate win over Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Gould’s film includes archival photographs and film footage of many of the obituary subjects and the times in which they lived, although some of the clips are not completely relevant. Still, they are cool to see and flesh out the documentary with visual splendor and fun details.