FLASHBACK FRIDAY!
Let’s tale a little trip down memory lane…if I can remember.
Music! Video! Combine the two and you have MTV when it was Music Television.
I used to work Freelance Production for film, television, video, commercials, theater and live events. Here are some of the Music Videos I worked on in the early 90s:
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Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Why Do I Keep F*ckin’ Up?”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKaDCP-wKr8
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – “Mansion On The Hill”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1WpgTzf8nk
Oil Factory Inc. Directed by Billy Poveda and Bernard Shakey Set PA, Runner, Driver, Grip and Art Department Shot both videos in a week at the Troubadour, a house on West Adams and in, around and under Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles.
Day 1: We set up at the Troubadour for the live performance shots. We had a small hiccup in production when Neil showed up. Billy the director thought that Neil would just lip-sync to audio playback but Neil wanted to perform it live, so we had to get a big P.A. system ASAP because Neil also wanted it LOUD. Once the speakers arrived, they played both songs live a bunch of times and shot a ton of film. It was pretty cool because Neil wanted to play to an audience, so I got to be as close as the cameraman is in the video to the live performance. And you have to hand to Crazy Horse (Ralphie, Poncho and Billy) because they rock hard and they were great guys to hang with! I also got to meet Larry, Neil’s Guitar Tech (who plays banjo in the “Heart of Gold” concert video directed by Jonathan Demme).
Days 2, 3 and 4: We shot in, around and under Queen of Angel’s Hospital. The hospital and chapel scenes were shot there. The gas station scenes (and a funeral procession that was cut) were shot around the neighborhood. Neil’s wife Pegi is the beautiful woman sitting with him in the limosine. And the steam tunnel shots were shot under the hospital and we had to get some serious air conditioning units because the lights and crew added to the already high temperature underground.
On Day 4 we went to prep the house for the next day. Day 5: We shot at a rundown house on West Adams hill. We had to clean it before we could dress it for shooting. I had to clean 10 years of dirt and grime off every windowpane in the house and the glass doors that Neil enters through. I couldn’t say, “I don’t do windows”. And then they wanted us to cover them with gauze! The shoot went late and the strike went into early morning before we wrapped. One of the most surreal moments of my life was sitting with Neil Young in his dressing room as his trainer worked him out and listening to him curse MTV for censoring his work. Later he would win an MTV Award for best video for his anti-sponsorship song “This Note’s For You!” Bernard Shakey is Neil Young, and he had a big hand in directing and editing the project. I think the video came out pretty good. But you decide for yourself.
Alice Cooper – ABC’s “In Concert ’91” (magic screen and title animation): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyh82mIwT6U
Television series Directed by Marty Callner Stargate Films Inc. visual and optical Effects, main title graphics and promos Asst Production Coordinator, PA/Runner/Driver, Craft Service & Catering Special Effects Assistant
Alice Cooper – “Hey Stoopid!”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcAl93uEYUA
Alice Cooper – “Hey Stoopid!” Tour (stage production & L.A. rehearsals) “Feed My Frankenstein” from “Wayne’s World”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO2cHJmDkBg
“Hey Stoopid!” music video and Magic Screen effect at Stargate Films Inc. and L.A. Tour Production and Rehearsals for Nightmare Inc. (as seen on ABC’s “In Concert ’91”, music videos, and “Wayne’s World”)
Alice Cooper “Hey Stoopid!” scene with Pauly Shore from MTV’s “Totally Pauly”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjCybElolYk (a funny interstitial skit from MTV that they shot with Alice torturing Pauly Shore on stage)
Poison – “So Tell Me Why” (cool pyrotechnics by Academy Award winner Joe Viskocil): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1NkhR5hFZE
Stargate Films Inc. visual, practical, pyrotechnic and optical effects Asst Production Coordinator, PA/Runner/Driver, Craft Service & Catering Special Effects Assistant (worked with pyrotechnican Joe Viskocil – Oscar winner for “Independence Day” on this, “Highlander II”, and HBO’s “Afterburn”) Oh yeah, it blew up real good!
NOTE: Leon, the gray haired gentleman was an award winning cinematographer and Jerry, the African-american gentleman was a production coordinator at Stargate Films.
Ozzy Osbourne – “Mama I’m Coming Home”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRCSxArdOtw
Ozzy Osbourne – “No More Tears” (there was a PCB fire emergency on set!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykA0dAr6ASQ
Stargate Films Inc. visual and optical effects Asst Production Coordinator, PA/Runner/Driver, Craft Service & Catering Special Effects Assistant
Cameo – “Emotional Violence” (had to listen to this playback all night long!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzjAvNjbJXw
The End Productions Set PA Shot at Lacy Street Studios in downtown Los Angeles
Alice in Chains – “Sea of Sorrow” (original video in color): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxZv3LDNFrw
The Oil Factory, Inc. directed by Billy Poveda Set PA, Runner, Driver, Grip and Art Department Shot at the Chaplin Stage at A&M Records (now the Jim Henson Studios) RIP Layne Staley and Mike Starr (I met them both, and they were cool guys.)
Lavar – “Vanilla Melt” (with a FUCKIN’ TIGER on set!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgufrn8FXmQ
Oil Factory Inc. Directed by Billy Poveda PLEASE NOTE: I don’t work with F*CKING TIGERS!!!!! (or any other large animals that might kill me and eat me, thank you very much) They had the tiger doped up and overfed, but at one point it decided it wanted to go “over there” and so the 800 pound tiger pulled it’s handler across the stage. Beautiful animal and the footage was cool, but I’ve always been against the exploitation of wild animals. Today they’d probably just CGI it in. “Never get out of the boat….a f*ckin’ tiger man!”
Animal Logic – “Rose Coloured Glasses”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXKpxEDVzJY
Oil Factory Inc. directed by Billy Poveda and Dave Stewart Deborah Holland, Stewart Copeland, Stanley Jordan Set PA, Runner, Driver, Grip and Art Department
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UPDATE: Here’s the “Rock the Vote” PSA‘s from 1991 we worked on>
Read the Blog! “Censorship is UnAmerican!”> http://wp.me/p3dhVM-175
Iggy Pop reads the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. He is gradually having tape wrapped around his body. At the end, the tape covers his mouth. “Express yourself. Vote.” (I was the guy wrapping him in cellophane tape!)
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I finally found the Iggy Pop PSA! The page has links to all the spots I worked on!
WATCH THE CLIP!> http://mediaburn.org/video/rock-the-vote-33-spots/?t=3:49
1990 ROCK THE VOTE ANTHONY KIEDIS RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS PSA!
Watch the clip!> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUu-lzVWuhE
VIEW MY IMDB.COM PAGE & CREDITS> http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0918756/
UPDATE! 11-28-16 I just discovered that they shot this too while I was off set on runs! After almost 30 years… Neil Young “Farmer John” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXOeNLs0EBY
JoshWillTravel 