Stolen from the Jackpot Records website.
http://www.jackpotrecords.com/instores.php?sess=7a2b2fdc5ae884d7d14849d11bb540a6
Sunday, April 23rd, 2006 7:00 PM
JACKPOT RECORDS/CLINTON STREET VIDEO FILM FESTIVAL NIGHT SEVEN
In the Beginning Was the End—The Music Films of Chuck Statler
Chuck attended Kent State in Ohio and found kindred spirits with fellow students Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerry Casale, the nucleus for DEVO. Their film collaborations became a hallmark of DEVO's act, and soon Stiff, TwinTone and other upstart record labels commissioned Chuck to produce films for their talent.
And since these films circulated among the midnight movie series so prevalent in the late 70s, it seems only fitting that we re-create that spirit tonight---Highlights of our program include rare 16mm film print screenings of Elvis Costello, , Nick Lowe, Madness, James Chance, Graham Parker Suicide Commandoes and, of course, DEVO. Also, videos with Pere Ubu, El Vez, Moldy Peaches, the Wipeouters, Stan Ridgway, and the last filmed appearance by Tiny Tim. Plus selections from Chuck's commercial spots, an 'American Splendor' clip light years before the theatrical feature, and selections from his most recent project 'Sonic Burlesque.'Chuck has also unearthed unseen footage of DEVO performing as their own opening band, DOVE--The Band of Love, as well as new footage of James Chance and the Contortions from 1979.
"There's no expiration date on weirdness."
Sarah and I saw The Minutemen "We Jam Econo" on Thursday and it was definitely one of the better music documentaries that I've seen. On Sunday, Jay, Sarah, and I saw "The Music Films of Chuck Statler." I was something like 14 years old when MTV launched and my family had cable. I remember all the videos that they played seemingly over and over because there weren't very many of them. Chuck Statler was an early pioneer in music film and this festival showed all his "best" work. Looking back, most of this stuff was truly awful, low budget, and cheesy, but at the time there was nothing to compare it to. The Devo stuff was truly great, but many of the others were truly horrible. I was extremely disappointed that I couldn't find links on the internet for some of my favorites and unfortunately, I am not good enough with words to do them justice. However, in the spirit of the moment, I'll post the Michael Stanley Band's "He Can't Love You," which I also just found out was the 45th video every played on MTV. This video is so over the top cheesy and cliche-riden that it had the audience cheering and laughing. I almost fell out of my seat laughing when it came on. Growing up in Cleveland, I was heavily exposed to MSB. Michael Stanley became a Cleveland landmark selling out huge shows for multiple consecutive nights. However, if you lived outside of Ohio (or maybe Detroit), you had never heard of him. He made a lucrative career for decades, and still plays, without making a mark outside of Cleveland. My high school friends thought that he was the king and never missed a show. I just never understood it. Here is the link to learn more about MSB.
http://www.michaelstanley.com/msb/msbmain1.htm