Music That Packs a Punch (Paul Thorn)

In Paul Thorn’s house hangs a photo of Thorn going head-to-head with legendary pugilist Roberto Duran. But while he has photos of him punching Duran available (including the one on the left here), he chose to hang one of Duran punching him.

Needless to say, Thorn, now a singer/songwriter, has a lot of respect for Duran.

His boxing career long gone, Thorn now concentrates on making music and art.

Here’s more of my interview with Thorn, which didn’t make it in today’s Ticket story:


A lot of your music has been covered – Toby Keith, Billy Ray Cyrus and Sawyer Brown.

Yeah, mostly in the country world because I live close to Nashville and I go to Nashville a lot. I don’t set out to be a songwriter for anybody. But my CDs are circulated pretty good in Nashville, and they’re not in some of the other areas of the country. So a lot of these country artists who are looking for songs have just gotten my CDs by chance and have just recorded the songs. I’m not even a country artist, but the way my songs are constructed, they’re like country songs in that they tell stories.

Which artists gets you the most royalty checks?

The ones you like the least. I ain’t calling no names. But it seems like the more mediocre somebody is the more records they sell.

But you’ll take it.

Absolutely. It’s sort of an easy thing, you know. When somebody records your song, all you do is go out to the mailbox and get a check. That’s always fun.

You also do art.

It’s a hobby. When I get old and tired and can’t leave the house, that’s probably what I’ll do – I’ll just continue to do my art.

Boxing and music feature pretty prominently.

Boxing – that’s the thing I’m most glad I did. One thing it taught me is you can’t accomplish anything unless you throw yourself into the fray. When you throw yourself into the fray, it comes with a certain amount of fear. A lot of times fear is what keeps people from trying to do something. And even though I didn’t become a world champion as a boxer, I really left it with something that’s helped me and that’s my willingness to walk forward in the face of fear.

I love on your web site how you have the photos of you and (Roberto) Duran, and before the fight you guys are all chummy with your arms around each other.

Well, that was sincere. He plays the bad guy and everything. But when I was lying in the emergency room, getting stitched up, after he got stitched up, the first thing he did was come into my room and complimented me on my effort and gave me a pat on the back. He was a nice fellow. We were chumming it up. Before the fight, at the weigh-in, I walked up to him and said, ‘Man, I’m a huge fan – you’re my hero. It’s an honor to get to fight you. Can we get a picture together?’ And he was totally cool.

But what he got and what he accomplished was not free. He grew up on the streets. He had to go out and hustle to get a meal every day. He came up hard. And that’s the reason why he became as tough as he did. Me, I grew up watching Saturday morning cartoons. I started crying if the cable went out. It was only right that he kicked my ass.

Do you have a scar to brag about?

I’ve got plenty of them.

On the new album the song “I’m Still Here” is about a guy getting hit by a car. Is that something that happened – did you see somebody get hit by a car?

That first verse is fiction – I made that story up. It’s just to express how lucky we all are to be alive because people are dropping like flies left and right. The second verse, where it talks about when I was 12 years old and failed the sixth grade, that’s all true. That all went down exactly like that. But I’m still here, and everything is good. And the days are brighter every day.

And the song “What have You Done to Lift Somebody Up.” What were you thinking there?

If you turn on your television, nine out of ten shows are all based on making fun of other people. The show “American Idol” for example. I don’t begrudge anybody having success and winning something. But what I don’t like about that show . . . the most watched part of that show is when the people come on that can’t sing and the panel ridicule and make fun of them. That seems to be the most popular part of the show. And subliminally that’s hypnotizing the young culture that’s coming up to think it’s okay to just belittle people.

Were you really discovered at a pizza joint?

Yes, I was. I was working in the factory, I was a boxer, plus I was singing in a little pizza restaurant. I was playing original songs I’d written, and the right person came and heard it. I was sending out demo tapes to Los Angeles and Nashville, hoping somebody would hear it. And what happened was somebody heard my CD that was in the music business – it was Sting’s manager, Miles Copeland – and came down to Tupelo to hear me.

-- Pat P.

Photo: www.paulthorn.com

The Other Tribune Foils Rival in Major League Smackdown

Okay, so we’re not affiliated in any way with the Chicago Tribune (which, you may have heard, is a slightly bigger paper). But I’ve got to give a big pat on the back to the Windy City’s biggest daily for a major dupe on its rival, the Chicago Sun-Times.

The poor Sun-Times has always lived in the shadow of the Tribune, though in some ways they’re a scrappier paper (and they have Roger Ebert.) But the folks at the Sun-Times have to be red-faced this week.

A few weeks ago, the Sun-Times launched an anti-Tribune contest for who could create the best video about Sam Zell, owner of the Tribune, who has threatened to sell naming rights to the beloved Wrigley Field, home of the Cubs. (When Zell bought the Tribune Co., the Cubs and Wrigley were included in the deal.) For a while, the Sun-Times has rightly ripped Zell for wanting to rename the storied park for monetary gain, battering the Tribune in the process.

After the contest was announced, a group of Tribune employees got together and made a video – altering the words to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” -- then sent it into their rival.

And guess who won?

The undermining group was headed by a 22-year-old Trib intern, named Katie Hamilton, who was interviewed by the Sun-Times after her victory. Ironically, the win had the Sun-Times awarding Tribune employees $1,000, which they’ve pledged to give to charity.

When it was revealed that Trib employees had foiled the Sun-Times gag, the Sun-Times featured a headline proclaiming: “The Tribune Has a Sense of Humor. Who Knew?”

But, really. After that smackdown, Sun-Times employees need to crawl into a giant hole and stay there at least until next Groundhog Day. Because yet again, the Sun-Times comes up #2.

Is it safe?

"It takes a brave man to admit he's a coward," someone once said.

Okay, so maybe I just made that up. But someone could have said it. After all, there’s plenty of things to fear out there – alligators in the sewers, falling satellites, the clown from "It." And most of all, dentists.

It seems like every time I go for a cleaning, I spend the entire time clutching the arms of the chair, thinking about that scene from “Marathon Man” where Lawrence Oliver digs into Dustin Hoffman’s teeth, saying, “Is it safe?” over and over. (By the way, I think dentists are a little sensitive about that movie, so I recommend you don’t bring it up – especially if he or she happens to have a drill.)

At least things have gotten a little better for me. At one time my fear was so bad, I didn’t see a dentist for like – well . . .

Remember the first George Bush?

Thousand points of light?

And the thing is, I had this really bad tooth. I won’t get into detail, but have you ever seen chalk crumble?

Yeah. I know.

But I figured, you know, one really only needs about five competent teeth to get along in life: two for talking, two more for chewing, and one to bite off bottle caps.

Making things worse for me, fear of major dental work was eventually complimented by fear of potential embarrassment. I kept picturing what the dentist would say when he or she saw my monstrous tooth.

(dramatization):

Dentist: (looking at tooth) GOOD LORD, SON!!! What have you done?!

Me: (nervously, feeling like a mutant, wanting badly to hide in a closet) Is there something wrong?

Dentist: Nurse, you've got to see this -- and bring the camera. Heck, while you're at it, call the media!

Fortunately, I did manage to make it to the dentist eventually. But my procrastination cost me that tooth, which is probably somewhere in the Cold Canyon landfill today.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the bottle cap tooth.


--Pat P.

Not just whistling Dixie (Whistling songs that rock)

This morning, I was sitting at my desk, whistling a Dramarama song no one’s ever heard of, when a co-worker said, “Pat, were you just whistling?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah. It just sounded like an old man whistle.”

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, the comment conjured images of me sitting on a porch whittling a stick while whistling some old Bing Crosby tune. On the other hand, those old guys could whistle pretty well, and I’ve always prided myself on being a superior whistler.

In fact, if there was ever a need for session whistlers in LA, I’d be all over it.

But there’s not. Which is too bad because whistling – in this humble whistler’s opinion – can really add charm to a song.

Do you feel a list coming on?

Here are my top ten songs with whistling in them. Let me know if I forgot any.

10.) Patience, Guns N’ Roses. Okay, I think Axl Rose is a slimy little grease ball. But this isn’t a bad tune. And, for that matter, neither is “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Or “November Rain.” Oh no. Does this mean I like G-N-R? Please say no. Rose won’t win awards for whistling, but he starts the song out with it.

9.) Always Look On the Bright Side of Life, Monty Python cast. I need to try this one on my ukulele. From the ending of Monty Python’s “The Life of Brian,” the whistling just adds to the absurdity of the scene.

8.) Walk Like an Egyptian, The Bangles. I wonder if this was a hit in Egypt. Or were the Egyptians like, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

7.) Games Without Frontiers, Peter Gabriel. You know, Peter Gabriel leaving Genesis was a good move for both Genesis and Peter Gabriel.

6.) What a Day for a Daydream, The Lovin’ Spoonful. Some “American Idol” contestant sang this – WITHOUT THE WHISTLING! Tell me that’s not a major offense.

5.) Don't Worry, Be Happy, Bobby McFerrin. A lot of people knock this song as being overly saccharine. But, come on – give the man his due. And just try to tell me you don’t whistle when you hear this.

4.) Centerfold, J. Geils Band. About a guy who discovers his sweetie has shared herself with the world. Not the greatest whistling, but it adds a nice touch to the end of the song.

3.) Two of Us, the Beatles. I’ll combine this with John Lennon’s Jealous Guy. Simply put, Beatles RULE! They could even whistle better than the rest of us.

2.) The Stranger, Billy Joel. This one gets extra kudos for both starting and ending the song with whistling. Joel’s actually a pretty good whistler.

1.) (Sittin’ on the )Dock of a Bay, Otis Redding. Don’t tell me you didn’t see this coming. This is hands-down the all-time greatest whistling song.


-Pat P.

Miss movies? Move on

The 14th annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is over.

Peter Fonda strode off stage Saturday night. The final credits of the final film flickered on Sunday afternoon. Executive director Wendy Eidson packed up the festival office earlier this week.

Only 363 days until the next film festival? What's a movielover to do?

For those who crave thoughtful cinema, there's HopeDance FiLMs, an ongoing, enlightening series of movies and events.

The journey starts tonight with "The Real Dirt on Farmer John," a look at farmer/actor/activist John Peterson.

That film will be screened at 7 p.m. at the San Luis Obispo City Library, 995 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. A $5 donation is encouraged.

On Thursday, HopeDance FiLMs will screen "Sicko," Michael Moore's controversial documentary about the American health care system, as a fundraiser for Health Care for All.

Learn more at a question-and-answer series featuring representatives of Health Care for All. That free screening is 7 p.m. Thursday at the library; donations are encouraged.

Also playing this month:


"Subdivided: Isolation in Suburbia"
7 p.m., March 24
SLO Library

Filmmaker Dean Terry examines how suburban sprawl is changing the face of American neighborhoods, featuring commentary from "Bowling Alone" author Robert Putnam and James Howard Kunstler, who wrote "The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape." A discussion will follow the screening, for which a $5donation is suggested.


"Bill Hicks"
7 p.m. March 25
Honeymoon Cafe, 999 Price St., Pismo Beach

Celebrate the legacy of comedian Bill Hicks, who mixed outrageous humor with a passion for social justice. This documentary interviews his parents, David Letterman and other cohorts, while offering footage of Hicks' stand-up routines. A $10 donation includes finger foods, which will be served at 6:30 p.m.


"One Giant Leap"
7 p.m. March 26
2975 Vineyard Dr., Templeton

It's a new kind of music documentary. Learn about global music with Baaba Maal, Brian Eno and Michael Stipes, chat about philosophy with Anita Roddick and Tom Robbins, dance, listen and expand your mind. A donation of $5 is suggested.


The Reflecting Pool
6:30 p.m. March 27
Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St., San Luis Obispo

This new "investigative drama" challenges the official version of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Meet the film's producers, director and some of the stars at this special screening, which requires a $10 donation.

The film will be screened again at 7 p.m., March 31, at the library. A $5 donation is requested for that screening.

For more information on the above films, visit the HopeDance Web site.

-- Sarah L.

Brolin's coming but Madsen's a no show at SLO film fest

This just in:

Michael Madsen can't make it to the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival this weekend.

Due to "personal issues," the actor best known for his roles in "Reservoir Dogs" and "Kill Bill" will have to skip his scheduled appearances on Saturday and Sunday, Executive Director Wendy Eidson announced this morning.

However, organizers will screen two of Madsen's films: the boxing drama "Strength and Honor" (noon, Saturday, Downtown Centre Cinemas) and "Through Your Eyes," a documentary about deaf-blind triplets (4 p.m., Sunday, Palm Theatre).

"No Country for Old Men" star Josh Brolin is still scheduled to appear this afternoon at a screening of his short film "X."

The movie, Brolin's directorial debut, co-stars his daughter, Eden Brolin, and features music by his son, Trevor.

Vincent Riverside stars as a guilt-ridden, escaped inmate searching for his murdered wife's body.

Meet Brolin and get insights from SLO County's former native son this afternoon at 4 p.m. at Downtown Centre Cinemas, 888 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo.

-- Sarah L.

Surf films and hypnotists: Surf Night II

While tonight’s screening of Bud Browne's “Surfing in the 50s” will channel a bygone era, it won’t be exactly like it was in the 50s.

After all, the original surf movies had no sound. Film makers like Browne would start the projector and narrate live as the film reel rolled. But that could get chaotic.

“When he was on his own doing it, he’d be taking care of the projector, taking care of the microphone, running up to the stage, and then he’d notice the film would be going off, and he’d run back to the projector,” said Peter Cole, a big wave pioneer and one of Browne’s frequent subjects.

When things would go wrong, Cole said, the crowds would get unruly. So eventually, he suggested Browne use pre-recorded soundtracks, which he helped narrate.

“Once we put the soundtrack on, and the narration was on the film, Bruce Brown or Bud Browne or (John) Severson or Greg Noll – whoever was doing it – didn’t have to go to the front of the stage to narrate,” he said. “The narration could be edited just like the film. So everyone went to soundtracks, and it just changed the mood because when guys were on their own, things could go wrong, and the crowds would get impatient.”

In today’s Tribune we previewed tonight’s Surf Night event, which is part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival. Here’s a second blog entry about it, with words from Cole, film maker Jack McCoy and Browne:

Peter Cole
A former teacher like Browne, Cole was an All-American swimmer at Stanford. His swimming skills helped him charge huge waves in Hawaii.

• On the screening of one Browne movie in 1964: “(John) Weiser got talked into having this hypnotist . . . and the surf film was not coming on, and this hypnotist was on the stage, going on, and the audience started stamping their feet and everything else. And I ran up to the stage and wondered, ‘Where the hell is Weiser?’ And Weiser was hypnotized. So I grabbed the hypnotist and took him off the stage, and his wife was yelling that you can’t break a trance, and I said, ‘The hell you can’t. . .’ The film went up, but it was a near riot.”

• At 76, Cole still surfs 10- to 12-foot waves, though a recent neck surgery slowed him. “I stopped surfing Waimea when I was 65, which was in 1995. And I surfed up until 75, and then all this health stuff started taking over. . . I’ll be going back out, but I always surf Sunset (Beach), because that’s my favorite spot.”

• His advice for withstanding a bad wipeout: “Get a good breath of air and just stay relaxed. If you’re relaxed, you can stay under water a long time. If you get all tight and nervous and excited about it, your ability to control your breath is very limited.”

• Still a traditionalist, Cole refuses to use a leash. “If I have to use a leash, I’ll quit surfing.”

Jack McCoy
Now nearing 60, the film maker is known for movies like “Storm Riders,” “Bunyip Dreaming” and “Free as a Dog.”

• Unlike many surf film makers, McCoy procures the rights to music by established acts, including Jimi Hendrix, Foo Fighters, INXS and the Doors. “Music is the emotion to your film, so I like to try to get the music right.”

• Which band works best with surf music? “I use as many as 20 or 30 songs per film so it’s hard to pick just one and say, ‘This is what I like.’ I try to make it a bit of a rollercoaster ride, where you don’t really know what music is coming up next.”

• The scariest thing he’s had happen while filming in the water? “Man, there’s a lot of them. There are times when you’re down there at the bottom, and you don’t know if you’re going to come up and you start feeling very dreamy and relaxed and thinking, ‘Maybe this drowning thing isn’t so bad.’”

• What makes for a good surf flick: “I just think it has to be entertaining and have a story line. Give them something they can appreciate other than just watching wave after wave of surfing action.”


Bud Browne
Due to his poor health, we could not interview Browne for our story. But we did send questions to Anna Moore, daughter of the late surfer Buzzy Trent, who is a lifelong friend of Browne’s. She collected the following answers from Browne and sent them to us:

What are the key ingredients to a great surf movie?
Big waves, great conditions, and great surfers. Humor always adds to the whole effect as well. Of course filming something that no one else has done is what I’ve always tried to do. This is very hard to do now because many of the well known spots are really crowded.

Was there a sense of competition with Bruce Brown, Greg Noll, and the other film makers who followed you?
They wouldn’t have created good films if there wasn’t a sense of some competition. Naturally I didn’t like competing with other film makers that began to follow. At one time Buzzy Trent asked me the same kind of question in another interview and I said I wish everyone else would quit and leave me alone. Naturally everyone was competing for the best shot of the best surfers. I did the best I could and that may have been competitive.

When you look at your films today, what do you think about most?
I always wonder if I could have done better filming a particular shot from a different angle.

-- Pat P.


Photo (of Jose Angel and Peter Cole): Courtesy of Bud Browne

The Governator gets the stoke? Surf Night preview

When you think of body builders, you’re more likely to conjure images of Muscle Beach than Sunset Beach. Yet, legendary surfer Gerry Lopez did manage to get former Mr. Universe Arnold Schwarzenegger on a surf board in Hawaii one time.

“I took him surfing one time on Maui,” said Lopez, who appeared as the sidekick Subotai in the future governor’s 1982 movie “Conan the Barbarian.” “He paddled out fine, but when we got outside, he looked at me, got off the board, shoved it and said, ‘Ah – I think I go in by swimming.”

As we’ll note in tomorrow’s Ticket story, Lopez is one of several well-known surfers planning to attend Thursday’s tribute to film maker Bud Browne as part of the SLO International Film Festival’s Surf Night. To prepare for our preview, we talked to several of the guests. Here are some interesting tidbits that didn’t get into the story in today's Tribune:

Gerry Lopez
The man known as Mr. Pipeline now lives in Bend, Oregon, 3 ½ hours away from the nearest beach, but he still gets out to surf whenever there’s a swell.

• What the movie “Five Summer Stories” did for Hawaii’s famous Pipeline: “Ruined it,” Lopez said with a chuckle. “Back then the Pipeline was kind of a side show. Sunset Beach was the main spot. That’s where all the best surfers went and that’s where all the best surfing happened. And that was really the most important spot during the winter season in Hawaii. Things started to change after ‘Five Summer Stories.’ The Pipeline started to become more and more popular . . . The Pipeline’s much more photographic than Sunset Beach. (But) it’s not necessarily a better wave.”

• On Honk, the band featured in “Five Summer Stories:” “Oh, great. I think they’re still together. They’re a bunch of old hippies now, but they’re a terrific band. Nobody had ever heard of them outside Laguna before that movie. . . After the movie, I got to meet all of them. We’d go and listen to them play and stuff – they were terrific.”

• On the Beach Boys, whose music also appears in the movie: “To real surfers, the Beach Boys were never really surf music,” he said. But he conceded: “They’re part of the culture.”

• When he took Schwarzenegger surfing, he let the action star use a board from the movie “Big Wednesday,” directed by John Milius, who wrote the famous surf scene in “Apocalypse Now.”

• Lopez was surprised to hear that Milius was partly the inspiration for the Walter character in “The Big Lebowski.” As soon as he heard, he called out to Grubby Clark, founder of Clark Foam, who was nearby. “Grubby – in ‘The Big Lebowski,’ remember Walter’s character by John Goodman? It’s supposed to be Milius!”

• Does anything about Walter remind him of Milius? “The .45 – that’s John’s favorite sidearm.”

• Like the other surfers we talked to for this story, Lopez has never surfed in San Luis Obispo County. (And, no, he doesn’t plan on bringing a board – at least that’s what he told us.)

Linda Benson
The 5-time U.S. champ went to Hawaii for the first time at 15, when she first meet Bud Browne.

• While a wigged Mickey Munoz was Gidget’s double in the original “Gidget” movie, Benson was the stunt double for the sequel, “Gidget Goes to Hawaiian.” “They were bad movies,” she said. “Many people feel that if Gidget’s dad (Frederick Kohner) never wrote the book and there was never a movie, maybe there wouldn’t be as many people surfing. But surfing has been on its own course. And everybody has a right to surf.”

• On surfing a 15-foot day when she was just 15 years old: “I paddled out at Waimea. Fred Van Dyke took off on a wave, he wiped out and his board broke in half. And John Severson wiped out. He popped up right near me. I’m just paddling out, and he looked at me and said, “You’re crazy. . .’ I got back to the beach, and I was kind of silly. I was stumbling and laughing. I did something that was kind of scary and I, of course, would never do it again.”

• On her friendship with Laird Hamilton’s mother: “I went to high school, and one of my best friend’s was Laird’s mom. My mom and dad used to take care of Laird. Laird’s mom was a single mom until she met Billy Hamilton, and I got her in those beach part movies. So my mom and dad took care of Laird when he was still in a baby bed.”

• She still surfs, but she prefers warmer water. “As with all of us, we absolutely hate this age thing because we were so active. I kind of say we’re all here, cleverly disguised as adults.”

We’ll have quotes from Peter Cole, Jack McCoy and Bud Browne in this blog tomorrow. Meanwhile, surf fans might also want to think about two other surf movies coming up.

“Five Summer Stories” not only features the music of Honk and the Beach Boys, it also features Lopez in some classic tubes. While very dated to the groovin’ 70s – when the shortboard era was in full swing -- it’s still visually appealing. This one shows tomorrow at 4 p.m. at Downtown Cinemas in San Luis Obispo.

“Of Wind and Wave,” meanwhile, is a documentary about 94-year-old Woody Brown. Anyone who has seen “Surfing for Life” – another great surf flick – knows what a great character Brown is. Writer and director David Brown (what’s with all the Browns in surfing?) will attend the noon screening Saturday at La Perla del Mar in Pismo.

For more on those, visit the film fest's web site.

-- Pat P.

Photo (Of Benson and Browne) courtesy of Bud Browne

Talk about epic

You know those lazy spring days that you spend parked between the TV and the refrigerator, wistfully wishing you actually had something to do?

Well, my friends, with the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival in full swing, you have no more excuses.

Each day offers half a dozen screenings, as well as workshops, receptions and filmmaker appearances.

Today, for instance, you could head to the Palm Theatre in San Luis Obispo for a screening of the groundbreaking "Street Scene."

King Vidor revolutioned the movie industry by translating Elmer Rice's single-set play onto film -- using creative camera angles and swooping shots to capture the action.

Personally, I'm kicking myself that I can't attend this afternoon's screening of "Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story," at Downtown Centre Cinemas.

As you may know, Castle is the modern-day P.T. Barnum who drew crowds to his schlocky B-movies by selling fake insurance policies, providing faux doctors for the nervous, and wiring theater seats to "buzz" their inhabitants. While the current fad for "torture porn" wastes no time in revealing buckets of gore, Castle's movies gave moviegoers the delicious thrill of anticipation.

It's followed by "This Is My Cheesesteak," one filmmaker's delicious quest to find the ultimate Philly cheesesteak sandwich. My mouth is watering.

Since I'm a working stiff like the rest of you, however, I'll have to be satisfied with "Dr. Zhivago" -- that beautiful, sweepingly romantic tale of love and loss during the Russian Revolution.

That Omar Shariff is pretty darn dreamy.

****

Here's the nitty-gritty:

"Spine Tingler: The William Castle Story" and "This Is My Cheesesteak"
4 p.m., today
Downtown Centre Cinemas, 888 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo

"No I in Security" and "The Union"
7 p.m.
Downtown Centre Cinemas

"Street Scene"
7:30 p.m., following 6 p.m. reception at SLOIFF headquarters, 861 Palm St., SLO
Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St., SLO

"Dr. Zhivago"
7:30 p.m.
Fremont theater, 1025 Monterey St., San Luis Obispo

Check out the film festival Web site for ticket prices and more details.

-- Sarah L.

Gumby, "Hairspray" and monsters at SLO film festival

As you no doubt read in The Tribune last week, the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival has begun.

The festival kicked off Friday with a train-themed gala at the historic Santa Margarita Ranch.

On Saturday, organizers offered a host of features and documentaries from "The Little Red Truck," a look at one far-reaching children's theater group, to a sing-along version of "Hairspray."

(Unfortunately for female fans, star Zac Efron couldn't make the screening. He's off filming in England, undoubtedly the period flick "Me and Orson Welles.)

One of the afternoon's highlights was "Gumby Dharma," which chronicled the fascinating life and times of "Gumby" creator Art Clokey.

Clokey himself was present at Downtown Centre Cinemas in San Luis Obispo. Moviegoers spotted the claymation pioneer and Los Osos resident being wheeled around in a wheelchair with son Joel by his side.

I caught a screening of "Monster Camp," filmmaker Cullen Hoback's documentary about the weird, wonderful world world of live-action role playing, or, LARPing.

Inviting comparisons to "Trekkies" and the arcade game doc "King of Kong," "Monster Camp" offers a fun, even sympathetic look at the dedicated fantasy fans who meet every few months to dress up and engage in mock combat.

They're drawn by a desire to escape from their humdrum lives, hang out with friends and even meet mates. These are the same folks who dedicate untold hours to the online phenomenon "World of Warcraft." Call 'em nerds with a niche.

"Monster Camp" is funny, wince-worthy and infinitely entertaining. Until the movie finds its way into regular theaters, learn more at www.monstercampthemovie.com.

***

For more about the San Luis Obispo International Film Festivals, including ticket prices and screening locations, go here.

-- Sarah L.

"Highway to the danger zone"

First, a prologue:

"On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN."

Cue Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone." It's time for "Top Gun."

Inspired by Ehud Yonay's 1983 article on elite fighter pilots in California, "Top Gun" follows the adventures of Maverick (Tom Cruise), an up-and-coming pilot whose ego often gets in the way of his common sense.

With wingman Goose (Anthony Edwards) by his side and rival Iceman (Val Kilmer) watching his every move, Maverick aims to proves he's the hottest Navy flyer in the air.

Oh yeah, and there's a cute civilian instructor (Kelly McGillis) to woo.

Some moviegoers may not care for "Top Gun's" politics, or its less-than-subtle undertones of homoeroticism. (Quentin Tarantino discusses the subject brilliantly in "Sleep With Me.")

But let's face it, people.

This is a classic flick -- a high-flying action movie with a killer soundtrack, made when Tom Cruise was still sane and Kelly McGillis was the hottest chick in a flight jacket.

There's also a Central Coast connection: McGillis got her start at the Great American Melodrama in Oceano.

To paraphrase a quote from the film: "Top Gun," you can be my wingman any time.

"Top Gun" screens tonight at the Fremont theater, 1025 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo.

The movie starts at 7:30 p.m., following a half-hour of trivia and prizes. Tickets are $7.50.

-- Sarah L.

("Top Gun" DVD cover courtesy of Movieweb.com)

Is rock and roll dead? U2 at the Fremont

I don’t get it.

I went to the Fremont on Friday night, worried that the place might be packed for a screening of "U2 3D," the concert movie about the mega-famous Irish rockers. But I was astounded to see that just eight people — including my wife and I — had shown up.

Eight people for a movie about arguably the best, most popular band of the last 25 years.

In 3D!

When I told my friend Dan about this, he was immediately pessimistic.

“Rock ’n’ roll is dead,” he said, sounding defeated.

He and his wife went the following Saturday, and there were only a couple of dozen people — in a theater that seats 800.

It just doesn’t make sense. A few weeks ago, I tried to see “The Princess Bride” at the Fremont, but I had to get a refund because it sold out. Assuming that “Princess Bride” fans included a lot of 80s fans, I figured the U2 movie would also be teeming with people.

After all, the movie had stellar reviews — and with good reason. It featured great camera angles, it captured the energy of live stadium shows, and, of course, it featured lots of the band’s greatest hits.

This would have been a great movie even had it not been in 3D. But the 3D was also remarkably well done, giving you a feel for what it’d really be like to be in the front row or even onstage with Bono.

So why didn’t anyone go to see it? Would a movie about Justin Timberlake attract more than eight people on a Friday night? I have to think it would and, frankly, that depresses me.

Maybe people were saving their money for the upcoming San Luis Obispo International Film Festival which begins next week. For more on that, check out this Thursday’s Ticket.

Meanwhile, maybe Martin Scorsese can help revive rock ’n’ roll. Before the U2 movie, there was a preview for his upcoming film, Shine a Light, a documentary that will span the entire history of the world’s second greatest rock band. Look for the Rolling Stones flick beginning in April. Meanwhile, Scorsese, who gave us “The Last Waltz,” also plans to make a documentary about Reggae guru Bob Marley.

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Speaking of the Stones, check out Ron Wood’s art. The Stones guitarist is quite good. His portraits of other rock stars are especially fun.

--Pat P.