The eternal question. Who am I? I am the Walrus. No not really. I am a 46 year old child who loves to DJ/VJ and very part-time Actor who refuses to grow up. Still having to much fun to settle down. Some of you know me...some of you dont. And some of you ladies(from my sorted past)know me way too well! What a long strange trip it has been indeed. And NO!!! Before you even ask...I am in NO way related to Jerry Garcia. Get asked that one every single day!!! I have been a DJ/VJ for over 30 years. Loved being a DJ for the ONLY New Wave/Alternative Rock radio stations Colorado Springs ever had. KIIQ FM 102.7 and KIKX FM "The MAXX" 102.7. I did some promotional work for Capitol Records,I.R.S. Records and Sire Records. Got to promote some great bands such as R.E.M.,The Go Gos,Sigue Sigue Sputnik,The English Beat,The Three O'Clock,New Order and many others. It all began through a very,very early morning phone call to Factory Records in Manchester,England to request some videos for a New Wave video bar in Colorado Springs called The Annex. The soon to be famous and very hung over and grumpy Anthony "Tony" Wilson said to me "No!!! I don't have any fucking new videos for Joy Division...except for "Love Will Tear Us Apart"!!! "Do ya think you can make me some???" Sooo... I was given a chance by Tony Wilson of Factory Records in Manchester,England in the fall of 1985 to create a music video for "Disorder". And before you ask! Yes!!! That Tony Wilson the guy that the movie "24 Hour Party People" revolves around!!! I was sent a ton of raw video that was on U.K. PAL format that cost a bundle back then to get it transfered to American NTSC broadcast standards and many stills to edit and a copy of a new Joy Division scrapbook that was about to come out. Well we sent it to him. He "liked" it. He was not in "love" with it but,he "liked" it. And then I was given a second chance to do another video for New Order "Temptation 87". These ended up being used as a promo for New Orders "Substance" album and the videos where sent to night clubs around the world through a video service for DJ's called Rockamerica and an awesome promo service called "Heavy Lenny Promotions"...soon to be charged by the feds for creating a new 80s version of the 50s radio "payola" scandal.
Just made it under the wire on that one! But,thats another story for another time. The video for "Disorder" became part of a never released video compilation for Joy Division also called "Substance". I love that my video was issued a Factory number "Fact 277". I love being a small part of the Factory Records label history. Thanks to Tony Wilson I was able to make another video for Gang of Four an update of "I love A Man In A Uniform-The Official Oliver North Music Video". Then a video for Psychic TV called "Papal Breakdance". During the 80s we had the whole "No Nukes" thing going on. And we all felt that any day "Ronnie Rayguns" and "Gorby" where going to try to fight it out like two kids on a playground as to whom had the bigger nuclear pecker! And who would be the first to push that red button? The Soviets or us? So we would all end up glowing in the dark for a couple thousand years. After all we had some concerns here in Colorado Springs. Since NORAD is located in Cheyenne Mountain deep in the
Granite rock. In case you did not know Colorado Springs,Colorado is just a short 20 minute 20 megaton nuke missile trip from downtown Moscow! They have "The Stargate" in there you know? No...just kidding!!! So the Hiroshima Peace Rally was coming up in 85 to mark the big 40th of the dropping of the Atomic Bomb. They had a contest for best short film or music video to show that nuclear weapons are really not a good idea to have in your backyard if you are a Kansas farmer. You remember the made for tv movie "The Day After"??? So with my partner in crime on all the videos I have done thus far,one incredible artist in his own right, Marc Brown. We took the song "Hiroshima Mon Amour" by Ultravox and clips from the French New Wave movie of the same name and a ton of historical footage of the bombing from both Japanese and American archives. And the cherry on top! Photos my father took of Hiroshima when American troops occupied all of Japan a year later. This visit to Hiroshima changed the way my father lived the rest of his life! And the way he would guide mine. We did not get to go to Japan or see the video shown on a huge Sony Jumbotron in a stadium in Hiroshima. But,we where told by the event organisers that the stadium went silent and the audience gazed at the screen with mouths open then it got a standing ovation! We did not win the prize for best short or music video. But,we did recive an honorable mention. Sorry John Fox. I will make it up to you when I finish the video for "Your Dress". It took a few years but some of the clips did eventually make it to MTV's "120 Minutes". Growing up in the 70's I was fortunate to have as my neighbor, guitar and violin instructor Blaine Reininger who was from Pueblo,Colorado soon to move to San Francisco and form Tuxedo Moon or as it was later spelled Tuxedomoon. Released on the the awesome Ralph Records label. Love The Residents too! "Third Reich and Roll" was an awesome album. He turned me on to David Bowie,Roxy Music,Be-Bop Deluxe,T-Rex,Slade,The MC5,The Velvet Underground,etc. Tuxedomoon has become one of the most influential bands of all time and still is. He has spent the last 20 plus years of his life living in Belgium and now I understand he resides in Athens,Greece. His solo stuff is awesome!!! You owe it to yourself to check it out. Before that and during my DJ career I started out as an "extra" with JF Images Modeling and Casting in Denver. I was cast in several "walkons" and bit parts in some pretty interesting projects such as "Ice Castles","The Frisco Kid","Marilyn-The Untold Story","Colorado C-I","Father Dowling". These two where fun..."Die Hard 2" and "Fast Food Nation" (As a stand-in for "Bruno") you figure that one out. And "Manhunt-The Search for Claude Dallas" with Matt Salinger. Son of the famous author ("The Catcher In The Rye") JD Salinger. And I am very proud to have been cast in 7 made for television movies. A revival of "Perry Mason" for NBC. The one project I loved the most to work on was a made for tv movie with Walter Matthau and Henry Morgan and Robert Carradine Jr. called "The Incident" for CBS TV. Plus a few cheesy tv commercials (Colorado Springs Airport,St.Francis Regional Hospital,Chase Banks) along the way. At that time JF Images was the biggest modeling and casting agency between New York City and Los Angles. It was fun to pretend for a few days(and get paid and fed for it) to be a Lawyer,Thug,Reporter,Banker,Repo-man,Nerd. Now I want to know about you! I'm looking for people to hang with who are into 70s and 80s,90s Music such as New Wave,Disco,Acid House,Techno and my fave Rockabilly and Swing. Also big fan of the Lounge,Martini scene. I'm also a freak about 80's movies,Comedy,Drama,Sci-Fi,horror and I love Independent Films. I would love to talk with any DJ/VJ's or anyone who has ever acted or worked as a crew member in Movies or TV shows filmed here in Colorado as I have. I am currently DJing Retro Nights in and around Colorado Springs,Colorado. The show is called "Retro Lounge" (complete with Tiger/Zebra print covered dj booth and lava lamps) with the best and the cheesiest Disco,New Wave and Top 40 from the 70s,80s and 90s. All your faves!And the best music videos from the golden age of MTV! When MTV actually showed music videos!!! Losers!!! If any bar or nightclub owners are interested in my "Retro Lounge Show" please send me an email. Maybe we can bring some fun retro culture to this town. You can shoot me an email right here at MySpace or contact me at [email protected]. Or pick up the telephone and ring me up at 719-685-2269 or 719-339-4310. And...Hey!Hey!Hey! Lets be careful out there...UPDATE...August 10,2007 The man who brought us Factory Records and let me be a part of it has passed away at age 57. Anthony "Tony" Wilson passed away in his sleep last night in a Manchester hospital. The man who brought us Joy Division,New Order,Happy Mondays, Section 25,OMD,Northside and many other artists and the "Madchester Acid House" scene will be missed very much by millions around the world. Rest in peace my friend...the work is done. Thank you for letting me be a part of the Factory history. I have started a tribute album to Tony in the my pictures section. I will add to it over time. Please feel free to comment. I am in the process of uploading the videos I created for Factory Records. "Disorder" and "Temptation 87" for all to see.
DISORDER JOY DIVISION
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzfXdU82Hhk
...nice to have been a part of the Factory Records history so long ago...
