Cinematheque goes red, white and blue with a screening of Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic - a hidden gem of a concert film
by Walter Forsberg
America - who doesn't love it? Not the America of environmental and political realities, devoted reader, but the America of myth.
And, nothing quite reeks of the good old U.S.A. than a down home country picnic - just like the one Willie Nelson threw in 1974 with Waylon Jennings, Doug Kershaw, B.W. Stevenson and a very drunk Leon Russell.
Musical super stardom and inebriation are like an estranged couple in concert-film history. In legend, the two are irrevocably married, but it is a rare treat to witness their coupling in concert films of the golden era (i.e. the '60s and '70s). Neil Young's nasal residue in The Last Waltz (1978) and the infamous underground tape The Cocaine Cowboy both briefly 'blow' the cover off backstage partying, but Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic is full of it. And, if ever there was a drunken hero of the concert-film genre, it is Leon Russell.
At Willie's bash, whilst tens of thousands of Texas bumpkins party and picnic all national holiday long, Russell progressively becomes the true character and star of the show by becoming more drunk and more entertaining to watch. The toe-tapping litany of Willie's assembled musical guests perform on a red, white and blue stage sponsored by Lone Star Beer, and Russell is never seen without a can of the stuff (though he eventually graduates to Budweiser, and then, a suspiciously discreet Coca-Cola cup). Roving the stage, Russell hovers unaware of his own presence - often obstructing sight lines and pestering performers (this includes undressing some as they play). He doesn't even really make it through a whole song by himself. It's wonderful.
Willie, for his part, is still the smooth country crooner of the 1970s: handsome and heartbreakingly good; not yet the gentle stoner-Gramps of today. Those unfamiliar with his live performances will marvel at the sobering fireworks display his guitar chops light up on his beat-up Spanish guitar. The music is infectious, especially when Doug 'the Ragin' Cajun' Kershaw shows up in full Austin Powers velvet and steals the show with his brand of wild bayou fiddling. Willie's dear, dear buddy Waylon Jennings shows up, too, performing several hits, including his Willie-homage, Willie the Wandering Gypsy. As the show climaxes with the requisite 'everyone-onstage' finale, even Jennings has become pretty zonked and his half-open eyelids give him a devilish air.
This concert film was long embroiled in a dispute between the director and financier, and is essentially unavailable anywhere on video. Period. A dear friend of Cinematheque has, reportedly, lent a very good condition 35mm print (one of less than a handful in existence, complete with all the R-rated topless women and streaker scenes) for Friday's 11 p.m. showing. If you find yourself uninspired by the ersatz patriotism of Canada Day, mosey on down for a rare and authentic taste of true Southern pride.
by Walter Forsberg
America - who doesn't love it? Not the America of environmental and political realities, devoted reader, but the America of myth.
And, nothing quite reeks of the good old U.S.A. than a down home country picnic - just like the one Willie Nelson threw in 1974 with Waylon Jennings, Doug Kershaw, B.W. Stevenson and a very drunk Leon Russell.
Musical super stardom and inebriation are like an estranged couple in concert-film history. In legend, the two are irrevocably married, but it is a rare treat to witness their coupling in concert films of the golden era (i.e. the '60s and '70s). Neil Young's nasal residue in The Last Waltz (1978) and the infamous underground tape The Cocaine Cowboy both briefly 'blow' the cover off backstage partying, but Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic is full of it. And, if ever there was a drunken hero of the concert-film genre, it is Leon Russell.
At Willie's bash, whilst tens of thousands of Texas bumpkins party and picnic all national holiday long, Russell progressively becomes the true character and star of the show by becoming more drunk and more entertaining to watch. The toe-tapping litany of Willie's assembled musical guests perform on a red, white and blue stage sponsored by Lone Star Beer, and Russell is never seen without a can of the stuff (though he eventually graduates to Budweiser, and then, a suspiciously discreet Coca-Cola cup). Roving the stage, Russell hovers unaware of his own presence - often obstructing sight lines and pestering performers (this includes undressing some as they play). He doesn't even really make it through a whole song by himself. It's wonderful.
Willie, for his part, is still the smooth country crooner of the 1970s: handsome and heartbreakingly good; not yet the gentle stoner-Gramps of today. Those unfamiliar with his live performances will marvel at the sobering fireworks display his guitar chops light up on his beat-up Spanish guitar. The music is infectious, especially when Doug 'the Ragin' Cajun' Kershaw shows up in full Austin Powers velvet and steals the show with his brand of wild bayou fiddling. Willie's dear, dear buddy Waylon Jennings shows up, too, performing several hits, including his Willie-homage, Willie the Wandering Gypsy. As the show climaxes with the requisite 'everyone-onstage' finale, even Jennings has become pretty zonked and his half-open eyelids give him a devilish air.
This concert film was long embroiled in a dispute between the director and financier, and is essentially unavailable anywhere on video. Period. A dear friend of Cinematheque has, reportedly, lent a very good condition 35mm print (one of less than a handful in existence, complete with all the R-rated topless women and streaker scenes) for Friday's 11 p.m. showing. If you find yourself uninspired by the ersatz patriotism of Canada Day, mosey on down for a rare and authentic taste of true Southern pride.