Honeydripper
A lot of ink has been spilled by music writers about what deserves to be considered the ‘first rock and roll song’. I’ve always felt that the beginning of any new spirit or style in the world- in sports, art, religion, politics- makes for an interesting story. Who jumps aboard the new thing right away and who decides, no thanks, I’m sticking with what I know? What is the cost when you make either decision? HONEYDRIPPER takes place in the little crossroads town of Harmony, Alabama, in 1950. Blues singers still sit outside the drugstores, playing for pennies, the jukebox has room for big bands, jump combos like Louis Jordan’s, country and proto-rockabilly stars like Hank Williams, Perry Como style crooners and perky novelty songs, while gospel is the most commonly listened-to live music. But technology is about to intrude. The guitar player, relegated to sideman on the bandstand, is about to plug his ax in. And once the guitar can wail and slide with the same volume as the horns or piano– watch out. In the movie Gary Clark Jr., a guitar prodigy out of Austin, plays Sonny Blake, conjuring up the spirit of Ike Turner, T Bone Walker, Johnny Watson and countless others who pushed the music forward when they got electrified, and Danny Glover plays Pinetop Purvis, an itinerant boogie-woogie piano player who has made his stand by buying the Honeydripper Lounge and presenting the music he’s absorbed in his own life, up-to-the-moment or not. He is haunted by his past and resistant to the future, and suddenly this good-looking kid rolls into town carrying a guitar with no hole in it—
There is tension and harmony in almost every song, and wars are fought within music without a word being uttered. One of these battles for dominance that was waged in the early 50’s was between the guitar and the piano. Fats Domino and Jerry Lee Lewis did their best to hold the stage, but when Chuck Berry started blasting piano chords on his guitar and duck- walking across the stage (Jerry Lee did his best, but the piano is not a mobile instrument) the course of popular music was set. Even the honking saxophone, raunchy soul of rhythm and blues, faded to a support role, or in white rock, disappeared almost entirely.
I’ve heard inner city hoop players and jazz musicians use the same phrase to describe the rules of entry to their world- ‘If you can play, you can stay.’ Electrified blues bands in Chicago were known to literally play their competitors off the stage, taking over their gigs. In HONEYDRIPPER Pinetop Purvis has to decide whether the new music is a threat or a life-saving opportunity. Tension, harmony, potential violence- put some rhythm in it and it’s drama. It’s rock and roll.
Your opening reminds me of the old poser about the chicken and the egg. My thought has always been the first chicken must have emerged from an egg produced by parents not chickens but with all the qualities of chickens between them. The question becomes, “was the first chicken egg the one to first produce a chicken or the first laid by a chicken?” For years I’ve looked forward to release of your movies and books as events, but I’m especially excited about this one. I grew up in La Porte, Texas, a few miles down the road from Mickey Gilley’s bar. As a teenager I loved cruising into Houston to hear Lightning Hopkins playing second shows at Liberty Hall. Many forms of rock were already in full swing, but those early, not-yet-chickens were still providing crucial soundtrack on the Texas gulf coast.
Comment by Rob Lewis — August 17, 2007 @ 12:40 pm
John Sayles. I would love to work with you again. However I was only an extra in the movie currently in Minnesota acting with a Climb Theatre. Your movie will be a success!!! JustHillie@yahoo.com
Comment by Hillie Sykes — September 10, 2007 @ 7:38 pm
Dear John
I never imagined I would see you blogging but here you are. You may remember me as the rather naive film making student at the London International Film School who came to New York just to meet with you, got robbed and then joined you for a burger somewhere groovy. I wanted to make the co-production between the UK, USA, Russia and Georgia, remember? The baseball game between the countries? Anyhow, here I am in Adelaide South Australia and have been living and working here in the film industry since 1995. Phew its been fast! After what has been an adventurous and eclectic mix of films, the Aussies still have much to learn about going big! Shine was not big in the sense that it was a big budget movie or commercial but it made it big in the eyes of the world. However, Shine’s are very far and few between the crummy stuff that gets made here and so I have sadly, after a rather bad car crash and injuries dis-enable my ability to carry traffic cones long distances, have left the film biz and have been doing a uni degree bachelor of Education for Adults so that I can enter my long awaited and yearned for career (mmm) as a teacher of English as A Second Language. So here I am, half Argentinean, Half German, (Russian Jewish German and Austrian parents)origin, living in Adelaide, teaching ESL. So here is one reason for the greeting. I have your book, Thinking in Pictures which, by the way, I have had since I met you in New York all those years ago, and it is such a wonderfully easy to follow guide to making films that I would love to use it as a teaching tool for my ESL students. May I please have your permission to use it? This means photocopying pages for handouts and assignment work, showing the movie and building knowledge of film language as we go. I can only use it for one class really as each week I use a different movie but I love, as I always have, your work and the impact that your work has had on me, remains a strong and positive one.
I hope this blog reaches you and that it finds you really well. I wonder which town you are in now and if NJ is still your state. I really look forward to hearing from you and wonder if Maggie and yourself will be heading down under again in the future, perhaps a visit to little Adelaide cold be encouraged. I see David Strathairn is hitting the big times with his latest Bourne movie. It was such fun to see.
Best wishes
Nadine Schoen
Comment by Nadine Schoen — October 3, 2007 @ 2:46 am
Dear Mr. Sayles:
I would love to be able to write a letter to you and Maggie both regarding your films and making independent films in general.
Actually, I used to work at a video store in Chicago that he used to rent films by mail (way before Netflix :), and I spoke with you briefly, but I was then too star-struck and shy to talk about much more. Plus, I didn’t want to hassle you! However, I know I must hassle you a little (or a lot) if I ever hope to have a chance at a dialogue with you.
I believe the first film of yours which I saw was MATEWAN in an eighth grade class! I am a huge fan (go ahead, test me, am a filmmaker myself (shorts thus far) and have some questions about your independent filmmaking methods, mostly on the business end. I know there are no pat answers and you’ve talked about it in interviews and your book, but I would love to hear your thoughts on modern independent distribution, especially after the advent of the internet. I’ve watched SECAUCUS numerous times with and without your commentary to get various pragmatic ideas, and would love to have the opportunity to ask you some things directly by letter. [By the way, I have THINKING IN PICTURES].
Would it be possible to write you?
Could you forward me a Business Address, P.O. Box or whatever to where I could write, and from which you’d receive my letter? I used to know one of your former assistants, but I’m no longer in touch with him, or I could just ask him to send it to you.
A very talented feature Editor friend of mine once told me an important and quite simple lesson he’d learned in filmmaking, “If you want something, ask for it.” You don’t always get it, but sometimes…
In any case, I wish you luck on HONEYDRIPPER, and I can’t wait to see it.
Best,
Bill Boodell
wpboodell@yahoo.com
Comment by Bill Boodell — October 4, 2007 @ 6:59 pm
[…] There is no small irony in the fact that EmPix’s headquarter is on W 55th St in New York City, just half a dozen blocks away from the Lincoln Centre, home of the Metropolitan Opera, which has been such a live expert success to Europe. Now the operas will be traveling live in the other direction across the Atlantic. but EmPix is one of the few early digital cinema start-ups to still be around and it has even prospered, showing a broad selection of films as well as film festivals and special events to discerning audiences and has established a good following. Heck, the company even has a good blog where John Sayles makes a contribution. I hope they have as much a success with La Scala as UK’s City Screen and Sweden’s Folkets Hus have had with the Met. […]
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