Pennywise

[Adrian Douglas]

Pennywise - About Time

I've come to realise that life is just a game,
It dosen't matter how you score just how you play

[Chris Hurd]

Funny you mention these guys -- when I was relaxing in my hotel room in Denver after the Rocky Mountain Film & Video Expo last week, I had HBO on the tube waiting for Band of Brothers to come on.

Some music show, forgot what it was called, had an extensive Pennywise set with a profile of the bad. My first exposure to them... not bad, not bad at all.

[Adrian Douglas]

Sorry to make a generalisation Chris, but I didn't think a guy who was into raves would be into Pennywise. I grew up listening to British and US punk bands like The Clash and Dead Kennedys so Pennywise was a natural progression.

Something you might find interesting, unless you have already tried it, try giving a group of kids at a rave, cylume?? sticks, the sticks that glow when you break the vial inside them, set your shutter speed to 1/6 of a sec and shoot the kids dancing. You get a rather trippy light trail effect and if this is added to black light and white t-shirts it is quite effective. I tried it once and was pleased with the results for a jungle DJ clip. It looked all wacked out and spacey

[Chris Hurd]

Hi Adrian,

No apologies neccessary -- as the son of a music teacher who dedicated her entire life to the art, I am truly into all kinds of music, from classical to rock to punk, techno and beyond.

To give you an idea of how diverse my interests are, some of my favorite musicians of all time are Philip Glass, Midnight Oil, Mike Watt, and Skylab 2000. How's that for a broad range?

Regarding the light sticks at raves, the first one I ever shot back in '95, I had a Canon L1 with the slow shutter speeds and put two and two together and came up with wow. Since then I've accumulated I don't know how many hours of this kind of effect. No doubt about it, you get some really cool video this way!

Thanks,

[Adrian Douglas]

Ah, Midnight Oil, being Australian I have had a steady diet of The Oils since I was just but a wee tacker.

They're still going strong in Aus after 30years

[Chris Hurd]

Hi Adrian,

Very happy to find a fellow Oil head -- as it happens they are on tour in the USA right now -- the wife and I just went out to catch their show this past weekend at House of Blues in Las Vegas (no Texas dates this trip unfortunately). Considering heading to New Orleans to see them again in early November. The boys are all well into their '40's now, but they still know how to rock out... hope I can look as good as Rob Hirst when I reach his age!

Their new material sounds great, can't wait for the next album, "Capricornia," due over here next year, with hopefully another tour. Of course, I'd love to go down under and see 'em on their own turf. I understand there are a lot of other bands down there putting out some great music.

[Adrian Douglas]

Hey Chris,

some of the music comming out of Aus is amazing. It's a real melting pot of styles and influences. We have a radio network down there called Triple J which is a national youth network and is always unearthing new and exciting stuff. If you want to listen just search radio stations in WMP or Real Playerr for callsign Triple J

[Chris Hurd]

Yes Adrian, thanks,

Through the miracle of the internet I have tuned in to Triple J in the past. It's been awhile so I'll have a listen again soon. In my opinion the state of radio here in the USA is very, very poor, thanks to corporate conglomerates such as Clear Channel having taken over the airwaves. We could use some stations like Triple J over here! Then I could listen to decent programming in my car as well. Maybe when satellite radio kicks in...

[Adrian Douglas]

Last time I was there, some of the college stations were good, but coverage was pretty localised. We drove from Canada to Vegas for annual snowboard industry trade snow and listened to lots of different stations. Some good, some really bad. The J's as it's called at home is a godsend for Aus music

[Adrian Douglas]

Chris,
I was watching Fox this morning, a quaint little show called King of the Hill, and it struck me like daja vu. Hank Hill(aka Chris Hurd), king of propane and propane related products(aka DV and DV related products) in Arlin, Texas(aka San Marcos, Texas). The question on my mind is who is Boomhower, Bill and Dale?

[Chris Hurd]

Ha! Thanks for making me spit coffee on my monitor -- haven't had a laugh like this in awhile.

Yes, I think "King of the Hill" pretty much nails a lot of Texans and Texas in general -- it's set near Dallas but reminds me of some East Texas towns I've been through. That show comes to you from the same creative mind who brought us "Beavis and Butthead" on MTV some years ago. Mike Judge has also done one feature film that I'm aware of, a live-action comedy called "Office Space" with Ron Livingston (currently in HBO's "Band of Brothers") and Jennifer Anniston. Shot in nearby Austin, and quite hilarious for anyone who's ever worked in the corporate cubicle world.

I'm not as old as Hank, my wife is not as uptight as Peggy, and we don't have any kids, certainly not a roly-poly buzz-head named Bobby. But -- I can certainly see how you would make the association! "DV and DV accessories," LOL!

I'm trying to think hard who would qualify for some of the other roles... I don't know if I could get away with insulting my friends like that... I would nominate Michael Pappas for the role of Boomhauer. Often incomprehensible, but usually the smartest one of the bunch. "That dang 'ol DV man, gonna agga agga that dang 'ol agga agga DV, shoot."

[Adrian Douglas]

Glad you got a good laugh out of it, glad to see some Americans with a good sence of humor as it has been in my experience that it is sometimes lacking. You have reaffirmed my faith.

Sorry about the monitor though

Hey Adrian, I took a nephew to see Pennywise - actually he took me. They were so loud my face muscles were paralysed for a week. It was the most intense gig I have ever been to. (That includes The Clash at the Hammersmith Odeon in London.)

PS> This will test you. Before the Saints I was in a band called Supernaut.

[Adrian Douglas]

Supernaut....what's that, 74ish. I've heard the name but never any material. Pennywise gigs can be downright scary. The first time I saw them live, Newcastle Workers Club 94 on the Goodtimes Video Release Tour was the most amazing gig I've ever been to. I have never seen a band with so much energy and stage presence, and to top it off I was blown away by the way they got as many people as they could fit on the stage for their closer, Bro Hym. Even now they "keep it real" and haven't gone all poppy like so many other so-called "punk bands". They along with Bad Religion still make me think about all the shit that's wrong everytime I hear them.

I"ll be back in Aus maybe the middle of next year. We should keep in touch and hook up for a beer an' barbie.

What kind of stuff are you into these days, your profile just says director....please explain