A very surreal Sunday

In a recent post (Music, Milestones and Movie Offers) I mentioned that I had been contacted by a film producer in the US who wanted to interview me for a documentary he was making about a historic music event I have attended and had previously written about here on Music In the Attic. To say I was flattered – and a little bit stunned – is an understatement. This website is afterall the result of a little project I started to keep me occupied during lockdown in 2020. Just a bit of fun, sharing anecdotes and artefacts with like-minded music geeks…

I never imagined in my wildest dreams that a real life, well-respected American film maker would be remotely interested in anything I have ever done in my life. Let’s face it I’m just a boring old Project Manager with a beer belly and a rapidly receding hair line. I grew up on a Nottingham council estate. I went to a comprehensive school. I lead a fairly modest lifestyle. I play snooker (badly). I support a shit football team (but love them dearly). I even drive a Renault Kadjar for fuck’s sake!

Anyhow, after exchanging a few emails with Randy (from Dallas, Texas) it soon became apparent that he didn’t just want to interview me on a Zoom call, he also wanted me to feature in his ‘rock doc’ and to tell this particular story to camera, in my own words. Within a few days he had arranged for a UK based film crew to come to my house and we set a date for the interview…

Fast forward to last Sunday, 5th December 2021.

It’s 8am and the film crew arrive at our house in Lymm, UK. Within a few minutes the guys have decided on the most suitable location for the interview to take place – the darkest room in the house, completely blowing my theory that they would want to use the BRIGHTEST room in the house, the one with the bi-fold doors where the sun comes in (what do I know?!)

After a quick coffee and a biscuit they set about re-arranging the furniture, closing blinds, putting up curtains and setting up their lights and cameras (plural) – basically turning our lounge into a TV studio. It was at this point I realised that:

a) this was a VERY professional outfit (not the amateur iPad FaceTime link up I had originally anticipated) and

b) it was a good job we hadn’t yet put the Christmas decorations up because they’d have been coming down again!

At 10.45am it’s time for the live link up to Randy who had just dragged himself out of bed (at 4.45am Texas time) to do the interview.

Despite some initial nerves I soon get into my stride and and I think I manage to answer some of his questions just as I’d ‘rehearsed them’ (in my sleep) the night before. I was forced to second-guess the questions though as Randy hadn’t sent me anything in advance – preferring my answers to be spontaneous. I am therefore just thankful that this interview is not going out LIVE! I am however encouraged by the interviewer who tells me that I am “painting the perfect picture” and he’s “actually there at the event which I am describing to him”. Result!

An hour or so later the interview is done but the day is far from over. I bid farewell to Randy who heads off back to bed (by now we are friends and vow to meet up for a beer and a long chat about rock music when he next visits the UK). I’m now in the hands of the film crew who want to grab some high-definition footage of my tickets, t-shirts and other artefacts relating to the subject of the documentary.

We then spend the next couple of hours walking around the village where I live. Or rather, I walk around the village while they film me in various locations! First the cobbles, then the canal path and then the duck pond at the lower dam – basically trying to capture me “being me” in a very English environment (this is going to be an American documentary but about an event which took place in England). Along the way I am stopped several times and asked if I’m famous and “what are you being filmed for?” I resist the temptation to tell them its for the local news and that I’ve been let out of prison after serving 25 years for murder (“yes I’m moving in to the village, just across the road from the school and the old people’s home!”)

By 4pm the film crew had packed up their gear and left our house, 8 hours after they’d arrived. I would be surprised if my appearance in the documentary is actually any longer than than 8 MINUTES but it was still a great experience and I really enjoyed it. Not everyone can say they’ve been interviewed for television so I guess this is my “15 minutes of fame”. My wife and I went for a pint and a Sunday lunch to celebrate my film debut…

After feeling quite anxious for a few days I now can relax a bit knowing that my screen debut is ‘in the can’, or at least until the documentary is broadcast “some time in Q2 next year”. Then I’ll be hoping that I don’t come across as a complete knob! If so I’ll probably just go into hiding for a few months…

Finally, can anyone guess what the documentary is about? The answer is obviously somewhere on this website but I’m not saying any more on the subject until the official release date of the doc has been confirmed. No spoilers here

Leave your thoughts and comments below!

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4 thoughts on “A very surreal Sunday

  1. I am so pleased this has happened to you and about you. As a music super fan this must have been such fun.
    I can’t wait to see you on screen !

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