Comes The Last Hurrah...

A-ha performing in Chicago, IL., May 13, 2010. Photo by Jeremy Clowe. 
All rights reserved.

I received a nice surprise in the mail yesterday— WEXT sent along a copy of my recent radio show, Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha. The retrospective had two very successful airings on the station over the past two months, and I again received very positive feedback following its re-airing last week: fans from Korea reported an early morning listening party... a fan from Poland was on the opposite end, staying up very late that evening in order to catch the broadcast.... 

there was even a Brazilian community from Quebec who checked in (A-ha was always very big in South America, where they actually achieved a Guinness World Record for the largest attended concert ever--198,000 people in Rio--back in 1991). I didn't hear any new reports of the station's online stream being overwhelmed, so hopefully everyone had a chance to tune in this time out.

For those who have asked, here is the playlist I put together for the two-hour program, which was presented chronologically:

Hour #1:

One of two album reviews I
wrote for a-ha's 2010 tour program.
Courtesy www.a-ha.com

“Take On Me”—Hunting High and Low

“The Sun Always Shines On T.V.”—Hunting High and Low

“Hunting High and Low”—Hunting High and Low

“The Swing of Things”—Scoundrel Days

“Manhattan Skyline”—Scoundrel Days

“I’ve Been Losing You”—Scoundrel Days

“The Living Daylights”—The Living Daylights movie soundtrack

“Stay On These Roads”—Stay On These Roads

“Crying In The Rain”—East of The Sun, West of The Moon

“Scoundrel Days” (live in South America, 1991)—Angel CD single

"Move To Memphis” (single version)—Headlines and Deadlines: The Hits of A-ha

“Dark Is The Night For All”—Memorial Beach

 Hour #2:

“Summer Moved On”—Minor Earth, Major Sky

“Minor Earth, Major Sky” (Niven’s Radio Edit)—Minor Earth, Major Sky single

“Mary Ellen Makes The Moment Count”—Minor Earth, Major Sky

“Forever Not Yours”—Lifelines

“Lifelines”—Lifelines

“Celice”—Analogue

“Analogue”—Analogue

“Cosy Prisons”—Analogue

“The Bandstand”—Foot of the Mountain

“Foot of the Mountain”—Foot of the Mountain

“Shadowside”—Foot of the Mountain

“Butterfly, Butterfly (The Last Hurrah)”—25

In addition to these songs, I also included other various clips— from Bridges to early demos to album/rare/live tracks—during my narration.

A-ha performing in New York City, September 12, 2005.
Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

It's funny how music can stir up so many memories and emotions... I was surprised to find myself getting a little choked up again last week, as I listened to the beginning of the first hour. The sequence from "Hunting High and Low" (one of the most beautiful songs ever, IMO) to "Manhattan Skyline" felt so raw to me... it's hard not to still find myself transported back to my high school days, when I leaned very heavily on this music to help me cope with the loss of a loved one. 

In terms of the show's production, I thought WEXT's Katie Gorham provided a great assistance. I had the show pretty well-scripted and timed with the musical segments, and was pleased to hear from listeners telling me how well the songs flowed into each other. In terms of narration I feel a little more satisfied with the second half, but maybe it just took me awhile to warm up with the recording (or perhaps the second half was more "upbeat")... all in all, my return to DJing certainly whet my appetite for more. I think of those broadcasters whose delivery I admire (i.e. NBC News' Brian Williams), and always strive to get better. Having said that, it was an absolute pleasure to share this music I have loved for so long with a North American audience (where I feel it has always belonged). There is something of a sense of closure for me here, although the radio show does present a useful template to complete my long-planned video documentary.

"Foot of the Mountain" promo photo by Stian Andersen.
Courtesy of and ©2009 A-ha.com

Speaking of A-ha, there is an interesting exhibition of photographs of the band opening this week at London's Strand Gallery. Photographer Stian Andersen, who documented the band's comeback from 2000 through 2010, has assembled a collection of quite striking images from his book  A-ha Photographs 1994-2010 (Press), which was published last year. I have a copy of Andersen's very substantial coffee table book, and found much to enjoy... he brings a grainy, "rock and roll" atmosphere to his photos, which A-ha didn't always have back in their early days. Thankfully, much of Andersen's work was used for promotional materials and album covers for the band over the last decade, and I think it helped provide a more "mature" image for the long-beloved Norwegian band. 

It also seems fitting to show Andersen's exhibit in London, as the city played such an important part in the band's development (somewhere I have my own photos of The Blue Sky Cafe, where Paul Waaktaar supposedly penned a few of A-ha's early songs). For those in the UK you can see for yourself, as Andersen's photographs will be on view at the Strand from February 28 through March 17, 2013— cheers!

Related Links (updated):

www.a-ha.com

http://exit977.org

www.stianandersen.com

A-ha Photographs by Stian Andersen, The Strand Gallery

"He's a Lot More Rock and Roll Than We Are," February 22, 2013, A-ha.com

"A-ha Captured on Tour in New Photograph Exhibition at London's Strand Gallery," Huffington Post, February 28, 2013

Stian Andersen and a-ha, The Photographs, Vimeo

The Final Chapter

Alex Ross, "Marvels #4" cover, 1994.
 Courtesy of the artist. SPIDER-MAN ™
& © 2013 Marvel and Subs.

Well, the day has finally arrived. It's the final hours for the exhibition, Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross at Norman Rockwell Museum. Long-time comics fan that I am, you know I'll be sorry to see this one go. 

This past week was school vacation week, and I spent it buzzing around the Museum dressed as Spider-Man and meeting the public. I was joined by several other caped crusaders... really, what other job lets you run around in your "pajamas" all day? 

I have said it before, but there was something sweet about having the chance to dress up as Spidey and entertain the kids... it's all come full-circle for me. It definitely gave me a chance to ham it up... you can view some photos from the past week on the Museum's Facebook page.

I also think we succeeded in attracting a whole new audience to the Museum with this exhibition. A photographer stopped in mid-week and was raving about all the marketing we had been doing... he was particularly impressed by the movie trailer we had playing at the local theaters... he went on and on, saying how it was as good as any trailer you see at the movies... until I mentioned that I was the one who created it. Funny how people sometimes find it harder to directly compliment someone on their work... I'm sure Spidey could relate, eh?

Avengers Assemble! Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

So... what now? Well, at the Museum we will be presenting an exhibition of the work of Hungarian-born illustrator Istvan Banyai--it's pretty interesting, expressive art, and seems like a good segue from Alex Ross' work (Banyai has also done graphic novel work, and it seems like a natural medium considering his style). As for me, well... I'm continuing with preparations for my play, and I have a couple other things in the works. So stay tuned true believer... you'll be sure to hear about it here... same Bat blog, same Bat channel!

Make Mine Marvel! Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Putting My Spin on It

...with a little help from the web, that is. 

www.nrm.org/alexross

A reminder that I'll be donning my Spider-Man threads again in the upcoming days for the final week of the exhibition, Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross at Norman Rockwell Museum. The Museum will be extending its hours (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.) for school vacation week, and you have the chance to meet a different superhero in-person every day from 1 to 3 p.m. So far, I'm on tap for Monday, February 18, and Thursday, February 21, but I might not be able to help myself from jumping in on other days to join my fellow caped crusaders... hell, it gets me out of the office! Anyway, I'm looking forward to more "hero worship"− the delight in kids' eyes makes it all worthwhile.

http://exit977.org

Speaking of delight, I'm also quite excited about the re-airing of my Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha radio special tomorrow night, February 18, starting at 6 p.m. EST on WEXT. It's been a long time coming to be able to hear more A-ha on North American radio, and apparently I wasn't the only one patiently waiting... here's hoping that all the national and international listeners don't overwhelm the online stream this time (just in case, I recommend that you download the station's iTunes app... or tune in a little earlier to reserve your space!). Of course listeners in the Albany, New York area will be able to tune in live on their radios... and I have to say, there is still nothing sweeter.

For more details on my endeavors this week, please visit the respective websites. Ok, off to the gym so I"ll be able to fit into my webslinger costume tomorrow... oof!

websites:

Norman Rockwell Museum

Exit 97.7 WEXT

English Studies

Today I have been busy rehearsing my lines and perfecting my British dialect (watching Downton Abbey helps). My show is coming up fast! Month to go...

The lovable Carson from Downton Abbey (guy cracks me up!).
Photo: www.facebook.com/DowntonAbbey

Related Links: 

Woman in Mind, Schenectady Civic Players

Downton Abbey- PBS

Heart + Soul

Well-suited! Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Happy Valentines Day, dear readers (aka Mom)!

I'm getting ready to meet my girl out for a holiday dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. I have been so busy lately preparing for my upcoming show with Schenectady Civic Players (we just did promotional photos last night), that I haven't seen much of Sarah... it will be nice to spend some quality time this evening.

It sounds like my wife has had a pretty interesting afternoon, teaching a Heart Science Homeschool lab at the science museum where she teaches. I just saw a photo on the museum's Facebook page of her holding a real-life heart (huh... this time it's not mine! It's a cow's heart, I believe). Pretty wild. My day has been somewhat less exciting, although one of our volunteers (of Norwegian descent) brought in a delicious Norsk dessert that she had left over from Christmastime (krumkake). Next tasty Norwegian treat will be a rebroadcast of my Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha radio show next Monday, February 18, 6 p.m. EST on WEXT-FM.

Meanwhile, at my museum I'm gearing up for another week of donning my Spidey suit, in time for school vacation and the final week of Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross.  Yesterday I was interviewed at length by a graduate student about the exhibition for a review that will run in the International Journal of Comic Art— who knew I would become such a sought-after scholar on the topic of comic books? See Mom... all those years pouring over old Spider-Man books really did pay off!

♥ ♥ ♥ 

Media Blitz

There's a big old snowstorm brewing in the Northeast... called Nemo. Heh heh, I know. What harm can a storm named after a lil' animated fish do? Eh, maybe enough... I'm looking out our living room window to see my car submerged in a mountain of white... wow.

Jacket required! Photograph taken in Norman Rockwell's
Stockbridge studio by Jeremy Clowe.
©Norman Rockwell Museum. All rights reserved.

I decided not to risk traveling out to the Berkshires today, so I worked from home. It was a productive day... actually, it's been a productive week. We've been getting quite a bit of media attention at the Museum following the CBS Sunday Morning and Fox News segments. 

Yesterday I spent much of the morning battling a killer tripod, as I set out to photograph the bomber jacket worn by the figure in Norman Rockwell's painting, Freedom of Speech. Yeah, the Museum actually owns the original jacket worn by model Carl Hess, and it caught the attention of one of the Boston newspapers working on a story about fashion designer Michael Bastian, who has just debuted a Norman Rockwell line (I kid you not). It's sort of an all-American, rural/preppy look, which harkens back to the look of many of the paintings Rockwell created during the 1940s/1950s. Funny how the media catches on to these thing... it reminds me how Rockwell still continues to find relevance after all these years . We'll see if the paper uses my photo, but it was a cool excuse to try some more elaborate photography (with help from our curatorial department).

Speaking of the Museum, I finally had a chance to watch the segment on our Alex Ross exhibition, which aired this past week on WGBY-TV's Connecting Point. I was pleased with how my interview came off, and they even used quite a bit of my exhibition video during the piece. Big thanks to producer Tony Dunne, who seemed to share my same level of enthusiasm for the comic book subject matter. You can view the whole show now on the station's website (the segment starts at 18:13):

Watch Connecting Point 2/6/2013 on PBS. See more from Connecting Point.

Recreating "The Runaway." Photo courtesy
Owlery. All rights reserved.

As if that's not enough... tomorrow, Saturday, February 9, marks the debut of the TV Tokyo show they are running on Norman Rockwell, which was filmed at the Museum last December. The show, Great Masters of Art looks at Rockwell's career, and includes an interview conducted with yours truly, as well as some recreations of the artist's best-known work (my nephew portrays Rockwell's The Runaway). I'm dying to see it... we'll be "big in Japan," I have no doubt! The episode starts at 10 p.m. (something like 8 a.m. here).

Finally, I also learned today that WEXT Radio will be re-airing my Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha tribute show on Monday, February 18, starting at 6 p.m. The response to last month's broadcast was literally overwhelming (locally and nationally), with the station's online stream getting overloaded by all the listeners tuning in. Hopefully this will give those who were shut out a second chance to hear the show.

Hmm... who knew? It's like a blizzard of a-ha moments today... 

Related Links:

WEXT-FM

Connecting Point, WGBY-TV, February 6, 2013

Kirin Art Gallery, Great Masters of Art: Norman Rockwell

“At Gant by Michael Bastian: The Designer on Real American Style, Norman Rockwell, and His New Dark Side,” GQ, January 31, 2013

A Little Help From My Friends

Getting ready to head to Pittsfield, MA, to join The Royal Berkshire Improv (RBIT) at the ITAM Lodge for a show to benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Berkshire County. Laughs, dinner, and an auction to support a good cause! This will be my last show with the troupe for awhile, as I am busy preparing for my March show with Schenectady Civic Players. In the meantime, here's a couple fun photos I received from the Spectrum Playhouse (RBIT's official Berkshire venue) today. We had taken some fun, promotional shots a few weeks ago— what, us ham it up for the camera?

Photos courtesy Spectrum Playhouse. All rights reserved.

www.berkshireimprov.com

Kick Off!

So how has 2013 been treating you so far? I've been doing alright. 

Image courtesy Schenectady Civic Players.

I have been busy preparing for my role in the play, Woman in Mind, which will be presented at The Schenectady Civic Players next month (March 15-17, 20-24). Man, that doesn't seem like a lot of time, but we are already busy with rehearsals and I'm trying to memorize my lines. I actually have to speak in a British accent, so my wife's obsession with Downton Abbey has come in handy.

On the topic of performing, I am also scheduled to join The Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe this upcoming Thursday, February 7, for an event at the Italian Itam Lodge in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The show is a benefit for the Berkshire affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and will include dinner, a raffle, Chinese auction and cash bar. Join us for a night of laughs, and help support a good cause! For more details, visit NAMI Berkshire County's website. 

Spidey love. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Things continue to be busy for me at Norman Rockwell Museum. We're in the home stretch for the Heroes & Villains: The Comic Book Art of Alex Ross exhibition, but that hasn't stopped the interest from press (wish we could continue this show for a few more months!). A couple weeks ago I conducted an interview about the exhibit with the Springfield, Massachusetts PBS station WGBY, for their show Connecting Point. I enjoyed giving a tour of the show and background on Alex Ross' work− the segment is scheduled to air this Wednesday, February 6, and should be available on the station's website soon after. I see that Marvel Comics has also given the show a plug on their site, which includes a photo of yours truly dressed up in my Spidey suit! I am supposed to be reprising my role as the webslinger during our upcoming February school vacation week, February 18-22... I'm look forward to it, but hope the weather holds up (it can be a bit drafty in my Spidey threads!).

In addition to being Super Bowl Sunday, they just aired a nice segment on CBS Sunday Morning in celebration of Norman Rockwell's 119th birthday. Last week I spent time helping one of their producers gather video and still materials for the piece... it's ironic that I spend so much of my time at the Museum helping out other crews, but I certainly have enough insight into what they need to help secure some nice promotion for us. On that note, TV Tokyo is supposed to be airing their show Bi no Kyojin Tachi (Great Masters of Art) this Friday, February 8, which includes an interview they conducted with me last year about Norman Rockwell's work. 

Phew... so that's the latest. Still getting great feedback about my recent show for WEXT, and will let you know when there is a rebroadcast. Hello February...

Related Links:

Schenectady Civic Players

Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe

Facebook: Norman Rockwell Museum