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

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

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

My A-ha Moment

Interviewing Sir Paul from A-ha, September 2005, NYC.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Thanks to everyone who tuned into my radio show, Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha last night. Produced with and aired on WEXT in Albany, New York, the two-hour special allowed me the opportunity to look back on the career of the music group A-ha, who has always been one of my favorite bands... ok, make that the favorite!

The response to the program was fantastic, both locally and internationally. I heard from people from as far away as New Orleans, Quebec, London, Ireland, Norway and Korea... it was pretty wild. I think the station underestimated the appeal of the show and, unfortunately, there were many potential listeners who complained about not managing to access the online stream since it was so busy. According to the station's Facebook page, they promise to rebroadcast the show again soon. If you are interested, please drop them a line to let them know what you think.

Personally, it meant a great deal to be able to share this music with listeners, and hear some of my favorite songs on North American radio for the first time! I found myself getting choked up a couple times during the first hour, because I have such a history with these songs... honestly, they helped me get through some pretty tough times during high school and college. 

With that amount of passion, it has irked me that I have often had to explain such devotion. As I described during the special, A-ha's music has always touched a special nerve within me. These are heartfelt songs, with lyrics frequently tending towards the introverted... so maybe not everyone gets it. I think a larger problem here in the U.S., is that there just hasn't been the ongoing exposure− I have interviewed enough bands over the years to know that promotion is a big part of sustaining a popular music career. Whether it was the fault of the record company or the band, who felt misunderstood and pushed in a certain direction, it's a shame that more people are not aware of the true genius of A-ha's musical output. Hopefully my special, which helps me further shape the template of my video documentary, could help with that.

A couple weeks ago I heard an interesting story on NPR, about a new book called What Are You Doing Here? Music writer Laina Dawes is a huge heavy metal fan, who just happens to be black. In her book, she describes the resistance she has had to endure because her gender and ethnicity don't fit the preconceived notion of who should be listening to that particular style of music. Buying into that stereotype, it might be far less surprising to hear that someone like me (young, white male) was into heavy metal... even though the genre has never really grabbed me.

It was interesting to hear about the difficulty that Dawes has experienced over the years from both white and black communities. Unfortunately, it reinforces this idea of fragmented subcultures, particularly when it comes to music. This quote from the author during the NPR interview really resonated with me: "I think it's just made me a stronger person. Things that you find that you are really passionate about, they usually don't come easy to you. I've had experiences at concerts and shows that have really hurt me and have really made me think, 'why am I doing this again? What's the point?' And really what it comes down to is the music. It makes me feel so good that I'm willing to put up with the occasional challenging experience..."

To that I say "Amen!... and A-ha!"

Related Links:

www.a-ha.com

http://exit977.org

Interview: Laina Dawes, Author of 'What Are You Doing here?', NPR, January 4, 2013

Dreams To Remember

Who says they don't like Mondays? I'm certainly looking forward to tomorrow! 

First off, it's Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a time to honor the memory of the influential civil rights leader. This year marks the 50th anniversary of his historic "I have a dream" speech, and in a world torn by violence and strife, the words continue to find relevance:

"In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."

A-ha performing at the Nobel Peace Concert, December 11, 1998,
Oslo, Norway. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Listening to the speech again, I'm struck by its power and poetry. How pleased would Dr. King be to know that this year, on the holiday celebrating his birth, we would also be ushering in the second term of President Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States? Progress may be painfully slow coming at times, but it's nice to have such moments to offer perspective.

Continuing on the theme of achievements, I will be returning to the radio airwaves tomorrow night starting at 6 p.m. ET to host a two-hour retrospective of the musical career of the band A-ha. Airing on Albany, New York radio station WEXT, Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha looks at three talented musicians from Norway, who grew up during a time when the small Scandinavian country basically discouraged its artists from thinking they could make it abroad. Moving to London in 1983, A-ha would go on to top the worldwide charts, sell over 35 million albums, and achieve numerous world records and awards, including a knighthood late last year in Norway! The band certainly was pivotal during my transition from childhood to adulthood... you could say I had a chrysalis dream! I truly look forward to catching listeners up on their fascinating musical career:



And yet for all the achievements, the struggle continues for us... whether it be for personal freedoms, artistic expression, or making your own way in life. Thank God we have no shortage of inspired leaders and artists to remind us of what is possible.

Related Links:

The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change 

"Inside Obama's Presidency," Frontline, PBS

Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha, Exit 97.7 WEXT

"Obama sworn in to second term, faces new challenges," CNN, January 20, 2013

Poetic License Festival, featuring "Obamatry"

Dream Myself Alive

Thank God it's third Friday... that means it's time for another gig with the Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe! This is our first show of what looks to be a busy year, with new faces and venues to liven things up. Tonight's show is once again at the Spectrum Playhouse in Lee, MA, starting at 7:30 p.m. Come in from the cold and enjoy some laughs on us... visit our website for information on more shows in the near future.

Also on the horizon, I have an exciting new theater venture I'm involved with in Schenectady. It's early days now, but I'll be sure to post more information soon. 

Promo on WEXT's website: exit977.org

The biggest news of the moment is that my A-ha tribute show is finally airing next Monday, January 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. (eastern time) on Albany, New York radio station WEXT! Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha will tell the story of the Norwegian band's interesting history (from a uniquely American perspective). If you're outside of the Capital Region you can tune into a live stream of the broadcast on the station's website (you might consider downloading their app as well, since there has been quite a bit of interest in the program already). While you're on their website, swing over to the WEXT home page and check out the nice write-up about the show... you can even enter to win a special prize (if you live in the area that is)! I'm very excited about this broadcast, and looking forward to catching up listeners on the band's long and successful career--we'll look at groundbreaking videos, Guinness World Records, knighthood(!) and, of course, the music.

Related Links:

Royal Berkshire Improv Troupe website

"Chrysalis Dreams: 30 Years of A-ha," WEXT website