Kickstarter

The newly titled When Things Go Wrong: Robin Lane's Story is in finished form with some tweaking left to do for an introduction. Then comes clearance, licensing, and copyright.That will take some grant writing and fundraising. Meeting with a lawyer is next.

It was screened for my documentary studies class - most oh them are in their 20's. They know nothing of Robin nor the band, but were engaged, curious, and had great comments and questions. That was encouraging. It means that the subject and life of Ms Lane effectively tells a larger story than just the details of biography. They saw the evolution of songwriting, the impact of her colorful life on the creative process, and the importance for an artist to be adaptable, committed, and resilient. In Robin's story there is also the context of women supporting and encouraging one another.

I hope to have new kinds of news in future updates like screenings, maybe fundraisers, perhaps even a show to raise some funds. The Kickstarter support is now completely gobbled up, and Laura has done yeoman's service with the editing. We haven't met face to face in a year and a half, but edit communicating between Texas and Boston on every detail, song, and detail of the script. And none of this could have gotten started without your support. Special shout out to Jan Crocker (archival video), John Kusiak, Diane Bissaro (beautiful photos), and Matt Thurber (reenactments and opening shots) and all the great students from the New England Institute of Art without whom things would have been impossible and a whole lot less colorful!

There are five wonderful compositions by John Kusiak. The rest of the music (except for some short clips of Boston bands and one from Mickey Clean and the Mezz) is comprised of Robin's songs going back to one of her first compositions, plus demo tapes, reel to reel living room jams, an early Chartbusters 45rpm record, concerts, recent CD's, and Woman's Workshop collaborative songs. None are from RL and the Chartbusters LP's.. So there is lots of new music. Here's a list of songs included:

ONE BIG STROKE
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Guitar: Joel Cage
Bass: Dave Doms
Drums: John Sands
Produced by: Ducky Carlisle

PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Pat Wallace
Violin: Robin Batteau
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

BENJAMIN
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane

A ROSE FOR SHARON
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Guitar: John Curtis
Bass: David Shapiro
Drums: Jean-Do Sifantus

WINTER AND THE WIND
I DON’T WANT TO LOSE
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Guitars and Vocals: Tony Gilroy, Flip Morse, Andy Pratt, Chip Harding

I DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO (When Things Go Wrong - early arrangement)
Music and Lyrics
Guitar: John Curtis
Bass: John Troy
Drums: Jean-Do Sifantus

SHA LA BEAT
Music and Lyrics
Mickey Clean
Performed by Mickey Clean and the Mezz

MANY YEARS AGO
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

DEGENERATE
Performed by
Nervous Eaters with
Mental Liberation Army, Barb Kitson, Johnny Angel and Nikki Jarrett

BRAIN DAMAGE
Performed by
Unnatural Ax

HEY (I'M NOT ANOTHER FACE IN THE CROWD)
Performed by
Barb Kitson and Thrills

I DON’T WANNA KNOW
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

WHY DO YOU TELL LIES
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

KATHY LEE
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

8.3
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE DOING
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliff
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

SOUR GRAPES
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and Scott Baerenwald

WORDS OF LOVE
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Peter Hoffman
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

ALL FALL DOWN
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and Dave Doms

CAN’T STOP ME NOW
Music and Lyrics
Robin Lane
Performed by
Robin Lane and the Chartbusters
Guitar: Asa Brebner, Peter Hoffman
Bass: Scott Baerenwald
Drums: Tim Jackson

NATURE, NURTURE
Music
Robin Lane
Lyrics
The Woman’s Voice Workshop
Performed by Robin Lane

THE LOTUS SONG
Music
Robin Lane
Lyrics
The Woman’s Voice Workshop
Performed by
The Woman’s Voice Workshop

FALSE MEMORY SYNDROME
FLY WITH BROKEN WINGS
Music
Robin Lane
Lyrics
Women’s Voice Workshop
Performed by
Robin Lane
Emily Grogran
Linda Viens
Marnie Hall
Music
Robin Lane
Lyrics
The Woman’s Voice Workshop
Performed by
Robin Lane
Emily Grogran
Linda

AYATOLLAH UNCLE MONKEY DRESSING ROOM CHANT

RL and the Chartbusters live in the dressing room

Thanks for your patience with updates on the film project. There’s lots to report. We have completed most of a rough edit of the film from beginning to end. There will no doubt be many final tweaks and further changes, but our goal of being mostly finished by September was met.
One significant addition was an interview with Chartbuster’s guitarist, Leroy Radcliff. We met after 30 years at a dock near Los Angeles where he docks his houseboat. Luca Desanto-Grassi, a former Art institute student now working in Hollywood, shot the interview on a Canon 5-D. It was an insightful and fascinating talk with the one previously missing member of the Chartbusters band.
This Sunday with the skillful camerawork and generous help of Matt Thurber, formerly drummer of the Rings now an in demand cameraman, and Nick Natale, a recent graduate of the Art Institute on sound, we are shooting a final piece with both Robin and myself at Robin’s country house. This will accompany the introduction and closing of the film and explain why I am doing this profile, and Robin will reflect on her whole life’s journey.
I will log that and send the final piece to editor Laura Colwell in Austin, and we’ll be on the way to the next grueling step of securing copyrights, licensing, clearances, and of grant writing. Anybody know any investors who want a producer credit?

There is one other significant change. I never thought I would do this, but after thinking about it with Robin, and asking the opinion of impartial people, it seems the right thing to do: I am changing the title from “A Woman’s Voice” to "When Things Go Wrong”. For those who know the song this may seem odd, but it is a much more compelling title for the rest of the world. It works well with the opening, as you shall see.
That’s it for now. I’ll try to update with some video soon

Tim

Picture below are some new photos being use in the title

Exclusive for Kickstarter contributors

We are getting closer to a rough final version of the film. Thanks to John Kusiak's music the beginning has taken on an interesting mood. Laura has done yeoman's service editing and keeping the tone on target. 

I have scripted the last sections and will see those assembled tomorrow. Your contributions have enabled this very grassroots project to come as far as it has. If you click below there is a link to Vimeo and a 7 minute sequence on Ms Lane's childhood from Chapter 1 - California.

We will no doubt be making changes and tightening up parts of it, reordering, etc. We consider contributors part of the process. Thanks for your patience, and enjoy!  Your comments are absolutely welcome and encouraged. Be the first to comment!!

Below the link, for your amusement,  is an old cartoon done by author, MTV honcho, CBS commentator, and all around great guy  Bill Flanagan from back in our touring days.

LINK TO ROBIN LANE CHILDHOOD SEQUENCE

We are back to work again following a hiatus while Laura Colwell and I caught up on work and life  - as mentioned in the recent Update. That update includes a wonderful 1980 Phoenix article by Dave Marsh. As promised here is a short video clip from the film of some pre-Chartbusters history.

In the clip, Robin is talking with her good freind Jocelyn Heaney behind a thrift store in Topanga Canyon. It was shot by Luca DeSanto Grassi several years ago. The conversation moves Robin's story to Boston where she took her lesser known bent for Christian songwriting to a changing local music scene. The material before and after this clip will expand considerably on what you see here. Brett Milano's interview puts it all into a larger historical framework. She soon slips into the 'punk' scene at the Rat in Kenmore Square armed with her new band featuring Asa Brebner and Leroy Radcliff from Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers, Scott Baerwald, and me, your humble scribe.

The clip features two little heard early songs: A Rose for Sharon, an early demo recording, and Winter and the Wind, which was written during the Blizzard of '78. The recording was meticulously preserved by David 'Finn' Finnerty from his living room recordings done in Cambridge during, what were called,  'Acid Jams' (though no LSD was involved!).

There are interviews with Peter Johnson, Joanne Cipolla (beautifully shot by Matt Thurber), and Tony Gilroy who recall those heady days. Gilroy was recorded at the top of the MTV building in NYC and shot by my students. The figures in the still pictures are not labeled, and will change some, but here they include Peter Johnson, Peter Bell, the late Reeve Little, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Rishell, Michael Golub, and Jean- Do Sifantus of the Road Apples.

Enjoy, and let us know what you think!

5 Minute Clip from A Woman's Voice

It's been too long since our last update. It was a busier than usual teaching semester for me, and Laura Colwell, the film's editor, is getting herself acclimated to Texas. We both had about a month of limited time to work on the project, but are back in gear now. The hope is for a completed rough edit by the end of the summer.

I have been finding material and sorting through interviews about the Boston music scene in the late 70's early 80's. and then we will move on to Ms Lane's post Warner Brother's struggles and successes. I did a last interview with Robin at her daughter Evangeline's house recently. We sat down to reflect on past mistakes, and current ambitions. I'm focusing on keeping Robin's story one that has universal appeal, beyond a fan base. In that regard the interview with Evangeline was a big surprise, and heartwarming. Not only is Evangeline a beautiful woman, but she had some surprising things to say about growing up in a rock and roll life.

We really are hoping to post a clip from A Woman's Voice in the next week or so. Meanwhile here is an interesting article by Dave Marsh that I recently uncovered. 

It's also readable at my blog TimJacksonWeb

Keep in touch. Keep those questions and comments coming.

Also consider a small contribution to another terrific music project by the wonderful filmmaker (and enormously fine person) Beth Harrington. She has a great film and a big goal. This is her second campaign for post production on her film about Johnny Cash LINK HERE to read all about it!