Freddy Pompeii with The Secrets at The Last Pogo, December 1st, 1978. Photo copyright Edie Stiener.
Rock-steady crew member Ollie Brunton partied away his 16th birthday at Pogo H.Q., and the monopolization of all TV, Internet, and munchies for the evening allowed director Colin Brunton to go through some of the DVDs and tapes he’s been given over the past few years. Short films by Suzanne Naughton and Bruce Pirrie; hours of tape of The Viletones; super-8 footage of The Last Pogo; two live recordings of the show; a treasure trove of photos by the likes of Edie Steiner, Don Pyle, Patrick Cummins and more; and on and on and on.
With the big 30th Anniversary show of The Last Pogo coming up in November (more on that later), we’re scheduling the last of the footage we need to get to complete principal photography (since June 2006), and getting deeper into the editing. Oddly, it’s awesome how well Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass‘ Spanish Flea works under some scenes. All in all, it’s terrifically encouraging, and we’re starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, etc. And we’ve said this before, but all you people out there who we’ve said we’d interview, we’re still on it.
The Pogomobile got a call at 9:30 sharp this morning from a wide-awake and up-beat Steven Leckie, who is clearly excited about The 30th Anniversary show at the Horseshoe this November. He’s closing the books on The Viletones finally and forever, a name that’s been around off and on since 1977, and is all set to unleash The Steven Leckie Solution. “People are gonna remember this show the rest of their lives,” he enthused. And Steven had other news too: he’s been included in the recording of a tribute album to The Band, Steven joining ranks with fellow musicians like Leonard Cohen and Gordon Lightfoot. He got a shot of Band keyboardist genius Garth Hudson holding up a Viletones album.
As we get set to release The Last Pogo DVD, we’re about to get some nice press from the U.S.: Vice, Maximum Rock ‘n’ Roll, Alternative Press, Austin Chronicle.
And finally, word will get out soon about the big 30th Last Pogo Anniversary at the original scene of the crime, the Horseshoe Tavern, at the end of November. We’ve already heard from people who’re coming in from London, England and at least one person from Italy (!) It’s sure to be a great show, and everyone involved to date are made up of a bunch of people who’ve in their own way, never given up the ghost of 1978. The Scenics, The Mods, the aforementioned Steven Leckie, and The Ugly, with Greg Dick replacing the late, great Mike Nightmare, rumours of possible appearances by The Forgotten Rebels‘ Mickey DeSadest and special guests TBA.
Brain full. Must go.