Money

A manic collage film from the mid-80s when it still seemed that Reaganism of the soul could be defeated. Filmed primarily on the streets of Manhattan for the ambient sounds and movements and occasional pedestrian interaction to create a rich tapestry of swirling colors and juxtaposed architectural spaces in deep focus and present the intense urban overflowing energy that is experience living here. MONEY is thematically centered around a discussion of economic problems facing avant-garde artists. Discussion, however, is fragmented into words and phrases and reassembled into writing. Musical and movement phrases are woven through this conversation to create an almost operatic composition. Give me money!

Several times a week, I would wander over from Ludlow Street to Studio Henry, a basement rehearsal space at 1 Morton Street below a pet store where the new downtown musicians played improvised music free every night, often with more people on stage than in the audience (John Zorn was developing his “game pieces” at the time), and listen for a hour or so, get inspired & go home and work on this film. The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E scene was also beginning then and had a great Saturday reading series at the Ear Inn and we hung out for speech-charged listening hours from there. And Sally Silvers was turning me onto a lot of exciting dance. I wanted to draw on all this obscure exciting energy while adding to it. The Collective for Living Cinema provided a forum. I filmed with a retired television news camera (single system Frezzolini, sound recorded directly on mag stripe on 16mm reversal) rented from Rafik and spent three years undertaking a radical re-examination of montage.

Starring: Bruce Andrews, Derek Bailey, Charles Bernstein, Abigail Child, Yoshiko Chuma, Jack Collom, Tom Cora, Alan Davies, Fred Frith, Peter Hall, Pooh Kaye, Arto Lindsay, Christian Marclay, Mark Miller, David Moss, Charles Noyes, James Sherry, Ron Silliman, Sally Silvers, Susie Timmons, Carmen Vigil, Diane Ward, and John Zorn. So many friends so many of whom I haven´t seen for so long.
Includes rare footage from the premieres of Zorn´s CROQUET at Verna Gillis´ Soundscape and TRACK & FIELD at Roulette, the Toy Killers at Studio Henry, and early Skeleton Crew at the Public, plus Orchard Street & Canal Street before gentrification.

(Henry Hills)