If you missed the powerful Guitars Over Cancer concert last June at Altar Bar in the strip, what you missed is the history of Pittsburgh blues guitarists; one of my favorite music genres. That history unfolded on stage, as well as in screened film clips, which honored the passing of local guitar hero Warren King, 57, who died of liver cancer in January of 2010.
And if you were at that gig, you get to relive it in the film version of Guitars Over Cancer, premiering soon on April 3rd at Pittsburgh Filmmakers. Mr Lee, a long-time radio producer/DJ, was the producer of the concert and of the 82-minute film version as well.
Lee, a dear friend of mine, took some time over a few coffees to tell of his association with King and how we wished to honor his legacy by getting the guitar community out for a jam session. Below is what turned into a remarkable interview about his upcoming film.
Fleming: How did this Guitars Over Cancer gig come about initially?
Lee: Initially I wanted to have a gig of some sort for Warren. Doc (James Dougherty) called me a few years ago and said Warren was ill. We talked about a concert. The next year I had invited Glenn (Pavone) onto my show when I was on the air at WRCT (CMU) and he told me he was having wrist surgery. Shortly afterward I learned he had cancer, so the idea was to have them both onstage together surrounded by friends and colleagues. For various reasons, It never happened.
Q: Did you know what their relationship was?
A: I did, as I shot film of them playing together on the radio back in ’89, along with Joe Grushecky. They came from radically different backgrounds, as well as their approach to guitar playing, but had a camaraderie and respect for each other.
Q: And you used some of that footage from the radio station in the film?
A: I did, as well as a lot of other film from the late ‘80s.
Q: I was at that 4-hour concert…amazing show. How did you get 25 musicians to all show up for free and play so great together?
A: I invited many who were at Warren’s funeral and the subsequent wake at Moondog’s. But the kudos have to go to Gil (Snyder) and Norman (Nardini) who put together a musical revue, if you will, which I found to be quite seamless. And I begged Glenn to come and play. I’m so glad he did. I have to thank Val (Tom Valentine) for that.
Q: How does one make an 82-minute concert film out of a 4-hour concert?
A: Well, you have to pick and choose carefully the music you leave in and what you leave out. I just kept in mind of telling a story about Warren and friends through music and footage, and what Norman had to say. I just started interviewing people who played the concert but Norman emerged as the host, of sorts. His personality took over the camera.
Q: This archival footage, the black and white stuff, was part of another film?
A: When I think about it, this film is the completion of the film I started 22 years ago, “In the Dark,” a film about Pittsburgh blues players. I had run out of creative juices and money back then. I shelved the footage for all these years, wondering back then if I would ever do anything with it. It took Warrens death to bring it out of the closet, and the concert gave me the impetus to complete that film in the form of Guitars Over Cancer.
Q: Why do a film?
A: I just wanted to capture the essence of that evening, which was about the amazing music that was performed for Warren and the cancer charities. That, plus I’m a filmmaker, so that’s what I do.
Q: How did you come to pick these three charities to receive the funds?
A: I went by inspiration. Mario (Lemieux) inspires me for various (and the obvious) reasons, including that after 25 years, he is still a Pittsburgher. That goes a long way with me. Susan Komen’s sister Nancy, who started this entire Race for the Cure thing, is a one-woman stand, that’s now world-wide. Inspiring indeed. And Randy Pausch, the CMU professor, the way he handled his impending death, was very inspiring. He wanted donations to go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
Q: Can you give us a bit of background on your friendship with King?
A: I met Kingfish in the mid 60s as kids. My shitty band (I’m a drummer) most likely played in a battle of the bands with his band, which was always the best band in Monroeville. Then we went to high school together, then hung out at the famed Y Coffee House in the late 60s, you know…sex, drugs and rock and roll. Even my first date with my then wife-to-be was to see Warren play in his 70s band, Diamond Reo. I was always inspired by Warren’s talent and we always had some musical connection.
I kept running into him every 5-10 years throughout the 70s and 80s. I started making films in the 80s, and when he told me about his new band, the Mystic Knights, I started to shoot him and that turned into a film about Pittsburgh blues players.
Q: And that film was the aforementioned “In the Dark?”
A: It was… the film title coming from a song sung by drummer Bird Foster and played by the Mystic Knights, when they opened for BB King at the (Syria) Mosque in 1990. It’s in the Guitars Over Cancer film.
Q: How does the late Glenn Pavone fit into the film?
A: For reasons that I’m not sure of to this day, Glenn only played two songs at the concert, either by his design (as he was under chemo at the time for his own battle with cancer) or by the schedule. Either way, I felt he was not given his due onstage, considering his immense talent. And when he did take his licks, he kept deferring to other guitarists who shared the stage with him, always giving them the spotlight, typical of Glenn. So I felt strongly about paying homage to him in the film.
Q: How do you do that?
A: You will see that when you see the film.
Guitars Over Cancer will have its premier at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers Melwood Screening Room, located at 477 Melwood Ave in Oakland, Sunday April 3, 2011 at 7:30pm, with live entertainment to follow, plus Pittsburgh Penguins gear to be auctioned. All proceeds go to those same cancer charities.
