Graeme's son John to play at Bristol Silents film screening 16/06/2011 17:05 GMT
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Open a musical paintbox
Thursday, June 16, 2011 Bristol Evening Post
Musical director and keyboardist with the internationally acclaimed glam rock band Scissor Sisters, John "JJ" Garden joins Bristol Silents for a world premiere in the South West.
John will be providing a live soundtrack to the innovative, stop-motion dinosaur film The Lost World (1925) at The Barn Cinema, Totnes, Bristol's Arnolfini, and the Curzon cinema in Clevedon.
Featuring pioneering stop-motion techniques from Willis O'Brien just prior to his work on King Kong, this silent classic is a dramatic and enchanting retelling of Conan Doyle's story, shown for the first time with John's new score and introduced by Aardman Animation's director and Oscar-nominated stop-motion master, Peter Lord.
"This film is really important to the whole sci-fi genre," says John, whose dad is actor, presenter and member of The Goodies, Graeme Garden.
"It showed what was possible with animation and how you could put actors in the same frame as animated dinosaurs - I don't think that had ever been done before, so it was really groundbreaking.
"And it's still an impressive, entertaining film to watch; a great adventure, with good characters and plot.
"What I'm hoping to do is re-imagine a score as if it was a 1980s sci-fi film, which is when I originally saw the film and when movies like Blade Runner and Star Wars with their synth-heavy scores were about. I want to bring The Lost World back into the fold of these classic sci-fi films."
The score is described as "semi-improvised", but what exactly does that mean and what is the process behind it?
"I sat and watched the film a lot and just played along to it," says John, whose band Scissor Sisters boast such chart topping hits as Laura, Take Your Mama, Filthy/Gorgeous and I Don't Feel Like Dancing.
"Different scenes need different kinds of sound. I programmed these into the synth, so as the scenes change, I'll have a different palate of sounds to play with.
"The easiest analogy is having your paintbox in front of you and having the colours already mixed, but what you do with them on the night is anybody's guess."
The screenings are presented by Bristol Silents, who show both masterpieces and criminally underrated silent films throughout the year, as well as the annual laughathon that is the Slapstick Festival.
John, who spent his formative years in Bristol, was introduced to Bristol Silents through his dad, who attended many of their events.
In 2009, he and drummer Tony Orrell improvised a score to the works of Charley Bowers, who directed, animated and acted in 40 films during the Twenties, Thirties and Forties.
"Bristol Silents' director Chris Daniels and I then talked about other ideas," explains John. "He was really enthusiastic and that rubbed off on me.
"Chris gave me some DVDs to watch, and one of them was The Lost World. As soon as I put it on, I had this really strong feeling about it. I remembered watching it as a kid and recalled that sense of wonder at seeing moving dinosaurs for the first time. So it was easy to decide that this was the right film."
John has recently returned from the States after premiering a musical adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, which he composed with Scissor Sisters' lead singer Jake Shears.
"Working with Jake in that format was just a revelation; he's so imaginative and creative with lyrics and melody."
Music has always been a passion, says John, and one that was encouraged at home.
"Both Mum and Dad were big music fans and I felt very encouraged to pursue music with no questions asked; I was never pushed to be a certain kind of musician."
When his parents split up, John, along with his mother and sister, moved to Bristol, where he played in clubs and pubs around the city.
"I've lived in Easton, Montpelier, St Pauls, St Andrews... you name it, I've lived there. I got much more involved in music while in Bristol."
It was during his time in the city that he was encouraged to try out for up-and-coming US band Scissor Sisters.
"I used to play five-a-side football with Portishead's Geoff Barrow and he'd seen me doing gigs around Bristol," John recalls. "Geoff knew Scissor Sisters were looking for a keyboard player and hadn't found anyone suitable in New York.
"Things had just started to take off for them in the UK, and Geoff kindly recommended me.
"Geoff said 'I think this is a phone call you should make', and if Geoff Barrow says that, you don't ignore it! Plus, a friend who ran the Louisiana told me 'Keep an eye on this band - they're going to go far'. Luckily, I got the gig.
"Being in Scissor Sisters has been great, and it's been fun to branch out and do other things.
"I'm very excited about doing The Lost World because there's so much freedom in it. I just hope those who come along enjoy my take on it."
The Lost World appears at The Curzon on Friday, June 24, at 7.45pm. Tel: 07868 422089, and Arnolfini on Saturday, June 25, at 7.30pm. Tel 0117 917 2300. Dates for Bristol's 2012 Slapstick Festival have been confirmed as January 26-29. Tickets to the flagship Gala event at Colston Hall on Jan 27 go on sale today. Visit www.bristolsilents.org.uk |