(updated 8/17/08)
Here
is a list of
Johnny's known participation in music-related documentaries.
Please click images to enlarge.
1) Where It's At: The Rolling Stone State of the Union (1998). This television documentary was shown on ABC on May 21, 1998. Johnny is credited on IMDb as a participant. Here is a description found by Maggy from the initial airing:
2) Music Behind the Scenes (2001). This is a listing on IMDb that includes Johnny (as archive footage) in the credits. It appears to be a miniseries that aired in the UK in 2001 and in Finland in 2004. I am looking for more information about this show!
3) Taraf de Haïdouks Live At Union Chapel, from The Continuing Adventures Of Taraf de Haïdouks: The DVD (2004). Taraf de Haïdouks is a Romani band with whom Johnny appeared in the 2000 Sally Potter film, The Man Who Cried. This part interview, part performance film features Johnny in three segments, discussing the first time he met Taraf de Haïdouks, turning on musician friends of his to the band, and specifically, the reactions of Iggy Pop and Jim Jarmusch upon seeing Taraf for the first time.
4) Gypsy Caravan AKA When the Road Bends: Tales of a Gypsy Caravan (2006). Screened on May 1, 2006 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film is a brief look into Romani culture and Rom (Gypsies) from around the globe as five famous Romani groups (Esma Redzepova, Maharaja, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Taraf de Haïdouks, and Antonio el Pipa Flamenco Ensemble) tour the USA and Canada. The film visits their families at home in Spain, India, Macedonia and Romania. Johnny participates in this film discussing Taraf de Haïdouks. The film has been released in the US, Europe and Japan, and continues to screen in select theaters. It also aired on television on select PBS stations in the spring of 2008. See a list of a few remaining upcoming screenings here! The DVD was released in Region 2 in April of 2008. The Region 1 DVD will be released on August 26, 2008, and will feature extra bonus materials.
From the press kit: Promotional postcard: Honors:
5) Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007). Made its debut January 20, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film celebrates the life of the late legendary frontman of The Clash and more recently The Mescaleros. The film was made by Julien Temple. Johnny is one of the contributors, along with former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon, and many other noted musicians and actors such as Bono, Steve Jones, John Cusack and Matt Dillon. Most of the interviews were conducted in front of a bonfire.
The film had additional screenings across the pond, including the Dublin Film Festival in February of 2007, a number of screenings on May 9, "Joe Strummer Day," and at Cannes (as an unofficial screening?) It was released theatrically in the UK on May 18, 2007. It also had US screenings in Brooklyn, Seattle and LA. The film was released in the US via Independent Film Channel on November 2, 2007, and had a limited theater run through December 2007.
The Region 2 DVD was released on Sept. 17, 2007, and the Region 1 DVD was released on July 8, 2008.
Screencaps thanks to Liz/Endora:
6) Runnin' Down A Dream (2007). This documentary about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Johnny is one of the participants, discussing the band in general, his participation in the video for Into The Great Wide Open, and inviting the band to play opening night at the Viper Room. The 238 minute film was shown at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 14, 2007, in select theaters on Oct. 15, and on the Sundance Channel on Oct. 29. It was released as a 3DVD/CD bundle exclusively at Best Buy stores on Oct. 16.
Petty says (according to an unsourced quote from a Petty message board): "It looks pretty great. I think he's mostly based it around the concert we did in Gainesville (Florida) in September. It sort of goes into flashbacks, with lots of archival footage, and then just keeps coming back to the present, whether it's the rehearsals or on the airplane or at the concert in Gainesville."
Johnny's past ties to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers include starring in the Into The Great Wide Open video and endorsement of the band on MTV in the early 90's.
7) Rock And A Hard Place: Another Night At The Agora (2008). This documentary is about the South Florida music scene of the late 70's and early 80's, about Sheila Witkin as one of the driving forces of that scene, and about the Memorial Reunion Concert that was held in her memory on January 28, 2007 in Pompano Beach, FL. Johnny participated in this show as a member of The Kids. A second show was also held on May 20, 2007 at The Scene in Pompano Beach to capture additional footage from Z-Cars, The Cichlids, and Charlie Pickett for inclusion in this documentary. The film had its World Premiere on April 12, 2008, at the Palm Beach International Film Festival in Mizner Park, FL, with a second screening on April 17. The film will also have 4 screenings at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival from Aug. 29-Aug. 31.
Posters: Palm Beach Int'l Film Festival Description: Sun-Sentinel Review:
if you have any additions, or corrections, thanks!
1) Where It's At: The Rolling Stone State of the Union (1998). This television documentary was shown on ABC on May 21, 1998. Johnny is credited on IMDb as a participant. Here is a description found by Maggy from the initial airing:
It's about
what's up. Rolling
Stone magazine is turning 30, and to note that, publisher Jann Wenner
has produced a two-hour special titled Where It's At: The Rolling Stone
State of the Union. Airing at 9 tonight on ABC, Where It's At
(named for the catchy Beck tune) examines pop culture and the attitudes
of today's youth _ as opposed to yesterday's youth, who may not relate
to what's being said but will get to hear a lot of Bruce Springsteen.
Younger viewers get Marilyn Manson, the most surprising commentator on
the show, plus Sean "Puffy" Combs and Fiona Apple, Jewel and Beck.
The film poses a lot of questions about spirituality, values,
identity and hope. Marilyn Manson talks about religion; Bruce
Springsteen, Fiona Apple and Johnny Depp about fame; Jewel on body
image; Tom Wolfe, Salt-n-Pepa and Rosie Perez on sex and love.
In addition to speaking about fame, Johnny comments on the violence
facing today's youth, as well as his love and value of music.
2) Music Behind the Scenes (2001). This is a listing on IMDb that includes Johnny (as archive footage) in the credits. It appears to be a miniseries that aired in the UK in 2001 and in Finland in 2004. I am looking for more information about this show!
3) Taraf de Haïdouks Live At Union Chapel, from The Continuing Adventures Of Taraf de Haïdouks: The DVD (2004). Taraf de Haïdouks is a Romani band with whom Johnny appeared in the 2000 Sally Potter film, The Man Who Cried. This part interview, part performance film features Johnny in three segments, discussing the first time he met Taraf de Haïdouks, turning on musician friends of his to the band, and specifically, the reactions of Iggy Pop and Jim Jarmusch upon seeing Taraf for the first time.
4) Gypsy Caravan AKA When the Road Bends: Tales of a Gypsy Caravan (2006). Screened on May 1, 2006 at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film is a brief look into Romani culture and Rom (Gypsies) from around the globe as five famous Romani groups (Esma Redzepova, Maharaja, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Taraf de Haïdouks, and Antonio el Pipa Flamenco Ensemble) tour the USA and Canada. The film visits their families at home in Spain, India, Macedonia and Romania. Johnny participates in this film discussing Taraf de Haïdouks. The film has been released in the US, Europe and Japan, and continues to screen in select theaters. It also aired on television on select PBS stations in the spring of 2008. See a list of a few remaining upcoming screenings here! The DVD was released in Region 2 in April of 2008. The Region 1 DVD will be released on August 26, 2008, and will feature extra bonus materials.
From the press kit: Promotional postcard: Honors:
5) Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten (2007). Made its debut January 20, 2007 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film celebrates the life of the late legendary frontman of The Clash and more recently The Mescaleros. The film was made by Julien Temple. Johnny is one of the contributors, along with former Clash members Mick Jones and Topper Headon, and many other noted musicians and actors such as Bono, Steve Jones, John Cusack and Matt Dillon. Most of the interviews were conducted in front of a bonfire.
The film had additional screenings across the pond, including the Dublin Film Festival in February of 2007, a number of screenings on May 9, "Joe Strummer Day," and at Cannes (as an unofficial screening?) It was released theatrically in the UK on May 18, 2007. It also had US screenings in Brooklyn, Seattle and LA. The film was released in the US via Independent Film Channel on November 2, 2007, and had a limited theater run through December 2007.
The Region 2 DVD was released on Sept. 17, 2007, and the Region 1 DVD was released on July 8, 2008.
Screencaps thanks to Liz/Endora:
- Sundance Online Film Guide
- article
in the Times Online UK
- at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
- at the Seattle Int'l Film Festival
- at
the LA Film Festival
- Official trailer on YouTube
- Clip of
Johnny discussing The Clash
- The Future Is Unwritten Official Site
- The Future Is Unwritten on MySpace
- The Future Is Unwritten IFC MySpace page
- The Future Is Unwritten page on IFC Entertainment
6) Runnin' Down A Dream (2007). This documentary about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is directed by Peter Bogdanovich. Johnny is one of the participants, discussing the band in general, his participation in the video for Into The Great Wide Open, and inviting the band to play opening night at the Viper Room. The 238 minute film was shown at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 14, 2007, in select theaters on Oct. 15, and on the Sundance Channel on Oct. 29. It was released as a 3DVD/CD bundle exclusively at Best Buy stores on Oct. 16.
Petty says (according to an unsourced quote from a Petty message board): "It looks pretty great. I think he's mostly based it around the concert we did in Gainesville (Florida) in September. It sort of goes into flashbacks, with lots of archival footage, and then just keeps coming back to the present, whether it's the rehearsals or on the airplane or at the concert in Gainesville."
Johnny's past ties to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers include starring in the Into The Great Wide Open video and endorsement of the band on MTV in the early 90's.
7) Rock And A Hard Place: Another Night At The Agora (2008). This documentary is about the South Florida music scene of the late 70's and early 80's, about Sheila Witkin as one of the driving forces of that scene, and about the Memorial Reunion Concert that was held in her memory on January 28, 2007 in Pompano Beach, FL. Johnny participated in this show as a member of The Kids. A second show was also held on May 20, 2007 at The Scene in Pompano Beach to capture additional footage from Z-Cars, The Cichlids, and Charlie Pickett for inclusion in this documentary. The film had its World Premiere on April 12, 2008, at the Palm Beach International Film Festival in Mizner Park, FL, with a second screening on April 17. The film will also have 4 screenings at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival from Aug. 29-Aug. 31.
Posters: Palm Beach Int'l Film Festival Description: Sun-Sentinel Review:
- Official trailer on YouTube
- Rock And A Hard Place: Another Night At The Agora Official Website
- Palm Beach International Film Festival Website
- Rock And A Hard Place page on the Palm Beach International Film Festival site
- Rock And A Hard Place at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival
- Rock And A Hard Place IMDb page
- Audience, withoutabox (film summary, cast and crew, and other info)
- April 2008 Broward-Palm Beach New Times The Music’s Not Over (article about the film and the screening)
- April 14, 2008 Sun-Sentinel Blogs Notes on Music (blog entry from Sean Piccoli, who wrote the Sun-Sentinel review above)
- April 18, 2008 Broward-Palm Beach New Times Crossfade Blog Film Screening: Another Night at the Agora
- Sign up to get DVD preorder information and updates about future film screenings
Press Release: “Hard
Place” Ready to Rock South Florida Again:
May 05, 2008—Rock and a Hard Place: Another Night at the Agora, a rockumentary that traces the rise and fall of South Florida’s independent rock music scene during the height of Miami’s Disco era, has been invited to a special screening at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival by festival Chairman John Boisseau. Festival Executive Director Hal Axler states, “The Agora Ballroom is an iconic part of Fort Lauderdale's past and we’re excited about bringing the memories and the music back home!” Slated to screen at the historical Cinema Paradiso, this will be the first time the film will be projected in high-definition with surround sound. Several bands from the feature film have been invited to perform live at the event. Additional details including date and time will be released as soon as they become available.
Well received by filmgoers and critics alike, Rock and a Hard Place recently held its world premiere at the Palm Beach International Film Festival where it sold out it’s first screening twice and nearly sold out its second. Jose Lambiet of the Palm Beach Post calls it “one of the most buzzed about films” at the festival. Sean Piccoli of the Sun-Sentinel describes it as “...a pleasing, bittersweet reflection enlivened by some tail-kicking performances”. Film critic John Linn of the New Times states, “It does a good job making you feel as betrayed by the music industry as the bands obviously were.”
In Rock and a Hard Place, Producer Diane Jacques of Lake Worth and Director Aaron Wells of Wellington chronicle the meteoric rise of seven South Florida bands – The Kids, Z-Cars, Critical Mass, The Cichlids, Tight Squeeze, Slyder, and Charlie Pickett and the Eggs – who in the late nineteen-seventies were on the very brink of super-stardom. Unlike other rock music scenes, location proved fatal and the bands and their music were all but forgotten. Until now. Rock and a Hard Place shines a light into this forgotten era, giving their music a second chance for a new generation of fans.
Please visit http://www.AnotherNightAtTheAgora.com for more information on Rock and a Hard Place and to view the trailer. Information on the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival can be found at http://www.fliff.com/ or by calling (954) 525-FILM.
May 05, 2008—Rock and a Hard Place: Another Night at the Agora, a rockumentary that traces the rise and fall of South Florida’s independent rock music scene during the height of Miami’s Disco era, has been invited to a special screening at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival by festival Chairman John Boisseau. Festival Executive Director Hal Axler states, “The Agora Ballroom is an iconic part of Fort Lauderdale's past and we’re excited about bringing the memories and the music back home!” Slated to screen at the historical Cinema Paradiso, this will be the first time the film will be projected in high-definition with surround sound. Several bands from the feature film have been invited to perform live at the event. Additional details including date and time will be released as soon as they become available.
Well received by filmgoers and critics alike, Rock and a Hard Place recently held its world premiere at the Palm Beach International Film Festival where it sold out it’s first screening twice and nearly sold out its second. Jose Lambiet of the Palm Beach Post calls it “one of the most buzzed about films” at the festival. Sean Piccoli of the Sun-Sentinel describes it as “...a pleasing, bittersweet reflection enlivened by some tail-kicking performances”. Film critic John Linn of the New Times states, “It does a good job making you feel as betrayed by the music industry as the bands obviously were.”
In Rock and a Hard Place, Producer Diane Jacques of Lake Worth and Director Aaron Wells of Wellington chronicle the meteoric rise of seven South Florida bands – The Kids, Z-Cars, Critical Mass, The Cichlids, Tight Squeeze, Slyder, and Charlie Pickett and the Eggs – who in the late nineteen-seventies were on the very brink of super-stardom. Unlike other rock music scenes, location proved fatal and the bands and their music were all but forgotten. Until now. Rock and a Hard Place shines a light into this forgotten era, giving their music a second chance for a new generation of fans.
Please visit http://www.AnotherNightAtTheAgora.com for more information on Rock and a Hard Place and to view the trailer. Information on the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival can be found at http://www.fliff.com/ or by calling (954) 525-FILM.
Music Documentaries without
Johnny's planned participation
1) Do It For Johnny
(2007). This is a documentary about
the quest of filmmakers Haylar Garcia and Darcy Grabowski to bring a
screenplay (entitled Narcophonic,
the Ballad of Bad Bax) about guitar maker
Scott Baxendale to Johnny. It first screened at the Bug
Theatre in Denver Colorado on Sunday, January 21, 2007 and had its official premiere
at the 22nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Jan. 28. During 2007, the film was
also
an official selection for the Vail and Sonoma Valley Film Festivals and
won Best Documentary at the Rainier Independent Film Festival. It most recently
showed at the Arclight Cinemas on Oct. 19 as part of the Hollywood Film
Festival.
According to Garcia, this was an acquisition screening, and their
producers are currently sending out "screeners" to potential
distributors. They are hoping for a 2008 release.
The documentary features information about Johnny's musical history. It includes an interview with Ringo Jukes from the Rock City Angels, and reportedly features 3 RCA songs: Mary (cowritten by Johnny), Beyond Babylon and Hell's Kitchen.
The documentary features information about Johnny's musical history. It includes an interview with Ringo Jukes from the Rock City Angels, and reportedly features 3 RCA songs: Mary (cowritten by Johnny), Beyond Babylon and Hell's Kitchen.
- Do It For Johnny Official Site
- Do It For Johnny on MySpace
- Nov. 9, 2007 DVD Talk Interview with Haylar Garcia
- Do It For Johnny at the 22nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival
- at the Vail Film Festival
- at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival
- winner of Best Documentary at the Rainier Independent Film Festival
- at the Hollywood Film Festival
- White Board Markers review from the Hollywood Film Festival
- KOAA review
- March 3, 2005 westword.com item
- Sept. 1, 2005 westword.com item
if you have any additions, or corrections, thanks!