Documentary: Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?*

If you're talking about "Who Is Harry Nillson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)", I got the opportunity to see it at last year's Seattle International Film Festival. It's a great movie - lots of interviews with people who knew and/or worked with him, lots of performance footage (from a guy who really didn't do many performances), and of course lots of great music. I didn't realize it hadn't ever gotten picked up or distributed. It's a damn shame, too. Top-notch work.

 

"Shut up, shut up, shut up...."-Homer Simpson.

 

Hey, you asked if anyone had seen it!

 

I know, I know.

 

I'd be interested to see this. Interestingly enough, I just bought a copy of "Nilsson Schmilsson" the other day.

 

I saw it - it's great but has really limited appeal because Harry just doesn't have a recognizable name.

I don't understand why they're not grabbing a DVD deal - I don't see how they keep having hopes for a theatrical distributor...

Jeff

 

I would assume if the Wild Man Fisher doc could be released...... oh, wait a minute, was that even released? Did antbody get to see that?

 

I've been dying to see this also. E-mails to LSL have gotten no response. Forget theatres, just give us a DVD.

 

When I reported that the production company wouldn't try to self-distribute it, I meant as a DVD. According to what I was told, they're not even getting respectable offers for a DVD release! Apparently, there is NO commercial interest in the documentary for theatrical release and nothing substantial for a DVD release. Sad.

 

If Daniel Johnson's doc can be distributed by a major........ COME ON!!!!!
Maybe a deal with RCA....wait BMG?? Whoever owns RCA now..... Yeah, it is a little confusing.
But, maybe if someone uses "Without You" in a car commercial, they could market it then, right? Ahhhh, life in the 21st century

 

Yeah, really! Even the Scott Walker documentary is coming to DVD in September, and he's less known than Harry.

 

I met Harry once and made a joke about his fun "weekend" in LA with John Lennon. He was not amused.

 

I'd really love to see this thing finally come out on a DVD. People need to know just how special he was to the music community.
BTW, I got to hear an interview snippet of Harry from a radio broadcast today. The guy who did the interview goes by the handle Charlie Tuna(sp?). Harry says in the brief snippet that he used to be a computer operator back in the days when they were huge and had vaccum tubes in them. The thing that he also mentioned which really took me by surprise is that he said that he lettered in baseball and basketball in college (I think? I can't remember). But it was sure nice to hear his voice.

 

Not everyone's heard of a lot of the folks that PBS has doc's on.
I don't see why a deal couldn't be worked out there.

I'm pretty much lusting after this film, by the way. The preview looks awesome.

I love me some Schmillson!

 

I don't see what the big deal is, or what it isn't.

The guy has many charting hits including now standards that have been covered. He had a very memorable hit from Midnight Cowboy which was a very imporant American film, another hit from a TV film again very memorable, and then had another hit that was a theme to a TV show.

Plus several other hits that stick in the brain like parts of our DNA.

Plus some hit albums that went beyond cult. If that dosent rate a bio pic than we really have entered the dark ages concerning music and what is considered classic and what is not.

 

Harry WAS pretty big onceuponatime. The docos title seems to clearly play on the irony of this artists gradual decline into obscurity. Can't believe they wouldn't release this on DVD, fuggin' crazy.
So I await impatiently for this one like many here. But if you think it might be difficult getting this movie released spare a though for us Gary McFarland fans who are taunted by the thin-whispers that occasionally are heard about the documentary made about Gary. Where-oh-where is THAT movie????????

 

I'll bet the buyer of the Harry docu would be required to pick up the tab on the music clearences for both publishing and the master recordings.

Perhaps Sony/BMG is not in a good mood right about now, and is demanding major bucks for any sync licenses.

 

It seems the only way to get anydoby to care for any piece of music, it's got to prostitute itself to land in the right car commercial; the one that will capture the imagination of Americans. How did it come to this. Television slowy controled what would be heard to get stuck in our heard. You know, I'm hearing "This Is The Day" by The The, and "Start!" by The Jam more NOW than when they were first released!!!

 

So Rhino isn't even interested in this?

 

I expected them to release that Wild Man Fischer doc, and THAT didn't happen!

 

Maybe the old Rhino would have, but not what passes for "Rhino" these days.

I'm surprised Shout Factory hasn't shown some interest, though.

 

Oh, YEAH!

 

The fact that some people never heard of Brian Wilson or someone else that's been on PBS is irrelevant. Enough people HAVE heard about him/them to make PBS shell out the money for programming. The fact that less people have heard of Harry N. is what makes PBS reluctant.

 

A documentary about Harry Nilsson can't get a distributer,but Rodney Binginheimer's can?????
(Nothing against Rodney,but C'MON!!!!!)