A Hanley November...Interviews and such...

 Eliot Tiber

It’s no surprise that Woodstock comes up a lot in the Hanley memoir…and rightly so…this was Bills culminating performance in many ways.  Although Bill has/had tackled many other difficult projects pre and post the hippie fest there is no avoiding it.  In my view everyone seems to have come away with a unique experience in Bethel that summer…including Elliot.

Elliot Tiber is an interesting fellow to say the least. Most recently he is best known for his memoirs compiled in a book he authored entitled “Taking Woodstock”.  In 2009 a movie was made about his experience which was directed by Ang Lee.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127896/  

I was fortunate to interview Elliot one morning from his home in Miami Beach Florida. He has fond memories of Bill and this time. This was another great interview in my view.

More about Eliot Tiber here:

http://elliottiber.com/
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 Temple Grandin

In the beginning of my research and complete immersion into Bills head and life (which has not ended btw) he kept telling me to watch a particular movie. The movie (a biography) is called “Temple Grandin” a story about the Colorado professor’s life. Temple is a Doctor of Animal Science, author, inventor and a person with high functioning Autism…which she is an advocate of.

Bill wanted me to watch this movie because he claims he is a visual thinker much like Temple. He is focused like her and can identify with her way of functioning in society. This is very interesting stuff which I plan to explore further with Bill.

I did interview Temple one afternoon (she actually called me back). Coincidentally, Temple is an alum of Franklin Pierce University …maybe this is why she offered me an interview?  Both Bill and I have been invited to meet her in April when she comes to Boston…I can’t wait.

Temples website…

http://www.templegrandin.com/

David Marks

Dave at MSG with Hanley Bins (1969)

David Marks of Third Ear Music  http://www.3rdearmusic.com/  worked at Hanley sound for a very short time (a year or less) but he was insightful enough to have kept journals and to have taken photos of his time there. Some of his photos include Woodstock, MSG, and Newport.


David traveled much since then ending up back to his homeland of South Africa where he still resides. David is grateful to Bill for many things. One is that Bill lent the Woodstock Bins to him in an effort to help with specific anti apartheid festivals during the 1970s.

While interviewing David (via Skype) it was the next day (eve) in SA.  As the sun went down over the jungle around him, he had to close his curtains so the tree monkeys would not enter his room. Hanley sound people never cease to amaze me.

David’s Performer passes from the Hanley Sound days...

Jockos Jazz

 I spent the remainder of November moving my home from one place to another, teaching, learning and stressing out of course… In the midst of all this I managed to conduct a video shoot of Bill at Jockos Jazz club (the Sahara) in Methuen, MA. Jockos is becoming well known as a hot spot for North East Jazz players on Tues nights. Bill helps with sound at Jocko's when he can.  

Jockos Website
http://www.jockosjazz.com/

Lady GA GA at Barneys

One night (out of the blue) I got a call from Bill to come over with my camera. He explained that his son Joe was working through the night on a last minute project for Barneys Dept store of New York.  Here I found Joe and his team of fabricators putting together the footings for Lady GA GA installment. Pretty exciting stuff! I have determined with Joe...that the apple does not fall too far from the tree. He is a great guy and super smart...he also got the job done as you can see in the above picture.

www.barneys.com/LadyGaga

One last interview I had was with a man by the name of Billy Appleyard of Malden,MA. Billy was a classmate of Hanleys during the 1940s. He remembers Bill as a smart kid and a daydreamer. One memory Bill had of Hanley was that of fixing the class radio for the teachers/nuns…who were reluctant, but let him anyway. Much to their surprise Hanley fixed the radio and saves the day…even then Bill was innovating, helping and creating.

As a side note…I wrote a song for the project called The Last Seat in the House (Is the first place you will find me) performed by singer songwriter Doug Kwartler....coming soon!

See you at the movies!
John Kane