Re: Still Moving / (+ LP cancelled)

[Lynn Ancona / Jay Kessel <gooddog>]

AnthonyR wrote:

>he hadn't heard of, but mentioned (without even looking it up) that they
>have in their collection a concert film called "The Last Rally", which
>has (maybe) three performances by Patti with Lenny Kaye and Richard Sohl
>from 1975. This was a concert on May 1, 1975 organized in recognition of
>the end of American involvement in the Vietnam War, and featured mostly
>"folk singers", according to the librarian. Unfortunately, it's on
>professional 3/4" videotape and can only be viewed by appointment at the
>library. (It's 31 minutes, and its library # is VTU142). There is also a
>video called "Rock My Religion" by Dan Graham, and the librarian said he
>knew that Graham had "lifted" sections from "The Last Rally" for his
>video, but he wasn't sure if there was any music by Patti in it. He was

I've seen Rock My Religion, at MOMA about 10 yrs ago.  This film cuts back
and forth between the performances by Patti and her band at the
aforementioned concert (which was in the Sheep Meadow at NYC's Central
Park) and "The Civil War" type documetary footage (photographs and
drawings) of Ann Lee, the woman who led the Shaker sect from Manchester to
America in the 18th century in search of religious freedom.

>The problem is that when you see this film, you will want to own it,
>without a doubt. It's as indispensible as "Horses", "Radio Ethiopia",
>"Babel", or any other of her MAJOR works. It's the quintessential Patti
>Smith "art/rat" performance: it is performance art, poetry, fashion,
>dance, photography, philosophy, religion (she rants about Lucifer) and
>sexuality all rolled up into 12 minutes, where she is in virtually every
>frame, and in various stages of attire. That it was directed by
>Mapplethorpe makes it doubly desirable. That it isn't available, makes
>it incredibly frustrating.
>
>
>Anthony




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