Reviews
of the "Out of Our Dens Premiere
----From
Jim G. who was there that evening
Hey
Folks, I'm coming out of hiding for just a few minutes to let
you all know that I attended Jimbo's premiere last night and
it was really wonderful--a great accomplishment for him and
a tremendous boost for the band Richard & The Young Lions.
Judybaby
and I made our way up to Manhattan from the Jersey Shore yesterday
and got to the theater in the East Village, where the first
feature was just wrapping up. It's a small theater in a residential
neighborhood that was once presided over by the NY chapter
of the Hell's Angels. Times change.
We
got to the theater and located Jimbo right away--in the darkened
theater. He got right up, gracious as always, and greeted us
warmly.
After
a few minutes the first film finished--the end credits were
hysterically funny and the audience really seemed to be having
fun.
I
got us a pair of seats and introduced myself to the guy next
to me in the aisle seat. He turned out to be Jay Lustig of
the (New Jersey) Star-Ledger newspaper. We chatted on and off
throughout the evening.
I
made my way around the theater, working it in small sections.
Great crowd, soaring spirits, many of us dressed in our finery.
I was happy to meet Jimbo's wife and mother-in-law, and it
was fun
to see their glowing pride in him and their enjoyment.
Jimbo's
documentary is excellent. What can I say? Buy the DVD! I got
mine at a discount at the theater, with a free poster that's
getting framed and put up in my studio this weekend. There
were
quite a few high points, punctuated by laughter and even some loud
verbal comments.
Watch
for interviews with Steve Van Zandt and Lenny Kaye--and you
_must_ see the "interrupted" interview with Little
Steven that's included as an extra on the DVD!
It
was quite bittersweet for everyone that Howard "Richard" Tepp
passed away on June 17--even for me, even though I never met
him and he didn't know me.
After
the presentation, Jimbo introduced the seven remaining members
of the band who were present (a few others could not attend)
and a few of them made some heartfelt comments. We also listened
to a few tracks from the new RYL CD.
These
guys are real MUSICIANS. They had some misfortunes in the music
business, got on with their lives, then came back 35 years
later to play again in front of audiences--and they have a
loyal following.
I
had a chance to meet them, and enjoyed every moment of it.
All of them were gracious and joyous, with large doses of humility
in evidence. I told Shelly
Riff that I'd visited his website a whole bunch of times
and it was good to finally meet him.
I
hope all of you are well and happy,
Jim G.
www.riffsurfers.com
