When The Cathedrals Were White - a film by David Levine

A film I made about John Fahey

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• John
• Fahey
• American
• Primitive
• Guitar
• Short
• Film

[TheBones1234]

Thanks for putting this up David. I only have the album 'America' on cd but first stumbled across John Fahey's music listening to a legendary British Disc Jockey called John Peel (also resting in peace). He was the only DJ who played John's stuff in the UK and even drove him around to a few gigs when John came over to tour in the late 1960s.

More recently I found an LP at a market simply called '1 X 6' by John Lawson. The first track being 'requiem to mississippi john hurt'.

[Arsenal123456123]

@TheBones1234 Thanks for the nice words. I love hearing stories about Peel. I often go back and listen to Fahey's 1969 sessions on Peel -- the quality of the audio is great for teaching yourself for playing covers. I remember reading that after Peel showed Fahey such a good time in the U.K., Fahey sent him an original Blind Lemon Jefferson 78 as a Christmas gift. How that thing didn't shatter in the post is a mystery.

[Urdatorn]

Beautiful. This movie is better than ALL the crap released from Hollywood these days. By the way; did u ever see him live? Or where did you learn those anecdotes? Keep up the good work fellow Fahey fan! ;)

[Arsenal123456123]

@Urdatorn Thanks a lot. Hollywood is releasing a lot of crap -- it's been releasing crap for many years. The difference now, I like to think, is that you don't have the occasional "Dog Day Afternoon" or "Annie Hall" coming out. (I tend to stick to films coming out of Europe, now.) The monologue is based off of a non-fictional essay I wrote in high school. I wrote it based on some of Fahey's liner notes, articles about him, and a friend of mine who saw him play in Cambridge, Mass. in 1964.

[Arsenal123456123]

@Urdatorn And, sadly, I never got to see him play. I didn't get into his stuff until I was 13... I'm 20 now.... the math will tell you the sad story of how I missed him by 2 years.

[corey949]

Yes! Keep listening, playing, writing, making films. We need young ones like you (from a soon-to-be 65 year old original folk geezer who heard Brownie and Sonny at the Ash Grove in L.A. the year it first opened in 1956. I was 11 and the blues changed my life)

[Arsenal123456123]

Thanks! I've been listening to Fahey/Delta Blues since I was 12 or so (and am now 19). Really changed my musical life -- then from there my whole life changed -- it helped influence me to go into film. Any chance that the Traveling Jewish Theatre will be coming to Boston or New York? I'd love to see some Jewish Theatre (I'm pretty sure my family used to be involved with the Yiddish theatre when they lived on the lower east side). On a side note, Christmas Sameach!

[taylor14c]

David: I've been a fan of Fahey's since the late 60's (don't ask my age) and I can't tell you how wonderfully you have captured him, his music, and the effect he had on us. Thanks so much.

[clumsystrummer]

Nice Job, I like how you bookended your film with two of Fahey's most joyous pieces. *****

[sixstringpickin]

Beautiful little film!

[dobbsie48]

Very touching. In this digital age it's difficult to understand just how challenging it was back then to get an independent album/label distributed. I made it a personal mission to introduce his music to all. As far as I know he was the first and for a while, the only, musician who gave solo acoustic steel string instrumental concerts. It warms the heart of this 63 year old to see a next generation discover this most influential composer/guitarist.

[irchristo]

I will too.

[finnertyManuel]

ah si amigo... ya got that right.

[tubby6411]

I fixed a flat on his old green station wagon.