Last night the U.K. t.v. station Channel 4 showed a programme called 'The Paranormal Peter Sellars’which focused on the superstitions and beliefs of this very insecure,and brilliant comedy actor.But what was most interesting for me was the very brief home movie footage of Peter playing a whistle! I didn’t quite make out what make it was-poss. a Waltons/Soodlum? This was in the 1970’s,and Peter was living in Ireland (partly for tax reasons)at the time.Peter’s interest in Irish music is attested by the sleeve notes that he wrote for ‘Chieftains 4’.Maybe we could have a 'People who DO play pennywhistle’gallery!
And he played a mean ukelele on the song “New York Girls” on Steeleye Span’s Commoners Crown.
Multi-talented eh? There was a film clip of him playing uke (forget the name of the film),i think that he was playing the part of a washed up music hall ‘turn’,which was appropriate-he believed that he was guided by the spirit of Dan Leno,who DIED in 1910!
About a year ago I read a biography of Peter Sellars. Turns out he was a really..uh…problematic human being. Evidently he was erratic, mean-spirited, cruel and a nightmare to work with.
How could this BE if he played whistle?
Dale
puts on BLUEBOTTLE voice;“I do not knowww…” I suppose only ‘Brits’ of a certain age will get that one!
Poor guy, maybe he has too much water in his fipple. That’ll make anyone mean.
Chiff and fipple will set him straight.
Dale, maybe you could do the “Angry Whistlers Guide”. A 3-Fish publication that helps whistlers with (CFS not CTS) ‘clogged fipple syndrome’ deal with these intense emotional issues.
Sellars was supposed to be one
of these actors who was a human
blank when not acting, only
someone when he was playing
someone. How could that
be when he played the whistle?
-Perhaps he played guitar as well. It sure came in handy covering up in the nudist camp scene in " A Shot in the Dark". Just try that with a whistle!
I don’t think Walton’s made whistles it that time. Wouldn’t it be a Generation?
Whistle Historians - on your mark, get set, GO!
I have a picture of Robert Mitchum playing a Gen, but am clueless how to post it. Somebody E-mail me (MacIntosh instructions only, please!).
–^======== (( whistle on & on …
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-23 18:35 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-24 16:55 ]
Oh … but think of what he would have been like if he hadn’t played the whistle …
{stolen and paraphrased from Jewish mysticism, for those who recognized it}
edited for neatness. Neatness counts, doesn’t it? Hey fellas, doesn’t …?
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-23 18:32 ]
Oh yeah … It’s SELLERS. Peter Sellars directs avant-guarde operas.
…no more curried eggs for me! …
[-- edited to add an essentially pointless Goon Show reference --]
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-23 16:00 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-23 18:31 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-24 16:58 ]
Elliott,by a co-incidence,i just bought a dvd of the Mitchum film ‘Night of the Hunter’,from now on i guess i’ll call it ‘Night of the Hoover’!(no offence Mack!)
Never saw the flick. Why is he playing a whistle?)
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-23 18:36 ]
In that film he plays a psycho preacher who has ‘LOVE’ and ‘HATE’ tattooed on his knuckles,leaving a trail of murdered women in his wake- hopefully not the actions of yer average whistle player(excuse me,but i’ve got to sharpen my axe…) !!!
On 2002-12-23 10:59, brianormond wrote:
-Perhaps he played guitar as well. It sure came in handy covering up in the nudist camp scene in " A Shot in the Dark". Just try that with a whistle!
Actually, in his case, it might have sufficed.
You must not go to the same sessions I do. He’d fit right in (it’s free coffee for “the musicians” at the 9th St. Artisan).
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-24 17:03 ]
ELLIOTT, I, for one, would be very interested in seeing Robert Mitchum playing a whistle. I do not know why, but I am interested…maybe its one of those “Why do people stare at auto accidents?” things.
Anyway, if you email the photo to me in an attachment, I can post it for you.
Thanks to Vaporlock, here is Mr. Mitchum and his whistle:
As for me, I’m going to go listen to a Goon Show on:
http://homepage.mac.com/waynestewart/goons.html
Gut yontif, y’all.
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-24 17:06 ]
[ This Message was edited by: ELLIOTT on 2002-12-24 17:08 ]
That hat that Mitchum is wearing looks rather AUSTRALIAN in style to me,which reminds me of a film that he made 'round about 1960,called @‘The Sundowners’,in which he played an Aussie cattle drover,if i remember correctly.Long time since i saw it on t.v. Can’t remember any whistle though.
It’s a tad dark, but I don’t see “LOVE” or “EVIL” anywhere. And would anyone BUT an Aussie wear such a shirt?