Rolling Stones — Cocksucker Blues (part six)

Saw this Rolling Stones doc this week at a schoolroom-style showhouse that opened up last year on South 3rd in Williamsburg, just off Bedford. It’s called the Spectacle Theater. It’s BYOB and has room for an audience of 25, plus folding chairs—and there’s space up front for those who want to sit on the carpet. Real homey.

There was a nice introduction by a fellow who teaches film at The New School, David Meyer. (He also has a book out about Gram Parsons, which I’d like to check out). He told us the Stones suppressed this film as soon as it came out, showing as it did the debaucherous spectacle that was their 1972 Exile on Main Street tour. It wasn’t as lurid as I’d expected—but the Stones are almost invariably shirtless, pulling shirts (and pants) off the groupies in their bus, smoking weed (and other things) and there’s a needle scene too.

Completely unexpected, however, was the film credit to Robert Frank (yes, that Robert Frank) who filmed the whole thing, along with a team of kids armed with cameras and mics. The shots are spectacularly bad, frequently washed out, but musically there are some truly electric scenes. Go about six minutes in on this clip and you’ll see Stevie Wonder launch the Stones into ‘Satisfaction.’ A great moment in rock’n’roll.

Hamper McBee: Raw Mash (1978)

Film by Blaine Dunlap & Sol Korine

Welcome to Country Sunday everyone. This time we’re travelling down to the Cumberland Plateau, in southeastern Tennessee, to the town of Monteagle, population 1,238, to watch the balladeer, carnival barker and handlebar-mustachioed moonshiner Hamper McBee work his magic on a country still in a stand of shady woods.

It all starts with fermenting the mash. Hamper says “It’ll take 3-4 days to sour it off. Then, when it ferments, that’s where you’ll get yer alky from.” While that’s happening, the filmmakers interview Hamper on moonshine and its effects on a man, and record a number of Hamper’s a capella tunes, including ‘Black Jack Davy,’ ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ and ‘Rye Whiskey.’

“In 15 years from now there won’t be a half a dozen moonshine stills in the state. All these small towns gettin whiskey stores and stuff…and especially when you buy us moonshine you don’t know what you getting. By god you can be getting some damn old rot gut… crap iron.”

In another scene, Hamper sips a can of beer and tells of his bouts with delirium tremens. One of the craziest things I’ve heard.

“When you get the DTs… First time I ever had ‘em I thought I’d lost my mind completely. This frog, oh he’s big, big as a #3 washtub, and he come in the room, jump up on my feet, hell you could feel the weight of him pushing down on ya. And he’d jump up on your chest and an old big tongue just come out and stick to yer forehead, you could feel it pullin on ya. Then you go to fighting with the frog, but as you get up he go back out the door. You’re set now just about exhausted cause you can’t lay down. And I lay down on the bed and jump back up, and he’d be peeping round the door. He never got on ya unless you laid down. But just as quick as your head hit that pillow, he’d be back in the room on ya.” (~15:00 in)

When the mash is ready, Hamper takes to splitting logs and old barrels to build a fire under the still, and the boys all cheer and shout as the first distilled drops of white whiskey start trickling out. It all ends with the whole rig blowing to pieces in a spectacular explosion, courtesy The Tennessee Alcohol Beverage Commission.

Can’t get enough of Jimmy…

Ron Moody sings “Reviewing the Situation” as Fagin in Oliver! (1968)

he’s fantastic…love the hand thing.