FREE SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY THE OFFICAL GFF DAILY GUIDE
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WHAT’S INSIDE? 2 — TODAY’S PICKS This is the last time we will tell you what to do, we promise. But seriously, go and see Robot & Frank
2 — SHAKESPEARE To read, or not to read, that is
not the question. Read it, you lazy sods
3 — THE CINESKINNY AWARDS Better than the Oscars, but
BIG STAR: NOTHING CAN HURT ME
GL A SGO W K IZ Z
Tonight’s closing gala party will feature a tribute to BIG STAR, with DJ sets from Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite and the good folks at Monorail. We take a look at some of the ways Big Star and Glasgow have connected over the years
a whole lot shorter and less ridiculous. Also comes with the added bonus of not being presented by Seth MacFarlane
3 — MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING 4 — PICS OF THE FESTIVAL
The GFF photographers have been at every event, making the ugly look sexy and capturing some classic gala moments. Here are five of the best, so you can cut them out and make half a calendar
WORDS: CHRIS BUCKLE OVER 4000 miles of Dixie and ocean separate Memphis, Tennessee from Glasgow, Scotland, but influence travels far without fatigue. As tonight’s closing gala tribute will underscore, the music of Big Star has had a pronounced impact on many of our city’s musicians, with the mercurial Alex Chilton particularly cherished thanks to time spent here and friendships made before his sad passing in 2010, aged just 59. Through a handful of songs, we consider some of the ways in which Glasgow has shown Big Star love over the years, and been shown it back. TEENAGE FANCLUB – RET LIV DEAD The Fannies have never been shy about showing their indebtedness to Chilton and co, going as far as to name fourth album Thirteen after #1 Record’s wistful paean to adolescent romance. While Thirteen occupies a relatively lowly position in the band’s radiant discography, the fuzzy beauty of Ret Liv Dead pins down the influence: blissful melodies, vibrant guitar lines and a frequent, almost tangible melancholia.
V-TWIN – DERAILED V-Twin’s Jason McPhail was a close friend of Chilton’s, putting him up on his visits to Glasgow and spearheading the Mono tribute concert held in mid-2010. This gently abrasive ballad combines a simple vocal-plus-guitar melody with creaking strings and pockets of feedback – a rough-with-the-smooth aesthetic suggestive of Big Star’s opus work Third/Sister Lovers. 1990S – TAKE ME HOME AND MAKE ME LIKE IT V-Twin’s other core member Michael McGaughrin went on to drum with zesty rock and rollers 1990s, who have been known to perform this ramshackle slice of honkytonk sleaze-pop live. First appearing on Chilton’s Bach’s Bottom LP, the track constitutes one of the more accessible moments in a sprawling solo career known to split Big Star devotees down the middle. PRIMAL SCREAM – STAR According to Bobby Gillespie, Big Star influenced Primal Scream in ways “too many to mention”
(with Chilton’s early tutelage of The Cramps also notably formative). We’ve singled out Vanishing Point’s oasis of calm Star –not because its title constitutes 50% of the act in question, but because its woozy lullaby reportedly found a fan in Chilton himself. TEENAGE FANCLUB & ALEX CHILTON – I’VE NEVER FOUND A GIRL (TO LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO) A second Teenage Fanclub appearance brings this mini mix-tape full circle. The Belshill band collaborated with their idol-cum-cohort on several occasions, with this soulful take on I’ve Never Found a Girl – recorded for mid-nineties Scottish arts show Don’t Look Down – particularly worth tracking down on your online video sharing site of choice. 24 FEB – GFT 2 @ 20.00 GLASGOWFILM.ORG/FESTIVAL/WHATS_ ON/4650_BIG_STAR_NOTHING_CAN_HURT_ ME_PLUS_CLOSING_GALA_PARTY
Produced by The Skinny magazine in association with the Glasgow Film Festival Editors Designer Digital Deputy Editor
Lewis Porteous Jamie Dunn Marianne Wilson Nathanael Smith Josh Slater-Williams
Big thanks to the team at GFF as they made us all very welcome when we invaded GFT towers.
GFF BOX OFFICE Order tickets from the box office at www.glasgowfilm.org/festival or call 0141 332 6535 or visit Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB boxoffice@glasgowfilm.org
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SUNDAY 24 FEBRUARY THE CINESKINNY 1