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This week, we're excited to share a brand-new podcast we think you'll enjoy. From our friends over at Canadaland, meet The Worst Podcast.Hosted by award-winning filmmaker (and noted curmudgeon) Alan Zweig, The Worst Podcast is Canadaland's first celebrity interview pod. Zweig finds typical celebrity interviews surface-level and predictable, so he found a solution: conversations with notable guests about the worst things in life. Rejection, anyone?In this episode, Zweig sits down with Ron MacLean. Find The Worst Podcast wherever you're listening right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canadaland has launched its first ever celebrity interview podcast and it's not great. It's The Worst Podcast.Celebrities are always talking about their bests. Now hear them at their worst.Join award-winning filmmaker and noted curmudgeon Alan Zweig for refreshingly honest conversations with “notable people” about the worst things in life.Alan has no interest in best-selling books or Hollywood triumphs, and doesn't know (or care) much about his guests. He's looking for real conversations that dig deep and get to the worst things: nagging fears, embarrassing secrets and haunting regrets. And he'll no doubt share a few of his own along the way.Listen to The Worst Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canadaland has launched its first ever celebrity interview podcast and it's not great. It's The Worst Podcast.Celebrities are always talking about their bests. Now hear them at their worst.Join award-winning filmmaker and noted curmudgeon Alan Zweig for refreshingly honest conversations with “notable people” about the worst things in life.Alan has no interest in best-selling books or Hollywood triumphs, and doesn't know (or care) much about his guests. He's looking for real conversations that dig deep and get to the worst things: nagging fears, embarrassing secrets and haunting regrets. And he'll no doubt share a few of his own along the way.Listen to The Worst Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Canadaland just launched its first ever celebrity interview podcast and it's not great. It's The Worst Podcast.Celebrities are always talking about their bests. Now hear them at their worst.Join award-winning filmmaker and noted curmudgeon Alan Zweig for refreshingly honest conversations with “notable people” about the worst things in life.Alan has no interest in best-selling books or Hollywood triumphs, and doesn't know (or care) much about his guests. He's looking for real conversations that dig deep and get to the worst things: nagging fears, embarrassing secrets and haunting regrets. And he'll no doubt share a few of his own along the way.Listen to The Worst Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this primer episode of The Worst Podcast, Canadaland publisher Jesse Brown reflects on why he's backing The Worst Podcast. Host (and acclaimed underground documentary filmmaker) Alan Zweig expresses major doubts about all of it.Follow The Worst Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Season one launches September 4.The Worst Podcast is a production of Double Double, a new imprint from Canadaland, publishing podcasts that are not a product of our newsroom.Host: Jesse BrownCredits: Kattie Laur (Producer), Kevin Sexton (Producer), Julie Shapiro (Executive Producer), Alan Black (Commissioning Producer), Tristan Capacchione (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Production Manager)Photo of Alan Zweig by Naomi HarrisAdditional music by Audio NetworkSponsors: Article: Article is offering our listeners $50 off your first purchase of $100 or more. To claim this offer, visit https://article.com/canadaland and the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.BetterHelp: Canadaland listeners head to https://betterhelp.com/canadaland to get started today and enjoy 10% off your first month. Discount code “canadaland" will be automatically applied.Squarespace: Canadaland listeners head to https://squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you're ready to launch use code “canadaland” to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain.Oxio: Canadaland listeners get their first month of internet free at https://canadaland.oxio.ca, use the promo code “Canadaland”If you want to hear Canadaland and The Worst Podcast Ad-Free and get exclusive episodes, become a Supporter. You will be supporting our independent journalism and funding shows that simply would not get made otherwise.You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Returning guest, filmmaker Alan Zweig (Vinyl, When Jews Were Funny), brings us Will Oldham - a.k.a. Palace Brothers, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy...etc) and his stunning debut: 'There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You'First released in 1993 under a cloud of mystery, Oldham's dark tales of sin, lust, alcohol, and redemption made for rousing conversation - as we name-checked The Louvin Brothers, The Velvet Underground and many others along the way. Songs discussed in this episode: Oh Lord Are You In Need - Glen Dentinger, Joe Manning and Rachel Grimes; Breadcrumb Trail - Slint; O Let It Be - Will Oldham; I See A Darkness - Johnny Cash; The House Carpenter - The Doc Watson Family; A Little Soldier For Jesus - Ralph Stanley & Friends; Idle Hands are the Devil's Playthings - Palace Brothers; The River Of Jordan - The Louvin Brothers; Long Before, I Tried To Stay Healthy For You, The Cellar Song, (I Was Drunk At The) Pulpit - Palace Brothers; Ocean - The Velvet Underground; There Is No One What Will Take Care Of You, O Lord Are You In Need, Merida - Palace Brothers; Walking On Sunshine - Katrina & The Waves; King Me - Palace Brothers; Single Girl, Married Girl - The Carter Family; I Had A Good Mother and Father, Riding, O Paul - Palace Brothers; O Paul - Bonnie 'Prince' Billy with Natalie Bajandas
Alan Zweig was on the road to becoming, like so many other midtown Toronto Jews, a lawyer. Instead, in his early 20s, he zigzagged off the course and wound up taking multiple lengthy trips to India, changing his perspective on life and work. He chose film school instead, propelling him into a decades-long documentary career that began all those years ago with semi-verité shorts made with his friends. One of those friends was Ralph Benmergui. Now, ages after they first met, the pair reconnects to reflect on their shared origin story, spiritual journeys across the world, impending mortality and the next stage in both their careers: podcasting. Zweig will host a new one on the Canadaland network called The Worst, while Benmergui of course hosts his longstanding program, Not That Kind of Rabbi, here at The CJN. Credits Not That Kind of Rabbi is hosted by Ralph Benmergui and produced by Michael Fraiman. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network. To support The CJN and receive a charitable tax receipt, please consider a monthly donation by clicking here.
Jim Shedden, Alan Zweig, Rick Campbell, and Special Guest Veronique Beaudet discuss songs by The Temptations, The Mekons, Laura Nyro, and Kate Bush. Technical production by Forrest McAdam.
In this 1421st episode of Toronto Mike'd, Mike pays tribute to those we lost in January 2024. This episode features a conversation with Martha Kambeitz-Gombita's stepdaughter Judy, Dave Thomas, Alan Zweig, Maestro Fresh-Wes and Haroon Siddiqui. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Ridley Funeral Home, The Advantaged Investor podcast from Raymond James Canada and Electronic Products Recycling Association. If you would like to support the show, we do have partner opportunities available. Please email Toronto Mike at mike@torontomike.com
In this episode, Jim Shedden and Alan Zweig are joined by longtime 1000 Songs Facebook Group contributor, Rick McGinnis, and special guest, Dave Howard of The Dave Howard Singularity (formerly, The Dave Howard Singers), to discuss songs they love including: ▶️ The Amorous Humphrey Plugg by Scott Walker ▶️ Lujon by Henry Mancini ▶️ Se telefonando by Ennio Morricone, featuring Mina Tune in to the 1000 Songs Podcast, Episode 8, where Jim Shedden shares his chosen song, "The Amorous Humphrey Plugg" by Scott Walker. Known for an eclectic range of musical styles spanning five decades and an ethereal vocal quality, upon his death in 2019, the artist was described by the BBC as "one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in rock history". Jim's chosen song is featured on the compilation album, Fire Escape in the Sky: The Godlike Genius of Scott Walker, compiled by Julian Cope (Zoo Records). For Jim, who received this album at the age of 18 from his friend, Lisa Godfrey, the introduction to Walker was “a huge gift”. Also in this episode, special guest Dave Howard shares his song, “Lujon”, by Henry Mancini. While the song is heard in the 2016 Ron Howard Beatles documentary, Eight Days a Week, it was originally released in the 1961 Mancini album, Mr. Lucky Goes Latin. The influence of 1960's orchestral music and “joyful, melodic” crooners like Walker on Howard has long been evidenced through the avant-garde/electronic orchestrations of Howard's former music band/project, The Dave Howard Singers. Here, Howard shares some of his musical influences and reveals the origins of TDHS band name. Rick McGinnis shares “Se telefonando” by Ennio Morricone, which raises the discussion of the “parallel sixties” with Alan. While Rick and Alan debate who actually coined the term, the concept is that alongside the emergence of psychedelic rock in the latter years of the decade, the era was also popularly known for crooners and orchestral music. As Alan says, “In 1964, Sinatra was king.” This episode features references to several songs by Scott Walker, Henry Mancini, and Ennio Morricone, and other artists in the genre of orchestral/soundtrack music. Our closing song for this episode is “Swept Away”, composed and performed by Dave Howard under his new moniker, The Dave Howard Singularity, from the new album out now called, Dark and For Boating (2023). Follow 1000 Songs podcast on Facebook and Instagram, and stay tuned for our next episode, available wherever you get your podcasts! Technical production and editing by Lisa Santonato. Visit our website at: http://www.jimshedden.com/#/1000-songs-podcast/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1000songspodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1000songspodcast Follow Dave Howard at: https://www.facebook.com/The Dave Howard Singers #1000SongsPodcast #1000Songs #music #musicpodcasts #podcast #ScottWalker #HenryMancini #EnnioMorricone #Mina #DaveHowardSingers #DaveHowardSingularity #TheAmorousHumphreyPlugg #FireEscapeintheSky #Lujon #MrLuckyGoesLatin #Setelefonando #orchestral #orchestralmusic #crooners #soundtrack #SweptAway #DarkandForBoating tags: @jimshedden @alanzweig @thedavehowardsingers @rickmcginnis @elsantonato
Welcome to another episode of our podcast, where we delve into the fascinating world of filmmaking.Today, we have the pleasure of hosting Christopher Donaldson, a seasoned video editor whose work spans an extensive variety of dramatic and documentary features and television.Christopher's impressive credits include Sarah Polley's “Women Talking” and “Take This Waltz”, David Cronenberg's “Crimes of the Future”, "Reacher" for Amazon Prime, "The Handmaid's Tale" for Hulu, Atom Egoyan's "Remember", and "Penny Dreadful" for Showtime/SkyAtlantic. His work for television includes "Vikings" for History/Shaw, “Flashpoint” for CBS/CTV, "The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes To Town" for CBC, and "Slings & Arrows" for TMN/Showcase/Sundance Channel.Born and raised in Toronto, Canada and Seoul, South Korea, Christopher began his journey in filmmaking with short videos in high school before attending Queen's University, where he received his BAH in Film in 1994.Upon graduating, he embarked on his editing apprenticeship in Toronto, working under noted Canadian film editors Ronald Sanders, Susan Maggi, and Reginald Harkema.Christopher's editing career took off with director Alan Zweig, with whom he shared a passion project/obsession - the film "Vinyl". Over the years, he continued to pursue a personal and passionate approach to editing and collaboration, making films with directors Kevin McMahon, Peter Wellington, and two more "Mirror" documentaries with Alan Zweig.It was with Peter Wellington that Christopher moved into dramatic television, editing all 18 episodes of the acclaimed "Slings & Arrows".His exceptional work has earned him two Director's Guild of Canada awards for "Slings & Arrows", a Gemini Award for "The Border", and a Canadian Cinema Editors award for "Penny Dreadful".Apart from editing, Christopher is also the writer and director of the film "2:14pm", part of a compilation entitled "Little Films About Big Moments".In this episode, we delve into Christopher's journey, his approach to editing, his collaborations, and his transition from documentaries to dramatic television. Stay tuned for an insightful conversation about the art and craft of storytelling through editing.Also, you can check out my documentary The People of Brixton, on Kwelitv here: https://www.kweli.tv/programs/the-people-of-brixtonDamien Swaby Social Media Links:Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/filmmaker_damien_swaby/Twitterhttps://twitter.com/DamienSwaby?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5EauthorWebsitehttp://filmmakingconversations.com/If you enjoy listening to Filmmaking Conversations with Damien Swaby, I would love a coffee. Podcasting is thirsty work https://ko-fi.com/damienswabyThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4532542/advertisement
In this episode, Rick Campbell, Jim Shedden, Alan Zweig and special guest, Stephanie Burdzy, discuss songs they love including: ▶️ Sister Ray by The Velvet Underground ▶️ The Acid Queen by Tina Turner ▶️ Morning Morning by The Fugs ▶️ I'm Not Saying by Nico Other songs discussed include: Sister Ray by Joy Division Are You Experienced by Jimi Hendrix Nutbush City Limits by Ike & Tina Turner Kill for Peace by The Fugs Saran Wrap by The Fugs Tune in to the 1000 Songs Podcast, Episode 6, where Stephanie Burdzy, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at the National Gallery of Canada, shares her chosen song, The Acid Queen by Tina Turner. Written by Pete Townshend for the rock opera “Tommy”, and performed by Tina Turner in the film, the song was also released by Tina Turner in 1976, the same year she left the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Our closing song for this episode is “I'm Not Saying”, written by Gordon Lightfoot and released as a single in 1965 and on his 1966 debut album, Lightfoot. That same year the song was recorded by Nico and released by the British record label, Immediate Records. Notably, the song features Jimmy Page on 12-string guitar. Follow 1000 Songs podcast on Facebook and Instagram, and stay tuned for our next episode, available wherever you get your podcasts! Technical production and editing by Lisa Santonato. Visit our website at: http://www.jimshedden.com/#/1000-songs-podcast/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1000songspodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1000songspodcast #1000SongsPodcast #1000Songs #music #musicpodcasts #podcast #TinaTurner #AcidQueen #SisterRay #VelvetUnderground #JoyDivision #TheFugs #MorningMorning #Tommy #PeteTownshend #musical #rock #punk tags: @rickcampbell8218 @jimshedden @alanzweig @elsantonato
When Jews Were Funny Film Director Alan Zweig Alan Zweig was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario and has worked in the film industry as a writer, producer, director, driver, and actor. Before finding success as a filmmaker, Alan Zweig drove a taxicab for fifteen years. Early in his career, Zweig's short films — Trip Sheet (1976), The Boys (1977) and Stealing Images (1989) – provide rare insight into his early inspirations, influences and themes. They run the gamut from documentary to mock doc to fiction. Trip Sheet was Zweig's first film, an impressionistic hybrid doc made in his first year at Sheridan College. Shot on colour reversal stock, the film follows cab drivers on their daily beat, a profession that Zweig himself pursued throughout the 1980s. Unseen for more than 30 years, The Boys, an improvised film shot in semi-vérité style, stars four strangers as best friends. The award-winning fiction film Stealing Images, investigates the notion of the unreliable narrator, the protagonist as poseur. Zweig used a composite of film world acquaintances to shape his lead character, a film director who seems to have everything going for him, but in reality has nothing going on at all. Stealing Images sits where autobiography and parody meet, and is perhaps less a reflection and more a projection of Zweig's struggle with his own perceived failure. This collection of shorts bridges the gap between Zweig's work in fiction films and introduces themes, questions and techniques that resurface in his later documentaries.
Still reeling from the drug-related deaths of Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie/friend Bruce Berry, Neil Young's 'Tonight's The Night' is as raw an expression of grief and mourning you're likely to find. Canadian filmmaker Alan Zweig (Vinyl, When Jews Were Funny) joins us as we take a deep dive into this dark but ultimately beautiful document of death and loss. Songs discussed in this episode: Tonight's The Night (Pt II) - Neil Young; O Canada - Geddy Lee & Alex Lifeson, featuring Terrance & Phillip; Macarena - Los Del Rio; Deadman's Curve - Jan & Dean; The Needle and the Damage Done - Neil Young; Show Biz Kids - Steely Dan; Walk On, Tonight's The Night, Speakin' Out, World On A String - Neil Young; Screaming Fist - The Viletones; Raised On Robbery - Joni Mitchell; Borrowed Tune - Neil Young; Lady Jane - The Rolling Stones; Come On Baby Let's Go Downtown - Neil Young; I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground; Mellow My Mind - Neil Young; Mellow My Mind - Simply Red; Roll Another Number For The Road, Albuquerque, New Mama, Don't Be Denied (live, 1973), Lookout Joe, Tired Eyes, Tonight's The Night (Pt II), Tonight's The Night (live Roxy Theater 1973) - Neil Young
In this episode, Rick Campbell, Jim Shedden, Alan Zweig and special guest, Nick Smash, discuss songs they love including: ▶️ Sex Beat by The Gun Club ▶️ Voyage Through the Multiverse by the Dream Warriors ▶️ Nights That Won't Happen by Purple Mountains Tune in to the 1000 Songs Podcast, Episode 5, where Nick Smash, formerly of the Toronto band, Rent Boys Inc., breaks down some of the biggest touchstones of the seventies, eighties, and nineties eras in music! From The Sugarhill Gang and Grandmaster Flash to The Clash and Blondie, hear how hiphop emerged into the mainstream as Nick shares his chosen song by the Dream Warriors. Also in this episode, Jim and Alan share what The Gun Club meant to them, and discuss the music that influenced singer and guitarist Jeffrey Lee Pierce (1958-1996). Remembering David Berman (1967-2019) of Purple Mountains, Alan reflects on song choices being considered for his forthcoming film about suicide. Our closing song for this episode is ▶️ She's Like Heroin to Me by The Gun Club. Follow 1000 Songs podcast on Facebook and Instagram, and stay tuned for our next episode, available wherever you get your podcasts! Technical production and editing by Lisa Santonato. Visit our website at: http://www.jimshedden.com/#/1000-songs-podcast/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1000songspodcast/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/1000songspodcast #1000SongsPodcast #1000Songs #music #musicpodcasts #podcast #seventies #eighties #nineties #punk #rock #newwave #hiphop #postpunk #indierock #RentBoysInc #TheGunClub #JeffreyLeePierce #RappersDelight #TheSugarhillGang #GrandmasterFlash #TheMessage #TheClash #Blondie #Rapture #DreamWarriors #PurpleMountains #DavidBerman #SilverJews #RandomRules #TW #suicideawareness #greenribbon #semicolon
1000 Songs Podcast Episode 4 is now live! In this episode, Rick Campbell, Jim Shedden, Alan Zweig and special guest, Steve Campbell, meet over zoom to discuss songs they love including: Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil by Jefferson Airplane Fanfare by Eric Matthews and in a special tribute to Tom Verlaine who passed away on January 28th of this year, our closing song is Marquee Moon by Television. Follow 1000 Songs Podcast on Facebook and Instagram, and stay tuned for Episode 5 where Rick, Jim and Alan discuss their favourite songs, with special guest Nick Smash! Episode 5 will be released in April and will feature the songs Sex Beat by The Gun Club, Voyage Through the Multiverse by the Dream Warriors, and Nights That Won't Happen by Purple Mountains. Follow 1000 Songs podcast on Facebook and Instagram, and stay tuned for our next episode, available wherever you get your podcasts! Technical production and editing by Lisa Santonato. Listen to the 1000 Songs Podcast music playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5SjzvuwgAoEt3ulMEarp7x?si=bbf07f84b60a4621 Visit our website at: http://www.jimshedden.com/#/1000-songs-podcast/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1000songspodcast/ #1000SongsPodcast #1000Songs #music #musicpodcasts #JeffersonAirplane #TheLeftBanke #EricMatthews #Television #TomVerlaine #MarqueeMoon #RIPTomVerlaine #tribute #podcast #psychedelic #sixties #seventies #punk #rock
In this 1195th episode of Toronto Mike'd, Filmmaker Alan Zweig dropped by to chat about his documentaries, from Vinyl and Hurt to When Jews Were Funny, and the many FOTMs he's connected to. Toronto Mike'd is proudly brought to you by Great Lakes Brewery, Palma Pasta, Canna Cabana, Ridley Funeral Home and Electronic Products Recycling Association.
Episode 2 of the 1000 Songs Podcast features Rick Campbell, Jim Shedden and Alan Zweig discussing songs they love, with "Never My Love" by The Association, "I Need Direction" by Teenage Fanclub, "Waters of March" by Art Garfunkel, and "Graceland" by Paul Simon. The closing track of this episode is "I'm Leavin'" by Elvis Presley. Technical production and editing by Lisa Santonato. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: http://www.jimshedden.com/#/1000-songs-podcast/ http://facebook.com/1000songspodcast https://www.instagram.com/1000songspodcast/
In this first episode of the 1000 Songs Podcast, Rick Campbell, Jim Shedden and Alan Zweig discuss songs they love, featuring “Windmills of Your Mind” written by Michel Legrand and sung by Noel Harrison, “Dirty Water” by The Standells written by Ed Cobb, “Shape of Things” by Rongwrong, and “I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound” by Dion and The Wanderers. Technical production and editing by Lisa Santonato. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: http://www.jimshedden.com/#/1000-songs-podcast/ http://facebook.com/1000songspodcast https://www.instagram.com/1000songspodcast/
"When Jews Were Funny" Director Alan Zweig Alan Zweig began his professional career as a cab driver, which he did for 16 years, putting himself through film school and occasionally getting a gig in the transportation department of the film industry where he got to drive Big Bird and Peter Fonda among others. Somewhere in there he taught himself to write and got a couple of jobs in episodic television. He also acted in some friends' films. And occasionally he got to make a film himself. He decided to try his hand at documentary film when he saw what his friend's hi-8 camera could do and thought it might be fun to make a film by himself. The result of that exploration was a film called Vinyl which premiered at Hot Docs in the year 2000 and earned him a permanent place in the pantheon of late bloomers. In the last 20 years he's made nine more feature documentaries, which often dealt with autobiographical themes as well as people on the margins of society.
Canadian documentary filmmaker Alan Zweig (Vinyl, I, Curmudgeon, When Jews Were Funny) brings us an album of understated, fluid funk with a subtle-but-potent message: 'There's No Place Like America Today' by Curtis Mayfield. Released in 1975 on Mayfield's own Curtom Records, it's a stunning, sophisticated - and sadly overlooked - chronicle of austere times by a true master of his craft. Essential listening. *Opening dialogue from the 2000 documentary film 'Vinyl'Songs featured in this episode: Blame Canada - Mary Kay Bergman; Superfly - Curtis Mayfield; People Get Ready - The Impressions; Freedom of '76 - Ween; Walk Like A Man - The Four Seasons; Rock and Roll - The Velvet Underground; The Young Mods' Forgotten Story - The Impressions; Billy Jack, When Seasons Change - Curtis Mayfield; No Time - The Guess Who; So In Love, Jesus - Curtis Mayfield; Jesus Is Coming Soon - Blind Willie Johnson; Blue Monday People, Hard Times, We Gotta Have Peace (live), Love To The People - Curtis Mayfield; Move On Up (live) - The Jam
Alan Zweig's Vinyl (2000) is a dark and profound personal documentary on obsessive record collectors (particularly the filmmaker himself). Today, after nine other documentaries, he's completing a sequel of sorts entitled Records. He joins me to talk about the vinyl resurgence (and the lower-key CD resurgence), why making a film with a positive message has been his biggest challenge, why certain people become obsessive about music, and more. Watch Alan Zweig's Vinyl on YouTube. Photo of Alan from the Greetings From Isolation project.
Host Colin Ellis speaks with filmmaker Alan Zweig, whose TVO Original documentary Coppers takes an unflinching look at the lives of retired police officers. They discuss how Zweig's former work as a cabbie informed his approach to his subjects and how police officers often suffer in silence.
Mark welcomes filmmaker Alan Zweig into the Classical FM studios for a meandering conversation covering his life experiences, and his award-winning documentaries including "Hurt" "Coppers" "When Jews Were Funny" & "A Hard Name". Alan looks back at fatherhood, his own father, and shares stories from his years driving a cab in Toronto. He also discusses his unorthodox approach to interviews, and thoughts on how to encourage subjects open up on camera. And Alan reveals that he's making a sequel to his cult classic, "Vinyl". This episode is brought to you by Crow's Theatre (www.crowstheatre.com) & RedEye Media (www.redeyemedia.ca)
In 2019, veteran broadcaster and arts journalist Mark Wigmore debuted the first season of his new podcast, Art at the End of the World. The interview-based program features artists, entertainers, and innovators speaking to their life experience and craft while reflecting on what it is to make and curate art within the difficulty surrounding the current political, ecological and cultural climate. Season One welcomed comedian Chris Locke, world-conquering DJ Skratch Bastid, TIFF Co-head Cameron Bailey, theatre maven Britta Johnson, broadcast legend John Donabie, actress Karen Robinson, provocateur Sook-Yin Lee, and classical/jazz/world pianist & composer Ron Davis, among others. Season 2 will welcome neo-classical phenomenon Alexandra Streliski, Theatre groundbreakers Chris Abraham & Weyni Mengesha, documentarian Alan Zweig, and many more. Get to know the artists and thinkers helping to shape culture, and find out how they create and reflect, here at the end.
Alan Zweig and Face2Face host David Peck talk about his new film Coppers, first responders, trauma, cop humour, guilt and PTSD, and why it’s time to finding ways to empathize with the other.Trailer Synopsis: In 2009 director Alan Zweig made A Hard Name, a film about ex-convicts, and 10 years later comes Coppers, a film that explores the lives of the men and women who helped convict them in the first place. Hurt people hurt people, as they say. The only thing the men and women in Coppers have in common is that they’re retired and ready to look back. They tell gruesome stories, sad stories and a few funny ones but the gruesome stories dominate — they’re just part of the daily grind. Heads indeed can roll and guts can spill. Most cops have seen that happen at least once in their career. It’s a profession marked by adrenaline and chaos but also by suicide and marital breakdown. Some coppers feel they can sail past the mayhem and decomposing bodies. But no one leaves the job without a mark, and not everyone bounces back. The thirteen retired police officer in Coppers tell stories of fights, shootings, accident scenes and sudden death. There are sweet stories and funny ones but the gruesome stories dominate because this is what cops see everyday. At its heart that’s what this collective story is about - the trauma we expect the police to clean up and what that experience does to them. About the Director: Alan Zweig is a Toronto documentary filmmaker known for using film to explore his own life. In his 2000 film Vinyl, Zweig explores what drives people to become record collectors. Zweig spends a large portion of the film exploring his own life in regard to record collecting, feeling it has prevented him from fulfilling his dreams of a family. I, Curmudgeon is a 2004 film about self-declared curmudgeons, himself included, was shot on a camcorder, with Zweig using a mirror to record his own experiences. Lovable is a 2007 film about our preoccupation with finding romantic perfection. Those three films are often referred to as Zweig's "mirror trilogy" and have been shown in retrospectives he's enjoyed at Hot Docs, on TVO and at the Cinematheque in Winnipeg. In 2009, Zweig moved from autobiographical subject matter to explore the struggle of ex-convicts to lead normal lives in A Hard Name, which received the Genie Award for Best Documentary. He followed that in 2013 with 15 Reasons to Live, inspired by the book of the same name by Ray Robertson. The film is a series of 15 short stories dealing with the things that make life worth living. That same year, his film When Jews Were Funny, won the prize for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. In this film he returned to the autobiographical genre and explored the question of whether Jewish culture was disappearing as it got further away from Eastern European Ashkenazi roots that influenced Zweig and others. Hurt, his documentary film about Steve Fonyo, was released in 2015. It won the Platform Prize at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival and went on to win the Ted Rogers prize for Best Canadian Feature Length Documentary at the Canadian Screen Awards. In 2017, Zweig directed Hope, a follow-up to Hurt, which premiered in Hot Docs. Also in 2017, his documentary film There Is A House Here, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Coppers will be Zweig’s tenth feature length documentary and his eleventh feature length film. Image Copyright: Alan Zweig and Primitive Entertainment. Used with permission. F2F Music and Image Copyright: David Peck and Face2Face. Used with permission. For more information about David Peck’s podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here. With thanks to Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
There are two sides to every story. We at See Hear HQ decide to look at both sides of the contentious question as to whether record collectors (and by extension, collectors of any physical item) are archivists or hoarders. Tim, Bernard and Maurice are joined by Professor Michael Benton from Bluegrass Community College in Lexington, Kentucky for episode 49 of See Hear to talk about two films that explore record collection from two very different angles. Australian film maker Edward Gillan’s documentary from 2003, “Desperate Man Blues” is a snapshot of the record collecting activities of Joe Bussard from Maryland. Bussard has been collecting old country, blues and jazz 78s from the 1920s through to the 1950s. At the time of filming, he had anything from 15000 to 20000 records. His knowledge of what we currently call Americana is unsurpassed. He has a genuine joy in listening to and sharing the music he has spent a lifetime collecting. On the other side of the coin, Toronto documentarian Alan Zweig’s first feature length film, Vinyl puts himself and many other record collectors under the spotlight to ask what prompts them to “accumulate” records. Zweig’s contention is that the music takes a backseat to the gathering of records – all for the sake of the hunt. He tells many of his interview subjects that they (including himself) cannot form meaningful relationships with others, and so record collecting manifests itself as a substitute for human interaction. Far from flattering. Is this film just cheap therapy for Zweig or is he just playing devil’s advocate to get discussion going? The crew discuss the different approach taken to the subject matter between the films, as well as how close to home these films (Vinyl in particular) may have hit. You may collect DVDs, model aeroplanes, matchboxes…….the ideals of historical preservation vs accumulation for its own sake still hold. Should we judge? Tune in for what we believe to be a fascinating and robust discussion. The crew wants to thank Michael for joining us for his first See Hear episode – it will not be his last. He was a fantastic guest. You can download the show by searching for See Hear podcast on iTunes or download from https://seehear.podbean.com If you dig what we do, could you please rate us at iTunes or even better, spread the word that the show exists on social media or at real life social gatherings so more folks can tune in. Please join our friendly Facebook discussion group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can send us emails at seehearpodcast@gmail.com to suggest films you'd like us to discuss, give us your thoughts on what we do or anything else music-film related. If you want to follow Michael’s writings and activities, you can read his blog Dialogic Cinephilia at http://internationalfilmstudies.blogspot.com. You can also join look for the Bluegrass Film Society group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/133248476719239/
Alan Zweig is a documentary filmmaker and self-described ‘old dad’. He has major control issues that he's encouraged to let go of at the sleepover. What will Alan hang onto when his problems are unleashed in
Charlie McGettigan is eight years old, freckled and fearless. Despite her confidence, Charlie wrestles with a problem that has the kids at school making faces at her. Will strangers Scaachi Koul and Alan Zweig be able to help solve Charlie's troubles?
Alan talks about his new film Hurt about Steve Fonyo. It’s a fascinating, beautiful and tragic story. Alan talks about the project, cognitive dissonance, brokenness and why he made the film. Film SynopsisFirst, Terry Fox turned personal tragedy into triumph, and then back into tragedy, with his 1980 “Marathon of Hope.” That was followed by Steve Fonyo’s coast-to-coast 1984/85 “Journey for Lives” that kept the spirit alive. Three decades later, we are left with an inspiring memory, a tarnished hero, and a thriving charitable foundation.The stories of Fox and Hansen have been told and retold with no detail left unpolished. Steve Fonyo is different. He is the discredited hero who kinder souls refer to as the “Canadian Icarus.” Other characterizations are equally vivid, but far less charitable. His step-by-step fall from national grace has been widely documented in the news with all the charm of a police report.But the decline ironically started much earlier, back before his first run.At that time he was a burgeoning national hero who needed to be protected from his own bad publicity. But fall, he did, publicly and personally, and that is not the substance of HURT.Event reportage is not what writer/director Alan Zweig does in his documentaries.This is portraiture. This is Steve Fonyo, now, having simmered for three decades in the wastes of his accomplishments, while continuously confronted with the cultural immortality of Terry Fox, who still, even though he died at the age of 23, generates his own pattern of economics.HURT is significant because it showcases resilience, not only the kind that kept an 18-year-old cancer survivor running the equivalent of a half marathon a day for 400 days for 7924 km., but also kept him from sinking beneath the waves through a coke addiction, excessive drinking, surviving East Hastings, numerous stints in jail, having his prosthetic leg stolen, and being beaten and stabbed multiple times.Steve Fonyo takes Nietzsche’s ‘what doesn’t kill me’ to an entirely new level.Film Trailer BiographyAlan Zweig’s grandparents came to Canada at the turn of the 20th century, from Poland and the Ukraine respectively. They came, like all immigrants, to make a better life for their children. One grandfather went on to run the gum and newspaper concession at the old Ford Hotel near the Toronto Bus Station. The other opened a furrier shop one month before the crash of 1929. But their hard work paid off anyway and their children succeeded, thus clearing the way for Alan’s generation to turn their back on all that comfort and return to the poverty of their grandparents. In Alan’s case he chose the film business.In Canada he went to film school at Sheridan College in the 70s, where he fell in love with filmmaking. In the next 25 years he drove a cab, worked on film crews in the transport department, acted in a few short films, wrote a few episodes of television and finished three shorts and one feature film, all dramas. Of those four films the only one he will admit to is Stealing Images, which won the prize for best short film at the Toronto Film Festival in 1989.In 2000 though, he snatched victory from the jaws of failure with Vinyl, his first documentary which has gone on to become a cult film and in 2013 was included in Pitchfork Magazine’s list of 20 Essential Music Documentaries. After Vinyl he made two more personal docs, which altogether became known as his trilogy of “mirror films.”His next film A Hard Name won 2010’s Genie for Best Canadian Feature documentary. And two films after that, his film When Jews Were Funny premiered at TIFF and went on to win the prize for Best Canadian Feature.Over the years he has enjoyed retrospectives at Hot Docs, the Winnipeg Cinematheque and on TVO. HURT is his seventh feature documentary.He lives in Toronto’s west end with his wife and young daughter.For more info on the movie and Alan check out the website here. Friend Alan on Facebook and follow him on Twitter---------- For more information about my podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit my site here. With thanks to producer Josh Snethlage and Mixed Media Sound. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As he brings his documentary Hurt to TIFF, filmmaker Alan Zweig stops by to talk about The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Peter Yates’ minimalist crime picture featuring Robert Mitchum, a great cast of 1970s character actors and an approach to the genre that had never quite been attempted before. Your genial host Norm Wilner rides shotgun.
Host Christian Zyp returns with two inspirational documentary features on this edition of Moving Radio. The first, Blood Brother, is about a man who moves to India to take care of HIV positive children, and he speaks to director Steve Hoover. Next, he speaks to director Alan Zweig about his documentary, 15 Reasons to Live, and his experience at the […]
Alan Zweig is more than just a man in a mirror. The Toronto filmmaker talks to us face to face about his unsuccessful life making movies and how he stumbled upon his successful life making documentaries. His latest, When Jews Were Funny, just won Best Canadian Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. Turns out talking to old Jewish comedians wasn't as illuminating as he thought it would be.
This week, a conversation with Toronto Filmmaker Alan Zweig about his new documentary 15 Reasons To Live, in which through fifteen separate chapters and personal portraits he reflects on the various facets of the human experience that make life worth living, from Love and Work to Humour and Friendship. A touching meditation on the art of living, and the aspects of the human experience that our lives meaning.