"The Agony and Ecstacy of Phil Spector"
Phil Spector, the mad genius record producer in prison for killing a Hollywood B-movie actress, is, you know, nuts. So nothing like an incoherent documentary about him to make things even nuttier.
Over the weekend, Vikram Jayanti showed his “Agony and Ecstasy of Phil Spector” at the Hamptons Film Festival. Apparently it was shown by the BBC (which produced it) last year at least once. It’s also available for free download on a sanctioned site called veoh.com.
This part seems problematic since the documentary includes full length audio by the Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison and other artists whom Spector produced. It’s unclear that the music was actually “cleared” for use since Beatles recordings are usually not allowed in movies. And now it’s free on the Internet to underscore Spector’s ramblings. But I’ll have leave that up to lawyers since Jayanti professed no knowledge of the situation.
His film is, indeed, as incoherent as its subject. I’ve rarely seen such bad filmmaking from a professional filmmaker. It does look like Jayanti made some kind of deal with Spector to make him look good in exchange for exclusive interviews. The director denies it, but really, who’s kidding who? At the Q&A after the screening, Jayanti said he believed there was “reasonable doubt” that Spector did not kill Lana Clarkson. I’ve got some land to sell him in New Orleans.
Spector is obsessed with Tony Bennett. He doesn’t like him, and uses him as a refrain in the movie, referring to Bennett’s long ago drug problems. Spector thinks Bennett’s problems are more egregious than his own. Ha! He also compares himself to Galileo, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci. Why not? They never had hit records, so he may be wrong.
Jayanti is well known for the Muhammad Ali film “When We Were Kings.” But in “Agony and Ecstasy,” he either was obsessed with Spector or just lazy. The film is long on odd, with full length versions of Spector’s produced music playing over disjointed videos of his first murder trial in 2007. It’s really weird. There’s little context for anything. Is this a film about Spector’s music, or his first murder trial, or what? Or all of it? And through it, poor Clarkson, a great girl by all accounts, is demonized.
There is a lot of grandiosity at work too. Spector claims credit for all his Brill Building recordings, from “You’ve Lost that Lovin’ Feeling” to “Spanish Harlem.” There is zero mention of the writers of the songs — Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. It’s all Phil, Phil, Phil. He did it all, even the Wall of Sound. (Were there musicians? Not in this story.) Further, Jayanti doesn’t include any reference to Ronnie Bennett and the Ronettes, who made Spector, and just a scant one to Darlene Love.
Spector, of course, is a megalomaniac, and it comes across clearly. There is a particularly fascinating segment about the Beatles in which he attacks Paul McCartney and George Martin. He takes credit for all of John Lennon’s post-Beatles career. There’s also a bit about recording “My Sweet Lord” with George Harrison but no mention of the plagiarism suit that haunted the hit. The record was deemed similar to the Chiffons‘ hit “He’s So Fine,” which was not produced by Spector in the ’60s but certainly came from his world.
So do watch “Agony and the Ecstasy” to see and hear Spector — it’s probably the one and only time, whether accurate or not. And the video archival material of the Righteous Brothers, Ike and Tina Turner, the Ronettes is all beyond gorgeous.
P.S. There’s a much better actual documentary about Spector here.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Bad documentary, poorly-written review.
October 12th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Phil Spector’s demand that Vikram Jayanti demonize Lana Clarkson and also demand that Jayanti declare publicly that their was “reasonable doubt” that Spector did not murder her–is so obvious in this crap disguised as a documentary. Who, or for what reason, would anyone want to see a fictitious badly made documentary? The wackos of Team Spector ? Maybe.
Edward Lozzi, Friends of Lana Clarkson
October 13th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Veoh’s video player is a dysfunctional application that does not work. Way to tease us with 5 minute previews!
October 14th, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Edward Lozzi is a publicist. It is obvious that Phil Spector was framed. See Dr. Henry Lee’s email to the LA Times, Bill Pavelic’s allegations that he, Dr. Lee, and Dr. Baden were set up – by LAPD in retaliation for the OJ matter, and see my letter to Spector prosecutor “Alan Jackson.” It’s pathetic that Lozzi is using Clarkson’s name to further his own career – obviously. The woman shot herself and the forensic evidence proves this. The gossip is apparently what the jury relied on. Lozzi and the rest of the cyber-terrorists are all over the internet as usual – attempting to silence anyone who gets in their sleazy way.
And then, of course, there’s Leonard Norman Cohen’s “probable” perjury in Phillip’s grand jury.
Kelley Lynch
http://cyberterroristwatch.blogspot.com/2009/09/kelleys-final-version-letter-to-alan.html
Bill Pavelic’s Allegations:
http://guiltyofincompetence.com/lapd-hunt-for-dr-henry-lee-dr-michael-baden-b-pavelic-t99.html
Dr. Lee:
Text of statement from Dr Henry Lee: Dr. Henry Lee is currently traveling abroad on a lecture tour in Italy. He has made the following statement regarding the recent slanderous and incorrect news reports of him removing and withholding evidence related to the Spector case. “1. Numerous police officers, detectives, crime scene investigators and forensic scientists from The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and L.A. Coroner’s Office conducted detailed searches of a small area in the foyer of Mr. Spector’s house on February 3rd and 4th, 2003, for about 38 hours. It is impossible for that large of a group to have missed a fingernail or a tooth. Dr. Michael Baden and I arrived at Mr. Spector’s house at approximately 9:00 pm on February 4, 2003, after the police had left and released the scene. 2. One prosecution witness, a former L.A. detective, accused me of finding a red-colored fingernail and putting that nail in my handkerchief. A second witness said Dr. Baden and Sara Caplan found a tooth and took it from the scene. Sara Caplan said that I found a white-colored object, similar to a fingernail-size object, and subsequently placed that object in a test tube. There are obvious and major discrepancies related to conflicting observations among the witnesses. In addition, there is no evidence that anyone involved in this case lost a fingernail. Lana Clarkson only has a small chip on one of her cream-colored, acrylic artificial fingernails. The minute size of a potential chip and the color of her actual nails are completely different than what the witness said about the alleged fingernail located at the scene. 3. As I stated several times before, I did not find a fingernail nor did I take any fingernail-like material from the scene. What I found was two small bundles of white thread-like fibers imbedded in blood. These two pieces of fiber were documented in my notes and photographed before and after collection. The materials were packaged, labeled and sealed in an evidence bag. Copies of my notes and photographs were sent and reviewed by four sets of defense lawyers and members of The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office over the past four years. What I have collected, the so-called “evidence” from a “released scene” has also been turned over to The L.A. County Sheriff’s Crime Laboratory for examination. My original notes, photographs and even the negatives were all given to the L.A. District Attorney’s Office. There is no basis whatsoever for anyone to accuse me or Dr. Baden of concealing evidence in this case. 4. I do not know why my Chinese accent has become an issue in this case. I am proud of my heritage and certainly see no relevance between it and the matter at hand. I have always believed that our justice system is committed to seeking the truth and all of the relevant facts. The fact remains clear that there was no fingernail at the scene. It is clear the motive for this slanderous attack is a tactic to kill the messenger before the message is delivered. I have all the documentation and records pertaining to what I did and what I collected at the scene. If necessary, I can and will make it public to protect my good name and my professional reputation. I have also contacted my personal attorneys to look into the legal issues regarding these unjustified, slanderous, false accusations, and the damage that I will likely incur as a result of these unjust misrepresentations.”
November 23rd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
An Open Letter From Phil Spector To A Good Friend.
Sunday July 26th
Steven,
I had no voice the day I was sentenced in court on May 30th 2009 due to throat papalomas I had removed 3-days earlier on the 27th.of May. It left me with no voice. I was indeed very upset because when I was asked to address the court, I could not speak for I had no voice. What I wanted to say follows: Be it known that I, Phillip Spector had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the death of Lana Clarkson. And irrefutable science and five of the greatest, most famous forensic scientists all swore under oath that Ms. Clarkson died of a self inflicted gun shot wound, a suicide. They swore by irrefutable science. And while juries and judges lie and make mistakes, science and DNA do not. When their scientific findings and words were ignored is a mystery to me, and hopefully will not be ignored by the appellate court. And I shall return.
But let it also be known that there IS a murderer in the court room and it is NOT Phil Spector, it is Alan Jackson. During the trial he murdered the truth, ,he murdered the constitution, he murdered the law, and he murdered my reputation, and he should not go unpunished for his dastardly deeds. He used his five little “groupies” women, one of whom recently overdosed and died from drugs, and could not be here to testify to slander and lie about me, and victimize me so that he could get his conviction without any scientific proof whatsoever. That’s because he had none. He lied and cheated and double crossed that before along with his cohort Truc Doe whenever they got to it, yes my friends, HE is the real murderer. But, what goes around comes around. And the appellate court will see through his chicanery and smoke and mirrors, and false law and overturn my conviction, and then I will be back stronger than ever, a free man as I should be. Until then, POWER TO THE PEOPLE!
Steven, I would like this published verbatim from the beginning of this letter to the end. And tell Chris Paven to also put it on my website.
Thanks, Phillip
March 10th, 2010 at 3:21 pm
I note that the “Letter From Phil Spector To A Good Friend” posted by Kelley Lynch was not addressed to her, nor has she ever posted a letter from Phil Spector–despite the fact that she professes to be Spector’s “Dear Friend” and despite the fact that this woman even posted the auto-reply generated by her email to Anderson Cooper 360 on her wing-nut blog.
Quite obviously, neither Phil Spector, nor his legal team (whom Lynch emails daily about all manner of conspiracy theories and wacky ideas–cc to the IRS, Justice, Alan Jackson, 30 others), will ever give this woman the time of day.
And no, it is not “obvious” that Phil Spector was “framed”.
Nor did any Spector attorney or defense expert ever utter that wacky opinion, on or off the record.