Anyone who enjoyed the Tzadik release "I Died Today - Music of Rodd Keith" may well enjoy an upcoming PBS film documentary on the subject of song-poems that touches on the work of my father, Rodd Keith. I'm interviewed in the film and many folks directly connected with the creation of song-poem music (lyricists and musicians) are featured. I think you'll enjoy it, it's very entertaining and casts some light on an almost completely unknown slice of American life. There will be an article on the film from The New York Times (Sunday Arts & Leisure, February 9th, by Jon Pareles), as well as Entertainment Weekly (February 7th) and various other publications. ***---***---***---***---*** Jamie Meltzer's Off The Charts: The Song-Poem Story to Premiere On ITVS's New Series Independent Lens On PBS Off-Beat Film Provides a Fascinating Window Into the Bizarre Demimonde of the Music Industry That Produces Amateur's "Songs" for Cash Off The Charts: The Song-Poem Story Will Air Nationally on Independent Lens on February 11, 2003. "This music has everything in the world going against it. It's completely artificial, it's a scam, it's ... you know, I could probably list fifteen different reasons why it shouldn't work. But, for some reason, something comes through all this stuff. And I think that's part of the charm and attractiveness that it has." --Ellery Eskelin, musician and son of song-poem auteur, Rodney Keith Eskelin Jamie Meltzer's debut feature, Off The Charts: The Song Poem Story is a fascinating, at times unsettling, documentary that exposes the strange underworld of the song-poem industry. In this little known subculture, "ordinary people" respond to come-on ads on the back pages of magazines ("Send in Your Lyrics and Make $50,000 in royalties!"), mailing in their heartfelt but often bizarre poems to "music industry" companies that, for a fee, turn those poems into real recordings. Through interviews with several song-poem writers, the jaded producers and musicians who set their words to music, and a few of the growing number of zealous song-poem connoisseurs, Off The Charts explores a truly unique, never-before-seen slice of Gothic Americana. Off The Charts debuts nationally on PBS on February 11, 2003 at 10:00 PM although airing at different dates and times in different cities. Check your local PBS listings... http://www.pbs.org/whatson/index.html http://itvs.org/search/broadcast.htm?showID=884 See the press release: http://www.itvs.org/pressroom/pressRelease.htm?pressId=158 See a trailer to the film http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/guide.html photo download page: http://itvs.org/pressroom/photos/pressPhotos.htm?photoID=145 PBS OFF THE CHARTS film site: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/offthecharts/ For background on the song poem phenomenon see the American Song/Poem Music Archives at: http://www.aspma.com/ Rodd Keith website: http://home.earthlink.net/~roddkeith/ ***---***---***---***---*** Ellery Eskelin ================================= ELLeRY ESKELiN/MiCHELLE VAn NaTTA RaMiChElLeRy/PrImE SoUrCe PrOdUcTiOnS http://home.earthlink.net/~eskelin/ =================================