At some stage in the 70s former Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldman signed on to manage Memphis artist Van Duren. He hung with Jody Stephens of Big Star, was tooted as the next Paul McCartney and then … nothing happened.
There was an album ‘Are You Serious?’ Again critically acclaimed but … nothing. Good luck finding a copy. It isn’t even on Spotify.
That in itself is pretty incredible. Songs from the soundtrack ‘Waiting: The Van Duren’ story aren’t bad at all. It is like some alternate universe swallowed up Van Duren and Earth missed out.
The McCartney comparison is far-fetched but think Todd Rundgren-like and you get closer to the truth.
Wait .. soundtrack? That can only happen if there is a movie but who would make a movie about a 70s artist no-one has ever heard on? Answer: Two Aussies, Greg Carey and Wade Jackson.
Carey manages The Rubens and Urthboy. Jackson is an Australian musician. The pair used Facebook to track down Van Duren, loaded a camera onto a plane, left for America and made the doco ‘Waiting: The Van Duren Story’.
Along the way they met and interviewed Andrew Loog Oldham (Rolling Stones), Jody Stephens (Big Star), Mickey Curry (Hall & Oates, Bryan Adams, The Cult), Hilly Michaels (Sparx, Dan Hartman), Jon Tiven (Wilson Pickett, Don Covay), and now the product of their journey will screen across Australia.
That’s not all. Van Duren will also visit Australia in April and perform live.
Australian screenings of ‘Waiting: The Van Duren Story’ will also happen across April.
WAITING: THE VAN DUREN STORY SCREENINGS
Monday 8 April – Gold Coast Film Festival (Australian Premiere)
Tuesday 9 April – Blue Room Cinebar, Brisbane QLD
Wednesday 10 April – Event Cinemas, George Street, Sydney NSW
Thursday 11 April – Cinema Nova, Melbourne VIC
Saturday 13 April – Presented By High Tide, Central Coast, NSW
Friday 26 April – The Gum Ball Festival, Dashville (Hunter Valley) NSW
Saturday 27 April – Bendigo Autumn Music Festival, Bendigo VIC
VAN DUREN – AUSTRALIAN PERFORMANCES
Thursday 18 April – The Curtin, Melbourne VIC *
Sunday 21 April – Boogie Festival, Tallarook VIC
Tuesday 23 April – Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW *
Thursday 25 April – Baroque Room, Katoomba NSW *
Friday 26 April – The Gum Ball Festival, Hunter Valley NSW
Sunday 28 April – Bendigo Autumn Music Festival, Bendigo VIC
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