Fishing with John
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| Fishing with John | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the Criterion Collection DVD release |
|
| Format | Fishing show |
| Created by | John Lurie |
| Starring | John Lurie |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 147 min |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Independent Film Channel, Bravo |
| Original airing | 1991 |
Fishing with John is a 1991 television series conceived, directed by and starring actor and musician John Lurie for a cult following. On the surface, the series resembles a standard travel or fishing show: in each episode, Lurie takes a famous guest on a fishing expedition. Since Lurie has no expert knowledge of fishing, the interest is in the interaction between Lurie and his guests, all of whom are his friends. Nothing particularly unusual actually happens, but the show is edited and narrated in a way to suggest that Lurie and his guest are involved in dramatic and even supernatural adventures. The deadpan, laconic style of the show is heavily influenced by the films of director Jim Jarmusch, who appears as the guest in the first episode.[1]
Besides Jarmusch, the guests featured are actor Matt Dillon, musician Tom Waits, actor Willem Dafoe and actor-director Dennis Hopper. The series ran for 6 episodes, each featuring a different guest and locale, except for episodes 5 and 6 which both feature Hopper in Thailand. Each episode has voice-over narration by Robb Webb, which is sometimes bizarre and off-topic. The soundtrack is by Lurie, with several guest performers (see below).
Contents |
[edit] Episode breakdown
| Episode | Guest | Locale/description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jim Jarmusch | Fishing for shark off the coast of Montauk, New York State. Out here, the shark is at the top of the food chain. |
| 2. | Tom Waits | Lurie and Waits fish for snapper in Jamaica. Waits catches a fish and puts it in his pants, but then becomes grumpy. |
| 3. | Matt Dillon | Dillon and Lurie fish in San José, Costa Rica. Supernatural events ensue. |
| 4. | Willem Dafoe | Ice fishing in northern Maine. Dafoe and Lurie run out of crackers and, the narrator tells us, starve to death. |
| 5. | Dennis Hopper | The narrator happily reports that Lurie is still alive. Lurie and Hopper search for the mythical and elusive giant squid in Thailand, which also is apparently hunting them. |
| 6. | Dennis Hopper | Part two in Thailand. The squid hypnotizes our protagonists with its "beach ball" sized eye. Deeper and deeper into Thailand, few are chosen. |
[edit] Release
The entire series is available on DVD from The Criterion Collection and features a commentary track by Lurie on each episode.
Footage from the first episode was used in the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Hooky", aired in 2000; Lurie and Jarmusch were credited with guest appearances.
A CD of the soundtrack was released in 1998, featuring the Fishing With John Singers (Marion Beckenstein, Lisa Bielawa, Mary Ann hart, Cassie Hoffman, Sarah Hover, Jeffrey Johnson, Phyllis Jo Kubey, Eric Lamp, and Alexandra Montano), as well as the Cassatt String Quartet: Muneko Otani, Laura Goldberg (violin); Michiko Oshima (viola); Anna Cholakian (cello). Many other performers were featured, including John Lurie himself (vocals, soprano saxophone, harmonica, keyboards, guitar); Tom Waits, Kazu (vocals); Robb Webb (spoken vocals); Steven Bernstein (vocals, conductor, trumpet); Michael Blake (vocals, tenor saxophone, clarinet); Jane Scarpantoni (vocals, cello); Evan Lurie (vocals, piano, keyboards); Doug Wieselman (vocals, guitar); Tony Scherr (vocals, bass); Calvin Weston (vocals, drums); Mauro Refosco (vocals, percussion); Marcus Rojas (tuba); Bart Feller (flute); Eugene Moye, Garo Yellin (cello); Bryan Carrott (vibraphone, timpani, shaker); David Tronzo (slide guitar); Erik Sanko (bass, tambura); Tony Garnier (bass); Billy Martin (cymbals, percussion); Nana Vasconcelos (jug, percussion).[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Criterion Collection essay by Michael Azzerrad
- ^ CD Universe: John Lurie Fishing With John Soundtrack CD
[edit] External links
- Fishing with John at the Internet Movie Database
- Fishing with John at The Criterion Collection
- Interview with John Lurie regarding Fishing with John
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