Of course he "plays" the ditty on Stonehenge in Spinal Tap. Looks like he is playing a Gibson F4? Then in A Mighty Wind he is also a mandolin and banjo player, playing what looks to me like a Collings MT2. These are some pretty nice mandos to merely be props. In the credits he was involved in the making of most of the music in Spinal Tap. Just wondering if he is a player or just a good actor?
He is a player. As I understand it those are his movies and being a player certainly has influenced his choice of subject matter.
PJ
Stanley V5
"Guest attended The High School of Music & Art (New York City), studying classical music (clarinet).
He later took up the mandolin and became interested in country music.
He also played guitar with Arlo Guthrie, who went to the same school.
Guest later began performing with bluegrass bands until he took up rock and roll."
Source
i think everyone in mighty wind knew how to or learned how to play. i remember seeing barry mitterhoff's name in the credits as some type of musical advisor or something. it is a collings you saw. that was discussed a while back here.
I read an interview with him where he said that he played in backup bands for Arlo Guthrie and Loudon Wainwright back in the days before they became national acts. He said he was the only headlined actor in the movie "A Mightly Wind" who had actually been a professional musician. I have also heard that the Collings he used in that movie was a gift from his wife, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Lets see....movie maker, owns a Collings mandolin, married to Jamie Lee Curtis AND played with Arlo??? Does this guy have the perfect life or what??All kidding aside he is an incredible talent and I have really enjoyed his work over the years. I saw Spinal Tap for the first time at a campus theater when I was a freshman in college a GAZILLION years ago!! There are no instruments in it but my favorite movie of his is Best In Show! Him and his "blood hound doggie!" I could have googled him I spose but this was more fun!
News gets even better; hes' been working on a recording project, a mandolin meditation CD.
Seriously.
Brilliant movie. Fred Willard doing color commentary for a dog show, Eugene Levy's two left feet, or Catherine O'Hara's past "popularity" with the gents -- genius.Originally Posted by
In my next life, I'd love to have the comedic genius and improvisational skills of Christopher Guest (or any of his band of geniuses: Fred Willard, Harry Shearer, Michael McKeon, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, etc.).
Jim
And on top of that, as Baron Hayden-Guest, he is a real-life titled Peer of the Britsh Empire and a former Member of Parliament in the House of Lords. This guy really has a lot going on!
This guy amazes me and is a genius, for sure. Best In Show and Waiting For Guffman are my favorites.
I really thought the Collings sounded great in A Mighty Wind, especially when they're sitting in that room rehearsing. This movie's soundtrack is really good. Rolling Stones cover and all.
David Mehaffey
-------------------------------
...I wonder how the old folks are at home...
OMG! Ted that is histerical! Thanks, I CAN"T wait!!!
Didn't Christopher Guest play "Count Rugan" in "The Princess Bride"?
Yes ... maybe the extra finger helps when grabbing those jazz chords!
Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.
Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!
Lyon & Healy Wood Thormahlen Andersen Bacorn Yanuziello Fender National Gibson Franke Fuchs Aceto Three Hungry Pit Bulls
As I recall John told me he built him a Monteleone GA Delux.
I'll never forget his contributions on National Lampoon's Lemmings (1973) as Bob Dylan, James Taylor and Richie Havens:
I got to see the "Lemmings" show live in '74 with the original cast. It was great! I vividly remember the Dylan stuff, as well as the infamous Joan Baez parody that I understand has been censored from all current recordings of "Lemmings" for being even too politically incorrect for current-day National Lampoon audiences.
Barry taught Parker Posey how to play mando for her role as Sissy.
http://www.carnegiehall.org/article/...t_8102_pf.html
"Barry has also extensively explored the mandolin in ethnic and European traditional musics of many kinds. He played for the movie Youve Got Mail and taught mandolin to the actress Parker Posey for the film A Mighty Wind."
Wikpeadea has something about him holding some sort of inherited nobility position in England. Forgive my ignorance of English heritage and politics but I really don't understand what exactly it all means but it sounds fairly impressive.
In a commentary track for one of the more recent films (I think it was A Mighty Wind) Guest mentions that he plays the sitar, as well. He's quite the well rounded artist, it would seem. I'm trying to imagine looking stage right and seeing him pick a break, I think I'd start giggling out of habit
Christian
When he plays the electric mando, he turns it up to 11.
Living in the Mitten
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