Peter O Toole

[marc dalmasso]

RIP ; i play the piano here for the moovie " Wings of fame "  ( palais de la Méditerranée NICE )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qp8Yel8xFI

[Jody Stecher]

How did you get *that* gig, Marc?  Seven seconds a movie star? I bet there's a good story there.  I had my hands playing guitar on the Hootenanny TV show (1963) and my hands playing banjo on a European television special America's music (1982). In neither case did the director (or producer?) think it a good idea to let anyone see my head or anything below the waist. At least we see your entire back for half a second.

[marc dalmasso]

only the hands ?.....  lol

We  did get that gig 'cause there is there , in Nice a movie studio called " la Victorine " which used to have his glory 'hours  ; and in the late 80 's , we used to play with my band  , for months , in a fashioned pub and the Producer of the movie made his "market "there

[Jody Stecher]

Yes only the hands! In the first case I was 17 years old and a lot younger than the others in the band and The Powers That Be decided I would not look right on television. The band was Dian and the Greenbriar Boys. John Herald, the group's usual guitarist did not want to appear on the show because it had "blacklisted" Pete Seeger for allegedly being a communist. John phoned me and urged me to take his place and earn some good money.  I got to ride on a jet plane for the first time in my life. All the way from New York City to Tucson, Arizona. I had a great time and met some good musicians and I got to walk out in the Sonora Desert at midnight.  

The second time was the shooting of the finale of a two hour special on American "folk music". It featured a bunch of big names from the 60s who now in the 80s had also grown big bodies to go with their big names.  All were gathered on stage to sing This Land Is Your Land. But they could not agree on a tempo. There were several false starts due to one big body standing in front of another big body  and vying for leadership.  The director was getting impatient. It was late at night and everyone wanted to wrap it up, with just one more song to record. How I got to be part of a band that was included in this show is too long a story to tell here but again I was a substitute for someone else. I could read the situation clearly. I walked up to the microphone and with a very clear beat I played as an intro the last line of the song on the five string banjo. In the key of C.  All the stars of the 60s joined in. I was a "nobody" so there was nothing to be gained by disagreeing with my tempo. We only needed one take, it was perfect. The director and the crew were overjoyed. But when it came to editing it was decided that showing the face of a nobody was not a good idea. Another "nobody" who was a faceless "backup" musician on this shoot was the great guitarist James Burton. If he's a nobody, I'm happy  to be one too! 

[marc dalmasso]

Yes , today every Telecaster ' hero admits to being inspired by him

[Jody Stecher]

Except in this case he was playing an acoustic Martin dreadnought. With medium gauge strings he was "bending" (pulling) half steps, whole steps, and step-and-and- a-half (three frets worth) perfectly in tune, just as he would with the telly and lighter strings.  Like most truly competent people he was as humble and approachable as any local grocery clerk. In fact, he approached us. An inspiration in more ways than one.

[Richard William Ineson]

Wise words mate.

[marc dalmasso]

yes exactly like Bela ; after  a show in Paris in 82 ,the year before he joined NGR  we were in a pub with him and my friend jean marie Redon & at least  3 or 4 others French Bj players  and he paid all the beers