A project concocted by the producer from UK label World Circuit, Nick Gold, in cohorts with American slide-guitar player Ry Cooder, the Buena Vista Social Club was responsible for a huge craze for Cuban Son that took Europe by storm during the late ‘90s. Based on a revival of the repertoire from Havana’s Golden Age of the ‘50s, the album was recorded in just six days in 1996 with a group of musicians and singers most of whom were well into their 60s if not more. Since its release it has sold over 5 million copies worldwide, won a Grammy in 1997 and launched artists such as Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzalez, Omara Portuondo and Cachaito Lopez on highly successful solo careers.
 | As this month sees the release of 'Buena Vista Live at Carnegie Hall', director Wim Wenders talks about the magic combination of music and film and his experiences making the 1998 documentary 'Buena Vista Social Club'.
Wim Wenders, what do you listen to? I don’t play an instrument myself, I just play records. I did try to learn saxophone and clarinet once. It didn’t lead to much, though, and my saxophone ended up in a pawn shop. But I collect records and CDs and I listen to a lot of music. I am quite fond of the soundtrack albums to some of my films, especially Paris, Texas (with Ry Cooder) or Until the end of the World (with U2, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel and many others), Ainda (with Madredeus) or End of Violence (again with Ry, and also U2, Michael Stipe, The Eels and others). I like a lot of music - classical, Blues, Jazz and world music, although my ‘roots’ are definitely in the English rock scene of the early sixties, with The Kinks, Van Morrison and Them, The Pretty Things, Yardbirds, Stones and The Beatles. What is the first record you bought? The first single was Petite Fleur by Chris Barber. The next ones were all Chuck Berry singles. The first LP was the Kinks’ first album, simply called The Kinks, with a red cover, and You Really Got Me and Bald Headed Woman and Long Tall Short on it... Which is your favorite record cover? The “banana cover” by Andy Warhol for The Velvet Underground & Nico album. When did you first become fascinated by the combination of music and moving images? Music is a constant source of inspiration and energy. And my favourite part of the whole filmmaking process is that precious moment during the editing when you see image and music married together for the first time. I’ve always loved that moment, from the first film I made to the most recent. Whatever hardship and pain and trouble you have had to go through during your shoot: that moment makes it all worth it. What is your all time favorite musical movie? The Girl Can’t Help It by Frank Tashlin from 1956, with appearances by Fats Domino, Little Richard, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and more. When you went to Cuba for the Buena Vista adventure, was it the first time you had been there? I had never been to Cuba before! Of course I had particular plans about how to shoot and how to organise certain ideas, but once we were there, all that went straight out of the window. i worked on a day to day basis, with Jörg, the director of photography and the steadicam operator, finding places and locations as we went along. Was it different to what you expected? When Ry let me listen to a rough mix on a cassette, some time had already passed after his initial recording. He mentioned he might go back. But the only ways I could prepare were to look at a few picture books of Havana and learn a bit about Cuba’s history. You couldn’t find much information in America, anyway. Cuba had been wiped off the map. And then Ry called me one day and said: “We’re going again next week. You really want to come?” I had one week’s notice to put a crew together and find a tiny bit of money to finance the shoot in Havana. So to answer your question, I didn’t really know enough to have any real expectations. What surprised you the most? I guess what surprised me most was the way that the story emerged, it was different from just ‘making a documentary’. As each day passed, Rubén, Compay, Pío, Omara and Eliades became more and more like fictional characters, and when we finally arrived in New York, it felt like we had actually told a story and finished a narrative circle. What is your strongest memory during filming? At the end of Silencio, during the Amsterdam concert, Omara started to cry, and Ibrahim very gently wiped away her tears. For me that moment encapsulates the whole project. The funniest? Rubén on the Empire State Building. The most difficult? The electricity supply would cut out sometimes. And feeding your crew is a problem because, sadly, food is a problem in Cuba. Among the different Cuban musicians which personalities appealed to you the most? Due to the nature of this shoot I was able to spend time with all the main characters. Ibrahim was like a filmmaker’s dream - you couldn’t possibly invent a more interesting person. Rubén was such a funny character. Ry described him like a cross between Felix The Cat and Thelonius Monk, which was true. Pío was like Groucho Marx, in my eyes, and I’d love to make a film with Omara playing a fictional part. I’m sure she’d be great. And Compay was so ‘larger than life’ anyway - 90 years old, never ending energy and his incredible composure… If you could remake it now with all the original protagonists would you change anything? Beyond the ‘simple music documentary’ a much bigger story emerged, as we were filming. We were actually witnessing some sort of amazing fairy-tale happening in front of our eyes. We were just so amazingly lucky to be there, at the right time, in the right place. The rise to global stardom by these once down-and-out musicians was a deeply moving story. And, for once, TRUE! I always giggle when I see this line under a film title: “Based on a True Story”. That’s usually an oxymoron. In our case it was not. THAT was the main reason behind the success of BVSC. And of course: Cuba had been off the world agenda for a long time. It deserved the attention! Whilst there may be some technical details I’d want to change I think the way this project emerged organically is something that you can’t really orchestrate and perhaps only comes along once in a lifetime. During your entire career, music has always played a key part - either in the storyline or as the subject of your movies. From blues to rock, American country to Portuguese music, and of course Cuban son you have worked with a very large range of music. Is there a type of music or a musician you haven’t worked with that you would like to? Absolutely. I really want to make a film in Mali, with music from West Africa! Which musician, who has not already been the subject of a biopic, would make a perfect movie character? And if you don’t do it, which director would you choose? I made a film about the blues, produced by Martin Scorsese, called The Soul of a Man about three forgotten Blues giants: Blind Willie Johnson, JB Lenoir and Skip James. But these men were all long dead, so the film couldn’t have any impact on their lives any more. But my heroes certainly reappeared out of oblivion, thanks to the film. What is the last record that you bought? You’d get a different answer almost every day. The last one that really mattered would have been Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s Lie Down in the Light. What is the last record that you downloaded? I never do that. I like owning CDs and LPs too much! What is your favorite record before going to bed? That’s the only time I’m not listening to music. In bed, I’m strictly reading. I put on music when I get up... Benjamin MiNiMuM |
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