Showing posts with label Radio Lulu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Radio Lulu. Show all posts

Friday, November 20, 2015

Louise Brooks / silent film themed RadioLulu receives praise from NYC

Recently, the Louise Brooks Society received an email from a fan in New York City. Nick, who is employed at the Vito Russo Library at the Gay Center in NYC, wrote to offer congratulations on the 20th anniversary of the Louise Brooks Society. He also wanted it to be known that RadioLulu is played at the library every Saturday, and that "Everybody loves it."

Wow.

The library is named for Vito Russo (1946 – 1990), an American LGBT activist, film historian and author who is best remembered as the author of the book The Celluloid Closet, which was first published in 1981. Louise Brooks appears on the cover of the softcover edition from 1987. An excellent documentary film was also made from the book. If you haven't seen it, track it down and given it a viewing.

According to the Gay Center website, "Founded in 1991 to encourage and facilitate the reading and research of LGBT literature, the Pat Parker/Vito Russo Center Library is named in honor of individuals who championed LGBT causes in their professional and personal lives. The Center Library is a lending library connected with others around the city, sponsor of a monthly reading group, and producer and/or collaborator for literary events of interest to the LGBT community."

RadioLulu is a Louise Brooks-inspired, silent film-themed station streaming music of the 1920s, 1930s, and today. Located on the web at www.live365.com/stations/radiolulu — RadioLulu features music from the films of the silent and early sound era, as well as recordings by early stars, show tunes, a little sweet jazz, cabaret artists, contemporary tracks and more. In addition, there are theme songs, novelty numbers, torch singers and crooners — as well as a numerous tracks with “Lulu” or “LouLou” in the title. And of course, there’s Maurice Chevalier’s much-loved “Louise”. All together, RadioLulu features more than 430 tracks totaling almost 23 hours!

More about the station can be found on the LBS website at www.pandorasbox.com/louise_brooks_society/radiolulu

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Music and Lulu

I was scouring the web last night in search of music relating to the life and films of Louise Brooks. I ordered a half-dozen somewhat expensive CD's from Europe, and some of what I found will end up on RadioLulu once I've had a chance to listen to the discs and convert tracks to the mp3 format.

I spent a few hours searching a German site called jpc - music a la carte. One of the discs I ordered (which may never come, as it may no longer be available - we shall see) is by Berthe Slyva, a French singer. This particular disc contained two vintage recordings of two songs from Prix de beauté, the 1930 French film which starred Brooks. The songs, "Je n'ai qu'un amour c'est toi" (the familiar closing song) and "Mais quand le coeur dit oui," both ended up on sheet music associated with the film. [ Another CD I came across on another website, featuring French recordings from 1930, includes another version of  "Je n'ai qu'un amour c'est toi," this one by Marthe Coiffier. Check the box next to her name and then double click on the "Lancer L'ecoute" button to hear a 45 second sample!]  I don't feel that either version of "Je n'ai qu'un amour c'est toi" on these two discs is the version heard in the film, so there is a third recording out there somewhere. (And no, it's not Edith Piaf.) This third version (by Helene Caron) may be the one issued as a 78 record in France around 1930.

My search around jpc also turned up a remarkable disc of German film music dating from 1900 through 1945. This album, Filmmuseum Berlin - Musik zum deutschen Film Vol. 1, contains all kinds of unusual recordings such as the "Caligari-Foxtrott" and music fromNosferatu and Metropolis and Pandora's Box! From what I can tell, some of these recordings are vintage, and some are contemporary. I will find out more when and if my order comes. (More info on this recording here - as well as sound samples.)

I also purchased a CD called TanzSzene Berlin 1930, a collection of vintage dance music which includes Ilja Livschakoff's "Du bist meine Greta Garbo," as well as a disc by Will Meisel which contains his classic " Dort tanzt Lulu." Another disc had a Pola Negri track . . . .  
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