Frank Sidebottom - C or D ?

Mods please updated with an RIP..

Right now, Frank is 2nd in the Twitter trend list... crazy...

Genius:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtRqEkwLap4

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8752000/8752639.stm

No wonder that second album took so long:

http://www.shirlainephotos.co.uk/big_images/music-mvc7_big.jpg

christ, RIP dude

RIP. I bought his computer game back in the day, a music biz simulation thingy for the Spectrum.

There is no truth in the scurrilous rumour that Chris Sievey was Frank Sidebottom. I interviewed the pair of them on the phone for my ‘North Will Rise Again’ oral history of Manchester book and after about an hour of brilliant stuff from Chris I asked him about Frank figuring he must know something about the nasally comic genius.
The phone went click.
Dead.
A few minutes later the phone rang and oddly it was Frank on the phone coincidentally ringing to sort out an interview.

The comic genius behind Mancunian legend Frank Sidebottom is facing a pauper's funeral after dying virtually penniless.

Chris Sievey, whose alter-ego became a comedy icon thanks to his over-sized papier-mache head, had no assets and little money in the bank, his family have revealed.

Chris leaves sons Stirling, 31, and Harry, 18, and daughter Asher, 30. Stirling said the family have been in discussion with hospital bereavement officers and a funeral director.

He said: "My father has not left any money behind and we are struggling to try and sort his funeral out. He spent money as it came in and was always a man for the moment. He never planned ahead. We have spoken to a funeral director and the sort of figures that they are talking about are too high."

Did a gig with Frank almost 4 years ago to the day. It was a 2006 world cup gig with England v Trinidad on a big screen followed by a the bands, followed by Frank. Chris and his manager/promoter had driven down from Manc in a van with his keyboards, Frank's heads/costumes and a mountain of wholesaler's boxes of crisps and cheese puffs which they continually served out to fans watching the game in the bar of the Bull & Gate. Out of costume, he was a small, retiring figure who sat nervously on his own. As Frank, even though everyone knew all the material backwards, he was warm, larger-than-life and v.v funny. RIP

even though everyone knew all the material backwards

I think a major part of Franks appeal was that fact that the audience participated and was part of the show..

you can help pay for Franks funeral expenses here http://www.radiotimperley.com/

it would appear that frank is well regarded as they've raised more than enough already, about £6k in a few hours

http://twitter.com/jonronson
""

(but don't let that stop you)

(oops, extraneous ""s, was going to try and explain why jon ronson is involved, but i'm not sure myself 8)

JRonson is another of Chris Sievey's past associates, along with Caroline Aherne, etc.

Guess Who's Been On Match Of The Day? is currently at number 46 on the pop charts.

No!

Think it's higher than that now.

Go Frank!

There's a celebration of him tonight, somewhere in Manchester. Don't know the details though.

number 22 or something now. i've bought it.

"Because of the sheer amount of love and goodwill, the family have also
agreed to host another seperate send-off for Frank Sidebottom which will be
held at Castlefield Arena on 8th July between 7:00pm and 10:00pm. The event
is totally free and will feature the likes of Badly Drawn Boy, Charlie
Chuck and others. More details can be found at
http://www.radiotimperley.com/franks-fantastic-send-off-information/ "

Charlie Chuck!

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/11/2/1288721883143/frank-sidebottam-006.jpg

Selfridges in Frank Sidebottom head row

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2010/11/2/1288721883143/frank-sidebottam-006.jpg

A+ final paragraph

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19516388

Frank Sidebottom inspires Michael Fassbender film

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62748000/jpg/_62748010_frank1_bodypa.jpg
Fassbender (l) will wear a false head in the film similar to that worn by Frank Sidebottom (r)

Michael Fassbender is to star in a film partially inspired by Frank Sidebottom, the eccentric comedy character renowned for his over-sized, papier-mache head.

Frank, a Film4 collaboration with the Irish Film Board, tells of a musician who joins a band led by Fassbender's mysterious title character.

The film is written by journalist and author Jon Ronson with Peter Straughan.

http://aws-c4-generic-sites.s3.amazonaws.com/film4blog-prod/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/frank.jpg

http://blog.film4.com/first-photograph-of-maggie-gyllenhaal-michael-fassbender-and-domhnall-gleeson-in-frank/

So, is Clara meant to represent Paula?

Kickstarter for Sidebottom documentary: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/126673955/being-frank-the-chris-sievey-story

Trailer

http://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2014/mar/06/frank-trailer-michael-fassbender-video

So...nothing whatsoever to do with Frank Sidebottom or Chris Seivey then?

A quirky band takes a road trip across America to take a shot at their one chance at fame. There's a movie I want to see.

yowch that looks dreadful. weird how they've pitched it as a high-octane action comedy with buff hollywood star in the lead role, words like HILARIOUS and ABSURD in a jolly yellow font flashing up on screen to signpost that the 'jokes' are actually jokes. then there's this clip which takes more of a twee sub-spike jonze equally-irritating tack: http://vimeo.com/84321394

either way ronson has gotta be having sleepless nights about how rotten this is looking like turning out

http://susiemadrak.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/wahmbulance-1.jpg

I like that it's a 'different' Frank.

It remains to be seen if it's a good movie though.

What I've read so far, this seems to be allegorical, hugely, to Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, around the time of "Trout Mask Replica"...

I loved it, but it's 100% NOT a high-octane action comedy with buff hollywood star in the lead role, words like HILARIOUS and ABSURD in a jolly yellow font flashing up on screen and they don't actually position it that way at all. Blame the people who cut the trailers there.

That said, it's not about Frank Sidebottom, except in the abstract - it's about outsider musicians in general, and cult fame, and the thin line between a certain type of precious genius and mental illness. It's darker than I expected, but there are lots of gags. I feel like its ideal audience is people who find something haunting and beautiful in The Shaggs, not just something to laugh at. Daniel Johnston's story is definitely conjured as well. The music (I didn't recognize the name and can't remember it) is more-than-credible post-punk that doesn't sound anything like Sidebottom's plinky tunes. It's almost more like MX-80 or Pere Ubu or something.

I haven't read any reviews, so don't know what people have disliked who disliked it, but I could see some people being irritated by the running device of the lead character constantly Twittering (I personally cringe when I hear anyone in the world say "hashtag *something*" out loud).

It should get, and deserves, a cult following.

watching the trailer with the sound off it does look QUITE bad

I haven't read any reviews, so don't know what people have disliked who disliked it, but I could see some people being irritated by the running device of the lead character constantly Twittering

yes this was absolutely awful. As well as the whole SXSW trip.

I enjoyed it on a superficial level but I'm not even a fan and I found the complete divorce from the actual Frank Sidebottom story puzzling and quite off-putting. He was such an authentically strange English eccentric (and 80s/90s artifact) that the modernisation and Americanisation felt a bit cheap and wrong. It seemed like a rather self-conscious attempt to make Sidebottom cool, which he obviously never was

The Jon Ronson "Frank" book, smallest (content) book ever, sets out and explains the why/what of the film, but it's mostly about the (real) Frank, and Jon being in his band and that.

probably the best ending to a film i didn't care for much that i've ever seen. the last 15 minutes were amazing especially the song IMO. it will sorta spoil it if you hear the song outside of the film though.

The Mick Middles book is great, by the way.

It's epub only at the moment, but it's due out on paper later in the year.

http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/mm5qvn/michael-fassbender----i-love-you-all-

That reminded me a little bit of early Pulp.

I'm going to see Frank tomorrow.

apparently the movie basically...isn't about frank sidebottom at all?

No, not at all. It's quite good though. Well, it's hit and miss throughout but really nails the ending.

What a very strange film...

Took me ages to realise the bits when Frank was speaking because of the US accent. Huge tonal shifts all over the shop, especially in the last third. Had trouble understanding many of the characters' motivations. Sometimes it played out like a whimsical UK comedy drama, other times like an avant-garde Spinal Tap, and other times like a surrealist Silver Linings Playbook. I was never sure whether the music Frank's band was making was supposed to be fractured genius or a deluded experiment...

And yet somehow it worked. I was enchanted by this film for the most part and I feel as though it's going to stay with me for a long while.

did you guys really like the ending that much?

Yeah, I liked the ending.

Well, now this film exists, I can't see it happening.

I imagine there would be legal problems too... plus people might not believe it could actually have happened.

britishers: 'Frank' is on film4 tonight at 22:40

Britishers: don't bother it's rubbish

No it isn't.

it looks bobbins

it's quite good, great ending

trailer does not entice

don't suppose i'm the target market tho

Thread idea:

Self-discipline: what are you the target market for?

cider, cheese snacks

This was not a very good movie. Not helped by Domnhall Gleeson being almost inexplicably terrible.

I felt like its treatment of mental illness was completely uneven, and it very much confused what the movie was supposed to be about. The ending is a relief, mostly because you finally get to hear Frank and his band play a whole goddamn song.

(Gleeson's been good playing an earnest yet self-serving twit elsewhere, namely Ex Machina, so I can't figure out what happened here other than weak material)

The 'Real' Frank Sidebottom docu-movie is finally getting its previews and release and so on!

A review of the new documentary

The reviewer isn't familiar with Frank and doesn't seem to quite catch what he's all about so maybe the film misses the mark a bit? Still, can't wait to see this.

https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2019/01/09/42042/frank_sidebottom_movie_gets_a_uk_and_us_cinema_release

out this week

GCHQ cracks Frank Sidebottom's secret codes

Awesome

Boffins and bobbins in the same sentence but not in the title? :(

Gratifying to see the British secret services are good for least one thing.

wasn't sure if 100 mins of a frank sidebottom documentary might become trying but i ended up thoroughly enjoying it.