garage – Spinning Platters

The first-ever SF Sketchfest happened in 2001. It was a year that would live in infamy for kicking off the greatest comedy festival in the United States and for absolutely nothing else newsworthy happening that year. <insert laugh> Sadly, the 2021 event was not able to happen as planned due to everything being awful. However, we’ve reached a place of things being slightly less awful, so the 20th SF Sketchfest will be happening on the 21st birthday of the event. This is also helpful because that means the festival can drink.

The batshit crazy lineup is pasted below. And I say “pasted” because it’s so big that I haven’t finished reading it yet. I’ll make sure you get my annual “Nerd’s Guide” once I’ve taken the time out take it all in. Tickets for EVERYTHING are on sale Sunday, November 21st at 10 am PST at SFSketchfest.com. Please note that all attendees, performers, and venue staff *must* show proof of COVID vaccination as per SF Law. Continue reading “SF Sketchfest 20th Anniversary Initial Line Up Has Been Announced!”

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During SFIFF58 a few months ago, I was able to catch Mia Hansen-Løve’s new musical drama, Eden. Despite not knowing much about French touch and the electronic music movement of the 90s in Paris, I lost myself in the euphoric and tragic journey of the film’s central DJ character. Eden is a movie that will etch its aura into your mind, and its 4 hr. soundtrack plays like a history of house music. I was fortunate enough to arrange an interview with writer Sven Hansen-Løve, on whose life the story is loosely based, and Félix de Givry, who plays Paul, the central character of the film. At The Social Study, I sat down with the two French gentlemen to discuss Eden:

Félix, how much did you know about French touch and the electronic music movement before signing onto this project?

Félix: I think I knew a little bit more than normal people know in France. Even more than Americans. But still I was not expert, especially of garage underground scene. I knew about French touch. ‘French touch’ the expression represents so much success that almost everybody knows about the people involved. The most interesting thing for me was to really dig into the scene and the beginning of the scene and the fact that there was so few people, say 200 or 300 people. It was kind of a black hole. It wasn’t documented by the big media at the time and there was not internet yet. Thanks to Sven, I learned a lot about it.

Sven: Yes, the fact that we had the chance to see each other many times. With my sister, too (the film’s director, Mia). It was a good thing for Félix because he could get direct documentation, in a way <<laughs>>.

Continue reading “Spinning Platters Interview: Félix de Givry and Sven Hansen-Løve, ‘EDEN’”