Robert Banks
You Can’t Get a Piece of Mind: a Rockudrama
We’ve finally tracked down that print of Robert Bank’s You Can’t Get a Piece of Mind: a Rockudrama! The 1994 documentary chronicles the musical life of Cleveland musician and eccentric Dan “Supie T” Theman, a Vietnam Veteran-cum-punk rock singer. Shot mostly on expired 16mm reversal film, along with 35mm still photography and super 8mm film, with the sound recorded on salvaged ¼ inch tape, the film was an analogue underground effort to sort fact from fiction regarding the storied “Supie T”. On the film’s release Banks was criticized for making an exploitative and disturbing portrait of a troubled subject, but he was sincere in his appreciation for his subject. “I loved his music. His music is cool. Supie just wanted people to hear his jams and have fun, and I tried to capture that on film.”
Preceded by Suzanne Naughton’s classic tribute to the Sex Pistols: Mondo Punk!
Entranced by the beauty of celluloid from a young age Robert Banks has been making formally inventive independent films for twenty years. His award-winning works have screened at film festivals around the world. A graduate of the Cleveland School of the Arts, Banks has taught film courses at Cuyahoga Community College, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and Cleveland State University. He has also worked as a free-lance cinematographer on numerous commercials and music videos, and regularly hosts salon style screenings at his Cleveland studio.
Programme:
Mondo Punk, Suzanne Naughton, 1978, 16mm, Canada, 6 min.
You Can’t Get a Piece of Mind: a Rockudrama, Robert Banks, 1995, 16mm, USA, 58 min.
@ the Art Bar, Gladstone Hotel | 1214 Queen St West
Monday, October 17, 2011 | 8:00 PM screening, $5 suggested donation
Dan "Supie T" Theman