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Larry Norman 1980 "Closet Tapes"#1
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- Опубліковано 10 гру 2011
- My name is Lynne Whelden. My other videos are found at lwgear.com I shot this February of 1980. The 3/4" tapes have been in my closet ever since. Except for a couple of edited songs, no other footage from this concert has ever circulated. Why? This was the first concert I'd ever shot and it was, let's say...challenging.
Back then video cameras were huge 3-tube plumbicons weighing 30 pounds with something like Coke bottle glass for a viewfinder. They needed a ton of light to look decent. I had to use a (5-pound) Sun Gun portable light and (10-pound) battery belt for the first 10 minutes or so. After that battery died it's only a dim spotlight illuminating Larry.
The VCR was a separate 20-pound metal monster, connected to the camera by a thick ropelike cable. It used 3/4" cassettes of 20 minutes' length. I didn't own any for personal use (the ones I had were designated for news) so I had to borrow some from a friend.
The tripod was a WW1-era wooden "stick" with no screws to lock anything down. Nor did it have any means of holding its legs in place. So the tripod took to constantly sliding apart on the cement floor.
Are you starting to get the picture? The lights are out, it's pitch black, I'm doing this solo, I have no flashlight. I can't tell how much tape is left, I'm trying to monitor sound and shoot at the same time. I'm trying not to make a scene.
Amazingly, Larry didn't seem to mind. You can tell he's a bit puzzled at the start when he sees not two but four microphones on his stands. He taps one mic to try and figure out which is live. I'm only 20 feet away, right below the front of the stage because that's how long my mic cords are.
So please forgive me when the camera wanders or the framing is off. Consider this "basement video" from a time when nobody had video cameras except news cameramen like myself and production companies with deep pockets. I had only been on the job a few months. I was very wet behind my ears. Maybe I told WBRE-TV28 I was going to shoot this concert for a proposed christian news magazine program I was going to do for them free of charge. But to be honest, I don't think I told them anything. I just snuck out of town early one Saturday AM with the gear and the news van (I was in charge of the gear since Williamsport was a news outpost the station had just established), hoping nothing bad would happen between Williamsport, PA, and Paterson, NJ.
This is everything Larry played for the first half of the concert (except when the tapes ran out and I had to pop another one in the clunky, slow VCR). I didn't shoot the 2nd half because I had exhausted all my batteries, tape supplies and myself, as well as Larry's patience, I'm sure.
This was the start of a long-running appreciation of Larry's music. I went to a number of his East Coast concerts, usually asking him afterward if I could ever do a documentary on his life. He always turned me down. I finally gave up asking. Shortly thereafter my name, Lynne Whelden, appeared in the liner notes of "Stranded in Babylon." When I contacted his manager to ask why, he said this was Larry's way of thanking me for my dogged persistence over the years. Sadly, it was at his final NYC concert in August of 2007 Larry asked me if I was still interested in putting some documentary together. I dragged my feet, partly because I didn't have the right gear and partly because I had always wanted the freedom to do an independent video. A few months later it didn't matter anymore.
My other videos can be found at lwgear.com
![Larry Norman - Live At The Elsinore - 2005 [FULL]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9dT2EpQiN6w/mqdefault.jpg)
I had never heard of Larry Norman before. One of my guitar heroes Doug Martsch mentioned him as an influence in an interview so I checked out this video. From the moment he sang "When you first begin your journey" my jaw dropped in amazement and when he finished with Pardon me I was feeling the chills. I could not believe what i was hearing. His voice is so beautiful in this performance.
It helps to have had separate mics for his voice and guitar going directly into my VCR.
I saw him about three times in the early 80s. It was very similar to this. He would make comments on the conditions of the auditorium or gymnasium (I particularly remember "I can shoot notes off the backboards.") It was his way of interacting with the audience and settling in, I think. He had a lot of issues that came with his success and the persona he had created, but his performances were mesmerizing. His voice was so beautiful and creative. The way the spotlight would create a glow on his hair made him almost seem angelic. The modern prophet "Man of God" persona was right there in front of you. My guitar teacher opened up for him once, so I asked him, "Did Larry say anything about your performance?" He told me Larry was in his hotel watching a movie until it was his own performance time. Showed my ignorance of the way things worked. So much for Church and Community, but I guess Larry may have been road weary. I've grown and moved on from the Jesus bubble, but I'll always appreciate his talent.
And to Lynne, I know what you mean about those cameras. I did that in the 80s as well. Not just the camera, but the VHS tape machine was separate on a shoulder strap as well. Back breaking wear and tear on the shoulders. Never fully healed.
I met Larry a few times in Australia, and had various friends who played with him. They had good things to say about him, and I always found him a nice guy.
I agree Larry was one of a kind. So refreshing in a musical world that ran against his grain.
Grateful for the video. He was one of my earliest influences musically (1972-84 range). Good to see him again. RIP Larry. Your music was used by God in a powerful way and your spirit and songs live on today. Just played and sang "The Outlaw" just yesterday. Still very relevant!
This is great. Thanks so much for sharing.
LARRY DARED...TO BE AN 'INDIVIDUAL'....FOR JESUS...BEEN WITH HIM SINCE 1977
Wow, you guys need to get a clue, he did this stuff every concert. He didn't do this to belittle anyone, it's not ego, it's fun...my favorite is when he says to turn the guitar volume up and not to worry about the needle going into the red, it's not like a rocket ship project when the needle goes in the red and you call off the shot...this is different.
Every show when he came out with just the guitar was like that, so it's not an attack on anyone, it's not a surprise and this was the 70s/80s when people could laugh and not get offended and nitpick every little word and action
I loved it when he'd tell our sound engineer to turn the volume up to folk music...on the rock concert tours. Lol. Adding, go on .... Be brave!!! What a blast.
Well. He is still is one of my favorites but a guy I know stopped being a fan after he mixed one of Larrys accustic consert, just like this one. Something about Tossing the microphone down the alley and yelling at him. :D So I'm sure he could be an ass like most of us. But he still was an amazing songwriter.
Nitpick every little word and acton? You mean like "You guys need to get a clue . . . " ?
I just read Gregory Thornbury's new biography of Norman: "Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music". Your video reminds me of the three or four times I saw Norman in the late '70's. Nice job!
To the poster Lynne, how grand it is to be hearing these FANtastic songs, my my, and just as weall are going home too, bless your little cotton sox brother, see you in the clouds. :))
With all of his faults, Larry had some sort of magic about him.
Thank you Jesus
Oh I so love your comments on this. At that time I too was shooting stuff with huge cumbersome cameras on U Matic tape. You did a great job on this, and thanks for posting it.
You're welcome. As I sit here typing, my back is killing me. One occupational hazard of ENG work, I think, is blown-out vertebral discs. Of course, back then we didn't know that. Many shooters looked like NFL linebackers and for good reason...you had to be a brute to lug 50 pounds of heavy metal around all day long, in and out of vans, up and down on shoulders and tripods. (Add exposure to microwaves in my case, since I drove the "Live Eye" and had to relay stories back to the studio 70 miles away on a daily basis.) Was it worth it?
+Lynne Whelden of course! I too, and every professional cameraman I know, has back problems!
Nice to read your background on the filming Lynne. Yes I know what you mean about weight and quality. I had a Sony Umatic edite suite. It took two guys to lift just one unit. Still have the Umatic portable JVC recorder in my archived equipment. I distributed many of Larry's lps down under including those not on mainstream label when I ran a music distie business. Thanks for posting.
Awesome! Thank you!
Thank you
Thanks so much. I wasn't at this concert, but I was at probably all the other NJ concerts after this, and I still treasure my cassette copies of the shows. This is probably some of the best LN footage available on the Internet.
Incredible recording great work
This is great!! Thanks so much!!!! I love the story behind the recording, thanks for all your effort!!!
I am an entertainer. I have had this happen to me countless times. You can have no idea how frustrating it is to have mic stands fall down, cords jangle and tangle, and the mix be completely off. The union garbage you have to deal with and especially the complete apathy the sound guy has for the artist. Don't judge Larry for his frustration: he as most likely very tired of it all...every single time!!!!!!!
Dan MacMullin Larry Norman can do no wrong in my eyes. Very understandable. I've listened to Larry since i was very young. My sisters and my brother loved him and feel line her was part of our family.
Yes, he did get VERY tired from the frustration of the skill level he had to deal with in those days. In the Christian circles there weren't many (if any) skilled operators. Unfortunately, he wasn't renown for his people skills as those frustrations came to bare. Thus, not many in the industry would tolerate the occasional outbursts and it gave him a bad rap from the few operators I knew back in the day that told me about him. ON THAT NOTE... I still loved his songs and was nice to those that would meet him after the gigs, of which I was one. But yes, you could see he had enough.
Thx for posting this. I enjoyed it very much.
Stunning!
That was just brilliant!
Well, it's probably a rare instance as well when the video guy (me) had a separate mic on his voice and another on his guitar, bypassing the PA system entirely. Gives a clarity impossible to achieve otherwise.
Thanks so much for this!
Legendary
No one speaks the Gospel in the dialects required to cut through with Jesus love.
Thanks to the current team from Melbourne town.
I agree, making fun of the sound and light people reflects an odd sense of humor to say the least. Evidently that was part of Larry's routine. I'd like to think he warned them beforehand, "Oh, by the way, I'm going to rag on you at the start of the show. Think nothing of it." But I doubt he said that. Just wishful thinking well after the damage was done.
"This is something you never do to the people who have worked all day setting up for you." Larry frequently did this. I think it was an act to create some desired impression on his audience. The temperamental, enigmatic artist, perhaps. The reality: an ego off the charts.
He understood satire better than most. you just didn't get the joke. lol
I think you misunderstand Larry. It wasn't ego, it was humour. LOL.
You did really quite well on this video. You can consider yourself to be one of my heroes. It might be hard for you to believe (or remember), but I was right there at your elbow. I might have said something like "whats with the camera, babe".
I then traveled to Cornerstone in Greyslake IL. I had more money than sense back then. More later
I like the song pardon me nice..
It's at 3:05 that you remember what a great voice he had.
Obviously no prior time for a sound check here. His guitar wasn't even in tune - not by a long shot, So he took it out on his sound and lights crew. That public biting sarcasm !..This is something you never do to the people who have worked all day setting up for you. Nevertheless, Creating a backdrop of tension and hanging a beautiful performance against it. Whatever rocks your boat. You could read so much into this video, but you don't have to - it speaks for itself. Thanks for sharing. Rare.
Larry was my hero until i found out about the wife switches, and the Australian Child incident, etc etc. then he became as human as me. NO room for heroes any more? Nope.
And that's gonna have to do from now on. All my heros are dead...
Hope I see you in heaven anyways
He's still be (kind of) my hero if only...if only he would have 'fessed up to what he did. Instead, he denied, denied, denied and put the victims down.
And those who hated him waited until he died before they dared to try and ruin his reputation...without evidence...without fear of being sued. Larry, himself, stayed silent of the sins of others during his lifetime other than confiding in a very few friends he trusted with his heart...who, to this day keep his trust. At least one has had the decency to recant her part. The response?....'well, she was a bad as he was'. Enjoying this video...remembering our beloved brother and friend from 1972-to the end. Loving, kind, generous, funny, clever, talented, used, abused, forgiving, brave. XXX
He was my hero too from 1974 when I saw him in Birmingham but then I decided to travel to one of his last concerts in Beaverton 2003 and was fortunate to get to know him a bit and his family. Subsequent visits in 2005 and 2006 and to the funeral in 2008 did not diminish my love for this guy. We are all human but I am astounded at the rumours and misinformation. He, like me, was a complex person and the soundbites of supposed misdemeanours are crazy to say the least. Relationships do hurt people and there are always two sides to every story. I agree with manic hairdos comments below. Only ever saw kindness and compassion from him and his family...
@@lynnewhelden No he didn't. lol
@@Footmanpublishing It could have been settled with a DNA test. Not only did he refuse but so did Charlie. It will forever remain a mystery. (If I wasn't the dad, I would have gladly taken the test. Sorry, I'm only using logic.)
Sweet video. You even caught a smile @ 1:55, but he quickly gets it under control (lol).
How about tagging the songs: "I hope I'll See You in Heaven", "Why Can't You Be Good", and "Pardon Me".
Quarantined in Babylon
I'm pretty sure that Larry could have worked this all out in the sound check if he wanted to.
In my experience, he showed up just before his stage time. The little routine would help him settle in and get comfortable. It also ate up some time. He had to fill about two hours.
If that was part of his routine to pick on the setup guys well it's an odd form of humor a little funny but if anyone was upset for his comments then they have other issues they need to deal with besides larry goofing around with them before a show...
Ask David Di Sabatino who he thinks this song was written for. Tell him I sent you.
Which song?
@lynnewhelden , I Hope I See You in Heaven.
@@cheryellemley-mcroy6758 Thanks for the heads-up. I did talk to David. I'm not surprised by the news. Sigh. For what it's worth, I had bugged Larry for almost two decades to let me do a documentary. (I was so persistent, my name's on the liner notes of his Babylon CD.) He always kindly said 'no thanks.' In the '90s I started learning more along the lines of Fallen Angel. Larry finally asked me in 2007 after his NYC concert if I was still interested. I told him I'd get back to him. I never did. I knew my concept would have never flown. I wanted to do a "repentance" tour, following him as he went from person to person, asking forgiveness. I didn't even float the concept because....I knew he'd flatly refuse. He died 6 months later.
@lynnewhelden we were together summer of 1968. After that, I didn't see him until 1974 when he sought me out and apologized.
David said he never knew Larry to apologize.
I wish you could have made that documentary.
Are related to John Whelden?
Nobody I know. Is he famous?