Concert Film Goes Off Without A "Hitch" - June 25, 2000

When Grant Lee Phillips and Robyn Hitchcock brought their five city concert tour to Portland, OR and Seattle, WA over the weekend, Scotopia Pictures was there to capture it live. With nearly fifteen hours of footage to assemble, this promises to be a unique concert film for both Phillips and Hitchcock fans alike.

Robyn Hitchcock

"The shoot went beautifully, and the footage looks fantastic," said director/producer Kris Kristensen. "I'm really happy with what we shot. It's a very personal and intimate show. Like hanging out with a couple friends at the local pub."

The Seattle show alone lasted almost two and a half hours, with Phillips and Hitchcock pausing between each song in order to introduce the next tune. Their in between banter was as entertaining as their music, reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello routine. Their witty improv led to a conversation in faux-French about Phillips' hair, and at another point the two musicians did impeccable impersonations of one another.

Grant Lee Phillips

The musical set itself consisted of the duo playing one another's songs. Much of the music was from their most recent albums Ladies Love Oracle (Phillips) and Jewels For Sophia(Hitchcock) , plus many of their classics. They also performed a large number of cover tunes ranging from the Everly Brothers Dream to Lou Reed's Satellite Of Love. During the first encore they seamlessly fused David Bowie's Sound+Vision with the disco classic Kung-fu Fighting.

Currently, Phillips is mixing the audio tracks. Video editing will begin shortly after the 4th of July, with a video release expected near the end of August. There is also talk of producing a live CD to accompany the tape.

The videotape will only be available at their live shows and on the internet via Scotopia Pictures, GrantLeePhillips.com and RobynHitchcock.com.