So I promised to do up a diary on the Love Film. As I said before, I thought Chris Hall did a great job, esp. considering that there were no interviews with Gene Kraut or Glenn Povey, both of whom played big roles in the resurgence of Love in the modern era. Also, the Love fans (particularly the UK fans, many of whom bought multiple tix and came to multiple shows, which allowed the band from 2002 onwards, to really catapult the name LOVE into the British venacular again.

We all know the names but people like Scully, Caryne, Liz, Martin, Dukie, Tina, Old Man, New Guy, Scottish Keith, Ringo Harrison, Kose, Troels, Fraser, the Swedes, Gunnar (who hand wrote ALL the sheet music from Forever Changes for ALL the instruments, as the original score was lost after all those years…), and many other ‘names’ that came to so many shows and bought so much merchandise and made it possible for the band to become somewhat successful in England again, after such a LONG hiatus.

It would have been nice to see Torben and Freedom Man on film, so people could connect the faces with the names. And it would have been great to get Don Conca on film but of course Don passed before the film was properly off teh ground. And, although I don;t know the ins and outs, I do know that Chris was trying to make the film for as far back as 2001. But, as you can imagine, it wasn’t ‘easy’ but Chris never gave up.

I did see a few people walk out of the film mumbling some disappointment. I think they have to understand, the last 15 years of Love was really Arthur, Baby Lemonade and Johnny Echols and that’s a whole other chapter. Maybe the film glossed over how hard Arthur worked to get to the level he was at from 2002 to 2005. Maybe it was cut out because of time constraints? I do know that when Arthur was released in Dec. 2001, he had an entirely different take on music, performance and business.

Diane and I were joking that I should write a book. i have so many notes and Lee anecdotes – enough to leave you in stitches – and so many good times and so many deep musical moments, that, one of these days, I will write that book. And it won’t be a tell-all silly thing. it’ll be something everyone could be proud of but esp. one that Arthur himself would enjoy, something to remind him of the fun times and many many many stage performances we did together and how, no matter what, we were always connected by the music.

Chris Hall showed in his film that no matter what, all the Love members who participated in those first 4 Love records are forever connected and live in the minds and hearts of fans and friends all over the world. As old as Jac Holzman is, you can still find him riding his vespa down by the beach. He saw something in Love, esp. in Bryan, Johnny and Arthur. I know Johnny is still deeply heart-broken by Arthur’s passing. We all are. But Chris’s film reminded us how closely connected we all are to the music, to the people who made it and to each other.

Mike Randle