Music and cinema go hand-in-hand.
Taking place at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, 'Get What You Want: Music Cinema' is a carefully curated selection of documentary and fiction films concerned with different genres. It will display the importance and impact of music in cinema, and attempt to communicate the power it has to deeply affect the listener and musician alike.
'In Bed With Madonna'Curator Peter McKay put the program together, and he answered some questions about what to expect at 'Get What You Want: Music Cinema'.
What is the purpose of an event like 'Get What You Want: Music Cinema'?
What I wanted to do with this program was to give an opportunity for audiences to introduce themselves to different kinds of music, and also their contextual cultures, looking to cinema to provide de facto ‘scene’ studies. I’m interested in the way music lowers inhibitions and I think that makes for compelling viewing. But I am also interested in the contradiction that music draws crowds together to share an aesthetic experience, but often the crowds that go to different concerts are divided along lines of genre or culture.
Bob MarleyAs the curator for this program, what was the most difficult part of the selection?
The process was to spend a lot of time clicking through IMDB and other specific cinema databases and then watch as many films as I could over four to five months. I am pretty sure I gained a couple of kilos. Looking at all these films took me to some really unusual and experimental practices which aren’t necessarily in ‘Get What You Want’, but hopefully some of that knowledge will come out in future programming. Cutting it down to 28 films was hard, but it has kept the group tight.
'Miles Ahead'What was the easiest?
Including 'Maestro'. It’s a really low budget film with sketchy handycam footage that I had been intending to watch for years. When I finally watched it for this program, I was blown away by the innovation and generosity that was integral to the 1970s club scene.
The films underline the idea that music 'can enrich our identities and transform the listener into somebody they want to be'… How is this idea represented in the program?
That line speaks to the notion that the music we love can become the soundtrack to certain moments in our lives – and that by listening to certain songs later on we can be transported back to these moments and reminded of who we have been at different times. Of course listeners also gravitate to the music that somehow stirs or strengthens their sense of identity – of who they are as an individual, and as a part of a group too.
'Montage Of Heck'What are you hoping people gain or learn from this program?
If ‘Get What You Want’ kindles a new interest in music from even just a handful of people I’ll be happy. I might be setting the target low, but at the end of the day cultural appreciation and participation is what all my work is about.
'Get What You Want: Music Cinema' takes place at GOMA from 2 September until 2 October.
