Some people have that innate ability to have great things happen
around them, or maybe because of them.
Hal Willner, co-founder of the Knitting Factory, music
supervisor for Saturday Night Live, recording artist, producer of a
myriad artists from William Burroughs to Marianne Faithfull, and a
man who has worked with Tom Waits, Harry Nilsson and Lou Reed,
could safely be said to be one of those people. His acquaintance
with David Sefton from work they did together in England is what
brought the event “Never Bet the Devil Your Head” to
UCLA. It’s a phenomenal thing when connected people
collide.
Willner’s contributions to the art he helps create reflect
his multitasking abilities; he utilizes a number of angles and
perspectives. And this holds true for putting together a night at
Royce Hall.
“I sort of make an evening like you would make a meal. You
have your main course and your dessert,” Willner said.
But he leaves it up to the audience to decide for themselves
which of the evening’s aspects corresponds with each part of
the meal.
“I hope you leave an evening feeling you’ve been
through something,” Willner said. “You’ve gained,
been entertained.”
Willner’s previous projects embrace an ethic intending to
both entertain and provoke thought. “Stay Awake: Various
Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films” saw
Willner collaborating with singers like Sinead O’Connor,
Aaron Neville and James Taylor on songs from
“Pinocchio” and classics like the “Mickey Mouse
March.” Willner’s 1998 solo electronic record is titled
“Whoops, I’m An Indian” and samples all sorts of
roots music, everything from the “Star Spangled Banner”
to tribal chants.
“It’s a balance for me that may not be a balance for
someone else,” Willner said of his works and tonight’s
performance. “Everything I ever do comes from when I came of
age with early ’70s FM radio, which could go from Dylan to
Beefheart to Ornette Coleman to Stravinsky … That’s sort of
my roots, along with variety television.”
Edgar Allan Poe, then, would seem tame and routine for Willner
to tackle, but he has shaped the event to be anything but
middle-of-the-road.