IT SHOULD BE A FILM – Buddy Holly & The Winter Dance Party Tour

The Beatles are preparing to go on stage for an historic appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. The plethora of manic female noises from the packed crowd are lost on John Lennon who has but one thought as he steps up towards the shows producers and utters the words: "Is this where Buddy Holly stood? But who was Buddy Holly? A genius musician? An instrumental innovator? A brilliant vocalist? A fantastic and daring live performer? Yes he was all those things. He was also though just a twenty two year old man who tragically lost his life in a plane crash. Twenty two years of age. The same age that I€™ll be come July. It can be quite humbling to think of the way that Buddy was changing music whilst at the same age I was only at the early stage of learning a craft. It is amazing to think of how many great songs he recorded in such a short space of time. And such a variety of songs, from early shades of punk ('Rave on'), to pure rock and roll ('That€™ll be the Day', 'Not Fade Away') to ballads ('True Love Ways') to songs that still sound as if they are from the future ('Learning the Game','Moondreams'). The fact that he is so heavily respected and idolised by landmark musicians such as Dylan, Springsteen and McCartney when he still had his whole life ahead of him is testament to his musical gifts. In fact what he accomplished in such a short space of time is comparable to an author who only ever wrote one book but where every single sentence in that book is so brilliant, well crafted and memorable that he therefore has to be regarded as one of the all time greatest novelists. Or perhaps how well Orson Welles would still have been regarded had he only ever directed 'Citizen Kane'. There has already been a film made chronicling the life of Buddy Holly ('The Buddy Holly Story') and a biopic made about Ritchie Valens, real name Richard Valenzuela; ('La Bamba'), two of the three artists who along with Jiles Perry Richardson (The Big Bopper) died in the chartered plane crash in 1959 (a tragic incident which has now passed into popular culture as "the day the music died", thanks to the song American Pie by Don McLean.) There is nothing wrong with these films, they feature fantastic musical set-pieces and good acting but the drama is heavily watered down and far too sentimental. The truth of what happened in Clear Lake, Iowa where three young landmark musicians lost their lives needs to be turned into a film. The story also paints a brilliant picture as to how the idea of being famous has changed from singers touring the world in sometimes brutal conditions to the pampered lifestyle which the majority of them lead now. Most of all it is a story that needs to hit the big screen because it is one of the most interesting and tragic musical events of the twentieth century. THE STORY OF THE WINTER DANCE PARTY TOUR The Winter Dance Party tour featured an enviable music line up. The latest teen heartthrob sensation Ritchie Valens would be singing his mega-hit La Bamba along with his other hits "Come on, let€™s go," "Oh Donna" and 'We Belong Together'. Then there was the amiable figure of The Big Bopper who would be touring with his brilliantly catchy, comical tune "Chantilly Lace" and finally Buddy Holly€ who was well Buddy Holly; every time he took to the stage it was guaranteed to be phenomenal. Although it wasn't noticeable with the brilliant, vigorous and enthusiastic performances on stage; backstage the stars were having a torturous time with the freezing cold conditions. Buddy, Ritchie and The Big Bopper along with Dion and the Belmonts had all set out on a 24 day tour of the mid-western United States. The weather was several degrees below zero and they were travelling on a cramped bus from venue to venue. A number of the performers received frostbite as a cause of these conditions. This aspect of the tour is one of the reasons why I think it would make a great film because it brilliantly showcases what a different world it was back then. In this day and age Mariah Carey will cause a fuss if she slips on stage€ back then stars had to deal with tumultuous conditions and potential illness. And yet they still got in with the show each and every time as true professionals. This admirable showmanship aspect of the music profession has now largely become lost in place of the appaereantly cool act of trashing hotel rooms and making an ass of yourself in public. Needless to say however the packed schedule coupled with the poor conditions was understandably starting to wear the performers down. A couple of weeks into the tour Buddy Holly€™s drummer Carl Bunch had been forced to leave due to a frost bitten foot and this had increased the anxiety of the bands. With the tour scheduled to perform twice that day (yes, musicians really earned their keep back in those days) and then scheduled to travel to Clear Lake, Iowa for the next evenings€™s performance, Buddy took control and told his band members, consisting of guitarist Tommy Allsup and bassist Waylon Jennings that after the show he was planning to lease a plane which would fly them to Fargo, North Dakata ahead of the rest of the group. Obviously his plans weren€™t kept secret because when the slighty overweight Big Bopper, who had been struggling to fit into the small coach seats, discovered that there was a plane available he somehow convinced Jennings to offer up his place. The next two moments of the story are pure cinematic gold and would result in some perfectly executed dramatic irony if left in the hands of the appropriate director/screenwriter. Basically it seemed unlikely that Ritchie Valens would try and work his way onto the plane because he had a terrible fear of flying stemming back to a freak incident during his childhood when two planes had collided and crashed into his school playground, killing one of his best friends (dramatic foreshadowing). However it proves just how awful the conditions must have been that Valens asked Allsup if he would offer up his seat too. Allsup was not as easy to convince as Jennings and the two men ended up deciding the seat and incidentally their livelihood all on the matter of a coin toss. Valens won the toss and sealed his tragic fate. As for Allsup, well can you imagine living the rest of your life knowing that the rotation of a small coin is the only reason why you still exist? If that would be a curious twist of fate to live with, what€™s worse in hindsight is the final greeting between band members Waylon Jennings and best friend Buddy Holly which Jennings details himself in an archived interview with Gadfly Online: Buddy and I were cutting up and teasing with each other. And one of the last things we said to one another€”he said, "I hope your old bus freezes up going down the road, if you are not gonna go with us on the plane." I said, "Well, I hope your plane crashes." The line has haunted him ever since. I feel that the details of the plane crash would be irrelevant for a major production. It lacks poetry and runs the risk of being unnecessarily offensive. It is also usually the case where the power in cinema comes through implication and in allowing the audience to imagine the scenes for themselves. However for those of you who are interested in the details a pretty comprehensive report can be found here. The following paragraphs highlight who I think would be the ideal cast and crew for this film and an outline on how I think the story should play out in cinematic terms. CRYING, WAITING, HOPING: THE STORY OF THE WINTER DANCE PARTY TOUR MAIN CREW: DIRECTOR: MARTIN SCORSESE - He did a brilliant job with 'The Last Waltz' and with The Rolling Stones doc "Shine a Light" and has a knack for incorporating music brilliantly into his films; the only question is whether or not he would be interested enough in the subject matter. SCREENWRITER: LARRY LEHMER - He wrote the brilliantly detailed book about the Winter Dance Party Tour which contained great personal insight and emotion rather than just focusing on the rigid stone cold facts. Lehmer's passion and historical insight coupled with Scorsese's cinematic eye could be a thing of beauty to behold. MAIN CAST: CASEY AFFLECK AS BUDDY HOLLY - Like Buddy, Casey is a pretty ordinary looking guy with a great talent. Vocally he also has a very similar laid back, polite drawl which would lend itself very naturally to the delivery of the man he is playing. Although the two men may look fairly different, Hollywood can work wonders with image. Whether or ot the actor could carry a note is another issue... PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN AS THE BIG BOPPER - Yes I am aware that the actor has thick, blond hair. So what, it's never been a problem before, just get a bald wig. Hoffman would be great in this role because he has fantastic charisma but can also do grouchy and irritable really well (perfect acting skills for a lively character becoming frustrated by his working conditions.) Casting someone like Ritchie Valens is a lot harder. Actor Lou Diamong Philips was ideal casting in the film 'La Bamba' because he really captured that youthful energy which heightened the tragedy of the star's early death. This role would probably have to go to an appropriately talented breakout, young star. THE OUTLINE ACT ONE: A modern day performance of American Pie by Don McLean. Sat backstage with tear filled eyes sits Waylon Jennings. He opens his wallet which contains an old picture of him with his former best friend and band member Buddy Holly . Flashback to the beginning of the tour with a young Jennings on stage with Buddy during the Winter Dance Party Tour. They finish a number and then introduce Ritchie Valens on stage. We get to see part of Valen€™s performance intercut with a scene of Buddy backstage with the band moaning light-heartedly about the conditions. Later on we see these conditions first hand as the bands cramped together on the bus. In order to take their mind off the present, Buddy tells a story about how he was once challenged by a radio station to write and record a new song in the space of half an hour. The cold and fatigued group struggle to sleep on the uncomfortable bus. In a moment of light relief Big Bopper fidgets on his small seat with a pained expression. ACT TWO: The tour continues in poor spirits but the show must go on and the bands manage to summon great energy for their live performances. In reality however things are getting much worse. On the bus the heating breaks down and Several band members keep getting frostbite. The final straw comes when Buddy€™s drummer has to leave due to a frozen foot. After this incicent, Buddy makes the decision to hire a chartered plane for his band. ACT THREE: Big Bopperis fidgeting in his seat once again when he hears word of the chartered plane. Running as fast as he ever ran in his life he finds Jennings and manages to sweet talk him into taking his spot. Valens finds out too about the plane and has a flashback where we learn about the plane that killed his school-friend. Valens takes another look at the conditions of the bus however and makes the tough decision to try and get his own place on the plane. Allsup is not so easily convinced however and Valens has to coax him into a coin toss to decide who gets the final seat on the plane. Valens wins and Allsup looks gutted. On the plane Buddy, Big Bopper and Ritchie talk about their musical future. Buddy speaks excitedly about the type of music he is thinking of developing. Just before they leave Buddy has some final parting words with Jennings. Buddy teases him about having to return to the bus and Jennings jokingly retorts that he hopes that the plane crashes. Buddy€™s laugh before entering the plane is the last time he will ever hear his voice. Jennings watches as the plane takes off€.. Back to present. Waylon Jennings is introduced to the stage and pays tribute to the three deceased stars from the Winter Dance Party Tour and offers a touching tribute to Buddy as he declares that his music will live on forever before launching into a passionate rendition of €˜Oh Boy.€™ Pictures of Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper appear over the final credits. Despite recalling a tragic incident the film would essentially pay tribute to the fact that Buddy€™s incredible music has enabled his legacy to live on some fifty years after his premature death. He may have had the look of the boy next door but musically he was one in a billion. VERY INTERESTING FACT: John Wayne€™s repeated muttering of €œThat€™ll be the day€ from John Ford€™s 'The Searchers' is what inspired Buddy€™s famous song title of the same name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNvtDuaIAjY&feature=related