Richard Donner was an American film director of blockbuster movies.
His film The Goonies (1985) featured a Rube Goldberg machine to open a gate. The cage of the chicken in that sequence bore the text: “RUBE G. 83”.
RIP Raffaella Carrà (1943 – 2021)
Raffaella Carrà was an Italian showbiz person known for her dancing in “Prisencolinensinainciusol” (1972) and her singing and low-cut suit in “A far l’amore comincia tu” (1976).
The song is featured prominently in Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000) by Ozon.
In 2011, French DJ Bob Sinclar sampled the original Italian version of “A far l’amore comincia tu” and included it in his single “Far l’amore” which was later featured in The Great Beauty (2013).
RIP Vladimir Menshov (1939 – 2021)
Vladimir Menshov was a Soviet and Russian actor and film director best-known for his film Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1979).
RIP Donald Rumsfeld (1932 – 2021)
Donald Rumsfeld was an American politician.
Normally, I do not cover politics but Rumsfeld, by saying there are “unknown unknowns”, entered the field of philosophy.
And by becoming the subject of the documentary The Unknown Known (2013), he makes a good entry point to the documentaries of Errol Morris.
Donald Rumsfeld famously saying “there are unknown unknowns”.
RIP Louis Andriessen (1939 – 2021)
Louis Andriessen was a Dutch composer, together with Dick Raaymakers, one of the most important ones of The Netherlands.
I give you De Staat, named after De Staat (Dutch title of The Republic by Plato).
RIP Gift of Gab (1971 – 2021)
Gift of Gab was an American singer-songwriter working in hip hop music.
MF Doom, who was also born in 1971, died a couple of months ago. Both him and Gift of Gab were known for their multisyllabic rhymes.
The most inspiring figure in hip hop today is Madlib.
RIP Jon Hassell (1937 – 2021)
Jon Hassell was an American composer and trumpet player best known for combining elements of various world music traditions with modern electronic techniques.
His music has a mesmerizing quality.
Of note is his collaboration with Moritz von Oswald (Oswald is the new Laswell).
RIP Frederic Rzewski (1938 – 2021)
Frederic Rzewski was an American composer, best known for The People United Will Never Be Defeated! (1975).
That composition is a set of 36 variations on the Chilean song “¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!”.
RIP Clare Peploe (1942 – 2021)
Clare Peploe was a British-Italian film director and screenwriter (Zabriskie Point, 1970).
Luck has it that there is a complete version of Zabriskie Point on YouTube.
RIP Ellen McIlwaine (1945 – 2021)
Ellen McIlwaine was an American singer-songwriter and musician best known for her career as a solo singer, songwriter and slide guitarist.
I discovered her via Life:Styles – Kenny Dope (2003) which features her “Jimmy Jean” song, originally released on the album We The People (1973). The congas you hear are, as far as I know, by Cándido Camero.
Her song “Can’t Find My Way Home” is reminiscent of “You Goin’ Miss Your Candyman” (1968) is a song by Terry Callier.