"THE DEAL" A 1988 VIDEO BY STEVEN CLARK & JAY EVANS W/ ALAN WESLEY ON GUITAR
"THE DEAL"
A 1988 VIDEO BY STEVEN C. CLARK & J.P. EVANS
WITH ALAN WESLEY ON GUITAR
SURELY AN EXPLANATION IS IN ORDER!
MY FRIEND AND POET FROM SUBURBIA STEVE CLARK WROTE THIS 'PERFORMANCE ART' PIECE WAY BACK IN THE MID '80'S AND WANTED ME TO "JUST PLAY SOMETHING IN THE BACKGOUND DUDE!" I HAD ONLY BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T HAVE TOO MUCH TO OFFER, BUT ANOTHER MUTUAL FRIEND OF OURS, JAY EVANS WAS AN-UP-AND-COMING VIDEO EDITOR AROUND L.A. WHO HELPED LIGHT AND SHOOT IT.
JAY THEN WORKED HIS MAGIC ON IT (IN HIS STUDIO OVERLOOKING SUNSET BOULEVARD). I GOT TO WATCH AS HE EDITED IT TO WITHIN AN INCH OF ITS' LIFE! AS YOU CAN PROBABLY TELL, THESE ARE GREAT MEMORIES FOR ME.
YOU CAN ALSO PROBABLY TELL THAT 'THE DEAL' IS MEANT TO BE BOTH LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY 'DARK'-BUT NOT THAT DARK! MOST OF THE EXCELLENT BACKGROUND IMAGERY THAT JAY PAINSTAKINGLY WOVE IN AND OUT OF THE DARKNESS HAS BEEN LOST IN THE PROCESS OF DUBBING FROM AN OLD VHS TAPE AND THEN COMPRESSING THE FILE FOR THE INTERNET.
IN 1988 STEVE ALSO WROTE AND SHOT THE '4 OUT OF 5 DENTISTS' BAND'S 1980'S VIDEO "SAY THAT YOU WANT ME". JAY HELPED US WITH PRODUCTION AND THEN SPENT WELL OVER 100 HOURS WITH ME EDITING THE ADMITTEDLY CONFUSING PLOT TOGETHER. THEY BOTH GAVE EVERYTHING THEY HAD TO MAKE OUR VIDEO THE VERY BEST IT COULD BE.
JAY HAD A TRUELY BLISSFUL MARRIAGE AND BUSINESS WAS REALLY BEGINNING TO TAKE OFF, WHEN UNFORTUNATELY, HE WAS KILLED IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT IN 1991. STEVE DID NOT TAKE JAY'S DEATH VERY WELL AND, HAVING MARRIAGE AND DRUG PROBLEMS, STARTED A DOWNWARD SPIRAL THAT ENDED WITH HIM TAKING HIS OWN LIFE IN 1992. STILL, STEVE HAD GREAT VISION AND HE WAS WELL AWARE BACK IN 1986 OF THE FREEDOM AND POSSIBILITIES THAT THE INTERNET PRESENTED TO ARTISTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE LIKE HIMSELF.
I'M NOT SURE IF ANY OF THEIR WORKS/PROJECTS HAVE, UNTIL NOW, BEEN POSTED TO THE INTERNET-I HOPE THEY WOULD BE HAPPY WITH THIS PAGE.
