colonelswishhips

It's a black armband day for me today... Probably the best film ever for me was the 1973 original motion picture of Jesus Christ Superstar. Shot on location in Israel, the scenery is breathtaking; the musicians are the best to play on any version of the musical, the costumes are excellent (Check out the priests, and Roman soldiers with submachine guns)... and the performances of the main characters can't be beaten.

Great as Ted Neeley was in the role of Jesus, however, the man who stole the show for me was Carl Anderson as Judas. Unbelievable presence, and that voice! Movie images seldom come more iconic than the finale, where Judas, resplendent in a white fringed catsuit, descends into a spotlit amphitheatre on the hook of an industrial crane, to a pumping bassline and funky drummer beat... that man is a total inspiration.

Which brings me back to my black armband thing. After spending Saturday night in Colchester with some old friends (and realising where all those "Club Reps" c**ts go when they're not in Faliraki), I was caning my soundtrack CD in the car on the way home this morning, when I got to thinking how amazing it would be to see the Judas guy live if he was still gigging. So I got on the interwebweb and found his homepage...

Carl Anderson passed away on the 23rd of February this year.

Rest in peace, dude. Hope we didn't get you wrong.




Carl Anderson 1945-2004

Carl Anderson Homepage