In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Alex Winter for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Alex played Bill in the Bill & Ted comedy trilogy. His parents were professional dancers and Bill started acting at a very young age. While he played an airhead in the Bill & Ted series, he's hardly that. He just released Zappa, his third film as a director and an intriguing documentary on Frank Zappa that's available on demand. [Photo still above of Alex Winter, left, and Keanu Reeves, courtesy of Orion]
Here's the Zappa trailer...
And here's Alex with Keanu Reeves in the trailer for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)...
SiriusXM. If you were unable to catch me on SiriusXM's Feedback last week talking about AC/DC's Highway to Hell with co-hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski, you can listen now for free at my SoundCloud page here...
Holiday wishes. Hoping all my readers in the U.S. (and abroad) had a lovely Thanksgiving, that they played it safe, wore masks if a few guests were over, and enjoyed the rest. Well deserved after the events of this past year (and the past four, for that matter). Next year will be glorious.
JazzWax cinema. This weekend, Young Man With a Horn (1950), starring Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Lauren Bacall (who Kirk Douglas told me got him his movie break), Hoagy Carmichael and Harry James's dubbed trumpet. Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca in 1942, Mildred Pierce in 1945 and White Christmas in 1954 among others). Hammy in places and obvious, but the music and cinematography are first-rate.
Here's Young Man With a Horn...