Frank riffs on the pop curiosity frank sidebottom the. Dec 14, 20 new book will honour cult comedian frank sidebottom the paperheaded comedian the alter ego of timperleys chris sievey will be the subject of a new book written by his pal jon ronson. Frank sidebottom documentary traces troubled life of. Frank sidebottom was a novelty act from the manchester music scene of the late 80searly 90s. Feb 10, 2019 in his huge papiermache mask, chris sievey was an unlikely star, enjoying drugs, booze and sex with groupies. Talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson. With contributions from jon ronson, john cooper clarke, john thomson, johnny vegas and some other people not actually called john or variations thereof mark radcliffe, its a poignant, brilliant, silly, moving, wonderful journey into the head of frank, the mind of chris and, well, timperley.
Jan 12, 2014 jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers franks creator chris sievey as being even more eccentric than his. Lenny abrahamson, maggie gyllenhaal, scoot mcnairy. Jan 15, 2014 frank sidebottom was a novelty act from the manchester music scene of the late 80searly 90s. Oct 26, 2018 the real side to the chris sieveyfrank sidebottom dichotomy isnt quite as fantastical and lifeaffirming as ronsons book and eventual film mightve had you believe although to be fair to. The chris sievey story and the bizarre erection of the frank sidebottom statue in. Feb 24, 2015 based on a screenplay by jon ronson a former band member friend of sievey and the author of the book the men who stare at goats and cowriter peter straughan who adapted the men who stare at. The real side to the chris sieveyfrank sidebottom dichotomy isnt quite as fantastical and lifeaffirming as ronsons book and eventual film mightve had you believe although to be fair to. Jan 01, 2015 really, its more of a directionless premovielaunch ramble.
Aug 10, 2014 one of the screenwriters, jon ronson, is now a noted author, but as a young man, he was keyboardist for the sidebottom band. New book will honour cult comedian frank sidebottom the paperheaded comedian the alter ego of timperleys chris sievey will be the subject of a new book. Directed by lenny abrahamson with screenplay by jon ronson and peter straughan, frank is inspired by the story of chris sievey, a real person who created the persona, frank sidebottom, a papier. Jon ronson books list of books by author jon ronson. The character made it to the big screen in a sense when the movie frank was released in 2014.
His book captures perfectly that rarest of journeys when an onlooker got to see the man born chris sievey turn into frank. Searching for frank sidebottom jon ronson interview. Smashwords frank sidebottom out of his head a book. Talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson the atlantic. Years later, ronsons experiences with chris and frank, became the heavily. The cryptic codes of a comic icon were only cracked by a. For many people, particularly internationally, any knowledge of frank at all probably comes from the 2014 film of the same name which very loosely if were being generous adapted jon ronsons book about his time working with sievey as part of frank sidebottoms oh blimey big band.
Lenny abrahamson, maggie gyllenhaal, scoot mcnairy and. The emergence of jon ronsons film, frank, steve sullivans exhaustive documentary being frank. The chris sievey story and the bizarre erection of the frank sidebottom statue in his native timperley last october before 2,000 devotees all combined to make this the most extraordinary stories of recent decades. Mar 24, 2019 for many people, particularly internationally, any knowledge of frank at all probably comes from the 2014 film of the same name which very loosely if were being generous adapted jon ronsons book about his time working with sievey as part of frank sidebottoms oh blimey big band. Sporting a fibreglass cartoon head, frank played by chris sievey would perform strange beatlesqueenbruce springsteen covers with his oh blimey big. Jon ronson, who worked with sievey, published frank. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers franks creator chris sievey as being even more eccentric than his. Jon ronson in the late 1980s jon ronson was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. The chris sievey story is the official documentary about maverick manchester comedian frank sidebottom, and the life and art of his hidden creator chris sievey. Years later, ronsons experiences with chris and frank, became the heavilyfictionalized film. Frank sidebottom, best known for performing with a big fake head with a cartoon face painted on it, was a cult favorite in the. A biography of chris sievey was written by manchester author mick middles, and was published in november 2014. Jon ronson gets inside franks head the washington post. Its not entirely clear whether chris sievey would approve of this documentary.
Directed by lenny abrahamson with screenplay by jon ronson and peter straughan, frank is inspired by the story of chris sievey, a real person who created the persona, frank sidebottom, a papiermache headwearing musician with the post. Based on a screenplay by jon ronson a former band member friend of sievey and the author of the book the men who stare at goats and co. Frank sidebottom and the man behind the mask bbc news. The chris sievey story and the bizarre erection of the frank sidebottom statue in his native timperley last october before 2,000 devotees all combined to make this the most extraordinary stories of. More secrets from frank sidebottoms cartoons unearthed by. From the bestselling author of the psychopath test comes a characteristically humorous story of a musician on the margins. But i have written an 11,000 ebook frank that tells the true story that inspired the film. I love jon ronson but, frankly pardon the pun, i feel ripped off by this pamphlet. Sometimes it does veer off into what seems like an unrelated story and the book is very short but i think theres enough. This is a sentence in jon ronsons excellent book so youve been. Apr 24, 2014 sievey guarded his true identity and was worried that, in a straight biopic, the reality of chris would somehow undermine the mystery of frank, ronson says. This is a great anecdote book about frank and his creator chris sievey. Jon ronson born 10 may 1967 is a british journalist and documentary filmmaker whose works include the men who stare at goats 2004, them.
Having played keyboards in sidebottoms band for three years, ronson knew sievey well. Sporting a fibreglass cartoon head, frank played by chris sievey would perform. Comedian frank sidebottom book statue film manchester. The book s timeline spans more than a quarter of a century and includes cameos from sievey s family and friends as well as the likes of mark e smith, steve coogan, jon ronson, caroline aherne, chris evans, mark radcliffe, and, er, bros. Adventures with extremists 2001, and the psychopath test 2011. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. The true story that inspired the movie, jon ronson reflects on his days playing keyboard for the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band.
May 12, 2014 having played keyboards in sidebottoms band for three years, ronson knew sievey well. It tells the true story behind the fictionalized movie. Sievey guarded his true identity and was worried that, in a straight biopic, the reality of chris would somehow undermine the mystery of frank. The film frank was loosely based on the character and jon ronson was even in the original frank sidebottom i would recommend that you have a look at some material on youtube to give yourself an understanding of the child like comedy involved and then try to believe that he supported bros and unfortunately gary glitter both accounts are hilarious. He always insisted on remaining entirely separate from his alterego frank sidebottom almost to the extent, it is suggested, of schizophrenia. Especially since frank was cowritten by jon ronson, a onetime member of one of the real franks troupes, the oh blimey big band.
Jon ronson, john cooper clarke, paula sievey, martin sievey, johnny vegas, ross noble, john thomson, dave arnold. Ronsons first book, clubbed class 1994, is a travelogue in which he bluffs his way into a jet set lifestyle, in search of the worlds finest holiday. His book captures perfectly that rarest of journeys when an onlooker. A clip from the documentary about frank sidebottom and chris sievey coming as soon as possible. Dont expect an indepth biography as that can be found elsewhere, this is more a collection of anecdotes from jon ronson about his time in franks band. In the late 1980s jon ronson was the keyboard player in the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. More secrets from frank sidebottoms cartoons unearthed by gchq. Frank riffs on the pop curiosity frank sidebottom the new. Jun 22, 2010 jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers franks creator chris sievey as being even more eccentric than his. He worked with a few people who later became famous such as mark radcliffe interviewed here, before his recent illness, caroline aherne and jon ronson. Why the oddball genius of frank sidebottom will live forever. Starring michael fassbender behind the giant head, the script was a loose adaptation of sidebottoms life based on a book by journalist and friend jon ronson. Ronsons experiences with him are documented very warmly in a short memoir called frank, and fictionalised in lenny abrahamsons. Nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity.
Despite his yearning for recognition, much of his endeavours were merely for his own amusement, down to putting hours of effort into producing programmes for his sunday league football team, and keeping detailed, illustrated match reports like the nerdiest of. See more ideas about jon ronson, chris sievey and journalism. The true story that inspired the movie is a memoir of funny, sad times and a tribute to outsider artists too wonderfully strange to ever make it in the mainstream. Smashwords frank sidebottom out of his head a book by. He recently published an e book, frank, telling his story, and has been touring a. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. Mar 28, 2019 with contributions from jon ronson, john cooper clarke, john thomson, johnny vegas and some other people not actually called john or variations thereof mark radcliffe, its a poignant, brilliant, silly, moving, wonderful journey into the head of frank, the mind of chris and, well, timperley. Apr 17, 2019 the character made it to the big screen in a sense when the movie frank was released in 2014.
Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired by the character starring michael fassbender, remembers franks creator. Jon ronson, who played in his band, and has cowritten a film inspired. Ronson resides in upstate new york and became an american citizen in 2020. One of the screenwriters, jon ronson, is now a noted author, but as a young man, he was keyboardist for the sidebottom band. Director lenny abrahamsons latest film is loosely inspired by journalist jon ronsons spell as a keyboard player with comic and musician chris sievey. Out of his head is written by sievey s friend the journalist mick middles and is as intoxicating and sobering as sievey s life seems to have been. Michael fassbender, remembers franks creator chris sievey as being even. The book s timeline spans more than a quarter of a century and includes cameos from sieveys family and friends as well as the likes of mark e smith, steve coogan, jon ronson, caroline aherne, chris evans, mark radcliffe, and, er, bros. However, in the late 1990s he hung up frank sidebottom and soon found himself. The true story that inspired the movie in 2014, a memoir of his time. The true story that inspired the movie in 2014, a memoir of his time in the frank sidebottom oh blimey big band. The emergence of jon ronsons fi lm, frank, steve sullivans exhaustive documentary being frank. The true story that inspired the movie by jon ronson. Sporting a fibreglass cartoon head, frank played by chris sievey would perform strange beatlesqueenbruce springsteen covers with his oh blimey big band, of which jon ronson was the keyboardist.
Test by jon ronson and i was willing to give this inexpensive book a try. Frank by jon ronson posted on may 5, 2014 by auntie doris this is the true story of chris sievey, the ruddy idiot who was better known to millions as frank sidebottom, the manboy, singersongwriter, comedianentertainer who wore a great big cardboard head. Sievey was clearly something of a hoarder of his prolific artistic efforts. He recently published an e book, frank, telling his story, and has been touring a oneman show, jon ronson.
Aug 14, 2014 talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson. Jon ronson takes the frank story on tour this month, calling at northwest venues the met, bury, on 28 mar, and the dancehouse, manchester, on 30 mar. Chris appeared live as frank as well as on saturday morning kids shows like motormouth and in the comic, oink. Jon ronsons books include the new york times bestseller the psychopath test and. Jon ronson, john cooper clarke, paula sievey, martin sievey. Searching for frank sidebottom jon ronson interview the. Apr 30, 2019 chris sievey ended up playing frank for the rest of his life. When it came to the script, he wrestled with the idea of altering history. Insights from chriss family, friends, and colleagues, including johnny vegas, jon ronson, john cooper clarke, ross noble and mark radcliffe, finally reveal the unknown story of chris sievey a musician, songwriter, artist, comedian, filmmaker, performance artist and wayward genius.
To be totally frank, jon ronsons interests are on the margins. Sidebottom was the alter ego of comedian chris sievey, whose life and. Talking truth and fiction in frank with jon ronson the. Ronson is a supporter of the football team arsenal and has spoken of his adoration of the club.
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