- published: 31 May 2015
- views: 7869
Dynamite Chicken is American comedy film from 1972, starring Richard Pryor.
“A contemporary probe and commentary of the mores and maladies of our age... With shtick, bits, pieces, girls, some hamburger, a little hair, a lady, some fellas, some religious stuff, and a lot of other things” boasts the films opening titles. An American film from 1972 involving Richard Pryor, and partly funded by and featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It is a collection of subversive comedy sketches and routines relating to the peace movement. Many famous figures appear as themselves in the film, including Joan Baez, Lenny Bruce, Leonard Cohen, Allen Ginsberg, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Malcolm X (from archival footage), Andy Warhol, Al Capp, Muddy Waters, Sha-Na-Na, Al Goldstein and Yoko herself. The making of the film coincided with a period of excess and chaos in Pryor's life, and he appears noticeably strung out throughout.
"Not to be confused with blunt comedies like The Kentucky Fried Movie or Tunnel Vision, the film is comprised of archival footage, comedy sketches, spoken word recordings, candid in-the-street interviews, live performances, Hollywood movies, and vintage educational films. In fact 'Dynamite Chicken' could easily be called a De-Educating film. Its tag-line paints the perfect picture: 'Let’s hear it for sex, drugs, and rock’n roll!' You’ll find conflicting politics, racism, sexism, religious taboo, a lot of nudity, homophobia, cultural injustice, privilege, poverty, facts, bullshit, and a nun doing a striptease act. Something to offend everyone." writes Jon Dambacher from four-frames.com
Leonard Norman Cohen, CC GOQ (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality, and interpersonal relationships. Cohen has been inducted into the American Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He is also a Companion of the Order of Canada, the nation's highest civilian honour.
While giving the speech at Cohen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008, Lou Reed described Cohen as belonging to the "highest and most influential echelon of songwriters."
Cohen was born on 21 September 1934 in Westmount, Montreal, Quebec, into a middle-class Jewish family. He attended Roslyn Elementary School. His mother, Marsha Klinitsky, of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry, emigrated from Lithuania while his great-grandfather emigrated from Poland. He grew up in Westmount on the Island of Montreal. His grandfather was Lyon Cohen, founding president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. His father, Nathan Cohen, who owned a substantial Montreal clothing store, died when Cohen was nine years old. On the topic of being a Kohen, Cohen has said that, "I had a very Messianic childhood." He told Richard Goldstein in 1967. "I was told I was a descendant of Aaron, the high priest." Cohen attended Westmount High School, beginning in 1948 where he was involved with the Student Council and studied music and poetry. He became especially interested in the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca. As a teenager, he learned to play the guitar, and formed a country-folk group called the Buckskin Boys. Although he initially played a regular acoustic guitar as a teenager, he soon switched to playing a classical guitar after meeting a young Spanish flamenco guitar player who taught him "a few chords and some flamenco."