[Harp-L] Re: Columbus Short Learned Harp for Cadillac Records Movie

[HTownFess <Spschndr@xxxxxxx>]

The real story is just careful use of unclear pronoun reference in the
first linked item from the UK press, especially with "it": Note the
difference between "We prerecorded it" vs. "It was all done by me."
Short is careful not to say, "*I* recorded the harmonica parts you
hear in the movie theater."  If challenged in a court of law, Short
would simply say, "I played those harmonica parts as best I could
while the camera was rolling, so the visible physical motions were
accurate, but the moviemakers used professional musicians for all the
instrumental recordings."  Of course, we know he didn't get the
physical movements all that accurately, either, but he is clearly
trying to sync something up to what the audience hears.  "No trickery"
can mean "no CGI or visual trickery" instead of "no lip-syncing," and
again that's what would be said in court.  Short never says in so many
words, "I didn't lip-sync the harp parts."  It's very slick use of
language, though it would not stand up to a rigorous interviewer; I
believe they pay publicists to figure this kind of thing out in
advance.  And Kim Wilson is not going to sue for fraud, because he
wouldn't mind more of that Hollywood work.

And an explanation is not always an excuse.  I think technically it's
called equivocation: "it" means one thing when he says "We prerecorded
it" and another when he says, "It was all done by me."  Equivocation
works well if you do it right, slips right by your audience, but it's
not honest, nor harmless: Of course, Short and the author are implying
it's not *that* hard to play like Kim Wilson.  The truth is that it's
not that hard to play like Dan Aykroyd :-D.

Haven't seen the movie yet, but the "40 Days" video clip makes the
situation clear.  If you've heard KW do LW elsewhere, you know you can
still recognize KW, even when KW is trying this hard to be
transparent.

It would be interesting to know whether Short read the LW biography
cover to cover as preparation.  These are actors doing a job and
moving on, but I've wondered about their personal responses to the
story and characters were, if they could talk unguardedly.  Probably
once it's out on DVD . . . .  From what I've seen so far, the
moviemakers got a lot of love for the subject past Hollywood, if you
ask me, but I'm not sure it's going to engage the general public as
strongly as "The Buddy Holly Story" did, for example.  Ought to do
some business worldwide, where such matters are taken less for
granted, and on DVD.  You would hope this will be one of those
ensemble movies that people recall as the first time they noticed
actors like Short, but I'm still kinda surprised they managed to sell
the project in the first place.

Stephen Schneider

On Dec 6, 9:54 am, Ken Hildebrand <airmojo...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I read where Columbus Short learned to play harp for his role as Little Walter for the Cadillac Records movie, and played all the harmonica parts.
>
> Kim Wilson has been mentioned a few times here on Harp-L as providing the harp music... that seems way more believable to me, than Columbus Short actually doing it.
>
> I'm just wondering what the real story is.
>
> Here is one of the links (if it doesn't work, just Google
> "Columbus Short harmonica").
>
> http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/article.html?Columbus_Short_learns_harmon...
>
> http://tinyurl.com/69cxq2
>
> Ken H in OH
>
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