DANNY SAYS: AN EAR FOR MUSIC

Danny Fields is considered a visionary by many. He was the right person in the right place in the sixties, seventies and on who found his niche when it came to musical tastes. DANNY SAYS is a documentary about Fields combining interviews, footage from the time period, animated sequences and more. Most of the film is filled with interviews with Field’s himself as well as those who knew him.

A Harvard Law student who dropped out and to become part of the counter culture at the time, Fields had an ear for music. This led him to various jobs with several record companies as well as working with different bands. He worked with notables like The Doors and Judy Collins and was one of the biggest voices to push groups like The Velvet Underground, Nico, MC5 and the Ramones. All of his efforts on behalf of these groups led to his being called an influence on our culture.

For the most part the movie offers a fairly straightforward look at the life and times of Fields. We see him as a youngster growing up, his involvement with the different bands he helped promote and manage and more. His story is told in chronological order and we see not only his rise but what some would consider his fall as well, his influence waning in later years.

The film seems to focus a lot on Field’s being gay, something that for the most part America didn’t embrace when he was younger. It doesn’t show that it influenced his career choice or his love for the music of the artists he helped along the way but it was a big part of who he was. He discusses it at length in the film bringing it up in conversations now and then. Did it affect his abilities in what he did? I don’t know which is sad. Had the film makers chosen to pursue that aspect rather than just have it mentioned throughout the film it might have helped understand his abilities. Instead it just becomes a side note.

The film is an interesting slice of history though, giving us a backstage look at the life of rock starts from that time. The good, the bad and the ugly are all on display for each of them. Fields influence on them is here to witness as well. A kind word or a bit of praise can go a long way to help an artist reach stardom.

The only question I was left with after watching this was determining the amount of influence that Fields actually had on culture as a whole. Yes, he helped promote a number of bands who went on to fame and fortune. But most of those bands seem to have garnered larger followings with their demise than when they were together and performing (with perhaps the exception of The Doors). Nico has a large cult following but few if asked today could tell you who she was. Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground might be known by particular songs but how many were actually influenced by them? The same with the Stooges.

I love these groups and have listened to them perhaps more than most of those who I grew up with. Bands like Grand Funk Railroad, Deep Purple and Yes were more popular and listened to more. Their music doesn’t seem influenced by these other bands much. It seems like the less popular and more cult based a band is the more “influential” they appear to be watching this film.

This is not to discredit those bands or the work the Fields did. Perhaps those bands might have faded into obscurity had he not been singing their praises. I suppose we should thank him for that. As for the film it will be one that rock fans should see, that fans of the bands mentioned should see and that the curious should check out. All others should know that it moves at a slow pace and you might still walk away not knowing as much as you’d like about Danny Fields.

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