Tower-ing Inferno

Finally got around to seeing "All Things Must Pass," Colin Hanks' documentary about the rise and fall of Tower Records. The film tracks the course of the chain's humble beginnings in founder Russ Solomon's father's Sacramento drugstore to its heady days of mega sales, cocaine and over-expansion  -- and ultimate post-Napster implosion. It's a small film, mostly comprised of single-camera interviews with former employees and the occasional superstar fan (Elton John, Bruce Springsteen). But it packs a strong punch, seeing how much this chain -- and record stores in general -- meant so much to so many people, doubling as a hangout for misfits. To that point, I happened upon the famed, but long-shuttered, Sunset Strip location while I was in L.A. last week. As I plowed through Sunset Plaza, I wasn't expecting it to still be done up from the film's premiere party -- and I felt like I'd seen a ghost. 

Tower of Love

As reported, Tower Records on Sunset Boulevard is back for one night only. I couldn't make it -- it's a premiere party for a documentary about the iconic chain's rise and fall -- but my pal Trent did:

 Fuck yeah! This is not a #tbt, #TowerRecords on #SunsetBlvd lives again ... for one night only. The defunct store has been revived for the premiere of the new documentary #AllThingsMustPass 😃 — at Tower Records, Hollywood.

So jealous ... I'll never forget bumping into Bette Midler at the Tower Video across the street!

Tower Records on Sunset Blvd. to Be Restored for One Night Only

My love of Tower Records has been well-documented on this blog, so I'm sure you can imagine how much it pains me to not be at the one-night-only restoration of the iconic Sunset Boulveard store, where they will celebrate on Thursday the weekend release of Colin Hanks documentary about the rise and fall of the record chain to end all record chains. Read HERE.

The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

Oh, wow! I was just talking about this Tower Records documentary the other night. I've felt conflicted about it since the get-go when its director, Tom Hanks' son Colin, used Kickstarter to fund it -- crowdsourcing is for people who don't have Hollywood connections, idiot -- yet I was so into the topic that I couldn't bear the idea of it not getting made. I still don't see a trailer for it online, but its official Facebook page is being updated regularly, and IMDB has 2014 as the release date. Anyone know where things stand with this? How I wasn't interviewed for it is beyond me -- the world needs to know how I lost my best friend in high school when I picked up an import of the second Bananarama album at the Tower in Tempe, Ariz., that included a bonus poster not included in the domestic release. (He did eventually start speaking to me ... a few years later.)

Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? Everyone thinks they know what killed Tower Records: The Internet. But that's not the story. "All Things Must Pass" is a feature documentary film examining this iconic company's explosive trajectory, tragic demise, and legacy forged by its rebellious founder Russ Solomon (above).

Hanks for the Memories

While I was mildly annoyed to learn (via Brian Williams) that Colin Hanks had turned to KickStarter to fund a documentary he wants to make about Tower Records -- KickStarter is for those of us who weren't born with enormous access to the things you have, you idiot -- I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I will be the first person to see "All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records" when it finally comes out. (Did you notice a pattern in my movie-going in 2011?) I completely agree with him that Tower Records was so much more than a place to buy music, and I too equate it with so many pivotal moments in my life, like being in awe of my older brother for buying a single of "Dreaming" by Blondie when I was still obsessed with another blonde (named Olivia Newton-John), ditching high school with my friends Tina, Yuki, Deanna and Greg to hang out on Mill Avenue with the cool college kids, flipping through the imports at Tower and Zia Records on a domestic budget and buying the Phil Spector box sex at the Sunset Boulveard store below Spago to help nurse my wounds after getting my wisdom teeth violently ripped from my mouth at the nearby Beverly Sunset Medical Plaza.

Hanks more than reached his fundraising goal, and the video outline of what's in store for the film looks fantastic. See for yourself HERE.