WORLD EXCLUSIVE
THE SECRET HISTORY OF
HAWKFILMS
AROUND THE TIME OF 1972-3. HAWKWIND WERE FACING A PROBLEM THAT THEY HAD NEVER ENCOUNTERED BEFORE. FOR THE FIRST AND ARGUABLY THE ONLY TIME IN THEIR CAREER THE BAND HAD MADE SOME DECENT MONEY, FIRSTLY FROM THE SILVER MACHINE SINGLE AND THEN FROM THE SPACE RITUAL TOUR AND IT'S SUBSEQUENT LIVE ALBUM. WHAT FOLLOWS IS THE PREVIOUSLY UNTOLD STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT MONEY.
THE EARLY 70'S WERE A TIME OF POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY AND HENCE HIGH TAXATION, SO RATHER THAN GIVE THEIR WELL EARNED WONGA STRAIGHT TO H.M GOVERNMENT THE BAND HAD TO FIND AN INGENIOUS WAY OF INVESTING IT AND IN TURN HOPEFULLY GETTING A NICE RETURN OFF OF IT. HAWKWINDS THEN ACCOUNTANTS, LILLY - LAW ASSOCIATES SUGGESTED A FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY. THE IDEA WAS THAT FILMS COULD BE PRODUCED "IN HOUSE" WITH THE BAND TAKING THE LEAD ROLES AS THEY SAW FIT. SUCCESS WOULD (HOPEFULLY) BE GUARANTEED DUE TO THE FACT THAT -
A - THEY WERE A MODERATELY SUCCESSFUL SPACE ROCK BAND
AND
B - THE FILMS WOULD BE PRIMARILY REMAKES OF OLD CLASSICS
WHAT FOLLOWS IS A SOME WORLD EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS FROM THE HAWKFILMS ARCHIVE
FIRST UP WE HAVE LEMMY IN AN EARLY PROMO SHOT FROM WHAT WAS TO BE HAWKFILMS FIRST FEATURE, A REMAKE OF THE CHARLTON HESTON CLASSIC "BEN HUR". THIS VERSION WAS GOING TO BE RENAMED "LEN HUR" ON ACCOUNT THAT RATHER THAN CONSTRUCT EXPENSIVE AND ELABORATE FILM SETS, THE BAND INTENDED TO EMPLOY "LIQUID LEN AND THE LENSMEN" TO PROJECT PICTURES OF ANCIENT ROME ONTO A LARGE PLAIN WHITE CLOTH. THE PROJECT WAS SHELVED AFTER LEMMY COMPLAINED THAT HE "LOOKED LIKE A F***ING GIRL" IN HIS OUTFIT
NEXT TO TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE OF BEING THE NEXT STEVE MCQUEEN WAS THE ONE AND ONLY MR BOB CALVERT WHO YOU CAN SEE ABOVE IN THE ONLY KNOWN SHOT FROM WHAT WAS TO BE THE NEXT PROJECT A REMAKE OF THE CLASSIC WAR FILM "THE GREAT ESCAPE". IT WAS HAWKFILMS INTENTION TO USE SUBTLE PRODUCT PLACEMENT TECHNIQUES TO HOPEFULLY GIVE THE BAND ADDED EXPOSURE, AND FOR THIS YOU NEED TO LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THE SIGNPOST IN THIS SHOT. UNFORTUNATELY THIS PRODUCTION NEVER GOT OF THE GROUND DUE TO THE FACT THAT BOB WOULD ONLY AGREE TO DO THE FILM IF HE WORE THE HEADGEAR AS FEATURED ABOVE. THE REST OF THE BAND FELT THAT THIS WAS NOT IN KEEPING WITH ORIGINAL, MR CALVERT GOT A STROP ON AND AS THEY SAY THE REST IS HISTORY.
AFTER THESE TWO ABORTIVE ATTEMPTS, IT WAS DECIDED THAT MAYBE THE BAND HAD STRAYED TO FAR FROM THEIR MUSICAL ROOTS, SO IN A DEAL BROKERED BY THEIR ACCOUNTANTS LILLY - LAW ASSOC. AND USING A MYSTERIOUS DUTCHMAN BY THE NAME OF DEAR VAN SODEN* AS MIDDLEMAN THE BAND BROUGHT THE RIGHTS OF THE ROCK OPERA "TOMMY" FROM THE WHO FOR A REPORTED SIX FIGURE SUM. A FEW ADJUSTMENTS WERE MADE TO THE STORYLINE WITH TOMMY BECOMING "LEMMY" AND INSTEAD OF A PINBALL MACHINE THE DEAF DUMB AND BLIND HERO OF THE STORY WAS TO BE A REAL WIZZ AT FRUIT MACHINES IN PUBS IN THE LADBROKE GROVE AREA OF LONDON. THE IDEA WAS SHELVED AFTER LEMMY HAD HIS RUN IN WITH THE CANADIAN AUTHORITIES AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY GIVEN THE BOOT FROM THE BAND. THEY THEN SOLD THE RIGHTS BACK TO THE WHO FOR SIX FIGURE SUM REPORTED TO BE £000025P, WELL IT IS SIX FIGURES.
SO CLOSE WAS THIS MOVIE TO BEING MADE THAT A DIRECTOR HAD ALSO BEEN DECIDED ON. INSTEAD OF KEN RUSSELL WHO WENT ON TO MAKE THE FILM WITH THE WHO, HAWKWIND INSTEAD HAD OPTED FOR CORONATION STREET STAR KEN BARLOW, HE OF THE "MANTRA FAME" AS DISCUSSED IN THE CHANNEL 4 "TOP 10 PROGRESSIVE ROCK BAND" SHOW
* DEAR VAN SODEN WAS INFACT "ALLEGEDLY" A SYNONYM, FOR OL' DEAR'S REAL IDENTITY WE SUGGEST YOU PUT HIS NAME IN AN ANAGRAM MAKER
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