Right now in Los Angeles it's Wes Week, with multiple tributes to the career of filmmaker Wes Anderson, known for his demanding visual style, melancholic longing, and nerd-chic aesthetic.
There was a sold-out screening Monday night commemorating the 30th anniversary of Anderson's first film, “Bottle Rocket,” at the Academy Museum and the filmmaker made a rare in-person appearance in Los Angeles. He sat down for a warm and endearing Q&A with actor Luke Wilson and director James L. Brooks, an early champion who executive produced.
Then, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Hollywood Bowl will have three nights celebrating the music from Anderson's films, presented by the director's 10-time regular, Bill Murray. Those performing include Beck, Jenny Lewis, Karen O, Rufus Wainwright and Devo, among many more. Other surprise guests may also appear, performing familiar songs from Anderson's music-filled films.
“I was surprised by how many things we had to leave aside,” Anderson, 57, tells The Times in a recent interview conducted via voice notes (her personal preference) recorded from Paris, where she has long lived. “There's so much music in all of these movies because I've been doing them for so long. We could do another round of this, but let's see how it goes on this first one.”
Because of its unique use of music, which combines old pop songs with classical pieces and original scores by Devo's favorite composers Alexandre Desplat and Mark Mothersbaugh, there have been frequent requests over the years for live performances, but Anderson and his music supervisor Randall Poster have always declined, until now and this ambitious three-night event at the Bowl.
“From the moment he said yes, we've been talking on the phone about his vision and how to execute it,” says Johanna Rees, vice president of programming and creative partnerships for the LA Phil, during a recent call from San Diego. “It's about exploring and celebrating so many styles of music. It's been a really fun adventure.”
Kara Hayward and Jared Gilman in Wes Anderson's 2012 film “Moonrise Kingdom.”
(Focus functions)
This will be more than a typical evening at the Bowl, with exclusive Anderson brand merchandise and uniformed cyclists handing out candy. “The plan is for you to walk into the Hollywood Bowl and immerse yourself in the world of Wes Anderson,” Rees says.
Criterion, which has long released high-quality home video editions of Anderson's work and recently released a 20-disc box set, will also have a special presence at the Bowl. In addition to the popular Criterion Mobile Closet making another stop in Los Angeles, there will also be a lounge, a listening booth and a screening room showing Anderson's films, as well as others selected by him, including “Yojimbo,” “Amarcord” and “Belle de Jour.”
“Wes is an incredible community builder as a human being,” said Peter Becker, president of Criterion, in a video call from the Il Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy. “If you look at his movies and the people he's been constantly working with, we're not the only ones who have been part of the big Wes Anderson family for the last 25 years or more. How could we not be a part of this?”
From left to right, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson in the film “The Darjeeling Limited.”
(Fox Searchlight Images)
Music supervisor Poster met Anderson in 1996 at the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, shortly after finishing “Bottle Rocket” and immediately began helping prepare the release of the soundtrack. Although the CD at the time couldn't include some of the film's key songs, these Bowl events will eventually offer a flexi disc of the Rolling Stones' “2000 Man,” as well as a limited-edition 12-inch yellow vinyl record featuring two songs by the band Love.
The two have worked together on all of Anderson's films since, in a process that constantly develops.
“Sometimes we've been talking about it before the movie even takes shape,” Poster says in a recent phone call from New York. “We've gotten to that point where I feel informed, to some extent, that we've identified one or two elements, whether it's a songwriter, a specific song, a specific band, that allows us to start weaving them together. Sometimes we have more details and other times we're in a bit more of a process of discovery.”
As detailed as his films may be, Anderson acknowledges that his method can still be a little vague. “I couldn't really tell you what it is, where it comes from or why,” he says. “It's totally instinctive.”
One of the most indelible moments in Anderson's repertoire is Gwyneth Paltrow's slow-motion exit from a bus in “The Royal Tenenbaums” to Nico's 1967 recording of the song “These Days,” which perfectly captures a tender, delicate rush of emotions.
“That music was part of the inspiration for the whole movie,” Anderson recalls. “There's a Ravel string quartet in F major and this song, those two things together, for some reason, suggested something to me that slowly became the whole movie. With Gwyneth Paltrow getting off the bus, we played the music on set. It was all a little choreographed for that.”
“Everyone wanted to do 'These Days,'” Poster says of the artists lined up for this weekend's shows. “But Jackson Brown wrote ‘These Days’ and Jackson Brown is going to perform ‘These Days.’ No one could really argue with that.” (The rest of the song and performer choices are being kept under wraps.)
Ben Stiller, left, Gwyneth Paltrow and Gene Hackman in the 2001 film “The Royal Tenenbaums.”
(James Hamilton / Touchstone Images)
When choosing music for films, inspiration can come from almost anywhere, as it did with Johnny Duncan and the Blue Grass Boys' recording of “Last Train From San Fernando,” memorable from the opening credits of 2023's “Asteroid City.”
“I knew that song because my daughter used to listen to it,” Anderson says. “I had a western swing CD from the '50s and '40s that I listened to over and over again. So I stole it from him.”
Poster mentions Anderson's affinity for woodwind and novelty instruments along with his tremendous sense of rhythm, which is why the music often has a strong percussive feel, from Gene Krupa's “Drum Boogie” on last year's “The Phoenician Scheme” to Japanese taiko drums and the work of composer Peter Jarvis.
“I would say I think the biggest change is that Wes has taught himself to read music,” Poster says. “He really gets into the DNA of the music and really has a great vision for how to organize the thematic pieces that I think help make movies healthier, just being a whole thing.”
Poster jokingly refers to Anderson as “The Master” and is struck by how fresh the musical cues feel in the context of the films.
“When those clips come out, 'Here Comes My Baby,' 'A Quick One, While He's Away,' 'These Days,' 'Needle in the Hay,' 'Ooh La La,' I mean, countless, countlessI always enjoy it.”
All of which should add up to a special alchemy at the Bowl.
“They won't happen again,” says Rees of the three nights curated by Anderson. “I don't know what he's going to do in the future, but this is certainly a special event, a unique weekend. It won't happen like this again.”
For Anderson, organizing the Hollywood Bowl shows has been a reminder of how far his work has evolved.
“When we made 'Bottle Rocket,' I had no intention of having original music at all,” he recalls. “We had some Ennio Morricone music. We originally put Bob Dylan's 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid' in the movie, and that's a score from someone else's movie. At a certain point, everything changed, and Mark Mothersbaugh came and saw the movie and liked everything we had there. So he brought his own voice, but from the point of view of someone who was very sympathetic to what was already going on, and that led to more movies together.”
Showing a bit of his own characteristic melancholy, he adds: “It's pretty amazing to have Mark and Devo come on stage to make this music that reflects all these years, all this reunion.”
