Larry Johnson (film producer)
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Larry Alderman (L.A.) Johnson (born June 11, 1947) is an American film and music producer/director/editor best known for his long association with musician Neil Young.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Ft. Benning, GA to a military family, this self-described “military brat” attended Peekskill Military Academy and Rutgers University. Johnson became involved in filmmaking in the late 60s and was originally one of the East Coast guerilla documentary filmmakers that emerged in that era. Part of a New York scene that also included Martin Scorsese, Brian dePalma, Thelma Schoonmaker, L.M. Kit Carson and others, they brought a street-wise sensibility and engaged political bent to their work that reflected the turbulent era of the late Sixties.
Johnson lengthy career includes stints as Producer, Director, Editor, Sound Recordist, Cinematographer, Writer, and Production Manager. Beginning his career as a sound recordist, he was nominated for an Academy Award in 1971 for Best Sound for his location recording on the feature documentary, the Academy Award-winning “Woodstock,” and also was involved as an assistant to director Michael Wadleigh. In the following year, “Marjoe,” an expose of the evangelist-con man Marjoe Gortner, was released in which Johnson was the sound recordist. Frequently teamed with veteran cameraman David Meyers, in the early Seventies Johnson was frequently associated with TVTV, a band of renegade documentarians who brought a fresh sensibility to the conventions of television documentaries and their work appeared on PBS and gained much critical respect.
[edit] Working with Neil Young
L.A. Johnson and Neil Young first crossed paths at Woodstock in 1969 wher Young, who was performing as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, refused to be filmed. Johnson and cameraman David Meyers were recruited by CSNY to film their residence at the Fillmore East in 1970 for a never-completed concert film. 1971 saw Johnson produce Neil Young’s film “Journey through the Past,” which incorporated some of the CSNY 70 footage and was the beginning of his long association with Neil Young. He received producer credit for the soundtrack LP.
In 1978 Johnson re-united with Young for Young’s concert film, “Rust Never Sleeps,” and was also producer of Young’s feature film, the eccentric “nuclear comedy,” “Human Highway” featuring Young, Dennis Hopper, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn and Sally Kirkland, which was released in 1982. His continued association with Young also found him producing the 1984 “Solo Trans” laser disc directed by Hal Ashby and directing Young’s 1986 Cow Palace concert “In a Rusted Out Garage” for Pay Per View viewing. This little-seen broadcast was a successor of sorts to Young’s fabled “Rust Never Sleeps” but Johnson’s majestic sweeping camera movements, gliding over the audience combined with the ferocious performance of a pumped-up Young remains the arguably the single greatest document of Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
As head of Young’s film production company, Shakey Pictures, Johnson has produced Young’s concert videos, “Weld,” “Year of the Horse,” “Silver & Gold,” and “Live from Red Rocks,” directing the latter two as well. Johnson has continued working with Young on his many projects including the long-in-gestation Archives, due to see Volume One released in 2007 and was credited as a producer of Young’s wildly ambitious CD “Greendale” (2003). Described by Young a “musical novel” it was a series of songs depicting a small-town California family caught up in the post-911 world, as they struggle to maintain their way of life during a time of social and political upheaval. Reminiscent of David Lynch’s “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks,” with the Devil lurking in the shadows, Johnson helped Young craft the multi-layered backstories for the song’s characters and the record and ensuing film remain one of the singer-songwriters greatest accomplishments in an already legendary career. Though the CD is marred by hesitant performances and a muddy mix, the 5.1 surround DVD-A presents the recording in superior aural quality and is the definitive release of the album. Johnson also produced the accompanying movie, directed by Young, and oversaw the two year “Greendale” tour, a rock concert-cum-Broadway musical hybrid that was an astonishing realization of the concept. He also co-produced Young’s recent protest album, “Living with War” and has served as in-house video director on many of Young’s tours.
[edit] Other projects
In 1972 “Marjoe,” an Academy-Award nominated documentary expose of the evangelist/con man Marjoe Gortner, was released in which Johnson was the sound recordist. Teamed with veteran cameraman Meyers, in the early Seventies Johnson was frequently associated with TVTV, a band of renegade documentarians who brought a fresh sensibility to the conventions of television documentaries and their work appeared on PBS, gaining much critical respect.
Returning to the rock scene in 1975, Johnson handled sound recording on Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Review fantasia, “Renaldo & Clara,” and was a line producer for the legendary “Last Waltz” concert and film. In the Eighties, Johnson turned to directing concert videos for various musicians including Joni Mitchell's "Shadows and Light," Belinda Carlisle's "Live in Concert", New Edition's "Past & Present," and Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative". He also directed music videos, including the popular jingoist anthem, “God Bless the U.S.A.” by country singer Lee Greenwood.
1993 saw the release of a different kind of music video for Johnson, “Lean by Jarre,” a symphonic performance by the Oscar-winning film composer Maurice Jarre, whose long collaboration with director David Lean was the basis for the concert video. With clips from such Lean film classics as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago,” the home video release was a testament to the unforgettable contribution of Jarre’s scores to Lean’s later films as well confirmation that Johnson was a master of the in-concert form, be it classical or popular and it remains a career highlight.
In 1995 Johnson produced and directed the innovative “Forrest Gump: Music and the Times” CD-ROM featuring songs from the Academy Award-winning film’s soundtrack and interviews with the recording artists including reunions of the members of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. He continues to work outside of his involvement with Neil Young frequently through his own company, Upstream Productions, often utilizing the talents of his son, Ben, a director/cameraman in his own right. Though perhaps not well-known to the public at large, L.A. Johnson has long been highly regarded by his peers in both film and music communities. Twice married and divorced to music contractor Leslie Morris, they have two children, Ben (b. 1982) and Hannah (b. 1984). He lives on a boat in the Bay Area.
[edit] Achievements
- Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound, “Woodstock” 1971
- Nominated for a Grammy for co-producing “Looking for a Leader” from “Living with War” 2007
