Stephen Hamm Goes to the Movies (and then to the park)

Does Stephen Hamm need an introduction? Like, have you not all seen Stephen Hamm: Theremin Man at least once by now? Who am I writing this for? 

The affable "big guy from Slow," AKA Big Hamm from Canned Hamm, has been a bandmember and/or producer on many other local projects, from Tankhog to Ani Kyd, from Sunday Morning to the Evaporators. He's acted (in the film Male Fantasy, for one, co-starring Little Hamm Robert Dayton, who, by the way, has been writing for Maggot Brain, a deep-dive music magazine you can buy at Neptoon, including an article on magician Doug Henning!).  Hamm has been a man-of-many-hats around Vancouver for decades, visible in so many contexts that anyone who would actually come to a blog like mine and read an article like this has no doubt encountered him before in some musical context or other, requiring very little work from me.  

But he's also a cinephile.  I used to often see him at the Cinematheque, back when I lived a bit closer to the city and attended the cinema regularly; I've pointed him out to many dates at movie theatres, including to the woman who eventually became my wife: "See that big guy over there, with the bald head and the cool shirt?" (Hamm is invariably well-dressed). "That's Hamm!" I've interviewed him, here. I've reviewed him, here. I've pestered him to sign stuff. And once, at a Salvation Army in the backass of North Vancouver, I found a mildly collectible book published by the Unarius Academy, co-written by the "Space Sister" that Hamm has written a song about, Ruth Norman, AKA Uriel, which I then posted about on Facebook, hailing Hamm, attracting his interest, and subsequently delivering the book to his door. I suspect the pandemic was already underway at that point:

Which brings us more or less up-to-date: on Thursday, June 9th, Stephen Hamm will give a Theremin concert at the Cinematheque in between two screenings of films on (or in the latter case, by) two unusual groups, The Source Family and The Unarius Academy of Science. (I would suspect both groups object to the term "cult" being applied to them so I will be polite here). I don't actually know much about either, have seen neither film, though I have owned some YaHoWa13/ Father Yod music (apropos of the former); they have a meandery, Deadlike quality to their jams, but with a certain unquantifiable darkness around the peripheries. Who could not be intrigued by an album cover like this?

I've also perused some of the weird-ass videos of the Unarius Academy and felt some sadness for them that the UFO's never came (there's a great premise for a film there - sort of the utter opposite of Close Encounters of the Third Kind - where a bunch of people gather, full of hope, for a space landing that never happens, and they all eventually have to give up and go back home. At least there were no mass suicides with the Unarius Academy!). I will let you find your own way down that rabbithole, but here's Academy co-founder Ruth Norman, AKA Uriel, being interviewed in 1988 - and there is a wealth more to be found on the Unarius website. 

Which brings us back to Stephen Hamm. I am in italics below, Hamm is not. See you Thursday?

So what's new for you? There was a colouring book, last I heard...? 

I released a colouring book drawn by Erin Green (https://eringreen.myportfolio.com/home) who also did the cover for my Theremin Man album.  We did a show at the Lido with Erin supplying colouring pages, Barf Jackson spinning some great sci-fi music and me playing Theremin. It happened the day before everything locked down in December. The people who showed up had a ton of fun so we’re going to do an encore engagement at the Lido on June 29th. I’ll be selling colouring books, we’ll have Erin’s  colouring pages for sale and we will provide felt pens so you can colour while listening to me play!

Do you have any history with/ interest in the Source Family? I barely know anything about them - that there is a connection to Hawaii and that there's a "Father Yod," and that there are recordings of music they did, which if I recall are psychedelic jammy rock, basically. Have you followed their stuff closely, seen the film? My impression that they're kind benign, like the Unarians seem to be, but I don't really know... will you be doing anything related to them, musically, in your set? 

I had heard about the Source Family through some of their recordings. The music seems to vary from sounding a lot like the music of late 60’s musicals like Hair or Jesus Christ Superstar to Father Yod chanting to a drum circle. When the documentary came out I saw it. They started out of the Source health food restaurant on Sunset Drive in Los Angeles in the late 60’s. The Family started out quite benign but turned more sinister as things progressed. It’s well laid out in the documentary, a fascinating and entertaining watch. I plan to tip my hat to them during my set for sure.

Have you seen the film about the Unarius Academy before? (Any thoughts on it or them...?). Are you still interested in them, or was that more stuff from your first album...? 

I first got turned on to Unarius when I was in Los Angeles in 2016. I met Jodi Wille, the director of The Source Family movie through my good buddy Robert Dayton. She was curating a collection of Unarius films including their full length: Arrival. They were being shown at the Silent Movie Theatre on Farifax. A bunch of the Unarians were in attendance (so was Jello Biafra in full regalia. He’s a follower of Unarius!) and many of their elaborate costumes as well as mock ups of flying saucers and Ruth Norman, one the founder’s who passed away in 1993's Space Cadillac. Ruth aka Uriel had made a bunch of money off real estate and essentially took a group of wayward youths under her wing. Part of the deal with Unarius is that you uncover past lives and then reenact them in ‘psycho drama’. Ruth funded the filming of these pyschodramas that included elaborate costumes, home made sets and lots of eighties special effects. She built a state of the art film studio. They had a cable access show in San Diego that televised these films. It’s a selection from those tht will be shown at the Cinematheque on Thursday. 

Always curious what covers people are doing - last time I saw you live (awhile ago now, the Eugene Chadbourne night) you were doing "2000 Light Years from Home." Is that still in the set? Has anything been added that you are likely to play at the Cinematheque? (How many songs do you get?). 

I love doing "2000 Light Years from Home," I do a version of "Love Without Sound" by Delia Derbyshire and White Noise and "Machines" by Lothar and the Hand People (a band that used Theremin). I’m always looking for songs that help to elevate my set so I can help the audience experience a state of higher vibration and help you to enjoy the show!!

Have you performed before movies before? (Have you done anything at the Cinematheque?). Does that require any sort of special, more portable set-up? Are you Mr. Have-Theremin-Will-Travel, with the same gear wherever you go, or do you have a range of kits that you pack?

Once many moons ago Kier-La Janisse was doing playing movies at the Fox Theatre when they were still playing porn. Canned Hamm did the opening gala a screening of Meet the Feebles. I remember going to seeing Twister starring Crispin Glover as well. Unfortunately the stench of spilled man-seed made it really hard to sit through an entire movie so the series wasn’t long lived. [Note: The Fox, where I was just at for Zappostrophe', no longer smells like spilled man-seed]. 

I used to often see you at the Cinematheque, maybe fifteen years ago, but eventually I moved out of town and became far less inclined to go all the way into the city for movies. Has COVID impacted your moviegoing? Do you have any special stories, memories, favourite screenings from the Cinematheque? (Are there any film events there that stand out?). 

What really stands out for me was watching Mathew Barney’s Cremaster Cycle over many nights. I was young and dealing with my first bout of major depression. I think it helped?

What was your high point, as a movie goer, at any theatre, anywhere, of seeing a live music performance before/ during a movie? I have hosted a few things in my day but having Chris Towers of the New Creation sing "Wind" before a screening of Phase IV at the Vancity (now the VIFF Centre) was probably the peak for me... 

Honestly my movie going high point was when I was a kid going to the Ridge Theatre. So many formative moments. Highlights include seeing Rude Boy, Tommy, Quadrophenia, Koyaanisqatsi, The Harder They Come. I remember seeing The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari with live accompaniment. The list goes on. Silent film obviously is enhanced by live music and of course musicals are huge. I think it’s a hell of an undertaking to rehearse and perform llve music for a film. I saw Goblin accompany Suspiria at the Rio a few years back. They didn’t play much during the movie because there’s not a lot of music in the film other than the iconic theme song!

Anything else you want to call attention to, about that night, other upcoming events. etc? (I gather you are doing an outdoor thing in Queens Park, unless I missed that - somehow "Theremin" and "outdoor concert" don't seem to go together well for me, but I don't think I've ever HEARD a Theremin outdoors (I did see George McDonald do something outdoors but I think he's moved on to analogue synths lately.... 

I think Thursday at Cinematheque is a must see. I’m really excited that Fillip put this together.

I’m stoked to be playing Queens Park June 28 outside Centennial Lodge as part of an ongoing Monday night music series Northern Electric is putting on. I’ve played Theremin outside quite a bit. It’s ethereal sound carries well in the wilderness.  I’m also going to be playing inside Centennial Lodge on July 20 and August 17 doing a set of Theremin meditation music. I’m hoping to do it in quadraphonic sound with a decent light show and a giant pyramid. 

I don’t think folks will want to miss that!

For more information, visit stephenhamm.ca, the Northern Electric Facebook page, or the Cinematheque website! 

Note: there are a couple of things I would have done differently if I'd noticed, when writing the above; I'd have mentioned that Little Hamm is in town, for one thing. and playing a free afterparty - more on which here - and that the Unarius film is not a documentary but a compilation of their clips!