Charles Atlas (b. 1958)
Put Blood in the Music (1989)
989, 52 min, color, sound

Put Blood in the Music is a unique documentary on the downtown New York music scene. In a collage of music, performance and commentary, Atlas captures the energy and pluralism that characterize this urban milieu. Reflecting the eclecticism of his subject, Atlas re-structures the conventional "talking head" format to allow a fragmented, fast-paced compendium of voices and sounds, ranging from music critic John Rockwell of The New York Times to street musicians. Focusing on such influential downtown figures as John Zorn, and featuring performances by Zorn, Sonic Youth, Hugo Largo and others, this is less a documentary than a cultural document, a vivid time capsule of the contemporary New York music scene.

Director/Editor: Charles Atlas. Producer: James Morris. Sound: Judy Carp. Director of Photography: Paul Gibson. Performers: John Zorn, Sonic Youth, Spy vs. Spy, The Ambitious Lovers, Hugo Largo. -- EAI


This title is available for exhibitions, screenings, and institutional use through Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), NY. Please visit the EAI Online Catalogue for further information about this artist and work. The EAI site offers extensive resources for curators, students, artists and educators, including: an in-depth guide to exhibiting, collecting, and preserving media art; A Kinetic History: The EAI Archives Online, a collection of essays, primary documents, and media charting EAI's 40-year history and the early years of the emergent video art scene; and expanded contextual and educational materials.