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letterboxd · 4 years

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How I Letterboxd #7: Cinemonster.

Hooptober’s head honcho opens up to Jack Moulton about his love for Texas-born horror director Tobe Hooper, the joys of running Letterboxd’s most beloved Hallowe’en community challenge, and the “terrifying, magical” experience of seeing Frankenstein at the age of four.

“You can’t spell October without Tobe.” —Cinemonster

Cinemonster, known to his family and friends as David Hood, is a restaurateur in Pittsburgh by day, and the head honcho of Hooptober by night. Now in its seventh year, the horror film challenge sees participants set their own 31-day viewing agenda of 31 films, curated according to a list of criteria set by its creator.

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974), directed by Tobe Hooper.

With over 5,000 films logged on Letterboxd and a growing collection of posters, DVDs, Blu-rays, laser discs and film memorabilia, Cinemonster is a literal monster of cinema. He has created more than 500 lists, including a ton of year, director, actor, actress, franchise and memoriam lists.

What brought you to Letterboxd? I found Letterboxd while I was doing a Google search for a horror film that I had forgotten the name of. I ran into a list that Hollie Horror had made and wound up starting a profile and it went from there. That would have been a little over seven years ago.

How freakin’ cool is last year’s Hallowe’en Easter egg with the dripping blood from our logo? [Pro members get this added to their pages by mentioning #horror in their bio.] I’m a fan.

Unfortunately I haven’t heard of a single one of your four profile favorites! What’s urging you to highlight these films? They are just lesser-seen and have something good or great about them. Eyeball is a great little underseen Umberto Lenzi film. Death Machines is an awkward, weird and wonderful film with kung fu and blood. Massacre at Central High is one of my favorite films and sadly lacking a disc release of any kind—anyone who has seen Heathers will recognize a couple of things if they watch it. Rituals is a criminally underseen stalked in the woods film from the ’70s.

In this this list description, you explain how the original Frankenstein (1931) hooked you into horror at four years old. Can you describe what you most remember about that life-changing experience? It was both magical and terrifying. The space, the creature, the little girl. I had trouble sleeping for weeks afterwards. No matter where I am in the world, if there is a screening of Frank, I’ll go. I watched most of the major universals by the time I was six or seven. I saw Alien and Jaws 2 with my folks and those stuck with me. Cable and a local UHF station showing Hammer films on Saturdays are what really allowed me to get sucked in.

‘Frankenstein’ (1931), directed by James Whale.

The horror films of 1980 and 1981 were the most impactful and are the ones that mean the most to me to this day; Fade to Black, Night School, Motel Hell, The Fog, Alligator, Altered States, Terror Train, Death Ship, Scanners, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, The Funhouse, Dead & Buried, Hell Night, Wolfen, Ghost Story, The Pit and Evilspeak. I saw all of them five to ten-plus times on cable as a kid. They’re still all high on my list. I am glad that Fade to Black is on Shudder. People need to watch it. More relevant now than then.

What exactly provoked you to start Hooptober seven years ago? I moved into an old spooky house and had a backlog of Blu-rays to watch and the 4K of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was about to come out. I’d done some interactive stuff on Letterboxd previously and had a decent amount of people involved. I was also at a point in my life where 31 films in 31 days is tough, as it is for a lot of us now. So I thought ‘Why don’t I do something that starts a little early, clears some of my list out, and has some parameters that don’t feel like I am handing out an assignment?’ I grew up in Texas, Tobe [Hooper] is close to my heart, and with all the Hooper I owned and the 4K coming out, I decided to christen it with his name. You can’t spell October without Tobe.

What’s the most members that have participated in a Hooptober? The number of people who participated was a little more than I expected, but that wasn’t what I was surprised by. I never thought of it as a recurring event until I started to hear from people the following summer about ‘the next one’. I just kinda chuckled after about a dozen people had asked and I said out loud to no one, “I guess I’m doing another one of these”. We are well over 700 this year, and still climbing.

‘Fade to Black’ (1980), directed by Vernon Zimmerman.

Where do you get the ideas for the rules for films to consider watching? At this point, I look back at past years so that I don’t repeat myself. I look to the current year for inspiration. Is there a film from a sub-genre that was prominent? Was it a strong year for output from women, Mexico, Asia, Black filmmakers, something cultural, and so on? I may focus on effects creators, an actor or writer on a whim. I try to keep an eye out for blind spots I haven’t covered. Shudder, archive.org, the big streamers are all resources. Sadly, rarefilmm no longer exists.

In last year’s interview with Merry-Go-Round magazine, you mentioned plans to turn Hooptober into a film festival. How’s that going? In a post-pandemic world, how can we keep independent niche film festivals thriving? The world has not been agreeable, obviously. I’m not even sure how viable something like that will be next year. I’ve been taking a look at streaming options. Post-pandemic will require more creativity and outside-the-box thinking, and will probably continue to feed some drive-ins. Been a while since more than a handful of people wanted to put money into a drive-in, which is nice to see.

I’m going to do a tweet along to The Witch Who Came From the Sea in October, and I’ll give you an exclusive here: The George Romero Foundation and I are doing online Horror Trivia on October 11. I had been doing it live with them here in Pittsburgh until the pandemic.

Based on this year’s rules and conditions, if there was one essential you-can’t-miss film you could force all your participants to add to their challenge, which film would it be? Demons, Eve’s Bayou or The Witch Who Came From the Sea.

‘The Witch Who Came from the Sea’ (1976), directed by Matt Cimber.

What have been your own greatest film discoveries through your Hooptober adventures? A Tale of Two Sisters, I Drink Your Blood, Blood Diner, and though it is a bit of a cheat to list this one, The Amusement Park. It’s cheating because it didn’t exist as something that I or anyone else could have watched, prior to when I saw it.

Do you have any acclaimed horror movies still lingering in your list of shame? Eyes Without a Face, Upgrade, Cure and Scream 4.

Have you ever completed one of your own Hooptober challenges yet? Errrrrrrrrr, one. I’m on track this year.

What about the participants over the years—any Letterboxd friends you’ve made who would you like to give a shout-out to? Aaron, Sarah Jane and Chris Duck are people that I talk to outside of Letterboxd. There have been a few others over the years. Slappy McGee has helped me with Hooptober the last two years. They are great. Javo and David Lawrence are pretty great, too.

Before Hooptober, many of your lists invited discussion with your followers. In what ways is Letterboxd the ideal forum to foster a community of film fans? Fans exercise their fandom in so many ways. The platform is so flexible that it allows you to utilize it in a small and personal way, in a promotional way, or to dive into the community pool and see who’s out there that shares something with you or can show you something. The more people that we are exposed to and listen to, we are all the better for.

Which of your review—from any genre—are you proudest of? The Invisible Man or The Hustler, probably. I have a capsule of Hud that I like.

So, you’re the horror guy. Nobody is denying that. You are Cinemonster, after all. But when I look at your top movies list and see that Singin’ in the Rain is your all-time number one, I’ll need you to explain yourself. I go back and forth between that and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are 1A and 1B in some order. Singin’ in the Rain is a perfect film and the studio system at its best. I will ignore your implied insult. ;)

‘Fear of a Black Hat’ (1993), directed by Rusty Cundieff.

It’s true, even a horror aficionado needs some levity in their life. What other comedies pick you up from a dark place? Fear of a Black Hat always does the trick. Same with The Awful Truth, Murder by Death, Hollywood Shuffle, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Blazing Saddles, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Black Dynamite.

Who has been keeping you company during this tough year? I have watched thirteen Spike Lee films so far this year. I’ve taken a break the last few months, but I’ll probably knock out five or six more. With the exception of 25th Hour, everything is a revisit. It’s been a joy to go back through everything. Crooklyn is much stronger than I remembered, and Bamboozled just gets better and more impactful as time passes. I have loved Spike since the day I saw School Daze. His films have always connected with things that are important to me and to those that have been around me. Lee is still grossly under-appreciated as a narrative film director and a documentarian.

We’re bowing down to your epic Blu-ray and DVD collection. Which ones are your most prized possessions? Make us jealous. I have an Anchor Bay DVD of Dawn of the Dead signed by the cast and George A. Romero, a steelbook of Battle Royale, the first Slumber Party Massacre set before they had to reprint the box, the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu. I’m sure there are things I’m not thinking of. I have a lot of out-of-print and laser-only stuff. I’ll never get rid of my Holy Grail, Ghostbusters and Akira Criterion laser discs.

A selection of Cinemonster’s signed memorabilia.

I have a copy of Painting with Light signed by John Alton, John Waters and Steven Soderbergh I’ll send you a picture of. I used to collect movie posters, and I have the original Revenge of the Jedi one-sheet and the Drew Struzan Squirm poster. I do love those.

From your top directors list, let’s put one horror director on a pedestal. Who does the genre better than anyone else and why? George. They’re always topical, intelligent, thoughtful, personal and sometimes prescient. At their best they hold up both a mirror and a crystal ball. He was writing found-footage scripts in the early 70s, for god’s sake. Tobe is grossly under-appreciated. James Whale and Mario Bava could scare you in so many ways.

So, thinking beyond Ari Aster, Robert Eggers and Jordan Peele, which up-and-coming horror directors are you most excited about? Issa López, Gigi Saúl Guerrero, Benson and Moorhead, Shinichiro Ueda, Na Hong-jin, Julia Ducournau, Nia DaCosta, Jeremy Gardner and Leigh Whannell.

The 2010s were a great decade for horror. We have more money on-screen, moving away from the low-budget films of the 2000s. Which favorite horror film of the last decade inspired you the most? Get Out. What Jordan did for generations to come is unmatched in this century.

Chucky from ‘Child’s Play’ (1988).

Which probably-too-long horror franchise gets too much flak and is top-to-bottom a great time? Child’s Play. Chucky has always been treated generally as second tier. [That franchise] has tried a lot of interesting and out-there things during its lifespan that had no business working, but did.

I know it’s been a slow year but you haven’t logged many 2020 movies yet! Which is your most anticipated horror movie of 2020 or 2021? Peninsula, for sure; I love Train to Busan. Then Candyman, The Dark and the Wicked, Grizzly II: Revenge, Bad Hair, #Alive, After Midnight, The Platform, Bulbbul, Underwater, Shirley and Swallow.

Interview by Jack Moulton. Follow Jack on Letterboxd.

#letterboxd #how i letterboxd #cinemonster #el cinemonster #elcinemonster #horror #horror films #horror genre #tobe hoooper #tobe hooper #hooptober #hoop-tober #halloween #halloween films #halloween challenge #letterboxd challenge

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somecrummyblog · 7 years

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ChocolateBox is here!

Hello there!

Thank you so much for writing me a story for one of the below fandoms of my heart!

I’m not sure if lots of prompts are a good or a bad thing, so I’ve tried to be helpful without being overwhelming, by including a list below of prompts I like, a lost of my ‘dealbreaking’ do-not-wants, and just a few lines about each fandom. If you’d like something more specific, please do ask the mods to contact me and I’m more than happy to provide more prompts/ideas or to answer any questions!

Some tropes I love

against all odds

altered states (of the mind)

amnesia

bodyswap

celebratory kiss

chosen family

coming out (of the closet)

curtainfic

epistolary

fake relationship

first time / last time

food and cooking

fork in the road

futurefic

genderswap (eg: as in, Outlander’s Jamie was born female, while Claire was born male)

handcuffed / bound together

huddle for warmth / bed sharing

immortality / reincarnation

in Another Man’s Shoes

meet the parents / family

presumed dead

reunion

road trip

role reversal

soulmates

telepathy / mindmeld

time travel

trapped in a dream

twenty-four hours to live

unexpected friendship

unrequited (but actually requited) love / pining

Deal with the Devil

Hurt/comfort

Art initiates life

Perspective flip

Happy ending

fluff

Do Not Wants

BDSM, dom/sub

A/B/O

non-canonical rape and/or dubious consent

canon-inappropriate violence/gore

Infidelity (with RPF, I’m happy for real-life families to be excised completely in order to avoid this - a spouseless AU, I guess)

Relationships with huge power imbalances and/or where one partner is left unsatisifed emotionally and/or sexually (please see my Star Wars Prequel Trilogy request below for an example of the former).

The Fandoms

Outlander (TV) Claire Beauchamp/Jaime Fraser

I just love this show! Time travel has always been one of those tropes I can’t get enough of (see list above), and I love that Claire and Jamie came to this relationship with strengths and weaknesses that compliment each other. Do I love the fact Jamie is a complete, wish-fulfillment fantasy of Incredibly Hot SNAG With Great Abs Who Is Damaged But Strong And Loves You For Who You Are? Damn right I do!

I’d love to see some romance between these two - both angst and/or smut work for me! Especially as a female viewer, I love the fact that Jamie is always so keen to make sure that Claire enjoys their lovemaking. I also like how he’s equally as naked as Claire is onscreen. Feminism for the Win!

Life on Mars (UK TV) Sam Tyler/Gene Hunt

Again, I just love time travel as a trope! Especially when it’s done well. Am I open to an interpretation of the canon wherein Sam doesn’t actually wake from his coma (after somehow having life-saving brain surgery without any of his hair having to be removed), only to throw himself off a building to get back to his fever dream? Damn right!

I’d love to see some Sam/Gene slash, if you’re up for writing it, please. I think Sam is an expert at repressing his emotions, for the most part, but I think Gene is ever better at it, burying everything under that gruff exterior. I’d love to see a moment (or however many you’d like!) wherein Sam is offered a glimpse into the man underneath Gene’s tough exterior.

Terminator/Terminator 2: Judgement Day/Terminator: Genisys (1984/1991/2015) Kyle Reese/Sarah Connor; Sarah Connor/Kyle Reese & John Connor; Sarah Connor & John Connor; Kyle Reese & John Connor; John Connor & The Terminator (T2); Sarah Connor & Kyle Reese & Pops (Genisys).

Yes, more time travel! Boy, I really do love this trope, don’t I?

I love any iteration of Kyle and Sarah, to be honest, and was always sad that their original iterations in Terminator (1984) only had such a short period of time together. Damnit, did Kyle really have to die?!

So, even though Genisys was infuriating in how it didn’t explain who or what sent Pops back in time, I’m glad that Sarah and Kyle have more time together now. I’d love to see some Sarah/Kyle shipfic (set in either the original films or Genisys, or both, or a mix of the two), or some fic wherein their relationships with Pops (in Genisys) or John (in either the original timeline, Genisys when John is either an adult or a child, or a mix of the two timelines) are explored.

I also really love the bond between the reprogrammed T-800 Terminator sent back in time and Edward Furlong!John Connor in T2, so would love to see some genfic featuring them, either during the events of the film (or in some missing scenes), or a “what if?” fic wherein the T-800 survives thew events of the film.

Jessica Jones (TV) Jessica Jones/Trish Walker; Jessica Jones & Trish Walker & Malcolm Ducasse

I love Jess and Trish’s bond! I love them as literal found/chosen family BFFs and I’m also happy with them as full-on romantic life partners.

I just loved the fact that two strong women were the centre of a TV series where men were certainly featured, but neither Jess’s relationship with Luke nor Trish’s relationship with Simpson were the main focus. Whole episodes went by where these relationships weren’t even mentioned.

Jess and Trish’s bond was very much front and centre: Trish is the only person Jess trusts. What was their childhood like together? Does Jess move back in to Trish’s place? How did the girls first become close? It’s obvious Trish helped Jess recover from her trauma with Kilgrave: what went on there? How do the girls help each other after Kilgrave is killed?

I also really love Malcolm’s character, and how he is there to help Jess answer her calling to be the amazing person she is and helping people, even when her own strength is at a low ebb. Just as she was with him. How do these three go forth as a little family and with Jess’s PI business after the end of the first series?

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid RPF/Post-Classical Hollywood RPF Robert Redford/Paul Newman; Robert Redford & Paul Newman

Do I love Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting waaaaay too much? Oh, yes. And the chemistry between Robert Redford and Paul Newman has a hell of a lot to do with my love of these films. If only they’d made more movies together!

I love that these guys were BFFs in real life, too, but do I ship them? Damn right! I’d love to see some romantic slash between these two, but genfic with them as chosen family besties would also be good. What did they get up to on the sets of their films? How did they first become close friends? When did they first fall in love?

I’d be thrilled with anything you come up with! As above, please feel free to consider your story a wifeless/familyless AU if you’re writing slash.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) Butch Cassidy/the Sundance Kid

As above, do I love Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting waaaaay too much? Oh, yes.

I’d love to see anything at all with these two characters, including a fix-it where they actually survive the end of the film (with or without injury), or something with them from before the film’s events. How did they meet? How did they get together? When did each know they would be stuck to the other man’s side for the long haul?

The Sting (1973) Henry Gondorff/Johnny Hooker

Do I love Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting waaaaay too much? Oh, yes.

As with Butch and Sundance, I’d love to see anything with these two characters, especially to see what they get up to after the film’s events.

Do they stay together as conmen? Do they get together? How do they get together? Do they play a lot of cards and sit around an drink a lot of alcohol or do they just get rich swindling bad guys and buy their own private island?

Are they in fact reincarnations of Butch and Sundance? Do they realise or not realise this? Does one know and the other doesn’t? Was Henry Sundance the last time around, and Johnny was Butch Cassidy? Is this why Henry has the moustache this time? Do they go and see a movie or read a book about Butch and Sundance?

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy Obi-Wan Kenobi/Qui-Gon Jinn

Oh, these two! I have loved this ship for a very long time indeed. I was about 11 or 12 when this movie first came out (*gigglesnort*), and actually saw it with my grandmother of all people, so I couldn’t quite work out why I was so teary when Qui-Gon died in Obi-Wan’s arms, gently touching Obi-Wan’s face.

Even at that age, I knew the film was sub-par. I knew that Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor (as well as the rest of the cast and crew) were gracing the script with talent and effort it didn’t deserve. I knew Neeson and McGregor were bringing a depth to that relationship that the script couldn’t by itself. I was also yet to discover slash, so I wasn’t sure if I should feel a bit guilty for assuming these two men were in love. But I sensed the characters loved each other deeply, even if they hadn’t had a chance to act upon those feelings, or even fully realise them, especially as Obi-Wan was so young and Qui-Gon’s life was cut senselessly short.

Neeson’s Qui-Gon also seemed very honourable, and therefore really didn’t seem the type of person to act upon an attraction wherein he held all the power and authority in the relationship in question. But I did wonder if Qui-Gon would accept Obi-Wan’s advances once Obi-Wan was no longer his padawan. And if Qui-Gon gently, lovingly stroking Obi-Wan’s face as he was dying in Obi-Wan’s arms, and entrusting him with what Qui-Gon saw as an essentially important mission (to save and train Anakin to be a Jedi) for the fate of the universe, showed the true depth of Qui-Gon’s feelings for his padawan.

Qui-Gon evidently believed in Obi-Wan’s strengths and abilities as a Jedi and as a honourable man. He evidently loved him, too: Qui-Gon died battling Darth Maul, fighting at Obi-Wan’s side, watching his back. And those feelings were obviously returned: Obi-Wan was devastated by Qui-Gon’s death, and went after Maul in a fit of rage in revenge. He also took on the training of Anakin, and one has to wonder if Obi-Wan’s grief blinded him to Anakin’s troubles.

So I would love to see a fix-it where Qui-Gon survives (injured or not) the end of Episode I, and he and Obi-Wan have more time together. I would request that they not become lovers until Obi-Wan is no longer Qui-Gon’s padawan, though, please: any abuse of power in relationships (even if padawan!Obi-Wan is head over heels for Qui-Gon) is an major DNW of mine.

Thank you so much! :-)

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sfjazz · 7 years

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Burt Bacharach Photos & Review - The Bay Bridged

http://thebaybridged.com/2017/06/13/photos-review-burt-bacharach-quips-wonder-still/

Photos + Review: Burt Bacharach quips, “You wonder why I am still doing this.”

By Carla Bova|June 13, 2017

With the first piano key he struck, legendary composer Burt Bacharach brought his San Francisco audience to a sweeter time through his musical message – what the world needs now is love.

He played a resounding retrospective showcasing his boundless catalog of classics from a golden era of music that he revolutionized.

Right up to the last chord, Bacharach had the crowd swaying, singing, and smiling as attendees recognized hit after hit from his parade of songs that never went out of style. He made sure everyone left smiling by inviting all to join an irresistible singalong to his beloved “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head.”

“Let’s sing one song together,” Bacharach said. “The audience and me and the band.”

Considered one of the most renowned and accomplished living composers, Bacharach’s career spans six decades that are marked by 66 US Top 40 hits, six No. 1 songs, eight Grammy awards, and three Academy Awards.

Bacharach’s impact on music history is undeniable. A pioneer of creative standards, his compositions are credited as helping define popular music dating back to the late 1950’s. He claims hits in a breadth of styles, from rock and soul to Broadway shows and Hollywood films. He has influenced artists across genres, with his works recorded by hundreds of singers from Perry Como and Gene Pitney to Barbra Streisand and Diana Krall. Over the years, he maintained global appeal to generations of fans.

The 89-year-old songwriter, conductor, arranger, producer frequently broke from playing the piano during his June 7 show at Davies Symphony Hall, and stood center stage in front of his grand instrument. He leaned casually against it while chatting with the audience.

“I love this hall,” he said. “It is one of the greatest halls I’ve ever played in so I am glad to be back.”

Between songs, he spoke of memories including his mother’s influence, getting a divorce in Las Vegas, appearing on the Tonight Show with James Brown, and touring with actress/singer Marlene Dietrich. He was her music director from 1958 to 1961. Prior to that he worked as piano accompanist for many singers includingPaula Stewart. They were married from 1953 to 1958.

“I guess you guys wonder why I am still doing this,” Bacharach said. “I don’t play golf. ...What grounds me is to make music, to continue to write music, to continue to play music, and to continue to perform for people like you. If I could make you feel a bit better, lift a bit of the heaviness off you, then I feel very happy.”

Bacharach performed with a seven-member band and three singers. Still, he played piano the entire show, sang some of his own hits, and through sharp conducting displayed how he earned his reputation as a perfectionist.

At the end of every piece, he stood from his piano bench. He spoke or sang the last few words of each song, guiding the singers to end on the note he wanted, at the tempo he wanted. With a flick of his hand, he likewise guided the musicians to end on point.

Bacharach is considered a visionary whose music is often described as having unconventional time signatures, unusual chord progressions, atypical instruments, catchy melodies, and combinations of jazz, pop, Brazilian.

He told the crowd he loved jazz and sited his major influences as bebop legendsCharlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. “Dizzy Gillespie was my hero,” he said.

By some accounts, Bacharach wrote about 500 compositions. His charting songs are too many to name and too many to play in a two-hour show. He tried though, by including two jam-packed medleys. “We are going to do a lot of music for you,” he said. “Some old, some not so old.”

The first medley was a group of hit songs and a nod to two of Bacharach’s longtime collaborators.

“Many of these songs have lyrics written by the brilliant Hal David,” he said. Bacharach and David met when both worked at New York’s famed Brill Building, known as the site where some of the greatest American songs were crafted. The two men first collaborated in 1957, writing "The Story of My Life" which was recorded by Marty Robbins.

“This is the very first record we did with Dionne Warwick,” he said, to start off the medley. The band then played “Don’t Make Me Over.” The song reached No. 21 in 1962. It was the first of 20 Top 40 hits that Bacharach and David would write and produce for Warwick over the next 10 years.

The medley continued with “Walk On By,” “This Guy’s In Love With You,” “I Say A Little Prayer,” “Trains and Boats and Planes,” “Do You Know the Way To San Jose,” “Wishin’ and Hopin’,” and “(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me.”

The latter was sung masterfully by John Pagano and accompanied by big horns. This Bacharach/David song was recorded by three different artists in the ‘60s alone and was made popular again in 1983 by the British synth pop band Naked Eyes with a cover version that reached No. 8.

The second medley featured a slew of hits and award-winning songs that Bacharach wrote for movies. He reportedly began scoring films after meeting his second wife, actress Angie Dickinson. They were married from 1965 to 1980.

“Motion pictures, film, cinema has been good fortune for me. Here’s some of the music I’ve done for them,” he said.

He returned to his piano and sang “The Look of Love” which he wrote for the soundtrack of the 1967 film Casino Royale. It was originally performed by Dusty Springfield.

The medley continued with snippets of “The April Fools,” “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” “Making Love” (a hit for Roberta Flack in 1982), “Wives and Lovers” (a hit for Jack Jones in 1963), and “Alfie” which won a Grammy award for Best Instrumental Arrangement in 1967.

There was only time for a verse or two, but people jumped to their feet for “What’s New Pussycat?,” the No. 3 title track hit for Tom Jones in 1965. Then came a small taste of “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head,” written for the 1969 filmButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The No. 1 hit and film score earned Bacharach two Oscars and a Grammy award.

The audience grew sentimental as Bacharach played “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” from the 1981 film Arthur, which he also scored. Sung byChristopher Cross, the song was yet another No. 1 hit and won an Oscar for Best Song.

“Arthur’s Theme” is also notable as the start of Bacharach’s relationship with lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, who became his third wife from 1982 to 1991. The pair collaborated on many hits played that evening including “That’s What Friends Are For,” the 1985 No.1 Grammy-winning hit sung by Dionne Warwick and Friends, and the 1986 No. 1 R&B duet “On My Own” sung by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald.

“Some I like better. Some I like less, but they are mine,” Bacharach said of his songs.

Other highlights of the show included singer Josie James’ rendition of “Anyone Who Had a Heart” (originally sung by Warwick in 1963) which Bacharach called spectacular. And singer Donna Taylor’s striking version of “(They Long To Be) Close To You” with sparse accompaniment by Bacharach on the piano. The Carpenters’ version of this track hit No. 1 in 1970. Also notable, Pagano’s “I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself,” which earned a hug from the composer.

“This is a very, very old song I wrote years ago with Bob Hilliard, ‘Mexican Divorce,’” Bacharach said, when introducing the 1961 track. “It was recorded bythe Drifters.”

“There were three ways to get a divorce that I knew of. The standard way was to go to court with expensive lawyers. Another way was to go to Las Vegas and establish residency for six weeks. That’s how I got my first divorce. Then there was a Mexican divorce. It was long before anyone had an idea to build a … wall.”

He continued, “We thought it was going to be a hit but we lost the South. They didn’t want to play anything that had divorce in it.”

Oliver Bacharach came out to play keyboard on a few songs including “Make It Easy On Yourself.” Bacharach praised his son as a gifted keyboardist who took to the instrument naturally.

“I got a push from my mother and look where it got me,” Bacharach said. He recalled that his mother forced him to take piano lessons. Though he fiercely hated the lessons, he continued playing. “I did not want to disappoint my mother.”

Bacharach married his fourth wife Jane Hansen in 1993. He has seen countless tributes, accolades, and compilations, as well as a resurgence throughout the '90s and beyond. Some noteworthy examples include a 1996 appearance with Noel Gallagher of Oasis; cameo appearances in three Austin Powers movies; several appearances on American Idol; and a 1998 collaboration with Elvis Costello on the Grammy-winning single “I Still Have That Other Girl.” In 2005 he released the Grammy-winning album At This Time, which had contributions by Dr. Dre, Chris Botti, Rufus Wainwright, and Costello and was the first record to feature lyrics written by Bacharach.

The San Francisco show started to wrap up with “Any Day Now,” then the encore “That’s What Friends Are For.” Bacharach asked the audience to join him in singing “Rain Drops Keep Fallin' On My Head.” As the song played, he blew a kiss, signed a fan’s album, fist bumped his three singers, hugged his son, and waved goodnight. He walked off as the memorable melody concluded. Another precise ending, conducted Bacharach style.

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