Composer: Chris Michie
Chris Michie’s involvement with The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill was serendipitous. It all began when Judy Irving selected the guitar introduction to a Van Morrison tune as temp music over the film’s end credits. Over time, she became attached to the piece and decided to seek Van’s permission to use the instrumental track. The CD liner notes list Chris Michie as the lead guitar player, whom, coincidently, Judy had met a few months earlier at the birthday party of a mutual friend. Judy contacted Chris and asked how she might reach Van Morrison. Chris said that the liner notes were mistaken—Mark Knopfler had been the lead guitarist—but there was no need to seek Van’s permission. Chris had scored a lot of film and video, and, if she liked, he could create something quite similar and tailor it to the film’s end credits. Judy loved what he came up with, so Chris volunteered to write and record another piece. Eventually, he became responsible for nearly the entire film score. Sadly, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill was Chris Michie’s final project. Throughout the time he worked on the film, he was also battling melanoma. He succumbed on March 27, 2003 at the age of fifty-five.
While Chris was probably best known for his work in Van Morrison’s great bands of the early to mid-1980s, he also toured and recorded with, among others, Jerry Garcia, Boz Scaggs, the Pointer Sisters, Maria Mulduar, and Link Wray. But he was a fine composer and performer in his own right. Chris was a pro, and one of the impressive features of his playing was his versatility. He played and wrote in many different styles, from gut-bucket blues to folk, Latin, pop, and beyond. One can even hear traces of African pop music in his solo recorded work. He was equally adept at lead and rhythm guitar, and his touch was as sure on the acoustic as on the electric. Unlike many players who tend to confine themselves to one or two areas of the neck, he used the guitar’s entire range, from top to bottom. And while technically proficient, he also played with subtlety and conviction. You cannot ask more from a musician.
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is dedicated to Chris Michie.Other music used in the film includes a quirky version of “Ain’t We Got Fun,” sung by author Jack Kerouac; “Zen Waterfall,” by composer Pat Rickey; “Peace of Mind,” written and performed by the film’s human subject, Mark Bittner; and “El Pituco,” performed by the Bolivian band, Kusicuna.
