BJ and The Blues Collective are the subject of a documenary by the Squaredog & Roundcat independant TV production company. They were filmed on and offstage around the recent series of Blues Collective gigs at the Blue Elephant theatre.

Craig Duncan from Squaredog & Roundcat is logging the rushes as we speak. He tells the BJ Webzine how it came about and how it's going.

© Squaredog & Roundcat 2001

Craig Duncan worked as a Producer on BBC2's 606 jazz programme where one fine day he convinced the executive Producer to put BJ on. "Billy's performance on the night was excellent," he recalls. "He and the band gave it everything." This was to be the last performance of the Voice of God Collective, so no wonder.
"Billy managed to break his microphone by dropping it from his mouth," recalls Craig, " and then he stopped the whole gig while cameras were rolling to wait for a waiter to finish taking a table order."

Craig began popping up at gigs bringing friends. "After a Blues Collective gig ," he recalls, "it occured to me that to follow these guys onto and off a stage with a camera would be as entertaining as filming them perform. So I emailed Bill the suggestion for a doc idea. He hated it."
"Anyway, the documentary has begun to be made. The idea has been to carry the character of the band on the stage, off the stage and into the dressing room."
The finished item will be about 40 minutes long, featuring 3 songs from the Blue Elephant gigs, while ex-Eastender Paul Bradley (he played Nigel) narrates. Bradley is a South-East London musician himself and a blues-man to boot. Craig says the documentary will be "very filmic, with a good wallop of blues and Billy playing acoustic in his study at home".
He's not sure on which channel it will appear as more than one is interested, but all being well it should make the spring schedules.
More news as and when. Watch this space.
4 years later ... Virus remains unbroadcast.
OK, you can stop watching that space now - Ed.

© Squaredog & Roundcat 2001

Craig Duncan worked on and defends BBC2's Jazz 606, while BJ who appeared on it (last ever VOGC gig) has a go at it in the makings of a JAZZ on TV Debate.
The Debating Chamber is open. All input gratefully received.

SQUAREDOG & ROUNDCAT are in the final production stages of a 3 x 50min TV drama script called Rainy Day - a musical on the latter part of Oscar Wilde's life.
See www.craigduncan.com for details.

back to front page