Whilst suffering the norovirus over
Christmas (brilliant) moving from my mum's sofa was not an option.
So I decided to pull out a pre-Christmas purchase from HMV and boy
am I glad I did.
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| guardian.com |
'American Interior' is a multi-media idea
that follows the journey of two men: John Evans as he sets off in 1792 from
Wales to America, and his great great grandson Gruff Rhys who embarks on a
series of investigative concerts to discover what really happened when his
ancestor set out to find a long lost Welsh tribe - The Madogwys - on whom
the hopes of the nation rested.
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| brooklynvegan.com |
Gruff is wonderfully original with his
ideas, taking along with him a puppet version of John Evans, a powerpoint
presentation, a camera and of course, his music. It isn't about pushing his
music, or about his show, or even just about his journey, it follows a very
interesting journey of a man of the 18th century and we meet some intriguing
living characters along the way. Who knew so many people spoke or had an
interest in the Welsh culture over in the US? And perhaps most magically, in a tale shown only in black and white, we as an audience remain to see through to a truly colourful existence through endearing comedy and storytelling.
 |
| american-interior.com |
As well as being a celebration of the path
of the Missouri river and America's native history, Gruff manages to capture a
love for the Welsh language and stimulate a feeling of pride for legend-loving
Wales, that it has this story to share. As John Evans set out to find this
long-lost Welsh tribe, he encountered many great things along his journey. He
was the first man to map (most of) the Missouri river, which was the basis of
the map drawn by Lewis and Clark, which continues to be the map we go by today.
He wrestled with river reptiles and hunted bison with the Omaha tribe. He defected to the Spanish and was tasked with bargaining
and mediating with the natives to claim territory, annexing North Dakota from the British. For a poor boyo from the
valley (and boyo he was, at just 17 when he set off), it's not a bad adventure!
The Great Plains and Nebraskan mountains of his trip may not have held the
beckoning call of the Snowdonian summit, but John Evans really did make the US
his home, living out his life until his death in St Louis. And as Gruff follows
in his footsteps on his concert tour, we are delighted to meet existing members
of tribes like those he may have met, such as the Mandan tribe.
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| londoncitynights.com |
It's a feel good film, one that doesn't
proclaim to be anything more than it is, but that leaves you feeling as though
it's a whole lot more. It's enchanting because it feels as though we are
discovering the story with Gruff as he shares scrawled lyrics of half-finished
songs with audiences along the way. It's a charming film with an equally
grounding soundtrack, one that you can almost hear echoing around the black & white valleys
of the Missouri river. It's exploratory spirit left me truly inflated with the
big dreams of ordinary men.
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| undertheradarmag.com |
And what's more, is that although I've told you half the findings, there is so much more to see and to explore and to learn!
An album, a hardback, a paperback and
e-book, an app, a film - is this quite literally the best
multi-platform/multi-media idea I've seen yet? Probably yes! (I think Sky Arts have missed the boat on this one) And one you should
most definitely read, watch, listen to or respond to in any way that satisfies
Gruff's next original idea.
For more info on all these, head here: http://american-interior.com/film/
And be sure to look out for Gruff's
valentine's day release 'Married 2 Me'!!!
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