Shadow Films

Courtney Love and Hole Television Documentary entitled ‘Antiheroine’

On 8th November 1991 Nirvana made their first ever TV appearance on UK television’s The Word playing ’Smell Of Teen Spirit.’ By way of introduction said “I just want all of you people in this room to know Courtney Lover, the lead singer of the sensational pop band Hole is the best f**k in the world”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2V7dYKANGA&list=RDq2V7dYKANGA&start_radio=1

Prior to, during and after completing my film degree I wrote fanzines, was in several Garage, Glam and Punk bands, promoted, filmed, photographed, shot music videos for and had sleep in various dwellings I lived in.

On 11th December 1991, a month after Nirvana’s appearance on The Word I was transported by a friend in his Austin Mini Cooper in an Austin Mini Cooper, where the seats weren’t bolted down, cos he was always tinkering with it but we had seats belts and took the less busy back roads, so we’d be alright.

After filming the bands, Therapy?, Daisy Chainsaw and Hole I interviewed Therapy? (photo attached,) then got talking with Courtney Love, who also agreed to an interview. A couple of VHS copies were made at the time and given to relevant parties and over the years these copies copied, those copies copied until some versions that appear of bits of the Hole show on You Tube are in black and white and the picture breaks up or rolls.

Back in July 2024 the Archive Producer of ‘Antiheroine’ a new Documentary being shown at The Sundance Films Festival in January 2026, prior to having a theatrical release contacted me about if I knew who’d filmed the show all those years ago.

I asked her if she’d listened to the interview, she said yes. I said does the person interviewing Courtney Love sound anything like me? Editing recently finished on the 90 minute film and I received a nice licensing fee in time for Christmas. Something that I shot whilst being a film student 34 years ago pays off. I think I deserve that, I mean Santa Claus’s seat is no doubt bolted down ours weren’t.

Merry Christmas everybody!

TRAIL OF TRASH

25 years ago, in late 2000 John Peel played one of his favourite tracks on his Radio Show, a version of ‘Nothing Takes The Place Of You’ by Mike Spenser and The Cannibals and asked what had become of him.

I’d recently had a series about 1960s Garage Punk music turned down by Channel 4 and mentioned in conversation to the commissioner that I knew what Mike Spenser was currently doing, reforming the band for a show. Her boyfriend saw my written pitch and told her that he’d once auditioned for The Cannibals and the story would be crazy.

She called me and said that if I could get John Peel to do a few links she’d commission the film. After speaking with his agent John Peel called me whilst I was browsing record shops in Soho and agreed. 25 years ago On 8th December 2000 ‘Trail Of Trash’ my first music documentary for Channel 4 was first aired, having received the following review in the Guardian newspaper’s magazine The Guide:

Brooklyn-born trainee optometrist Mike Spenser stuck a pin in a map during the mid-70s and fetched up in London straight off the plane.

Spenser wilfully dived headfirst into drugs and after he was spotted playing harmonica along to a Stones tune in a Soho record shop, the capital’s rock’n’roll scene.

Trail Of Trash sees Spenser, John Peel and some of the numerous ex-members of his longtime garage band, The Cannibals, recount the tales tall-and-true which surround a man who “can be guaranteed to f**k things up, basically”. JH

Trail Of Trash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11R04qV9t7w&t=181s

Nothing Takes The Place Of You:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu4WibxSTLE