Scanners

10 Seconds: The Pain Begins. 15 Seconds: You Can't Breathe. 20 Seconds: You Explode.

Scanners is one of David Cronenberg's best known films, notorious in particular for the exploding head sequence. The film, released in 1981 (and also briefly known as Telepathy 2000) continues Cronenberg's obsessive theme of organic, visceral horror based on the contents of our own bodies: Rabid dealt with a deadly virus caused by experimental skin-grafts; Shivers focused on the psychotic erotomania caused by new organ replacement technology; eXistenZ and Videodrome with the way we perceive reality. Scanners focuses directly on the power of the mind, caused by an experimental drug.

Plot Summary: (Includes spoilers)
Forty years ago, experimental drug trials produced 237 babies with telepathic powers. Known as scanners, the head of the laboratory Biocarbon Amalgamate - Darryl Revok - has taken it upon himself to create a scanner underground movement which will, in the tradition of all good underground movements, take over the world.

The active manifestation of these telepathic powers, which are portrayed as a curse rather than a blessing of any kind, is in the form of intense pain, often accompanied by nosebleeds, shaking and bleeding. Scanners can, however, extract necessary information or exert a controlling influence over others. Scanners can also combine their powers, or even use their powers to hack into computers. Given time, the scanning procedure can kill, or even start fires. Revok's plan is simple: conform to the scanners' new world order, or die. Being in charge of a laboratory, Revok's plan rapidly becomes obvious - the tranquiliser drug ephemerol is to once again be administered to pregnant women, producing a new army of scanners.

Opposition to this scheme comes from scanner-specialist Paul Ruth, played by Patrick McGoohan, who selects Cameron Vale (played by Stephen Lack) to lead a resistance movement against the scheme. Providing Vale with drugs to control the chaos in his head, Ruth sends Vale out to oppose Revok, leading to the eventual destruction of the entire scanner underground.

An Opinion:
Incorporating classic Cronenberg activity: buckets of blood, bulging veins, glowing eyes and an early-synth soundtrack that, quite frankly, grates, the film is nevertheless highly-regarded and well worth seeking out, particularly if you plan on seeing the much-rumoured remake, apparently soon to enter production, though last heard of in 2004. The acting quality of Stephen Lack must be commented on: either Lack had decided that the drugged-up, tortured character he played should come across as wooden, unrealistic and uninspired, or his acting is really that bad. You decide.

As Cronenberg films go, the concept for Scanners fits in perfectly with the classic Cronenberg vision, as the darker side of biology once more provides fertile ground for gory and disturbing exposition. The million dollar question, however, has to be asked: Is the film any good?

The answer is, as usual a matter for personal taste. If you like Cronenberg's films, it's great. It's dated, yes, and the soundtrack verges on unbearable noise, but it's classic Cronenberg and while not up to the shocking heights of Videodrome or the slick action of eXistenZ, it's great stuff. Conversely, if you hate gore, can't abide the idea of psychic powers and found similar films to be unbearably tedious, avoid this at all costs. If you're not sure, then I humbly suggest it's worth a try; you really don't want to be one of the few people in the world who don't know about the infamous exploding head scene...

On a related note, it may be wise to avoid the sequels Scanners II: The New Order and Scanners III: The Takeover, which take Cronenberg's characters and, as so often happens, remove much of the artistic or entertaining merit from them. Of the two, The New Order is the closest to Cronenberg's vision, though it alters the plot significantly and does nothing to enhance the original concept.

Sir Clive Sinclair

It's almost unthinkable that you might not have heard of Clive Sinclair, despite the fact that he seems to have completely vanished from the public eye for the past twenty years or so. I keep expecting him to pop up on Dragon's Den, or some dreadful reality TV programme, but no - Sir Clive has more about him than that. Alan Sugar, take note - everyone knows your name, but Sir Clive is still blessedly esoteric. Because Clive Sinclair is no television personality, no souped-up fat cat who wants to be in the public eye (I'm deliberately ignoring the late night poker shows. Impartiality... hah!) Clive Sinclair is an entrepreneur, but also, and most importantly, an inventor in the truest sense of the word, like Trevor Bayliss and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Each of these, in their time, changed something about the world. Which sounds grandiose, but it's not much of a search to find fervent believers in Clive Sinclair. Scratch the surface just a tiny bit, and you'll find those who believe he changed the world of computing, in particular, rushing to the fore with tales of glorious childhood memories. (Or, in my case at least,  maybe childhood is a wishful thought...)

Clive's most famous achievement has to be the ZX Spectrum, which contrasts sharply with his most infamous creation, the Sinclair C5. Both were revolutionary, innovatively designed, cheap and undeniably cutting-edge. One was successful, the other was not. This, in a nutshell, is the pattern of Clive Sinclair's life - the direct result of mixing inventor and entrepreneur. A string of companies; a range of imaginative designs; some of it worked, some of it (with the best will in the world) simply didn't: Sir Clive Sinclair fits the inventor mould completely. And it all started way back in the 1940s...

1940: Life, Education And Early Employment
Born on the 30th of July, 1940, Clive Marles Sinclair was the eldest of three children. Growing up in Richmond, Surrey in the UK, Clive was greatly influenced by his father's, and indeed his grandfather's, career as an engineer. Invention and exploration were childhood pleasures for Clive, and he took it upon himself to excel in this area. At the age of ten his local school, Boxgrove Preparatory declared itself unable to teach Clive anything further about mathematics, and suggested it was time for him to move on to secondary education.

Around this time, the family machine tooling business became bankrupt. It was quickly rebuilt with much hard work on the part of Clive's father, Bill Sinclair, but as a result Clive's secondary education was somewhat disrupted, beginning at Highgate, moving to Reading and then to Dorking Grammar School. Despite this lack of consistency he finally took A and S levels in physics, pure mathematics and applied mathematics at St George's College in Weybridge.

Clive Sinclair's choice of subjects, given his later business interests, is no surprise. Linked together with Clive's own interest in engineering, his later career seems a natural progression. Already, at the time of his A levels, Clive was working on a simple radio circuit and, also, an article for Practical Wireless, which was eventually published. Progressing from this, when Practical Wireless advertised for an editorial assistant Clive quickly applied for, and got, the job. Understandably, his parents were concerned: they had expected Clive to progress to university, a fact Clive was well aware of when he told them it was merely a stop-gap holiday job. With no intention of going to university, it was a a stroke of morbid luck when the editor and assistant editor became ill, leaving the magazine in Clive's capable hands. A few articles a week, various circuit designs (some of which worked and some of which didn't), and Clive was already making a mark in the electronics world.

1961: Sinclair Radionics
Accepting better-paid work by Bernard Babani publishing house, Clive continued to design circuits and edit books until 1961, when he handed in his notice and registered Sinclair Radionics as a limited company. His intention, though ill-fated, was to find backing for a pocket transistor radio and release it for general sale. The backer withdrew support, leaving Clive unemployed, though he was quick to find employment with United Trade Press.

Sinclair Radionics Ltd. began to trade from Clive's home address, and quickly expanded to a two-room operation in Islington. Forseeing a need for a manufacturing and mail-order administration base, Clive formed strong links with Tim Elioart, who ran Cambridge Consultants Ltd., the administration wing of Clive's operation. Well-placed advertisements for Sinclair products quickly produced demand, and the familiar pattern of Clive's business operations emerged.

Innovative designs continued to receive advertising input, and orders continued to roll in. A mini-amplifier, the world's first digital watch and a miniature television further embodied Clive's business ideals: as small as possible, as cheap as possible, and produced in bulk. The Sinclair Executive was the world first slimline electronic calculator, arriving (as so many Sinclair products did) in kit form, ready for assembly.

The formula worked. Engaged by now, six months after the company was formed, Clive married Ann. A move to Cambridge in 1967 formalised the base of operations and firmed up the link between Clive's later projects and Cambridge. His marriage to Ann, incidentally, was to last twenty-three years, and produce three children: Belinda, Crispin and Bartholomew.

1980: Sinclair Computers / 1981: Sinclair Research
It is for his success in the field of computing that Clive will be most remembered. In 1979 Clive applied his business formula to computers, producing the MK14, a low-cost, miniature computer. It sold well, and quickly led to the ZX80, a device with a £100 price point, nearly £600 less than Commodore's similar offering. Mail order was still Clive's chosen distribution method, although the ZX80 was available ready-made, as well as in Sinclair's usual kit form. It was an undeniable success, and the new company, Sinclair Research was ready to expand to the US, trading in association with Timex. The ZX81 quickly followed, and was just as successful.

Then came the ZX Spectrum. Arguably the most successful of Clive's creations, and still based around Zilog's Z80 chip, the Speccy brought computing into millions of eighties households. Indeed, the advent of home computing at this time had much to do with Sinclair Research, and while there were other options available, the Spectrum was as much a driving force as any other machine. Follow-ups to the Spectrum, notable the 68008-based Sinclair QL, were less well received, and Clive's interest in computing seems to have settled, following the Cambridge Z88's good reception, and subsequent sale of the Cambridge Computers company.

1985: Sinclair Vehicles
Choosing, instead, to focus on modifying personal transport, Clive's C5 is almost a prototype for the Segway. Not in design: the C5's design was widely derided and even villified for being unsafe. The concept behind it, however, is very similar - a personal vehicle with an environmentally friendly slant, relying on electric motors and offering a practical solution to the traffic problems of today's modern cities. The C5 flopped, totally, and took much of Sinclair Research's money with it, necessitating a sale of the computer division and brand name to Amstrad. Despite this, personal transport remains an area Clive is keen to exploit, and he continues to manufacture his 'Zeta' add-on kits for bicycles, as well as producing an underwater propulsion device and a wheelchair drive unit.

Other Notable Achievements And Current Activities
In 1980, at the peak of his popularity, Clive became the chairman for British Mensa, a title he held until 1997. Also, during the eighties, he studied for a diploma at King's College, Cambridge, and was a Visiting Fellow Of Robinson College from '82 to '85. He was knighted in 1983, and from 1984 onwards he took the role of Visiting Professor for the Department Of Electronic Engineering at the Imperial College Of Science And Technology. Currently, Clive Sinclair lives in London, remaining focused on his engineering and inventing interests. Additionally, Clive dabbles in poker, occasionally appearing on Channel Four's Late Night Poker.

Angus Scrimm

Angus Scrimm is primarily remembered for his role as the Tall Man in Don Coscarelli's science fiction/horror film Phantasm and its sequels. Which is, in a sense, ironic - Scrimm himself concurs that such a role was a complete departure from his usual acting work.

Growing up in Kansas City, Scrimm confesses to never imagining a career as the star of a series of horror movies. Moving to California as a teenager, he studied drama at USC, leading to a steady career in theatre, televisionand some film work. Without the opportunity to work on Phantasm, Scrimm is convinced he would still be playing comedy roles.

His 1979 appearance in Phantasm produced an unforgettable character, aided by Scrimm's ability to look almost effortlessly sinister. A screwed up right eye and bizarre crop of greying hair combine with a perfectly straightforward suit and tie to produce the enduring image of the Tall Man. And from this basis Scrimm went on to star in numerous other such roles: Dr. Lyme in Deadfall (working alongside Nicolas Cage and Charlie Sheen) or the unpleasant Seer from Mindwarp, in which he starred with Bruce Campbell.

Added to Fangoria Magazine's Horror Hall Of Fame in 1994, Scrimm stands alongside Stephen King, Anthony Hopkins and Vincent Price. With regard to the Tall Man, Scrimm admits to being amazed at the affection with which he is held, though a little reflection on the matter will show that such affection on the part of fans is nothing new; Pinhead, from Clive Barker's Hellraiser is afforded the same admiration, and Robert Englund's Freddy Kruegeris of a similar ilk. "I am continually amazed that the fans have so much affection for such a dark character whose trade is essentially death. Audiences enjoy laughing with the Tall Man as he does his appalling deeds.'

It would be a mistake to assume that Scrimm's entire career is based around the Tall Man, however. As a journalist he has written for TV Guide, Cinema Magazine and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, as well as maintaining an intriguing career producing liner notes for a huge range of albums. There is no doubt, however, that Phantasm is his enduring legacy: 'Tell them I haven't hung up the old balls yet!'

A brief history:

Formed in 1986 and hailing from Tromsø, Norwegian band Bel Canto use a subtle blend of electronics, guitars and vocals to produce ethereal, strange and beautiful music. Occasionally, traditional ethnic instruments or even classical arrangements punctuate tracks, or a heavier, synthetic feel might develop, perhaps showing the influences of Geir Jenssen, part of the original line-up, who later left to form Biosphere under the name Bleep. Geir's style is clearly visible on the Bleep remix of Dreaming Girl.

Following the release of the first album, Bel Canto became a double act, now consisting of vocalist Anneli Drecker (whose name may be familiar for recent collaborations with Röyskopp and A-ha) and Nils Johansen. Taking their name from the bel canto style of opera, the range and expression of Anneli's voice is undeniably deserving of such comparisons; bel canto means beautiful singing. Both the music and the vocal styles have been compared to the Cocteau Twins, though Anneli's lyrics do not generally correspond exactly with Liz Fraser's echolalic singing. More often than not, the lyrics for Bel Canto songs are in English, perfectly audible, multi-layered and sometimes rather odd: The reptiles escaped, who said boo? Was it me but who then was I? being a perfect example, closely followed by The dinosaur slipper man does the very best he can to make a living out of what he does. Other tracks, meanwhile, feature Norwegian, German or French vocals, such as those on Im Best'n Beihs, Le Temps Dégagé or traditional folk-story Die Geschichte Einer Mutter.

Albums:

White-out Conditions (1987)
Birds of Passage (1990)
Shimmering, Warm and Bright (1992)
Magic Box (1996)
Rush (1998; released as Images outside Europe)
Retrospect (2000; compilation album)
Dorothy's Victory (2002; only released in Norway)

Bel Canto's style has varied over the course of their career. The first album, White-out Conditions deals with the frost-filled fjords of Northern Norway. Ethnic instrumentation and repetitive percussion brings a feeling of bleakness to the album, and Anneli's vocals muse on the creaking ice, bodies floating in the cold sea, and the futility of vision under white-out conditions. The music may be beautiful, but the theme of the album strikes precisely at the point between beauty and danger; overall, a keen reflection of the beauty and danger of the white-out landscape.

The second album Birds Of Passage moves onto more varied themes, though still with a downbeat theme, shown in songs like The Suffering and Intravenous. Third album Shimmering, Warm And Bright is stunning; quite possibly their best, and certainly their most Cocteau-Twins-esque.

Magic Box features collaborations with Jah Wobble, and the following album Rush has a more synthetic feel. Following the release of a compilation album, Retrospect, Bel Canto returned to elegant, guitar-based instrumentation, backed by washes of synths and multi-layered vocals, producing Dorothy's Victory, sadly only available in Norway, but more than worth making the effort to seek out. Anneli's solo albums, beginning with Tundra (2001), are also worth finding.

Tracklistings:

White-Out Conditions:
1 Blank sheets (4:13)
2 Dreaming girl (3:04)
3 Without you (4:03)
4 Capio (2:20)
5 Agassiz (3:56)
6 Kloeberdanz (3:00)
7 White-out conditions (4:08)
8 Baltic ice-breaker (4:43)
9 Upland (6:59)
10 Chadeinoi (3:29)

Birds Of Passage:
1 Look 3 (4:34)
2 Dewy fields (4:04)
3 Continuum (4:35)
4 The suffering (4:07)
5 The Glassmaker (4:28)
6 Picnic on the moon (4:41)
7 Intravenous (3:18)
8 Oyster (3:07)
9 Birds of passage (5:26)
10 A shoulder to the wheel (4:18)
11 Time without end (5:01)

Shimmering, Warm And Bright:
1 Unicorn (5:19)
2 Summer (4:47)
3 Waking will (5:16)
4 Shimmering, warm and bright (3:18)
5 Sleep in deep (2:45)
6 Buthania (2:52)
7 Le temps dégagé (4:43)
8 Spiderdust (3:59)
9 Die geschichte einer mutter (6:54)
10 Mornixuur (7:51)

Magic Box:
1 The magic box I (1:21)
2 In zenith (5:29)
3 Freelunch in the jungle (4:14)
4 Rumour (5:24)
5 Sleepwalker (4:50)
6 Bombay (3:58)
7 Paradise (5:11)
8 Didn't you know it? (4:23)
9 Big belly butterfly (4:46)
10 Kiss of spring (4:26)
11 The magic box II (1:20)

Rush / Images:
1 Images (3:36)
2 All i want to do (4:52)
3 Spacejunk (3:57)
4 Verena (3:11)
5 Idly I de-ice (4:54)
6 Nornagest (0:43)
7 Rush (4:32)
8 99% of me (3:01)
9 The dinosaur-slipper-man (3:26)
10 Hearts unite (4:38)
11 Sun (5:45)
12 Here, in shadow (2:41)
13 Heaven (5:40)

Retrospect CD1:
1 Bombay (3:52)
2 Shimmering, warm and bright (3:13)
3 Didn't you know it? (4:11)
4 Images (3:34)
5 Summer (4:36)
6 Paradise (4:56)
7 Idly i de-ice (4:51)
8 Spiderdust (3:55)
9 A shoulder to the wheel (3:56)
10 Capio (2:09)
11 Unicorn (4:12)
12 White-out conditions (3:41)
13 Dewy fields (3:48)
14 Waking will (5:11)
15 Blank sheets (3:51)
16 Rumour (5:01)
17 The suffering (3:35)
18 Disappear club 5 (4:38)

Retrospect CD 2:
1 White-out condition (Demo 1986) (4:57)
2 Baltic ice-breaker (Demo 1986) (4:31)
3 Maaligaabidaa (B-side) (2:54)
4 Keena maareeme (B-side) (4:58)
5 Birds of passage (Live in Tromsø 1999) (4:47)
6 Heaven (Live in Tromsø 1999) (5:05)
7 Dreaming girl (USA Remix by Bleep) (4:02)
8 Shimmering, warm and bright (Alien nation) (6:03)
9 Ride the unicorn (Alien nation remix) (6:20)
10 Rumour (BandB remix) (7:46)
11 Agnus dei (4:46)

Dorothy's Victory:
1 Foolish Ship (4:32)
2 Feels Like I'm Already Flying (3:59)
3 You Rock My World Tonight (4:42)
4 Disappear Club 5 (4:34)
5 Night Lady (6:37)
6 Dorothy's Victory (4:22)
7 Tree (5:34)
8 Happy Time Fly Fast! (3:54)
9 Im Best'n Beihs (5:17)
10 Corals, Jade and Pearls (4:00)
11 Ladonia (5:15)

Beborn Beton

Beborn Beton are a three-member German synthpop band. Founded in 1989, Beborn Beton initially found success in Germany, although over the course of their career they have made significant advances into Europe and the United States. The band's line-up is simple enough, remaining unchanged since 1989. Beborn Beton are Michael B. Wagner, taking charge of keyboards and sharing composition duties with Stefan Tillmann, who also focuses on keyboards and percussion. Stefan Tillmann is generally known as Till, however, to avoid confusion with the third member, Stefan Netschio, who works on the lyrics and vocals.

With regard to the name of the band, while Beton is the German word for concrete, the official website tells us that Beborn doesn't mean anything in particular - the band's name came to one of the members whilst travelling on public transport and, after a little deliberation, was adopted despite initial concerns over its lack of meaning. The reference to concrete is explained by the band-members as referring to the urban environment in which they grew up, and the word appears once more in the title of their third album, Concrete Ground.

The Music:

Beborn Beton produce melodic, often melancholy, synthpop. The lyrics are sometimes in German, but usually in English. Subject matter ranges from the usual mundanities of love through to little lost robots, American patrotism, suicide and bloodsucking. There's a different but not too dissimilar cover of The Human League's Being Boiled out there, as well. If you're into synths, maybe VNV Nation, Depeche Modeor De/Vision, then Beborn Beton's music is all good stuff, with plenty of synth bass, pulsing melodies and a hint of industrial or future pop every now and then. Their debut album, Tybalt, actually appeared almost three years after the band's formation. Consequently, the album is more of a compilation than a cohesive work, featuring the best tracks from the band's first three years. Well-received in the electronic music scene, the 5-track single Twisted was released, and a follow-up album, Concrete Ground affirmed Beborn Beton's synthpop direction. A change of record label and Nightfall was released. In many ways, this was Beborn Beton's 'break-through' album, producing the club-friendly track Im Innern Einer Frau and achieving some measure of commercial success in America as well as Europe. The single Another World, a deceptively cheerful-sounding song about suicide, received considerable airplay in Europe and continues to enjoy popularity in synthpop and industrial nightclubs across Europe and the United States.

More label changes followed, accompanied by a slew of re-releases. A new album, Fake, with associated single Poison was released in 1999, following which Beborn Beton has gently slipped into a cycle of re-record, re-mix and re-release; the final two albums on their discography are both Best Of compilations with a number of remixed or re-recorded classic tracks included. A period during which the band appeared to be pouring their creative energy into plenty of touring and playing live followed the greatest-hits-lull, and since then... nothing.

So far.

Remixes:

Beborn Beton have also remixed a number of other artists' work. Their remixes usually remain true to the original song, but with a classic Beborn Beton feel. Their version of Apoptgyma Berzerk's Kathy's Song, for example, combines clean synthpop basslines with the original vocals and a classic DX7 bell sound to great effect.

Apoptygma Berzerk - Kathy's Song
Camouflage - I Can't Feel You
Claire Voyant - Majesty
Clan of Xymox - Something Wrong
Cleen - The Voice
De/Vision - Your Hands On My Skin
Funker Vogt - Under Deck
Infam - Limbo
In Strict Confidence - Seven Lives
Wolfsheim - Approaching Lightspeed

Releases:

Tybalt (1993) (Single release: Twisted)
Concrete Ground(1994)
Nightfall (1996)
Tybalt Re-release (1997)
Truth (1997) (Single release: Another World)
Concrete Ground Re-release (1998)
Fake (1999) (Single release: Poison)
Rückkehr zum Eisplaneten (2000)
Tales From Another World (2002)

Donald Sutherland

The Basics:

Donald Sutherland, Canadian by birth, was born to Frederick and Dorothy Sutherland in 1934, in Saint John, New Brunswick. Following an education at the University Of Toronto, Sutherland studied at the London Academy Of Music And Dramatic Arts in the late 1950s and subsequently played a number of small roles in horror films and thrillers. As his career progressed, Sutherland's roles became more complex, with the result that by 2000 Donald Sutherland had become a most respected actor, with many major films to his name, and a career that has stood the test of time. Nowadays, as well as major film roles, Sutherland hosts television shows and has even appeared in music videos.

The Beginnings:

Of course, returning to the very beginnings of Sutherland's career, these initial roles are in no way to be ignored. Look where they got him! With a penchant for the sinister, lanky type, Sutherland's physical appearance lent a certain disturbing quality to his roles. Tall, gawky and with, it has to be said, rather googly eyeballs, Sutherland was perfect for initial roles such as Bob Carroll in the luridly-titled Dr Terror's House Of Horrors, or Joseph in the intriguingly-named Die! Die! My Darling!. Following a modest career boost in The Dirty Dozen, Sutherland's real big break came with the 1970 film M*A*S*H, in which Sutherland took the role of surgeon Hawkeye Pierceand, in the process, discovered that not all films are cheap horror flicks that give away the entire plot in the title.

Stardom:

Following this, Donald Sutherland, it has to be said, attained stardom. His mainstream successes were mixed with more peculiar film ventures, often verging on the politically volatile. Co-starring with Jane Fonda in the popular thriller Klute (1971) seemed like a good career move, but going on to write, produce, direct and star in an anti-Vietnam war film (FTA, 1972) may, at the time, have seemed less sensible. Then again, the graphic sex of Don't Look Now may well have drowned out any controversy from his previous ventures. Even if such things weren't shocking enough for the late 70s, the brutish, ruthless characters depicted by Sutherland in The Day Of The Locust and 1900 were guaranteed to attract peoples attention. I'm reliably informed, though I've yet to see it for myself, that his appearance as a pot smoking professor in Animal House is well worth witnessing.

The Eighties And Onwards:

It was in the seventies that Sutherland really came into his own, though he remained a respected and popular actor right through to his more recent films. Playing the father in 1980's Ordinary People, and a Nazi spy in Eye Of The Needle continued Sutherland's propensity for creepy roles, and though his eye seems drawn more to smaller roles, evinced in such films as Lock Up and Backdraft, Sutherland is remembered fondly for his mainstream, well-known roles just as much as his more obscure film outings: playing Wilhelm Reich in Kate Bush's video for her song Cloudbusting being one such fan-delighting appearance. His rolled-back, scary-eyed howl at the end of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, too, provides more than enough material for a film buff to adore Donald Sutherland forever.

More Than You Need To Know: A Summary

Height: 6'4"
Date of Birth: July 6, 1934
Birth Place: St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
Education: University of Toronto, where he majored in Engineering and Drama, followed by the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Wife: Currently Francine Racette (actress; whom he met in 1972). Originally, Sutherland was married to Lois Hardwick, also an actress, whom he married in 1959 and divorced in 1966. She was followed by Shirley Douglas, another Canadian actress, whom he met while filming Castle of the Living Dead in 1964. They were married in 1966 and subsequently divorced in 1971.
Other Relationships: Jane Fonda (with whom he had three-year relationship)
Father: Frederick Sutherland, a salesman
Mother: Dorothy Sutherland, originally Dorothy McNichol
Children: Angus Redford Sutherland (born in 1979), Rossif Sutherland (born in 1978), Roeg Sutherland (born in 1974), Kiefer Sutherland (born on December 21, 1966 to Shirley Douglas), Rachel Sutherland (born on December 21, 1966 to Shirley Douglas; twin sister of Kiefer)

Selected films you may have heard of:

Salem's Lot (2004) (TV) (filming ) - Richard Straker
The Italian Job (2003) - John Bridger
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) (voice) - Dr. Sid
Space Cowboys (2000) - Jerry O'Neill
Virus (1999) - Capt. Robert Everton
The Puppet Masters (1994) - Andrew Nivens
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) - Merrick Jamison-Smythe
JFK (1991) - X (unknown general in black)
Backdraft (1991) - Ronald Bartel
Kate Bush: The Whole Story (1986) (V) - Father in the music video Cloudbusting
Max Dugan Returns (1983) - Brian Costello
Animal House (1978) - Prof. Dave Jennings
The Eagle Has Landed (1976) - Liam Devlin
The Day of the Locust (1975) - Homer Simpson
Alien Thunder (1974) - Dan Candy
Don't Look Now (1973) - John Baxter
Steelyard Blues (1973) - Jesse Veldini
Klute (1971) - John Klute
Kelly's Heroes (1970) - Sgt. Oddball, Tank Commander
M*A*S*H (1970) - Capt. Benjamin Franklin 'Hawkeye' Pierce

Selected films you probably haven't heard of:

Da wan (2001) - Tyler
Threads of Hope (2000) (voice) - Narrator
The Hunley (1999) (TV) - General Pierre Beauregard
Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All (1994) (TV) - Capt. William Marsden
The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas (1992) - Narrator
Lock Up (1989) - Warden Drumgoole
Gas (1981) - Nick the Noz
The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) - The Clumsy Waiter
Oedipus the King (1967) - Chorus Leader
Billion Dollar Brain (1967) - Scientist at computer
Die! Die! My Darling! (1965) - Joseph
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965) - Bob Carroll
Hamlet (1964/III) (TV) - Fortinbras, Prince of Norway

Goodbye Horses

You told me, I see you rise...

But it always falls.

I see you come, I see you go.

You say "All things pass into the night"

And I say, "Oh no, Sir - I must say you're wrong."

Q Lazzarus, like Gina X Performance and so many other minimalist electronic artists, has all but vanished without a trace. Any hint of a popular revival comes from external forces - the electroclash synth revival, the odd left field cover version or perhaps an unexpected soundtrack appearance.

In Q Lazzarus' case, 1991's brief revival was due to the latter. Goodbye Horses, their one hit wonder is remembered most fondly for its use in The Silence Of The Lambs. Buffalo Bill dances before his mirror, his penistucked demurely between his thighs, gently mouthing the words to this minimalist, electro gem. It wasn't Goodbye Horses first appearance on a soundtrack, though - the songs first official appearance was on the soundtrack of Jonathan Demme's Married To The Mob. That was 1998, about three years before Silence Of The Lambs. Riding on the back of Hannibal Lecter, a single release took the opportunity to pair up the song with b-side White Lines.

The song itself, written for Q by William Garvey, exists in two versions - the original 4:20 version, and an extended 6:27, apparently produced specially to capitalise on the success of the Lambs. The lady herself, Q Lazzarus, can be seen briefly in another Jonathan Demme film, singing Heaven in the movie Philadelphia. The music is electronic, melancholy and minimalist. While the word simple is unfair, the song is in no way complex - a simple note fades into a drumbeat, and a single, sparse melody picks out the same note, an octave or two higher. The bassline joins in, repetitive and insistent, and finally the melody gains an extra note before Q Lazzarus begins to sing. The effect is aural perfection to rival Gina X's No GDM.

And the meaning - this flying over horses? A link to Eastern philosophy, we're told, rather vaguely. The horses represent the five traditional senses, keeping one tied to the physical plane of existence. The song concerns the struggle to rise above these earthly boundaries, to transcend and rise. And there - knowing that, how perfect is the song for Jame Gumb, as he struggles to rise above the boundaries of his physical sex?
Psyche, a Canadian electronic outfit, reasonably faithfully cover Goodbye Horses on their 1996 release, only getting a little carried away later on with an amateur-sounding synth solo. More industrial than pop, Carrier Flux offer their version freely on the internet. Sadly, tracking down the original is a little more complex. It's not on the Silence Of The Lambs soundtrack; divert your attention instead to finding a copy of the Married To The Mob CD. Finally, the compilation Retro-Active Volume 2 features the extended version, even going so far as to acknowledge the song's status as 'super rare'.

"I must disagree, oh no, Sir...

I must say you're wrong."

Won't you listen to me?

Goodbye horses... I'm flying over you.

Goodbye horses... I'm flying, flying, flying over you."