Here to Eternity with The Godz
Here to Eternity with The Godz is a psychoactive documentary about The Godz, one of the first psychedelic rock bands.
The film features Larry Kessler (1941- ) of The Godz, a pioneering psychedelic rock band once part of Bernard Stollman’s supremely strange ESP-Disk record label. Albums by The Godz – Contact High With The Godz (1966), Godz 2 (1967), and Third Testament of The Godz (1968) – took psychedelia deep into spacey freak-outs. The Godz also worked for ESP-DIsk, helping produce Sun Ra, The Fugs, Albert Ayler, Timothy Leary, Ornette Coleman, Charlie Parker, etc.
Fifty years later, Larry Kessler returns to the New York City neighborhood where The Godz made their music. We encounter his inner Buddha, and the viewer is transported into the past and well beyond.
The soundtrack to Here to Eternity with The Godz includes an excerpt from “Permanent Green Light” by The Godz (from Godz 2), and features an original musical score of psychedelic noise by Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds), Blake Fleming (The Mars Volta), and Dino Sorbello (Laughing Sky). Additional footage includes excerpts from “The Godz” (1966) by Jud Yalkut.
According to infamous rock critic Lester Bangs: “What makes [The Godz] so special? Well, theoretically, anybody can play like that, but in actual practice, it just ain’t so. Most people would be too stultified – after all, what’s the point of doing it if anybody can? – and as for you, you probably ain’t got the balls to do it, and even if you did, you’d never carry it through like a true Godzly musical maniac must to qualify. You’d just pick it up and tootle a few bars to prove something, and that’s entirely different. Me, I could do it because I have been years, even before I heard of the Godz. All it takes is insane persistence and a total disregard for everything but getting that yawp out of you if you gotta howl at the moon, and obviously most folks aren’t gonna howl at the moon just to prove a point. But the Godz would! And not to prove a point, but because they like howling at the moon! Which is what sets them apart.”
(“Do the Godz Speak Esperanto?” Creem Magazine, December, 1971.)
If accepted, subtitles will be added in any language.
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Jeffrey WengrofskyDirector
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Jeffrey WengrofskyWriter
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Jeffrey WengrofskyProducer
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Larry KesslerKey Cast"self"The Godz
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Kid Congo PowersMusic ScoreThe Cramps, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
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Blake FlemingMusic ScoreThe Mars Volta, Laddio Bolocko, Dazzling Killmen
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Dino SorbelloMusic ScoreLaughing Sky
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Brendan McGowanEditor
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Brian WengrofskyCamera
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Project Type:Documentary, Experimental, Short
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Genres:music, psychedelic, space, drugs, 1960s, meaning of life, creativity, indie music, rock, experimental music
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Runtime:9 minutes 55 seconds
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Completion Date:September 1, 2019
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Production Budget:1,300 USD
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Country of Origin:United States
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Country of Filming:United States
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Language:English
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Psychedelic Film and Music Festival 2020New York City
United States
November 15, 2020
Official Selection -
Chicago Underground Film FestivalChicago
United States
September 8, 2020
Official Selection -
Melbourne Underground FIlm Festival 2019Melbourne
Australia
November 15, 2019
Official Selection -
Sydney Underground FIlm Festival 2019Sydney
Australia
September 15, 2019
Australian Premiere
Official Selection -
TORN PAGE - the home of Rip Torn and Geraldine PageNew York City
United States
February 16, 2019
By invitation of Speakeasy Cinema -
Hollyweed Film Festival 2019Los Angeles
United States
September 29, 2019
Official Selection -
Berkeley Video and Film Festival 2019Berkeley
United States
November 4, 2019
Official Selection -
Secrets of Outer Space - LALos Angeles
United States
October 23, 2019
Offciial Selection -
Secrets of Outer Space NYC 2019New York City
United States
January 29, 2019
Premiere
Official Selection
Jeffrey Wengrofsky is a filmmaker and writer living in the City of New York. He has produced and directed nine documentary films about artists.