Director's Cut

>> As soon as people hear the word "polka," it stops 'em dead, usually. People don't realize, you know, how popular the music is, and how great the musicians are. They can play jazz. We can play rock. But we just enjoy playing polka music. Well, pretty little girls And pretty little boys Standing all around... >> Hey, welcome to Director's Cut. I'm Charles Monroe-Kane. Today, polka. What more do I have to say? It's a documentary about polka. It's called, "It's Happiness." I'm happy. You're happy. So let's jump right in with Timm Gable. Timm, are you happy? >> I'm very happy. >> Very exciting. How are you today? >> I'm doing great, thanks. >> A documentary about polka. I've got to ask you, I was thinking as I watched this film, I told my friends, oh, I'm going to have a documentary about polka on my show. I'm like, oh, I love polka. And they're like, yeah, me, too. And then, hey, when's the last time you saw polka? And I was like, um... Then they asked, well, when did you see polka? And they're like, um... Then I remembered like a wedding, like six years ago. >> Sure. >> Isn't that strange, that people love it. I'm excited about it, but I don't really listen to it. Do you? >> Um, not as much as I did when we were making the film. But I didn't listen to it at all prior to the film. We kind of discovered the whole polka scene and got really involved with it then. >> So you didn't listen to it at all? This is a whole full-length film about polka. This isn't your love, passion, or something? >> No, in fact, we kind of stumbled across the polka culture by accident. We were doing a spec commercial that we needed polka dancers for a scene that we were creating, completely unrelated. That's when we met John Pinter from the Polka Boosters on that project. He came up to us, and he was like you should make a movie about polka. We kind of looked at him and looked at each other, and like, I don't know. I started talking to him some more and started going to some polka dances, then that was it. We were hooked. >> What was the hook? Was there a moment where you were like filming something on stage and you were like that's it, I'm going to dedicate six months of my life? >> Before we pulled out the cameras, we just went and started talking to people, started going to these polka festivals and interviewing people, just having them tell their stories about why polka was important to them, and why they were there at the dances. Then, that was it. They're such great, wonderful stories of people, of how they learned to dance polka, and how they appreciated the music. Once we started talking to all those folks, then we go, there's definitely an interesting story here. >> I don't want to be mean to polka at all, because I actually think it's a cultural art form for a group of people. I'm not part of that group. But is it kitsch for a lot of people, or is it really cultural heritage? Or are there two different camps? >> Well, there's probably two different camps. For us, for people who aren't involved actively in the polka community, there is a certain level of kitsch. But for those who are involved in it, it is very much rooted in history. There's a lot of ethnic groups that have their own certain kind of form of, or variation of polka, the Germans, the Czechs, the Slovakians, the Polish. >> It's amazing. >> Are you part of those ethnic groups at all? >> I've got a little bit of German in me. >> Well, we're going to see a clip from your film, I think it'll help remind them of what polka is. Then we'll come back and talk a little bit more about your process. Let's see a clip from "It's Happiness." >> Polka is a dance. >> It's a happy music. >> The argument of whether it's a dance or a music will go on forever. I think it's both. >> As soon as people hear the word polka, it stops 'em dead. People don't realize, you know, how popular the music is. But I guarantee ya, after they saw what it's all about, that they said, hey, you know, this is pretty good music. I like this.

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>> Polka is... It's an experience, you know. It's beer; it's conviviality; it's good exercise; it's dance music. It's Wisconsin. >> People have made it a part of their sense of identity. >> I think they should ban all other music. >> It's music; it's friends; it's dancing; it's drinking; it's get together. It's like a big, happy family reunion. >> Polka people are a family. Once you start to get into the live scene, you want to be with your friends. >> There's the old saying, you can't play a sad song with a banjo. Well, it's hard to play a sad polka song. >> Polka people are the smartest people in the world, because we know how to have a good time. >> Once in a while they'll have a few adult beverages. >> Oop-pah! >> People kind of graduate into going to polka dances when they hit about 50 years old. >> Polka, you know, people make fun of it. >> I think society in general looks at it as a joke. The accordion, let's face it, doesn't look sexy. >> It's something to do when you get old and you retire. >> I just enjoy this polka music. God must have put me here for something and as long as I can, I'm going out hootin', and hollerin', and dancin', and having a good time. >> I disagree. I think the accordion is kind of sexy, actually. As I watched that clip, something is very apparent. Everyone is like over 60 in that clip. Is polka a dying art form? >> Some would say that it is. But then you go to the Pulaski Polka Days, and there are just thousands of people there. The majority of the people are young. So, you go to some festivals that they're all senior citizens, and you go to other festivals where there's a lot of young people. >> You and I were talking before. It's like Eastern European immigrants to America were such a strong part of American culture for so long, and they brought their culture with them, polka included. They're not the immigrants to America anymore. Mexicans are the major immigrants to America, and some groups from Asia. I can't see how it's going to maintain itself. I find it hard to believe that polka will maintain itself without being replaced by something, you know, Tijuana Brass, or something like that. Do you fear that it will actually go away at some point? >> I don't think it'll ever go away, because it is so closely tied to the heritage of those groups. Some people, they're always going to look back at their roots and where they came from with a certain affinity. The culture of polka is so closely tied to the culture of those communities that I don't think it'll ever go away. The question is whether it'll become as popular as it once was. And who knows? >> Did you learn it? Did you learn how to dance? >> Oh, yeah, absolutely. >> You got it all down? >> Yes! Not all down, but it was a lot of fun. >> They must have liked you guys. >> Oh, it was great. Yeah, the majority of my friends from that time period were senior citizens. It was wonderful. >> It does sound like fun. I can imagine being a young crew. They must've loved you guys. But it must have been fun to hear their stories. One thing that happens in the film, and in any good documentary, it's not about polka, it's about people who polka. It's about human beings. Who are some of the characters in the film that we meet? >> Greg Drust is a record collector who you'll see in the film. He has just this massive amount of records. >> It's massive. >> Unbelievable. John Pinter is the president of the Polka Boosters. He's a wonderful, wonderful man, and quite a character. >> Yeah, you want him to exist in the world. He's a good guy. >> He's great. Art Altenburg is the owner of Art's Concertina Bar. He's a wonderful, wonderful man. Then, a ton of other fascinating people. Did you find that, you know, as a documentarian-- This is your first film, correct? >> Yes. >> What did you feel your mission was? You probably got into this, and I'd assume you were like, wow, this is richer and deeper than I expected this to be. Did you change your mission along the way as a filmmaker, or did you say no, this will be fun? This will just be a fun film, or were you no, this is much more serious? >> We went into it, and I would approach this if I was going to do it again, I'd approach it in the same way. We were kind of blind going into filming right from the beginning. We filmed over the course of four separate weeks, over the course of six months, four separate weeks. That first week, we were talking to anybody and everybody that would talk to us, just saying, why are you here, why do you love polka, or you know, the "why" question. Then once we started figuring out kind of who was who in that culture, we started following certain stories. We just kind of funneled it down to what we thought we'd be able to string together into a cohesive story. >> Sounds like good advice for any filmmaker. We're going to see another clip. Then we'll come back and talk more about polka. Don't go away. Let's see another clip from "It's Happiness." >> Talking about the word polka and the music polka, everybody says, well, it just caters to the older people. That's not true. >> It's a genre of music that's so misunderstood by so many people. >> Somebody said, well, what are the demographics? And I have to say to them eight to eighty. >> I'll probably get booed for this, but I hate the polka people that think that mainstream is digging it. Because half the time they're laughing at you. In the real music market it's so small it's not even on the radar for most people. >> They probably have experienced it, at a wedding dance, but haven't really had a chance to sit down and listen to it. And of course, then appreciate it. >> One hope that I have is that it's almost skipped a generation. The grandparents now are bringing their grand kids, and so I'm hoping that maybe they'll grow up with a different appreciation for the music. >> Polka is going to be there. Waltz is going to be there because the "Blue Danube Waltz" that, whatever, Strauss did, two hundred and some years ago, is a waltz. Speed it up, it's a polka. >> I never knew that, actually. Good to know. Tell me about Jimmy Sturr, because I was watching your film, and they start talking to Jimmy Sturr. I noticed that this guy is huge. Who is Jimmy Sturr? >> Jimmy Sturr is the most winningest Grammy Award winner. I said that wrong. >> He's the most winningest. >> He's won the most Grammys of any artist. >> 18, right? He just beat Michael Jackson. I was like, that's crazy. >> Which is phenomenal. But a wonderful showman. He tours the country constantly. >> He is like a draw. People are like screaming his name. He's signing autographs. I was like, wow. >> Yeah, a couple of those clips were from Polish Fest in Milwaukee. Just thousands of people would come and just waving their hands, "Jimmy! Jimmy!" >> What was it like to talk to him? I mean, you were doing all this polka stuff, which is small and semi-obscure, and then suddenly in the midst of this is this superstar. >> Yeah, it was a much different dynamic, because a lot of the interviews that we did were at small, like VFW halls, where a lot of these polka dances take place. But when we interviewed Jimmy, you know, it's backstage at Polish Fest. Or, he performed at Farm Aid, and we were backstage at Farm Aid talking to him there. So everything we did with Jimmy was just a much grander scale to some of the other environments we were in. >> Was that fun? >> Yeah, it was great. >> Of course, in there in that clip, you also notice, which must have been at Farm Aid as well, is Willie Nelson talking about polka as well. I was like, whoa. >> Jimmy was the connection to Willie Nelson. Jimmy and Willie Nelson have done some records together. >> The film could've had a heavy hand. There could've been a lot of discussion about this as a dying art form. There was some, and that needed to be there. But you didn't do that. You still had good fun. I can see any of the older people who are in this film watching it, and really, really enjoying it. But at the same time, you still got some across. How did you edit it? Did you guys sit down and say look, we have to be careful that this isn't a pedantic film, or we have to be careful that it isn't only fun. What was the editing process like? >> You know, that's a wonderful question. going into, even the filming, we did have that as one of our missions. We wanted to show what we were experiencing. So some of that history of what polka used to be compared to what it is, that was important. That is important. A lot of what we wanted to show in the final film was the fun and the enjoyment that we were getting just by filming it. >> It's interesting, I was watching the film, and there was a bit of a clip in there in that last montage. You have it longer. I can't remember her name. But it's the woman who's kind of like part of some party bus or some party crew. >> The Rowdy Bunch. >> The Rowdy Bunch. And she's got the 2x4 with a bunch of shot glasses and they're doing shots. >> It's an old ski with shots. >> Whoa, a shot ski! Oh, my gosh, see, I didn't even get it. It's a shot ski, clever. They're doing shots out of it.

They're rowdy and they're drinking and drunk at 10

00 in the morning. You just go, you know, you never pictured grandma like partying or getting drunk. It was kind of fun, actually. It kind of made me happy, and gave me hope for my retirement. Were you surprised? People were really partying in this film. >> Yeah! >> Were you surprised by that? >> Yeah, it was unbelievable. They would drink a lot of alcohol, a lot of schnapps, you know, mix the Jager and then have a glass of water, and then do some more Jager, and so forth. But the alcohol was a definite part of it. >> Did you and the crew do some shot skis? >> Only after we were done filming. >> Only after you were done filming, of course. >> Although I think there's a clip in there of us. >> Doing shots? You edited that in, to make sure you have yourself? No, that's perfect. It like gives a part of the feeling of it, like it's not just old people showing up in a walker, it's like they're doing shots out of a ski. >> And they're there to have fun. >> I love it. There's nothing wrong with that. There's hope for us. We're going to see another clip. We'll be back in a second. This is a great clip about Art. We're going to come back and talk about Art, because I was quite inspired by Art. This is a clip from "It's Happiness." >> Eins, zwei, drei! G'suffa! Zigga-zagga zigga-zagga! >> Hoy, hoy, hoy! >> Zigga-zagga zigga-zagga! >> Hoy, hoy, hoy! >> Zigga-zagga zigga-zagga! >> Hoy, hoy, hoy. >> Prost. Everybody suck 'em up. You got one free drink coming on Art Altenburg right over here at the bar. It's kind of a standard here at Art's Concertina Bar for Art to set up a couple of bottles and play along with the boys in the band on the bottles. He plays some of the best bottles in the world. Here we go, with the "Nine Bottle Waltz." >> I like concertina music, I've always played concertina. So I figured, well, I'm gonna do what I wanna do and this is what I'm gonna have. When you play the concertina, it's got a nice lively tune to it. It just changes the whole atmosphere. I have people that come in here, they got a grumpy look on their face. I get out the concertina and play a couple of tunes in front of the bar. It's like a different person walked in the place. It changes just like that. >> It's the last of the polka places in the city of Milwaukee itself. There's no other one. >> Everybody comes here on a Friday and Saturday night to have a good time. >> Hey, hold on! Hold on just a second. Hold on, hold the phone there. Hold it, hold it. >> We're a little flat there. >> We need to tune that one up.

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They're rowdy and they're drinking and drunk at 10

>> Oh, that's my favorite part of the movie! That's great. At first, I didn't get it. I'm like oh, my god, that's perfect. Okay, Art's bar is a Concertina Bar. >> Correct. >> Not an accordion bar. Help us out. What's the difference between a concertina and an accordion? >> A concertina is a reed-based instrument, so when you press the buttons and you push in, it makes one sound. Then, when you pull out and pushing those same keys, it makes a different sound, kind of like a harmonica, when you blow in and out of a harmonica. An accordion is more piano based, so when you press the keys, no matter whether you push or pull, it's always the same. So, they say that the concertina is a much more difficult instrument to play. >> I want to talk about Art for a second, but you actually made me think about something that I've been so curious about. You know, with Tijuana Brass, Argentina, I can go around the world and there's some form of a squeeze box. >> True. >> It's so fascinating how that is, really. >> Yeah, it is kind of interesting. After learning more about it through this whole filmmaking process, I would hear music, and be like, oh, it's polka-- wait, no, that's not polka at all, that's just an accordion playing. >> Right, right, say it's from Argentina. Back to Art. You featured him. He has this amazing bar. Concertina only. Even though his nephew plays polka with an accordion, he won't let him play. It's great. Art wants to sell the bar. He gets offered $350,000, which I don't know, it seems like a lot of money for the bar in Milwaukee. He turns it down. Why? >> Oh, gosh, I don't know if I can answer that question for him. >> Because, I understand... >> I would assume, and I don't know too much about that specific offer, but I do know that he wanted to leave the bar to someone who would kind of carry on the polka culture that had kind of starting to evolve around it. >> He had live music there often. >> Oh, yeah, all the time. >> He did sell it. So what happened? >> He did sell it to Andy, I'm going to mispronounce his last name, but it is another gentlemen who has continued to have polka music and kind of old-time music. Not strictly concertina, as Art did, but kind of older genres of music. >> Wow, that must be interesting. I want to go there, actually. It seems like a great place to go. >> Yeah. >> When you meet someone like Art, and spend time with someone like Art-- How old are you? >> I'm 31. >> And Art's older than 31. What comes to mind for you? What do you think? Is this like, is it an honor? Is it, you just want to express his stories to the next generation? What is it like for you to hang out with someone like him? >> That's a great question. I guess, first and foremost, he's a great bartender. I mean, he always had stories. He had just lived so much of his life behind the bar, and he had met so many different types of people. He didn't put up with anything. But he also could control the crowd in a very interesting way. So when we were there filming, he gave us full access, which was amazing. We went there often, and just kind of hung out with him. So it was a real kind of mellow vibe when we were with him. A great sense of humor, and just a unique character. So we just let him kind of tell his story and kind of express his personality through just being around him. >> Amazing you found him, because it really helped the film come all together. You have these festivals and everything, and it's like, no, this is real. This is a permanent thing that people go to. This is someone's regular. It's like god, I wish that was down the street from my house. I would totally go there. >> Yeah, it's a great neighborhood bar. >> Love it. We're going to see one more clip, and then we'll come back and talk a little bit more. We'll be right back from another clip from "It's Happiness." >> Young kids on the radio, they want to hear something that sounds like they're used to. They don't want to hear this accordion and all this reverb just, you know, coming at you. They want to hear sounds that they're used to hearing on Top-40 stations, and so that's what we try to do. >> She has gotten a bit more into the rock elements. >> Polka people go, that's not a polka. Technically, it's half and half or something. We're just trying to draw in those young people. >> 'Cause a lot of the kids, they like the newer stuff. They like rap and stuff like that. >> It's kinda tough to do a rap with a squeeze box, but it can be done. >> They said it's too old. >> Most of 'em like that Rock and Roll stuff. >> I know nobody my age that plays. >> They need to give it a try. >> Besides me. >> They'll maybe come out with a stereotype and, maybe with a certain band, you know, they may get that stereotype. But they just need to try a different festival and don't be afraid to talk to some of the older people, because if they don't know how to dance they'll teach 'em. They'll be more than happy to take 'em out on the floor and say, hey, come on, let's go. >> I think over the years, we started getting more respect from the polka industry. At first they hated it. They don't want change, and you're a outcast. But then I think, when they get down to it and saw that maybe I was helping the genre in the long run, between their teeth, they'll respect it a little bit. When we got the first Grammy nomination, it kinda turned everything around. I did! We got to play the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" when we got the first Grammy nomination. But I think me and Frankie Yankovic are the only two people that ever got to play, polka musicians, that got to play on the "Tonight Show." >> Another clip from "It's Happiness." Who is she? Tell me about Lynn Marie, and who she is. She's an interesting character in the film. >> Lynn Marie is a younger polka musician from Nashville, I believe. >> She doesn't, when I listen to her play, that sounds like polka to me. I know there's some controversy that she's not real polka, but what makes her? >> So, her style is a little bit different. She has a drum set, an electric guitar, and a bass player in there, as well. They are a little bit more of a rock based band with an accordion. >> She brings up the big question for me of this film. And for me, as I watch this film, early on, is this a dying art form. Well, there's a really different question that comes out in your film, which is, is it evolving, like is it changing? I'm curious, you're probably more of an expert than anyone in the world at this point. As an outside observer, is it evolving? Are more people out there coming out, or is it just stuck in what Art would play in his bar? >> Yeah, well, that's a wonderful question. It is evolving, and there are different bands that are doing different things with it. Lynn Marie would be a good example. There's also some bands down in Texas that are having more of a country influence to it. >> I can see that, yeah. >> And I guess the same sort of answer that I gave earlier, the question is, will those kind of hybrids of those country influences, those rock influences that still have some polka in them, will those survive? Or will the traditional music survive? >> Interesting. You know, we were talking earlier about how Tijuana Brass has been melded with hip hop in New York City, with Tijuana Brass down in Tijuana, and making a new form of music. But it still keeps the Tijuana Brass alive. I would assume there's a lot of traditional musicians in Tijuana that really hate the new form of Tijuana Brass. They want to keep it the same. But now I'm listening to it. I would never have listened to Tijuana Brass in my life. Then Bob Dylan, who I think just recently came out with a new album where he's using Tijuana Brass musicians. It does open it up in a pretty interesting way. >> Absolutely. >> Well, thank you very much. It was so interesting watching it. I'm also reminded, looking at it, how beautiful the accordions are. It's just a beautiful musical instrument. >> Yeah, they're wonderful. Baldoni was in the film. The Baldoni family makes accordions. It was great going to their shop and seeing it. It's just a master art form of an instrument. What are you up to next? >> I am working on another documentary called "The Sign Painter," a documentary following people who do old hand lettered sign paintings. >> Fascinating. >> That's the next project. >> You're a dying art collector of films. When you win your first Academy Award, you'll go back and talk about these old films you made. That'd be great. Thank you very much for joining us. I really enjoyed it. I'm not a real fan of polka, but watching made me realize that I definitely want to go to Polka Fest this year, I'm definitely going because of this. >> You should. Pulaski is a great one. >> I'll be there. I can dance, I can drink, so I may combine the two. >> Everybody should go. >> Thank you very much, and thank you all for watching Director's Cut. For more information on "It's

Happiness

A Polka Documentary." please go to www.wpt.org and click on Director's Cut. I'm your host Charles Monroe-Kane. Check the gate. Right, two, three. Left, two, three. Right, two, three. Left, two, three, and a right, two, three. Wonderful.