Charlie Ahearn (director)
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Charlie Ahearn (born 1951) is an American film maker living in New York City. Although predominantly involved in film and video art production, he is also known for his work as an author, freelance writer, member of Colab, and radio host. He is married to the painter
Jane Dickson Jane Dickson (born May 18, 1952) is an American painter. She lives and works in New York City. (New York). Biography Dickson received her B.A. at Harvard University (1976) and a Studio Diploma from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ...
and is the twin brother to the sculptor John Ahearn.


Life and work

Charlie Ahearn came to New York City in 1973 to attend the Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program (Studio Program). Later he was joined by his brother John and joined the artists' group Colab (aka Collaborative Projects) which was a group determined to go beyond the traditional art world gallery system and find a way to "be creative in a larger sense". For several years during the 1970s Ahearn, then living in downtown Manhattan, concentrated on making 16 millimeter art films. In 1977 he went to the
Alfred E. Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a Civ ...
Projects in the Lower East Side to film local youths practice martial arts with his
Super 8 Super 8 or Super Eight may refer to: Film * Super 8 film, a motion picture film format released in 1965 * Super 8 film camera, a motion picture camera used to film Super 8mm motion picture format * ''Super 8'' (2011 film), a science-fiction fi ...
camera, which exposed him to hip-hop for the first time.Ahearn, Charlie, ''Wild Style: The Sampler''. Powerhouse Publishing, 2007 Ahearn was approached by some of these local youths who wanted to make a
martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
film, and Ahearn agreed despite never having attended film school and not knowing how to make a feature-length film. Yet he took inspiration from some of his favorite kung fu films, such as ''
36 Chambers ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York Cit ...
'', ''
Mad Monkey Kung Fu ''Mad Monkey Kung Fu'' is a 1979 Shaw Brothers kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung. Later, the film was released on DVD by Dragon Dynasty. Besides directing Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Lau Kar-Leung, (also known as Liu Chia-liang) debuts as a lead ...
'', and ''
Five Deadly Venoms ''Five Deadly Venoms'' ('五毒' – Cantonese: ''Ng5 Duk6''), also known as ''Five Venoms'', is a cult 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh, starring the Venom Mob, with martial arts choreography by Leung Ting, and produced ...
''; as well as the films of
Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
.Charlie Ahearn interview from WBAI99.5FM (http://www.hiphopmusic.com/2007/06/a_conversation_with_charlie_ah.html) Ahearn showed this martial arts film as part of ''
The Times Square Show ''The Times Square Show'' was an influential collaborative, self-curated, and self-generated art exhibition held by New York artists' group Colab (aka Collaborative Projects, Inc) in Times Square in a shuttered massage parlor at 201 W. 41st and 7t ...
'' in an abandoned massage parlor that Colab had taken over on the corner of 7th Avenue and 41st Street in the then rather shady Times Square area. Ahearn soon after was living nearby on 43rd Street and 8th Avenue (from 1981 to 1993).


''Wild Style''

In the summer of 1980 Ahearn began working with
Fred Braithwaite Fred Brathwaite (born August 31, 1959), more popularly known as Fab 5 Freddy, is an American visual artist, filmmaker, and hip hop pioneer. He is considered one of the architects of the street art movement. Freddy emerged in New York's downtown ...
and
Lee Quiñones George Lee Quiñones (born 1960) is a Puerto Rican artist and actor. Quiñones rose to prominence by creating massive New York City subway car graffiti that carried his moniker "LEE". His style is rooted in popular culture and often with politic ...
on what was later to become a classic hip-hop feature-length film: ''
Wild Style ''Wild Style'' is a 1983 American hip hop film directed and produced by Charlie Ahearn. Regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, it includes appearances by seminal figures such as Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, The Rock Stea ...
''. The film took its name from the graffiti painting style of the same name: a style that is very symbolically described as an "energetic interlocking construction of letters with arrows and others that signify movement and direction". Also in the movie was karate instructor Nathan Ingram (karate). ''Wild Style'' premièred in 1983 in Times Square, breaking records by selling out at all screenings in the three weeks it played. The highly successful soundtrack of the film, which was composed entirely from scratch to avoid copyrights clearances, was produced by Fred Braithwaite, in collaboration with
Chris Stein Christopher Stein (born January 5, 1950) is an American musician known as the co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie. He is also a producer and performer for the classic soundtrack of the hip hop film '' Wild Style'', and write ...
of chart-topping rock act Blondie. Grandmaster Theodore mixed the album and
Grandmaster Caz Curtis Brown (born April 18, 1960), better known by the stage name Grandmaster Caz or Casanova Fly, is an American rapper, songwriter, and DJ. He was a member of the hip hop group The Cold Crush Brothers from 1979 to the mid-1980s. He is best know ...
wrote the lyrics. ''Wild Style'' and its soundtrack have since been regarded as the most accurate portrait of
hip-hop culture Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. Hip hop culture is characterized by four key elements: rapping, DJing and turntabli ...
and has been sited as the definitive hip-hop film. Its popularity quickly spread throughout the world. Ahearn transferred his hip-hop archive, including detailed ''
Wild Style ''Wild Style'' is a 1983 American hip hop film directed and produced by Charlie Ahearn. Regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, it includes appearances by seminal figures such as Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, The Rock Stea ...
'' production notes, artwork, photographs, and audio and video recordings, to the Cornell University Hip-Hop Collection in 2012.


Musical shorts

Ahearn has worked on a series of musical shorts. There include: *''Bongo Barbershop'' (8 minutes, 2005) starring
Grandmaster Caz Curtis Brown (born April 18, 1960), better known by the stage name Grandmaster Caz or Casanova Fly, is an American rapper, songwriter, and DJ. He was a member of the hip hop group The Cold Crush Brothers from 1979 to the mid-1980s. He is best know ...
in a battle with
Balozi Dola Balozi Dola, Balozi or Dolasoul, is a self-proclaimed “socially conscious” hip hop artist from Tanzania. Biography Early years Balozi began his career while attending school in Nigeria. Balozi grew up with the support of his family who put ...
, a Tanzanian emcee. *''Busy on the Beach'' (4 minutes, 2006) that features
Busy Bee Starski David James Parker (born October 26, 1962), known by the stage name Busy Bee, is an American old-school hip hop musician from New York, NY. First coming on the New York City music scene in 1977, Busy Bee worked with many of hip-hop's founding f ...
taking the audience on a tour of his
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...
neighborhood. *''Brothers Fantastic'' (7 minutes, 2007) featuring Master Rob and Waterbed Kevie Kev from the Fantastic Freaks. (These shorts were included on the 25-year anniversary edition of the Wild Style DVD, released in 2007 from Rhino Entertainment) *''Busy On The Autobahn'' (11 minutes, 2008) featuring
Busy Bee Starski David James Parker (born October 26, 1962), known by the stage name Busy Bee, is an American old-school hip hop musician from New York, NY. First coming on the New York City music scene in 1977, Busy Bee worked with many of hip-hop's founding f ...
and Ahearn himself.


Books and radio programs

''Yes Yes, Y'all'' is an oral history of the first decade of hip-hop book by Ahearn published in 2002 by
Da Capo Press Da Capo Press is an American publishing company with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. It is now an imprint of Hachette Books. History Founded in 1964 as a publisher of music books, as a division of Plenum Publishers, it had additional of ...
with over 100 photos. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of ''
Wild Style ''Wild Style'' is a 1983 American hip hop film directed and produced by Charlie Ahearn. Regarded as the first hip hop motion picture, it includes appearances by seminal figures such as Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Lady Pink, The Rock Stea ...
'', Ahearn also wrote the book ''Wild Style: The Sampler'', published by Powerhouse Books in 2007. In 2005, Ahearn hosted a weekly talk-music internet radio show on
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
's Museum of Modern Art's WPS1.org called ''Yes Yes, Y'all'', with guests such as Biz Markie,
Afrika Bambaataa Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is an American DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influenc ...
, Rammellzee,
Grandmaster Caz Curtis Brown (born April 18, 1960), better known by the stage name Grandmaster Caz or Casanova Fly, is an American rapper, songwriter, and DJ. He was a member of the hip hop group The Cold Crush Brothers from 1979 to the mid-1980s. He is best know ...
, and many more hip-hop icons from 1970 to 1990.WPS1.org (http://www/wps1.org/include/shows/yes_yes_yall.html)


Footnotes


References

*
Carlo McCormick Carlo McCormick is an American culture critic and curator living in New York City. He is the author of numerous books, monographs and catalogues on contemporary art and artists. Pedagogic and art writing activities McCormick was Senior Edito ...
, ''The Downtown Book: The New York Art Scene, 1974–1984'', Princeton University Press, 2006.


External links


Artist's websiteOfficial movie website for Wild StyleCharlie Ahearn Interview on DJ SUN's Soular Grooves radio show 10.26.13
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahearn, Charlie 1951 births Living people Artists from Binghamton, New York Film directors from New York City