Burnzy’s Last Call Soundtrack
Burnzy’s Last Call Soundtrack by Crispin Cioe
Called “cooler than cool,” by Billboard, Crispin Cioe produced, arranged and wrote or co-wrote seven of the tracks on this eclectic soundtrack to the award-winning 1999 indie film Burnzy’s Last Call. With songs from Lou Christie, Graham Parker, David Johansen, Debbie Harry, Evan Dando, Soozie Tyrell, the Smithereens and his own Uptown Horns, Crispin has created a unique musical expression that is both evocative of 60’s and 70’s and would also sound right at home on a NYC dive bar jukebox today. In fact, the musicians were so into the project that they created fictitious identities for themselves. (i.e. Graham Parker becomes the leader of “Wally and the Wankers” from Kimber in the North of England.” The CD was originally released in 1999.
Burnzy’s Last Call is an American comedy-drama film directed by Michael de Avila and starring Sherry Stringfield, Jamie Walters, and Carolyn McCormick.
“A cooler-than cool soundtrack . . . particularly cuts by Johansen, Harry and Lou Christie.”
— Billboard
Songs from the Burnzy’s Last Call Soundtrack
- “I Don’t Want to Look into the Mirror” by The Smithereens
- “Space Monkey” by David Johansen
- “So We Danced Again” by Deborah Harry
- “What Will I Do With My Heart” by Dennis Diken & Pete Dibella
- “Childhood Sweetheart” by Graham Parker
- “Baby You’re a Drag” by Adam Roth & Evan Dando
- “Waiting for the Pain” by The Uptown Horns (feat. Dennis Ray)
- “Giblets” by Crispin Cioe
- “Small Talk” by Soozie Tyrell
- “I Can’t Stop the Rain” by Lou Christie
- “I’ve Grown Used to Losin'” by George Gilmore
- “I Want to Be at My Own Funeral” by David Johansen
- “Last Call” by Hank Bones
Billboard’s Review by Paul Verna
Don’t feel left out if you’ve never heard of “Burnzy’s Last Call.” Despite winning an award at the Atlantic City Film Festival and airing on the Sundance Channel, the flick hasn’t exactly burned up the silver screen, despite a cooler- than-cool soundtrack and an ensemble cast that includes David Johansen and actors from “Law & Order,” “ER,” and “The Sopranos.” Spearheaded and largely written and produced by Uptown Horns saxophonist Crispin Cioe, “Burnzy’s Last Call” operates on a simple principle: well-known artists (Johansen, Deborah Harry, the Smithereens, Graham Parker, Evan Dando, et al.) are “cast” as fictitious one-hit wonders and asked to contribute original songs in the style of a predetermined performer. Approached in an appropriately lighthearted vein, the formula yields wonderful results, particularly in cuts by Johansen (the David Bowie glam send-off “Space Monkey” and the Louis Prima-inspired “I Want To Be At My Own Funeral”), Harry (the unabashed Mary Hopkin ripoff “So We Danced Again”), and Lou Christie, the only artiston the soundtrack who plays himself, contributing the tune “I Can’t StopThe Rain”. Other highlights include the Smithereens’ Gene Pitney-esque “I Don’t Want To Look In The Mirror” and the Four Seasons-patterned “What Will I Do With My Heart,” written and performed by Smithereens drummer Dennis Diken and musical collaborator Pete DiBello. A great idea that makes you wonder why no one thought of it sooner.
— Paul Verna, Billboard