A series of seven special events at various U.S. venues featuring a screening of the new Zombies documentary, Hung Up on a Dream, will kick off Wednesday, July 9, in New York City at the Gramercy Theatre.
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The events also will include a Q&A with Zombies frontman Colin Blunstone and the movie’s director, filmmaker/musician Robert Schwartzman, and an acoustic performance by Blunstone and Schwartzman’s band, Rooney.
Blunstone recently chatted about the screenings with American Songwriter, and he shared some details about the gatherings.
“We’ll take questions from the audience,” he explained. “And then, I think Rooney are gonna play a couple of tunes, and then we’re gonna do four or five [Zombies] tunes. It’s not gonna be a full concert.”
Colin, who turned 80 in June, then quipped that he was worried the lengthy screening events might be a bit much for some attendees.
“I’m feeling a little bit sorry for the audience, because the documentary is an hour and a half,” he noted. “I mean, it’s really, really good, and I think they’ll enjoy it, but they will have been sitting for an hour and a half, and then if we do some questions … and then we play some music, you know, there might be some people getting a bit desperate at the end of that.”
He added, “Hopefully, we’ll have a little interval, perhaps, before the questions and answers. That would be my idea anyway.”
What Songs Blunstone Will Be Singing with Rooney
The interview with Blunstone was conducted in late June, and at the time, he shared what he knew about the set of Zombies tunes he’ll be playing with Rooney at the screenings.
“We’ll do ‘She’s Not There’ and ‘Time of the Season,’ and I think ‘This Will Be Our Year,’” he noted. “And then I’m not quite sure what happens after that.”
How the Documentary, with Schwartzman Directing, Came About
Schwartzman got to know The Zombies when his group, Rooney, toured as their opening act in 2022. Besides his music and filmmaking talents, Robert also is an actor whose brother is Jason Schwartzman, his mother is Talia Shire, and his uncle is Francis Ford Coppola.
Blunstone told American Songwriter that the documentary came together thanks to conversations Schwartzman had with The Zombies’ management team. Colin also noted that Robert was an ideal choice to direct Hung Up on a Dream.
“Robert, obviously, [is] a musician. He’s interested in music. He understands how musicians work. He understands the music business,” Blunstone pointed out. “And also, he has a wonderful background in the film industry. In particular, he had been interested in The Zombies. The Zombies were a big influence when he first started playing. So, it was a coming together of so many different situations that brought the documentary together.”
Blunstone also noted that, early on, he and Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent had a very positive Zoom meeting with Schwartzman about the project.
“Rod and I thought he was fantastic, and just knew that he would do everything he could to make this the best it possibly could be,” Colin said. “You know, it wasn’t some kind of vanity project. He really believed in it, and so it’s proved. I think he’s done a wonderful job.”
Blunstone noted that Schwartzman’s job was particularly challenging because not much archival footage of The Zombies was readily available.
“It’s a wonderful achievement,” Colin enthused. “[O]ne of the concerns … was where was Robert gonna get any film from. But he found … bits of film that we didn’t even know existed. … So, it was very exciting seeing it for the first time.”
Some of Blunstone’s Favorite Highlights from the Documentary
Hung Up on a Dream follows The Zombies’ history from their formation and their success as a popular British Invasion band to their untimely initial breakup shortly after the release of their acclaimed 1968 album Odessey and Oracle to their successful 21st century reunion, their 2019 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and beyond.
Blunstone singled out a few of his favorite highlights from the documentary.
“It was lovely seeing us at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Colin said. He noted that it was “a wonderfully exciting night, where you feel that you have perhaps achieved some degree of validation, because your peers have voted for you and your fans have voted for you.” He added, “It was wonderful. I just really enjoyed the whole experience.”
Blunstone also said he loved seeing a clip of The Zombies playing at bassist Chris White’s 21st birthday.
“[I]t was well before we made ‘She’s Not There.’ That was when we were amateurs,” Colin said. “So, if Chris was 21, I would have been … 17 or 18. And I didn’t know that [clip] existed.”
In addition, Blunstone found a segment about The Zombies touring the Philippines in 1966 interesting, pointing out that the band was surprised to discover how successful they were in that country when they arrived there.
“[When] we arrived, I certainly thought we would probably be playing in a bar in a hotel, and we went into this huge coliseum,” Colin recalled. “[W]e opened to 28,000 [people], we played a matinee of 15,000 on a Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night we played to 32,000 people. And it went on pretty much like that for 10 days. So that was certainly quite an experience, and so unexpected.”
Emotional Segment About Late Zombies Guitarist Paul Atkinson
Hung Up on a Dream features interviews with the four surviving original Zombies members — Blunstone, Argent, White, and drummer Hugh Grundy. It also includes an emotional segment about founding guitarist Paul Atkinson, who became a successful record executive before his death from cancer at age 58 in 2004.
The documentary features interviews with Atkinson’s daughter Lucy, and includes recollections about a star-studded tribute to Paul that took place in Los Angeles a few weeks before he passed away.
At the event, the five Zombies reunited, and various other guest artists also performed, including The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.
Blunstone recalled that Wilson played a special song just for Atkinson at the tribute.
“Brian said [to Paul], ‘What would you like us to play?’” Blunstone remembered. “And [Paul] said, ‘I’d like you to play “Don’t Worry Baby.”’ And Brian said, ‘Well, we don’t normally play that, but for you, tonight, we’ll play it.’ And it was such an emotional moment. It really was. I was in a corner at the back of the hall, and … the tears were just streaming down my face. Such a beautiful and slightly sad song. … [A]nd it was wonderful of Brian to have played it for him.”
More About the Hung Up on a Dream Screening Events
After the New York City screening event on July 9, additional presentations will take place on July 11 in Somerville, Massachusetts; July 13 in Falls Church, Virginia; July 15 in Chicago; July 16 in Detroit; July 18 in San Francisco; and July 19 in Los Angeles.
For more details, visit HungUp.Official.film.
(Photo by R. Diamond/Getty Images)
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