Ten years later, it's still Been So Long

LIKE MOST THINGS about Second String Music, memory is kind of a blur. For more than 11 years was quite the adventure, and every now and then I miss it.

I just realized the infamous "Been So Long" Christmas video, done by the amazing Chris and Victoria Kelley at Table 16 Productions, is 10 years old. Ten. TEN. Now that is really hard to believe.

It's an original song and the video was inspired by the Cheeks McGee song and video for White Christmas, which was made the year before by the Kelleys in Washington Park and on the roof of our Second String Music building. That video features the Mitchell kids and Lucy, Sheryl's beloved Border Collie. Also I lost my keys while doing a snow angel and found them in the park the next day in the melting snow.

Typical of the Kelley genius and creativity, the Cheeks video was done very spontaneously. It snowed on a Saturday night and they decided to make the video the next day. 

Why we decided to make a video of our own is no longer recalled. Perhaps it was because we let Chris film many of his Full Frame movie scenes on the third floor (it's the room with the red curtains). I do remember not wanting a script and just shooting stuff in the building, and making it goofy.

So, on a Sunday afternoon in early December, Greg Ellery and Adam Yates joined me at the store. Ben Poland and Mike Sorensen were there to help. Chris quickly figured out what we wanted to do and did his usual job of making sugar out of shit, and boom, a few weeks later we had our video.

Yes, we almost got hit by a car on Maine Street. Yes, Angus is eating something disgusting on the sidewalk in the last scene. Yes, that is the legendary office of Mr. Houston on the fourth floor. And I just caught this at about the 55 second mark - the door in the bank vault painted by Jeff VanKanegan. What I wouldn't give to find that door today, long lost and forgotten after several renovations to the space.

So here it is again, 10 years later, as the years and memories blur. The video, however, doesn't. 

Merry Christmas!