It all started with the group
around the time that Billy was in the Wise Guy series.
This eclectic man can do everything! Sometime in the near future, Billy will launch his new cd from his own website.
Billy's group - THE CRONIES -- can be heard partially on the soundtracks of Last Lives and Me and Will.
In 1994, Billy was quoted in Detour magazine -"I am playing with a band again. I sing, something which I thought I could never do before -- not even 'Happy Birthday.' The frequencies and tones that you hit, that vibrate through your system, and the healing power of music, are phenomenal. The experience that I get when I let go and let the joy in. Most of all, it's fun."
Some music TRIVIA:
The song Leaving is in the movie LAST LIVES in which Billy played Malakai and is written by Stephen Constantino and Billy Wirth. You can hear a longer version on the tape.
From an AOL posting in January 1996:
"Billy and I had begun working together on a project....A band called DUST 'N' BONES.
"The band was a young songwriting entity with a lot of talent and a lot of interest from both labels and fans..."
and
"The Record Company people loved Billy.
Club promoters called constantly wanting DUST 'N' BONES.
The word was that this band with the charismatic handsome singer/songwriter was a Hot ticket.
The band was renowned for being sober and hard working."
A&M Studios granted free studio time to a hot young producer/engineer named John Bogosian who arranged for 4 days in Room C next to Bruce Springsteen and down the hall from Guns N' Roses.
The main priority was to emerge with a version of the song WAR NO MORE for the purpose of making a music video to be produced by Lawrence Bender, whose work with Quentin Tarantino has made him the hot young producer of the 90's."
THANK YOU BECKIE!
In Shania Twain's new video, WHEN, Billy is the cab driver.
Billy is the priest/seducer in Meredith Brooks video, "What Would Happen"
BILLY is featured in a TESTAMENT video called Electric Crown .
"The Pace Maker: Stephen Perkins, one-time drummer for Jane's Addiction and current leader of Banyan, found the ideal situation for his first film-scoring job. Billy Wirth, director of "MacArthur Park," is a Banyan fan and friend, and after he used a few Banyan songs in his film, he decided to have Perkins compose some original work for the movie.
"A lot of music in movies is based on rhythm and drums, it's a lot of pacing," Perkins said. "So I'm like, 'Great!' I had meetings with Billy, watched the movie over and over, took notes, watched it again, sat with him and worked on themes."
Like Laird-Clowes, Perkins' first scoring experience already has him thinking about the next one, and he plans on doing a little networking at Sundance between Banyan shows. His experience with "MacArthur Park" planted the same seed Elfman experienced with "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" 16 years ago.
"I'm just as able as any other human to make an imprint on the music scene, be it drumming or composing music for a movie," Perkins said. "Billy put confidence in me in that what came out in the movie came out great. That's all you really need is someone to believe in you, and you need the chance to do it."
---Salt Lake Tribune 1/25/01
**cg 6/05 **
