The Velvet Underground are badass. But they are not for everyone. Unique, charismatic, sexy and even scary. Lou Reed and his band of buddies set a standard that influenced poets, musicians and even bankers looking for some “Sweet Jane.â€
Anthony Jannelli and Robert Pietri’s documentary film, “The Velvet Underground Played At My High School†shows how important the band’s music was and how it transfixed an entire generation of teenagers looking for something different. Using an awesome almost black and white hand-drawn Disney style that has its own signature rough and gruff approach, the film absolutely puts you in the mind of a tenth grader during a Velvet Underground concert in 1965.
Whether you appreciate the band’s work or not, the story and animation bring you in. The small facial expression of the main character and the sights and sounds of the gym make it almost feel like an animated episode of “The Wonder Years.†But, to be fair, Kevin, Paul and Winnie weren’t ready for these tunes. Maybe Wayne though. You, on the other hand, might be converted by the end of it.
Because of Jannelli’s fun dialogue and the seamless animation, this film is just as catchy as Reed’s tunes. Those looking for an explanation of not only the greatest of the band, but the uniqueness and charm of short film have a perfect case study here.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
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