A Head Full of Wishes is a site for Galaxie 500, Luna, Damon & Naomi, Dean & Britta and Dean Wareham. With news, articles and lists of releases and past and future shows.
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The end of Luna, 2005
Twenty-one years ago this week Luna played their last shows. During the run up to those final shows I hosted a shared blog, Luna’s Last Waltz to document the end of Luna - it’s looking a little worse for being 20 years old (broken links and images) but still quite a sweet record of the end of the band we loved so much.
After the final shows I emailed Britta and Dean and asked if they had anything to add to the blog…
Andy, thanks so much for the yummies, but especially thanks for all the loving care, time and attention you've put into your site and the mailing list.
Last night was a perfect ending. Quite beautiful. Its been an honor and a pleasure to have been a member of Luna for 5 years...the best thing that's ever happened to me, really. I'll miss playing with them...and I'll miss playing to all of the wonderful Luna fans...
Last night, I welled up a few times, but I was not sad, just very moved to be a part of something so meaningful to so many as well as something so personal to me. I'm really glad we decided to announce this as our final tour. It really made all of the shows very special.
I never thought I'd say something so sentimental/hippie-dippie, but the room was filled with love last night. So difficult to describe, but a few words come to mind: loaded (emotionally, not alcoholically), tender, safe, over-flowing, ebullient, intoxicating, warm, intimate, fun, sexy, thank you, miss you.
You WERE there.
Love,
Britta
emailed by Britta 2:53 PM
Email from Britta - 1st March 2005
Greetings Luna fans!
Britta and I have just returned from a trip to New Zealand, for the occasion of my grandfather's 90th birthday, which was celebrated in Wellington (the beautiful city where I was born). We flew into Auckland at 5 a.m. and were met at the airport by a bleary-eyed Justin Harwood. We spent a few days with Justin and his family (he now has two children, Coco and Sonny Bill). Justin lives on a hill overlooking Piha beach and the Tasman Sea. We saw a couple of magnificent sunsets, and
Justin made us excellent coffee, and took us for a nice trek up over the hills to the beach where they filmed those scenes from The Piano. Justin and I told a lot of old Luna stories, and Britta told some too. It was great to see Justin again.
Now I am back in New York City and trying to figure out how to live without Luna, which is a strange sensation, both liberating and a little scary too. The night of our last show at the Bowery Ballroom seems a long time ago already, and I can't quite remember what all the fuss was about, though I do remember it being an emotionally draining few days.
Thanks to all of you who supported us over the years (especially Andy Aldridge). And those of you who brought us chocolate and cupcakes and champagne and Aquavit.
Thank you Britta, Justin, Lee, Sean and Stanley.
DW
emailed by Dean 2:44 PM
Email from Dean - 15th April 2005
One year (and a couple of months) later Matthew Buzzell’s film of Luna’s final tour had its premiere as part of the Tribeca Film Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fIdy1UYVR8
In the run up to the release of the film I emailed the former members of Luna, and director Matthew Buzzell, with a few questions - nothing particularly insightful, asking them about the film, and what plans they had. All were kind enough to reply and I published them on A Head Full of Wishes in the run up to the film’s premiere,
#1: Britta
A Head Full of Wishes: Do you think the film shows the band as they really are? Do we get to see the dark side of Luna? Was there a dark side of Luna?
Britta: The film is an hour and a half, so it shows how some of us are some of the time. It definitely shows some darkness, but not all of it. There is a dark side to everyone, I think, but Luna is probably not nearly as dark as a lot of other bands.
AHFoW: How different was the last tour from previous Luna tours? Did the fact that it was the last one make it easier/harder?
Britta: It did feel a lot different. I think it meant a lot more to everyone. It was weighty and bittersweet. The shows were charged with extra emotion. Knowing it was the “last time” we were playing “that song” in “that town” made it both fresher and heavier. There was less complaining about hotels, venues, promotion etc., because there was no point since it was the last time out. There was more reminiscing about the past (as you’ll see in the film) and having Matthew along as a 5th band member was invigorating as well as antagonizing ;)
AHFoW: Did you get used to having the camera around? How long did that take? Did your acting experience make it easier to work with a camera around?
Britta: I guess I got more used to the camera as time went on. I don’t think acting experience helps at all when you’re being filmed as yourself. I’m much more comfortable performing music or acting than I am being myself in front of the camera. It’s difficult for me to watch myself and hear myself speak in the film - I squirm and talk over it.
AHFoW: What are your favourite rock films and ‘rockumentaries’?
Britta: Don’t Look Back, Let’s Get Lost (even though Chet Baker’s not “rock”), No Direction Home, Lou Reed Transformer. Even though they’re not documentaries… Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind & A Hard Day’s Night.
AHFoW: Who’ll play Britta in the forthcoming Hollywood blockbuster of the Luna story?
Britta: Well, for a Hollywood film we’ve gotta go young. I’d pick Scarlett Johansson. If Dean were cast as Adrien Brody (I know he looks nothing like him but he does look pretty cool), then Naomi Watts could play me.
AHFoW: What next?
Britta: Right now, Dean and I are making an album with Tony Visconti. We like to do more film scores, as well.
#2: Lee
A Head Full of Wishes: Do you think the film shows the band as they really are?
Lee: I think the film is a pretty accurate depiction of not just the band, but life on the road as well. I’m pleased that the film got made. I know I’ll enjoy seeing it 20 years from now.
AHFoW: How different was the last tour different from previous Luna tours? Did the fact that it was the last one make it easier/harder?
Lee: I thoroughly enjoyed the final tour. It was bitter sweet at times,knowing that we, as a band would not be returning to these places. As a result, the final note of any given show would feel quite emotional.
AHFoW: Did you get used to having the camera around? How long did that take?
Lee: I didn’t mind the camera. It was hard to not be aware of it at first, but I got used to being filmed. The cameras were on us for most of the tour.
AHFoW: What are your favourite rock films and ‘rockumentaries’?
Lee: Spinal Tap, of course. I also enjoyed the Metallica film, in a Spinal Tap kind of way. I just recently saw an excellent short documentary called Lot 63, Grave C. It’s about Meredith Hunter, the stabbing victim at the Rolling Stones Altamont concert. Sadly, his mother could not even afford a headstone for his grave.
AHFoW: Who’ll play Lee in the forthcoming Hollywood blockbuster of the Luna story?
Lee: We’ve actually discussed this at length during our many long drives. Here’s the short list:
- Dean Wareham - Mikhail Baryshnikov or Jude Law
- Britta Phillips - Michelle Pfeiffer or Elisha Cuthbert
- Sean Eden - Vince Vaughn or John Goodman
- Lee Wall - Clint Eastwood or Jackie Chan
AHFoW: What next?
Lee: Currently, I live in Los Angeles. I am the composer for a television show called South of Nowhere (Ed: Lee composes all the instrumental music for the show). I also continue to create music for advertising and spend a lot of time at the beach. Drumming will continue to be a part of my life, but it’s all about collaboration. You will hear me playing drums again when the right situation comes along.
#3: Sean
A Head Full of Wishes:Do you think the film shows the band as they really are? Do we get to see the dark side of Luna? Was there a dark side of Luna?
Sean: I think there are parts of the film that do show things “as they really are”, although I think they are open to wide interpretation, even by the people in the film…! Yes, you do see some of the dark side. And there were times when the camera was not running (Matthew the director, was away for portions of the tour) that the darker side emerged, too, probably because the camera wasn’t on.
AHFoW: How different was the last tour different from previous Luna tours? Did the fact that it was the last one make it easier/harder?
Sean: For me, it was harder for a few reasons. There was more work to be done because it was the farewell tour and we were filming it. Matthew stayed on my couch in New York and also in my hotel room sometimes on the road, and I helped with the audio recording of the shows and oversaw the merchandise, so I probably took on a little more than I could easily handle. And inevitably we ended up going out quite a bit, too, especially in Spain…I experienced more than the usual amount of sleep deprivation. Also, I was sometimes dealing with the after-effects of a serious head and eye injury (I had to have surgery about 10 days before we went to Japan), and that was pretty stressful for me at times. But, the tour was certainly a lot of fun a lot of the time. I think I probably enjoyed touring in general a little more than the rest of Luna. It was indeed strange and sad at certain venues, realizing that was the last time we would play there. But we were so busy on the farewell tour that the approaching finality of it all wasn’t on my mind that much until after it was over.
AHFoW: Did you get used to having the camera around? How long did that take?
Sean: I got used to it fairly quickly, but you never completely forget it’s there.
AHFoW: What are your favourite rock films and ‘rockumentaries’?
Sean: There are so many, and a lot of them are also funny in bizarre ways. A few of my faves… Gimme Shelter, Monterey Pop, Dig, Rust Never Sleeps, Cocksucker Blues, The Decline of Western Civilization, If You Only Knew (Matthew Buzzell’s film about jazz singer Little Jimmy Scott, The Kids Are Alright, The Song Remains the Same, Don’t Look Back, Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii, and of course, Tell Me Do You Miss Me.
AHFoW: Who’ll play Sean in the forthcoming Hollywood blockbuster of the Luna story?
Sean: The band would talk/make jokes about this over the years. The most-suggested for me was probably Tim Robbins…
AHFoW: What next?
Sean: I’ve been recording some new songs out at my friend Ray’s studio (I also sometimes play with his band, Elk City), and have been rehearsing a band to play live, and I will start playing out later this spring. I will also occasionally be seen playing and recording as a guest with other bands. I produced a record for a singer-songwriter named Courtney Saunders in 2005, and also co-wrote some of the songs. That record should be available in a couple of months. I’ve also produced a couple pieces of music for commercial entities, and am hoping to do more of this work so that I can keep financing the artistic endeavours. I plan to do more record-producing, and soundtrack music and scoring, and also hopefully some more acting and voice-over work, too.
#4: Dean
A Head Full of Wishes:Do you think the film shows the band as they really are? Do we get to see the dark side of Luna? Was there a dark side of Luna?
Dean: That’s a mind-boggling question. We all have many aspects to our personalities, depending on the situation and the mood that we’re in. I might be cranky in the morning, and cheerful by the afternoon.
AHFoW: How different was the last tour different from previous Luna tours? Did the fact that it was the last one make it easier/harder?
Dean: It was nostalgic. Sometimes that was fun, sometimes it was emotionally draining. And I think we actually all got along better than ever. We were out there playing these shows for the sheer joy of it, knowing that we would not be coming back again. All of a sudden there was no point arguing or fretting about things.
AHFoW: Did you get used to having the camera around? How long did that take? Did your recent acting experience make it easier to work with a camera around?
Dean: I think you can tell in the early scenes of the film that we’re a little uncomfortable with the camera being there. It felt like we were pretending to be ourselves. But after a few days in Japan we got used to it. It’s not like acting at all. With acting, the words are already written, and all you have to do is stand in the right place. We had to make up our own words as we went along.
AHFoW: What are your favourite rock films and ‘rockumentaries’?
Dean: I thought Dig was very funny. I like Smithereens, which is perhaps not a rock film, but it stars Richard Hell, and has music by the Feelies. And I like Rude Boy, which has all that footage of the Clash. And of course A Hard Day’s Night and Help! The Metallica film was interesting too, just to see how long it takes for those guys to write a song.
AHFoW: Who’ll play Dean in the forthcoming Hollywood blockbuster of the
Luna story?
Dean: Adrien Brody. Justin will be played by Vin Diesel.
AHFoW: What next?
Dean: Finishing the next Dean & Britta album, with Tony Visconti producing. Then it will be time to start thinking about performing live again, before I forget how to do it.
#5: Matthew
A Head Full of Wishes: When and how did you get involved with Luna and who’s idea was it that the final tour would make a good documentary?
Matthew: Sean Eden is an old friend. We were in college together at The North Carolina School of the Arts. A few years later, in New York, we were roommates and briefly played in a band together. We played exactly one show while I was with the band. Lee Wall was actually at NCSA at the same time Sean and I were there but I did not know him. And neither did Sean. This was, as Lee might say, “back in the 80s.”
My first impulse to make a film about Luna was probably around 1995 when I was living in Athens, GA. This was around the dawn of the digital revolution. Non- linear editing was just out of reach. And those kind of tools were expensive dreams. I was making experimental films on Super 8 at the time and actually shot some footage of Luna performing at the 40 Watt Club one evening. It turned out too dark.
Sometime after I moved to Los Angeles for graduate studies at The American Film Institute, I really began thinking in earnest about doing something with Luna. I began pestering them. I even submitted storyboards for a music video for “Dear Diary.” That music video, of course, was never made. A few of those storyboard panels did, however, turn up on a Luna calendar around the time of release of The Days Of Our Nights.
After I graduated from AFI, I began making mini-documentary portraits of musicians for a web series that never quite took off. The second one I made was called “Psychobabble.” It featured a bit of Luna rehearsing “Pup Tent”, a slightly tipsy Dean talking about early memories, and a staged shot of a shirtless Sean passed out on the bathroom floor of one of their hotel rooms at Hollywood’s Roosevelt Hotel. It was later released on Warner’s DVD magazine Circuit. If memory serves, it was issue 9.
I again kicked around the idea of doing a Luna film - a tour film - but logistics and financing were always challenge.
When the band told me that they were going to disband, I went into overdrive and approached Rhino to help as they had released the DVD of my film Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew. As it turned out, the gentleman who could greenlight the making of a Luna documentary happened to be BIG Luna fan. He had even worked at Rough Trade during the Galaxie era. His name is Robin Hurley and I cannot thank him enough for his continued support of the project. A real gentleman.
A Head Full of Wishes: Do you think the film shows the band as they really are? Did you ever get the feeling that the band changed when the camera was around? Do we get to see the dark side of Luna? Is there a dark side of Luna?
Matthew: This is a tough question to answer. I think there are many honest moments in the film. Having said that, I do feel the band did change a bit when the camera was on. Especially early on in the process. How natural can it be when you have someone following you around all the time with a camera? Overall, I do feel that you what you see is the band as they really are. Of course, it is almost impossible to accurately capture every aspect of four individual’s personalities, showcase some terrific rock songs, and travel around the world in 103 minutes, and make it feel definitive. I think we came pretty close, though.
A dark side? Are you trying to tell me there is a light side? There are, I must add, some very brave and candid revelations in the film and I thank Luna for them. Luna’s gift of access is the film. They are terrific people.
A Head Full of Wishes: How does the documentary compare (in style) with the classic music documentary films - The Last Waltz, Woodstock or Spinal Tap? What are your favourite rock films and ‘rockumentaries’? Do you wear a baseball cap for your interviews like Scorcese in The Last Waltz and Marty DiBergi in Spinal Tap?
Matthew: I am embarrassed to admit that I have not seen The Last Waltz! I promise I will get around to it.
Before and during the shooting of Tell Me Do You Miss Me, I made a conscious decision to not watch any rock or music documentaries and to try to make my film as personal a film as I could. I did not want to be influenced by anything that had come before. Now that the film is finished, I am playing catch up. I still need to see Dig and that Wilco movie!
I do not know how Tell Me Do You Miss Me compares. I will leave that to you!
Like Britta, I really love Let’s Get Lost and Gimme Shelter.
I recently saw a documentary about The Police that was made back in the 80’s called The Police Around The World. It is kind of corny but I really loved it. This is not the new documentary by Stewart Copeland that premiered at Sundance recently but an old one. This was a straight to video release from around
- Long out of print. I had seen it before, as Lee might again say, “back in the 80s” and remember being bored by it. But I watched it again a few nights ago and it now has that special something…(AHFoW: you can see this documentary on YouTube)
And while it is not a documentary per se, I really enjoy the DVD that came out a few years ago called The Complete Jam. It features some really wonderful and raw performance footage of The Jam back in the day. I love looking at people in the audience in these older films, watching them dance, and checking out what they were wearing. And, of course…the music! I am a big fan of The Jam.
I rarely wear a baseball cap. Usually only on the golf course.
A Head Full of Wishes: Any clues as to what the bonus features on the DVD will be?
Matthew: There are quite a few bonus materials on the DVD - a number of deleted scenes, some extended performances, a commentary track, and an insert with photos and an essay. The packaging is really nice. Frank Olinksy did a lovely job!
Everyone needs to own this DVD! Rent not! This one’s a keeper!
A Head Full of Wishes: What’s next for you?
Matthew: Since Tell Me Do You Miss Me, I have completed a film about the first major recording session to take place in New Orleans post- Hurricane Katrina - a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Crescent City legend Allen Toussaint. It is called Putting The River In Reverse. Like Tell Me, it will premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. I am very proud of this little film.
I am also just now finishing a long time collaborative effort called Companeras. It is about America’s first all-female Mariachi band!
While I am sure there will be more music-related films in my future, I am hoping in the next year to move away from them. There is some talk of a rather big political/social documentary. We shall see what comes of this.
I have also been working for a few years on an ongoing documentary about the artistry, politics, and poetics to be found in the films featuring Japan’s biggest star - Godzilla.
I will also be returning to narrative filmmaking at some point. I long to again work with a script, actors, and a crew.
The gorgeous photo of the van in the snow was taken in NYC in the early hours of the morning after Luna’s final show at The Bowery Ballroom by a good friend of AHFoW Lenore and had been shared to the mailing list back then.
Of course, ten years later and the band were no longer an ex-band and continue to make occasional live performances. They have a few coming up:
| 2nd April 2026 | The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, USA Luna |
|---|---|
| 3rd April 2026 | The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, USA Luna |
| 4th April 2026 | The Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY, USA Luna |
| 5th April 2026 | Assembly, Kingston, NY, USA Luna |
| 7th April 2026 | Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA, USA Luna |
| 8th April 2026 | The Birchmere Music Hall, Alexandria, VA, USA Luna |
The whole of Tell Me Do You Miss Me can be seen on YouTube.