Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields

 In celebration of the 25th anniversary of ‘69 LOVE SONGS!

Magnetic Fields frontman Stephin Merritt, co-director Gail O’Hara & novelist/TMF accordionist Daniel Handler (Lemony Snicket) IN PERSON & in conversation after the film!

Ten years in the making, STRANGE POWERS is an intimate documentary portrait of songwriter Stephin Merritt and his band the Magnetic Fields. With his distinct gift for memorable melodies, clever lyrics and wry musical stylings that blend classic Tin Pan Alley with modern sounds, Merritt has distinguished himself as one of contemporary pop’s most beloved and influential artists.

Both a prolific recording artist and composer of theater and film scores (Coraline, Pieces of April, Adventures of Pete and Pete), he performs most famously as the Magnetic Fields, whose 1999 three-disc opus 69 Love Songs is considered a masterpiece of traditional songcraft (Washington Post critic Tim Page called it “an encyclopedic, flabbergastingly ambitious, opera-length set of three compact discs … songs exultant and despairing, hilarious and bleak, coolly dismissive and achingly confessional, icily sophisticated and on-the-knees pleading”).

STRANGE POWERS explores Merritt’s songwriting and recording process and focuses on his relationships with his bandmates and his longtime collaborator, Claudia Gonson, revealing an artist who has produced some of the most engaging and confounding bodies of work in the contemporary American songbook. The film follows Merritt around Manhattan, goes on tour, and includes interviews with musicians such as John Woo and Sam Davol, along with cultural icons such as Peter Gabriel, Sarah Silverman, Neil Gaiman, and Carrie Brownstein, among others.

This event is to celebrate the 25th anniversary of 69 Love Songs. After the screening, composer Stephin Merritt will appear in conversation with novelist Daniel Handler, creator of the Lemony Snicket series and other best-selling books. A longtime friend of Merritt’s, Handler played accordion on the 69 Love Songs album, and participated in the creation of the album’s 100-page interview book. Also appearing will be co-director Gail O’Hara.

Directed by Kerthy Fix and Gail O’Hara. Featuring Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields.