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Laurie Anderson’s Heart of a Dog film

— by Alyson Walsh

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Photo: Craig McDean

‘Do you want to see a film about Laurie Anderson’s dog?’ One of my friends asked me towards the end of last year. This could go one of two ways I thought with trepidation (dog’s breakfast or dog’s bollocks). Although it wasn’t exactly top of my to-do list; I like Laurie Anderson, I like dogs, and I never ever get round to booking tickets for the London Film Festival. So I tentatively said yes. And the film, Heart of a Dog, was absolutely lovely. Much warmer and funnier than I’d imagined. I liked it a lot. Heart of a Dog is a kind of stream of consciousness, home movie with animation and some extra footage. Neatly held together by the 68-year-old artist’s voice-over; it’s a film about life, love and the death of her mother, husband Lou Reed (‘for 21 years we tangled our hearts and minds together’ she said in a 2013 Rolling Stone exclusive) and terrier Lolabelle. It was brilliant to hear Anderson in conversation afterwards; so eloquent and calm.

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Photo: Washington Post

As well as the film, my friend Annie also told me that Anderson has played a couple of canine concerts, in Sydney and New York (there’s an interview and short performance for six dogs on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert HERE).

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This year, Laurie Anderson is guest director of the 50th Brighton Festival, from 7-29 May, where there’ll be another pets performance. But as much as I liked the film, a ‘Music For Dogs’ gig, is, er, something you can’t lead me to.

Heart of a Dog is out on 20 May 2016. There’s a full review HERE.

 

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‘Do you want to see a film about Laurie Anderson’s dog?’ One of my friends asked me towards the end of last year.