I know how it is, I have over 100 hours of video tape from the moments in my life that I have stashed away in a pile somewhere. I keep telling myself that I’ll comb through it and recapture those old memories one of these days. Well, for those of us associated with the St Peter’s Fiesta, and especially the GREASY POLE, that time is now. You may have the most perfect, wonderful, pivotal video sitting in your basement or garage and not even know it. Please let your GREASY POLE video see the light. Yes, it would be great for us, the filmmakers. But more importantly, your help will be for the community in Gloucester, by contributing to the social history of one incredible event. Ask your friends and neighbors to start digging. I will personally reimburse people for postage if they send a video by mail to my address: Emile Doucette – 29 Linden St Apt 1, Salem, MA 01970. Thanks.

I hope everyone enjoyed these videos from this year’s Greasy Pole… I think we need a break after all that work. Let me put it this way: the original documentary was only 7 minutes. Eight Days of Greasy Pole clocked in at around 30 minutes… way more work than we anticipated, but it was a hell of a lot of fun.

One of the best parts of these videos was the music. Good music elevates a piece of video to a whole new level, so I’d like to take a moment to thank the excellent musicians that created original music for Eight Days of Greasy Pole:

Brian Wright - My good friend and composer. The man with the accordian. He composed music for videos 4 & 6, and wrote 3 of the musical themes in the original documentary.

Marlon Doucette – A songwriting and guitar virtuoso, my brother composed music for videos 1 & 3. He also accompanied my mother’s violin on video 8.

Patricia Doucette - My mom plays the violin beautifully and her carefree style embodies the Fiesta spirit. She can be heard on video 8, and plays 2 themes in the original documentary. Her infectious laugh can also be heard just before the start of the ending credits of the original documentary.

Leon Doucette - My brother is a talented visual artist and musician. He plays accompanying guitar on the theme song of the original documentary, and he has designed several graphics for us (including a sketch of the greasy pole that will be put on t-shirts in the near future).

Willie Alexander – A living legend, it seemed more than appropriate to use his song, “High Tide Heroes” (written by Willie & Billy Loosigian), on video 7. Thanks, Willie.

The last day of eight days of greasy pole has us following Stew McGillivray’s great walk on Sunday

8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #8: Stew McGillivray Sunday 2009

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It hurts when you hit the pole…
8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #7: Hard Hits

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Today’s video shows us a glimpse of what went into the making of the original seven minute documentary that we made back in March
-Mike
8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #6: Behind the Scenes

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8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #5: Beach Court

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8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #4: Saturday 2009

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The third installment of eight days of greasy pole has us delving into how the pole is greased.

8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #3: The Grease

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The second installment of Eight Days of Greasy Pole has us interviewing Steve Russo about his great walk on Friday this year.

8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #2: Russo’s Walk

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We shot a ton of footage during this year’s Greasy Pole competitions, and before we shelve it for the long-term documentary we’re working on over the next year, we couldn’t resist sharing some highlights. So, in an effort to create some buzz for our website, and increase the support for our film (I’m sure a “make a donation” box will be up soon *cough*), we proudly present 8 DAYS OF GREASY POLE. Every day, for the next 8 days, we’ll release a short clip of greasy pole footage here on our site and on goodmorninggloucester.com, our favorite Gloucester blog. The final clip will premiere at the Downtown Gloucester Block Party on Main St, Saturday July 18th, along with all the other clips (projected in full HD glory). So enjoy this year’s footage, come to the block party, and make sure to bookmark greasypoledoc.com for regular updates.
- Emile

8 Days of Greasy Pole: VIDEO #1: Friday 2009

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