What I believe to be my best record ever was entirely silenced by them. When major record labels refused to play his 1992 album Burning Questions, famed English singer-songwriter Graham Parker had this to say about it. MTV, which at the time was a major player in music, declined to play any of his tracks on their network.
He asked his wife, photographer Jolie Parker, for assistance after realizing that his album’s chances of commercial success had been put on hold. He essentially asked her to act as his impromptu videographer, and she might have saved his career—or at the very least, that album.
His wife shot his music video
The year is around 1991. Parker requested MTV to air his newly completed 12th studio album, Burning Questions, through his record company, Capitol Records. Their strategy was to produce a video on their own, and MTV would just air it.
MTV, however, declined. Their reasoning was that their audience, which consisted of 63 million homes, would not want to hear Parker’s tunes, as LA Times stated in an article from September 1992.
In response to the situation, he said, “I felt quite upset at the whole thought that now a record company needs to take the music to the video outlet—not the video.” The intention of the record companies was to take the audio and ask the artist if they could turn it into a video.
He desired creative control over the production of the music videos he created. He said, “I was really offended. He said in a subsequent interview with Furious in July 2005 that it seemed like someone had instructed him not to be innovative. He contacted a few filmmakers out of desperation, but he only received identical responses.
So, in the midst of his wrath, he had an idea. He intended to get his wife to record videos for him. I was so enraged that I spent $1,400 on a camera and forced my wife to work as the cameraperson, Parker remembered. He instructed her, “Learn how to utilize this.”
But Jolie didn’t find it to be that difficult. Since the 1980s, she had been her husband’s go-to photographer for his album covers, mostly because he detested going to professional photo shoots.
When Graham Parker was in difficulties, he sought the assistance of his wife, Jolie Parker.
So they decided to film the music video for the album’s lead track, “Release Me,” in the backyard of their New York house. The cost of finishing the video, including editing, was between $4,000 and $5,000.
Parker remembered, “It was a lot of fun. He gave Capitol the video once more.
The handover resulted in nothing, yet he still made a statement. For having the bravery to try and pull something like that off, he also rose to fame among many in the music industry and outside of it.
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The Family Life of Graham Parker with Wife and Kids
Before she had to act as his impromptu videographer for him in 1991, Parker and his wife had been together for a very long time. They began dating before to 1980, and on his 1980 album The Up Escalator, he even sang a song called “Jolie Jolie” in her honor.
Due to Steady Nerves’ underwhelming sales following its 1985 publication, Parker found himself deeply in debt. He therefore took a break and concentrated on his private life.
In 1984, he wed Jolie, and the following year, Natalie, their daughter, was born. A while later, they welcomed another child. The English singer raised his family in Woodstock, New York, and he and his wife continue to reside there.
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