A Tribute to Hal Willner
This Video Viewing Room acts as a tribute to a longtime member of The Kitchen’s community, Hal Willner. This page features a statement from Tim Griffin, reflections from artists who collaborated with Willner, and excerpts from the television show Night Music, for which Willner was music producer from 1988–1990.
Last year around this time, The Kitchen hosted an evening performance within an installation by ANOHNI, featuring the artist singing with friends Laurie Anderson, Bill Frisell, and Shahzad Ismaily. Such a wonderful ensemble taking the stage at once by itself could be called a rarity. But perhaps even more improbable that night was a puppet show presented by another friend of the group who was responsible for bringing them all together—Hal Willner.
On first blush, the idea of placing such towering figures of downtown music alongside one’s own Punch and Judy show does not come intuitively. Yet that night Willner, as was his reputation, underlined with disarming simplicity just how and why this combination was effective—conjuring through his puppetry the vaudeville, TV, and road shows of decades past, making clear how that evening’s scenes had rich and continuous roots in another era’s common gatherings. Such folksy power to tap into the deepest reservoirs of culture is what made Willner himself—who passed away last month after battling with COVID-19—the stuff of folklore.
For The Kitchen, where Willner had previously performed and was a board member during the late 1980s and ’90s, his signature approach of bringing together musicians seemingly from the farthest reaches of the artistic landscape had a lasting impact. As much as he informed aesthetic perspectives here—and helped shape The Kitchen’s community and scene—that role was also one he played for the entirety of New York City. Such influence within a broader landscape was perhaps most readily evident in his work for the television program Night Music, where he was music producer roughly around the time he was first involved with The Kitchen.
To celebrate and salute Hal, both friend and figure, we asked a number of artists from The Kitchen’s community who appeared on that show to recall their experiences. May we all carry on in your spirit.
— Tim Griffin, Executive Director and Chief Curator, The Kitchen, May 2020
Tributes from Artists
Selections from Night Music
Images: 1) ANOHNI and Hal Willner at The Kitchen, 2019. Photo by Tim Griffin. Courtesy of ANOHNI. 2) Program for Hal Willner and Vernon Reid/Living Colour at The Kitchen, February 19, 1987, detail. To view the full program, click here.