Background to the Hugh Jackman/Kate Hudson movie
Real-life Milwaukee musicians, Mike and Claire Sardina met in 1987 and officially formed the Neil Diamond tribute act (Thunder and Lightning) in 1989. On July 8, 1995, Pearl Jam was performing an encore at Milwaukee's Summerfest. Eddie had noticed the duo performing on the Piggly Wiggly stage during the annual music festival and invited them to perform a song with him during Pearl Jam's Summerfest show. Together, they performed a raucous cover of Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans". Claire's tragic car accident, which resulted in the partial amputation of her left leg, happened in May 1999. Subsequently, Mike suffered a fall at home and hit his head in July 2006. He did not immediately seek medical attention and continued to perform with his wife, Claire. He later fell seriously ill after a performance, and doctors discovered he was suffering from a dangerous intracranial hemorrhage (bleeding on the brain), which ultimately led to his death (July 27th) at age 55. Greg Kohs had been working on a documentary film of them from 1998. Extract from his article: When I walked into Lightning's ICU room, the sounds in the room were eerie: the ventilator hissing in and out like a raspy mechanical dragon and the ominous sound of Lightning's heart monitor beeping as if counting down to zero. I pulled my camera out of my backpack, turned up the gain on the microphone, and filmed a variety of compositions that I would likely never use in the film but knew the sounds I would. There was one poignant image that captured Lightning & Thunder’s love story. I zoomed in on a close-up of Lightning's wrist, with his purple wristband visible as Thunder stroked his hand and said her goodbye. When the chaplain stepped into Lightning's room, I put away my camera, and together with Thunder, Rachel, and Dana, I allowed myself to feel—to cry, pray, and embrace the raw emotions of the moment. The documentary "Song Sung Blue" was due to have its premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles on Sunday Jan 20 2008. On Friday the music supervisor from NYC, sounding distressed, rang. She had just received a cease and desist letter for Song Sung Blue from the music publisher. With the world premiere only two nights away, that Friday night in Park City, I scrolled through my contacts until I reached "EV." I figured this was my only chance to reach Neil. A rock & roll Hail Mary. I called the number and got an automated message telling me to leave a voicemail. It was at that moment I lost it emotionally. I explained who I was and why I was calling. I requested help getting my film in front of Neil Diamond so I could share Lightning & Thunder's love story with the world. Not knowing for sure who I had just called, I hung up and went to bed. Then, my phone rang. It was 1 a.m. when I picked up. It was Eddie Vedder. He apologized for calling so late but said he had spoken to his manager, and they would do what they could to get to Neil Diamond and have him watch the film. He mentioned how important it was for artists to get out in front of the industry machine, and that there was no guarantee they could reach Neil. Still, they would try. The Premiere was rescheduled for Wednesday. The night arrived, and I had two digital masters of the film ready to go—the original version and the new version without Neil's music. Family, friends, and crew gathered at a ski bum bar across the street from Slamdance's screening rooms for a pre-screening celebration. The gathering had a bittersweet vibe as Thunder sang Song Sung Blue with Tony Dekker from the Great Lake Swimmers, who wrote the film's score. The bartender tapped me on the shoulder and said I had a call on line two behind the bar. I picked up the phone, and a smooth, silky baritone voice said, "Greg Kohs? This is Neil Diamond. I'm currently in the studio recording my new album, and I wanted to let you know how much I loved—loved—loved your movie and am honored to have my music included in it." I was a mess—goosebumps and tears all at once. He asked to speak to Thunder, and I told him she was on stage singing and would call him when she was done. So, when Thunder came off stage, we ducked into a quiet storage room behind the bar and called him back. Neil thanked Thunder and Lightning for paying tribute to his music and wanted to meet her on his next visit to Milwaukee. Thus the documentary "Song Sung Blue" had its premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival on Wednesday January 23, 2008 where it received the Jury and Audience Awards for Best Documentary. Neil Diamond later performed a concert in Milwaukee in November 2008, and personally requested to see Claire and her family backstage before the show.
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