Renowned music photographer Danny Clinch embarked on an 18-month journey with roots rock icon Ben Harper, and the beautiful, personal documentary Pleasure & Pain was born.  Co-Directed by Clinch and Sam Lee, the film was recently picked up by Hollywood-based theatrical distributors 7^th Art Releasing.  The premiere theatrical screening is set for Thursday, November 14, 2002 at 9:30pm at the Laemmle’s Sunset 5 (8000 Sunset Blvd. at Crescent Heights in West Hollywood; 323-848-3500; http://www.laemmle.com/theatres/sunset.html).  Weekend midnight shows will immediately follow beginning Friday, November 15^th.

Pleasure & Pain is an intriguing and intimate 89-minute portrait of the charismatic musician Ben Harper and his band The Innocent Criminals.  It’s an in-depth look at the life and work of this contemporary artist. Visually, the film is as eclectic and layered as Harper himself, whose music is a vibrant fusion of rock, folk, reggae, funk, blues and jazz.  Offering a rare glimpse into Harper’s travels, performances, songwriting, religion and family life, the film gives us a rare behind-the-scenes perspective of the lives that these enigmatic musicians live.  The film incorporates concert footage, backstage clips and what goes into producing Ben Harper's performances, giving us a unique perspective on the rock icon.

Some of the most moving moments show Harper with his family; his grandparents at the Folk Music Center where he first picked up a guitar to a poignant moment singing a Bob Dylan duet with this mother.  Powerful scenes also include run-ins with journalists and his personal views on religion, race and aging.

Ben Harper and The Innocent Criminals’ live concerts have been called “religious experiences” by some, “revelations” by others.  They have built an enormous following, not from videos or radio play, but through word of mouth generated from their powerful shows.  Harper on stage is an artist at the pinnacle of his craft.  From Australia to France, Canada to Japan, Harper and the Criminals have toured their way to international recognition.  Their fan-base has grown through word of mouth generated from these moving live performances.  Starting out at coffee houses in the early ‘90’s in his hometown of Claremont, California, Harper now packs theaters and arenas thanks largely to the rampant word of mouth spread by his global fans.  One of the final concert scenes of the film finds them in front of 20,000 adoring fans in Paris, France.

Pleasure & Pain director, producer and director of photography, Danny Clinch is a man who follows his muse where it leads.  His passion for photography and love of music has made him one of the most visible photographers of the past 15 years.  The New York-based photographer’s work has appeared on album covers and in countless glossy magazines for artists as diverse as Johnny Cash, Tupac Shakur, Bruce Springsteen, Beastie Boys, Moby, Metallica, Foo Fighters, Afghan Whigs, Bjork, Tony Bennett, David Byrne, LL. Cool J, Blind

Melon, Phish, Stevie Wonder and so many others.  Search for his name on Barnes & Noble (music section) and you will find 194 different albums that his artistry as a photographer has touched.

Clinch has released two books of his work, Discovery Inn in 1998 and When The Iron Bird Flies, a collection of images from the Tibetan Freedom Concerts, published in 2000.  Recently, Clinch enjoyed the first gallery exhibition of his work at the Govinda Gallery in Washington DC.

Sam Lee has been involved in filmmaking in New York City for the past eight years.  After moving to the U.S. from England, she spent four years teaching third grade at a private tuition free school in Harlem.  Lee trained as a film editor in the advertising world before moving on to produce, write and edit a variety of documentary films.  She is currently working on a documentary about the kids she taught ten years ago.

7^th Art Releasing, the theatrical distributor for Pleasure & Pain is well known in the world of music documentaries having successfully released Radiohead’s Meeting People Is Easy, rave doc Better Living Through Circuitry, the 1999 Academy Award Nominated “Best Documentary” Speaking in Strings, and many others.

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The film is just beginning its theatrical run throughout the United States.

For more information about the theatrical release of Pleasure & Pain or to interview directors Danny Clinch or Sam Lee please contact Lynn Hasty at Green Galactic, 323-466-5141 or lynn@greengalactic.com. To arrange interviews with Ben Harper please contact Shelby Meade at Fresh and Clean on 310-396-6772 or Shelbyfreshclean@aol.com.