Twenty-nine years ago today, John Lennon died. I was 7 years old. A first grader. I didn't learn of his death until the following evening while my parents were watching "ABC World News Tonight." Too young to be a real fan of rock music (my favorite band at that time was KISS, because they scared the crap out of me), the event was a small blip on my radar.

As the film's end credits rolled, drummer Hal Blaine appeared on screen playing an impressive drum solo as part of a 1970 performance with Nancy Sinatra in Las Vegas. As the clip ended, a voice shouted from the audience, "What an incredible drummer!"

The voice was Hal Blaine's.

A little over a week ago I posted a list of my 10 favorite horror films, and following a request on Twitter from a colleague, I decided to post another list. But rather than simply pick a different genre and churn out 10 great movies, I've decided to jump to a different medium altogether: music video.

I've been a pretty faithful fan of Counting Crows since they released their first CD 15 years ago, and I've always noticed a lot of recurring people, places and cultural references in the lyrics of their songs.

Last night I finally started reading Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, by Peter Ames Carlin. After reading a section about Brian's adoration of Phil Spector in the early 1960s, I started thinking about the group of session musicians Spector used on many of his recordings. Known collectively as "The Wrecking Crew," these professional players turned up on many of the biggest hits of the sixties for a wide array of artists, including The Beach Boys. (In fact, they were the studio musician's for the 1966 BB masterpiece Pet Sounds.)

With my curiosity piqued, I began to wonder whether there were any books or movies out there that would tell the Wrecking Crew's story, even telling M. that I wished there was a documentary about the group, something like Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the 2002 film about the Funk Brothers, a group of Detroit musicians who played on numerous Motown hits.

I kept reading the Brian Wilson book, all the while thinking about the need for a Wrecking Crew documentary, even being so bold as to think that if there was nothing suitable out there, perhaps I should look into making the documentary myself (because, you know, I have SO MUCH filmmaking experience!).

After I put my book down and started getting ready for bed, I did a quick Google search to see if such a documentary already exists.

It does.

Not only does the film exist, but it starts THIS FRIDAY at the IFC Center in Manhattan. This freakin' Friday. Two days from now. What are the odds?

The movie is titled, fittingly, The Wrecking Crew and was directed by Denny Tedesco, son of Wrecking Crew guitarist Tommy Tedesco.

Anyway, looks I'll be in NYC this weekend if anyone wants to join me.