Special Report: The Long Way Home (1989)
Shownotes
In 1988, a Soviet underground rock hero flew west to record an album for CBS, and Michael Apted's cameras went with him. The Long Way Home (1989) follows Boris Grebenshchikov and his band Aquarium from studio sessions in New York and Montreal back to a Leningrad where glasnost was still a hope, with Dave Stewart, Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, and Crosby, Stills and Nash along for the ride. Now it's back: a 4K remaster built from the only surviving 16mm print premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in January 2026, with a new epilogue on Grebenshchikov's exile.
Mike talks with producer Steven Lawrence about bringing the film back to the screen. Lawrence got his start in New York public-access television, filmed CBGB bands in the 1970s, produced long-form programming at MTV, and co-founded Link TV. He and editor Susanne Rostock supervised the remaster and co-directed the new ending.
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Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth
The Projection Booth is part of the Weirding Way Media podcast network. Explore more of our shows at http://weirdingwaymedia.com.
Mike talks with producer Steven Lawrence about bringing the film back to the screen. Lawrence got his start in New York public-access television, filmed CBGB bands in the 1970s, produced long-form programming at MTV, and co-founded Link TV. He and editor Susanne Rostock supervised the remaster and co-directed the new ending.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-projection-booth--5513239/support.
Become a supporter of The Projection Booth at http://www.patreon.com/projectionbooth
The Projection Booth is part of the Weirding Way Media podcast network. Explore more of our shows at http://weirdingwaymedia.com.