<![CDATA[Baz Luhrmann]]> http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/luhrmann_baz/artist.jhtml (c) 2007 MTV Networks. (c) and TM MTV Networks. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/mtvinfo/terms.jhtml for terms and conditions. http://www.mtv.com/sitewide/images/u/mtv-logo.gif MTV http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/luhrmann_baz/artist.jhtml 65 44 Music en-us 15 <![CDATA[Australian Director Turns Chain E-Mail Into Radio Hit]]>
"Everybody's Free"

Inspiration comes from the strangest of places, including chain letters apparently.

One of the strangest and most requested songs on radio these days is "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)," a song that previously got heavy rotation as a chain e-mail. The e-mail claimed to carry a commencement address delivered by "Slaughterhouse Five" author Kurt Vonnegut. The fact of the matter is that the life lessons offered in the e-mail (including such pithy gems as, "do one thing every day that scares you" and "get plenty of calcium") first appeared in a 1997 column by "Chicago Tribune" and "Brenda Starr" writer Mary Scmich.

The passage has now been set to a languid hip-hop soundtrack by director Baz Luhrmann, the man behind "Strictly Ballroom" and the Leonardo DiCaprio/Claire Danes remake of "Romeo And Juliet."

While Luhrmann put the track together, he is no the song's narrator; the mystery man is an Australian actor named Lee Perry.

The computer-enhanced video for "Sunscreen" is directed by pop culture artist Bill Barminski, known for his neon "Absolut Barminski" billboard on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard.

Related Artists ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1431437/19990326/luhrmann_baz.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1431437/19990326/luhrmann_baz.jhtml 26 Mar 1999 07:55:00 EST