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Mark has for years been fascinated by the 1975 movie "Nashville," director Robert Altman's poison-pen letter to Music City and America, circa the bicentennial (and Watergate).
Speaking via telephone from her home, Mark admits that, despite the fact that it was nominated for a brace of Oscars upon its release (and won the best song prize for Keith Carradine's "I'm Easy), "Nashville" remains both relatively obscure and an acquired taste.
But the movie's marginal place in pop-culture history hasn't prevented Mark from pulling together a group of friends to remake the movie's soundtrack.
"Yeah, you didn't see the movie, now don't buy the CD," Mark cackles, speculating on the commercial prospects of "A Tribute To Nashville," out Feb. 5 via Mint Records.
"It is kind of a sick fetish almost. You can use it like a parable," she says of her interest in the film.
"There are situations in that movie that pop up all the time, the kinds of characters. There is not one likable character in the movie. Some people don't get off on that kind of humour, but I do. I can appreciate that kind of acting."
For latecomers to the cult of "Nashville," here's a primer: While still riding high on the acclaim of his 1970 hit "M*A*S*H*," Altman (whose latest release, "Gosford Park", is now in theatres) commissioned screenwriter Joan Tewkesbury to visit Music City, meet all the big names in the country music biz, and see if she could fashion a script out of her experiences.
What they produced was a multi-layered story that perfectly captured the uneasy malaise of the time. Essentially, it's about a Loretta Lynn-like country singer (Ronee Blakely) attempting a comeback after a nervous breakdown, while fending off both her rapacious husband (Allen Garfield) and musical rival (Karen Black).
At the same time, a country-rock trio (Keith Carradine, Allan Nicholls, Cristina Raines) tries to record a new album; a gospel singer (Lily Tomlin) is lured into an affair; the music scene's elder statesman (Henry Gibson) is lured into a political career by an operative (Michael Murphy) representing an unseen Ross Perot-like fringe candidate; and a talentless wanna-be singer (Gwen Welles) is lured into working as a stag-party entertainer.
Circling around the perimeter are a troubled loner (David Hayward), a groupie (Shelley Duvall), a BBC correspondent (Geraldine Chaplin), a Vietnam vet (Scott Glenn), and a wayward wife desperate to make it as a country star (Barbara Harris).
Their lives all intersect at a country concert/political rally at Nashville's Parthenon, which becomes an assassination. The movie attracted critical raves upon its release but was hammered by the country establishment, which resented both the film's bleak view and the songs, which expertly lampoon commercial country conventions.
Mark was introduced to "Nashville" on video via her friend Dave Lang. That led to the notion of staging a version of the movie onstage at a Victoria bar, with Mark and her friends acting out elements of the film and performing the songs.
"We did it only one night, but it was awesome," Mark recalls.
"We had this huge set and about 350 red, white and blue helium balloons."
The live show led to the album, "A Tribute To Nashville." Mark recruited her pal Neko Case to sing "Rolling Stone" and joined Mark (under their duo alias The Corn Sisters) for "Oh These Troubled Times." The Sadies' Dallas Good contributes "Bluebird", and New Pornographer Carl Newman sings "Memphis."
Chicago-based singer Kelly Hogan provides the standout "Dues"; other contributions come from Tennessee Twin's Cindy Wolfe, Daisy Duke's Robyn Carrigan, Tolan McNeil (of Mark's band The Roommates) and Heartbreak Hill's Dottie Cormier.
In at least one regard, "A Tribute To Nashville" represents an improvement over the original "Nashville" soundtrack. Mark has taken care to add "Oh These Troubled Times" and "Since You're Gone", two tracks that somehow failed to make it onto the original soundtrack.
The tribute also includes trainspotter-details lifted from the film's minutiae: Between some songs, you can hear the political announcements heard throughout the film, Case's and Lang's stage patter is lifted almost directly from Karen Black's and Henry Gibson's dialogue, and it sounds like Sylvia Kenny clears her throat during "Since You're Gone" -- just like Cristina Raines in the original film.
Although "Nashville" took its knocks from the country music establishment, Mark says the soundtrack does yield some fine songs.
"I think 'Dues' is a pretty good song. I have always liked that song ... 'Memphis' is kinda good at certain parts. 'Rolling Stone' is kinda good. Some of them are terrible -- 'Keep A-Goin',' '200 Years'."
There are plans being formulated to take Mark and company's obsession on the road, with the cast touring in March.
"We're just in the planning stages. I think we could do it with five men and three women, if everyone played instruments. I just have to find another girl who can sing and is crazy. It's really hard," Mark said, adding she hopes they'll be invited to the South By Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas.
"We have the fantasy of remaining in character the whole weekend, depending on how many margaritas we have," she says.
"We are going to send one to Robert Altman. How would you feel if you made a movie in 1975 and all these years later, some people in Canada made a tribute, with drag-queen like attention to detail? It would freak you out."
What might be even freakier is the fact that Mark is evidently not alone in her obsession.
"The night we did it as a show, there was this older couple that knew all the words and were nudging each other," Mark recalls.
"I said I had the videotape and some lobby cards. And they said, 'We have the script'. What? Oh my God!
"I like that feeling. That was worth it. They even had the script!"