If you’ve yet to see Song Sung Blue, starring Kate Hudson and Hugh Jackman as Milwaukee’s Claire and Mike Sardina, I recommend doing so ASAP. If ever a film were made to warm us through the Wisconsin winter, it is Song Sung Blue. You don’t like Neil Diamond? Irrelevant. As long as you have an interest in making ends meet in Milwaukee, in struggling for your family and fighting like hell to keep dreams alive, this film is worth experiencing, ideally with a loved one (or two). On Dec. 30, as part of a dream double-feature, my wife, her sister and I saw Song Sung Blue followed by a trip to see Claire “Thunder” Sardina herself performing live at Paulie’s Pub in West Allis.
After the movie, as snow and tears fell, we surprised ourselves from the third row by resoundingly agreeing: Kate Hudson nailed it. As Claire Sardina, Hudson overwhelmed us with sparkle and grit, striking a match with Lightning as Thunder, overflowing with soul, pouring Milwaukee for all the world to see and hear. Next, it was time to see and hear the real Thunder.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
Thunder at Paulie’s Pub
Enduring financial hardship and unfathomable tragedy, Mike and Claire’s power was always strongest when they sang together…so how do things work as Claire Sardina rolls on as Thunder, two decades after losing her Lightning?
After the tight-shot nostalgia of ’90s West Allis via movie magic, Paulie’s Pub was a desirable dose of pure panoramic beer-and-burger paradise. The gently blowing snow visible from the heated porch and the shimmering holiday lights kept the Song Sung Blue magic alive as we stood among Milwaukeeans packing Paulie’s for a chance to hear live Thunder. Friendly folks littered the staggeringly long line for a table, ignoring calls for the Jeff Dunham shuttle, all clearly there for Claire Sardina.
Full disclosure: I’d never been to Paulie’s (at least that I can remember), so we were unprepared for the microphone banter between the hostess and owner Paul Budiac, telling each other about open tables and which party they were ready to seat and where. “I got a table on the northeast side of the patio.” “Shelly, party of three? Raise your hand if you’re Shelly!”
It was a contagious kind of chaos, a pure cacophony of Stallis, platters of double-patty burgers steaming past, every barstool filled, and around the corner, on stage stood Claire Sardina, mid-interview with WISN-TV (Channel 12).
I weaved my way through the crowd to say hello to Thunder, who shook my hand graciously as we chatted briefly about my interview with her a few weeks back. An old neighbor of Sardina suddenly emerged and usurped Claire from my fleeting grasp; it was clear that this was a true homecoming for her. I thanked her again for her time and sidestepped well-wishers and autograph seekers.
In a charming table-share arrangement, we settled in with a lovely local couple and jabbered about our love for music while they generously shared their nachos … until it was suddenly showtime! Claire is currently performing as part of a duo under the name Thunder After Lightning with Toney Luciano, and as we mingled among the many bellied-up to the bar, each Paulie’s patron expressed delight at seeing the real Thunder. Others recalled catching Claire and Mike’s Lightning & Thunder act in the West Allis neighborhood or at State Fair. Most were there to see Thunder in person for the first time, all gushing with Milwaukee pride over the worldwide release of her story.
Surrounded by an adoring crowd calling out for more, Sardina sang Joan Jett, Jefferson Airplane and, what everyone came to hear, Neil Diamond. Singing alongside Luciano, Sardina carried tunes with style and substance, soaring particularly well with her Patsy Cline tribute, for which she was renowned in her pre-Lightning days. As the snow continued to blow ever northward outside our patio seats, Sardina thundered above Paulie’s staff with Diamond’s “America,” creating an amusing montage of patriotism: “Today! We’re coming to America” dotted by “Terry, table of two!” Lit lovely in blue light with red accents, Thunder punctuated songs with “I love you Milwaukee, Wisconsin!” and shouted out Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson for their committed performances. Sardina was eventually joined on stage by Eric Diamond, a dynamite Neil Diamond tribute artist, for a rousing rendition of “Cherry Cherry” before taking a break for dinner.
I spoke with Michael James Grassman, owner of Sound Check Entertainment and Entertainment Coordinator for Paulie’s Pub (among other local venues), who was ecstatic for Claire’s next act in life. “I’ve known Claire for over a decade, and I’ve been watching a friend have a life-changing thing happen,” he said. “So much joy and happiness going around this music community for her. And to see the original documentary that Greg Kohs did, all the real stuff and to see it, as a friend, I kind of worried: A Hollywood movie, what’s that gonna look like? But it was very kind, loving and beautiful. I don’t think there could have been a better gift to Claire than Hudson’s portrayal.”
In the spirit of her performances everywhere from Milwaukee karaoke bars to New York premieres with Hugh Jackman, Sardina radiated with relentless joy and an inviting spirit, continually cajoling the crowd to sing along: “And before you know it, get to feelin’ good/you simply got no choice.” As Claire Sardina can attest after her gauntlet of interviews in the wake of Song Sung Blue’s worldwide release, finding a “dream that don’t ask no questions” (as Diamond suggests in “Cracklin’ Rosie”) is near impossible; but so too is the story of Lightning and Thunder. If you’ve seen the film, you know the added significance of the old adage about lightning striking twice in the same place. Lightning – Mike Sardina – strikes forever in the heart of Thunder.
