++FILM++ review by Dave Depares
Dave D takes a look into the 30th Century...
Whoa! Fucking creepy. This documentary charts the rise and fall and ‘return’ of Scott Walker, hailed by many as one of the most influential, genius songwriters of the 60s. And it has successfully haunted the living shit out of me. Not sure whether that was the intention though.
"This is largely to do with the fact that Scott is, for want of a better word, a bit of a nut job."
So who is Scott Walker? For those of you already familiar with the man and the myth, you’ll know he started off as childhood star Scott Engell, later joining the hugely popular, ‘bigger fanbase than The Beatles’ Walker Brothers, then going solo and turning into a complete recluse. Until now, for the first time ever allowing cameras into the recording studio, we see him creating Drift, his first album in 10 years.
This is fascinating stuff. Executive produced by Mr David Bowie, 30th Century Man includes interviews with Jarvis Cocker, Johnny Marr, Damon Albarn, Radiohead and Brian Eno. None of them really know who Scott Walker is. Ok, they’re familiar with his work, but nobody knows that much about him personally. This is largely to do with the fact that Scott is, for want of a better word, a bit of a nut job. Concealed by a baseball cap, he has hidden in the shadows, avoiding human contact for what seems like an eternity. When he talks, it’s as though the entire weight of Beth Ditto is on his shoulders.
Ooh he takes himself rather seriously does Scott. The shame of it all is that the guy who used to write great songs and was a fairly cool dude, has now descended into sulky, self-indulgent, pretentious noisescapes. Spending hours trying to get the right percussive sound of a fist punching a pig’s carcass, or obsessing over the echo from a brick hitting a large, custom-made wooden box, his current recording ethos is frankly rather dull. Yet, I repeat, this is still fascinating stuff. Witnessing the development of a pop teen idol from lothario tunesmith to an enigma so detached from reality that he can no longer perform or be SEEN in public is both depressing and enlightening.
The documentary is beautifully put together, with great archive footage, a good stills collection and a barrage of varied, wonderful music. This spans the early Scott Engell through to the Walker Brothers, then solo material on Scott 4 up to the present day. Best of all on this DVD are the unhurried shots of interviewees simply sitting listening to Scott’s music before commenting on what they think about individual aspects of the song. The interviews with Scott himself are bizarre and brilliant, painting a portrait of a clearly very nice, insecure man with a troubled, troubled mind. It seems the nightmares he has in his head are simply transcribed onto musical scores nowadays.
I always find that the success of a good music documentary lies in whether I care enough to research the subject matter further afterwards, or if I want to invest in their back catalogue. In this case, it ticks all those boxes. Essential viewing for fans and newcomers.
++ Dave Depares ++
Artrocker rating: 4
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