Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Thursday, 26 Apr 2007 22:06
Scott Walker has become increasingly guarded with his privacy
Directed by Stephen Kijak, out from April 27th, in selected cinemas, starring Scott Walker, David Bowie, Jarvis Cocker, Damon Albarn, Alison Goldfrapp, running time 95 minutes .
In a nutshell…
Revealing. Pensive. Nostalgic. Charming. Yarn.
What's it all about?
It's unlikely the name Scott Walker will strike any chords with the iTuning yoof of today, but should the aforementioned need a brief biography they can run his name by the parents. I did and - judging by the gushing response from one side and gruff retort from the other - quickly identified his former heartthrob status. The film tracks his rise from a jobbing bassist on Sunset Strip in LA to his heyday on the British pop scene in 1965 as part of The Walker Brothers with hit tracks such as The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore.
Since then, Walker has developed into a highly respected if slow-burning composer (an album every ten to 15 years) but has also become increasingly guarded with his privacy. This documentary is rare footage of a man, who - despite the loss in hair - still has the voice and impact that shot him to fame half a century ago.
Who's in it?
The documentary has a decent line-up of talking heads and covers a good cross-section from the British pop scene. Executive producer David Bowie appears alongside (among others); Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Brian Eno, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), Marc Almond, Alison Goldfrapp, Sting, Lulu, Peter Olliff, Angela Morley, Ute Lemper and Ed Bicknell. All have some good stories to tell and when cut with original footage and stills, the piece rattles along nicely.
As an example…
"Scott Walker is such a big influence that we used to call all our untitled songs 'Scott Walker' songs as we were writing them." - Johnny Greenwood from Radiohead.
There's also a great anecdote from one of his album collaborators about swiftly demolishing two bottles of chilled Chablis but you can discover this one for yourself.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
With various film festival runs under its belt including screenings at the 50th London Film Festival, the 57th Berlin International Film Festival and the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival, this work will undoubtedly garner critical acclaim. It's certainly not mainstream, but is actually far more accessible than one might have first thought. The film is never going to pack popcorn-riddled multiplexes nationwide but could gain quite a cult following.
What the others say
"A definitive portrait of rock's most fascinating and elusive outsider…incredible insight into the secret man of pop." - Time Out
"With surprising access to Mr Walker himself and a proper central role for the music, this is a captivating documentary for fans of his or fans of music, full stop." - Empire
So is it any good?
Very much so. Fame never sat that comfortably with Walker - if anything he saw it as an unavoidable distraction from his music - and for this reason, director Kijak's glance into his life and thoughts is unique viewing. The documentary approach is perfect here with a mix of shaky original film footage, photographic stills and evocative backing music. The piece is interspersed with revealing interviews with contemporaries, those he has influenced and the man himself. Jarvis Cocker unravels a telling story about his first meeting with Walker and the singer's reluctance to make eye contact until some way through the discussion.
This is mirrored in the interviews Walker gives Kijak, which develop slowly but nonetheless provide never-seen-before insight into his life and music. Viewers may find the first 40 minutes, which cover more biographical snippets and his period of stardom in the Walker Brothers, easier to digest than the latter stages of the piece. This stems from the less accessible nature of his later albums such as Tilt and Drift, while the film's footage of him in the recording studio pummelling pieces of meat to achieve the "right sound" may not help in this regard either. Having said this, it hits all the right notes otherwise and is essential viewing this summer.
8/10
Jamie Coggans
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