Wednesday 3 February 2010

⁋⁋ go flick

last night, friends and I went to the cinema to watch this movie by Julien Temple:
it's a local tale of a local band called Dr Feelgood:
we grew up with that name graffiti'd on bus stops:
not usually a lover of rockumentaries, I thought I'd give this one a chance:
Temple's got provenance and he didn't disappoint:
a flow of grainy old movie clips placing the band within Canvey Islands history, 
amusing references and stop motion graphics to punctuate comments:
*would have preferred more live concert footage instead of gangster movie clips*
the story of the band told by friends, musicians and family:
*Lee Brilleauxs Ma was my favourite in her unabashed honesty*
of course it's the usual mix of music, drugs and egos clashing:
but the film is dappled with the mad monologues of Wilko Johnson,
standing on the Island, outside the Amusements guitar in hand:
on the waterfront, recollecting and singing into the night:
when he describes the clouds and flames of the Shell Haven Oil Refinery as "Miltonic"
we all laughed with him:
the bleak landscapes of Canvey ~ cinematic noir:
go see:

4 comments:

  1. mmm im not a fan but my mum was friends with them ;0

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  2. Sounds entirely my sort of thing...

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  3. she may have been in the film then K!
    it is your thing indeed Mondoman ~ defo worth the dvd

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  4. Read a lovely chapter about Dr F in Mark Radcliffes latest excellent book 'Thank you for the Days'. He was a devoted fan and posed in place of Lee Brilleaux, along with the rest of the band, for a recreation of the 'Down by the Jetty' album cover.

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