FilmFest#8: Scott Walker 30th century man

I'm a big fan of the music doco's, and yesterday it was a close run thing between heading to the Joe Strummer doco, or going to the Scott Walker doco. I thought the Strummer might be more likely to come back so headed to Walker. I'm glad I did. I've been aware of Walker for years, but have never really checked him out, aside from the Walker brothers tracks that pop up occasionally on the radio (Make it easy on yourself; In my room; Sun ain't gonna shine etc). Apparently none of the people in the band were actually called 'Walker'. Scott left and went solo near the end of the 60s and released four albums, titled (creatively) Scott 1,2,3 and 4. Scott 4 is the album i'd been meaning to check out for some time as it gets name checked by a lot of people I like.

So what happened then? Well Scott 4 was ignored by a record buying public and Scott kinda gave up until a brief reunion with the Walker Brothers led to another record contract. Since then he's been releasing avant-garde experimental stuff which on first hearing sounded like a mix between David Bowie (the Nathan Adler/Earthling era) and Tom Waits. So yeah, I'll be buying some. The doco was based loosely on interviews with Walker while he was recording his 2006 album, and traced his music, life and inspirations. For someone whose lyrics are so dark he came across as a pretty relaxed wee munchkin. Interviews with various people including Bowie (who was also exec producer), Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker (of course!), Lulu (who came across better than normal), Brian Eno and various others. Strong links between the French composer Jaques Brel and Scott's early solo works were drawn, which is where I'd heard of him. Was it Nick Cave who covered some Brel? Or was it a review of Waits?

His current stuff sounds fantastic - particularly if you've been primed on Waits (Black Rider, Bone Machine maybe?) - the early stuff although it's lush with strings and could easily pass as pop - is saved from saccharine David Cassidy territory by the biting lyrics and imagery. Complaints? Well I got a bit pissed off by the directors insistence in putting some kind of screensaver type graphics up whenever a song was playing - the latter ones were fine, the earlier Walker songs were boring animation.

Other than that, I'm really glad I went. It was a fascinating doco of an artist who is going to cost me money soon. Which I guess is a good sign that I liked it! On the plus side he's not prolific, since the late 70s, it's been an album every 10 years..
It's on a couple more times, and I reckon any of you who like music (yeah 'like' in the same way that I 'like' Marillion) should go.

B.
Steel mill has gone heavier in the second half: marduk and darkthrone have been the highlights.