Telstar - The Joe Meek Story

We went and saw Telstar last night, a bio pic of Joe Meek written and directed by Nick Moran, a nice young Brit, who was at the screening - he said that although the film has done well in the UK, it has yet to be distributed across the pond, and that last night was it's North American premier. However, he must have just been trying to make us feel special, because it screened at the Seattle Film Festival 6 months ago.

Here's a link to the trailer.

It's an interesting film. Great opening credit sequence, for example. There were some great performances, and of course, an amazing soundtrack. My complaint with the film, is that it shared its arc with Requiem for a Dream, starting out riding the highest of highs, and then crashing down and staying way down. I'm not saying I would have preferred a happy ending - Meek's end was tragic to the say the least - although I won't give it away. But, the point was made with the trajectory, the feeling, and the journey, long before the audience was allowed to get off the ride. Some of the choices were a bit heavy-handed, but the dialogue and performances were excellent.

The film also does an excellent job of placing Meek in his proper historical context, particularly for Americans, most of whom are unfamiliar with him. He revolutionized recording techniques, was the first Brit with a #1 hit in America, had Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple) playing in the Tornadoes, pointed a gun at Mitch Mitchell (Hendrix Experience), and told Brian Epstein that the Beatles were nice, but would never amount to more than a fad. He also made some truly incredible music as a tortured outsider who lived and worked in a rented flat above a handbag store.

One thing we discovered was a British cult act - Screaming Lord Sutch - who, if you've never heard of him, you should read more about. He did shock rock years before Ozzy or Alice Cooper, dressed all in black with crazy makeup, lots of sinister props, and known for over the top antics.