Starring: Ginger Baker, Jay Bulger, Eric Clapton
Claiming to be a writer for Rolling Stone, Jay Bulger
travels to South Africa to interview Ginger Baker; the drummer for such bands
as The Graham Bond Organisation, Cream and Blind Faith. During his stay, Bulger
gets to know a man known for both his explosive drumming and his explosive
temperament. A reputation backed up by both Baker’s bandmates (Jack Bruce, Eric
Clapton, Steve Winwood) and various notable drummers (Stewart Copeland, Neil
Peart, Chad Smith).
If there’s a word that could be used to describe Ginger
Baker, it’s explosive. Early in the film he makes reference to growing up in
The Blitz and enjoying the noise of the bombing raids. As he grew up, we see
his hugely influential style of playing, fusing rock, jazz and African styles,
and his various outbursts of anger, yet we also see a human being and that’s
what’s more interesting. The music is extremely entertaining in its own right
(I am, after all, a fan of Baker’s work and the styles he’s best known
for) but the look into his life is
fascinating as a man who seems on the verge of a violent attack one moment,
then we see him showering affection on his horses and his step-children. Bulger
hardly provides an original insight on Baker or on rock and roll and lacks much
of an individual voice and there’s little here to welcome in people who aren’t
fans of the world of rock and roll (except for jazz and world music
enthusiasts) but the film is always entertaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment