Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Let Us Now Praise Famous Ex-Pats

Why I Really Love My Job, Part XXXVII: The Merry Mailman just brought me an advance DVD of director Stephen Kijak's forthcoming documentary on legendary and reclusive pop star Scott Walker -- 30 Century Man. Here's the trailer.



It's hard to believe that the drop-dead good looking teen idol who sang this 60s masterpiece...



...eventually turned into an avant-garde weirdo revered by Brian Eno, but that's what makes him interesting, obviously. I'll be posting a review soon in any case.

Oh, and here's a cool interview with Kijak about Walker and the making of the film.

6 comments:

steve simels said...

Memo to myself:

Apparently, nobody here gives a shit about Scott Walker.
:-)

Mister Pleasant said...

A late-coming reply from the left coast here - have always been fascinated by the Walker Brothers but until now thought they just withered away as the 70s rolled around.

The syncopated bass piano part in the middle section of The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine is one of those little pieces of heaven that sometimes fall to earth, like Brian Wilson's use of bass harmonica on Pet Sounds or Ringo's drumming on Rain.

Wendy said...

I think they were hampered in the US by the fact that they sounded like the Righteous Brothers ...

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing the film.

And, believe it or not, my word verification is "listenn"!

MBowen said...

Jules Shear did a nice cover of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore".

However, "The most influential and enigmatic figure in rock history"? Really? More influential and enigmatic than, say, Chuck Berry? Or Brian Wilson?

Kid Charlemagne said...

Big Scott Walker fan here Steve. This should be an interesting documentary.

steve simels said...

I've actually got a nice live vesion of that by Shear, Marshall Crenshaw and Graham Maby.