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Post by Lord Emsworth on Mar 7, 2021 7:52:05 GMT
Great film. But sad in many ways. Lots of stuff I didn't know. Thanks Stu - looking forward to having a gander |
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Post by personunknown on Mar 7, 2021 8:33:57 GMT
Not an easy watch.I was aware Poly had difficulties but not to the magnitude shown here. Sinead O'Connor and Britney Spears would follow suit later. I think the main thrust of this doc was catharsis for her daughter.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2021 8:44:27 GMT
I haven't watched it yet because there was a Dave Allen night on BBC2 at the same time.
Will add thoughts later.
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Post by andyloneshark on Mar 7, 2021 8:54:14 GMT
I thought it was good that Celeste was totally honest about their battles... the highs and the deep lows.
And yes... i guess by making the Documentary, Celeste can move on.
The film is a labour of love.
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Mar 7, 2021 9:14:07 GMT
I thought it was good that Celeste was totally honest about their battles... the highs and the deep lows. And yes... i guess by making the Documentary, Celeste can move on. The film is a labour of love. I wonder how different it is from the book she co-authored with Zowe Howe I suspect it covers exactly the same ground |
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Post by andyloneshark on Mar 7, 2021 9:25:49 GMT
I had a quick look through the book, in a local Waterstones. It does cover some of her life story, but it looked like a 'light read' more of a scrapbook of memorabilia than a deep examination of Poly's life and her relationship with Celeste.
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Mar 7, 2021 9:28:06 GMT
I had a quick look through the book, in a local Waterstones. It does cover some of her life story, but it looked like a 'light read' more of a scrapbook of memorabilia than a deep examination of Poly's life and her relationship with Celeste. Thanks Andy There's a fair bit in there about their relationship, and other relationships in POly's life. Possibly a bit more indepth than it first appears I'll report back once I've watched the doc - probably in about a week |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2021 23:01:05 GMT
Watched this earlier and overall I thought it was a well made documentary.
Despite the fact that X Ray Spex and Poly Styrene were a hugely influential band back in the late 70's it was good to see this relegated to the background.
The narrative between mother and daughter was definitely the most interesting aspect of this and in particular the subtle antagonism and hatred that Celeste displayed towards Poly.
I didn't have a problem with this as we all at times can take a dislike to the people we love.
A good tension and honestly articulated.
The downside?How many times do we have to suffer the likes of Don Letts, Thurston Moore and John Robb chip in their tuppenceworth in these type of documentaries. The only one that was missing was Henry Rollins.
Utterly predictable and lazy film making.
A whole lot of issues covered but this was a good film not a great one.
6/10.
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Post by andyloneshark on Mar 11, 2021 9:18:50 GMT
Yes, John Robb does crop up alot in Punk related documentaries, which can get a bit irritating i suppose ...but in this case, to be balanced, he did actually know her. He mentions in the Documentary that he went to visit her in the temple, they hung out, and they even made a record together, so he is more than just a 'Talking Head' Likewise Don Letts was part of the Gunter Grove crowd, just round the corner to where Poly lived with her husband. Thurston Moore is interviewed as X-Ray Spex's New York gigs which he went to are part of the story. Attachments:
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Mar 11, 2021 9:51:21 GMT
The last time I saw Poly she was in the audience of a small Goldblade gig in Brighton (she was living in nearby Hastings)
Afterwards I saw them talking together - they were obviously good friends and got on well
I also agree with all Andy's points. Whilst Letts, Robb and Moore crop up a lot, it's often with good reason.
Don Letts especially was right there in the centre of the early punk scene and seems to have got on well with most of the people involved and has a good memory. I like him a lot. He's articulate and thoughtful.
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Post by personunknown on Mar 11, 2021 9:57:29 GMT
Don Letts is the Alpha and Omega of that punk era. He brings the necessary 'I was there' gravitas to documentaries of that time.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 11:22:35 GMT
Yes, John Robb does crop up alot in Punk related documentaries, which can get a bit irritating i suppose ...but in this case, to be balanced, he did actually know her. He mentions in the Documentary that he went to visit her in the temple, they hung out, and they even made a record together, so he is more than just a 'Talking Head' Likewise Don Letts was part of the Gunter Grove crowd, just round the corner to where Poly lived with her husband. Thurston Moore is interviewed as X-Ray Spex's New York gigs which he went to are part of the story. I accept the context of all that Andy but surely there are other people who she knew in other areas of her life rather than the same regurgative faces. I'd like to hear more from the punters in these types of docs too. Thurston Moore is a strange one too. How can someone who heard such a lot of good music be in a band which are so bad. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 11, 2021 11:28:14 GMT
Don Letts is the Alpha and Omega of that punk era. He brings the necessary 'I was there' gravitas to documentaries of that time. And that seems to be the extent of his contribution. I, personally find him utterly tiresome. The best contributions were from Rhoda Dakur and Pauline Black. |
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Post by doug61 on Mar 12, 2021 11:39:48 GMT
Letts has seemingly set himself up as the professional memory of punk, same as Charles Shaar Murray and Paul sodding Gambacini in other rock docs. The first 50 times I heard how his 8mm camera was his punk instrument were vaguely interesting but I could happily see him put out to pasture and be replaced by some other voices for a change of perception.
Seeing these same faces is a bit like buying Uncut or Mojo, same coverage of the same artists by the same people.
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Post by Lord Emsworth on Mar 13, 2021 20:33:14 GMT
I've now watched I'm A Cliche
It is really Celeste's book made into a documentary film
I thought it was pretty good, though think I would have been more impressed if I hadn't read the book first
The book goes into more detail - for example how Laura Logic felt about being booted out of the group, or the influence of Falcon Stuart, and how he was quite a divisive figure as far as the other band members were concerned, and how he was having relationships with other women.
With both the book and the film I came away wondering to what extent Poly would have suffered from mental health issues no matter what, or whether it was the pressure of X Ray Spex and fame at such a young age which caused it?
What do you think?
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