Musings on... The Big Reunion

This show is my guilty pleasure. I honestly love it, and am fresh from watching two episodes back to back. I'm ready to declare my love.

The Big Reunion is pretty much what it says on the tin. Six bands from the 90s and 00s reunite for a gig at the Hammersmith Apollo (and now a venue tour... who saw that coming?) The line up is pretty incredible... Liberty X, 911,  B*Witched, Honeyz, Atomic Kitten and 5ive... I told you! And it's made all the better by the fact that I can remember all of these bands from their heyday - I can remember each one of their suffocatingly embarrassing outfits (B*Witched's obsession with denim is a personal favourite), their hilarious flops (Liberty X ring any bells?) and my severe crush on Abs from 5ive. Whyyyyy...

All of these bands have been off the all-singing, all-dancing pop treadmill for a decade or so, and watching them trying to get back on it is entertaining viewing. It's a trip down memory lane for the members, but also for me as I struggle to justify the hots I had for Abs. But the best thing (BY FAR) are the bits that talk about their falls from stardom. In all seriousness, its quite an interesting look into the industry at the time I was growing up - my memories of it are looking at them in awe, thinking they had the perfect lives, and coveting the denim flares from B*Witched. The reality, as it emerges, is very different.

The first few episodes chart the bands' history individually, with 5ive being the most volatile because of the characters within the band - they were pretty much a nightmare the whole time they were famous in terms of management. It's actually quite shocking to hear the stories of depression, bankruptcy, drugs and serious identity crises/breakdowns from members across all bands.

The next few episodes films the bands getting back into rehearsals for the concert - it basically just records how crap they are, which is obviously hilarious. The most recent episode had A TWIST... the producers of the concert decided to add BLUE to the line up. AS IF IT COULD GET ANY BETTER! The best thing about this was that the other bands got really annoyed - 'it's been such a tough road to get here and we've worked so hard, and then Blue just waltz in and take over'. Alright, calm down. Blue come across as dicks, especially when Simon goes, 'you wouldn't want to go on after us...' AND THEN HE WINKS. Idiot. But, they are still pretty good, given that they did Eurovision a couple of years ago (always the mark of a great 'band'... although I'm told finishing 11th was pretty good. Whatever).

My advice to you is this: go and get your computer. Get up ITV player. Set aside 7 hours (who needs to do a dissertation anyway) and watch ALL of the episodes. You won't be disappointed. Now I'm trying to figure out whether I should buy a ticket for their tour... anyone want to come with me? 

Musings on... Oscar Pistorius: What Really Happened?

Apologies for my lack of posts recently, my dissertation has evolved into a crying, needy and sometimes aggressive baby that needs constant attention. Only 2 months to go... 

I read about this film yesterday on the BBC College of Journalism website, where producer Steve Anderson wrote that the film was transmitted 19 days after commission. That's a seriously fast turnaround. For someone interested in the physical making of films and the people that make them, this was something that really caught my eye - how on earth did they manage to get a team together, fly them out to South Africa, get all the interviews and then edit it all together to make an hour long film in 19 days?! 

It seems that the team were picked because of their experience in fast turnarounds. They all jumped on a plane to Cape Town, and by using their contacts from the Dispatches programme on the Anni Dewani murder case, managed to pull together the people they needed to have worthwhile content for the film. 

The documentary is led by Rick Edwards. I was a bit dubious about this choice - all I can see Rick Edwards doing in my mind is Tool Academy, but to his credit he was actually pretty good, and well placed and knowledgeable about Oscar due to his coverage of the Paralympic Games in the summer. He's also the new face of BBC Free Speech programme, perhaps suggesting his presenting of shows like Tool Academy are over... (I actually loved that programme - don't judge me). 

The first few minutes were a bit hard - there were clips of Reeva on the reality TV show shown in South Africa a few days after she died, with the permission of her family. It weirded me out a bit, as it always does when there are people brought back to life on screen. It felt quite raw, especially when Reeva was talking about leaving something memorable behind 'on your way out'. 

The story of this incident is arguably the 'biggest story to come out of South Africa since the release of Mandela 20 years ago' and the press coverage reflects that. In the confusion over whether he is guilty of murder, or the victim of a tragic accident, Heat Magazine (ironically) is the voice of reason. The editor argues that the suspicious incidents before Reeva's death, and Oscar's apparent 'dark side' doesn't make him capable of murder. Innocent until proven guilty. 

The documentary, to my knowledge, presented all the information surrounding the case pretty fairly. It spent a long time on Reeva herself, placing her in the celebrity social circles and calling 2012 her 'breakout year'. This made the account all the more tragic - for once the focus was on Reeva for a bit, not Oscar (although the millions of references to her being beautiful started to annoy me - just because she was beautiful doesn't make her death inherently more tragic).

The focus did eventually move on to Oscar and the events of that night, and the account of what happened seems pretty weak. It's only to be expected though - the defence and prosecution cases appear to be a bit of a mess. The film doesn't actually answer the question 'What Really Happened?' and doesn't conclude either way in true BBC style, but then I guess that anyone expecting it to would have had some seriously high expectations. An interesting part was when Rick visited students at a Law school, who gave their opinions about the case. Noticeably, they spoke about how quick South Africans were to assume his guilt in premeditated murder. I wonder whether this is because of a general fixation on scandal and a preoccupation with violence in South Africa, or whether they believe his alleged 'dark side'. They didn't have a problem with worshipping him when he was a hero... 

Credit where credit's due - a pretty damn good documentary considering it's turnaround. It's impressive that they managed to gain interviews with so many of the couple's friends - I would have thought that it's nearly impossible to gain access due to the crazy global attention. 

Jury's out on Oscar Pistorius though.... although that catchy ending doesn't even work, there will be no jury at his trial. Damn. 

Musings on... Searching for Sugar Man (contains spoilers)

Yes I know I'm waaaay behind the times with regards to Searching for Sugar Man, especially since it got Best Documentary at the BAFTAs and the Oscars (and a whole host of other important awards). It went on my list of things to watch in January, and I've only just got round to setting aside an hour and a half to sit down and watch it. And maaaan, was it worth it. 

The film tells the story of Rodriguez, a 70s music icon that never was. He was spotted by a couple of successful producers playing in bars around Detroit, was signed to a label and recorded an album called Cold Fact, released in 1970. Interviews with the producers in the film convey a feeling of excitement - they were sure they'd just uncovered the sound of their generation. But it, and the follow up album Coming from Reality, bombed in America. He was dumped from the label and went back to obscurity. 

Somehow (and I would really like to know more about this) a copy of Cold Fact made its way to South Africa, which was in the grip of apartheid. It became the sound track to the white liberal anti-apartheid movement, to whom his lyrics struck a rebellious chord. South African record labels picked up the distribution rights from Rodriguez's ex-American label, and went on to sell somewhere in the region of half a million copies. He was bigger in South Africa than the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Everyone had a copy, and some of his songs were even banned on the radio due to their provocative nature. 

South Africans Stephen Segerman, a record shop manager and Craig Bartholomew-Strydom, a music journalist, decided to find out more about the elusive Rodriguez. All the information that South African had on him were the record sleeves, and of course, his lyrics. Rumours circulated that he was dead, and that he committed suicide on stage. 

*** Warning.... I'm about to massively spoil this, it's the best part of the film so if you're planning on watching it, please look away now! ***

To cut a long search short, they were rewarded when in 1998, Rodriguez's daughter gets in touch via a website dedicated to gathering information about him. She confirms an increasing suspicion developed through the film that Rodriguez was indeed alive and well, and still living in Detroit. When Stephen and Craig recount the feeling of finding him alive, it's instantly one of the best moments of the film. They speak as if at that moment, their lives were complete.

It transpires that Rodriguez knows nothing of his intense fame in South Africa, and never received any of the royalties from the sales of his albums. It's a tragic part, especially when it is revealed that Rodriguez and his family are poor, and work hard to make ends meet. The best interview in my opinion was that of Clarence Avant, the owner of his US record label, who becomes increasingly hostile and aggressive in response to leading questions. The film doesn't investigate this side of the story beyond the interview, which I think was a bit of a shame. 

But, it is clear why this film is so popular, and has done so well during awards season. It is powerful and humble at the same time, telling a story of the strength of music and its ability to become a voice of a people. The way it was shot was stunning - the best were panned shots of crumbling Detroit in the 70s with Rodriguez's music in the background, as if it were a modern music video, but crucially without him there - a clear reference to his elusiveness. Once the film has rediscovered him, there are similar panned shots to his music, but with Rodriguez walking in shot, put back where he belongs. There's also a powerful shot of a window with some faint moving hands, again with his music in the background. The window opens, and out comes Rodriguez, emerging from the shadows.

The most interesting aspect for me wasn't really the nature of the music industry. Having said this, although the film was never explicit, I did wonder whether his records flopped in America in part due to his Mexican nationality. Instead, I saw it more as an addition to the history of apartheid South Africa. Too often is the classic black vs white view promulgated, and this film serves to remind us of the important white anti-apartheid South Africans desperate for change. But the star of the show was Rodriguez himself - unassuming, humble and seemingly happy, but ultimately the writer of some life-changing music. 

The producer, Simon Chinn (responsible for Oscar winning film Man of Wire in 2009), said that in his mind the secret of a great documentary is a powerful narrative - a film that is greater than the sum of its parts - it's about "delivering something intangible." After watching this film, I can really see what he means.