A Life in the Death of Joe Meek (2013) Reviews

• Amusing, surprising bio doc

  abraxas732008-01-17

  Having begged a friend who had to do coverage of this doc for a "big" festival to let me watch it with her (I am a big Joe Meek fan), I have to say, I was wonderfully surprised. Joe Meek is slowly becoming a household word after nearly 40 years since his death and probably for all the wrong reasons. This film gleefully and briskly sets the record straight. What works so well is the collection of entertaining interviews by a variety of genuine characters and the very personal perspectives they impart. Highly informative, poignant and entertaining. What it boils down to is that Joe was a human being who did extraordinary things -- he was not a homicidal superman as another doc from a distant era would like you to believe. Not a carnival freak, but a clever intuitive human who knew how to get a lot out of other equally intuitive individuals. That's what an artist does and the doc hits on this dead on. Very inspiring and never disappointing. Especially from this fan's perspective.

• Absolute watermark in documentary storytelling!

  garrettmulholland2008-04-13

  A vibrant, super-fast paced winner from 2 American filmmakers who shocked the audience I saw this with at the Sensoria Film Festival here in Sheffield, UK. The story of Joe Meek, a name I've heard made many times in passing reference over the years by friends of mine in numerous local bands finally has an indelible, very human face to it with this warm, complex and extremely funny documentary that had everyone around me, after 2 hours of running time, begging for more, but only because we were already marvellously satisfied! Joe Meek was the United Kindom's first independent pop record producer. Gay when the UK deemed it criminal, devoted only to creating extraordinary, unique pop recordings on his own terms, endlessly battling against the rigid, corporate norms of the 1950's and '60's recording studio rules, Joe pioneered, not only new ways of recording music, but new ways of promoting it and new markets to promote to. He was pretty much the first producer to aim his sights directly at the burgeoning teen record-buying market after WWII and after successfully identifying the needs of that market, he gave them exactly what they wanted: loud, rhythmic music with enough hooks and strange sounds to last several lifetimes. But the real treasure in this feature is how we are made to care for this man's desperate struggle to make contact with someone, anyone and how much instinctive genius he used to do it. Telstar by the Tornadoes is his most famous achievement, but the film shows many other acts under his control that are just as worthy of attention. The segments chart his chronological growth from inventive little boy in far away rural Newent to his ultimate move to London where he focused his talents to suit his own idea of pop recording and basically fought the industry to a desperate and bloody showdown. I won't dare give any more away from this carefully plotted, dazzlingly edited mini-epic for it would truly spoil all the fun that the very creative co-directors have constructed. What a task! The interviews themselves are a treat and the art within them is an obviously unbiased uncondescending care toward each and every subject. Each person has wit, personality and warmth and more importantly: something to say! Remarkable retro-graphics are equally deft and well directed. The director, before the screening mentioned that things still need technical tweaking, but for the life of me and the half-dozen friends that came with me, we had no idea what he could have been referring to! It is really hard to imagine how much better this brilliant, sensitive and perfectly imagined doc could possibly get, but after seeing it for ourselves, we'd trust that he'd accomplish whatever he (and his collaborator) set out to do. This film is a treat and I hope it gets a major release here and not just in the States. It's an audience picture, one that effortlessly educates, entertains and leaves you ready to discuss, debate and watch it again and again. Smart pick for the opening night of this wonderful new fest! Great job, Yanks!

• A brilliant achievement

  alan-maddrell-120-5309262014-09-30

  I saw this at the Doc 'n' Roll festival in London. It's an indie production in the truest sense - a labour of love that's inspired contributions from an amazing array of artists and people connected with Joe. The film does what documentaries do best: get out of the way and tell the story of their subject faithfully, while lightly sketching a compelling central character. People's experiences of Joe could differ wildly and these contradictions are left intact for all to see, showing the complexity of someone with remarkable strengths and debilitating weaknesses in all areas of his life. There are some remarkable contributions from people who haven't spoken about their experiences before. Hearing these stories from people personally connected to Joe can be difficult, moving, interesting, touching and hilarious. Most importantly, the life shines through, which is what Joe's achievements deserve. Hopefully this film will be seen by a wider audience.

• Brilliant documentary!

  tacchan742014-10-12

  We recently saw this great documentary at the Doc 'n Roll Festival in London (September 2014). Before watching the film, I didn't know that much about Joe Meek and his legacy and this was an eye-opener. The filmmakers have done a fantastic job in conjuring up Joe's talent and controversial personality through their interviews with artists, colleagues and family members. The film is incredibly informative and entertaining and it tackles topics such as Joe's homosexuality and thunderous character in an honest and open way. Its editing style and use of music are very creative but never divert your attention from Joe and his work. What becomes absolutely clear in the film is the fact that Joe's life interest didn't lie in making money but in making the music that was so obviously part of his deeper inner being. Joe succeeded in creating a new sound world through hard work and perseverance and although his life was short his legacy has proved to be long-lasting. This is a great film and a must-see!

• Setting the record straight.

  josh-b-heenan2014-10-08

  I was fortunate enough to attend a screening of this marvelous documentary as part of the Sensoria festival in Sheffield. As a pairing, previous offerings of showcasing Meek in 'Telstar: The Joe Meek Story' & BBC's 'The Strange Story of Joe Meek' were often fanciful, and arguably slanderous to the Meek legacy. These recurrent elaborations providing for a source of frustration for Meek enthusiasts such as myself. In contrast, A Life in Death provides a plethora of interviewees (ranging from Meek's brother to Jimmy Page) to deliver fact , and personal opinion that serves both to quell the conjecture whilst providing primary source viewpoint. The passion and warmth radiated in this skilfully presented piece is a triumph to the resolution and virtue of both Stahman & Berger who have proved to be two of the most suitable custodians of the Joe Meek legacy.