| Overall
Comments : |
Lots here
you've seen before, but also lots you haven't - including some genuine emotion
from the Floyd regarding Barrett's loss. |
| Highlights
: |
Bits of the
Vegetable Man video. Some previously unseen home movies. The 'lost' video
of Syd from 'Look of the Week.' Gilmour's history of the 'Shine On' riff.
Jerry Shirley, Duggie Fields, Bob Klose and Libby Chisman (you go girl!
I see why Syd liked her). Nick Mason giving Hans Keller the respect he deserves. |
| Lowlights
: |
Duggie Fields'
outfit (think: bastard spawn of Dracula and Elvis) and the host's name.
No child should have to endure public school with a name like Kirsty Wark. |
| Biggest
Lowlight : |
I was pretty
frustrated at how little of the 'Tomorrow's World' clip got shown in the
'94 Omnibus...until I saw the butcher job done here. For some reason, the
producers decided that instead of laying orbs upon this original (ultra-rare)
footage, the average Floyd fan would prefer its soundtrack wedded to an
eyeful of Mike Leonard's butt wobbling upstairs to his balcony. And who
wouldn't, really, when you come right down to it? I mean, who wants to see
original, hard-to-find, crystal-clear film stock of the band while Syd was
still a member and still had all his marbles? Pfeh. Not us, apparently.
Big fat old mens' bottoms, that's what we want. |
| Nightmare
Fodder : |
Waters mocking
Barrett's thousand-yard stare - *shudder* - and his overly-perky mime of
See Emily Play. |
| Wrinkle
Factor : |
Ye Gods. |
| Nitpicking
: |
I quite like
Robyn Hitchcock, but what's he doing here? He wasn't even out of short pants
when Syd lost his marbles - ditto the loquacious guy from Blur. A small
complaint, I know, but I felt their time could have been better spent with
people who actually witnessed Syd's burnout. |
| Band
Distinctions : |
| Roger
Waters - |
Continuing
with his Richard Gere motif, he looks the best physically of all his
ex-bandmates - a pleasant irony, to my mind, since he was always the
one with the face to stop a clock - and he actually gets a little
choked up speaking of Syd in the opening clip. Shades of a kinder,
gentler Waters? We shall see... |
| David
Gilmour - |
He
looks much better than he did in the Wall Omnibus: older, but much
healthier. Hrm. Chalk it up to the Wall doc's stygian lighting. His
mini-lesson on the 'Shine On' riff is a treat for the aspiring guitarists.
Bad Mental Image Alert: look out for his enthusiastic slurpings when
describing a backwards drum track. |
| Nick
Mason - |
Some
people think he kills his image as the Floyd's de facto 'nice guy'
here, but I don't agree. He's just very direct with an unpleasant
truth: the band didn't handle Syd's breakdown very well. He seems
the most affected by Syd's loss, especially during his story of the
WYWH session. Luckily, though, his Hans Keller impression saves us
from all the angst. |
| Rick
Wright - |
Something
struck me as odd here: Rick Wright actually looks happy. Relaxed,
even. A total change from the poor li'l whipped puppy we saw in the
Wall documentary. I could only guess that since the Wall doc was Roger's
turf and this one was Syd's, Wright's behavior must reflect his feelings
towards both of them. Whatever the reason it was a welcome change. |
|
| Best
Quote : |
Roger Waters, re: visiting
Syd: 'He doesn't like contact with people from that part of his past -
it upsets him, you know. So I stay away from him. And I think in a way
that's all I can do, because it would not be cool to upset him.' Potential
Syd-stalkers, take note.
|
| Lasting
Impression : |
As the documentary
draws to a close, the ubiquitous Ms. Wark informs us that Syd walked back
to Cambridge after his last failed live performance, and abandoned the rock
lifestyle forever. This is joined with some home movie footage of Syd strolling
idly away into the distance, and I can't think of a better closing statement
on the entire Barrett legacy. |
| Grade
: |
A- (I just
cannot forgive that appalling shot of Leonard's lumbars) |