BBC1 Imagine - the Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson

[johncorrigan]

I think Julien Temple is a great film maker. His film 'Requiem for Detroit' is one of my all-time favourite documentaries. Last night's subject for 'Imagine' was Wilko Johnson after his recent brush with death. Though I could perhaps have done with a few less assertions from WJ that 'I shouldn't be here', this was a wonderful film full of Temple's trademark collages of images and a great performance from Johnson who was an intelligent, energetic subject (along with his pancreatic cancer), and Canvey Island providing a marvellous backdrop. Great watch...and not a Yentob in sight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaQRbpRYqU8

[Beef Oven!]

I think Julien Temple is a great film maker. His film 'Requiem for Detroit' is one of my all-time favourite documentaries. Last night's subject for 'Imagine' was Wilko Johnson after his recent brush with death. Though I could perhaps have done with a few less assertions from WJ that 'I shouldn't be here', this was a wonderful film full of Temple's trademark collages of images and a great performance from Johnson who was an intelligent, energetic subject (along with his pancreatic cancer), and Canvey Island providing a marvellous backdrop. Great watch...and not a Yentob in sight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaQRbpRYqU8

Thanks for this, I shall watch it on iPlayer.

[teamsaint]

Thanks for this, I shall watch it on iPlayer.

Me too.
Thanks JC.

[gurnemanz]

I will admit I had never really heard of Wilko Johnson and tuned in because it had a five star recommendation which is almost certainly justified. Our daughter is a film editor and through her we have come to appreciate more fully the work that it takes to turn footage into narrative.

[eighthobstruction]

....great stuff....found it difficult to sleep due to Wilco riffs in my mind....

[Lat-Literal]

Yes thanks JC.

[Stanley Stewart]

This 'Imagine...series' has lived up to its title with first rate documentaries on Shylock's Ghost, Antony Gormley, The Curious documentary...and my head is still reeling from the nuances and imagery of last night's The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson - I knew nothing about the man but remained riveted throughout as he refused to go gently into his own good night, musing on his past, devoid of sentiment as he explored his humanity. The Ingmar Bergman sequences from The Seventh Seal cleverly interwoven with images from The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and the sheer chutzpah of his bluesy rock guitar 8 day recording with Roger Daltrey at the height of his illness. 'Dr Theatre', as we used to call it, must have been in attendance to provide the energy quotient! Listening to the album, Daltrey can only cry, "Yeah, yeah! F**k it!" A heart warming voyage of discovery as I recall gigs by Frank Zappa, Jimmy Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Scott Walker, at various London venues in the 60s and 70s, usually 7/6d a throw for a seat in the Stalls at the Astoria, Finsbury Park, Granada, Tooting, etc.

Wilko Johnson intriguing as a loner with literary tastes, "I'm moving into a different kind of consciousness which I call BC - before cancer..." trying to revisit the ecstasy of existence with philosophical quotations from Hamlet. Surrounded by books he adds, "Wish I'd spent my life studying in the groves of academe...but you only get one shot." His lengthy operation for pancreas (?) cancer before they removed a tumour the size of a watermelon was awesomely recreated but even when frail he tackled playing his guitar on the beach at Canvey Island you could feel his sense of triumph after managing a few bars.

A remarkable experience not to be missed - already on a DVD master.