Saw Teenage Superstars yesterday, the second instalment of Grant McPhee’s two part document of Scottish music’s formative years
and its connection with further afield. Indeed, I gave a lot of this local
produce the rubber ear in the early days. A mixture of being obsessed with
American “punk” before the term was turned into a half-assed brand. Much
of this film is based around the west coast strain of pop. “Big Gold Dream” was the east
coast take and I think McPhee did a good job. I went to bury it but couldn’t. Despite
still intensely disliking much of the produce, the story was told well. Many of
the perpetrators are good people. Just don’t ask me to listen to their music.
Some aren’t, but they played their part too as life goes.
In the same sense, I never got Creation – or Postcard
Records. Whilst I recognise the “scene” around these it took the interest shown
from friends overseas to create my perspective. It took me a long time to admit
that the Mary Chain made some good records. They were just such horrible oiks.
As was another of their “kin” who I won’t even mention but he haunts the film
like a bad smell. He has to be in there I guess because he’s turned out to be a
pivotal figure. And for the mentions of The Cramps in the film, there’s no
suggestion that they were briefly on the label that McGee ran. Joe Foster is
good in this and it’s to the shame of some others that they didn’t make
themselves available to support this venture. I have friends in Scandinavia and
Spain that will LOVE this. I thought about them all the way through the film.
It defines the two cities that are just 52 minutes
apart but spiritually what, I feel, like a world. The humour of
Glasgow is intact and the appearance of several lesser known players is welcome. There’s definitely a career as Jack and Victor Version 2.0 for
Duglas T Stewart and Sean Dickson beckoning. Grand to see the elusive David Keegan and mi
amigo Martin Hayward here.
Ian Hoey hosted a wee Q+A after the screening with Wendy
Griffin (Producer) and Angela Slaven (Editor/co-producer). All concerned worked
to the wire to prepare the film for these EIFF screenings and there are
plans to tour a double bill in October or thereabouts. I presume that means
throughout the UK? Plans are underway to screen it further afield and I can
feel the anticipation across the waters big and wee. There’s
even a wee glimpse of the cover I did for the 53rd and 3rd
release of “My First Band” by The Ben Vaughn Combo in here and reference to the
connection between TFC and Alex Chilton.
You get one chance to do something like this and on this
occasion the years of selfless pursuit have pretty much nailed a decent
snapshot of what it was to live through the fermentation. The inclusion of
Thurston Moore here and Kim Deal’s voice over connects the scene back to the US. The subject matter of this episode in
particular really chimed with America’s burgeoning underground at the time. Who
could have thunk it? Bellshill spawned several monsters whose influence has
carried way beyond any feasible expectation. It’s doubtful such magic could
ever happen again because it would be contrived and hijacked straight out of
the box.
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