A Life in the Death of Joe Meek

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!

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.

I saw this "in progress" edit a while ago and was afraid it had all but disappeared. I had searched for a DVD but nothing had turned up until a few weeks ago, my boyfriend got me a DVD of TELSTAR thinking it was the same movie (both are about 1960's British recording engineer, composer and innovator Joe Meek) but, frustratingly so, it was not.

A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF JOE MEEK was unexpectedly one of the most engrossing and entertaining docs I have seen in a multitude of moons. And while it's main achievements are its ferocious pace, its compact yet detailed interweaving of history, industry and personal passion, pleasure and pain; the major score is the indelible imprint it leaves in your mind long after you've left the theater.

Hearing all the stories from family and friends and colleagues and enemies and admirers (some of whom are quite famous and have since contributed to changing pop culture in their own right), it is not so much a case of how oddball and aberrant and sensational this man's life has been (as was, not too surprisingly but disappointingly so, the case with TELSTAR); but instead a subtle, positive and forcefully inspirational message lingers. I am haunted by the desperation and instinctive drive of this "innarticulate" man (for lack of a better word) to make contact with the world the only way he knew how -- through music and, sometimes, noise itself in all manner of unconventional and conventional commercial means. Not just that Meek was gay at a time in England when it was illegal (punishable by imprisonment) or that he was a respected but constrained and tormented engineer at top UK recording studios that wanted to go independent (unheard of at the time) that makes the audience root for his success or even moreso, to answer his lonely, determined call for love.

It is the way the testimony of it's vast and personable cast is underscored by the accompanying photographs of Joe that persuades and provides guidance to understanding this everyman whose end is heartbreaking and beyond tragic. The succession of images of Joe - a handsome man with an engaging smile - that sits in the memory bank with the strongest impact. The way that smile deteriorates as Joe's world change around him is an ingenious and effective piece of direction. It made me want to intervene in someway, to involve myself, to help somehow. But, of course, that is impossible. But it seemed to me that the filmmakers want Joe to represent each and every one of us in the audience; to awaken within us the realization of our individual potential and ability to contribute value and meaning through our own passions is as valid as the next guy. To remind us that there are no boundaries to achievement and to compassion. And also to use Joe's fate as a caution. But that message isn't beaten over your head. It's Joe's vanishing smile (restored in a coda that sent my heart soaring) that says it all.

It's to this film's credit that I couldn't enjoy TELSTAR, the fictional take on Meek's life. TELSTAR doesn't really make a case for Joe at all. It assumes I know everything about Joe and that I should nod and wink with clique-ish acknowledgment at every passing anecdotal scene. Not so with A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... The doc, if anything, unveils this life and death with a fresh, subjective point-of-view so that I can participate in each revelation, good or bad and not just observe a series of sensational events as seems to be the effect I had with TELSTAR.

Granted, I had seen this film before I had seen TELSTAR and because of that made me "disagree" with much of it(much in the tale is compressed and altered and sensational and narrow-minded and the actor who plays Joe is quite nasty). I can only hope that the TELSTAR effect won't discourage people from seeking out the documentary. The attitude and style of A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... left a bright and hopeful feeling. I respected and felt for Joe (despite the tragic on unpremeditated circumstances of his last minutes) after the doc, but TELSTAR made me reel from him in disgust. Perhaps it is a bit of that 1960's homophobia that clings to the edges of TELSTAR that is distasteful. I get more of a sense of humanity from A LIFE IN THE DEATH OF... which at the same time never asks you to excuse his actions, but to forgive the circumstances. Quite a difference in approach and very interesting to compare.

In any event, I found the MySpace page for the doc and read that they were still filming interviews and were in the process of adding those into the existing feature. A huge relief. This film has a spirit and flavor that deserves to be relived and tells of a history that should never be forgotten.

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!

I saw this film at a special screening at the Sheffield Showroom Cinema in early October 2014 having only recently been introduced to Joe Meek and the influence he had on the 1960's music scene. I found this documentary to be an amazing piece of work and really helped me to understand the real Joe Meek and his rise and decline.

The way Berger and Stahman have captured the highlights and pitfalls of Meek's career are so descriptive and the interviews with friends, colleagues and family really help you to understand what type of person Meek was and why he is so influential to this day in the world of music production.

It's easy to tell how much effort and love went into the this documentary and does not fail to deliver on making you feel as though you have been on this epic journey of discovery and knowledge right along side the directors.

To everyone, be you a long serving Meek fan or having just heard about him from this review, I recommend viewing this master piece. I guarantee you will not regret the decision.