A Life in the Death of Joe Meek

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.

I had seen this film a short while ago on a wild, stormy summer night after a full day of consuming rock docs. I have to say, I had never heard of its subject before. I gave it a chance, though my ass was already quite sore from the aforementioned daily indulgence and I hadn't eaten much between flicks. In fact, I was pretty grouchy too... But the add art was cool and the buzz about this thing in the lobby of the NFB piqued my curiosity. So I thought that I'd at least give it a shot. Now this was over a year ago and not one week has passed where my mind hasn't begged the question: "When will this film be released???" I found emotions and moments upon moments of humour and heart that quite simply DO NOT EXIST in current motion pictures, let alone rock docs. The story of England's first independent pop record producer and creator of such iconic melodies as the revelatory instrumental "TELSTAR" is rich with interesting characters who are eloquent and personal in sharing their recollections and sharp, profound insights on history and culture. The music is memorable as is the witty, fast paced editing and photo manipulations. One of the film's 2 directors was present at the screening, which he informed the crowd was actually a work-in-progress. Very impressive for a movie made by just 2 people on such a small budget (with a few very talented graphic artists as well!)! I have never seen a crowd more interested in a Q&A in my life! A documentary on the art-metal-delic rock band THE MONKS preceded this with one of The Monks actually present and went quite well, but when the Joe Meek director took the stage later in the evening, not one person left the theatre... for nearly another hour and a half! Unheard of! The story is just that fascinating. While thestory is at times very, very heartbreaking it also sparkles with wit and great storytelling. I really fell in love that night. With Joe Meek (his passion and innovation)and this film. But I also miss it and wish to see it surface again soon, hopefully finished to the very talented directors (one of whom is a woman, thank you very much!)satisfaction. I wish them all the best.

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.

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 have just got back from Raindance Film Festival where I caught this 12 min short. And not only that, I actually sat next To Howard S Berger after we had got chatting in the queue. I will admit that I had no idea who Joe Meek was before tonight but even in 12 minutes I now have a fair idea of what he meant to the music industry. There seems to be a lot to the guy, including his homosexuality and 12 minutes certain was not enough to capture the essence of his story. Shot as a documentary, the (short) film intersperses footage of Meek's work along with interview with his contemporaries and from more recent musicians, including Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand). Although this might just come across as being yet another Biopic of someone who not many people may know, I found this informative, entertaining and funny in places too. I look forward to seeing the finished work.