INTO THE MAELSTROM documentary (2019)

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  • #36797
    Punj Lizard
    Participant

      @Tomcat – exactly! :)

      #36798
      supernaut
      Participant

        Yeah that was funny. I was introduced to Zeppelin before Crimson and I love both bands nowadays. I wouldn't say Bruford is heavier than Bonzo because no one is! There's a couple of edited Bonzo solo tracks on youtube. Serious oooomph while super swingy. But I absolutely understand Tomas' point the way he puts it. I got "The Great Deceiver" box set with Crimson live recordings from around 73/74 when I wasn't a kid anymore so I'd heard a lot of "heavy" music up to that point and it blew all metal to the moon. Ah, John Wetton!

        And Page's acoustic guitar is more powerful than Metallica's chugging? Hell yes!!

        #36799
        TraktorBass
        Participant

          There are also some interesting similarities between Tomas describing what it was like to join Motorpsycho, and how Bruford described going from Yes (where there was alot of discussion about how and what to play) to King Crimson (where you were just supposed 'TO KNOW').

          Found the quote:

          "Everything you've heard about King Crimson is true; it's an absolutely terrifying place.

          Yes was an endless debate about should it be F natural on the bass with G sharp on top from the organ, or should it be the other way around. In King Crimson, you were just supposed to know."

          #36800
          Flippern
          Participant

            Christmas came early this year! So good, thank you so much!

            #36801
            suntripper
            Participant

              Among all the elements that make this such a great piece of work, I would like to highlight the way you have coaxed and captured such calm, candid and lucid reflections on the creative process from not one or two, but all three. The absence of any intrusion by interviewer, presenter or commentator means the spell is never broken throughout. Nothing jars; nothing is out of place in the whole film. It's perfect!

              The opening two minutes alone are a work of art, and we already have a treasury of quotations. After Bent's words about being in the moment and Snah's about losing himself, I was really struck by what Tomas has to say – so well put and, clearly, he really feels it. His words provide a very fitting prelude to the opening titles!

              @supernaut – I really liked what you said about Tomas being like a gateway for us outsiders.

              I was reminded of the legend of an onstage out-of-body experience once shared by three out of the four members of Killing Joke (not Youth). See the short teaser here from 1:16, which shows just a snatch of Geordie describing this particular moment, followed by Youth and Jaz talking more generally about profound moments when playing live.

              I think there is more meat on the bones about this moment in the full documentary, which is a very different animal from 'Into the Maelstrom', but, still, rather entertaining, even if you don't like the band (and plenty don't); at least you get to see Jimmy Page giving his thoughts, and it's also pretty funny in places – particlarly at the expense of Coleman, who seems to be able to be both ludicrous and sinister. His mother doesn't quite say he's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy, but you could believe that bit's lying somewhere on the cutting-room floor.

              #36802
              supernaut
              Participant

                yes that Killing Joke thing there impressed me, too. Scary but amazing.

                #36803
                Blashyrkh
                Participant

                  What a gift ! And it isn't even Christmas yet. Thank you very much Bernie.

                  Really nice documentary. Going to see it again this evening with some friends. I hope I can "transform" them into psychonauts

                  Does anyone know what brand of guitar Snah is using during Starhammer (18:00) ?

                  It doesn't look like a Stavem or Gibson.

                  #36804
                  TraktorBass
                  Participant
                    #36806
                    Johnny_Heartfield
                    Participant

                      Watched the whole Maelström experience in full lenght yesterday late evening. Needless to say it's a brilliant piece of filming – what positively surprised me is the quality of the interviews and the "thematic choreography" of the whole movie. I guess that a) this interview has either really been well prepared and/or b) was situated in a very friendly, relaxed and sympathetic atmosphere among likeminded people and c) has been very cleverly edited. Propably all three of them – anyway, I hardly ever watched an interview with a band that transported so much precise information with virtually no bullshit.

                      Normally it is either fans stumbling over their own feet in excitement – hello Punj Lizard ;-) – or uninformed media people blurting out rather superficial phrases and never getting to the point. Well done!

                      Another strength of this documentary is the concentration on musical aspects. Of course there could have been a lot of other issues like side projects, line-up changes, cooperators, the whole business side, touring life and so on, but the major thing with MP these days is just that – shut up and play your double neck guitars (and drums/keyboards). Work on your tunes and bring them to the stage. Play hard and jam freely. Take off and fly. This aspect of course reminded me of what Phil Lesh described as the main justification for going on with the Dead all these years: Play and try to lift off into the zone – jamming, spacing, listening to each other. So it is not necessarily a miss that the Dead were never mentioned by name along with such important influences on MP like Purple, Sabbath, Motörhead, King Crimson and – by God, yes, even Kiss. They are always there – lingering in the background in almost every second sentence of the interview.

                      There's only one slight criticism that I might point out: After all that talking about jamming, improvising, jazzing, lifting off and on stage out of body experiences it might have been a good idea to close the clip with a longer musical piece showing just that – it is hard to get a feel of that phenomenon in a 2-3 minute snippet, as good as it may be musically. It is probably not the free flight that I might miss there, but the long runway and the lift-off.

                      Apart from that small issue I think the choice of music and the whole dramaturgy is excellent – thanks once again for this effort, boys!

                      #36807
                      Punj Lizard
                      Participant
                        Quote:
                        Normally it is either fans stumbling over their own feet in excitement – hello Punj Lizard [;-)]

                        True dat :lol: :lol: :lol:

                        #36808
                        supernaut
                        Participant

                          Ha, never underestimate the importance of Kiss. :) Lots of great and unique creative bands (not just the campy hair metals) are fans. To quote someone else (don't remember who): Kids back then might have wanted to play like Page or Beck or Eddie, but they picked up the guitar in the first place because of Ace Frehley. The magic, the escapism by becoming-a-superhero, music being something more than just notes and scales. Bent says something like that as well.

                          Though I wouldn't mind a "proper" biographical, chronological career spanning movie with facts and figures (and probably 4 hours long), I agree that the way Bernie's film focuses insightfully on the whys & hows and the motor & the psycho in 2019, is very fascinating. To mention Killing Joke once more, there's been a biopic film recently which does just that, too. It starts out as yr usual career chronology but soon enough it deviates into strange territory, when the bands' ramblings about ideas and motivations take over. And that's a properly produced movie released on DVD. Bernie just sits down with the guys and a camera and pulls it off just as well. :)

                          #36809
                          ffbernie
                          Participant

                            everyone…thanks again for all the (more than) kind words…its very overwhelming. I cannot explain how gratifying it is to read how evreyone percieves the film and how everyone picks up on other details. When making this thing you follow your instinct and although I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to film to be…its is so cool to see that people "get" all the little ideas, editing, meanings, cuts…I had in mind. Thats what so cool about you guys watching it and feeding back. I find myself regularly saying out loud "waaw…thats the way I meant it but I didnt know wheter people would get it"…anyway thanks a lot x

                            #36810
                            Johnny_Heartfield
                            Participant

                              @ supernaut: I know what you mean – been a Kiss fan myself for about half a year ;-)

                              Great stuff for fourteen year olds – a great trap for a lifetime of Rock'n'Roll. As Indian mythology says – the lotos flowers always flourish in the muddy swamps…

                              #36811
                              JERO
                              Participant

                                @Johnny Heartfield "the long runway and the lift-off"; what a great way to describe that, I wonder if it's even possible to convey that experience into music-video, I think this can only be experienced live during concert, taking off together with the band into sonic heaven, something all of us surely have experienced. So if there will be MP-virgins that will get the taste from this ueber-documentary, let's all take them along next gig nearby!(as long as they don't stand in the way of Bernie's camera, of course!)

                                #36812
                                boomer former helm
                                Participant

                                  Thanks Bernie

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                                …hanging on to the trip you're on since 1994