Product Description

Featuring interviews with friends, collaborators and fans including, among others: David Bowie (the film s Executive Producer), Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker, Brian Eno, Damon Albarn, Neil Hannon, Marc Almond, Alison Goldfrapp, Richard Hawley and many more, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man paints a fascinating portrait of the ultimate cult artist. Exclusive behind the scenes footage of the making of Walker s new album The Drift, his first album in 10 years plus a rare and exclusive interview with the man himself will delight fans whilst introducing new audiences to a man who has inspired unprecedented critical acclaim and undying devotion. Featuring interviews with friends, collaborators and fans including, among others: David Bowie (the film s Executive Producer), Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker, Brian Eno, Damon Albarn, Neil Hannon, Marc Almond, Alison Goldfrapp, Richard Hawley and many more, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man paints an illuminating portrait of the ultimate cult artist. Director Stephen Kijak (Cinemania) expertly traces Walker s remarkable career, exploring his early days as a jobbing bass player on the Sunset Strip, to mega-stardom in Britain s swinging 60 s pop scene with The Walker Brothers. Perhaps most fascinating is Walker s retreat from the public eye and his transformation into a composer of true genius, an uncompromising and serious musician working at the peak of his powers. Featuring exclusive behind the scenes footage of the making of Walker s new album The Drift, his first record in 10 years plus a rare and surprisingly candid interview with the man himself, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man will delight fans whilst introducing new audiences to an enigmatic figure who has inspired unprecedented critical acclaim and undying devotion.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13869 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

DVD Description
"Scott Walker: 30 Century Man" is a long-overdue look at one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in rock history.The film will explore his music and career, from his early days as a jobbing bass player on the Sunset Strip, to mega-stardom in Britain’s swinging 60’s pop scene as lead singer of The Walker Brothers, to his evolution into one of the most astonishing soundmakers of the last few decades.

He’s 63 years old and has just released his first album in over 10 years, "The Drift" on 4 A.D. Records. The film features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album as well as interviews with friends, collaborators, and fans including, among others:

David Bowie, Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Brian Eno, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), Marc Almond, Alison Goldfrapp, Sting, Dot Allison, Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Richard Hawley, Rob Ellis, Johnny Marr, Gavin Friday, Lulu, Peter Olliff, Angela Morley, Ute Lemper, Ed Bicknell, Evan Parker, Benjamin Biolay, Hector Zazou, Mo Foster, Phil Sheppard, Pete Walsh, and more.

Directed by Stephen Kijak, who brought you the delightfully deranged documentary CINEMANIA (a profile of 5 of NYC’s most manic film buffs), this is a different form of obsession altogether. Inspiring god-like devotion from fans, Scott Walker’s has a cult that has grown considerably since his 1995 release "Tilt", a dark and difficult masterwork. His new album takes that sound further than anyone could have imagined…

Collaborators include acclaimed DP/Director Grant Gee ("Radiohead: Meeting People is Easy") and Graham Wood, formerly of legendary design collective Tomato.

Special Features
Interview extras – DELETED SCENES : 36 min. 11 sec:

Ed Bicknell (former manager) Brian Eno Cathal Coughlan Gavin Friday Jarvis Cocker Richard Hawley David Bowie Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins) Brendan Perry Neil Hannon (Divine Comedy) Radiohead

Theatrical Trailer

Director’s feature-length Commentary

Synopsis
Candid documentary focusing on the hugely-influential Scottish musician, Scott Walker.

Customer Reviews

"And we'll dream, won't we?" mesmerizing tribute to an amazing artist
Just when you think this exceptionally made straight-up rock-doc is going to take us down the inevitable downward spiral of Scott Walker's career following the 60's highs, it detours into the most touching and clever sequence I've seen in a long while - that of other famous (and not so famous) fans having a listen to some of their fave Scott tracks. So simple, yet I found it incredibly moving - and then the film veers off into another realm altogether when presenting Scott's current, more avant-garde explorations...animation, dance, industrial noise, and some very poetic uses of image and text...and I found myself completely reappraising the last two Scott Walker albums that I had previously written off as bonkers and pretentious. This film has lingered with me long after my second (soon to be third) viewing, mainly because I feel inspired and renewed by Scott Walker's journey. I always loved his 60's tunes, but this gives a very complete picture of one of the most fascinating careers in modern music. Highly recommended. (And I don't know who that Antonius character is who posted the nasty review, but he's mental.) You'd have not to have a soul not to be moved by this one.

Journey forwards, not backwards
The subject is American like me, but his pre-eminence is strictly European, and I address readers here who may have heard Walker in the past but aren't up to date with his best work, which is in the here and now. Fans of "Absolutely Fabulous" should remember Patsy's older sister claiming she was the subject of a Scott Walker song, fans of director Minghella's first (and best) film "Truly Madly Deeply" should remember the woman and her ghostly dead lover singing a raucous cover of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore," while fans of oldskool retro-60's classics on classics radio should recall "Make It Easy On Yourself" plus many anthemic others done with the same sonorous baritone over an orchestral sweeping vista.

The film is "30 Century Man" and the subject is Scott Walker. Once upon a time in the 1960's, three typical tall, skinny Sunset Strip denizens with long hair and bangs past their eyebrows plus failed C.V.s as musicians moved to England, wherein the intrinsic lack of tall, skinny Sunset Strip denizens with bangs past their eyebrows would allow them to actually stand out. That they did, to eventual mega-stardom. Precursors of the Ramones' hat trick, these unrelated chums named themselves the Walker Brothers, surrendered to mainstream pop, and had enormous hit after enormous hit there, with their flagship sound of Scott Walker's baritone crooning. However mushy the MOR slop tended to be, at least it was interesting having "one of our own" youth culturers singing this way, and all three looking so shaggable. Believe me, David Bowie was listening INTENTLY to this particular sound, and you can hear it every concert he sings to this day.

Huge hits written by the era's best other songwriters, genuine Beatles-esque fan mobbing, compromises, breakdowns, supstance abuse, what photographer/director Larry Clark called "the usual betrayals in the music biz," then it gets weird. Prettiest boy and main voice Scott derails, joins a monastary, emerges as a Jacques Brel enterpreter, then a techno-artist songwriter before there actually is techno, then avant-garde orchestrator cum performance artist for music that has no categorizing description, all of which he warbles the highest brow intellectual themes over. He releases his work maybe once a decade. This is the story of Scott Walker, a man rightly called the most enigmatic figure ever in the history of popular music, depicted from infancy to 2006 in "30 Century Man."

The director gives us "listening heads" instead of the talking variety, what with David Bowie coming aboard, Radiohead, Brian Eno and others chatting about Walker's influence upon their own work. Even 60's compatriot Lulu inquires to the only director that's managed to snag an interview with Walker if he's still gorgeous (A: yes, in a tall, skinny, bit of receding hairline, wildly creative, intellectual mien way. The guy laughs a lot for a supposed morbidly reclusive type, too.) Many depicted fans of old don't "get" his newest work, voicing Luddite disdain for something so far ahead of what's going on now (whenever "now" is: that's the beauty of the avant garde) that they fail to embrace pure innovation for its own sake.

You'll see recent footage of him orchestrating in the studio (replete with a percussionist pounding a huge side of pork, or recording sounds under a wooden box,) and explaining his difficult themes with assured ease and aplomb. Thank God Scott Walker is still around, for this is one former pop star turned composer who is actually working at the peak of creative powers right here, right now, a massive achievement for anyone, but especially former popstars. Trent Reznor should be so lucky when he's Walker's age. Check out "30 Century Man" to watch a fascinating musical journey resolutely forwards, not backwards.

Inane in parts, but still essential
At the time of writing (early 2008) this DVD represents the only readily available source of footage of the great Scott Walker (apart from the odds and sods on Youtube), and as a career overview, it is more than adequate. Yes, some of the "celebrity" interviews are silly and pointless, but on the whole this film is fascinating, well made, and worthwhile.