See Hear - That'll Be The Day and Stardust

There are many great films with narcissists as the lead character. There are films about characters behaving poorly because society says it's not only allowed but encouraged. We at See Hear felt that rock and roll cinema has its share of narcissistic characters who behave poorly with society's blessing....so we've picked not one, but two films that highlight this behaviour. Welcome to episode 139 of See Hear podcast. In the early 70s, nostalgia for the 50s was getting started. George Lucas was releasing one of the handful of films he made that didn't involve robots, walking carpets, and mysterious men in robes. That film was American Graffiti and it was set to a soundtrack of early rock and roll. In 1973, producer David Puttnam and writer Ray Connolly put together a story set in the same time period, but with a far grittier storyline. That story became That'll Be The Day, a film about a working class teenager Jim Maclaine who like many British youth caught the rock and roll bug. He quits school and leaves home (where he's desperately needed) to take a series of mundane jobs all in the name of his freedom. He proceeds to treat everyone he knows like dirt, all in the name of his personal freedom. He's far from sympathetic, yet we're fascinated by him. We also look at the film's 1974 sequel Stardust which has a Faustian premise – be careful what you wish for. Maclaine becomes a rock and roll star, and still treats those around him poorly....but he has none of the freedom he thought being famous would bring him. If That'll Be The Day was a 70s version of the kitchen sink drama, Stardust is a rock biopic about a character who didn't exist, and well before biopics became common. The films are stylistically very different, but very much two halves of the one story. Playing our anti-hero is pop star David Essex. By the time Stardust was released, he was a bona fide pop sensation, and the films may have served as a warning to him to treat people better than his character. Providing support is Ringo Starr (in what is often cited to be his greatest acting role), Keith Moon, Adam Faith, pre-JR Larry Hagman, and many others. These films were huge in their day, with soundtracks that sold in large numbers but are seemingly forgotten in the 21st century. Tim, Kerry and I were rapt to be joined by co hosts of Stinking Pause and Reel Britannia, Scott, Charlie, “Shakin'” Steven and Paul. These films are SO British, we couldn't NOT do them without their contributions to the conversation. 7 people on a podcast chat? Trust me, it worked....and hopefully you'll find it entertaining. We talk about kitchen sink dramas, nostalgia, rock and roll versus trad jazz in England representing the class wars, rock musicians who live in a state of arrested development, letting a record company's back catalogue dictate the soundtrack (sort of) rather than the writers, England's David Cassidy, and so much more. We forgot to talk about how when Ringo turns the other cheek, it's not the ones on his face......so I mention it here.... Our huge thanks go to the fine gents of Stinking Pause and Reel Britannia for joining in a lively conversation and educating us in British film history. You can find them at: https://stinkingpause.libsyn.com/ or at https://reelbritannia.libsyn.com/ or on the podcast app of your choice. We're looking forward to our next collaboration with the chaps. Check your streaming service to see if the films are available....or go and track down a double DVD set from Studio Canal with both films. See Hear is proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts. Check out all the other wonderful shows at http://pantheonpodcasts.com Send us feedback via email at seehearpodcast@gmail.com Join the Facebook group at http://facebook.com/groups/seehearpodcast You can download the show by searching for See Hear on whatever podcast app you favour. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices