I still remember the first time I heard the Gun Club- my pal Andrew played me "Jack On Fire", and I was hooked. I was a big fan of music that didn't sound like anything else I'd ever heard, and this fit the bill exactly. It also led me into a few new directions, exploring both the blues it drew on and the American punk scene it sprang from- which at the time was often considered inferior to it's English cousin.
Well, last night I went to ACMI with a few old friends- long time Gun Club fans all, including the afore mentioned Andrew- to see "Ghost On The Highway".
I'd heard conflicting reports about it, including a lot of criticism about the lack of actual music, due to some sort of legal hoo-ha.
There was a fair crowd in the cinema, mainly older types. The movie itself is well shot and edited, and tells it's story at a fair pace. There is plenty of detail at the start, but some of that fades toward the end, due to the fact that many of the participants/interviewees peeled themselves away from Jeffrey Lee in his later years. You need to have at least a working knowledge of the band's history and output to make sense of it, too.
Terry Graham, Ward Dotson, Jim Duckworth and Dee Pop all have plenty to say- some fond memories but also a fair measure of bitterness, and some backstabbing/musical oneupmanship, too. Kid Congo Powers seems more equable and relaxed about his time with the band- perhaps he has a different perspective, having his success with the Cramps and Bads Seed to quell any self doubt or sense of failure.
Dave Alvin of the Blasters & John Doe Of X shed some light on the bands' early playing days, and are of interest in and of themselves, especially Doe, who has weathered well and comes across as a very thoughtful guy.
LA punk figures Pleasant Gehman and Theresa K make some very interesting contributions regarding the genesis of the band, and Chris D. gets a hefty slab of the respect he is due for producing and releasing "Fire Of Love". The only snippet that doesn't sit too well is Lemmy's very generalised observations on the rock and roll lifestyle.
It's not a character assassination by any means- if Pierce comes across as a loudmouth asshole, it's probably because that's what he was a lot of the time. I encountered him a few times in the early 90s and can attest to what an infuriating guy he could be when he wanted to.
Afterwards, discussing what we had just seen over a few beers, we all resolved to go home and play some of the bands' tunes, both to fill in the mental soundtracks we'd all been running during the movie, and in Jeffrey Lee's honour. After me-"Out in the west, it looks like rain..."
