Explore the life and career of a musical artist who penned some of the biggest hits of the 1960s before turning his back on fame and completely reinventing himself as a reclusive outsider artist. In the mid-'60s, few bands rose higher up the British pop charts than the Walker Brothers, and as the front man of the group, Scott Walker was constantly in the spotlight. In the years that followed, the American-born Walker would split from the group to establish himself as a successful solo artist
while inspiring such popular musicians as David Bowie and Bono. Now, as the release of Walker's 2006 solo album, The Drift, draws near, the existential crooner notorious for not granting interviews allows filmmaker Stephen Kijak to follow along for tantalizing glimpse at one of the world's most enigmatic musicians. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (which takes its title from a Walker-penned song) makes a fascinating case that in the years that followed, Walker became the music equivalent of a 'poet's poet.'
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man chronicles the career of musician Scott Walker, an enigmatic figure whose influence far outreaches his relative obscurity.
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man is the latest in a mini-wave of pop-music docs, like The Devil and Daniel Johnston, that try to inflate cult figures into lost geniuses.
Director Stephen Kijak not only got a composed, almost warm interview out of Walker, but he filmed some of the sessions for Walker's latest adventuresome recording project.
Scott Walker: 30 Century Man glosses over the depression and alcoholism that have bedeviled Walker as well as any relationships he might have had. But that doesn't make the film any less interesting.
For Walker fans, I imagine 30 Century Man will come as a bit of a vindication, having the knowledge that they knew this world before it had been fully documented and made ready for public consumption
By actually playing the music and allowing this commentary, Kijak hits upon a kind of astute music criticism, and an argument for music as challenging as this.
One of the best music documentaries ever made, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man will have you yearning to learn more and fully immerse yourself in its subject.
Breathlessly details the step-by-step evolution of an enigmatic musical artist within pop culture from the 1960s on to the avant-garde, though little about the man.
Stephen Kijak's 30 Century Man hacks away at the mythology surrounding the enigmatic artist, proving that his about-face wasn't nearly as abrupt as it often seems.
I had never heard of Scott Walker, but I found this documentary very interesting, and also his music very interesting (especially as his career goes on). Includes interviews from a lot of other good musicians such as Jarvis Cocker and David Bowie.
a fascinating look at the reclusive musician, who rose from boy band pop icon of the 60's to a truly avant garde artist. not as well known as he should be, especially in his native america (not that he cares), his influence can be heard from bowie to the the smiths to radiohead and beyond. his dramatic baritone
voice, painting extraordinary images with abstract poetry, sounds like nobody else. i hadn't heard of him til fairly recently, my bad, but i certainly admire his courageous creative spirit and loyalty to his unique muse. and i'm acquiring a taste for his music too. he's still recording, every 10 years or so, most recently the drift in 2006.
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