Shine a Light - Any Light
James Wolcott’s right: “it’s wealth that’s required, not scrappy resilience.” So we won’t be reviewing Shine a Light here, because I haven’t yet seen it. In lieu of the requisite Scorcese-mauling, how about a brief Tattoo YouTube for a Friday night, a shambling mess of videos that just percolated up from the series of tubes.
Classic 1974 Keith Richards interview.
Keith is busted in Toronto, knocks out some covers.
Angie, 1973.
Hand of Fate, 1974.
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, 1975
I’ve always liked Wolcott, now even more so (and this, after all he’s done for me), when he says “I’m starting to sound like David Denby… and not in a good way.” Hilarious! I always watch for creeping Denby-ism in my film crit. Though I agree with all of it, I wonder if it’s all fair; White’s reviewing the audience as much as the Stones, and I think it’s a little easy - I mean, Boomer Disdain is almost a given in us younger folk these days, and I know I can make the case by heart. White hits the notes, but it all feels a little familiar. I think Wolcott’s more on to it - it’s the self satisfied, mutual handjob nature of the celebrity co-worship (between Scorceses/Clinton/Stones… all you need is Bono to make it complete; or maybe Michael Stipe) and the dated quality of the Stones’ worldview that makes this exercise so… tired. But then, I’ve never completely understood the cult of Mick; I thought the whole white Brit guy who likes black r&b was a bit cliche all along. But it’s music, of course, and I make a lousy music critic.