Ghost of a flea: There's a pattern here to see

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June 12, 2011

There's a pattern here to see

Lost treasure: I had never heard of, much less seen, this documentary about one of my favourite albums, Stewart Copeland's The Rhythmatist.

In 1985, Copeland released a solo album, The Rhythmatist. The record was the result of a pilgrimage to Africa and its people, and it features local drums and percussion, with more drums, percussion and other musical instruments added by Copeland.

Africa is a rather diverse place and is home to diverse peoples with diverse musical traditions. But such is the write up and in fairness neither the album nor the film worries itself about these distinctions either.

The album was the official soundtrack to the movie of the same name, which was co-written by Stewart. He also starred in the movie, which is "A musical odyssey through the heart of Africa in search of the roots of Rock & Roll." The movie is an almost psychedelic, psychological, anthropological, and mythological cosmic adventure drawing from sources like Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, similar to Peter Weir's "The Last Wave."

Another odd claim as the album is lacking in rock and/or roll. And, while invoking Campbell and Jung works for undergraduate film students, it is important to note the particular myths being invoked viz Stanley's search for Livingstone and, of course, Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

The main feature: The video is a bit wobbly to start but stick with it.

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV

Poking around: I had never heard of Peter Weir's The Last Wave either. It sounds beautiful, an artifact from an alternate universe where Tehran hosts international film festivals.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at June 12, 2011 06:44 AM