CROSSFIRE HURRICANE
(directed by Brett Morgan, 2015)
***** (out of 5)
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> Okay- I capitulate. No more resistance from me. The Rolling Stones are, were, will always be The World’s Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band.
. After seeing the excellent 2008 Marty Scorsese Stones concert film SHINE A LIGHT, a was already made aware that the latter day Stones are perhaps every bit as good as they ever were, if perhaps in a smoother, less energetic way, as they slide into old age. (Charlie Watts has been there for a while…) This project was based on sound recordings interviewing band members about their early years, expanded and enlarged by a virtual time capsule of fantastic stills and moving images including rip-roaring concert footage, cultural signposts culled from the media and often surprisingly tender behind the scenes moments. The result is a fittingly woozy fever dream of life as a Rolling Stone at the start of the excessive seventies.
. Though this era marked my coming of age, I never saw the Stones live, and was surprised how little I actually knew about them, despite having bought at least a dozen of their albums when I was a young, music-worshipping, counter-culture psychedelic-warrior. In watching this document, I was impressed by what an educated and thoughtful man Mick Jagger appears to have always been, and certainly my respect for Keith Richards went through the roof. It is impressive that this man known for excessive self-satisfaction of his desires chose his rock ‘n’ roll band over his seemingly insurmountable appetite for heroin and booze. Impressive also, to hear from Charlie Watts that although most rock bands take their lead from the drummer, the Stones are different because as the drummer, he takes his cues from Keith- meaning he plays slightly behind the band while Bill Wyman said he was playing slightly ahead: a recipe for musical tension that could cause the music to fly apart at any moment, yet, miraculously, never does.
. This kaleidoscope of a film is a chronicle of the uninhibited hedonism of the times. The Stones were not the only figures who spent the decade drowning in sex and drugs- so did many of their fans. It all gets a bit much by the end. The thing is, on the surface of it, they lied when they said they can’t get no satisfaction. The swooning hoards of screaming girls literally wetting themselves that met this declaration rivaled Beatlemania in its wild frenzy. They each had plenty of opportunities to get satisfaction- and that appears to be what they sought.
. But ultimately, “if it feels good do it” is an empty mantra. It doesn’t lead to satisfaction. After death and attrition, the Rolling Stones rolls on past all that extraneous stuff.
– Now, they are back to rocking for the joy of it, taking their satisfaction from the music- and that’s a great thing for rock ‘n’ roll.
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