The Kids Are Alright
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- This article is about the video. For the song of the same name, see The Kids Are Alright (song) and The Kids Are Alright (soundtrack).
The Kids Are Alright is a rockumentary film about the British rock band The Who, including live performances, promotional films, and interviews from 1965 through 1978.
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[edit] Production
The film was primarily the work of American fan Jeff Stein who, despite having no previous experience in moviemaking, convinced the band to support the project and served as the film's director. Stein had produced a book of photographs from the band's 1970 tour when he was just 17. In 1975, he approached Pete Townshend, The Who's principal composer and lead guitartist, about compiling a collection of film clips to provide a historical reference for the band's fans. Townshend initially rejected the idea, but was persuaded by the group's manager, Bill Curbishley, to give their cooperation.
When Stein and his film editor, Ed Rothkowitz, soon previewed a 17-minute compilation of clips from their US television appearances to the band and their wives, they could hardly believe the reaction. "Townshend was on the floor, banging his head. He and Moon were hysterical. Daltrey's wife was laughing so hard she knocked over the coffee table in the screening room. Their reaction was unbelievable. They loved it. That's when they were really convinced that the movie was worth doing."
Stein knew that many of the band's best performances and most memorable moments had either never been recorded or been lost, erased or discarded. For more than two years, he collected movie, television and fan film footage in England, the US, Sweden, Germany, France, Australia, Norway and Finland, in some cases actually rescuing footage from the trash. Nevertheless, there were gaps in the depiction of the band's catalog and persona that required the shooting of new material. This began on July 20, 1977 at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex, England with the playing of the song Barbara Ann at Stein's request. The film crew then spent five days chronicling the daily life of drummer Keith Moon at his Malibu, California home, including his 31st birthday party. Finally, Stein attempted on several occasions to record performances of songs that were not covered by the archival footage, particularly Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again. The final recordings were made on May 25, 1978.
The sound editing was supervised by bassist John Entwistle and, with the exception of a few songs where Entwistle overdubbed the bass line, all of the sound was authentic. During the process of sound editing, on September 7, 1978, Keith Moon died. All of the band members except Townshend had seen a rough cut of the film just a week before and, after Moon's death, they were determined not to change anything.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 1979 to rave reviews and is considered by many to be the best rock and roll documentary ever made.
An album was released as a soundtrack in June of 1979 that included some songs and performances from the movie. The album reached #26 in the UK, and fared better in the US where it peaked at #8 on the Billboard album charts and went Platinum.
[edit] Contents
The Kids Are Alright premiered in the US on June 15, 1979 in the middle of the disaster film era that featured films like Earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. In this environment, the original press kit for The Kids Are Alright drew on the band's destructive reputation and called it "the world's first rock 'n' roll disaster movie."
With the collection of material he included, Stein attempted to create not a linear, chronological documentary, but "a celluloid rock 'n' roll revival meeting" and "a hair-raising rollercoaster ride" that was worthy of the band's reputation. The performances which comprise the body of the film are organized around a number of playful encounters by the band members with various variety and talk show hosts, Pete Townshend's playful relationship with his fans, admirers and critics, and the endless antics of Keith Moon.
[edit] Television shows and interviews
The film begins with a bang — literally — at the band's only US variety show appearance. On September 15, 1967, The Who appeared on the CBS show The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in Los Angeles following the end of their first US tour. They lip-synched the songs "I Can See For Miles" and "My Generation" and flustered host Tommy Smothers by refusing to follow the script as he tried to converse with them before "My Generation". Moon made the biggest impact, however, when the destructive nature of his on-stage persona reached its highest level. After The Who's performance of "My Generation", they began smashing their instruments. Moon packed explosive charge in his bass drum which set Townshend's hair on fire and rendered him temporarily deaf for 20 minutes, while cymbal shrapnel left a gash in Moon's arm. Townshend then took the acoustic guitar Smothers was holding and smashed it to bits on the ground. Smothers was completely frustrated, but the audience thought the whole performance was staged. Clips of a 1973 interview from London Weekend Television's Russell Harty Plus appear six times throughout the film. While Harty delves into the background of the members' lives, Moon again steals the show as he rips a sleeve off himself, Townshend and, finally, Harty during the conversation.
An early performance from ABC television's Shindig! and one of only two surviving tapes from the group's many appearances on the British program Ready, Steady, Go!, both recorded in 1965, are included along with numerous interview clips from BBC Radio, Radio Bremen of Hamburg. Segments filmed in each of the band member's homes include several conversations between Moon and fellow drummer Ringo Starr.
[edit] Large concerts
Performances from three of the band's largest concert appearances bear witness to the band's progression from the British mod scene to global superstardom:
- Their reluctant gig at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on August 17, 1969 was not an artistic success in the eyes of the band, but it helped Tommy become a critical blockbuster. The four clips that appear in the film include three tracks from Tommy and My Generation, topped off by Townshend throwing his guitar into the crowd.
- The group's 1975 US tour reached its peak before a crowd of 75,962 at the Pontiac Silverdome on December 6. The images in the film were broadcast to large screens in the stadium so those in the far reaches could actually see the band members on stage.
- While it appears near the end of the film, the band's appearance at the Monterey International Pop Festival on June 18, 1967 brought about their first big media exposure in the United States.
[edit] Discarded footage
At least three chapters in the film preserve performances that were discarded or thought to be lost:
- When the English National Opera allowed the band to play in the London Coliseum on December 14, 1969, the show was recorded for later release. The poor quality of the footage, however, made it expendable to the group and Jeff Stein retrieved the footage from a trash dump. The band's rendition of "Young Man Blues" is included in the film.
- A promotional film for the song "Happy Jack" was shot on December 19, 1966 for a BBC Television series called Sound and Picture City but the show was never aired.
- The Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus was to be a television special combining prominent British bands and circus performers, followed by a UK tour, but when the Stones felt that their stage appearance did not compare favorably with The Who's at the time, the program broadcast and tour were cancelled. The film includes a performance of the group's first "rock opera" — A Quick One, While He's Away — shot on December 10, 1968.
[edit] DVD edition
In 2003 a DVD edition of the film was released. The film had been transferred from the restored 35mm negative and the audio was extensively restored. In addition to the original film, the DVD contained a bonus disc with over 3 hours of additional materials including a new interview with Roger Daltrey conducted by the DVD's Associate Producer Martin Lewis. There was also an audio commentary track with Lewis, film director Jeff Stein and producer John Alberian. The DVD was released by Pioneer Home Entertainment. The digitally-restored version of the film was premiered at the New York Film Festival in October 2003 with Daltrey, Lewis, Stein and Alberian in attendance.
[edit] Credits
- Starring: Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend
- Appearing: Tommy Smothers, Jimmy O'Neill, Russell Harty, Melvyn Bragg, Ringo Starr, Mary Ann Zabresky, Michael Leckebusch, Barry Fantoni, Jeremy Paxman, Bob Pridden, Keith Richards, Garry McDonald, Norman Gunston, Steve Martin, Rick Danko, Ken Russell
- Executive Producer: Sydney Rose
- Produced by: Bill Curbishley, Tony Klinger
- Associate Producers: Jeff Stein, Ed Rothkowitz, The Who
- Edited by: Ed Rothkowitz
- Musical Director: John Entwistle
- Written and Directed by: Jeff Stein
[edit] Quotations
- "Most rock films are pretentious. They're made for the sole purpose of making Robert Plant's dick look big. This is totally the opposite. Within the first half hour we're made to look complete idiots." – Roger Daltrey
[edit] References
- Liner notes from The Kids Are Alright (Special Edition) (1979) DVD, Pioneer Entertainment (USA), Inc., 2003
[edit] External links
- The Kids Are Alright DVD Official site
- The Kids Are Alright at thewho.net. Includes photos and mp3 links.
- The Kids Are Alright at the Internet Movie Database
- TV Guide.com Review
