Being Mick

Rating:
Summary: Pretty Empty
Review: This felt like a particularly vacuous segment of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." I guess I was looking for an insightful glimpse into the world of Mick Jagger. Instead, I got a poorly edited glorification of Mick as loving father, musical prodigy and jetsetting man of the world. There was no critical analysis of his life, his music, his failed relationships, his relationship with offspring not appearing in the film, etc. This felt like a self-promotional image piece that was carefully designed to present Jagger as a man of sterling character. My suspicion was confirmed, in fact, when I read the closing credits: Mick was the Executive Producer. I have a feeling that the purpose of this so-called documentary was to inspire greater interest in Jagger among the public, and particularly among his fans, in order to increase sales of his newly released solo album. There's nothing wrong with such aggressive marketing, but let's not call the film a "documentary" - a "public relations" piece would have been a more fitting description. I have far greater respect for the documentary form than this hollow work conveyed.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Mini-Rockumentary
Review: While only a casual fan of The Rolling Stones, I was intrigued to watch this (originally) TV special when it aired on Thanksgiving in 2001 because you have to admire someone approaching 60 still being creative, spirited, and intent on creating a beautiful work of art. In Mick Jagger's case, this would be his hugely underrated 2001 solo album _Goddess in the Doorway_.

This 'Rockumentary' features Mick in his studio as well as other studios around the world (with Lenny Kravitz, Pete Townshend, Wyclef Jean, etc.) working on songs for _GitD_. At the same time, it features Mick working behind the scenes producing the movie "Enigma" starring Kate Winslet. One interesting scence has Mick attending a charity benefit/party at Elton John's house and the two frankly discuss Madonna's recent tour. Great, candid stuff. The most interesting part of the DVD tho' is just watching Mick Jagger work, writing lyrics, recording vocals, and taping ideas on a tiny recorder. The man is truly one of the most important figures of rock and roll. The fact that new songs such as "God Gave Me Everything" and "Gun" are as vital and as fresh as anything he's ever done is even more amazing.

I'd not only recommend this to Stones/Mick fans, but to anyone who wants to be inspired watching someone being creative in what they do for a living. Additionally, pick up _GitD_ -- it's definitely an album that undeservedly fell by the wayside.