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| Monkey Woman |
I found it on Mick's website www.mickjagger.com
But I don't know who's Colin Jacobson, really. Anyway, it's an interesting read, even if I don't share all the opinions of the author (for instance, I thought the bits about Mick the family man sweet and touching and that it helped us understand the man).
Enjoy!
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Mick Jagger: Being Mick (2001)
Reviewed by Colin Jacobson
Considering the topic of this review, my next few sentences may seem rather convenient, but I swear they�re true. Back when college friends and I would play �what if� games, once we discussed this question: if you could become another person for a month, who would it be? I picked Mick Jagger. For one, I�ve been a big Stones fan for years, so it�d be cool to experience the music from that first-person viewpoint.
In addition, it�d be interesting to see what it�s like to be so intensely famous. Of all my favorite artists, Jagger isn�t my most preferred; there are a handful of others I like more. However, of the folks on that roster, he�s the most famous and most recognizable. I suppose McCartney would be around the same level, but frankly, who seems more interesting: Paul or Mick? McCartney�s so dull that it probably wouldn�t be nearly as much fun to examine the world through his eyes.
Really, among my favorites, the only competition in the fame and power stakes is Madonna. Actually, she�s likely surpassed Jagger in those areas, but I�d still prefer to see what it�s like to be Mick, if for no other reason than the babes. Even as he pushes 60, Jagger can pull in hotties left and right. (Granted, so could Madonna, but if I�m going to deal with sex, I�d rather do it from the standpoint of my own gender.)
Being Mick didn�t allow me to live out my fantasy, and it didn�t really give us a very good idea what life for the megastar is like. However, it did provide an entertaining look behind the curtain that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Of course, the documentary features no plot, but it does cover a theme of sorts. The program examines the period in which Jagger created his fourth solo album, 2001�s Goddess in the Doorway. Interspersed with those moments, we see Mick as he produces the film Enigma and goes through his daily life of drugs, alcohol, and sacrificial virgins.
Okay, I made up the last bits. You�ll encounter no decadence during Being Mick; we�ll have to hope for a release of the infamous documentary jdsla Blues to get that. Instead, Being Mick badly wants to convince us that Jagger�s a true family man and artiste. The program captures many moments that involve his apparently never-ending roster of children. These show Mick the doting daddy, and frankly, they bored me. I don�t doubt that Jagger loves his kids, but I couldn�t care less about the topic.
Mick thrived when it stuck to Jagger�s profession. Goddess included a minor roster of celebrity guest stars, and we run into most of them here. This leads to some of the program�s best moments. We watch Bono as he records his vocals for �Joy� and has lunch with Jagger, and we also check out Pete Townshend as he and Jagger discuss public transportation, of all things; apparently Pete takes the tube at times, whereas Mick can�t go anywhere near such places.
For the record, I didn�t take Jagger�s refusal to ride the rails as arrogance. Though famous, Townshend remains obscure enough that he can get away with such a thing, but the sight of Mick Jagger sitting solo on a subway train would cause an enormous ruckus. It would create real problems, so I can�t blame him for his avoidance, especially since I believe he can afford other methods of transportation.
Speaking of which, a chartered jet flight provides Mick�s sole moment of genuine superciliousness. As Jagger tries to leave Germany, customs officials ask to see his passport. He claims not to have it and generally gives them a moderately hard time. Jagger doesn�t seem angry, but he appears genuinely amused that someone would force Mick Jagger to prove his identity. This leads to a mocking chat on board the departed plane. Mick�s snottiness makes this his least appealing appearance in the program.
While Mick definitely doesn�t qualify as a �tell all� documentary, it does provide a few good glimpses behind the scenes. We watch Jagger and Elton John discuss their reactions to Madonna�s then-current tour, and we hear Kate Winslet - the star of Enigma - query if those two musicians had a tiff. (As Jagger points out, Kate made a mistake; Elton and Keith Richards bickered at each other through the press.)
We also see some spooky obsessed fans, an element that helps explain Jagger�s occasionally cool public demeanor. He blows off some of these folks and also treats them in a fairly terse manner. On the surface, he might look arrogant and cold, but since the footage helps us understand just how fanatical these people are, we can better comprehend his behavior. Jagger doesn�t need to encourage them, as such actions could literally endanger him.
Mick doesn�t include a ton of those moments, but what it shows seems interesting. On a lighter note, I was amused to hear Jagger explain why he�d never be knighted; less than a year after he made this proclamation, he received that very honor. It�s also fun to meet Mick�s dad, and I liked the voyage to Lenny Kravitz� house. That abode looks like the Seventies exploded inside it; Kravitz must have told the designer, �Make me a rock star mansion!� and that was that. (This isn�t a criticism - I actually thought Kravitz� house seemed really cool.)
In the end, I can�t call Being Mick a very revealing documentary. It exists to promote Goddess; in fact, it originally aired on broadcast TV around the time of the album�s release. The program definitely could use a stronger focus on music and Jagger�s creative process. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the show quite a bit and thought it offered just enough compelling bits to keep my attention. |
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