Joe Meek

[Mikey]

I watched a DVD of the 2008 film "Telstar - the Story of Joe Meek" yesterday.
If you haven't seen it it's a great nostalgia wallow music-wise and there are old Burns, Hofner and other guitars that featured in many groups (we didn't call them "bands" back then, did we?) before the Strats, etc became accessible.
A good story and hopefully a fairly accurate portryal of the pioneering producer's troubled life and his "Heath Robinson" method of working. I can recommend it and if you go to Amazon you can get it for under a tenner.

[RayL]

Reactions to 'Telstar have been 'mixed'. There are some who are delighted that Joe's story has been told and have been impressed with the acting, particularly Con O'Neil as Joe. There are others (and I include myself) who found the film difficult to watch because (as films do) the facts were changed and distorted to make a screenplay that would fit into 112 mins. In addition, the personalities of many of the (real) people who were portrayed were altered for dramatic reasons and to give 'juicier' parts for the actors.

If you remember the film about Buddy Holly then you'll know what I mean - enjoy it for the music, but don't rely on it being a truthful account of the man's life.

I'm someone who grew up enjoying (and buying) the records that Joe Meek produced even before I knew who Joe Meek was. These days I celebrate that music by playing in The Triumphs (the world's only Joe Meek tribute band!) and for me it's the music that matters. Joe led a troubled life (though many of the troubles were of his own making) but he had an extraordinary gift for producing music that would be enjoyed by others and that's something that's been an inspiration to me.

I'm glad you enjoyed the film - but it's a drama loosely based around the facts, not a documentary.

Ray

[Arpeggio]

Hi Mike,
As well as being a 'dyed - in - the - wool' Shadows / Instrumentals fan - I'm also heavily involved in the Joe Meek / RGM scene - having been a fan / follower / collector of that genre too for nigh on 50 years!!! Like Ray (who is our MD), I am also a member of the Triumphs - seeking to keep Joe's music alive via live shows etc. If more people add to this thread - then I may also add more. I did have a small advisory role prior to and during the making of "Telstar" - as well as appearing as an extra (most notably straight after the opening credits - as 'man staring into shop window'!!!). I would just echo everything that Ray has said. "Telstar" is an entertaining film - but it's also pretty dark, graphic and shocking.

Director Nick Moran did go for a mix of humorous entertainment - but coupled with a serious study of a man (Meek) gradually (at first) and then rapidly spiralling down into the black hole of a total physical and mental breakdown - with devastating results. He saw it as a dark 'Greek Tragedy' of a human being grappling with his self - destructive inner demons. In that regard - it doesn't fail - and Con O'Neill's portrayal of Joe Meek is outstanding. But.....whoever said 'Don't let the truth / facts get in the way of a good story' was also correct. There are many inaccuracies as well as total fabrication purely for dramatic effect. The two scenes which particualrly gall me are those depicting the creation of "Telstar" and "Have I The Right" respectively. Neither of those (apart from Joe tunelessly warbling the melody of "Telstar") are even remotely akin to the creative process of those two mega - hits.

Incidentally - as many may not know this - Joe had lined up "The Breeze And I" as the Tornados follow - up to "Love And Fury". Clem discovered that the Fentones were about to release their own version of "The Breeze And I". Clem also found out from his good friend Bruce Welch that the Shadows also had a version 'in the can' and ready for use. As John Repsch so eloquently put it in his biography of Joe Meek. This may not be verbatim; 'Joe told Clem not to worry - and that he'd come up with something else. That something else.....was "Telstar"'.

Bests.....Rob

[martcaster]

I'd so looked forward to the film of Telstar, having seen the play with Con O'Neill in the lead role. We went with Ray Randall, Heinz's successor; and he was transfixed that not only the 'geography' of the flat was so accurate, but, as he said, Con O' Neill wasn't like Joe, he WAS Joe! The film, for me, was just as good, and, like Mike, I heartily recommend it to anyone who can remember those wonderful pre-Beatles days. Of course there are deviations from the strictly accurate, but I wouldn't let that put anybody off giving themselves a good 90 minutes of pure nostalgia and particularly top notch acting from O'Neill.
Ray tells me he went to Holloway Road one day and Joe shouted down.."Who's that?" "It's me, Ray!" "Wait there on the stairs, and when I shout Start! stamp up on and down on them", at which point a mike was lowered over the banister rail. "Right, start! and keep going till I tell you to stop!" Thud, thud, thud etc......"Right, stop!" Ray says that when he went upstairs, Joe told him he was going to use it at the beginning of the new single by The Honeycombs (Have I The Right?) Nice to think it was true, I loved that record (both sides)
Anyway, if you haven't seen it, and you're at all interested in Joe's music/life, give it a whirl. I especially thought the bloke who played "Man in shop window" was outstanding! He certainly showed Kevin Spacey a thing or two about standing still. Wonder if he went on to do anything else??
Love to all,
Mart (see you all in few weeks!)