The Kids Are Alright

So last night I went to a screening of the infamous Who rockumentary "The Kids Are Alright" at Chicago's famed Music Box Theatre. My dear friend and sometimes bass player, Mr. Dara Sahebjami had bought the tickets and invited me along. The last time I went to the Music Box was back in the mid-nineties when my uncle took me to a viewing of "Citizen Kane" (I was going through a pretty big Orson Welles phase at the time) so I was lookin' forward to it. Last night's screening was hosted by Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot of Sound Opinions fame, and afterwards they hosted a little Q and A. I had of course seen this film many times but never on the big screen before. The sound wasn't the greatest but it was still a cool experience nonetheless. The theatre was pretty well packed but judging by the crowd's reaction to some of the more comical scenes it was clear that a lot of the people in attendance had never seen the film before. This was confirmed by some of the comments I overheard outside after the screening. I must admit, I was kinda surprised by that. After all, I took this screening to be something of a celebration of one of the all time classic rockumentaries, and I just assumed most anybody there would already be well familiar with the film. That wasn't the case really and I guess I just found that to be a little disappointing, especially given the fact that much of this footage has popped up in numerous other documentaries and what not since the film's initial release in 1979. I guess sometimes I just forget that not everybody lives and breathes rock and roll the way I do. It just is what it is. Still, it was clear that most everybody who bothered to come out really enjoyed the film and I guess that's what really counts. Better late than never, as they say.

"The Kids Are Alright" was directed by one Jeff Stein. It's largely comprised of archival footage of the band in action dating back to the mid-sixties as well as performances that were specifically filmed for the movie, namely the infamous footage of "Baba O' Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". These performances would unfortunately be Keith Moon's last with the band, as he passed away prior to the film's official release. In many ways "The Kids Are Alright" was something of a Moon tour de force and most definitely his swan song. His keen wit and infamous buffoonery are highlighted throughout the film's non-linear narrative, and when it comes to the performance footage itself it's nearly impossible to take your eyes off his thunderous, madcap drumming. The famous footage of "Baba O' Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" finds an out of practice, out of shape Moon struggling to keep up in parts. Yet, he still attacks his drums with a tenacious verve that very few lesser drummers could conjure up. My personal favorite footage is of the band jammin' on "Barbara Ann" with Keith on the lead vocal (Keith was famously fond of surf music and The Beach Boys in particular). I've always enjoyed the montage of footage from the "Who Are You" sessions as well. Both scenes find Keith keeping his bandmates in stitches despite the dark road he was now traveling. It's almost heartbreaking to watch but given the turn of events that soon followed, a true treasure to have on film.

For a more complete history of The Who, I would highly recommend last year's critically acclaimed documentary "Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who" which features extensive interviews with Daltrey and Townshend as well as plenty of archival footage of the late, great Entwistle and Moon. Officially sanctioned by the band as the "definitive Who anthology", it's one of the most comprehensive and downright entertaining rock documentaries I've ever had the pleasure to view.

Both "The Kids Are Alright" and "Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who" are currently available on DVD.