Directed by Andy Grieve & Lauren Lazin
Bob Yari Productions
In A Word: Yawn
Sigh…. Rock superstar problems can wear thin fairly quickly. The nicer their home, the bigger their bank account, the more rapidly one is tempted to grab them by the lapels and ask – as in the case here of former Police guitarist Andy Summers – just what the hell are you so glum about?
Don’t get me wrong. I know that money and fame can’t bring happiness and often have the opposite effect. Summers was a warm and delightful interview subject when I spoke with The Police in 1979 (as was Stewart Copeland; Sting sat removed from the two with little to say – harbinger of things to come). And damn, he can play the guitar.
So when I recently spied this DVD on the new release shelf at my local video with bold-faced raves on its cover – “a must see,” “wonderful” and “entertaining and insightful” – I figured it was worth a view. This documentary is based on Summers’ memoir, 2006’s One Train Later; hence the story has already been told, and a wan reading of it by Summers forms the film’s narration. His rather skilled photography is seen throughout.
Can’t Stand Losing You doesn’t even come close to the quotes. It may not be a case of wanting the hour-and-a-half I spent watching it back, but my time could well have been better spent elsewhere, as it rarely connects with the viewer with any dramatic crackle other than the footage of The Police performing on the 2007-’08 reunion tour. One scene that haunts me is the rather short of stature Summers climbing into a super-stretch black SUV limo backstage after a show all by himself and riding off, almost overwhelmed by the surroundings. Guess it can be so lonely at the top. Which all implies without it being said outright that what Summers really can’t stand losing is being in a dynamic superstar band making hit albums and touring the world.
So it goes. Buck up, laddie, and carry on….
- Woodstock: The Myth vs the Reality - 08/18/2024
- 13 Best Rock Organists (& Their Most Killer Tracks) - 08/02/2024
- Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival: First-Hand Stories - 07/25/2024
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversation