Meeting People Is Easy (1998)

Director:

Grant Gee

Release Date:

20 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

An entertaining "rockumentary" about Radiohead that shows some of the tedium of being a rock star, as well as some of the fun stuff. |

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Thom Yorke	...	Himself (as Radiohead)
Jonny Greenwood	...	Himself / Radiohead
Ed O'Brien	...	Himself / Radiohead
Colin Greenwood	...	Himself / Radiohead
Phil Selway	...	Himself / Radiohead
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Oliver Kube	...	Himself / Interviewing Journalist In Barcelona
Michael Sailer	...	Himself / Interviewing Journalist In Barcelona
Dirk Siepe	...	Himself / Interviewing Journalist In Barcelona

Also Known As:

Radiohead: Meeting People Is Easy

Runtime:

Australia:95 min | USA:99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Company:

Kudos Productions Ltd.

Quotes:

Thom Yorke: There's a line in Karma Police about he buzzes like a fridge. And to me, when you're driving around in America and you have the alternative stations on in the background or in your hotel room or whatever; and it's just like a fridge buzzing. That's all I'm hearing. I'm just hearing buzz. It's really odd. It's kind of funny though really. You just have to laugh.
Interviewer: But one song that you had that was obviously really embraced...
Thom Yorke: Yeah, that had the fridge buzz in it.
Interviewer: ...with the modern rock format, was Creep. I mean you first came in with that.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Features "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993)

Soundtrack:

On your own again

Unique and Thought-Provoking

This is a wonderful thought provoking film. It is not easy to watch and it does not focus on gaining insight into the band in conventional ways. Instead you are more of a companion feeling the alienation and isolation that the band seems to be feeling. Because it deals with alienation in both its subject manner and how it is filmed it isn't easy to swallow. For that the film is much more affecting than other rockumentaries that merely focus on the glitz, glamour, and the roudy but slick production that goes into a major band. Perhaps people don't like to think about how all jobs have their downsides but I think the way Gee juxtaposes the sterility and monotony of the countless environments the band is faced with the human fatigue, frustration, and disconnect the band feels from the world and eachother is fascinating and affecting. The title itself sums up the film well with its ironic and perhaps sarcastic comment on the accessibility of artists with their audience. The film also offers a beautiful selection of very personal moments of the band doing their job and shows how deeply the band feels about their music, not in their talking about it, but in their playing, especially the moments outside of the concerts themselves. It shows both the pain that comes with the peculiar kind of hard work the band is faced with and the moments of happiness and excitement that are possible because of that hard work which makes it all worth it. The almost nightmare environment that the film conveys, for me, humanized these men who have been heralded by so many as music messiahs in an industry that keeps getting more slick and more scary. Stunning.