Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll

Gagaryn

Watched this today. Chuck Berry is a complicated and flawed human being but mainly comes across as an intelligent likeable guy. Keith Richards says of him, "He gave me more headaches than Mick Jagger, but I still can't dislike him". And this after being told "Don't touch my amp!", and describing how despite rehearsing arrangements and keys, Berry still wandered on stage and played anything he wanted in whatever key he felt like. I enjoyed it - one of the best 'rockumentarys' I've seen.

ICBM

It's years since I saw that, but isn't there a bit where Berry is waiting for his guitar - in standard Gibson case - at the airport baggage reclaim, and someone asks him "what would happen if it got damaged, or lost?!" and he just says, as if it's the stupidest question in the world, "I'd just buy another one".

Gagaryn

Yeah, that's right. Back in the 80's he was still gigging regularly, on his own with the venue supplying the band - and him being paid in cash! He just checked his guitar in the hold and travelled with hand luggage. He said something about guitars normally lasting about 6 months and then he'd just get a new one, tax deductable as his tool of trade. 

Someone should probably have told him the old ones were better! :-)

Lixarto

Great film.

What a guy - without Chuck none of us would be doing this.

(I've been onstage with him)

vasselmeyer

At the gig, Keith Richards actually slaved off Chuck Berry's amp to one that was set up and recorded so when CB messed with the settings, it made no difference to the recorded sound. KR knew that he'd mess with it and made sure the recording wasn't spoiled.

xSkarloey

It is good. I prefer the opening sections where it's just Berry discussing his early life. He's a complicated old sod but sharp as a tack.

That said my very favourite part is where he and Keith Richards have the row about the amp and where Berry gets his revenge by illustrating at length how Richards is playing Carol the wrong way.

scrumhalf

You have to wonder if he's like that through having been ripped off over the years or whether it's just his natual demeanour.

Still, he's one of the greatest poets of all time, regardless of what he did or didn't invent in terms of playing guitar.

Gagaryn

Funnily enough, there is a bit in the film where Johnnie Johnson is asked whether he felt ripped off that CB had made songs that his trio had been playing for a long time 'his' and he was very magnanimous about it. Makes you wonder who the driving force behind his later court case against CB for co-writing credit came from.