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King Rocker
Description
How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming and James Nicholls investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Robert Lloyd’s Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977, and their ongoing incarnation, as Birmingham’s Captain Beefheart suffused post-punk poets The Nightingales, recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band. Ever. But what were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that enabled and sustained such outsider artists in the punk and post-punk eras, and how has the world changed to the point where such figures are unlikely to flourish in the same way today? Lloyd’s own odyssey echoes how abstract notions of social mobility, of the value of culture and music, have changed in the last five decades.
How does a working class autodidact, with no visible means of support, maintain his role as the leader of a cult British underground band into its fifth decade? Comedian and writer Stewart Lee, director Michael Cumming and James Nicholls investigate the mysterious existence of Robert Lloyd, Britain’s ultimate post-punk survivor. Robert Lloyd’s Prefects played with The Clash on the White Riot tour in 1977, and their ongoing incarnation, as Birmingham’s Captain Beefheart suffused post-punk poets The Nightingales, recorded more John Peel sessions than any other band. Ever. But what were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that enabled and sustained such outsider artists in the punk and post-punk eras, and how has the world changed to the point where such figures are unlikely to flourish in the same way today? Lloyd’s own odyssey echoes how abstract notions of social mobility, of the value of culture and music, have changed in the last five decades.
Actors:
Vickie Perks,
Kevin Eldon,
Robert Lloyd,
Nigel Slater,
Robin Askwith,
Maggie Dunne,
Stewart Lee
Vickie Perks
October 9, 1968 in Birmingham, England, UK
Kevin Eldon
1960, Kent, England, UK
Robert Lloyd
Nigel Slater
1958 in Wolverhampton, England, UK
Robin Askwith
12 October 1950, Southport, Lancashire, England, UK
Maggie Dunne
Stewart Lee
5 April 1968, Wellington, Shropshire, England, UK
Genre:
Documentary, Music
Director:
Michael Cumming
Country:
United Kingdom
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June 29, 2020
Cummings and Lee have created an enjoyable documentary, even if the music will not necessarily be to everyone's taste.
June 22, 2020
On the surface, King Rocker may be little more than a rather niche passion project. But it is through Lee and Lloyd's friendship the film really elevates itself.
February 09, 2021
The actual music seems beside the point, but since you ask, it ranges from the ear-achingly terrible to the surprisingly tuneful.
July 02, 2020
The result is somewhere between a Nightingales promotional video and a rambling and rambunctious rebel story.