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The Now Wave Guide to Rock Movies
Today's Review: Still Crazy (1998)Directed by Brian Gibson
(REVIEW BY DAVE GETZOFF)
I think that anyone who loves rock 'n' roll or has played in a band will be able to relate to this movie and enjoy it. It is a realistic and humorous look at what it is like for an aging rock band to reform many years after a nasty break-up.

Still Crazy is the story of a fictional British rock band called Strange Fruit. The band was formed in the late '60s, peaked in the mid '70s, and broke up in 1977. The original lineup of the band featured brothers Keith (lead vocals) and Brian (guitar). Keith died of a heroin overdose and was replaced by a new singer named Ray. The rhythm section included Beano (drums), Les (Bass), and Tony (keyboards). The film begins with the band performing at the Wisbech Rock Festival in 1977. By this point there were many internal conflicts within the band. Brian was following in his brother's footsteps as a heroin addict. There is also a lot of tension between Ray and Les also. After Keith died, Les was going to originally fill in as the band's frontman. The band didn't think he made a good frontman, so they hired Ray as the lead singer. Les is unhappy with Ray as the lead singer and feels he is inferior to Keith. The band members are utterly disgusted with each other, they break up, and go their separate ways after a bolt of lightning strikes the stage.
Twenty years go by, and Tony, the keyboard player, discovers that younger new audiences are discovering rock music from the 1970s, and he realizes that there may still be some hope for Strange Fruit. He decides to round up the band members and reform the group. He contacts Karen, who was Brian's former girlfriend. She agrees to help track the band members down and manage them. Tony and Karen start rounding up the band members. They discover that Les, who is still haunted by the past, is now married with children and is running a roofing business. He claims he doesn't miss the band (well, that's at least what he wants his wife to believe). Beano is now working in a plant nursery; he has now moved out of his mom's house, and has moved into a small trailer in her yard and still goes home for his meals and laundry. Ray is a recovering alcohlic and a struggling musician recording solo projects. The band gets together, and they have a meeting about reforming. At the meeting they discover that the band's guitarist, Brian, is missing. Karen is unable to track him down and is not sure if he is dead or alive.
Despite being unable to track Brian down, Strange Fruit begins rehearsing with a much younger guitarist named Luke. He is possibly less than half the age of the other band members. At the reheasals, there is still tension within Ray and Les from twenty years ago. It seems as if the time has not passed - it is like the next day after the break-up of twenty years earlier.
The band is reunited with their former soundman, Hughie, who supplies them with a tour bus, and the band heads out for a European tour. As the band starts playing gigs again, it is obvious that things have really changed in twenty years. They were once a stadium type band performing for thousands of people. Now, Strange Fruit is playing in smaller dives for much different and smaller audiences. They are not well-recieved by the audience at first. They appear to be washed-up has-beens, and the hatred between Les and Ray certainly doesn't help them out live. Ray and Les are constantly arguing with each other on and off stage. This leads to Ray returning to drug use after years of sobriety and nearly dying in an accident. Les feels guily about this and apologises to Ray for all the shit he said to him. Now that they are getting along, the live perfomences are better also. The band attracts a following and gets a record deal, and they are on the way to playing the Wisbech Rock Festival again. Shortly before the festival, Ray sees a British music television show where Les and Beano trash-talk him and say that Strange Fruit is not the same without Keith and Brian. Ray gets so pisssed off that he is restrained from violence and quits the band. It will take a miracle for the band to reunite now. Will Stange Fruit be able to resolve the conflicts and perfrom at the Wisbech Rock Festival once again? Will they ever find out what happend to their original guitarist, Brian? To find out check out the movie, Still Crazy.
Dave GetzoffMarch 17, 2006

(Originally Posted on Now Wave Webzine on March 17, 2006