Scott Walker: 30 Century Man

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man
Verve Pictures

I am a big Scott Walker fan, but I want to keep things in perspective. I have wanted to see Stephen Kijak’s documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man ever since its 2006 UK release. But I was never in the right place at the right time. It has felt like repeatedly being vexed by a good acquaintance with a smirk on his face. First, a message from London arrived in my inbox. “I saw 30 Century Man yesterday.” Six months later, a similar message arrived from an acquaintance in South Korea. Each time it felt like I had just been proven wrong in front of people I didn’t really like. But, the delay of its release has been appropriate given the content of the documentary. Ironic, but appropriate. The most marketable aspect of the documentary has been the promise of breaking through Scott Walker’s prior reclusiveness. And, almost as if by intent, the distribution has been restricted and painfully gradual. Verve Pictures is the friend with the smirk on his face. But, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man finally debuted in Los Angeles on February 27 for a one week run.

For some reason, the general fascination about the musical progression of Scott Walker has focused on the transition of Scott Engle-Teen Idol to Scott Walker-Literate Crooner and Baroque Visionary. That is misplaced curiosity. It has all been well-documented elsewhere. And Kijak recognizes this. Of course, Walker’s early development is addressed in the film. Through interviews with a comfortable set of contributors, Engle’s transformation to Walker Brother and Walker’s development as a solo artist is thoroughly addressed. But, the big questions to me are: “What happened between Scott 4 and Tilt?” “How could the cynical, beautiful Boy Child that sang ‘Duchess’ also sing ‘Farmer in the City’?’” “Seriously, what the hell, Scott?”

While the documentary fails to explicitly answer these questions, it does include an uncritical look at the exploitation and burnout Scott experienced between 1969-94. Thankfully, the creation of Tilt is well detailed. And, the reception of Tilt is the most entertaining part of the film. A composer explains the way an uninhibited Walker finds the untapped ground between discord and harmony, and that draws comparisons to the disjointed modernism of giants like Joyce and Eliot. An independent journalist laments on his regrettable over-indulgence in Walker’s music and the damage it has inflicted on his life. Marc Almond hates everything about Tilt. In the latter half of the documentary, the commentary by Walker’s associates and fans becomes increasingly aesthetic, focusing less on the man and more on the violent originality of his latest work. But, throughout the film, the interview clips of Walker (filmed near the recording of 2006’s The Drift) are refreshingly ordinary. It seems unbelievable that such adoration, usually reserved for the giants of literature, could be lauded upon such a normal guy in a baseball cap. But, in the same way that Walker finds inspiration between discord and concord, there is a certain comfort lurking between the ordinariness of Walker’s interviews and the fanatic comments of those interviewed about his work.

Scott Walker: 30 Century Man — Official theatrical trailer

Related Bloggings:

Leonard Cohen–”I’m Your Man”