Radiohead - Meeting People Is Easy (1999)

It seems appropriate that a documentary following Radiohead during the aftermath of 1997's OK Computer--an album as conceptual as modern rock can get--should also be high-concept. With that in mind, director Grant Gee has created something truly special with Meeting People Is Easy, a movie revealing that, critically acclaimed or not, the life and times of a rock supergroup can be pretty boring. Rather than focus on Radiohead's songs and concert footage, Gee takes us behind the scenes with his handheld super-8 camera to show us grainy images of the multiple interviews, backstage boredom, and all-around monotony that followed the British group in the wake of their critically acclaimed third album. With a postmodern edge that perfectly suits the band--text from interviews scrolls across the screen, half the camera angles have the appearance of being hidden--and carte blanche to follow the group everywhere they go, Gee's movie makes for fascinating (and anything but boring) viewing. You see, Radiohead's rock & roll lifestyle is one for the 21st century: no TVs thrown out of windows, no M&M candies separated by colors, just plenty of scheduled press interviews, constant touring, and the occasional rehearsal. During the shoot of their "No Surprises" video, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke puts himself through pure agony as he tries to keep his head under water long enough for an extended camera take. ("No Surprises," it should be noted, was also directed by Gee). It's symbolic of the entire film: the band is jumping through hoops while trying (desperately) to maintain their composure. During one of the many press-conference sound bites heard in the movie, Yorke hypothesizes, "OK Computer is about everything being out of control." By the probing looks of Meeting People, that's a fair assumption. --Jason Verlinde Amazon.com

A bit boring...

I'm a huge Radiohead fan and was very excited to finally buy this dvd, but I have to say I was disappointed. It hardly makes sense, the director jumps from scene to scene and when one of them is being interviewed a song is playing in the background, most of the time, so it is hard to concentrate on one thing. Sadly, it's pretty boring right from the start. June 4, 2008

Could have been about anything

I too am fascinated and enthralled by much of Radiohead's work. But this film is really just a project of the director attempting to create an artistic statement. Many other reviewers attempt to find (and apparently do find) a profound subtext to it but on the surface it's a poorly shot, poorly edited, pointless collection of film clips. As some kind of informative work about Radiohead circa OK Computer...I really can't see its value as 90% of the interviews are by Yorke -- what of the other members? Maybe I've seen too many other documentaries about the desolation, loneliness and banality of the touring rock band to find this particular outing very compelling.
A particular F grade goes to the audio, which is to be expected as the cinematographer obviously had to get whatever audio he could in most difficult situations. It's really almost unlistenable; and I'm amazed that there were reviewers who praised its sound quality.
Finally, the production of the DVD was as minimal as possible: there are no chapter marks, no extras, and no other written information inside the cardboard keep case.
If you are a big Radiohead fan, and can get a copy for $5 it would probably be worth it. May 6, 2008

Little insight into Radiohead

I think this DVD was boring and pointless. It is made up of many pointless clips. The only one I found interesting was when Thom Yorke and crew were trying to get into a restaurant and they were considered outcasts not celebrities.
Their were many short clips of live Radiohead music which I found to be frustrating because they ended right when they were getting good.
I definitely don't recommend this DVD and I am a big RH fan. January 11, 2008

Radiohead doesn't suck.. but they sure do on this DVD

I love Radiohead. I love documentaries and live shows about artists.

This sucked, sucked, sucked. I'm not sure how on earth you can make a Radiohead concert dull, but this has certainly succeeded.

Not recommended... if you want a copy, please let me know, and I'll gladly send you my copy for shipping & handling. Ick!!!!! They deserve better. December 7, 2007

The product doesn't do the subject justice

This is one of those tricky cases where the actual product - in this case the DVD - hurts the reception of the content. Before I explicate, let me admit I am a Radiohead junkie; I could probably watch a film of Radiohead putting butter on their muffins and be fascinated, just like Derrida fans. So I may not be the most objective, as far as this film goes. I really enjoyed the film; I think it is a great look at perhaps THE most important and influential band of the last decade - a period of time not exactly brimming over with music of any importance. However, as a lover of DVDs, I have to say that I am imminently disappointed with the DVD itself. There are no extras; there are not even chapters - I think it may be split into 2 chapters. So, if you want to find a scene, you have to fast-forward/seek until you find it. The producers of the DVD here took advantage of NONE of the things that make the DVD technology so great, with the exception of Dolby Digital sound (but come on, VHS does that). Just because I'm such a fanboy of this band, I want to make it clear - this is not a criticism of their albums, and this isn't even a criticism of the film itself. This is a criticism of the PRODUCT. Radiohead, at least to me, have near-inherent associations with the hyper-media modern age and technology, and the human voice amidst that world. It seems odd that the producers of the DVD would not take advantage of that. The bottom line is that this a good film documenting one of the greatest bands around, but put together in a very poor package in the form of this DVD.

April 21, 2006

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