#theecstasyofwilkojohnson

[jonnyhalifax]

Screen printed posters for Julien Temple’s ‘The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson’. Available to buy from Jonny Halifax Editions

[sterlewine]

He Does It Right: The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson

There's a religious undercurrent in the title of The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson, Julian Temple's new documentary about the Dr. Feelgood guitarist. That is no accident. Johnson was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2013, an event that conceivably could bring religion to anyone but Temple's intent isn't strictly biblical. He's interested in transcendence, something Johnson achieved during the year where he believed his death was imminent.

It's no spoiler to say Johnson didn't succumb to cancer. A fan suspected he was misdiagnosed and, surprisingly, this was true. After undergoing a risky surgery where a three pound tumor was removed, Wilko survived, a development that provides an uplifting third act to The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson but hope infuses the movie because when he received his terminal sentence, Johnson chose to embrace life. This spirit surged through Going Back Home, the record he bashed out in eight days with Roger Daltrey during the time he wasn't quite sure if he'd complete recording, but Temple digs deeper, placing music behind Johnson's love of literature, astronomy and life itself.

Temple is able to back bench music because he's told Johnson's story before, or at least the musical part of it: his 2010 film Oil City Confidential was a testimonial to the lasting legacy of Dr. Feelgood, the brutal rock & roll band that kickstarted punk rock. The Feelgoods have a presence in The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson but it's almost spectral; the image of Lee Brilleaux flickers in the background behind Johnson or the group's grinning logo appearing on the jacket of a Japanese fan. A full hour into the film, the words "Dr Feelgood" are uttered for the first time and it's by Daltrey; the next (and final) time it's said, it's in passing by Elton John at an awards ceremony honoring Wilko. Both speak of the Feelgoods with passion and the jagged clips of classic Dr Feelgood Temple threads through the film certainly shows why they inspire such devotion but there's more footage of recent Wilko Johnson Group performances with Wilko's slashing Telecaster sounding as vital as it did 40 years ago. Still, music hardly dominates The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson. Philosophical talk does. Talk about death, love, hate, psychedelics, consciousness, nature, Canvey Island, books--everything that made Johnson the man he is. Temple illustrates the ideas with scenes borrowed and staged--the two merge when he re-creates Bergman's chess match from The Seventh Seal, with Wilko playing both parts--so Ecstasy is as visually kinetic as it is thoughtful. As lyrical as Temple's imagery is, it's all in service to Wilko Johnson which is appropriate. Ultimately, The Ecstasy Of Wilko Johnson is a valentine to a remarkable musician, one whose style was savage but whose essence as a man was kind and lovely.

[jonnyhalifax]

Silk screen print editions available at Jonny Halifax Editions