'come in. I hear a voice. come inside...'

horsemouth is back from a screening of voice of the eagle a film about the life and music of robbie basho at the VUE piccadilly (central london basement multiplex). it was shown as part of the london raindance film festival which continues. there was a short Q and A at the end with the film’s frighteningly young maker liam barker.


horsemouth got there early and bought one of the last four tickets but was surprised to discover only one other person in the screening room when he got down there. (he turned out to be a sufi who’d tried to promote robbie basho gigs with not much interest in 78 or so - he’d also managed a duo who’s died in a car crash who were now (moderately) famous due to their horror movie soundtracks - does that sound familiar to anyone? horsemouth didn’t catch the name.) 

of course for the price of a cinema ticket in central london horsemouth could have gone to the launch gig at cafe oto seen 3 modern guitarists and bought a beer (but hey then he wouldn’t have been out at the bermondsey folk festival).

the sufi guy was soon in conversation with the IT textbook writer next to him who praised the old ways - the juxtapositions of music created by the limited number of radio stations in the UK and blamed algorithms for the narrowing of people’s tastes if you like...then...(horsemouth actually thinks it goes the other way - he listens to a broader range of music now than he used to. what the wire shows is the mainstreaming of eclectic tastes. the internet/ social media has brought much that was lost back. look at this film - kickstarter funded, digitally edited, almost impossible to make without email).

the room filled up. the film began - it’s a little overlong. it has a natural end with basho’s death and funeral service (the sufis danced and scattered rose petals in a circle). but then it must continue, to steffan basho-junghens, to track down basho’s ‘lost’ recordings and artefacts - his guitar, his guitar case, a harmonium.

the sufi guy liked the film - he’d got to see all his friends of the meher spiritual center in myrtle beach - afterwards the sufis had split some remaining with the temple some going their own way. pete townshend was actually good on this (as a follower of meher baba himself) - the sufis are goofy in love - a quality you find in basho.