Beware of Mr. Baker

Beware of Mr. Baker is the most exhilarating, enthralling, disquieting and laugh out loud funny documentary I've seen in quite a while. This is especially surprising coming from first-time filmmaker, Rolling Stone writer and ex-boxer Jay Bulger. It profiles the many ups and downs of former Cream and Blind Faith drummer, Ginger Baker.

Yes, it helps that Baker is the ultimate curmudgeon who cares squat about what people think of him. He speaks his mind, often in hilarious bursts of profanity. The drummer can barely speak without unleashing some brutal gem at once outrageous and more often than not funny as hell.

But it's the filmmaking that also shines here, pairing with the drummer's tales in perfect synchronization. Baker's unique form of storytelling and opining comes across in short blasts much like one of his rim shots, captured skillfully by Bulger. This documentary is notable for its pacing, using animation and quick edits to give a smooth musicality to the film. Baker talks throughout the film about the rare gift of timing. Bulger's got it. That's quite an achievement for a first-time director - for any director.

While the interviewees (a plethora of musicians and long-suffering family members, including Clapton, Bruce, Watts, Peart, Ulrich, ex-wives and resigned children) make no bones about Ginger Baker being a total prick, it's hard not to empathize at least in part with Baker's life. A cruel father to his only son (now a respected drummer), a negligent husband and mean bastard to almost everyone he ever encountered, there is not a lot to like about the man.

Then again, it's hard to tell how much of Baker's bravado is show and how much is real. In a short but telling scene, he is surprised by the camera while he is silly dancing for his step-daughters much to their delight. No doubt Baker has his ugly side but it's scenes like this that give the doc its rough-hewn charm.

What this biopic does best is present what is good about Ginger Baker - his prodigious drumming. Finely navigating the drummer's early life, his days leading up to Cream's breakout to his days in Africa (the live performances by Fela Kuti and band shown here are alone worth the price of admission), the film puts the spotlight squarely on the music.

Baker cares little for people. His life was and still is his drum kit. I had forgotten how rounded his skills are for arranging, producing and playing. His drum battles with the primo jazz drummers of the day - Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Phil Seaman - are ear-poppingly wonderful.

It helps enormously that Baker's madman looks and flaming orange hair are iconic. The skillful and oftentimes funny animation makes full use of this iconography, emphasizing the bigger-than-life halo that slums around Mr. Baker's head. Now 73-years-old and grey, that Baker has survived a career of unimaginable fame, riches, women, and mostly heroin, to live yet another day is phenomenal.

While the man's bluntness, musicality and humour dominate the film, the real beauty is in Bulger's ability to shine a light on the one overriding aspect of Ginger Baker that makes him such a fascinating subject. That is, a peculiar talent for walking into adventures the rest of us would never attempt. Often coming out broke and worse for wear, the abominable Mr. Baker, as he has done all his life, takes a breath and moves on to the next inexplicable enterprise, lacking any sense of self-doubt and living a life seemingly without remorse, at least when it comes to others.

Mister Baker here is Ginger Baker, the rock drummer, most famous for his days, from 1966-1968 with Cream. Eric Clapton was on guitar and Jack Bruce on bass. They were technically the most perfect musicians ever to play rock and roll. Clapton and Bruce are interviewed, as are others, such as Steve Winwood from his days with Baker with Traffic. The music is terrific and Baker's life is certainly interesting, separate from the music. We get a wife #1, followed up by #2, #3, and #4. The man is a disaster as a human being and father, but he is also quite possibly the greatest rock drummer ever. At an hour and a half, the film moves quickly, and the clips of Baker drumming are breathtaking. If you are a serious rock fan, this documentary is for you.

I am not a particular fan of Ginger Baker nor of the groups he's been associated with over the years. This is NOT a criticism--I am just letting you know that if you don't know who he is or care, you STILL could really enjoy watching this film!

While Baker is most famous for his part in the short-lived rock group Cream (recently admitted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), this only takes up a small portion of this fascinating documentary about this infamous drummer. Like a good documentary, it tries to cover the totality of his life--and shows him in a warts and all portrait. And, like a good documentary, it allows Baker to speak for himself--in addition to all the celebrity interviews and vintage footage.

So why did I like this film so much in addition to it being well made? Well, Baker is an amazingly self-absorbed *##--and film appears to say he is both a brilliant and amazing drummer AND a sociopathic jerk who uses people and is subject to fits of anger and drunken binges. Heck, you even get to see Baker smash the documentarian in the face and draw blood near the end of the film!! Talk about warts and all.

The bottom line is that this film is like watching a slow-motion train wreck. You know it's repellent and awful--but it's never dull and cannot help but entertain you!!

Ginger Baker just liked banging things around. And as soon as some directed him in the way of drums - and some of the premier jazz drummers of the 1950's, which was kind of the apotheosis of jazz - he was set for life. And this life included being apart of two of the major rock bands of the 1960's (Cream and Blind Faith) along with others, then became a figurehead of African drumming in the 1970's, and then... semi-obscurity, polo, playing with some band that got lost in the shuffle of the 90's grunge scene, polo, ex-wives, polo, and um... I said polo right?

Though Cream was sort of cited as the grandfather or forefather for heavy metal (hey there's Lars from Metallica in the doc), Baker comes off more like a craggly jazz-man-cum-punk-rocker, who didn't give a f**k and even gives the director of his documentary a piece of his mind with his cane! Kind of a prime example of a man who you know you wouldn't want to spend more than two minutes with - hard to feel sorry for a man who wasted all his money, and Cream reunion money no less (I couldn't afford those tickets man!) on horses and dogs (he says they are more trustworthy and loving of humans) - yet he really is just one of the drummers that changed the game for everyone.

Also fascinating to find out a musician from the 60's - and husband and father - who really could have just torpedoed all of his good luck from the era in two decades afterward. A good documentary on what the Brits could call a 'right old nasty bastard.'

I knew quite little about Ginger Baker so the doc was both informing and entertaining. A very interesting character and life indeed. An impressive array of musicians are interviewed about him and all profess genuine admiration for his drumming abilities.

It doesn't go over the top with long solos which was a good call by the director. People can just listen to his records for that. It whets the appetite nicely to go and listen to his work.

Ginger's family come across very well, especially his son, whose love for his father was severely tested on occasion. Like the man himself they are refreshingly unpretentious and down to earth.

It's quite an honest film which makes it all the better and suits the subject matter to a t. Baker is quite enigmatic which makes for all the more interest trying to figure him out.

It took a brave man to make this documentary and Jay Bulger was the right man to do it. I would not have been thick-skinned enough to take Mr. Baker. A great watch. Thank you sir!