Raindance Film Festival

Anyone going to see anything at the Raindance Film Festival this year?

Last year I went to see Ramones Raw with my boss, Julie, and her husband, Cathal - he used to be a pop star, you know. Anyway, this year I've booked to see Punk: Attitude and Excavating Taylor Mead.

Punk: Attitude is a Don Letts produced film focusing on the early days of punk in New York, the UK explosion in 1977 and then through to the current day.

I have mixed feelings about Don Letts. I have huge admiration for his talent, but all that is clouded by encounters I had with him in the past when he was always so goddamn rude. I would see him at Prince concerts in the 80s, he would barge around and deliberately knock people out of his way. He was so up himself it wasn't true. Some people would turn around sharply to see who had banged into them, but then get all star struck and giggly when they saw it was him. I never bought into that. A rude bastard is a rude bastard in my book, and I told him so on a number of occassions. Not that it made a blind bit of difference.

I have no real idea about the other film, I don't really know who Taylor Mead is. He was part of the Warhol set, is very much a loner and spends his time feeding feral cats near his home. I can't imagine why I feel such a bond with this person! Apparently he turned his back on his rich family and lives in a filthy apartment in New York with cockroaches and dirt everywhere. I don't think I'd like that bit.

Elsewhere, at the London Film Festival, they are going to be showing a documentary about Arthur "Killer" Kane from the New York Dolls, so I'm hoping to see that too.

Turning out to be a busy month ...