The Return of Bruno

I actually bought the vinyl back then since the music made me laugh and smile - loved the fun in Coming right up ~ "Maay I ~ Take Your order" ~

Mockumentary fans will be in Heaven when they rent the hilarious The Return of Bruno, an HBO special starring Bruce Willis as a rock icon. Decked out in different wigs and costumes, and spliced into footage from Woodstock and The Dick Clark Show, Bruce Willis is shown in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, as his talent adapted to the changing times and his backup singers changed. Interspersed with the musical entertainment are commentary from musicians of the eras talking about how they knew "Bruno" and how he influenced them. For example, Ringo Starr tells the audience Bruno is responsible for the creation of the Beatles, and Elton John credits him with "Bennie and the Jets." Crosby, Stills, and Nash, The Beach Boys, Bon Jovi, Joan Baez, The BeeGees, all have stories to share about the imaginary rock star, and Michael J. Fox is also interviewed as Bruno's #1 Fan with a collection of memorabilia.

The last part of the movie uses the album Bruce Willis released, of the same name, as a soundtrack to the live concert. It's extremely fun to watch, and he's got such great energy as a performer! When Dick Clark, the host of the film, wraps the movie up, you'll wish it was far longer than an hour. The next best thing is to watch it all over again! Seriously, folks, this is hilarious, and probably the best mockumentary I've ever watched.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie will not be your friend. Every scene includes either handheld "rock" footage, tilted angles or swirling motions from music videos, or flashing images, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Willis plays the title guy, a here-to-fore unknown seminal influence on rock history. Played quiet, with 'interviews' and 'archival footage' of Bruno's brushes with the greats and greatness, it's done quite well. The "documentary" finishes up with a real concert with Bruce backed up by a kick-ass blues band doing various "Bruno" songs and some standards that even wound up being released as a CD (still available as I write this). Their version of "Secret Agent Man" is particularly recommended.

The copy I found is illegal, and somehow still has a VHS tracking line on the bottom. I had to edit it into a video file from a DVD rip..

All because I wanted to understand what this was - an attempt at a Spinal Tap documentary.

I applaud the effort, it's certainly all over the place and I can see where he wanted it to go. It's honestly the cameos that give this so much more weight.

I'm glad I watched it, but I don't know how many other people I know would actually also spend an hour and a half getting lost in this.

It's a vanity project for sure, I'm confused by it but boy I'd have loved to have stumbled on it when it came out.

After Eugene Martone, the magic boy of the blues, the great Bruce '' Bruno '' Randolini arrives and breaks all the schemes of the classic blues that we all know today.

Randolini is not only a great bluesman, but also a great showman and every time with his shows he makes the audience smile and amuse himself, as Martone did, but in a more professional and serious way.

This documentary is a sweet and affectionate tribute to his art, to his desire to have fun and to make the blues more revolutionary, as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Dexter Gordon have done, as well as being very listenable and nuanced and which still today has his fans and admirers, who will remember Bruno in the future not as a bluesman, but THE bluesman.

This is for mr B. Where he will be still unknown today, but perhaps he will return ...