Meeting People Is Easy

Grant Gee, following Radiohead around with cameras during their international tour to promote OK Computer, does not do much that has not already been done in like documentaries of popular musical artists. But what he does is remarkably involving, despite the fact that the audience will most likely be limited to fans of the group and people interested in non-fiction filmmaking. Meeting People Is Easy recaptures all the trappings of rock superstardom: fawning groupies, jealous journalists, relentless photo shoots, sterile airports, lonely hotel rooms, and above all, the horror of performing once exciting songs over and over, night after night. Gee's greatest strength, however, lies in the editing, as sound and vision constantly overlap and compete. Texts of many of the glowing (even raving) critical responses to OK Computer periodically scroll up or glide across the screen, making a not inconsiderable effort to explain how a galvanized media community can seemingly alter the destinies of a handful of young men who just enjoyed making music. The embrace, Gee seems to suggest, brings fame and fortune -- but also a unique kind of pressure that undeniably alters the world-view of the artists, thereby affecting all future recordings (lead singer Thom Yorke has a number of bitter musings on this very subject). At times self-indulgent, Meeting People Is Easy is more often engaging and hypnotic -- a film that reaches just a bit beyond its immediate milieu to explore a meaningful idea or two.

I'm not going to tell you that if you don't know who RadioHead are, or if you don't like them, that you should watch this. If I weren't a fan (or if I lived so deep inside a cave I'd never heard of them), I would have gone crazy trying to wrap my head around this movie.

However, since I am a huge fan, I absolutely loved this video. Artfully done, it has more crammed into it than I would have thought possible. The Irony, the Agony, the Frustration, the Fans, the Good Times, the (never-ending) Interviews; and of course the vicarious thrill you get from this rare look into the real back-stage life of a serious rock-n-roll band.

This is not an up-lifting film. It makes you glad you never seriously pursued a career in the popular music industry.

As a long time Radiohead fan, I was very very excited about the release of Grant Gee's documentary. Needless to say it lived up to all my expectations. It showed the band as people, not huge rock stars or snobs or whatever the public might take them for. It was the daily routine of photo shoots, interviews, and touring that helps us realize what hard work is needed to be a success. New song previews were a plus too. An excellent look at an excellent band.

"Meeting People Is Easy" is an amazing, groundbreaking work. This is not merely a concert video, nor is it, consciously, a short film. It is a visually stunning, aurally exciting piece that twists your head around in wonderful ways.

Don't judge "Meeting People Is Easy" based on whether or not you like the Radiohead that you hear on the radio; nothing could be further from relevant when regarding this film. The concert footage, in conjunction with the searing visual pyrotechnics, brings to light the product of a band of rare quality, skill, and creativeness. Each bandmember is given a moment in the spotlight to show off their individual talents, and the process as a whole is, well, breathtaking.

Several people that I know, some Radiohead fans, some not, have attempted to watch the DVD but not been able to finish it. This, almost invariably, comes not from disinterest or disgust, but rather from the overwhelming emotional roller coaster the film progresses along. This can be an exhausting work to take in. If you feel ready to be challenged, however, and, (especially) if you love Radiohead, this DVD is absolutely essential.

Yes I indeed enjoyed this movie...I only bought this for one reason...RADIOHEAD! Probably one of the greastest bands of all time and my favorite. This movie actually got me to know how Radiohead is when there not recording music and selling records.