I absolutely loved King Rocker, the surreal and heartwarming documentary about seventies cult punk icon Robert Lloyd. His midlands band the Prefects morphed into the Nightingales, who still perform today after Lloyd’s journey from the verge of pop stardom to working as a postman while living over a Chinese takeaway.
Lloyd, now in his sixties, is hilariously self-deprecatory and pragmatic about his failure to move beyond cult status into mainstream success. He has the vibe of a much more talented but only slightly more successful John Shuttleworth. After Clash manager Bernie Rhodes called the Prefects a bunch of amateur wankers, he used that as an album title.
In his trademark style, Stewart Lee interviews Lloyd while explaining his own efforts to construct an emotional through line for the film. He settles on portraying Lloyd as a human version of a short-lived giant statue of King Kong that was erected in Birmingham in the seventies then removed for being too arty and pointless.
Lee produced the movie with Brass Eye director Michael Cumming, so the structure is as self-referential as you might expect. Whenever Robert Lloyd tells an anecdote, the person he is talking about is likely to appear next denying that the story ever happened, and Stewart patiently clarifies that Robert’s memories contradict even his own earlier memories of the same incidents.
The elusive truth of the stories make me doubt even the pieces that they have no reason to invent, such as Frank Skinner saying that he auditioned as lead singer for the Prefects but didn’t get the gig as his hair was too long and his rival Lloyd had met the Ramones. Does Frank regret it? He says yes, because everyone who has mainstream success wishes they were a cult hero and everyone who is a cult hero wishes they had mainstream success.
The movie ends appropriately with the Nightingales today playing Gales Doc, a song about the band being interviewed for a documentary about writing the song that they are playing. It is a perfect end to the movie, and a perfect start to me immersing myself in the back catalogue of Robert Lloyd, the Prefects, and the Nightingales, whose cult status never reached me in Dublin when I first loved punk in my teens.
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
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Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
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Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
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World Without End, Twitter
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Anamatronix, Youtube
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GRTak, finalgear.com
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Joe, Independent.co.uk
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Horatio Melvin, Twitter
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Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
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Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
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Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
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James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
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Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
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Contrapuntal, Twitter
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Rubyshoes, Twitter
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Meninblack, Twitter
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Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
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Pnethor, pne-online.com
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Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
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Microcuts 22, Twitter
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Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
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Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
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Wharto15, Twitter
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Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
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Borathigh5, Youtube
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DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
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Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
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Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
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Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
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Foxfoxton, Youtube
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Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
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Emilyistrendy, Youtube
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Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
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Anon, westhamonline.com
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Mpf1947, Youtube
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Shit Crit, Twitter
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Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
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Brighton Argus
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Slothy Matt, Twitter
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Mearecate, Youtube
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Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
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Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
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General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
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Aiden Hearn, Twitter
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Gwaites, Digitalspy
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Danazawa, Youtube
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Stokeylitfest, Twitter
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NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
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Sidsings000, Youtube
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Leach Juice, Twitter
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Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
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Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
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Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
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A D Ward, Twitter
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Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
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Stuart, Chortle
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Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
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Zombie Hamster, Twitter
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Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
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Al Murray, Comedian
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Mrdavisn01, Twitter
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Tres Ryan, Twitter
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Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
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Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
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Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
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Robert Gavin, Twitter
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Keilloh, Twitter
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Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
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Len Firewood, Twitter
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Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
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Jackmumf, Twitter
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Jamespearse, Twitter
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Gabrielle, Chortle.com
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Hiewy, Youtube
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Peter Fears, Twitter
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Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
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Tokyofist, Youtube
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Idrie, Youtube
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Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
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Joycey, readytogo.net
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
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Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
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Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
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Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
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Sweeping Curves, Twitter
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Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
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Clampdown59, Twitter.
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Lents, redandwhitekop.com
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Z-factor, Twitter.
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Funday’schild, youtube.
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Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
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Chez, Chortle.com
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Iain, eatenbymissionaries
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Bosco239, youtube
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
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Peter Ould, Youtube
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Sam Rooney, Youtube
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Guest1001, Youtube
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98rosjon, Twitter
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Kozzy06, Youtube
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Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
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Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
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Carcrazychica, Youtube
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Secretdeveloper, Youtube
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Dick Socrates, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
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Liam Travitt, Twitter
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Cyberbloke, Twitter
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube