TELSTAR

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Dir: Nick Moran, UK, 2009, 35mm, 114min
Genre: Drama
Identity: Gay

Set against a backdrop of early 1960s London, Telstar is the remarkable, stranger than fiction, rise-and-fall, true story of gay maverick songwriter-producer, Joe Meek. In a cramped flat above a luggage shop, Meek’s recording ‘studio’ is crammed to the brim with musicians recording in every available space: guitarists strum catchy tunes in the sitting room; singers bounce around the bedroom; and backing vocalists are stacked on top of each other in the toilet. The hard work pays off and Meek scores a mega-hit with the Tornadoes’  'Telstar', but he wants more. Enter Heinz, a cocky blonde singer, and Meek is as determined to make this kid a star as he is to bed him. Both his wishes come true, but only fleetingly; increasingly unhinged, Meek’s neuroses push people away, as he spirals further into an abyss.

With a top notch cast, including Kevin Spacey, and infused with a manic energy, spiced with tasty incidents of Meek’s missed opportunities – the Beatles and Tom Jones for starters – Telstar is a fascinating glimpse into the chaotic and troubled life of a creative genius now revered as a pioneer of British pop. (PT)

“Telstar thrums with the excitement of unearthing a singularly eccentric chapter in pop’s back pages.” - Time Out London