 |  You See Me Laughin'Director: Mandy Stein Rating: M 77 mins (feature) Madman 'You See Me Laughin'' is the story of Fat Possum records and several of their signed blues musicians. Set in the hill country of Mississippi and Arkansas, the film explores the homes and working lives of RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, T-Model ford, Cedell Davis and Asie Payton. The interviews with the musicians and their families are all rather candid, and there's a raw quality to the documentary that matches the Fat Possum blues records; what you see is what you get. In comparison with Martin Scorsese's professional series 'The Blues', 'You See Me Laughin'' is unpolished, but the unobtrusive style is effective in getting the most from its subjects and the occasional animated storyboard helps to break up the monotony of talking heads. There are some good interviews with musicians who have toured with these old blues artists: Jon Spencer talks about his collaborative album with RL Burnside; Iggy Pop gives his recollections of being taunted by Junior Kimbrough backstage. But Bono's recollection of visiting a juke joint is annoying and pointless (he's like a virus that infects all modern music documentaries, however unrelated to U2). The most striking parts of the film are inside the homes of these old bluesmen. Most still live in the same poor conditions they've lived in all their lives. Their houses are often little more than shacks with sagging ceilings, splintering porches and broken doors. There are tales of hard lives, prison sentences, beatings, disfigurement, and playing guitar in backwater juke joints. No matter how horrific the tale, these old bluesmen tell it plain (and there are some pretty horrific tales). There is unfortunately a lot of dull filler material as well; the film could easily shed 15 minutes. The music may not be to everyone's taste, but the stories are interesting. For fans of Fat Possum albums, this is definitely worth a look.  | |
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