Music

Velvet Goldmine Tonight On AUX TV

by Allan Tong

Watch it on AUX TV: Tonight at 9pm and 12am.

Bowie, Bolan and glam rock are mythologized in this early Todd Haynes effort. Jonathan Rhys Meyers porrtays Brian Slade, a bisexual rock star modelled after David Bowie (in his Ziggy Stardust phase) with hints of T-Rex’s Marc Bolan. Channeling Iggy Pop and Lou Reed is Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild, who lives up to his name by indulging in sex and drugs both on and off stage.

Haynes tells his story a la Citizen Kane by using a reporter named Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale) who investigates the disappearance of glam rock god Slade. Stuart’s interviews with friends and acquaintances trigger decadent flashbacks which don’t so much tell the story of early-70s glam, but paints a picture of the era’s sexual experimentation and druggy indulgence.

Though flawed, this gem deserved better upon its 1998 release. Problem is, Velvet Goldmine is episodic and comes alive in flashes, not as a united whole. As a director with a good ear, Haynes colours his soundtrack with a rich blend of period songs and contemporary covers, including those by Roxy Music, Thom Yorke, Pulp and in one memorable scene, Lou Reed (“Satellite of Love”).

In retrospect, Velvet Goldmine’s structure and characterization would inform his stunning Dylan “bio” pic, I’m Not There, a decade later.