Having given up the will to live mid way through the usual arguments on here I thought I'd just skip to the bit where i post my thoughts on the documentary and for what its worth I thought it was probably one of the better articulated ones, even Levine came across OK(!), and as a look at the scene in its 'glory days' I thought is was alright. Good toons, coverage of all the basics from fashion to drugs, music etc (and lets be honest, if you want to have a true representative historical documentary on the scene from birth to now you anit going to get it in a 1 hour documentary.) and overall ok.
I enjoyed Ian D's comments throughout. total empathy for everything he said and thats the point to me, not really covered on the programme but true none the less - that is, no matter if you were a Wheeler, A Torchist, a Casino regular, A Mecca Ritz or Cleethorpes devotee or a 80's Soulie or present day clubber the general truth is still there, we all share the same collective experiences throughout the decades, that same passion for the music and that feeling of being part of a collective movement that makes you different from all the Div's. We may argue endlessly about the state of the scene and the politics but at the end of it all we all just Soulies obsessed with the music.
I was interviewed in the press in the 80s and the question asked was 'can you explain what is it about Northern Soul that arouses such passion and fanatical dedication?' My answer was simple: if you can put into words the feeling Northern Soul generates in you then you anit truly feeling it! So, we are always going to be fighting a losing battle when it comes to trying to explain it in the media IMHO.
That said enjoyed the doc, lovely tribute to Fran, looking forward to the film as Elaine is a top girl and passionate as we all are and if this doc or film or the CD releases get a younger generation to take their first footsteps into the twilight world we have known and loved then its all good.