BEWARE OF MR. BAKER plays Hot Docs

Fittingly, this film begins with the thunder of drums. It’s fitting because it’s the story of one of the greatest drummers in rock history. If you’re unsure as to whether or not he is the greatest drummer in rock history, just ask him.

Then make sure you duck.

BEWARE OF MR. BAKER is a portrit of Ginger Baker, most well-known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith. In his prime, he looked like he could be The Devil Himself, with wide crazy eyes, an untamed shock of red hair, and the talent to wail on the drums in ways that were almost inhuman. Now, at age 72, he is a chain-smoking, ranch-owning, highly medicated curmudgeon living in South Africa. Director Jay Bulger first met Baker by doing a written piece on him for Rolling Stone magazine; this film expands on that intimate portrait.

Bulger’s film paints Baker in an interesting light. Like many films that strive to tell the tale of a living legend, it spares no expense in illustrating how talented its subject is. In this case, it does so both through slices of archival footage, and soundbites from some truly talented drummers. Coming in and out of the film with regularity is Baker’s old bandmate, Eric Clapton. He speaks candidly about Baker, not just in terms of his talent, but also in terms of who he ultimately became personally. That leads to what makes the film so interesting.

BEWARE OF MR. BAKER is not interested in canonizing the man at its centre. Baker, who comes across like a man who would bleed vinegar if you cut him, spends almost the entire film griping from his recliner. While he’s telling us who ripped him off, and which of the artists he influenced are hacks, we’re being told about how broke he is, and how many people he’s screwed over. Indeed, judging by this film, the person who was once a legend is now a man wildly damaged. Not that he gives a shit, mind you.

For a few moments, you want to feel sorry for Baker. Seeing him as withered old prune and contrasting that with the wild man he once was is a wicked reminder of how even the most vivacious of us is running against a clock. However, it’s hard to feel sorry for a man who speaks with the venom that Baker does, and has found himself so isolated by design.

This is what helps lift BEWARE OF MR. BAKER above the love letter so many rock documentaries become. It knows that its subject is a broken soul – and if it ever forgets, it has a bloody nose to remind it. It is not accompanying a remastered audio retrospective, nor is it looking to launch a fad of nostalgia. It’s more interested in zeroing in on one man, and letting him explain how he is the way he is. The beauty of that is that it allows Baker to make his own bed right before he lays in it.

This ballsy and brave doc leaves nothing to be determined: Ginger Baker was a titan of rock history, and is a broken, bitter old man. Not that I’d dream of telling him that to his face.

BEWARE OF MR. BAKER plays tomorrow – 6:15pm at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, again on Saturday April 28th – 1:45pm at Isabel Bader, and once more on Saturday May 5th – 1:00pm at TIFF Bell Lightbox. (official website)