by Annette Basile
Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
Jim Conway, Mic Conway, George Washingmachine, Bruce Elder
Intro:
… immensely entertaining …
This is a tale of two brothers – Mic, the comical frontman with a Vaudevillian heart, and Jim, the serious musician, blues purist and master harmonica player. There are frequent mentions of sibling rivalry in this documentary, but it’s really more creative conflict than rivalry. The brothers celebrated each other’s successes and there’s much love between them.
The brothers are famous for the 1970s Melbourne outfit, The Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band, whose eccentricity, washboards, kazoos and jug band sensibilities were embraced by rock audiences. They brought the 1920s into the 1970s and were even on Countdown, rubbing shoulders with Sherbet.
Divided into two parts, the first half of this immensely entertaining doco focuses on the Matchbox years, revealing the excellent musicianship and humorous political commentary underneath the zaniness. Part One places the band firmly in the musical and cultural times of an Australia that feels just that much wilder, freer and less property-obsessed than today. It sums up an era of nudity, hippies and drug busts.
Part Two covers the post-Matchbox years, showing Mic’s work as a children’s performer, and Jim coping with his MS diagnosis with humour and a distinct lack of self-pity as he ditches the kangaroo suit that he sported in Captain Matchbox and finds his bluesy home with the Backsliders.
Numerous interviews – including with Conway family members – bring additional insights into the brothers’ characters and work ethic; they include veteran music critic Bruce Elder, Oz Rock historian Ian McFarlane, singer/actress Jane Clifton, Spectrum’s Mike Rudd, plus Greig Pickhaver, who put the H.G into Roy & H.G. Pickhaver knew Mic from Soapbox Circus (the forerunner to Circus Oz) – a post Captain Matchbox project that saw Mic step back from the spotlight and reveal himself as a true team player and, incredibly, a fire-eater.
Director Fiona Cochrane, who has helmed numerous projects (including other musical projects on Strange Tenants, Joe Camilleri) captures the spirit of the band, while the animation team provides an impressive series of quirky collage-style graphics, which have a Pythonesque flavour.
There’s pathos, romance and a homicidal girlfriend in the mix, guaranteeing your undivided attention. It may be two hours in length but doesn’t overstay its welcome. Whoopee Blues is tremendously enjoyable.
