Darkness founder Justin Hawkins and ex-Libertine Carl Barrat have plenty of inside knowledge of musicians, unhappiness and drugs to bring to their respective roles as Screaming Lord Sutch and Gene Vincent. Author Jake Arnott is an intriguing cameo, Meek featured very briefly in his swinging 60s gangland novel The Long Firm.
The documentary is an interesting proposition, too. Repsch's exhaustively researched biography and the Arena show based upon it were works of real fan-obsessive enthusiasm which effectively made further works unnecessary and many of their sources are now only reachable with Meek's beloved Ouija board. Joe's tangled personal and financial affairs and the possibility of libeling associates have often been cited as reasons for the difficulty in telling his story on film.
But that his genuinely stranger-than-fiction life would tempt new storytellers was inevitable and Howard S. Berger and Susan Stahman of Palm Door films should have a hit on their hands.
Their research has been extensive too - traveling to Newent to talk to Eric and Joe's niece Sandra Meek Wilson, the family's chief cheer-leader for Joe's reputation. There's also plenty of musicians ready to sing his praises, can you hear a Joe Meek influence in the sounds of Franz Ferdinand? Leader Alex Kapranos is a fan, as is Huw Bunford of Welsh experimentalists Super Fury Animals - the Telstar movie should have no difficulty in tracking down soundtrack contributors, my personal vote would see Meek obsessives St. Etienne and Sonic Boom featuring heavily.
Sandra is now involved in the Newent festival but however much time heals and production achievement is recognized, Joe's story will always be painful for the family and his home town - he was after all a homosexual who was involved in an innocent woman's violent death.
On tape, she demurred from being filmed by Berger and Stahman, Sandra remembers, "There were two Joes one that I knew and the one that I called Robert."
Filming has taken place for the feature and the documentary is now in post-production promising a feast for fans of this most extraordinary man.
Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
Meek was an unknown pioneer of r'n'roll - perhaps the movie will change that.
2 - Colin Ricketts
I must apologise. Daily Show satirist Jon Stewart will NOT appear in the Meek movie, it's an actor of the same name and I repeated the error from the IMDB.