Review #672: 'Beware of Mr. Baker' (2012)

Ginger Baker, that fire-haired, heroin-addicted, mentally unstable drummer of Cream and Blind Faith fame, is given a much deserved documentary here at the hands of Rolling Stone journalist Jay Bulger. For all his notorious genius - the guy single-handedly invented the drum solo and heavy metal owes a significant debt - the man is repulsively anti-social and, well, mad. We learn this from the opening scene, as Baker yells at Bulger, who is off-camera, that he doesn't want his friends and colleagues interviewed for the film, while Bulger protests. Cue a pause, then Baker stabs at Bulger with his cane, leaving the film-maker with a bloodied nose.

For the rest of the film, Baker is somewhat subdued, slumped in his reclining chair, never without a cigarette and his sunglasses, giving a reluctant commentary on his life and his career. It is Baker's discomfort at being an interviewee that slightly damages the film, as we never really get beneath those red locks and mad eyes of his to the soul (or lack of) beneath. So, Beware of Mr. Baker (the title comes from a warning sign outside Baker's South African ranch), becomes a mere birth-to-present biography of his career. It's still fascinating stuff, and Bulger has unearthed some excellent archive footage and photographs.

His colleague and family provide the more personal information on Baker, such as his estranged son, who recollects that he was briefly happy with his father, even drumming alongside him on-stage, before Baker verbally attacked him and sent him on his way. Baker, in simple terms, is a horrible man, but (as the annoying sell-out Johnny Rotten tells us), he is the type of man that true genius often produces. His affection for polo and heroin are not explored enough, and the real focus here is the music. The footage shown is outstanding, ranging from his superstar-creating time with Cream through to some mind-bending footage of drumming 'battles' with his peers and heroes. Yet Baker himself still remains a mystery, and perhaps it should stay that way.


Directed by: Jay Bulger
Starring: Ginger Baker
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie