Not an obvious choice for a documentary, grumpy old man, no make that just grumpy man, celebrated Cream drummer Ginger Baker spectacularly opens his own film by beating up his director, followed by a glowing tribute from of all people John Lydon and then proceeds to diss the majority of the several people who crossed his path in later life. I started off thoroughly disliking him and his "#*^!"-off outlook to life but by the end, if I didn't exactly like him, I had warmed a little to him even if I still don't understand why he is as ornery as he appears.His story gets told mainly from his own viewpoint but naturally we get tributes from the drummers union including the likes of Charlie Watts, Neil Peart and Stewart Copeland as well as most of his past collaborators including of course his Cream band-mates Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton together with archive footage and some animation to highlight his world travels.I've not heard much of Cream outside of their most popular tracks but I do know he takes the dubious responsibility for introducing the extended drum solo to rock recordings and concerts. It certainly seemed to me that his playing, good as it is, pales next to some of his jazz heroes with whom we see him engaging in "drum wars" in the early 70's.Of more interest then is the picture painted of this very eccentric man, with apparently a greater love for animals, particularly horses and dogs than his own family and ex-wives, indeed I had no idea he was such a keen polo player. There are anecdotes a-plenty, rarely to his credit, I mean who else would introduce his 15 year old drumming son to cocaine to get through a gig, plus I just can't have much sympathy for a guy who blows £5,000,000 from the Cream reunion gigs in 2005 and then pleads poverty.And yet, while I wouldn't care to meet him, it was fascinating to watch this story of his varied life. Post-Cream there's little here to engage with musically unless you like endless drum solos but this unlikely documentary will capture and hold your attention and who amongst us wouldn't share to some degree his rebellious outlook against conformity for the last 50 years.

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.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Mister Baker here is Ginger Baker, the rock drummer, most famous for his days, from 1966-1968 with Cream. Eric Clapton was on guitar and Jack Bruce on bass. They were technically the most perfect musicians ever to play rock and roll. Clapton and Bruce are interviewed, as are others, such as Steve Winwood from his days with Baker with Traffic. The music is terrific and Baker's life is certainly interesting, separate from the music. We get a wife #1, followed up by #2, #3, and #4. The man is a disaster as a human being and father, but he is also quite possibly the greatest rock drummer ever. At an hour and a half, the film moves quickly, and the clips of Baker drumming are breathtaking. If you are a serious rock fan, this documentary is for you.

Beware of Mr. Baker is the most exhilarating, enthralling, disquieting and laugh out loud funny documentary I've seen in quite a while. This is especially surprising coming from first-time filmmaker, Rolling Stone writer and ex-boxer Jay Bulger. It profiles the many ups and downs of former Cream and Blind Faith drummer, Ginger Baker.Yes, it helps that Baker is the ultimate curmudgeon who cares squat about what people think of him. He speaks his mind, often in hilarious bursts of profanity. The drummer can barely speak without unleashing some brutal gem at once outrageous and more often than not funny as hell.But it's the filmmaking that also shines here, pairing with the drummer's tales in perfect synchronization. Baker's unique form of storytelling and opining comes across in short blasts much like one of his rim shots, captured skillfully by Bulger. This documentary is notable for its pacing, using animation and quick edits to give a smooth musicality to the film. Baker talks throughout the film about the rare gift of timing. Bulger's got it. That's quite an achievement for a first-time director - for any director.While the interviewees (a plethora of musicians and long-suffering family members, including Clapton, Bruce, Watts, Peart, Ulrich, ex-wives and resigned children) make no bones about Ginger Baker being a total prick, it's hard not to empathize at least in part with Baker's life. A cruel father to his only son (now a respected drummer), a negligent husband and mean bastard to almost everyone he ever encountered, there is not a lot to like about the man.Then again, it's hard to tell how much of Baker's bravado is show and how much is real. In a short but telling scene, he is surprised by the camera while he is silly dancing for his step-daughters much to their delight. No doubt Baker has his ugly side but it's scenes like this that give the doc its rough-hewn charm.What this biopic does best is present what is good about Ginger Baker - his prodigious drumming. Finely navigating the drummer's early life, his days leading up to Cream's breakout to his days in Africa (the live performances by Fela Kuti and band shown here are alone worth the price of admission), the film puts the spotlight squarely on the music.Baker cares little for people. His life was and still is his drum kit. I had forgotten how rounded his skills are for arranging, producing and playing. His drum battles with the primo jazz drummers of the day - Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Phil Seaman - are ear-poppingly wonderful.It helps enormously that Baker's madman looks and flaming orange hair are iconic. The skillful and oftentimes funny animation makes full use of this iconography, emphasizing the bigger-than-life halo that slums around Mr. Baker's head. Now 73-years-old and grey, that Baker has survived a career of unimaginable fame, riches, women, and mostly heroin, to live yet another day is phenomenal.While the man's bluntness, musicality and humour dominate the film, the real beauty is in Bulger's ability to shine a light on the one overriding aspect of Ginger Baker that makes him such a fascinating subject. That is, a peculiar talent for walking into adventures the rest of us would never attempt. Often coming out broke and worse for wear, the abominable Mr. Baker, as he has done all his life, takes a breath and moves on to the next inexplicable enterprise, lacking any sense of self-doubt and living a life seemingly without remorse, at least when it comes to others.