MOVIE

Free Will And Testament: The Robert Wyatt Story

2001 · 68 min · History · Documentary · Music

Robert Wyatt is one of the best-kept secrets of contemporary British music. Drummer and vocalist in Soft Machine which played with Hendrix and Pink Floyd in their heyday, he split from the group in the late 1960s and started recording solo albums. A fall from a window left Wyatt confined to a wheelchair, but he continued recording, even in hospital. His most well-known song is probably Shipbuilding, a protest against the Falklands war written for him by Elvis Costello, while his 1997 album Schleep won acclaim as one of the best albums of the past 10 years. In addition to performance footage of the famously retiring musician, the documentary contains interviews with John Peel, Brian Eno, Annie Whitehead, Alfie and Robert Wyatt himself.