“I was drowning”. Acclaimed filmmaker Brett Morgen (“Kurt Cobain Montage of Heck”, “The Kid Stays in the Picture”) knew he was in deep trouble creatively when he sat down to write the script for his latest documentary and days stretched to weeks and then months. When your film subject’s own creative output is as varied, unpredictable, and brilliant as rock star David Bowie’s was throughout his legendary career, the pressure to measure up can be paralyzing. But, eventually, Brett cracked the narrative code, and the result is his remarkable new documentary, “Moonage Daydream”.
Following the film’s successful launch on IMAX screens, Brett joined Mike and Ken to talk about the emotional rollercoaster of his seven-year odyssey to bring this cinematic exploration of David Bowie’s creative and spiritual journey to life. Faced with two visions of how to approach the topic, why did Brett choose the road less traveled — “a non-biographical experiential non-fiction film” — rather than the more linear musical jukebox that would have surely been the easier path? What is the “covenant” that Brett created with the audience? And after experiencing a massive heart attack at the beginning of the project, how did Brett draw inspiration from Bowie and gain insight into how to live his own life? Join us for this wide-awake conversation that is not intended to answer all of your questions about this extraordinary film, but will, hopefully, provoke more questions. That’s just how it is with David Bowie… and Brett Morgen.
A Neon release, “Moonage Daydream” is now showing in theaters worldwide.
Hidden Gem:
“The Nuer” by Hilary Harris and George Breidenbach, produced by Robert Gardner and Hilary Harris
Follow on Twitter:
@MoonageMov
@brettmorgen
@topdocspod
The Presenting Sponsor of "Top Docs" is Netflix.
Classic: "Dick Johnson is Dead" with Kirsten ("KJ") Johnson (from October 2021)
Classic: "Summer of Soul" with Amir "Questlove" Thompson (from January 2022)
Classic: "Navalny" with Daniel Roher (from September 2022)
Our Most Popular Pods, Season 3
"The Greatest Night in Pop" with Bao Nguyen
"Girls State" with Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss
"Anxious Nation" with Laura Morton & Vanessa Roth
"Reality Winner" with Sonia Kennebeck
Oscar Nominees Special with Clayton Davis
"Daughters" with Angela Patton & Natalie Rae
"To Kill a Tiger" with Nisha Pahuja
"Nǎi Nai and Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma)" with Sean Wang
"The Last Repair Shop" with Kris Bowers & Ben Proudfoot
“Island in Between” with S. Leo Chiang & Jean Tsien
"The Barber of Little Rock" with John Hoffman
"The ABCs of Book Banning" with Trish Adlesic
"Porcelain War" with Slava Leontyev & Brendan Bellomo
"Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza" with Michael John Warren
"Union" with Brett Story, Stephen Maing & Chris Smalls
"Sugarcane" with Julian Brave Noisecat & Emily Kassie
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Cinema: A to B
I Finally Watched...
Star Wars Escape Pod
Pod Meets World
Kill James Bond!