Lee Thompson

One Man’s Madness DVD (Cadiz Recording Co)

Rock music documentaries tend to fall into one of two camps, either a dry succession of talking heads telling us how wonderful the subject is, or they try to out-do Spinal Tap, a mountain that has (in all honesty) yet to be climbed.

Madness’ Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson fortunately manages to find a middle and entertaining way here. At first glance it seems to be a straightforward line of friends, family, band members and professionals who deal with him on a regular basis, but predictably things aren’t all they seem and (without wanting to give the joke away) a strange, almost Ealing Comedy-like, parade of familiar faces grace the screen with tales of a young Kix, his ‘escapades’ as a young man, the founding and following success of the band, its demise and resurrection and his side projects all the way up to today’s Lee Thompson’s Ska Orchestra.

There’s plenty of film from the band as a whole too, with historic footage mixed with clips from Madness’s infamous videos, which help to illustrate the wonderfully eccentric Mr Thompson and his life as a member of one of the most popular bands to come out of Eighties Britain.

The accompanying bonus material rounds out the story. A more traditional line of interviews with the man himself, along with supporting input from his family and friends. Finally, there’s an audio only interview with the film’s director, Jeff Baynes, which explores the origins and tribulations of the making of the film.