Squint: Movies From The Soundtrack-Movies
Cross Rhythms
October/November 1994, Issue 23
© 1994 Cornerstone House
Page 68
Warner Alliance 4303 Video Book (Alliance Music/STL)
As Steve Taylor's diary in this CR shows, this movie was a world tour for Christendom's most creative alternative rocker. As it says on the box he caused traffic jams in the streets of Hanoi, Vietnam; he dodged angry camels on the plains of Cappadocia and he turned cartwheels in the sight of Big Ben. In fact he turned cartwheels just about everywhere, the demonstration of Steve's cartwheeling athletcisim in a variety of settings being used as a link between each item. The five songs here, "Smug", "Jesus Is For Losers", "Bannerman", "Sock Heaven", "Cash Cow" and "The Finish Line" (plus a live version of "The Moshing Floor") are the cream of one of 1993's outstanding albums and the treatment of the songs shows all the flare and originality associated with Steve's music. Take for instance the repeated surreal image of a sock being dropped into a deep Himalayan ravine ("Sock Heaven") or Steve lurching around an Indian temple in a blindfold ("The Finish Line"). The links contain plenty of zaney improvised jokes ranging from the hilarious to the not funny (killing bees in the studio doesn't make great entertainment). But that's quibbling really. The tribute to Scripture flashers "Bannerman" is finely executed while the one song Steve didn't direct, the animated models in "Cash Cow" is intuitively right. Overall the imagery and editing make this a magnificent visual extravaganza which adds another dimension to that astounding 'Squint' album.
[Rating: 10/10]
Tony Cummings
