Program Notes: Julien Temple Film Festival

Julien Temple was born in London in 1953. He had little interest in cinema until, while studying at King's College, Cambridge, he discovered the director who would become his lifelong hero: Jean Vigo. When he went on to the National Film and Television School, he encountered another and, for him, equally influential manifestation of the anarchist spirit: The Sex Pistols.

Source: Screenonline

As noted in the previous posting, Temple has bemoaned that he came into directing at the wrong time:

As I was saying, when I started making films it was a joke if you were young and wanted to make a film. They would literally say, "Fuck off and come back in 30 years and we might listen to you if you've got a nice gray beard." Whereas now it's the other way around. Film should be made at any age, obviously, but it was a shame that you couldn't do anything when you were young. (Source: Bomb Magazine)

Temple has directed countless rock music videos. He is the go-to guy for many "classic rockers" which is ironic given his beginnings. Unlike some of the more contemporary "big director" types who do music videos like Spike Jonze and Michael Gondry, Temple seems to be merely putting food on the table. Although some of the videos do showcase some of his interesting imagery and camera angles, they are mostly straitforward takes that emphasize the artist over any storyline. Perhaps the reason so many of these stars like to work with him is because he is unimpressed:

"I'm not at all interested in rock and roll stardom. I never was. That's why the Sex Pistols were wonderful. I was always interested in what people were saying and what the music did to me rather than whether the people were stars. And actually, the more you work with big stars, the less impressed you are." (source: Bomb Magazine)

Here's are just some Temple's videos (the more notable ones are in color):

• David Bowie - Blue Jean
• David Bowie - Absolute Beginners
  
• The Kinks - Come Dancing
• The Rolling Stones - Undercover of the Night
• Sade - Smooth Operator
• The Stray Cats - Rock This Town
• Wilson Phillips - Hold On; Release Me
• Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World
• Tom Petty "Free Fallin'"
• Van Halen: "Jump"
• Culture Club: "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me?"
• The Kinks, "Predictable".
• Stray Cats, "Stray Cat Strut".
• The English Beat, "Save It for Later".
• Mitch Ryder, "When You Were Mine".
• The Kinks, "Don't Forget To Dance".
• The Rolling Stones, "She Was Hot".
• The Kinks, "State Of Confusion".
• Accept, "Balls to the Wall".
• The Kinks, "Do It Again".
• Mick Jagger, "Just Another Night".
• Mick Jagger, "Lucky in Love".
• Neil Young, "This Note's for You".
• Tin Machine (Bowie), "Under the God".
• Tom Petty, "Yer So Bad".
• Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, "Into the Great Wide Open".
• Neil Young, "Unknown Legend".
• ZZ Top, "Pincushion".

IMDB's complete list is here. Missing is perhaps one of his bigger videos: Kim Carnes, "Bette Davis Eyes"

Coming full circle and slight off-topic here's a fun link to a video-music mash-up of scenes Temple's movies with a Madonna video:

Ray of Gob - Source