Need I go on?
Marq Evans' doco, The Glamour and the Squalor, delves into Collins' path from high school outcast to Seattle grunge kingmaker to struggling substance abuser to recovering activist. It's an intense rollercoaster soundtracked and annecdoted with just about every artist you could ever want to hear from. And everyone is effusive.
You'd think that all this would amount to a lot of famous people blowing smoke up Collins' proverbial - and while Evans is finding his feet it does feel a little like that - but it's soon more than evident that everyone involved actually loves the guy and they all actually rate him that highly. As Evan's builds his portrait of Collins (with Collins himself relating his story) it becomes more and more apparent just why that is the case.
Where the film struggles is with Collins' struggles themselves and with getting into the addict mindset. Early efforts to establish how far the mighty have fallen (a trip to a pawn shop to hunt out a lost gold record presented to Collins by Nirvana) feel overtly staged, and the later sections that deal directly with Collins' addiction don't step much beyond personal testimonial (with some talking heads breaking down in frustration for added effect). I don't mean to diminish the struggle, just to say that Evans' treatment feels more indulgent than revelatory.
The overarching message remains clear though. Collins is a talent and a survivor and that if he can survive his childhood as a gay kid in the sticks then he can survive these other trials. Like the evolution of society around him (his father's journey to acceptance is one of the many highlights), Collins trajectory is clear.
We just have to wait to see who he breaks next.
★★★☆
Trailer:
The Glamour and the Squalor screened as part of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival 2016.
You can check out other films from the festival here.
You can check out other films from the festival here.
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