A Word about Bad Timing

Watching Mark Cousins' terrific Moviedrome introduction to Nicholas Roeg's 1980 masterpiece Bad Timing... I should preface this post with a quick word for my good friend Simon and his Moviedrome project which will see a return of BBC2's cult film program for a new generation of discernible film enthusiasts. Be sure to check out his Moviedrome page for more info and updates... The timing of this post is actually very good - I came across Cousins' introduction (which originally aired 15 February 1998, 11:20pm) in the wake of a discussion I had with my friend David on the schism between Art Garfunkel and Paul Simon, and both our sympathies lay with Garfunkel. Cousins' introduction is less a prelude to the film and more a passionate love letter, and a complete contrast, I seem to remember, to Irvine Welsh's intro to the film when it screened on Film4, back in the early 2000's, with Welsh droning on about how Garfunkel was miscast - Bad Casting I think he called it. Cousins quite rightly praises Garfunkel's performance and points out that the film was perhaps a way for the singer to break from his wholesome image - although his character in Carnal Knowledge from 1971 was not exactly squeaky clean either. I won't spoil anymore of the introduction save to say that Cousins' reveals that Tom Waits' Invitation to the Blues, played over the opening credits is forever synonymous in his mind with the film, but for me it's an extract of music Roeg borrowed from Keith Jarrett's Köln Concert that really brings the film back to me...