Ronnie Lane - The Passing Show

An extended version of the hour-long documentary screened by the BBC earlier this year, The Passing Show recounts, with warmth and affection, the life and times of a hugely popular musician dogged by bad luck and poor health. Family and friends (Eric Clapton, Kenney Jones, etc) pay tribute to a man who was a pop star twice over, but shunned the limelight for a more rural existence at home. Candid footage from The Small Faces and The Faces portray Lane as a happy-go-lucky sort, but also a musician of extraordinary intellect and ability. He never made any money from the first band, turned his back on potential millions with the second, and opted to become a caravan-dwelling troubadour at one with nature. Any cash he already had was ploughed into an ultimately financially disastrous big top revue – The Passing Show of the title. Unforseen obstacles, not least a lengthy BBC technicians strike soon after he launched a solo career, kept Lane a fringe player for ever more. But even in clips from a 1997 interview, not long before his death, Lane comes across as a man of great charm, not in the least bitter with his lot. A joyous, if occasionally heartbreaking journey, punctuated by some very fine music.