Unsung hero John McGeoch – guitarist for Siouxsie And The Banshees, Magazine, Public Image Ltd and Visage – to be celebrated in new docu-film ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’
Directed by Paul Sng (‘Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché’) and Nicola Black (‘Mirrorball’). Biogs below
Watch the trailer here
“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” Pericles
‘The Light Pours Out Of Me’ – a feature documentary film co-directed by Paul Sng (‘Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché’, ‘Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain’) and Nicola Black (‘Mirrorball’), celebrates the life and musical legacy of genius Scottish guitarist John McGeoch, who defined the post-punk sound with Magazine, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Public Image Ltd. The film provides a fascinating new insight into these bands, but, just as importantly, ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ is a film about loss, contextualised by a daughter who lost her father. It’s also framed within a narrative about a super talented maverick musician whose work is not – but should be – widely known.
Born in Greenock, Scotland, John McGeoch rose to become one of the most respected guitarists of his generation, creating his own unique sound. Working closely with Howard Devoto, Siouxsie Sioux, and John Lydon, McGeoch pioneered new ways of playing that influenced generations of guitarists, such as Johnny Marr, Johnny Greenwood, Steve Albini, James Dean Bradfield, and John Frusciante. As McGeoch forged a new guitar style that defined the sound of the 1980s and 1990s, it exacted a heavy toll on his personal life. The damage from drugs and alcohol, combined with the loneliness of being away from his family, impacted negatively on his mental health.
Having secured the rights to tell John McGeoch’s extraordinary story, the film is based on the best-selling biography, 'John McGeoch: The Light Pours Out of Me' by Rory Sullivan-Burke, which includes original interviews with Siouxsie Sioux, Howard Devoto, Johnny Marr, Billy Idol, John Frusciante, Keith Levene, Jonny Greenwood, Nick Launay, Ed O’Brien, Peter Hook and more.
McGeoch was a brilliant, contradictory, and complex man. On the road he was funny, confident, and full of life. Away from this environment he was kind, loving but gripped by insecurities.
When John’s daughter Emily was born, he actively embraced fatherhood, unhappy at the prospect of leaving his family on lengthy tours with The Banshees and Public Image Ltd. An underlying theme of Sng and Black’s film explores masculinity and the gender stereotypes that existed in the 1980s, as John chose to give up music to look after his young daughter and work in the care sector with Alzheimer’s patients.
The film also explores what has been lost in relation to the time period and how the world has changed and moved on. “This is an analogue film framed from a digital age, employing a wealth of archive material across multiple formats, including Super8 (70s), VHS (80s) and MiniDV (90s). The footage from now obsolete media enables the filmmakers to tell a story about a vanished world and explore what has been lost from decades past, juxtaposed with the loss felt by Emily in losing her father and the world in losing a genius guitarist. This is John’s story, told by those who loved him most; his close family and the wider family of leading musicians who are all proud to have known and recorded with him,” says Sng.
“Universal questions, not just about music and creativity, but also about what an artist is willing to sacrifice on the path to recognition are embedded in this film. When success turns to pressure, pressure to addiction and fragility is masked by substance abuse, the effects can be devastating. Issues of mental health and addiction that are part of our contemporary conversation were not widely discussed when John was at the height of his fame. ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ considers these themes in a sensitive way, giving them a context, which resonates with audiences today,” adds Black.
This film is made with full support from John McGeoch’s family and with the blessing of Rory Sullivan-Burke, his authorised biographer. As a long-time fan of John McGeoch, Black read Rory’s book ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ and was blown away. Deeply insightful and very moving, it struck a chord and she felt compelled to make a feature documentary based on Rory’s work, along with collaborator and friend Sng.
“Paul Sng and I have an absolute passion to make this film and bring John’s often unsung talents to the big screen. Having undertaken archive research of John playing guitar in Magazine, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Armoury Show and PiL, there are extraordinary performances showcasing the breadth and depth of his unique talent. We look forward to alerting a new generation of fans to John’s guitar genius”, comments Black.
Filmmaker Bios
Nicola Black, Producer and Co-Director
Nicola is a BAFTA winning Producer/Director with over twenty years-experience making documentaries for BBC and Channel 4. Nicola’s work includes ‘White Jazz’ about cult crime writer James Ellroy’s quest to find his mother’s murder; ‘The Paranormal Peter Sellers’ revealing the Hollywood actor’s obsession with the occult; ‘When Freddy Mercury Met Kenny Everett’, the centre-piece film for C4’s Queen Weekend. Nicola also produced/directed ‘Mirrorball’, showcasing the work of Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Chris Cunningham, Mark Romanek, Mike Mills, and many others.
Paul Sng, Co-Director:
Paul Sng is a bi-racial British Chinese filmmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland whose work focuses on people who challenge the status quo. His films have been broadcast on television and screened internationally, and his feature documentary credits include ‘Dispossession’, ‘Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché’ (winner of BIFA 2021 Best Documentary, BIFA 2021 Raindance Discovery Award) and ‘Tish’ (Sheffield DocFest 2023 Opening Gala film). He is a 2022/23 BAFTA Breakthrough Artist.
Rewards available to Kickstarter donators:
Fireworks | £10 | Limited edition John McGeoch plectrum
Hong Kong Garden | £15 | Limited edition John McGeoch badge
Melt! | £25 | Named in the Thank You credits
Christine |£50 | Limited edition John McGeoch tote & named in the Thank You credits
Fade to Grey | £100 | Limited edition tote bag, plectrum and badge & named in Thank You credits
Voodoo Dolly | £200 | ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ authorised biography signed by writer plus all items in the Fade to Grey package
Halloween | £250 | Invite to the film premiere in the UK plus all items in the Fade to Grey package
Castles in Spain | £350 | One-off John McGeogh memorabilia. Set of pins from Banshees tour & named in Thank You credits plus all items in the Fade to Grey package
Night Shift | £500 | John McGeoch unique memorabilia. Tour t-shirt worn by John, provided by the McGeoch family (authenticating photograph of John wearing item) plus all items in the Fade to Grey package
Arabian Nights | £750 |Original, John McGeoch leather jewellery worn during gigs & tour t-shirt, plus all items in the Fade to Grey package
Happy House | £850 | John McGeogh tour t-shirt + authenticating photograph, plus all items in the Fade to Grey package
Spellbound | £1,000 | Presentation box with John McGeoch memorabilia, including John’s tour t-shirt, PiL tour cap, copy of ‘The Light Pours Out of Me’ signed & dedicated by author, plus all items in the Fade to Grey package & Special Thanks credit
Shot On Both Sides | £3,000 | Associate Producer credit
The Light Pours Out of Me | £5,000 | Logo sponsorship in end credits
John McGeoch – album discography:
Magazine:
‘Real Life’, 1978
‘Secondhand Daylight’, 1979
‘The Correct Use of Soap’, 1980
Visage:
‘Visage’, 1980
Siouxsie and the Banshees:
‘Juju’, 1981
‘A Kiss in the Dreamhouse’, 1982
Public Image Ltd:
Public Image Ltd’, 1986
‘Happy?’, 1987
‘9’, 1989
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