Amy Pickard's `One For The Road' places you in the middle of Glenn Tilbrook's (formerly of Squeeze) world, and starting from his arrival at the airport from the UK, you quickly sense it's one constantly teetering out of control. You're right next to Glenn while he's driving his RV down the highway, and for fans like me, just the place you'd want to be. The travels with the crew was literally dizzying at times -- hand-held camera action at its extreme, capturing Glenn's interaction with his traveling crew, the fans, and campground neighbors, all captured on the fly. But a few moments of sweat was all it cost to watch this fascinating tour tale.
I was amazed to see Glenn's `roll with the punches' attitude through all the mechanical and logistical problems, and realizing that he traveled from gig to gig in the past via luxury tour bus or plane even made it more astounding. I kept looking for some sign of a letdown in Glenn's face or spirit, but either Amy edited these moments out, or Glenn truly has the patience of a priest.
OFTR let me catch a different glimpse of someone whose music I've been a fan of for over 20 years, and helped me get a good idea of why he does what he does, and what will drive him to do it probably all his life. For someone who may not be a die-hard Squeeze fan, you can still come away with the impression of a devoted musician doing what he likes doing, just for the love of it. How Glenn's attitude shines through tough times on the road, always looking forward with optimism, is something I was impressed to see; you realize this guy really is "one for the road".
I wish the movie could have shown more details of the tour, and I'm always dying for more concert footage, but in the end, OFTR makes you want to watch more of the Glenn's adventures.
Ed