Ginger Baker Documentary To Premier At SXSW


Ginger Baker documentary, "Beware of Mr. Baker" SXSW Preview from Jay Bulger on Vimeo.


Another interesting Rock related story coming from SXSW is the premier of the film “Beware Of Mr. Baker”, a documentary about Cream drummer Ginger Baker.

Baker has been living in seclusion in South Africa for decades, and Rolling Stone writer Jay Bulgar was curious as to what he was doing. Bulgar spent three months living with Baker in South Africa to report on his life. Bulgar compiled several hours on interviews and later returned with a film crew to complete this documentary.

Stories of Baker’s life are supported by interviews with family and musicians that worked with him including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts, Mickey Hart, Carlos Santana, Max Weinberg, Chad Smith, Femi Kuti, Neal Peart, Simon Kirke, and Marky Ramone.

Some interesting info pulled from Rolling Stone and Bewareofmrbaker.com:

The drummer calls South Africa home, a place where he lives inside a fortified compound with his 29-year-old internet bride and 39 polo ponies.

Chain smoking and ingesting copious amounts of morphine while sitting in his leather recliner, the 73-year-old reflects back on his life as we concurrently witness his current law suits, local disputes, and yet another chapter in his path of destruction. Unfortunately, Ginger’s ginger hair has faded, and we wonder if he is physically capable of saving himself by playing the instrument that has defined him. In his own words, “God is punishing me for my past wickedness by keeping me alive and in as much pain as he can. I wasn’t planning on living this long!”

In true Ginger Baker fashion, 3 years into shooting the film, after squandering yet another fortune, Baker triumphantly returns to the stage; as he went on a 30 date sold out European tour, the producers were there to capture it on film for posterity. The film will premier at SXSW starting on Monday, March 10.

Original source