MovieChat Forums > Vinyl (2016) Discussion > Maybe not brilliant, but had something t...

Maybe not brilliant, but had something to say

posted 9 years ago by greti-midnight
3 replies | jump to latest

Yes, this show was not the Sopranos, not even House. But it did have something to say. How many of us will ever get a glimpse of the world from which the likes of Mick Jagger come? The backstage of the big names we all know? For me these people have to share all they have seen in their years, while they are still alive, because they won't be here forever. Make movies, series, write books, whatever, it's more life experience than we will ever have. Pulling the plug was a bad idea imho, but I guess different things are not easy to stomach.

[–] mtedmonds 9 years ago

Sorry but the problem with this show was how inauthentic it all seemed. I was looking for exactly what you described and what this show had the potential to be. Instead, they decided to go with a cliche over the top version that relied way too much on style over substance. It looked nice and all, but there was hardly a relatable character to be found. It didn't offer any new insights into that world that haven't been done before.

They made the mistake of trying to throw every cliche in the book into the show all at once resulting in a show that felt disjointed and unrealistic. It shows that just because you hire big names and throw a lot of money at something, you're not guaranteed a good finished product. Any random episode of behind the music comes off more relatable and authentic than this show. Someone at HBO came to their senses and made the right call.

[–] death-to-neds 9 years ago

Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, your opinion, man.

[–] WarpedRecord 8 years ago

Well, it's my opinion too. This series had so much to work with, but it squandered what should have been a compelling look at the '70s music scene into a series of cliches that could have fit any era.

The music was great, of course, as were some of the characters playing rock greats, but the show focused too much on the bloated personalities at the label, who appeared to have absolutely no grasp of their jobs. Instead of good writing leading to insight, we had to settle for screaming and violence. It just felt very phony and forced to me.