Ronnie Wood is brutally honest in the documentary Somebody Up There Likes Me
GARY MILLER/FILMMAGICRonnie Wood: Somebody Up There Likes Me
Sky Arts, 9pmThe reason Ronnie Wood thinks God may have a soft spot for him is that, after 50 years of chugging 25 to 30 fags a day, a recent lung operation was so restorative to his body it’s now as if he hasn’t smoked. But it’s not just the Almighty — even rock or art gods don’t have a bad word to say about this craggy-faced, spiky-haired bundle of energy in Mike Figgis’s film. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart and Damien Hirst appear almost like a fantasy dinner party (or an episode of the comedy Stella Street) to speak eloquently and above all honestly about their times with “Woody”, charting the musician-turned-artist’s journey from jobbing musician with bands such as the Faces until the Stones took him on in in 1975. Wood is never less than honest too about the dark times, such as his father’s drink problem, the death of his first girlfriend or his problems with drugs and time in rehab (where, of course, he charmed everyone). Sometimes it can feel a bit Spinal Tap, especially when Wood recalls telling Keith Moon: “Keith, you are meant to take one or two, not the whole bottle.” Still, if Richards (with whom Wood once had a dust-up) praises your stamina and immune system and calls you “tough as nails”, that’s praise indeed. It’s also very good on what it feels like to be in a band, play stadium tours and to party hard. “I like things too much,” Wood reflects, which he adds, is OK for music, less good when it comes to dope or drink. But thank God he’s still here.
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www.thetimes.co.uk]