attachment-Jangling Man poster

Cleaners From Venus documentary 'The Jangling Man' screening in NYC & LA (watch the trailer)

Martin Newell has been making wonderful pop music since the late ’70s, mostly on his own with a four-track recorder and mostly under the banner of The Cleaners from Venus. He’s a bit like a Britpop Robert Pollard; songs and albums pour out of him at an astounding rate and while the fidelity is often low, the hit factor is high. There have been attempts to bring his music to a wider audience — XTC’s Andy Partridge produced Newell’s 1993 album The Greatest Living Englishman — but mostly he seems happy to exist at the fringes, and has gained quite a cult following along the way.

Jangling Man, James Sharp’s documentary about Newell, has been in the works for a while and features rare footage and new interviews with Newell as well former members of the band and many of his admirers that include Mac Demarco, The CharlatansTim Burgess, BBC DJ Steve Lamacq, XTC‘s Dave Gregory, DIIV‘s Zachary Cole SmithKimberley Rew (Soft Boys, Katrina & The Waves), Wild Nothing‘s Jack Tatum, R. Stevie Moore, and more.

Says Newell: “A film? About me? I’ve often wondered why that camera crew kept popping up everywhere. How marvelous! Can’t wait to see it.” Watch the trailer below.

Folks in NYC and Los Angeles will be able to see it soon. It plays LA’s Brain Dead Studios on Saturday, October 8 and then Brooklyn’s Film Noir on October 14. Both screenings will feature Q&As with producers of the film.

List of people interviewed in The Jangling Man:
Tim Burgess (Musician: Charlatans)
Michael Cumming (Film Director)
Steve Lamacq (Radio DJ)
John Cooper Clarke (Poet)
R. Stevie Moore (Musician)
Dave Gregory (Musician: XTC)
Ian Peppercorn (Musician: GYPP)
Lee Cave-Berry (Musician)
Tony Phillips (Engineer/Musician: Stray Trolleys/GYPP)
Nelson aka Pete Nice (Musician: Cleaners/Brotherhood of Lizards/All of Martin’s ventures)
Tivv aka Paul Tivy (Musician: Martin’s band)
Ichiro Tatsuhara (Musician: Cleaners)
Luke Wright (Poet)
James Hunter (Musician)
Kimberley Rew (Musician: Soft Boys/Katrina and the Waves)
Lorraine Bowen (Comedian/Musician: Billy Bragg/Dinnerladies)
James Dodds (Artist)
Iain McNay (Cherry Red Records)
Mike Sniper (Captured Tracks)
Jackson Macintosh (Musician)
Jack Tatum (Musician: Wild Nothing)
Zachery Cole-Smith (Musician: DIIV)
Mac DeMarco (Musician)
Nic Hessler/Jess Espeleta (Musicians)
Tom Wells (Musician)
MAX Kinghorn-Mills (Musician)