If you're a fan of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy, clear your schedule on the evening of Wednesday, August 25 because Phil Lynott: Songs For While I'm Away, the superb feature-length documentary on Lynott's life, will air on RTE1.
Like so many films, Emer Reynolds' wonderful documentary on the lead singer of Thin Lizzy had a delayed release due to Covid restrictions but trust us, it was definitely worth the wait
However, if you didn't get to see it a the cinema, you can do so from the comfort of your home very soon.
In terms of the official synopsis, the film: "Tells the story of how a young black boy from working-class 1950s Dublin became Ireland’s Greatest Rock Star.
"As lead singer of Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott was a songwriter, a dreamer, a wild man. Told extensively through the words of Phil himself and focusing on some of his iconic songs, the film gets to the heart of Philip, the father, the husband, the friend, the son, the rock icon, the bard, the dreamer."
Throughout the feature, the documentary shows that Crumlin's most beloved rockstar was much more than just a great bass player, singer, songwriter and poet.
Reynolds cleverly lets the music do the talking, using 31 songs from Phil and Thin Lizzy’s back catalogue to create an overall impression of the man.
Elsewhere, interviews with family members, friends, and famous musicians are used to create an evocative and poetic portrait of the singer’s life.
While the film doesn't overly dwell on Lynott's dependency on drugs which led to his tragic death in 1986, it does discuss the accounts of racism that he experienced as a child in England.
This ultimately led to his mother sending him to live with his grandparents, Frank and Sarah Lynott, in Crumlin.
Throughout the feature, Reynolds charts the rise of Lynott from his early days playing with The Black Eagles and Skid Row, right up to Lizzy becoming stadium-fillers across the world, selling millions of albums along the way.
From the almost accidental success of Whiskey In The Jar, the global phenomenon that was The Boys Are Back In Town, Lizzy's unfortunate attempts to break America, and their ascension into "probably the greatest live act on the planet (according to Huey Lewis)", Songs for While I'm Away is a loving portrait of the beloved Dubliner.
Since being released, Phil Lynott: Songs For While I'm Away has really resonated with viewers and fans alike. at present, the documentary holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.1 on IMDB and it also was named as Best Documentary Of The Year at the 2020 Doc 'N Roll Film Festival.
For fans of Thin Lizzy and their picnic frontman, the documentary airs at RTE1 at 9.35pm on Wednesday, August 25.
