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Alone With Chrissie Hynde DVD


by Morley Seaver

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A lot of music documentaries really give what ends up feeling like a false or projected image of the artist. Not entirely accurate. That's why I absolutely love the new DVD Alone With Chrissie Hynde. Never one to seek out the front page of the hottest tabloids, Chrissie continues to just do her thing, without one eye on the fame barometer. This up close and personal look weaves in live material along with day-to-day of the Pretenders leader in her life offstage. Fans of faithful documentaries might complain that there is no real structured interview process since she narrates the entire "show", however I feel it gives a more honest presentation void of somebody else's influence.

Starting off with Chrissie in her flat in Paris and bouncing around to the U.S. and Britain, we get to see her in a variety of scenarios. Starting off with a street artist who does portraits, it's obvious that her unflappable confidence has not eroded as she holds her own with the arrogant vendor. The tie-in to her latest record, Alone, comes off the top when she talks about always hearing love songs and realizing that she's never heard a song about being on one's own, before admitting "maybe that's because it's crap being on your own." The two sides of the coin weave in and out of this doc as she also later admits that being alone is a "luxury" for someone who has "retired from a lot of the pursuits that come from being in a relationship".

A few of the coolest parts are when she sits in with a local band in London and plays a raucous version of "Thumbelina" and also when she visits her hometown of Akron, Ohio. She takes us to the mall where she hung out and worked at as a teen and then also to her childhood house. Later she explains how Julie London was a huge factor in her wanting to become a singer since it was a big favorite of her parents and one of the only artists they played while she was growing up.

Fans are treated to clips of Chrissie in the studio with producer Dan Auerbach and the first playback of her 2016 release Alone. mixed in are songs from a recent show with newer and older hits. As a bonus, the package includes a show from Germany in 1981 with the original Pretenders lineup and does this show sizzle!

A great artist and a great DVD. I thoroughly recommend this release to all Chrissie Hynde fans. Get your copy here.

Alone With Chrissie Hynde DVD
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