The question to ask about former Men at Work frontman Colin Hay isn't, "Where is he now?" It's, "Who is he now?" In the unconventional rock doc, Colin Hay: Waiting for My Real Life, co-directors Aaron Faulls and Nate Gowtham catch up with their subject on the road, decades after his mega-stardom burned out. They find a musician reinvented, a jovial but pained storytelling strummer whose journey toward creative liberation really began at the end. Gowtham and Faulls front-load their narrative with a Men at Work primer and fan testimonials by the likes of Hugh Jackman, Guy Pearce, and Sia. Most of the run-time, though, centers on Hay creatively channeling his brutal introspection while playing to modest crowds. Late in the film, a lawsuit over "Land Down Under" forces the artist to reckon with his previous incarnation. I rooted for Hay to get back to his real life, already in progress.
Check out Kicking the Seat Podcast #192 to hear Ian and Keeping it Reel's David Fowlie interview Colin Hay and co-director Nate Gowtham!