They Call It Madness; The Movie

11 May, 2018
Written by Marky Edison

One Man’s Madness, a feature length rocku-docu-mockumentary directed by Jeff Baynes, and released on DVD on June 1, tells the story of Madness saxophonist Lee Thompson, told by Lee and his fellow Madness band mates, his family, friends and musicologists, who strangely all look a little like him. From meeting Barso and Chrissy Boy, and later Suggs, Chas, Woody and Bedders, to becoming one of Britain’s most iconic and successful bands, the film follows the path of Lee’s life through his lyrics and songs including such Madness classics as ‘The Prince’, ‘Embarrassment’, ‘House of Fun’, ‘Lovestruck’ and ‘NW5’.

Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson is a most unlikely character. Early career choices had him spend a year in Borstal. He still hasn’t found the receipt for his first saxophone. Luckily, he met two other unlikely characters: Mike ‘Barso’ Barson and ‘Chrissy Boy’ Foreman who shared his interests of graffiti, train hopping and music.

Known for bringing joy into the living rooms of millions across the UK over the years with their comedic and theatrical music videos, One Man’s Madness takes its cue from the classic Ealing comedies of the ‘40s and ‘50s, music hall and famous BBC arts documentaries, with a nod to those great British comics down the years such as Max Wall, Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Dick Emery, Morecambe and Wise and Spike Milligan.

In a career spanning 40 years, Lee ‘Kix’ Thompson has become a key songwriter in Madness and a firm favourite with fans around the world. The band’s ability to push boundaries with their thrilling and comical videos has become stuff of legend, with Lee taking a firm interest in their exploits on film, including suggesting hanging on a harness from a crane whilst flying through the air in the ‘Baggy Trousers’ video. This was later re-enacted when Lee took to the air while playing a red, white, and blue-coloured saxophone in the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics.