WHY WOULD I BE FAMOUS? (BROS: AFTER THE SCREAMING STOPS)

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 “I made a conscious decision because of Stevie Wonder not to be superstitious.”

"The letters H.O.M.E. are so important because they personify the word home."

“I’m a Londoner. Embankment. Big Ben. Cab drivers.”

The wit and wisdom of Matt and Luke Goss has been the talk of social media in Britain ever since their warts and all documentary was released in cinemas three months ago.


The Bros documentary 'After the Screaming Stops' has amused audiences and critics for weeks - especially after it aired on BBC4 over Christmas and was made available for streaming on the iPlayer.

So why has it captured the imagination of fortysomethings who never really understood the Goss twins' stratospheric fame in the late 1980s and millenials who have never even heard of them?

Focussing on the stresses and strains of the estranged brothers during rehearsals for a reunion concert in London's O2 Arena, Joe Pearlman and David Soutar's documentary sometimes feels like a music industry spoof from the pen of Ricky Gervais.

But it is also a surprisingly touching meditation on the perils of sudden fame as the brothers reflect on their rapid rise and fall in the late 1980s and early 90s and the damage it inflicted on their relationship.


Undoubtedly the most heartbreaking moment is when Matt and Luke Goss describe a family tragedy and how the music industry quickly forced them back onto the conveyor belt of fame, appearing on Terry Wogan's chat show with little time to properly process their grief.

But the documentary is also refreshingly honest in its depiction of two damaged souls trying to reconnect and it is elevated by some unintentionally funny moments.

Most of these come from lead singer Matt Goss' lips in the form of hilariously pretentious and, at times, bizarre observations.

There is a David Brent like quality to: "One of my songs is called ‘We’re All Kings’. Which is about a man sweeping the road – he’s one of my kings because I’m thankful I don’t have to sweep the road."


And yet, like Brent, we find ourselves rooting for the Goss twins as they try to repair their relationship and pull off a blinding concert. 'After the Screaming Stops' is a charming, funny and occasionally sad rockumentary about a boyband that went from heroes to zero.

But it will also have you pondering the merits of sudden fame.

It's not so much a case of 'When Will I Be Famous', more like 'Why Would I Be Famous?

And while many will be amused by the Goss brothers' bon mots, the last laugh is on us as Pearlman and Soutar's documentary breathes new life into a pop act that had been largely forgotten.

('After the Screaming Stops' was released in UK cinemas on November 9, 2018)       

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