Shut Up And Play The Piano - DocPoint 2019

Chilly Gonzales, who calls himself the super villain of music, is a motormouthed jokester never short of wordplay and double entendres. But would it be better if he would just shut up and play the piano, the instrument where his true talent lies?

The mischievous rascal Chilly is really the alter ego of Canadian Jason Beck. With the help of his charismatic

stage character, this virtuoso pianist got the courage to start rapping, experiment with electronic music and

perform together with superstars like Peaches, Jarvis Cocker, and Daft Punk.

Shut Up and Play the Piano is a dialogue between Beck and writer Sibylle Berg, covering the whole career of

Chilly Gonzales. The film takes us from underground Berlin via bohemian Paris to the world’s philharmonic halls. Beck tries to hide behind the character he has created until the very end, even recruiting stand-ins to play Chilly in the film. At last, the chameleon-like showman reveals something real and emotional. The characteristic

concert hall entertainer of old times is still alive and well.

Paavo Ihalainen / Translation: Ulrika Sundelin