Anyone Can Play Guitar (film): History and Key Facts

Anyone Can Play Guitar is a documentary film made by Jon Spira, examining the music scene in Oxford over the period starting 1978, but focusing on 1984–2007. The film takes its name from the song by Radiohead from their 1993 album Pablo Honey.

Through over 300 hours of interviews with band members and other key people in the Oxford music community, distilled down to one and a half hours, the film examines the roles of community, the music industry, and luck in a band gaining commercial success.

Narrated by Stewart Lee, it features interviews and concert footage of several bands that have been nationally and internationally successful (Radiohead, Supergrass, Foals), as well as some that had moderate success (e.g. The Candyskins, Ride, Swervedriver), and many more that were not commercially successful including The Cornflower Concept.

Creation of the film was initially through a Production Award from Film Oxford as well as self-funded by Spira, but finishing the sound mix and picture grade to a professional standard needed additional funding, which Spira sought through the Indiegogo crowd funding site. The initial target of $15,000 was reached before the campaign closing date, and the campaign was extended to $30,000 to raise funds for final music and film footage rights clearance.

Source and attribution

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