John Waite: The Hard Way

A deeply emotional film depicting the Hell of lockdown.

John Waite's voice is embedded deep within my psyche. His early hits with The Babys were songs I heard because my mom played AM radio all the time. It was on at home, in the car. On local shopping jaunts and desert road trips. Not long after, I discovered FM radio and my love for harder rock 'n' roll. "Head First" was next. What a perfect song. I kind of ignored his '80s solo work, but it was hard to not fall in love with "Change" and "Missing You" without really knowing it. Sort of like those Babys ballads.

In more recent years, renewed interest in The Babys as a power pop band was sparked by conversations with a fellow guitarist/songwriter, and I listened to all their songs and added some to the large playlist I listen to in the car, in place of radio. My friend told me about seeing John solo, and I've been waiting for a chance to see him live myself.

I was browsing Tubi for something to watch this past weekend, and noticed a new documentary about John Waite, called The Hard Way. I instantly put it on and was hooked from the first moment.

For the past 30 years John’s 'Do It Yourself' touring and live performances around the word have been his way to survive in life both financially, and as he comes to terms with it in our film – emotionally. When performing live is suddenly not an option – he’s forced to finally confront himself.

He’s like a caged bird. I haven't seen such a hard-hitting description of how lock-downs hurt us as these interviews. This is a must-see film for anyone who loves music, freedom, and of course the music of The Babys, Bad English, or John Waite.