How could you chronicle the life of a person? Like, their whole life? Well, that’s a trick question because it is literally impossible. Still though, you can try to sum up their life – either through a series of career highlights or character building sequences. But what if you have several of those? And I mean SEVERAL. Then you have your work cut out for you, and you’re talking about the one and only David McLean.
Mr. McLean has literally lived music from a young age, and this Scottish entrepreneur is about as self-made as they come. For close to 50 years, he’s worked with/managed/promoted some of the biggest musical acts of all time and has stories for days. He’s even got a movie out about his defining younger years. That’s how you know you’ve made it…but not content to let anyone else take the wheel, the feature (aptly names Schemers) is written and directed by McLean. After all, who better to tell his amazing story – even just one small portion of it – but the man himself?
These days, he is as busy as ever. McLean is the manager of internationally recognized band, Placebo, and in the past has worked with Green Day, Nirvana, and The Smashing Pumpkins to name just a few (to give you a small taste of how important to the music biz McLean has been, here is a great piece about him from NME which should bring you up to speed).
We were fortunate enough to speak with this legendary music man about his life and directorial debut. Needless to say, 30 minutes didn’t even scratch what goes on in just one normal day in his life, or what he does before breakfast. Still, we had a blast chatting even about a moment of it. Please enjoy this little slice of musical zen reminiscing with Dave McLean!
Davie is a dreamer – a tycoon-to-be who is constantly hustling for his next buck. Determined not to rot away in an office or in a factory he will do anything to avoid a real job. With his promising football career ending in tatters after an injury, and while recovering in the hospital, Davie falls in love with beautiful trainee nurse Shona. Although he may not be suited for academia, and in an attempt to impress Shona, Davie discovers he can certainly turn a fast buck running discos. Together with bold and business savvy friend John and utilizing the shadier talents of a young mate Scot, the trio try and fail various schemes. With gangsters, games, girls and an increasingly despairing father on his case, Davie needs to use all his tricks to pull off the biggest scheme of his life – or it could be his last.
Schemers was released to on Demand Platforms on March 29th.
