New 'Pretenders' Doc Captures Chrissie Hynde and a Band Destroyed — SkimNews
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- The Pretenders formed in London in 1978 with Chrissie Hynde, bassist Pete Farndon, guitarist James Honeyman-Scott, and drummer Martin Chambers, emerging from the moment punk had morphed into new wave.
- James Honeyman-Scott was fired from the Pretenders on June 14, 1982, and died two days later in his sleep of a heart attack at age 25 after four straight nights of cocaine use — effectively ending the original band.
- Pete Farndon had been kicked out of the band two days earlier after spiraling into heroin addiction, making the dual losses a single devastating blow chronicled in the documentary.
- Joss Crowley's documentary is built around astonishing archival footage and a lengthy interview with Hynde, alongside conversations with figures in her orbit, framing her as a 75-year-old 'strutting rock star' who still hates being on camera.
- Hynde rejected the feminist or 'groundbreaker' label despite being one of the first women to lead a rock 'n' roll band with a guitar, telling the documentary she just thought she was 'getting away with something.'
- Honeyman-Scott, only 22 when the band formed, is credited by the reviewer as the originator of 'jangly guitar,' compared to U2's The Edge for visionary playing, and powered songs like 'Brass in Pocket' and 'Kid.'
Why it matters: The review frames the Pretenders as a case study in how quickly rock stardom can collapse: a band that defined the line between punk fury and melodic songwriting was effectively destroyed within a 72-hour window in mid-June 1982, losing both its original rhythm section and visionary lead guitarist. Hynde's refusal to claim the 'feminist' or 'groundbreaker' label matters because the documentary arrives as streaming-era reassessments of women in rock are reshaping canonical narratives she herself declines to join.
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