Netflix’s three-part documentary about Kylie Minogue, Kylie, covers her nearly 40 year career. We go from the release of Minogue’s first self-titled album and time as an actor on Neighbours to the present day with a new single Light Up and preparations for an anniversary tour next year.
Minogue is well represented in this documentary. Her commentary shows her depth of character, understanding and connection as a music professional.
Minogue frames the documentary, sitting in what looks like her archive room, going through boxes of slides and mementos, including a glorious moment with a 1980s boombox which she says “started it all”.
‘How would you feel if that was your daughter?’
As Adrian Renzo and I found in our book, Kylie, an exploration of her first album, there were different standards applied to Minogue than to her male contemporaries when she began in the industry.
Minogue and her sister, Dannii, started as children in the Australian music and media industries.
Dannii was the first in the family to be a musician via Young Talent Time.
Kylie Minogue appeared as a child actor in shows like The Sullivans and The Henderson Kids. But her star truly arose with her role as Charlene Robinson in soap opera Neighbours. Her ascension in music and television collided in 1987 with her single Locomotion, and the famous wedding of Charlene and Scott (Jason Donovan).
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As a musician and actor Minogue received huge commercial success, fuelled by young fans, many who were young girls and queer people. In the documentary she expresses great gratitude for her gay audience, and a shared sense of feeling out of place but still having pride in yourself.
Minogue also received harsh criticism from music industry “experts” who claimed she was too young or too “soapie” to deserve the success she achieved. One radio station launched an active “no Kylie” campaign.
Music industry figures dehumanised her by calling her a “singing budgie”. We found one critic at a major Sydney newspaper who wrote Minogue should get herself “in the path of a descending jumbo”.
The Netflix documentary explores the duality of this period. We see headlines saying “I Hate Her” and “She is Nothing”, edited with archival footage of happy crowds and Minogue on stage. Television archive footage of an unnamed male commentator says of Minogue “you no longer need to be interesting to get to number one, you can just be a sort of human, crocheted scarf”.
“Being 19 years old and having to cop that, that was unpleasant,” Minogue says, reflecting back on that time.
Later in the documentary, Minogue is more direct:
One of the terms used to describe me, the singing budgie, had the human part missing – who decides this is cool? […] What would happen if I met with them and sat face to face with them, and said ‘How would you feel if that was your daughter?’.
The reaction to Minogue at the time was damaging to her as an individual. It served as a reminder to those that loved Minogue – young girls like I was at the time, and young queer people like Adrian was at the time – that were not valued by those in positions of power.
Missing stories
Minogue’s triumph over the subsequent decades has shown those in power have changed.
It is no longer acceptable to target a young woman with suggestions of violence in the press. Those that would dismiss the value of an audience of young women or queer people now clearly would do so at their own cultural and financial risk.
The documentary does still fall into the trap of using Minogue’s male colleagues and relationships as a way of validating her.
Minogue’s influence in the United Kingdom and beyond is underpinned by international songwriter Peter Waterman. As one of the iconic songwriters and producers Stock, Aiken and Waterman (SAW), Waterman shows how Minogue was created as a global pop brand.
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Nick Cave tells a large part of the story – worthy, but perhaps a bit uneven given it really was only one single they made together.
Donovan appears early on to discuss the early years, swearing about being overshadowed by her at the time but with no real malice.
It would have been great to hear more from Minogue’s female contemporaries and friends. Dannii Minogue is a regular feature, but others in more prominent spots would have been great.
Another key feature missing from the documentary is the Australian story, and the support provided to her by pioneering Australian record label Mushroom. While its founder Michael Gudinski has since passed away, Amanda Pelman, who signed Minogue to Mushroom, and released her memoir earlier this year, would have been a great addition.
As a documentary, Kylie tracks how the media has changed over the last few decades, especially when it comes to how women and their audiences are treated.
Minogue’s connection to her fans, her family and her work ethic is inspiring, as is her unapologetic celebration of the role pop music plays in making life worth living.
Kylie is now streaming on Netflix.
