Video Six, Now Seven Documentaries
posted by on September 25 at 12:42 PM
The documentary, Athens, GA Inside/Out, got me thinking documentary. When film-makers successfully imbed themselves within the dynamics of a band and its world, music documentaries become impossible not to watch.
Seven more to see. Any others? What’s a good Hip Hop documentary?
1. Driver 23 - The Atlas Moth - 2002
Seven years in the life of Minneapolis based metal guitarist / delivery man, Dan Cleveland. His band is called Dark Horse. His vocals and metal scream are so bad it’s confusing. He is heavily medicated and combats obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cleveland is driven and incredibly positive thinking. He has an interracial marriage and his wife, who is a clown, leaves him. (A real clown, like with a round red nose.) He begins to sink, wrapping cigars in duct tape and smoking them all the time. As bad as his music is and as hard as he seems to struggle with his illness, there is poignancy. He makes drawings and sketches of systems, pulleys, and ramps that simply get amps out of the basement. But the drawings are kind of Basquiaty. The band mates are absolutely beautiful. You know guys in bands like this.
A must see. A combination of Spinal Tap and Vincent Van Gogh. Winner of 9 National/International Film Awards.
2. Chuck Berry – Hail Hail Rock N Roll - 1986
To celebrate Berry’s 60th birthday, Keith Richards assembles a band (including himself) to back Berry and play a show at St. Louis’ Fox Theatre. Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Bo Diddley play (Cray is in the backing band.) The best scenes are the rehearsals where Berry and Richards almost come to blows. And seeing Keith unable to play a Berry lick is good too.
3. Wilco – I Am Trying to Break Your Heart – 2002
Director Sam Jones follows the band as they record their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. They kind of have to fire original member, Jay Bennett. Then, the band is dropped by Reprise Records. Reprise doesn’t like the album. Wilco says fine, shops it to labels for almost a year and when it gets released, it’s hugely successful. Triumphant, despite. How you feel now, Reprise?
4. Metallica – Some Kind of Monster - 2004
Lead singer goes into rehab. Band sees a shrink. There are tears and a power struggle of power struggling egos.
5. Flaming Lips – Fearless Freaks - 2005
6. X – The Unheard Music – 1986
“Early 80’s LA punk scene. Dirty streets and wide open vistas. No Wave Generation.”
**Update** (Thank you, Jason Josephes)
7. The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre - Dig! - 2004
I thought I was gonna hate it, but I gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed Dig!
Damnit, I meant to put that one on the list. I should update! Thank you, Jason.
Must see docs:
"Be Here to Love Me" - Townes Van Zandt
"End of the Century" - Ramones
"You're Gonna Miss Me" - Roky Erickson
"We Jam Econo" - The Minutemen
"Dig" - The BJM/Dandys
Driver 23! I loved that movie. Right on par with American Movie.
"A Good Band Is Easy To Kill" - Beulah
in that american movie style of driver 23, you could add rock & roll superhero. painful. but really hits home when thinking back to the NYC 90s and bands deperately trying to get major deals after the "alternative" boom.
others i've liked with recognizable bands:
gigantic (TMBG)
nomi song
the band that would be king (half japanese)
filth and the fury
and I'll second unheard music and everything @3.
"Songs for Cassevetes - an allages film"
includes:
Some Velvet Sidewalk
Calvin Johnson
Further
Unwound
etc.
It's a little preachy with nice b&w visuals.
This is a great list. I'm ganna watch em all, right now.
Other worthwhile music documentaries:
A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica* (Metallica)
Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones)
Unknown Passage (Dead Moon)
Slow Century (Pavement)
Instrument (Fugazi)
Westway to the World (The Clash)
Hype!
I have the Mission of Burma flick but haven't watched it yet. There are probably a dozen others I'm forgetting.
* This pile of shit is supremely entertaining and quotable. The only thing like it is the Danzig video that came out around the time of the first record. "I call this guitar the Black Bitch, all my girlfriends hate this guitar..."
"Scratch" is pretty good too.
the Stax doc that they just showed on TV and the Factory Records doc. just shown on BBC4 are essential viewing.
both can easily be stolen on da web.
Tom Dowd and The Language Of Music is amazing. I just watched American Hardcore which i liked a lot, The World According To John Coltrane was killer...oh yeah if you want to get really depressed there is always Freebird The Movie
"Shane McGowan: If I Should Fall From Grace" - I don't even listen to the Pogues, but this documentary is well done. Watch it with a hangover, and you'll immediately feel better. If that makes any sense.
the devil and daniel johnston
benjamin smoke
another state of mind
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I'm never going to have problems renting movies again. Scarecrow is probably the only place for these though.
i can't believe i forgot the daniel johnston flick. superb.
and i still think i have my banged up VHS of another state of mind taped off of USA's night flight. finally out on DVD after all these years. still waiting for decline... #1 to get the DVD treatment. i think decline #2 (metal years) is out, though.
also:
watch me jumpstart: GBV
sympathy for the devil: stones
rock & roll heart: lou reed
anything by d.a. pennebaker...
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