Music Documentaries

[bradx]

the andre williams documentary is damn interesting.  another one i didnt see mentioned is "devo - the men who make the music"

[jamespheromoan]

that documentary of US Maple recording Acre Thrills is excellent

Is this on youtube?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loni6SVagbw

i'm sure you guys know, but the people who put that together have a much longer us maple project in progress.... hopefully it will be released one of these days. what a goddamn band!!

Yeah i saw this a couple of years ago now. They are taking their sweet time finishing it. Fingers crossed it will se the light of day

[N]

All Kindsa Girls - was lucky to see this at a film festival, don't think its been released on DVD, some great basement Real Kids footage, and the added bonus of talking to Fifi from Teengenerate/Firestarter about how the band has influenced him

Rough Cut and Ready Dubbed - think this was made by a couple of school kids, captures that moment in the British punk scene when it was splintering into post-punk, mod revival, 2-tone, Oi!, etc.  Excellent Cockney Rejects footage and a great bit where the Purple Hearts, who look about 17 years old, are talking about holding their own against the Hells Angels.

Punk in London 1977 - German documentary with lots of great live footage plus Jimmy Pursey in flares and an interview with Andy Czezowski, the other Jewish svengali  behind punk.

DOA - features Terry and the Idiots,  a made-up band of unemployed youth who formed only to play for the documentary, plus all the usual britpunk suspects, classic interview with scagged-out Sid and Nancy

Not Dead Yet - doc about the Toronto scene in the 80s, most of the bands are pretty bad but worth watching for Youth Youth Youth.  The CBC made a follow-up to this a few years ago which was really depressing, the moral of the story seemed to be that punk will ruin your life.

Punk Can Take It - I'm not a huge fan of the UK Subs but I liked how this short film was done in the style of a wartime newsreel and shows second-wave punk going strong

40 Minutes - Skinhead - this is basically the BBC following "Nazi" Chis Henderson from Combat 84 around for 40 minutes.  Great (allegedly staged) brawl at the end.

Arena - Grant's Story - documentary about Sham 69 interspersed with Quadrophenia-style re-enactments of the skits from the 'That' Life' LP.  Features Grant Fleming, the guitarist of the Kidz Next Door and early Inter City Firm casual, as the protagonist.  The Sham 69 live footage is electrifying, the gig is on the constant tipping-point of mass violence with an audience average aged 16.

Angry Samoans: True Documentary - not great, but whatever, its the Angry Samoans

Take Three Girls - Dolly Mixture documentary that I got to see the other week, its as twee and charming as the band.

Oil City Confidential - really enjoyable Dr. Feelgood documentary ( apart from the over-use of clips from old movies).  Makes Canvey Island look like the third word.

As a few people have said here, all the BBC docs are worth watching, my favourites are If It ain't Stiff (Stiff records) and More Than This: the Roxy Music Story.  I think there was a whole thread on here about these.

I once saw a black and white documentary from the early 80s about the struggle to keep a punk club open in suburban LA while it was under constant attack from cops and cowboys.  Had footage of Chavo-era Black Flag.  Anyone know what its called or where I could see it again?

[Sukebe GG]

I once saw a black and white documentary from the early 80s about the struggle to keep a punk club open in suburban LA while it was under constant attack from cops and cowboys.  Had footage of Chavo-era Black Flag.  Anyone know what its called or where I could see it again?

Would it be this one about the Cuckoo's Nest? Urban Struggle after the Vandals' song...trailer

[N]

I once saw a black and white documentary from the early 80s about the struggle to keep a punk club open in suburban LA while it was under constant attack from cops and cowboys.  Had footage of Chavo-era Black Flag.  Anyone know what its called or where I could see it again?

Would it be this one about the Cuckoo's Nest? Urban Struggle after the Vandals' song...trailer

Yeah that's the one.  Thanks!

[Marko]

Anita O' Day - Life of a Jazz Singer
Billy Paul - Am I Black Enough for you
Shut up and Sing

[jakob makeout]

It's Everything and Then It's Gone

DVD available via Akron PBS station.

It's very well done, but the band and Smog Veil got ripped off on the DVD...

http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/vodshows/everythv.htm

[Maltodextrin]

My friend forwarded me a link to download the 'Heavy Metal Britannica' documentary that aired on BBC4 over the weekend, but unfortunately all I got was the sound with no video.  Still, an enjoyable listen last night with the lights out, focusing on the origins of British heavy metal, from Kinks through Yardbirds to Sabbath, Purple, Heep and beyond to Priest, Maiden, Motorhead etc. Nice attention paid to Edgar Broughton, Diamondhead, Budgie and some other relatively obscure but quality outfits.  Definitely going to track down the full video of this.  It's 90 minutes long, too.

[janitorfrommars]

If anything documentaries about subjects like Jandek or Roky Erickson or Half Japanese are problematic BECAUSE they try to appeal to an audience broader than those artists' existing cults.  

I disagree that the filmmaker's treatment of the subject is boring.  You're right that as a work of filmic art it is perfunctory but I don't go into a movie about Jandek expecting Tardkovsky or even Corman.  A filmmaker's obsession with Jandek immediately suggests to me a near-total absence of creative fire -- Jandek is quintessentially uncinematic; there is no story to tell, and his body of work is founded on stasis and goofball spectrometry.  Yeah, I said.  So what?  Wanna fight about it?  That said, the movie is a perfectly decent essay about the artist and about the nature of fandom, the art of audience manipulation, and the power of mystique.  It is more subtle than you give it credit for.  What does anyone expect out of a film like this?  Gimme Shelter?

yeah let's fight, jandek on corwood cage match stylee. 

i am just pointing out that music snobs with really exacting standards about what music sucks will basically give a free pass to mediocre documentaries on the subject.

[vint]

that documentary of US Maple recording Acre Thrills is excellent

Is this on youtube?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loni6SVagbw

Man, I completely blanked a bunch of stuff I was listening in the first half of the 00's for a while there and shit is just starting to come back to me now and US Maple was one of those bands that was pretty great during that time. I really liked the work up to Talker and Talker was kind of my favorite just because it had this dark and heavy atmosphere to it that I dug. Maybe it was Gira's production. Gotta download these albums again though.

Actually would love to get a bunch of that stuff on vinyl now since back then I was buying CDs too, and a lot of the new stuff coming out I could only find on CD. Would really love that Olivia Tremor Control shit on vinyl for example.

Kinda thinking that I'll have little place in my collection for Black Heart Procession or even Godspeed You Black Emperor these days though.

[N]

My friend forwarded me a link to download the 'Heavy Metal Britannica' documentary that aired on BBC4 over the weekend, but unfortunately all I got was the sound with no video.  Still, an enjoyable listen last night with the lights out, focusing on the origins of British heavy metal, from Kinks through Yardbirds to Sabbath, Purple, Heep and beyond to Priest, Maiden, Motorhead etc. Nice attention paid to Edgar Broughton, Diamondhead, Budgie and some other relatively obscure but quality outfits.  Definitely going to track down the full video of this.  It's 90 minutes long, too.

Yeah I caught a bit of this and it was good, I'm going to watch the whole thing "on demand" tonight.  This is coming from someone who doesn't like metal.

[ADAMK]

Dunno if this was mentioned already, but the BBC Tropicalia documentary "Brasil, Brasil" is one of my all-time favorites.
Pt. 1:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWZDqHe3Tws

I remember liking "Cocksucker Blues", but don't remember much besides the Stevie Wonder/Stones live jam session.  "Eat The Document" is cool too.

[cucumber]

I didn't like the Jandek documentary very much, thought it was pretty boring...it's cool there is a documentary I guess but a lot of the people they had talk said some pretty dumb stuff. Could have been done better I think.

30th Century Man was good, Kill Your Idols sucked...Joy Division was good.

[Whet Bull]

If anything documentaries about subjects like Jandek or Roky Erickson or Half Japanese are problematic BECAUSE they try to appeal to an audience broader than those artists' existing cults.  

I disagree that the filmmaker's treatment of the subject is boring.  You're right that as a work of filmic art it is perfunctory but I don't go into a movie about Jandek expecting Tardkovsky or even Corman.  A filmmaker's obsession with Jandek immediately suggests to me a near-total absence of creative fire -- Jandek is quintessentially uncinematic; there is no story to tell, and his body of work is founded on stasis and goofball spectrometry.  Yeah, I said.  So what?  Wanna fight about it?  That said, the movie is a perfectly decent essay about the artist and about the nature of fandom, the art of audience manipulation, and the power of mystique.  It is more subtle than you give it credit for.  What does anyone expect out of a film like this?  Gimme Shelter?

yeah let's fight, jandek on corwood cage match stylee.  

i am just pointing out that music snobs with really exacting standards about what music sucks will basically give a free pass to mediocre documentaries on the subject.

In re. "music snobs": pot / kettle, etc.  Oh, wait -- are you talking about me?  We should propose to Ken that next year you and I have a fundraising cage match during the 'FMU marathon.  Tears for Fears vs. Morio Agata.  And maybe you can school me on the finer points of single-malt scotch and designer sneakers while we're at it!

As I said, I like the Jandek documentary, and I think you don't get it.

BTW, Rob, I think this guy is stealing your thunder: http://talesfromthepit.wordpress.com/tag/janitor-from-mars/  Wanna sue?  

[jmelkmann]

wow, no mention (that I could see with my quick read of this thread) of Hated?!  wow.  This documentary works on so many levels.  Love GG?  Hate GG?  Think GG's silly?  There's something for everyone.  Kinda like Dig.  I thought both bands featured were pure garbage, but what an amazing portrait of a bunch of chumps!

Aaaanway, Hated! 

I just saw an amazing doc on VH1 about Soul Train that blew my mind.
a lot of the Behind The Music's are fun.  Judas Priest for example. 
As much as I love Roky, that doc was really rough to watch.