Music Documentaries II The Great Reckoning

Being sick sucks a lot. I can't do too much except sleep, read, cough, whine and write. So here is a list that was postponed for months. I hope all 3 readers would enjoy the few movies I recommend cause I had loads of fun with them.

Kill Yr Idols. 

The No Wave scene in New York was the end all and be all of pure 100% experimentation. Bands grew from the concrete sidewalks like grotesque flowers spreading their pollen through punk clubs like PCP. Swans, DNA, Sonic Youth and Lydia Lunch grew from this scene taking the expectation of punk and running it through a grinder making unique sounds all influenced by the grimy lives they lead in the city.  This documentary shows the scenes infancy and then shows its quick demise then shows the next incarnation of No Wave with bands like  The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars. Highly recommend this documentary not only because it shows great interviews with Lydia Lunch and Michael Gira ,but because it asks the question what is happening to independent music and what has happened to New York's connection to punk. 

American Hardcore

The main reason I ever even attempted to listen to Black Flag or Bad Brains was because of this documentary. Showing the six year long hardcore scenes in different cities from Los Angeles, the core of the scene, to Washington D.C , the hometown of Minor Threat. This documentary features interviews from band members from all scenes. It really feels like all these punk legends are just telling you about their lives in their bands. which is exactly as awesome as it sounds. Probably would not be the same if I never watched this documentary. Highly recommend this to anyone. 

The Decline of Western Civilization.

Decline covers the early hardcore punk scene of LA. There is interviews with X, Black Flag and the infamous Germs. The overall atmosphere is just so rugged for no reason it ,but it just some how works. The thing that sets this apart from other music documentaries is that it asked what really is punk. There was interviews with kids that went to concerts and they assumed it was about violence, club owners thought it was all about fast music and the performers seen it as a kind of blues like music for solace. 

Music Documentaries Part 1

This year has been a lazy trip. Instead of actually doing my homework I ended up watching documentaries on music scenes and eccentric bands and musicians. So this is a list of some great ones.

Fugazi- Instrument

I have never been a huge Fugazi fan ,but this film convinced me that there is a reason why this band is widely considered the end all and be all of post-hardcore. Collectively there is times in this film where they play off each other like they are more like jazz players, layering on sound after sound making beautiful music. My only problem about the documentary is that it is more like a collage of live shows ,though there is some interviews cut in here and there it is more like going to the best shows Fugazi ever played. Highly recommended. 

GG Allin: Hated

There isn't much that can be said about GG Allin that hasn't either been said by his fans or his critics. GG Allin is the most vile and wretched of people ,but every second in this film you always want to question why these things happened. I can't forget the poo slinging, penis dangling and split heads in this film , Oh and music and stuff..... The whole film is linked above for your twisted pleasure.

Minutemen: We Jam Econo 

The Minutemen far exceeded the title of hardcore punk they received during the 80s. I believe Bryan even said they were "Modest Mouse before Modest Mouse ever existed", which totally makes sense some how. This band made eccentric and politically relevant music which I can only describe as possibly being post-punk. The Minutemen band constantly were drawing in multiple influences from old bands and new bands through out their career. This documentary brought me love Double Nickels on the Dime and mourn the death of their guitarist, D.Boone. This documentary brings you into the relationship of the entire band using clips from old shows , the last interview they ever had together as a band and new interviews with Mike Watt, the bassist, and George Hurley, the drummer.  Great doc.

The Flaming Lips-  The Fearless Freaks

This documentary shows the career of the most progressive bands out there. They are constantly changing their sound and just recently made a 24 hour song called 7 Skies H3. I was never a Flaming Lips fan ,but after watching this I just can't stop listening to "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots". This documentary is less focused on the music and more focused on the lives of its members Wayne Coyne ,Steven Drozd and Michael Ivins. Good doc, click the poster to watch it on Hulu.

I will add a few more concerning music scenes and also have my top albums of this year so watch out for those.

-Starlon Hithe