Topic: Music documentaries

[Brundle-Fly]

Fishbone. What a band!

Everyday Sunshine trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0shBYJ1KB1g

[Gregory Torso]

I have a record by him and The Pastels. It's the only Pastels record I have (and I have a few) that I haven't played lots and lots. Can't remember anything about it. I think I took exception to his voice - not got a proper singing voice has he, like Aggi , Katrina and Stephen have.

The record he did with Teenage Fanclub is my favourite thing TFC ever did --- Near To You, such a beautiful song.

[smudge1971]

On a certain site, the name made up of a description of Motown music and the other part of the game 'Hide and...' you can find the Lawrence Of Belgravia doc under my user name on here.

[wosl]

It's Lawrence. He's so fucking exasperating. Gets on my nerves a bit nowadays to be honest. I'm so fed up of his announcements of imminent new releases only for zip to happen for another 5 years. The way he really fucked up those Felt reissues rankles too.

It's as if the half of Lawrence that cherishes his underappreciated, poete maudit cult status is repeatedly thwarting the aspirations of the half of him that craves the big public profile and the ivory-tower perks that come with being a 'rock legend' (Lawrence's being too delicate and mithery and bald to qualify as 'rock' notwithstanding). (The missed opportunity those reissues represent is still gnawing away at me as well: the kitsch of the 'reimagined' CD artwork; the coating of garage lock-up rust on those badges!)

[gib]

re the UB40 documentary. I never understood where all the money actually went.

[MiddleRabbit]

The Shadows At Sixty.

It’s on the Iplayer and it’s a strange watch in a lot of ways.  Paul McCartney's not 'normal', but Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch are a totally different abnormal.  It just lets them get on with expressing their weirdness, without judging.

There aren’t episodes of drugs or wild antics, but there is pantomime, and a reminder of what pantomimes used to be like.

Well worth a watch, subtly strange.

[Sebastian Cobb]

The Muscle Shoals documentary was great, it used to be on Netflix but I don't think it is now.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2492916/

[Jockice]

re the UB40 documentary. I never understood where all the money actually went.

They fucking spent it didn't they? Down the boozer.

[Better Midlands]

re the UB40 documentary. I never understood where all the money actually went.

Ali Campbell spent it on jeans apparently.

[The Culture Bunker]

re the UB40 documentary. I never understood where all the money actually went.

Didn't they split the money equally between about eight of them? I assumed they were unable to break spending habits that were hard to fund once all  the big money stopped coming, like a lot of pop stars/sporting figures.

[studpuppet]

I always recommend the Dave Clark documentary that's occasionally on BBC4 - it's good for all the wrong reasons, and unintentionally hilarious throughout. It's supposed to be about the DC5 but actually it's all about DC and the number of high status talking heads he can get on-screen singing his praises.

https://youtu.be/GfOlijx0tZU?t=6757

[mrClaypole]

Is that what actually happened then? It was alluded to in the documentary but the amount wasn't mentioned. I see Ali and Astro are still going with their version but Mickey Virtue (the only member I've ever interviewed - he came across as a nice bloke but this was a long time pre-split) has either been jettisoned or left of his own accord. It's a tangled web and no mistake. Especially since I believe that there are members of the band who are or have been in relationships with relatives of other members. Or ex-members as the case may be.

For some reason I've ended up following Norman Hassan on Twitter. I used to always wonder exactly what his position was in the band. He seemed to spend all his time on stage walking round carrying one of those shaker things. I might be being unfair though, as he again seems like a nice bloke and I believe he does sing on some of their new material. None of which I've heard. It's the psychology of the whole thing rather than the music that fascinates me.

New page signing off.

Pretty much word for word.  Astro had been long suspected of making contact with Ali. But the band didn't believe he would jump ship.
Astro blames the country tinged reggae album as being the reason he left.  But was caught on camera late one night after a gig saying how much he loved it.
Ali obviously working the puppet there.
The band did pay each member the same but Ali thought they were still earning megabucks and never reigned his spending.  He even tried to blackmail the bands accountant into paying him more, something the accountant did for awhile until the rest of the band found out.
Ali tried to launch his solo career but his name alone meant quarter full capacity crowds until he decided to use his former bands name and to coat tail on their tour dates by booking tours around the same times hoping to confuse a more casual fan.

[sevendaughters]

I have a love/hate thing with rock docs because most of them are pure hagiography but here's 5 that haven't been mentioned (I skim-read) so far

FRIENDS FOREVER - who are Friends Forever? They're a duo who are more performance art than band. They play in their van parked outside the venue they're booked at. They live in the van, with their dog, and occasionally a girlfriend. They are all complete space cadets who hate the idea of any commerce (ie. trying to break even) let alone make money. They drive all the way to New York to play one song for the people at Troma Studios and then the head of Troma meets them and forgets their name. It is a snapshot of a world that no longer exists.

GIMME SHELTER - I am not Stones fan but this is really superior piece. The first half that intersperses the setting up of Altamont with some concert footage is fine, but the second half is a masterclass in editing together the sense of an impending disaster as thousands of drug casualties are martialled by violent psychopaths to let a rock band congratulate itself for being successful. A rare example of The Grateful Dead having a good idea when they split without playing.

DIG! - did anyone say Dig!? If not shame on you. The intertwining fates of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols as the former trudge through disasters to pursue a singular vision while the latter leech off them and become famous, causing jealousy and rage and revenge. When I first saw this I didn't realise BJM are meant to be good, but now I like them a little more the film hits different. Some incredible scenes (sitar-breakage, the wuss who forms Black Rebel Motorcycle Club walking out of the tour) and fair play to the Warhols guy for narrating it.

there are two films I am recommending and I can't even remember the titles [EDIT = remembered one!]

OFF THE CHARTS - THE SONG-POEM STORY - THIS is a film I saw at the Slint ATP on the channel programmed by the band member who had a video shop. It was about these session musicians who record songs based around lyrics that people send in to them (they take out adverts in the paper). Just a great weird insight into a fringe business where these could-have-been pros are singing mental lyrics about someone's cat.

the other one - this barely constitutes a recommendation as I can't even remember the name of the band - is about a terrible band from somewhere in the Midwest doing one last tour. They are sort of liked in their mid-sized cultural desert town but as soon as they leave its postcode they are nothing. They book these gigs that literally no one cares about and they all sort of realise, in a frustrated and bitter way, that they're not going to make it, culminating in a self-revelation at a pathetic gig in a branch of Hot Topic.

BONUS
SLOW CENTURY - Pavement documentary is only minimally revelatory but the commentaries on the videos are very funny.

[Bingo Fury]

Indeed. I think Jad Fair is a microtalent and a total chancer. There, I've said it.

Fair came to Scotland in the early 90s and the local indie scenesters were all over him, like it was JFK visiting Berlin or something. Because of the buzz, I felt obliged to see him twice while he was here, but couldn't get the adulation at all. Maybe I'd just embraced grumpy old man-dom a decade or two too early, but there was an air of Emperor's New Clothes hanging over the whole thing, though I kept it to myself as I wasn't in a position where I could afford to offend the local indie pop stars more than I absolutely had to.

I'd probably really like him now.

[the science eel]

New Bee Gees thing airs tonight on Sky Documentaries at 9.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/11/the-bee-gees-how-can-you-mend-a-broken-heart-review-fame-hair-and-regrets

[Brundle-Fly]

They fucking spent it didn't they? Down the boozer.

Really? Good lord. Now I want to know one thing. etc

[Shameless Custard]

I wonder what UB40 drink. WKD?

[DrGreggles]

That would be UB14

[Gregory Torso]

I'm just glad that finally - FINALLY - people are having the courage to stand up and really stick it to Jad Fair! I can't tell you how sick I am of all these Half Japanese threads clogging up the forum, "Half Gentlemen - Not Beasts" constantly coming top of those polls of Greatest Albums Ever!!! and David Fair doing those interminable guitar solos during halftime at the Super Bowl year after year.

[Gregory Torso]

Edit bug

[Shameless Custard]

The new Bee Gees one is available

Really looking forward to that

[Jockice]

I'm just glad that finally - FINALLY - people are having the courage to stand up and really stick it to Jad Fair! I can't tell you how sick I am of all these Half Japanese threads clogging up the forum, "Half Gentlemen - Not Beasts" constantly coming top of those polls of Greatest Albums Ever!!! and David Fair doing those interminable guitar solos during halftime at the Super Bowl year after year.

Jad Unfair more like!!!!!!!!!!!!

[OnlyRegisteredSoICanRead]

And he looks like James May.

[Mr Farenheit]

MUSIC IS THE WEAPON
1982 documentary on Fela Kuti. A great mix of interview(s) of Fela, concerts and amazing contemporary footage of Lagos. I loved the performances and music but even if you're not a fan its worth a watch, he's a mesmerising guy. Many artists say things and make music which is rebellious but he's doing this in a time and place where it can get you beaten, or worse, and thrown in jail. When he's doing the interviews he has the scars from a recent stint in jail after police had assaulted his house with tear gas.

[Gregory Torso]

FRIENDS FOREVER - who are Friends Forever? They're a duo who are more performance art than band. They play in their van parked outside the venue they're booked at. They live in the van, with their dog, and occasionally a girlfriend. They are all complete space cadets who hate the idea of any commerce (ie. trying to break even) let alone make money. They drive all the way to New York to play one song for the people at Troma Studios and then the head of Troma meets them and forgets their name. It is a snapshot of a world that no longer exists.

This sounds interesting. I think I remember this band - kind of in the same vein as Neon Hunk / Pink & Brown / Gang Wizard?

[JaDanketies]

Oh I've never watched it but I used to enjoy the soundtrack when I worked in an office - Searching for Sugar Man. He's some Bob Dylan-esque guy who never made it in the US and just lived a normal life, but in South Africa he's bigger than Elvis. And the documentary is two guys from South Africa trying to find the legend. Won a bunch of awards. I can definitely tell you the soundtrack is good office music.

[Sebastian Cobb]

It's a decent documentary.

I saw this at Glasgow film festival last year, it's good, but the really interesting stuff was a small portion of the guy's life and he sort of meandered afterwards. It's clear he wasn't a very nice man. But it's an interesting story, his prison record does seem good.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000jb6v/arena-the-changin-times-of-ike-white

Content warning: suicide.

Ike White was a gifted and critically acclaimed musician whose talent was discovered while he was serving a life sentence for murder. When he was released, he went into hiding under a pseudonym for decades. Masking his dark past, he had an incredible story that he hadn't told a soul.

Director Dan Vernon and producer Vivienne Perry spent 18 months tracking down Ike after hearing a track credited to him on an album of music recorded in prison. By then, he was known as ‘David Maestro’, his final assumed name after a lifetime of false identities. He had made an extraordinary journey from being in jail to industry adulation from the likes of Stevie Wonder. Ike was given the chance to record while he was inside by legendary producer Jerry Goldstein, who heard him play in a prison band. Jerry believed Ike was the next Jimi Hendrix and persuaded the prison governor to allow a recording studio into his jail - they created an album called Changin’ Times, viewed as a lost classic of soul and funk.

A huge campaign led to Ike's release and his life sentence was reduced. But then he disappeared. It was as if he’d been waiting for us to find him,’ says Dan. ‘He wanted to tell us his story.’ After a week filming with him, Ike gave Dan a box of personal archive with the promise of more the next time they met. But weeks after giving Dan the exclusive interview, Ike committed suicide. His widow asked Dan to come and visit, and revealed a wealth of videos, diaries and photographs that Ike had stored to tell his life story since he’d left prison. This incredible personal archive revealed a catalogue of different lives lived, wives and children, disconnected by false names and changed locations. It also revealed the enduring and powerful urge of an artist to create art from their experience.

Ike’s music serves as the only common thread in a narrative of fractured identities and reinventions. In this compelling feature documentary, extraordinary animation combines with Ike’s archive to try to understand and get inside the head of this complex, talented and ultimately damaged man. 

[Neomod]

Just Like Being There (2012)

Gig posters are a part of the independent music scene. Created specifically for a specific show, the artist tries to capture the music and atmosphere in a print.

The documentary explores the origins of the scene and its current state through interviews with poster artists, the featured bands as well as gallery owners. It explains the technique of poster making and highlights milestone events for the formation of the scene such as the Flatstock poster fair at SXSW and art shows of some of the most renowned gig poster artists. Adjacent fields such as movie posters and art prints are also discussed.

If you like gig poster art this is well worth and hour a a bit of your time.

[sevendaughters]

This sounds interesting. I think I remember this band - kind of in the same vein as Neon Hunk / Pink & Brown / Gang Wizard?

yeah but more unmusical and socially inept

[SteveDave]

Oh I've never watched it but I used to enjoy the soundtrack when I worked in an office - Searching for Sugar Man. He's some Bob Dylan-esque guy who never made it in the US and just lived a normal life, but in South Africa he's bigger than Elvis. And the documentary is two guys from South Africa trying to find the legend. Won a bunch of awards. I can definitely tell you the soundtrack is good office music.

There's a lot of artistic licence in this film. A friend once described it as "Afrikaans can't use Google" as Rodriguez was still playing and had toured in Australia (or somewhere) when he was supposed to have been missing presumed dead.

When I saw it, for the first 45 minutes I genuinely thought it was a mockumentary. That first LP is a banger though. And the second features "Street Boy" which I believe to be his greatest song.

I saw the first UK tour he did after the film came out and was prepared to be disappointed (having recently walked out of Michael "Mike" Nesmith's God awful show at the Union Chapel) but he was incredible. He did "Like A Rolling Stone" as an encore. He also told an amazing joke that ended with the punchline "I said she was fucking Goofy"