The music’s all that matters
In association with MokumGroupie.com, Picturenose’s Colin presents his take on the finest films on music to grace the silver screen.
Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
Ry Cooder, who has played just about everything with just about everyone goes back to the roots of music for this wonderful outing to Cuba, where he showcases the talents of a bunch of hitherto unknown, ageing jazz musicians – many of whom are now household names. At least, they are in my household. Bulging with infectious Latin rhythms and some interesting insights into pre-Castro Cuban culture – and almost impossible to think it was made 12 years ago. Click here.
Anvil (2008)
Slash from Guns ‘n’ Roses appears early in the movie, telling us that Anvil were in the same league as Metallica and Anthrax – Canadian power-metal gods. While this may have been true, the two mainstays of the band, Robb and Lips, have to resort to menial jobs to keep the tattered dream of rock and roll alive. Their final push for world stardom comes from an eastern European woman one of the band met online, who informs them she has organized a big European tour. Disastrous, funny, touching and surprising, you’ll end up loving the guys, if not their music. All the more funny because it’s true. Click here.
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Without a doubt, the best ‘rockumentary’ never made. If you have ever been in any kind of band for more than ten minutes, a lot of the gags may be painfully familiar to you. In fact, it’s probably easier to watch if you haven’t. A wonderful spoof about an ageing rock band attempting a US comeback tour, made difficult by the fact that they all appear to be terminally narcissistic or just plain stupid. A true cult classic and one that contains some of the most quotable lines in contemporary cinema. Many rock stars are unhappy with this, as many of them think it’s based on them. Which may or may not be true. It’s a pity I only had ten slots to fill, because this film goes to 11. Click here.
The Last Waltz (1978)
Put simply, if you ain’t seen The Last Waltz, you probably don’t know your rock from your roll. Having been on the road and in the studio since 1960 – and quite a few of those years backing Bob Dylan – The Band put on a final show on Thanksgiving Day in 1976. You’re doing something right if the biggest names of the day turn out to help you say goodbye. There’s Clapton, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Dylan, Van Morrison and a list of others longer than a Leonard Cohen song. It was the first gig shot in 35mm film, and who better to direct the action than Martin Scorsese? The interviews are all very well but the passion for the music pervades and drives the film at a heady pace. Click here.
The Kids are Alright (1979)
Although they seem resigned to be recognized for their contribution to the theme songs for CSI: Wherever, The Who remain a class act, and one that defies imitation. Roger Daltrey, before he was considering acting or a career farming fish, was the frontman of this seminal English band. The Kids are Alright is actually a bit messy in its execution, which is fitting because The Who were indeed a bit messy in their approach to music. They existed as individuals, only becoming The Who we know and love on stage. The movie mostly captures this, jerking violently between timelines and situation but leaving us with one of the best rock docs ever made. Anything featuring Keith Moon’s swansong(s), Baba O’Riley and Won’t Get Fooled Again can’t be all that bad. Includes footage of Pete Townshend busting up guitars, naturally. Click here.
Notes from a Jazz Survivor (1982)
Art Pepper is the eponymous survivor. Jazz musicians are often held up as those who suffer for their art but very few suffer both for it and because of it. A member of the elite West Coast Jazz set in California, alongside such luminaries as Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz and Shorty Rogers, Pepper sadly became embroiled in the drug culture surrounding him and his art. He talks frankly in this all-too-short documentary about the years of addiction, prison and failed marriages that became the backdrop for his sax-playing career. Interestingly, the film hardly ever touches on his life before or during prison, only on his time thereafter. It all sounds a bit dreary but he is upbeat and philosophical and the film is often surprisingly comical – and boy, can he play. Click here.
Elvis (1979)
I guess many of us would associate the partnership of John Carpenter and Kurt Russell with such enjoyable sci-fi nonsense as Escape from New York (1981) the Big Trouble in Little China (1986) romp or, of course, The Thing (1982). What would probably not spring to mind is their collaboration on Elvis (1979). This biopic was put on ice for many years after its 1979 release following a music-rights dispute. A shame because looking at Russell’s performance under the careful hand of the craftsman Carpenter, you’ll need to go and rinse your contact lenses to be sure it’s not the real Elvis Aaron Presley before your eyes. No, really – it’s just that good. Helpfully edited from three hours down to two for those with ADD, it’s only been available since last year. Click here.
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Shot over three nights by Jonathan Demme (of Silence of the Lambs (1991) fame), this documents dates on a tour undertaken by Talking Heads to promote their Speaking in Tongues album. The only thing remarkable about the film as a whole is its stark minimalism. The sets are non-existent and the colours bland. The show opens with David Byrne walking on stage, placing a cassette deck (remember those?) on the floor and pressing the button. The ticking of the beat box introduces Psycho Killer and the show – literally – builds from there, with new band members and equipment appearing all the time. Highlights are the big suit (it’s really big) and Byrne’s mad gyrations during Once in a Lifetime, like some kind of acid-head priest. Some call it pretentious and dated but hey, it’s a better show than many that seem to try too hard. Click here.
Walk the Line (2005)
Say what you like about the ‘method’ school of acting but there’s a lot to be said for studying your character so deeply that when you get in front of the cameras, you are him. Joaquin Phoenix did exactly this in his role as Johnny Cash in this biopic of the singer’s trials, tribulations and subsequent status as legend. The sheer effort put in by Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as his wife June Carter shines through not only in their uncanny portrayals of the people themselves but in their imitation of the stars’ voices. Near-flawless performances left lifelong Cash fans speechless and introduced a new generation to Cash’s catalogue of love, God and murder. Highly recommended for fans and JC virgins alike. Click here.
Shine (1996)
Before Geoffrey Rush reached the pinnacle of his career as Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean (yep, that was sarcasm), he played concert pianist David Helfgott in this quirky and controversial study of the performer’s formative years. Despite the inaccuracies that are claimed to exist by Helfgott’s sister, and the fact that the film suggests his schizoaffective disorder was caused due to attempting to master Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (which seems highly suspect), it remains something of a gem. All biographical pictures (and some books) embellish facts to push their point and Shine is no exception. Rush is brilliant and the film is great if you enjoy laughing and crying at the same time. Sad, funny and utterly watchable. Click here.
Good selection there, Colin. Glad that Walk the Line made it.
By the way, it’s little known but parts of This is Spinal Tap were in fact based on a deliquent rock band from Knaresborough, named Pathfinder, who rocketed to success all over…well…Harrogate before plummeting back down to Earth and disintegrating in an explosion of Fender Strats, Marshall amps and fake blond hair.
Aside from the lead singer getting his arse out for a fearsome rendition of Blue Moon, they are chiefly remembered for having the only rock drummer in musical history not able to count past three. Legends.
Cheers for your comment, Tony – I await Col’s thoughts but, for myself, I had no idea that was the case, but I have heard of Pathfinder, think that you may have told me about them before. Did you see them play then? Is …Tap an accurate parody?
Interesting list but no Dig! (2004)?
For our best selection of music films in 2011, click here.
You can find anything and everything about music documentaries at MusicFilmWeb.
Hi Dave,
Thanks for dropping by
I didn’t include Dig!, because it’s one of the (many, it appears) films I haven’t seen. I can’t speak for James (the other ‘half’ of Picturenose) but it’s doubtful he’s seen it unless someone gets mangled in machinery or their head explodes inexplicably. I will add Dig! to my ever-growing ‘to watch’ pile.
At the risk of sounding too mafioso “that sure is a nice site you have there”. Thanks for making us aware of it, we’ll certainly be checking back.
Good list, but what about Almost Famous (2000)? Not sure if you’d class it as a music documentary, but it’s certainly about the industry with plenty of music in it..
And if we’re talking specifically about documentaries, what about Rattle & Hum? Yes I know it’s U2, and at times it’s self-indulgent or just downright rubbish, but surely it’s worth a nod for the emotionally charged Sunday Bloody Sunday and Pride (In the Name of Love) which were performed on the day of the Enniskillen bombing and bring the film to a magnificent end.
Hey Jona – good to hear from you, welcome to Picturenose!
I agree with you about Almost Famous, but have not seen Rattle & Hum. As it is Colin’s post, I’ll hand the discussion over to him – I am sure he’ll be back with you soon. Cheers.
I don’t know. You go AFK for a couple of days and things start to happen. I shan’t take it personally.
Well, Jona, I beieve you answer your own question about Almost Famous, as it is not a ‘rockumentary’ per se. I have to admit to never having seen it but I have heard good things, nonetheless. It appears to be as much a coming-of-age movie as anything, admittedly with a massive (and expensive) soundtrack. It is certainly one I shall be watching, and when I do, I will naturally post about it here, so you’ll get your chance to disagree entirely with me then
Now, U2…hmmm…
I know that you know that they weren’t ever *really* any good, but they did ride the 80s wave with some fairly strong tunes – Pride… and Sunday… included. They have a tendency to be just a little too contrived for my liking. For me, the manipulation of emotions on certain landmark days (Bloody Sunday, MLK day et al) is a little hackneyed and disrespectful. For this reason alone, I would sooner vote for In Bed with Madonna – and I think you can guess how much I love that.
Ouch, that’s a bit harsh isn’t it? Whether you like U2′s music or not is of course subjective taste and opinion, but in the instance of Rattle & Hum I acknowledged its flaws.
Even if they have been contrived, and sometimes continue to be, it was nothing more than coincidence and circumstance that had them on stage on the evening of the Enniskillen bombing. So I stand by what I said; those two songs, on this occasion, are delivered with such emotion, anger, pain and sorrow they show a band and lead-singer sharing in the pain of their native folks and, for me anyway, it still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I watch it. U2 may be flawed, but that doesn’t mean everything they do is flawed or contrived…don’t chuck the bairn out with the bathwater.
I never mentioned Enniskillen, Jona. In fact, I’d have thought it was a very strange song to befit such an appalling event. Bloody Sunday was British soldiers killing unarmed (Irish) protesters and Enniskillen was the IRA trying to kill the UDF. I don’t really see how the song Bloody Sunday fits. My point about U2 being manipulative still stands, but I’d be prepared to watch a documentary showing every side of the band.
I will concede that as I don’t like U2 very much at all, I may have misrepresented them. I was dragged to see their Popmart tour and as live shows went, it wasn’t too bad. That was around 100 years ago now, though.
Colin, you’re right of course in what you say about Bloody Sunday and the song Sunday Bloody Sunday was originally about that event. However, the song is neither Catholic- nor Protestant-specific and doesn’t even mention specific events from that day. So for me, I’ve always understood it to be as much about the futility of the conflict as about the events of that horrific day but, of course, I could be wrong, it has been known to happen!
I’d suggest that, if it hadn’t already done so, the song took on a whole new meaning on the day of Enniskillen and their performance of it that night as shown in Rattle and Hum. I think it began to transcend the divide in the recognition of pain and loss on both sides, the futility within, and the fact that both sides had suffered their own ‘bloody’ Sunday. So whatever its original context and meaning, I think it became the right song for that night, especially given Bono’s introduction and his performance.
Getting back to my original post, I was only trying to suggest that, in my humble opinion, it’s worth a mention because of the nature of the finale of the film, acknowledging that some of what had gone before is a self-indulgent ego-trip. I think it’s harsh to compare it with In Bed with Madonna as, for me, that film is devoid of any redeeming features, whereas Rattle and Hum, despite its flaws, has at least some! But hey, that’s just my opinion!
Bloody hell, Jona – you spend years lurking, and then – boom!
To briefly respond with a short-ish defence and description of my stance:
- I agree that the song Sunday Bloody Sunday is nothing to do with religion, and if I like anything at all about U2, it’s their unwavering stance that everyone should be free to co-exist, to have the right to worship their god and to have the right to exist irrespective of race or colour. This is indeed a good thing – it’s the way they go about it that gives me the hump sometimes!
- I would also add that as anti-war songs go, they’d have to go a long way to top Elvis Costello’s Shipbuilding (or better yet, the Robert Wyatt rendition) but then that wouldn’t suit their anthemic style. ‘Hate’ is too strong a word for U2 – I just find them a bit ‘meh’. So, yes, it’s hard to be terribly objective. Tell you what, if you want to add a few music documentaries of your own, we’ll put them up here on the site with a link of your choice. Seriously.
- ‘I think it’s harsh to compare it with In Bed with Madonna‘. I know, I was just trying to wind you up. Mission accomplished!
Colin, thanks for the invitation for adding choices of my own, I’m genuinely flattered. But for now at least I’ll leave it to you guys. I’m too much of an amateur when it comes to films to have serious content on your site!
Having said that, I look forward to future discussions as and when I feel you need to be brought into line!
Keep up the good work, guys!