Rock Documentaries

We at Ze Catalist plan to make a music film. Awfully vague, right? Okay, it’s a music documentary film that aims to take a look at and document the current state of the music industry. We also aim to photograph and document the film’s location, Fort Wayne, Indiana, while using the musicians of said city as a microcosm of musicians around the United States. We could go on and on, but you’d be better off check out the film’s website, found at www.FortWayneRockDoc.com. For now, we’ll stick to talking about music films. 

There are a number of different kinds of music films - anything from “High Fidelity” to “Woodstock” to whatever U2’s latest live DVD is to even “Singles” and “Rachel Getting Married.” One of our primary focuses is to make a music film that music people will love. That said, let us elaborate a bit.

We plan to make a narrative documentary film, not a concert film. The difference between a documentary and a concert film can be a bit cloudy and grey. “Stop Making Sense” or “Storefront Hitchcock,” for example, are clear cut examples of concert films while “Be Here to Love Me” is a documentary. Two films in particular, “Gimme Shelter” and “The Last Waltz,” have elements of both, with “Gimme” being more of a documentary and “Waltz” being more of a concert film.

See the Mission Statement on the top right corner of the page for details on exactly what our goals are. For now, we’ll leave you with a list of our favorite Rock Documentaries. That’s straight documentary films, not music films or scripted films or video collections. Some night, when we can’t sleep, we’ll post a list of our favorite rock films ever. No. 1, obviously, is Stephen Frears’ “High Fidelity.” Untouchable.

#1 “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” (Sam Jones) - I suppose older rock and film fans and historians would consider this choice a bit odd. But if you’re a child of the download generation, it makes sense. The movie was filmed just as the Internet was starting to first take over music. That you could follow director Sam Jones’ progress as he was filming and editing was at the time considered groundbreaking. That you could stream the album the film focused on, the great “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” online before its release was considered radical. Those things are common now, as is the label drama the film’s plot is based around. Oh, and, of course, best soundtrack ever.

#2 “Gimme Shelter” (Albert and David Maysles) - When I first saw this film at age 18 or 19 it startled me. For me, it brought to life and redefined what a rock star was. It made me understand Jagger/Richards and all the clichés they created and inspired. It made this bigger-than-life band feel real, like actual humans with talent and vision. Before I saw “Gimme Shelter,” the Stones felt like a brand to me. Fossils with a few good albums. And while the editing and cinematography was surely weak, the storytelling in the film was top shelf. After returning the film to my friend I went out and bought the $40 Criterion VHS. Then I went out and bought most of the Stones albums I didn’t already have. (Also be sure to check out auteur Jen-Luc Godard’s 1968 Stones film, “Sympathy For the Devil.” A great chaser to “Gimme Shelter.”)

#3 “DiG!” (Ondi Timoner) - I watch Ondi Timoner’s “DiG!” once or so a year, each time a bit more impressed by the filmmaker’s devotion to her sometimes dangerous and often exasperating subjects. For the film, Timoner picked two subjects, The Dandy Warhols and The Brain Jonestown Massacre. One band found success (but made for boring film) and the other struggled just to stay together (but made for amazing film). While BJM’s frontman, Anton Newcombe, was surely the star of the show, Timoner’s filmmaker skills are what stand out to me. Sure, she hit the jackpot with the volatile Newcombe, but she knows how to put together a non-fiction narrative as well as anyone and was very devoted to her subjects. Warts and all, for sure. My only real issues here: some of the already-dated production choices Timoner made; and, I hate to say it, but a sometimes painfully inconsistent shooting style.

#4 “Don’t Look Back” (D.A. Pennebaker) - Pennebacker’s 60s-era black and white doc is one of the most watched, discussed and influential rock docs ever. Most everything here is slow and subtle, but the subject is always interesting and the filmmaking is strong. Pennebaker tells the story by simply being in the room and holding the camera. This film stands as the most intimate document of one of the most polarizing musicians of all-time. That said, this isn’t exactly a fun, memorable rock n’ roll film.

#5 “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” (Jeff Feuerzeig) - Like Chris Smith’s amazing “American Movie” documentary, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” feels like a small miracle. How did director Jeff Feuerzeig get such great material? How was he able to document this wild, endlessly interesting character so well? Okay, maybe he could’ve focused on Johntson’s musical brilliance more and his personality disorder less, but … well, who doesn’t love a mad genius? The editing is top notch and the subject is as fascinating as they come; these two key elements are strong enough to overshadow some of the problems. Problems, really, that only someone very interested in film and film production would make note of.

#6 “Meeting People is Easy” (Grant Gee) - Grant Gee’s “Ok Computer”-era Radiohead documentary is the classic “follow this band/person/company/whatever because they just did something brilliant” documentary. And it works. It’s a little dry and indulgent at times, but there’s always good music playing and Gee’s film treatment feels very clean and concise. That said, put the camera on any band who makes an album as influential as “OK Computer” and you’ll likely have something worth watching on your hands. A very artful, beautiful film.

#7 “Be Here to Love Me” (Margaret Brown) - I liked Townes Van Zandt’s music before seeing Margaret Brown’s film, which is a mixture of archival footage and interviews with Townes’ friends. After seeing the film, I loved Townes. He felt like a lost brother. I’d read many of the stories about the man and his wild life, but seeing him when he was both young and wild and old and fading made his words and voice connect more. This isn’t the greatest piece of cinema ever, but it does what every documentary should aim to do: it adds a new dimension to the subject.

THE REST OF THE BEST

8. “The Future is Unwritten” (Julian Temple)

9. “Monterey Pop” (D.A. Pennebaker)

10. “Woodstock” (Michael Wadleigh)

11. “Some Kind of Monster” (Joe Berlinger)

12. “No Direction Home” (Martin Scorsese)

13. “Hype!” (Doug Pray)

14. “Buena Vista Social Club” (Wim Wenders)

15. “The Fearless Freaks” (Bradley Beesley)

16. “The Filth and the Fury”

17. “Hated”

18. “The Decline of Western Civilization”

19. “Westway to the World”

20. “Silver Jew”

I haven’t seen a film called “Golden Days” yet, but it sounds like something I’ll need to see before we start production. It’s a film about an indie rock band called The Damnwells who I once saw open for Ryan Adams. They were good, not great. The film follows them as they work to record their major label debut for Epic Records. We supposedly see them go through a range or emotions as they work to record their best record yet, only to see the release date pushed back and the album eventually shelved by the label. They’re dropped and left without the rights to their own songs. I’m not sure what happens at the conclusion of the film, but, from what I’ve read, there’s some sort of satisfying conclusion. Good ‘ol major labels.

I’m sure there are others I’ve not seen that folks would consider essential. If so, please email MisterListerman@gmail.com.

Written by G. William Locke