Blame it on repeated viewings of "Behind the Music" during my formative years. Blame it on my severe addiction to music magazines that dates back to Jr. High. Blame it on me just being a huge nerd, but I am a sucker for rockumentaries. There, I said it. My Netflix queue is a testament to my fascination with the genre.
Admittedly, it is a pretty dorky genre of film that seems to attract the worst kind of obsessive geeks. I won't fight you on that one. As an obsessive music geek, I can relate. And, I can recognize us in the crowd; we are the kind of people who take music waaaaay too seriously and can still engage in heated discussions about our idea of who belongs in the musical cannon (and, more heatedly, who doesn't). We are the people who get irrationally outraged if you haven't heard our favorite semi-obscure band. We suck.
However, a successful rockumentary can elevate a band and make a good story into a great one. For this to happen, a solid rockumentary film must do the following:
- Give historical and sociological context surrounding the band's conception.
- Make the audience feel like they are on the journey with the band, navigating the internal conflicts and struggles the musicians overcame to produce their work.
- Unflinchingly expose the quirks and illuminate the humanity of the subjects.
- Have a defined ending of the film, culminating in an event that leaves the viewer feeling uplifted and hopeful about the future.
- The Filth and the Fury about the Sex Pistols
- End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones
- New York Doll about the New York Dolls
- Some Kind of Monster about Metallica
- Dig even though I want to punch the little monkey maraca player guy with the baby bangs
- The Devil and Daniel Johnston about, um, Daniel Johnston
- You're Gonna Miss Me about Roky Erickson
- Pint-Sized Body, Giant-Sized Hotness: The Musical Genuis of Patrick Stump (Ok, I'm making that one up, but someone should get on it!)
And, now I can add a new one to my list: Fearless Freaks. I'm not a particularly avid fan of the Flaming Lips and I know that it took a while for me to get around to seeing the film, but this movie had all of the elements of a great rockumentary. By the end, I was routing for the band, taking genuine delight in their accomplishments. Wayne Coyne was charming and humble; he is the whimsical, offbeat, big brother we all kinda hoped we could have.We follow the band from their inception, through their struggles with drugs and loss, and ultimately, to their reinvention as a modern day musical extravaganza. These guys are hard working and completely devoid of pretension.
Coyne's dedication to his family and his loyalty to his Oklahoma roots was refreshing, especially when it would've been so easy for him to abandon them for a more lavish lifestyle in a coastal city. Coyne emerges like a twisted, full bloom shooting up through the sidewalk cracks of his deteriorating neighborhood. He's seems happy to play the part of a backyard Willy Wonka, freaking out the local kids on Halloween with elaborate fake blood-spattered horror shows. I want to give him a hug. Go see it, if you haven't already.
But, if we're talkin' Mockumentaries, This Is Spinal Tap will take that trophy every time!
