Tuesday, October 18, 2011

The Art of the Rock-umentary: My new Obsession

So with all of the 20th anniversary albums recently released such as Nirvana's Nevermind and
Pearl Jam, and U2's Achtung Baby the rock documentaries/dvds are following.

Some are just concert dvd's Nirvana Live at the Paramount is definitely on my Christmas/Amazon Wishlist

and some are actual documentaries Kings of Leon is set to release a documentary this year.

Phoenix is film i'm most excited to see from a band, and I along with many other Phoenix fans are in luck, the documentary in its entirety has been posted online here:
http://nylonmag.com/nylonblogs/blog/2011/10/18/screen-the-phoenix-doc-here/
clocks in at almost an hour, so it's not too long, i'm not sure what to expect and the band is French so at least you can hear some sexy accents:)


I also just watched the (2008) documentary ''It Might Get Loud'' starring Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) The Edge (U2) and Jack White (White Stripes/Dead Weather/The Raconteurs). It's amazing! Not only do all three extremely talented musicians jam out together, or Edge/Jack White stand in awe of Jimmy Page while he starts playing ''Whole Lotta Love''

This film is also about the song writing and music playing process for each artist, and their background, how they came to become the talented musicians that they are, what inspired them. You don't necessarily need to be a fan of these artists to enjoy this, but a fan of guitar playing and the music process.

Coincidentally, Jack White Covered U2 on the Anniversary album of Achtung Baby, I love that he manages to make every single track his own adding a painfully soulful voice to rock and roll with a twisted goth edge,  without totally disintegrating the original... I'm sure U2 is proud (especially the Edge) http://www.spin.com/articles/hear-jack-whites-howling-bluesy-u2-cover

Here is a trailer to check out, I found a copy at my local library! so it's definitely worth checking out (Also on my Christmas/Amazon Wishlist!
Since watching this I have become an even bigger fan of Jack White. Hope to get to Detriot soon to check out his old stomping grounds and he and Meg White (bandmate of the White Stripes) have released 1 concert DVD and 1 documentary
I would prefer to watch the documentary but both are worth owning because of the recent breakup of the band.
Check out

I think that the recent releases of these films help capture the artists doing what they love so that the viewer can understand the creative process and re live moments that they have seen live. It helps humanize the artist and bring them to a relatable level. So many times the focus is on the ''celebrity status'' of an musician as opposed to what they are really.. ARTISTS. they are here on earth to create... something new and different.. to display pieces of themselves continu for the world to share. That is a strong point that Jack White makes in ''It Might Get Loud''.. the moment an artist becomes content or satisfied its over. You have lost your passion, lost your art, it should be a process on constant creation and trial and error, there is always new things to be tried especially with the way music is evovling naturally. (outside of the processed ''industry''/money making of it all/

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