Music Documentaries

[short ornery norwegian]

AXS TV runs a lot of music docs. the other day they ran two back-to-back. One was about the Allman Brothers and how the band changed after the deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley.

and then they ran a doc about the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash and aftermath. some pretty harrowing stories from the surviving band members about what it was like when the plane went down, and the wait to be rescued.

 

[Ope3]

I am excited about a Documentary "Running With Our Eyes Closed", from Sam Jones (produced by Bill Simmons) about Jason Isbell during the recording of Reunions in 2020.

Here’s Your First Look at Jason Isbell’s HBO Documentary ‘Running With Our Eyes Closed’

In the HBO doc 'Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,' the artist strips down the recording process and reveals struggles outside the studio.

www.billboard.com

Any fans of Wilco will recognize that Jones was responsible for "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" from 20 years ago.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

The Howlin Wolf Story is amazing. I watched it, then rewatched it immediately after, and have seen it a few times since.

Like many I imagine (?), I'd heard OF Howling Wolf, but didn't know much about him, and had never seen him perform. The guy was a flipping beast, and really easy to like.

 

[Ope3]

I am excited about a Documentary "Running With Our Eyes Closed", from Sam Jones (produced by Bill Simmons) about Jason Isbell during the recording of Reunions in 2020.

Here’s Your First Look at Jason Isbell’s HBO Documentary ‘Running With Our Eyes Closed’

In the HBO doc 'Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,' the artist strips down the recording process and reveals struggles outside the studio.

www.billboard.com

Any fans of Wilco will recognize that Jones was responsible for "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" from 20 years ago.

This premiered on HBO tonight.

Favorite Isbell quote which he said wryly, "If I was out there making people dance, I wouldn't waste my time on prepositions."

 

[short ornery norwegian]

not so much a documentary, but apparently director James Mangold is going ahead with a biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothy Chalamet. Mangold says it will focus on the period where a young Dylan moved from the Twin Cities to New York City and established himself in the NYC folk music scene.

could be interesting to see if they cover anything about Dylan's time in the Cities.

 

[tikited]

could be interesting to see if they cover anything about Dylan's time in the Cities.

It won't be pretty imo.

 

[Ope3]

I am excited about a Documentary "Running With Our Eyes Closed", from Sam Jones (produced by Bill Simmons) about Jason Isbell during the recording of Reunions in 2020.

Here’s Your First Look at Jason Isbell’s HBO Documentary ‘Running With Our Eyes Closed’

In the HBO doc 'Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed,' the artist strips down the recording process and reveals struggles outside the studio.

www.billboard.com

Any fans of Wilco will recognize that Jones was responsible for "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" from 20 years ago.

I do highly endorse the film "Running With Our Eyes Closed" filmed while recording his album Reunions in late 2019 into early 2020. While predisposed to liking the movie with being a fan of Isbell/Shires I think it would appeal to others as well.

It's not a technical "making of" album, though there is a little of that. Fans of Isbell know about his personal life growing up, rise/fall with the Drive-By Truckers, eventually becoming sober, marriage and then huge breakthrough.

This features the other side of the story as much as Isbell by talking to his parents, Patterson Hood from DBT, his manager, current band members and Amanda. It's really raw, to the point that it's an uncomfortable watch at times.

Also interesting is the timing of the pandemic, and how Isbell/Shires/400 Unit were forced off the road for a prolonged time for the first time since they were all kids and how they dealt with it.

It's available on HBO MAX.

 

[Bad Gopher]

My friend (actually my wife's cousin's husband) Rolf Belgum will be screening the two documentaries he directed a number of years ago, at the Trylon on May 10th: Driver 23 and The Atlas Moth.

DRIVER 23 & THE ATLAS MOTH

www.trylon.org

The films, released two years apart, chronicle the exploits of Dan Cleveland, a Minneapolis musician, and his band, Dark Horse. I've never seen them myself (yet), so I wouldn't miss this for the world. They've been out of print, practically impossible to find streaming in recent years, and prohibitively expensive to buy used DVDs. Rolf has told me they're reprinting discs and will have them for sale there (!).

Driver 23 (1999) ⭐ 8.4 | Documentary

1h 12m

www.imdb.com

The Atlas Moth (2001) | Documentary

1h 12m

www.imdb.com

 

[Ope3]

The fact that A24 is behind this has me even more enthused. Talking Heads Stop Making Sense is being released on IMAX Sept 22 and other theaters on Sept 29.

 

[Ope3]

The fact that A24 is behind this has me even more enthused. Talking Heads Stop Making Sense is being released on IMAX Sept 22 and other theaters on Sept 29.

I saw Stop Making Sense on an IMAX, I highly recommend anyone checking it out even if there is just casual interest.

Originally I remember renting it on VHS and watching it 3 or 4 times over a weekend. Eventually a year or so later I did see it in a theater on a late night screening.

It just looks and sounds fantastic with so many great songs.

Here's the original Roger Ebert thumbs up review.

Stop Making Sense movie review (1984) | Roger Ebert

The overwelming impression throughout "Stop Making Sense" is of enormous energy, of life being lived at a joyous high. And it's not the frenetic, jangled-nerves energy of a rock band that's wired; it's the high spirits and good health we associate with artists like Bruce Springsteen. There are a...

www.rogerebert.com

 

[Slim Tubby]

I stumbled across a documentary on Max called "Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis" that was incredible and heartbreaking in so many ways. The band, originally founded by childhood friends Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age fame), were on stage during the massacre at the Bataclan in Paris.

I had never even heard of EODM before but they have some real bangers that are sprinkled in amongst the tragic re-telling of the events and the emotional damage caused, especially to the controversial Hughes who went unhinged after the attack dealing with his demons. His backstory and personality are mesmerizing and painful at the same time.

It's a "must watch" for music fans IMO.