December 2, 2022
As someone who has been fascinated with both movies and music for as long as I can remember, the music documentary is a perfect symmetry of what I love about the creative arts. Whether it’s the story of how an album was created, the full story of a singer or band, or even a concert film, I’m usually game to try it out. If it’s for one of my favorite bands, you can guarantee it, and in some cases, I can discover a new band just by investing two hours of my time watching a well-made movie. Fortunately, the genre has been around forever and since documentaries are usually much cheaper to make than a narrative feature, we have a plethora of films to watch, most of which are at our fingertips online.
A year ago, Peter Jackson’s eight-hour opus The Beatles: Get Back premiered on Disney+ and gave us an insider’s view of The Beatles working on the album that would become Let It Be. It set the bar for what a music documentary could be if directed by someone with the vision and clout to not let small things like a restricted runtime influence the final product. I’m planning a rewatch of Get Back at some point soon, and in advance of that, I decided to share my thoughts on some of my favorite music documentaries, including some new releases from 2022.
Before I jump into specific movies, I was thinking about what makes something from this genre work. As much as I am willing to take a chance on a narrative feature film, I’m less likely to do that with a music documentary. For instance, there have been recent movies about Beyonce, Amy Winehouse, and Billie Eilish that have received strong critical reviews, but their music doesn’t resonate with me, so I haven’t given them a try. I did check out last year’s The Velvet Underground, directed by Todd Haynes (whose work I’ve enjoyed), but I just couldn’t connect to the film. I was never a fan of the band and the avant-garde nature of Haynes’ directing style was a distraction to me.
I’ve also come to realize that there is a difference between a compelling movie and a puff piece and that usually starts with the motivation of the filmmaker. For instance, I recently watched a documentary about Credence Clearwater Revival on Netflix, narrated by Jeff Bridges. It spent most of the time on the band’s trip to England, where they played Royal Albert Hall, but spent virtually no time on the band’s demise and legendary battles with their record company. If you didn’t know any better, you would have assumed they all lived happily after. Needless to say, that was a disappointment. Let’s jump in to start with some recent films that I liked a lot.
Moonage Daydream (2022)
Hmmm….As I was trying to collect my thoughts about this film, I was stuck on how to describe why this is a very different kind of music documentary. I think I can sum it up by what a woman said as we were walking out of the theater – “I feel like I just had an LSD trip.” Yup, that about covers it.
Brett Morgen has directed a number of documentaries that have been well-received and in setting out to make a film about David Bowie, he was given incredible access to Bowie’s music and video archives. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Morgen is kind of an arrogant filmmaker who wants to challenge his audiences by presenting stories in an unconventional way. In listening to a few interviews with him after the release of Moonage Daydream, I realized that he comes across as the “tortured artist” kind of director. Your mileage may vary on how much that influences your opinion of this movie.
I consider myself a casual fan of Bowie’s work. I like a number of his songs, but have never done a deep exploration of his catalogue, so I am by no means an expert. Morgen’s film uses Bowie’s music and art to convey a sense of what the 1960s and 1970s were like. It also covers the latter parts of his career, including the resurgence he experienced in the 1980s MTV era, when some diehard fans accused him of selling out. Parts of this picture were incredible, but parts of it were incredibly strange. While sitting in the theater, I realized pretty quickly that this was not going to be a straightforward documentary. It is a true art film that aligns with Bowie as a well-rounded artist, not just a musician. I’m definitely glad I saw this movie (especially since it was something different), but it won’t be for everyone. If you are a Bowie fanatic and willing to tolerate an experimental film, you might enjoy Moonage Daydream. But if you are interested in a more straightforward music documentary with talking heads and concert footage, you might want to pass.
George Michael: Freedom Uncut (2022)
When I watched this movie a few months ago, I was telling my wife about it and she asked,
“He died, right?” and I answered, “Yes, he died on Christmas Day six years ago.” How on Earth did I know that? From watching the film? Well, yes, they did mention that. But I also remember seeing La La Land in the theaters the day after Christmas in 2016 and when Emma Stone called after Ryan Gosling with “Hey, George Michael” as a joke, I remember some sad groans in the audience because Michael had died the previous day. Yup, my brain works in strange ways.
Anyway, this documentary is an updated version of a program that aired on British television shortly after Michael died. He was working on the film before he passed away, so it features his narration throughout. Unlike Moonage Daydream, this movie is more of a traditional “cradle to grave” story of Michael’s life and music. You may wonder if this is an artist that I actually like or if I just checked out the documentary for the hell of it. It’s definitely the former. Yes, I can still be a fan of Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and George Michael. I think he had one of the best singing voices of his era – if you don’t believe me, check out this video of him rehearsing before the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 here. He was also a magnificent songwriter, with the ability to combine heartfelt lyrics with different genres throughout his career.
In addition to highlighting Michael’s music abilities, the film covers his battle with his record label and the emotional toll that the fame and pressure took on his mental health following the incredible success of his album Faith. This is a topic that is not uncommon to hear about in today’s entertainment landscape, where artists are applauded for being open and honest about their struggles and encouraged to take time off. But back then, the reaction from the record company was, “Shut up and sing. We’re paying you a fortune.” Michael fought back against the trappings of fame and was the rare artist to challenge the status quo at the time. Along with Prince, he was a musician who fought for what he felt was fair treatment in an unfair industry. This theme is seen time after time throughout documentaries about successful musicians.
I particularly like the decisions Michael made when it came to his music videos. He told his record company he didn’t want to do any promotion for his second album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1. But they demanded music videos. So he decided to hire David Fincher (an aspiring filmmaker at the time) to direct the video for Freedom ’90 with supermodels lip-synching the lyrics while dancing around beautiful apartments. It happens to be one of the best music videos of all-time, even though Michael barely appeared in it. The man was certainly a creative genius gone way too soon.
Stop Making Sense (1984)
Do concert films count for this topic I’m writing about? Well, either way, I need to cover this movie, because it’s a masterpiece.
In the early 1980s, Talking Heads were reaching the peak of their creative and commercial success. Director Jonathan Demme had a few hits on his hands, but was still a decade away from winning the Oscar for The Silence of the Lambs. Sometimes when two parties come together at the perfect time and place, we get magic on the screen. And that’s exactly what happened with Stop Making Sense.
What I love so much about this 90 minute showcase of the band performing in front of an audience in Hollywood is the simplicity of the show. It’s just musicians experiencing the ultimate joy of doing something they love. We start with lead singer David Byrne coming out on stage with a tape player. He presses Play, and we hear a rhythmic beat, while Byrne begins to play guitar, performing Psycho Killer. Then he brings out other members of the band, one by one, for each successive song, leading to the full band’s electric performance of Burning Down the House. And then we are off and running. Quite literally on Life During Wartime, where the majority of the band jogs in place to the rhythm of the song while performing.
Demme shot this film in a brilliant way, bringing to life the uniqueness of this band and the quirkiness of Byrne on stage. He always seems to be dancing with incredible energy and exuberance, whether he looks like Gumby with his gyrating, or embraces the goofiness of an oversized suit on Girlfriend Is Better. During What a Day That Was, Demme brings us close ups of the band members, with alternating shots of light and shadow views of their faces. That being said, unlike the extravagant production we see in today’s concerts, we don’t need fireworks and fancy lights to appreciate Talking Heads – this film is all about the music, brought to life by brilliant artists.
One last note. It’s probably more than a coincidence that I also loved the film of David Byrne’s American Utopia Broadway show that was directed by Spike Lee. You can definitely feel the DNA of Stop Making Sense in that film, which I covered here. In addition to the music and Byrne’s presence, the vibe of each movie is very similar – talented musicians putting their abilities on full display for us all to enjoy.
Rattle & Hum (1988)
Wait, you’re telling me that they are making a documentary about U2? And I can see it in the movie theater? That was 16 year-old me when I first heard about Rattle and Hum, the film about one of my favorite bands at the time. Now, I was late to the party on The Joshua Tree phenomenon. I liked the band’s previous album, The Unforgettable Fire, but for some reason I hadn’t jumped on the bandwagon for their follow-up as quickly as everyone else. So, of course I didn’t see them on their accompanying tour, even though I had already begun my addiction to seeing concerts. At that time, I was deep in a classic rock phase with ZZ Top, Van Halen, Eric Clapton and Fleetwood Mac on my concert list. By the time I was immersed in The Joshua Tree, the ship had long sailed on seeing them live. I would have to wait a few years to see them on their Zoo TV tour in support of Achtung Baby. But a documentary film would give me a chance to see what I missed.
U2 had experienced a slow rise to fame in the early 1980s, but the popularity of The Joshua Tree was off the charts. The Irish rockers who wrote about everything from love to politics showed that they had extreme talent and have since shown incredible staying power. I read an article earlier this week that they are working on a new album. While on their U.S. tour to support The Joshua Tree, they decided to bring along a film crew led by director Phil Joanau to document the experience. What emerged in Rattle and Hum (named after a lyric in Bullet the Blue Sky) was a fascinating record of a moment in time of a band that at times looks to be moving from adolescence to adulthood. The concert footage from the shows is incredible, from the opening cover of The Beatles’ Helter Skelter through Where the Streets Have No Name, where the film transitions from black and white to color for the footage shot in Arizona. That being said, you can definitely tell that the concert scenes were shot in the 1980s. While recently watching it, I couldn’t help but wonder how much better the footage would look with today’s technology.
Now for the not-so-good. The band comes off as pretty full of themselves, which was one of the criticisms of the movie when it was released. The scene where Bono runs around and spray paints a political message on a wall while the band plays All Along the Watchtower is one that comes to mind. Speaking of which, it was kind of funny watching Bono correct The Edge on the chords to the song while they figured it out before going on stage. Anyway, as a teenager when I saw the film, I don’t remember if I read this feedback at the time, and even if I did, I’m sure I ignored it. I loved this band – how could they do any wrong? Many years later, I can now appreciate that opinion when watching the movie through the eyes of someone much older. But I can also understand how difficult it must have been to be musicians who experience this sudden burst of fame in your late twenties. Everyone is constantly telling you how great you are, asking your opinions on everything going on in the world. After a while, you start believing everything they are telling you. Maybe it’s hard to keep your ego in check in that situation.
After the reaction to Rattle and Hum, the band decided to go off the grid to write and record their next album. They figured that time out of the spotlight and away from the overexposure might help their creative energy. It turns out that their time in Germany was filled with tension and creative differences that almost led to them breaking up. Fortunately, they came together during the writing of One, and found common ground on how they wanted to work together as a band. What emerged was Achtung Baby, which might be their best album. The band’s experience during this time was covered in the excellent 2011 film From the Sky Down and was part of my piece on musicians who took risks here.
Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
Last year while covering my anticipation of The Beatles: Get Back, I was lamenting the epidemic we have in movies right now where it seems like films are getting longer and longer. Planning on seeing the new Avatar sequel? It’s three hours and ten minutes. Going to see Babylon, Damien Chazelle’s take on Old Hollywood? Three hours and eight minutes. What the heck is going on? Where are the editors? Anyway, at the time I noted that I would gladly make an exception for a Beatles documentary that showcased previously unseen footage. I certainly didn’t complain about an eight hour “film” that I could watch from the comfort of my home over several days. Where am I going with this? Well, this next music documentary is fantastic – my only gripe is that it is way too short. I would gladly watch four hours about one of my favorite bands, instead of the two hours we got. Oh well, beggars can’t be choosers.
As Pearl Jam approached its twentieth anniversary in 2010, they partnered up with director Cameron Crowe to make a documentary about their history. Crowe was the perfect choice for this role as he was intimately familiar with the Seattle music scene, long before mainstream America jumped on the “grunge” bandwagon. Crowe lived in Seattle and even made a movie about twenty-somethings looking for love in the city. Singles featured the music of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden, among others that were just starting out. In fact, some of the musicians had small roles in the movie. When Crowe showed the studio his film, they didn’t know what to do with it. They didn’t think it was marketable – not until Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam started gaining traction on the radio and MTV. Then they quickly released it in theaters, where it was pretty successful. Fun fact that I just learned – Crowe was approached about making Singles into a television show, which he rejected. He claims that the idea was the inspiration for Friends, which premiered two years later without any involvement from him. Not sure how much of that is true, but an interesting story nonetheless.
Anyway, Crowe combed through thousands of hours of footage of the band performing in the studio, on the road, and on your favorite music television network. Pearl Jam wasn’t one of these bands who had to grind it out for years before finding success. Their origin story is one of those “one in a million” situations where you wonder if fate intervened to bring these musicians together. Within a few months of forming, they were in the studio recording their debut album, Ten, which went on to sell over ten million copies.
With the fame came an avalanche of fans to a new genre, a (mostly) media-created rivalry with Nirvana, and intense pressure to continue their creative success. We’ve seen this story before, of course, but what made this one so interesting to me was the strong connection I immediately felt to their early albums. I was a sophomore in college when Ten was released, and wherever you went in our dorm, you could be sure that EVERYONE had the CD. It was pretty common to hear it playing every single day as you walked the halls. We were genuinely excited that we had a phenomenon in the music industry that was gaining popularity when we were in college.
In the film, Crowe does a great job capturing the early days of the band, mixing a lot of behind the scenes footage and early performances with present day interviews with band members reminiscing. Having been such a big fan for the bulk of their career, I can’t say I learned anything groundbreaking (but that’s ok). I knew about the early success, the pressures, the battles with Ticketmaster (don’t get me started on that f*cking company – that’s a rant for a different day), and how they came to grips with who they wanted to be as a band. Their evolution as a band seemed to mirror what we all experience in life – the mistakes you make in adolescence and early twenties, gaining some maturity and perspective in your thirties, and accepting who you are and appreciating what you have in your forties and beyond.
I do wish that Crowe had the leeway to make this much longer so he could have spent more time on the latter part of the band’s career and gone deeper on some of the topics (like their incredible bootleg release strategy). But he wanted to keep this a tight two hours and have it available in theaters. Fortunately, the DVD release of Pearl Jam Twenty included an extra disc of live performances, and the band has made many of their shows available on audio and video for fans to consume. So, whenever I’m in the mood to relive my favorite Pearl Jam songs, I can find one of their shows and fire it up. In fact, they recently completed a brief tour and I was just listening to their show at Madison Square Garden on 9/11. And after thirty years together, they still have something special. I can’t wait until they tour again so I have another chance to experience the fun of one of their shows in person.
That’s all for this week. I hope you enjoyed my look at some of my favorite music documentaries. I’ll be back with part two next week, including what I believe to be the best film in this genre (other than The Beatles: Get Back). Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.