10 Greatest Rock Documentaries (Part 5)

Continued from last post


8) The Devil And Daniel Johnston- I'd never heard of Daniel Johnston before watching this movie and I don't listen to him that much now after having seen it. He’s a singer and a songwriter who gained a little fame and a cult following in the mid 80's and early 90's in the Austin, Texas music scene. He recorded his songs by himself in his house, usually only with just a piano and a tape recorder. Then he became mentally ill, got worse and worse, and is now in his 40’s living with his parents, overweight, and extremely medicated. And there's tons of video and tape of the whole thing because Daniel documented it all. As a kid his mother yelling at him to get a real job, in college the girl he fell in love with and who he wrote all his songs for, and finally the beginnings to the depths of the end of the madness he comes to and into which he falls. I've truly never seen a documentary with better footage than this one. You don't have to like his music to like this movie; at its core it's about where art comes from and what it costs you. Sometimes the great ones end up in their 40's, sedated, forgotten, still living at home.





9) The Beatles Anthology- 11 hours of the Beatles. 11 fucking hours. A lot of precious time. Is it worth it? Hero worship is a dangerous thing; either you hurt the things you love or you start to feel that they have been loved way too much and way too long. So criticize them, seek their flaws out, don't give in, and meet them head on. But don't avoid them; life's too short.




10) If I Should Fall From Grace With God- The Shane MacGowan Story Shane MacGowan was the lead singer of one of the greatest bands ever, The Pogues. They were from Ireland and played a mix of traditional sounding Irish music and punk rock. In 1991 Shane was thrown out of the band for not showing up for tour dates and for a drinking and drug taking that had gotten out of hand. The geniuses that kill themselves and all their screaming fans. A talent worth its weight in gold, all it took to ruin it, and rotted teeth from out a skull where Irish eyes are smiling.