My Picks for the Best Rock Docs of All Time
Rock’n’roll documetatries. The 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival is lousy with ’em.
Last night’s opening gala–a screening of Davis Guggenheim’s mid-career near breakdown of U2, From the Sky Down–was the first of a series of docs that will be played at high volume.
Tomorrow, Pearl Jam’s Cameron Crowe-directed retrospective, Pearl Jam 20, gets its first screening followed by a press conference with both director and band. Then Sunday and Monday, Pearl Jam plays two sold out shows at the Air Canada Centire before movie on to Ottawa, Hamilton, Winnipeg and other points west. (Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell tweeted last night that he had arrived in the city to be with his buds. Temple of the Dog reunion, anyone?)
And that’s not all. Here’s my column from today’s Metro papers.
A documentary to start the 36th annual Toronto International Film Festival? And a rock doc? Makes sense, really, given that the festival and the band involved pretty much share the exact same birth date.
As the first-ever TIFF was kicking off in September 1976, the band that would become U2 were having their first rehearsals at the drummer’s house.
And the Davis “It Might Get Loud” Guggenheim-directed From the Sky Down isn’t the only rock ’n’ roll documentary at TIFF this year. Pearl Jam 20, a film capturing that band’s first two decades — a Cameron Crowe production, no less — will also get a showing before it has a brief one-night run in theatres on the 20th.
And let’s not forget Paul Williams is Still Alive, a film about the diminutive songwriter and actor who starred in Phantom of the Paradise and, more impressively, wrote Rainbow Connection for Kermit the Frog.
This got me thinking about putting together a list of the best rock docs of all time. Here’s what I came up with.
Good list but these belong on it too: Fearless Freaks, Gimme Shelter, End of the Century, Buena Vista Social Club, and what the hell – Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey is one of my favourites. Very comprehensive and fun, with a lot of great interviews. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet. Even if you aren't a metal fan, you will get a kick out of it.
The "theatrical" concert release of Woodstock (1970) has to rank high. I never liked the 1994 director's cut additions; far too much [any] angst padding just to match the Grunge era times. Want more performance video? Then watch the three-part, one for each day, original TV series as a supplement.
I'd guess that most people under 30 today haven't seen this Oscar winner, nor likely heard of it.
I love rock docs, and lot of great ones have been mentioned already but one that I think is missing is: Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll