DISCLAIMER: This post is sponsored by Lionsgate, but all thoughts are our own.

The DVD of Martin Scorsese’s documentary George Harrison: Life in the Material World has been released in the UK and is set to come out in the near future here in North America. I’ve yet to see the film, but I thought (with a little convincing from the fine folks at Lionsgate) that it would be fun to recommend five other great docs that profile musicians. There are TONS of music inspired documentaries to choose from, but I thought I would focus on the ones that look at a single musician and reveal something about that person beyond their songwriting talents. What are some of your favourite docs on musicians? Let us know in the comments section!

LONELY BOY
Canada, 1962
Directed by Wolf Koenig & Roman Kroitor

Considered to be a cinema vérité classic, Lonely Boy is a candid look at a young Paul Anka, navigating the world of teenage pop stardom. He’s charming, handsome, and certainly knows how to treat his female fans, but he wasn’t always icon material. His personal manager, Irvin Feld, talks about ‘grooming’ Anka. “Paul’s features are excellent. His eyes are great. He has a great mouth.” Yet they still felt the need to adjust his nose with a little bit of plastic surgery. It’s a truly unique look at the creation of a pop icon. The film also gives us a transparent look at the filmmaking process as there is always a sense of the director’s influence on the scene. At one point, Anka gives the owner of the famous Copacabana a gift, which is met with a kiss on the cheek. Offscreen we hear one of the director’s request that the kiss be taken again due to camera issues, which is met with a great laugh from the subjects. A great piece of non-fiction filmmaking (and it’s Canadian!)

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL JOHNSTON
USA, 2005
Directed by Jeff Feuerzeig

I’ve gone on about my love of The Devil and Daniel Johnston quite a bit around here and my thoughts still stand. It’s got everything. It’s beautifully filmed, the characters are compelling, it’s emotionally devastating, and it’s got dramatic twists and turns. I remember hearing about the film when it first started playing festivals and I had my reservations, expecting something more along the lines of a poorly crafted fan-service fluff piece. Boy was I wrong. I was also caught off guard by how little I knew about Daniel Johnston’s personal issues and just show much I would get caught up in this unique underdog story. It’s truly a beautiful film and I recommend it to everyone.

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON (2006)
Directed by AJ Schnack

AJ Schnack’s portrait of Kurt Cobain is probably the least traditional biopic on this list, but it’s certainly one of the most beautiful. Narrated by Cobain himself, using audio interview clips collected by journalist Michael Azerrad, About a Son gives us an intimate look at the life of a rockstar who struggled with the responsibilities and expectations of being a music icon. Set against images of the towns in which Cobain grew up, Schnack’s film avoids biopic cliche’s by keeping things grounded in a sense of intimacy and honesty, presenting Cobain’s story quite literally in his own words. Nirvana fans should be thankful to have been treated with such a thoughtful presentation and a respectful treatment of this tale of a reluctant music legend.

THEREMIN: AN ELECTRIC ODYSSEY (1994)
Directed by Steven M. Martin

Okay, so this one is sort of thinking outside the box as Leon Theremin was an inventor, not a musician. However, he was responsible for one of the strangest instruments ever, the Theremin. If you’re not familiar with the eerie, warbly sounds it generates, you might want to refer to almost any sci-fi film produced in the 1950′s or take another listen to The Beach Boys Good Vibrations. Beyond his contribution to the music world, Theremin’s life plays like a whacked out espionage movie. He invented super-secret spy microphones for the KGB, was rumoured to have been kidnapped by Soviet Officials, and spent prison time in sharashka, a secret laboratory in the Russian gulag. It’s a great story that contains some pretty unusual performances thanks to Theremin and his orchestra of theremin players.

HATED: GG ALLIN AND THE MURDER JUNKIES (1994)
Directed by Todd Phillips

Todd Phillips (The Hangover, Due Date) NYU student film was a fascinating and hilarious documentary about one of the most disgusting, loathsome, and untalented figures in music history: GG Allin. The film attempts to understand Allin’s anarchistic attitude and propensity for violence and chaos, but really ends up working as a real life Spinal Tap with flashes of sadness throughout. It isn’t particularly deep or well made, but it’s definitely an interesting look at the early beginnings of a director who would go on to film some of the biggest mainstream comedies in Hollywood. You can watch the entire film embedded above. Definitely NSFW!

Martin Scorsese’s “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” is now available on DVD in the UK and will soon be available on DVD in North America. Check out the trailer below.

The Documentary Blog presents Five Films. An ongoing feature in which we recommend five documentaries based on similar themes or topics.

With Quentin Tarantino’s Nazi-scalping WWII film Inglourious Basterds hitting theatres this week, I thought it might be fun to throw up a list of documentary films focusing on everybody’s favourite movie villains: the Nazi’s. Upon further reflection, I realized that ‘fun’ might not be the appropriate term. I recently did a similar list over at Film Junk (“Nazis. I hate these guys.”: 15 WWII Movies Worth Watching Before You See Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds.) and focused on a lot of fun, espionage filled, action packed war films and had a blast doing so. However, in the non-fiction world, real life Nazi’s couldn’t be further from the wacky Lost Ark hunting, face melting, broadway singing variety. They’re much more…depressing. Either way, it still makes for quite the mind blowing history lesson. A big thanks goes out to First Run Features for supplying me with a great selection of relevant films to help me out with this list. For anyone interested, head over to their website and check out their vast library of docs dealing with this very subject.

BLOOD IN THE FACE

“When you have to do the time, don’t regret the crime.” This is one of many ridiculous statements made by members of the gloriously idiotic American white supremacy movement featured in Blood in the Face; a film as darkly hilarious as it is infuriating. The film features a series of interviews — some of which are conducted by a young Michael Moore — with some of the trashiest anti-semites I’ve seen since Geraldo’s glory days. I would accuse the film of shooting fish in a barrel if it wasn’t so entertaining to witness. The film is directed by Anne Bohlen, Kevin Rafferty (Atomic Cafe) and James Ridgeway (based off of his novel of the same name) and features some great stock footage of their own promotional videos that are straight out of a Saturday Night Live skit. The film has a very dark sense of humour and sheds some light on a small but terrifyingly dumb group of radicals that are more capable of organizing a tailgate party than a race war.

TRIUMPH OF THE WILL

One of the most controversial ‘classics’ of all time, Triumph of the Will is a terrifying document of the Nazi parties early rise to power and Hitler’s influence over his people. The film documents the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg and constantly walks the fine line between non-fiction and propaganda filmmaking. Leni Riefenstahl has been applauded for the techniques employed throughout the film, but the fact that the film was commissioned by the Third Reich had left a bad taste in the mouths of even those who praise her work.

NIGHT AND FOG

A double bill of Triumph of the Will and Alain Resnais’ ‘Night and Fog’ could possibly result in one of the greatest and most depressing representations of cause and effect ever captured on film. The grand spectacle of the Nuremberg rally is replaced by the ghostly remains of Nazi concentration camps. Resnais’ use of graphic stock footage in connection with the post-war imagery is both a reminder and a warning of what too much power can lead to. A haunting film in both its construction and its content.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF DOOM

As bat-shit crazy as they were, you have to admit the Nazi party definitely had a handle on aesthetics. Hitler, an artist in his own right, oversaw the look and presentation of the Third Reich, which obviously played a key role in their influence over the people of Germany and their staying power in modern popular culture. Director Peter Cohen explores the ‘Nazi philosophy of beauty through violence’ in his film The Architecture of Doom, an informative yet somewhat dry look at the Nazi aesthetic. Cohen’s filmmaking style is comparable to a slightly less glossy Ken Burns’, relying on collages of stock footage and still photography accompanied by some somewhat austere narration. The information presented is quite dense and the film itself isn’t particularly cinematic or ‘entertaining’, but I don’t think that’s really the goal. It’s a history lesson on Hitler’s obsession with art and how it influenced his regime. One particularly interesting section deals with the Nazi propaganda films of the era, as overseen by Joseph Goebbels. A very interesting perspective on the Nazi party.

HOMO SAPIENS 1900

Possibly the creepiest doc of the bunch, Homo Sapiens 1900 looks at the Nazi Party’s quest to create the ultimate race of Aryan soldiers through the practice of Eugenics. Another densely informative film by The Architecture of Doom director Peter Cohen. We learn about the history of eugenics and what role it played in Hitler’s ultimate plan for world domination. Again, Cohen doesn’t quite give us a particularly cinematic experience with his use of narration and stock footage, but rather focuses on pure information. This is a truly disturbing history lesson.

Rock School

Director Don Argott’s ‘Rock School’ works for all of the same reasons that Richard Linklater’s ‘School of Rock’ worked. It’s a just a feel good look at a energetic kid-at-heart teacher living vicariously though a group of rag-tag kids as he attempts to transform them into rock gods. Filmed at the ‘Paul Green School of Rock Music’, the film follows the kids as they cut their teeth on some insanely complex (and borderline obnoxious) Frank Zappa tunes in preparation for a special performance at a Zappa festival in Germany. It’s pretty crazy watching some of these talented kids holding their own on stage, but the guts of the film are those moments that highlight the unusual student-teacher dynamic shared between Green and his kids. He’s definitely a hard-ass, and sometimes his brutal honesty with the kids may seem overly harsh. But as the film progresses, you realize that Green has nothing but respect for the kids and a genuine love of rock.

Children Underground

Edet Belzberg’s raw look into the lives of a group of street kids is something straight out of a Harmony Korine film. Not unlike Marc Singer’s ‘Dark Day’s’, Belzberg basically embedded herself into this group of homeless kids, as young as ten years old, as they live out their day to day lives huffing gold paint in the grimy subway tunnels of Bucharest, Romania. As sad as their lives are, there is a sense of family among the group, as dysfunctional as it may be. I’d have to say the strangest part of the film is seeing such young kids carrying themselves like adults. Very rarely are they acting like real children, outside of some rambunctious behaviour that only gets them into more trouble. Throughout the whole film I kept reminding myself that when the camera is around the kids, that means there’s an adult around the kids, begging the question ‘At what point should Belzberg intervene in any particular situation?’.

Trans Generation

I suppose it’s debatable whether or not you could refer to freshman university students as ‘kids’, but for this occasion we’ll go with it. Trans Generation is a fascinatingly revealing 8 part series originally produced for the Sundance Channel. Director Jeremy Simmons follows four students attending four different universities as they deal not only with their books, grades and social lives, but their physical transition from one sex to the other. Gabbie, Raci, Lucas, and T.J. are all dealing with the fact that they feel trapped inside the wrong body. Raci, a male who lives his life as a female, resorts to buying black market hormones because she simply can’t afford the drug through official means. T.J. is a budding political activist whose Mother is struggling to accept her life as a male. Lucas, previously known as Leah, is in her beginning stages of becoming a man through hormone therapy. Finally, there’s Gabbie (born Andrew), a somewhat obnoxious and naïve anime and video game fanatic that is counting down the days until her sex change operation. This series requires a bit of an investment of time, but it’s completely worth it.

Chain Camera

Kirby Dick (Sick, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Twist of Faith) brings us this experimental look at life as a high school student through the eyes of ten students at the Los Angeles John Marshall High School. Here’s how it works: Ten cameras were handed out to ten students for one week. The kids could shoot whatever they wanted, no holds barred. Once their time was up, the cameras were passed on to ten more students, and so on, and so on. The end result is a compilation of the most interesting cuts from an eclectic mix of cultures and lifestyles. The filmmaking may be somewhat raw, but the honest glimpse into these kids’ lives is both compelling and entertaining.

Mad Hot Ballroom

This is probably the most accessible film on the list, as its overall success can attest to. Mad Hot Ballroom is the definition of a ‘feel good film’. Director Marilyn Agrelo follows New York City fifth and sixth graders as they take a shot at ballroom dancing. Some start off shuffling their feet in boredom, faces completely void of any sense of enjoyment. But as the film progresses, the kids become more and more engaged in their lessons as they practice for the citywide finals. Watch as some dedicated teachers try their best to utilize this unusual extra-curricular activity to guide their kids down the right path, attempting to avoid the harsh reality and telling statistics that don’t fare well for kids who grow up in these particular urban schools. If The Children Underground gets you down, just chase it with Mad Hot Ballroom and you’ll remember what it was like being a kid again, MINUS the gold paint huffing.

Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance vs. Judas Priest

As a kid growing up in the eighties, metal was everywhere. I specifically remember seeing heavy metal t-shirts in novelty stores (as I bought my bootleg Simpson’s t-shirts) and thinking that these bands were pure evil, which of course piqued my curiosity. Thanks to people like Tipper Gore, the 80’s was the decade that saw music on trial for its lyrical content and immoral messages. The case that stuck with me the most is also the topic of this film, James Vance vs. Judas Priest. Here’s the synopsis:

Just before Christmas, 1985, 19-year-old James Vance watched his best friend Ray Belknap shoot himself to death with a .12 gauge shotgun in a churchyard outside Reno, Nevada. Then Vance pulled the trigger on himself. He survived but was severely disfigured. Vance later claimed his actions had been influenced by the heavy metal music of Judas Priest, prompting his family to sue the band. The drama of the ensuing trial provides the framework for David Van Taylor’s disturbing look at teenagers today.

I remember when James was a guest on Maury Povich, and I was terrified. This was around the same time that Geraldo Rivera was doing prime-time reports on the growing plague of Satanists throughout the United States. Heavy metal was under attack, and James Vance’s family was on the front lines of a high profile case that could’ve set a precedent for music censorship. The prosecution claimed that the song “Better by You, Better Than Me” had contained subliminal messages. When played backwards, the words ‘do it’ could be heard multiple times throughout the song. In response, lead singer Rob Halford took the stand and asked the question “Well…do what? Mow the lawn? Have a cup of tea?” The film inter-cuts footage of the trial with interviews with the families, James Vance, and heavy metal fans. You can check out the film in it’s entirety on Google Video.

Director: David Van Taylor

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster

I’m not really a Metallica fan, but Some Kind of Monster was one of my favourite films the year of its release. Watching this group of graying metal icons undergo a stint with a psychiatrist in an attempt to resolve infighting within their band is both surprising and entertaining. The dynamics of their relationship couldn’t be any more perfect. You’ve got Lars, the outspoken drummer who butts heads with James, the lead singer who enters rehab thanks to his drinking problem. And then you’ve got guitarist Kirk Hammet who passively sits back and watches everyone fight thinking to himself ‘why can’t we all just get along?’. All of this makes up for some hilarious stuff that will make the metal heads question Metallica’s credibility as aging artists, and the non-metal heads respect them for allowing such an honest portrayal of their not-so-perfect and not-so-metal lifestyle. Check out our full review of Metallica: Some Kind of Monster here.

Directors: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky

Heavy Metal Parking Lot

Although Heavy Metal Parking Lot is more of a home movie than a documentary, it’s definitely an important representation of the Heavy Metal culture, even if it is poking fun at it. Directors John Heyn and Jeff Krulik scower a parking lot outside of a 1986 Judas Priest concert, interviewing obsessive and hyper-active teenage fans about their love of metal. What follows is a display of amazing fashion sense (zebra man) and unbridled teenage angst as the kids flash the horns at the camera and get wasted in preparation for the best show of their lives…PRIEST!!! Coming in at around 30 minutes, Heavy Metal Parking Lot is just short enough to sustain this plot less exploitation (not necessarily a bad thing in this case) of obsessive kids who simply love metal. Also check out the sequels: Neil Diamond Parking Lot and Harry Potter Parking Lot. You can our full review of this film here.

Directors: John Heyn & Jeff Krulik

Metal: A Headbangers Journey

This is definitely geared more towards the Metal fan, but for the uninformed, it’s a great introduction to Heavy Metal music and its many sub-genres. Although i’m not much of a metal fan myself, it was interesting to watch the progression of a genre of music throughout the years. Directors Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen use a giant family tree to track the roots of heavy metal music, ultimately leading to a personal point of view of the band that truly created metal: Black Sabbath. The film follows co-director Dunn, a 30-year old anthropologist, as he traces back the origins of his favourite music, breaking down its many stigma’s and trademarks, all the while meeting some of his childhood idols. The list of interviews is pretty impressive, representing the who’s who in modern and classic metal. Check out our full review of Metal: A Headbangers Journey here.

Directors: Sam Dunn & Scot McFadyen

Paradise Lost 2: Revelations

You may be asking yourself why I chose to list Paradise Lost 2 rather than part one. That’s easy, part 2 is not only better than part 1, but it’s one of my favourite documentaries of all time and features one of the creepiest men in film history, Mark Byers. Here’s the story: Three teens are convicted of ritualistically murdering three children, leaving their bodies brutally beaten and desecrated in what the prosecutors believe was a satanic slaying. The ‘leader’ of the three ‘killers’, Damien Echols, appeals his conviction as evidence starts popping up that the killer may in fact be Mark Byers, the step-father of one of the three victims. What follows is some of the most gripping drama I’ve ever seen on film with a ‘performance’ from Byers that will guarantee to send chills up your spine. Where does heavy metal fit in? Well the West Memphis Three (the nickname given to the three supposed killers) were big fans of Metallica, among other heavy metal acts. They dressed in black, were interested in the Wicca religion, and were somewhat anti-social. Some believe that these anti-social traits lead to the unfair arrest and subsequent conviction based more on prejudice rather than actual evidence. You’ll definitely see this film pop up on a few more lists of mine in the future.

Directors: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky

Related Link: Five Films: Religion

The Maysles Brothers are considered by many to be pioneers of the Cinema Verite style, or as they prefer to say…’Direct Cinema’. Salesman is a prime example of their knack at remaining almost completely un-intrusive while still capturing beautiful images and honest moments. The film follows a small group of Boston bible salesman as they try to meet their quotas by any means necessary. When the main subject, Paul ‘The Badger’ Brennan starts to lose his touch, he struggles to remain on top of his sales while sharing stories on the road with his salesmen buddies. The film is a pretty striking look at how easily people can be manipulated and taken advantage of when using their commitment to religion as a source of guilt, ultimately leading to another sale.

Marjoe

This Academy Award winning film features the flamboyant Marjoe Gortner, a child protégé who was bred by his evangelical parents from birth to become a preacher. In the film, a grown up Marjoe has lost his faith and given in to the seductions of living life as a young adult in the 1960’s. Now Marjoe has decided to get back into preaching, re-establishing himself with the Pentecostal audiences with his ‘Farewell to Faith Tour’, charming them with his Mick Jagger inspired swagger. Directors Howard Smith and Sarah Kernochan inter-cut candid moments of confession as Marjoe discusses his true intentions as he fills us in on his manipulative tactics he bestows upon his devoted followers. The funny thing is, he’s so charming and his audience is so naïve that I don’t feel sorry for them one bit. Check out my review here for more on this film.

Devil’s Playground

This is a great film that deals with freedom of religion and the choices someone makes when confronted with temptations that may contradict their personal beliefs. More specifically, the film is about ‘Rumspringa’, an Amish tradition which when translated means ‘running around’. When the kids turn 16, they’re given an opportunity to shed their plows and spend time in the outside world driving cars, getting drunk, partying, and most importantly…using electricity! This is truly a test of faith. How a 16 year old kid can expose themselves to all of these modern conveniences and then willingly choose to go back to a 19th century lifestyle is both unimaginable and admirable. But as the film shows, the rush of new experiences can be somewhat overwhelming to someone who’s suppressed their temptations for 16 years in favour of honouring their religion and their community, and ultimately the over-indulgence can lead to disaster.

Hell House

Hell House is the perfect example of what many people find wrong with the church. The film centres on the Trinity Assembly of God Church in Texas and their unusual yearly tradition. Every October, members of this Pentecostal Church construct, write and perform Hell House, a Christian take on the traditional haunted house. In this case, ghouls and goblins are replaced by brutal scenes of rape, suicide, spousal abuse and drug addiction. In the ‘school shooting’ section of the tour, a bullied teen named Jeremey (apparently they’re Pearl Jam fans) pulls a gun on his class and proceeds to shoot himself. In another room a girl with a ridiculous amount of fake blood between her legs accepts Jesus as she dies due to her botched abortion. Right next to her the Devil hovers over a gay man dying of AIDS. He rejects Jesus and is dragged off only to re-appear at the end of the tour: the Hell room. The faith expressed by the films subjects is truly sincere and somewhat admirable, but heavily outweighed by the ridiculous. Watching these people perform what they think is an accurate representation of a drug deal gone wrong or the dangers of a rave ends up turning their hard hitting material into unintentional parody. It’s just a bunch of good-hearted folks ‘play acting’, living vicariously through their characters bad sides.

The Eyes of Tammy Faye

I’m sure you’re familiar with the story. Tammy Faye Bakker and her husband Jim make millions with the most successful television ministry in the world, the PTL. Eventually the Bakker’s life of luxury comes to an end after a much publicized scandal exposing Jim Bakker’s affair with Jessica Hahn. Jim is convicted of fraud, racketeering and tax evasion and sent to prison. But even through all of this, Tammy Faye remained positive and recovered. This film is as much about Tammy Faye’s own personal philosophies as it is her scandals. Her high pitched giddiness can be annoying at times, but you can’t help but like her and sympathize with SOME of her woes. But by the end of the film, it’s clear that Tammy Faye should be thankful that she’s best known and remember for her heavy eye make-up and not her lies.