Five Must-See Music Documentaries

The Filth and The Fury

Julien Temple – 2000

The first of my must-see music documentaries is The Filth and the Fury. Temple’s exposé explores the rise and the ensuing chaotic demise of the Sex Pistols. It is a damning critique of the 70s’ Britain told from the perspective of the surviving members of the Sex Pistols.

Growing up in the 70s, I knew who the Sex Pistols were; it was near-on impossible to escape their attention-grabbing antics. However, I knew very little about punk’s genesis and the band other than the tabloids’ rhetoric.

I was a spotty teen running around the schoolyard in my Kickers boots and ill-fitting polyester trousers in the autumn of 1983. An older kid at our school had cornered the market on pirated videos and rented me a copy of The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle for a bag of chips and battered sausage. I hurried home to watch the video before my parents returned from work.

WTF! Kids not much older than me were causing a ruckus. They were rude, violent, vulgar, brash and sexually active and seemed to be getting away with it all. Whatever this was, I wanted to be counted in.

Given I had no point of reference, I assumed that The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle was the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Temple’s first documentary about the Sex Pistols was told from the perspective of the Pistols’ disgruntled manager, Malcolm McLaren. McLaren portrayed the Pistols as ridiculous puppets whom he manipulated to sell records.

After twenty years of condemnation and criticism from fans and the music press alike, Temple returned to the cutting room and retold the Pistols’ story from the viewpoint of Lydon, Jones, and Matlock.

Lydon’s monologue about the British working class’s disillusionment in the 70s gives you a swift kick in the guts. Then, for the remaining hour and forty-five minutes, Temple reassembles lost footage of civil unrest, hatred, racism, and disparity to the wall of noise that is “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols”.

The scene is set and Lydon delivers in spades, attacking the establishment as well as McLaren and his ex-bandmate, Glen Matlock. He lays out his version of the truth for you to take or bloody leave. I highly recommend that you watch both documentaries if only to understand how the truth can have many faces.

In “The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle”, McLaren proclaims himself a musical Svengali, the mastermind that manifested Punk to sell fetish gear, whereas Lydon declares he was the true misunderstood genius. With the benefit of hindsight, we can objectively watch both cultural documents and decide where the truth lies.

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The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Jeff Feuerzeig – 2005

Feuerzeig’s story of a tortured genius struggling with mental illness is a must-see. Described by his peers as the best singer/songwriter of his time, Johnston inspired countless musicians, including the late Kirk Cobain.

Cobain brought Johnston to the masses' attention when he wore Johnston’s “Hi, How Are You” T-shirt at the MTV music awards. Cobain recognised Johnston’s natural talent for art, songwriting and performance. However, Johnston struggle with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, which thwarted his attempts to achieve his lifelong ambition to be as famous as The Beatles.

Feuerzeig’s film is genuinely unique in that the central protagonist didn’t have a hit record on the Billboard 100 charts. He didn’t have a global following or any monikers of successes. By today’s standards, where the value of art is measured by likes and retweets, Johnston would be considered a complete failure.

With or without the encouragement of his peers, Johnston was compelled to create. The prolific songwriter produced a frenzy of great art. It’s claimed he’d record up to five albums in a single session.

Feuerzeig’s intimate exploration into the destructive mind of an obsessive man that should have been as big as Dylan is an uncomfortable watch. But if a small part of you doesn’t identify with Johnston’s plight, then I’d say you’ve not been infected with the mind-virus that compels artists to create.

After watching this documentary, you will understand why he is such an important figure in the Lo-Fi Alternative movement. You may also be inspired to create and share the dreams from your broken life with the world.

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B-Movie: Lust & Sound in West Berlin 1979–1989

Heiko Lange, Jörg A. Hoppe, Klaus Maeck, Miriam Dehne - 2015

B-Movie is the story of musician and music producer Mark Reeder’s adventures in Berlin. Reeder is lured east by the avant-garde; he quits his job at a Virgin Records store and waves goodbye to Manchester’s decaying Punk scene.

In West Berlin’s ruins, Reeder starts an enviable adventure that none today could hope to reproduce. You can’t help but long to be part of the underground movement that gave birth to the legendary Berlin nightlife scene.

Reeder’s energy and love for the city are contagious; it reminds you of what it felt like to be young, free and stupid. A time in your life when the highs were higher than you thought possible and the lows were so disparagingly low.

As you watch B-Movie, you can’t help reminiscing about the times you stayed up all night discussing the guitar solo on your favourite record. How you lived on baked beans and crashed on strangers’ sofas, unable to sleep because your mind still echoed with the radical new ideas you’d been so passionately discussing.

I truly hope the younger generation will experience this rite of passage; I fear our cities have become far too homogenised. We’ve lost forever the venues where they can create wondrous chaos. Maybe one positive from the pandemic is that we’ll all emerge from our concrete cocoons with the urge to explore and play in the empty industrial spaces with wild abandonment.

Maybe the underground is alive and thriving, and that I’m just getting old. Am I as clueless about the scene today as my parents were when I went to illegal warehouse parties in the late eighties? I truly hope so because the alternative is not worth thinking contemplating.

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George Harrison: Living in a Material World Pt2

Martin Scorsese – 2011

Who was your favourite Beatle? Before answering that, you need to watch the second part of Scorsese’s homage to the late George Harrison.

Scorsese lovingly combines never-before-seen footages with interviews from those who knew Harrison intimately. He offers a rare insight into the man who was the spiritual beating heart of the Fab Four.

In his own words, Harrison talks about his journey to find answers to the eternal questions all before and all after will ask. Harrison was the quiet one, and before watching Scorsese’s film, I honestly knew very little about him.

While watching Living in a Material World Pt.2, you would soon realise the Beatles songs you truly loved. The tracks you wanted to hear on repeat were those either written or produced by Harrison.

In retrospect, it’s evident Harrison was responsible for altering the course of the Beatles. His search for a deep, profound love provided the direction that would see the band elevate from bubble gum pop factory to the enlightened voice of a new global consciousness.

I appreciate the Scorsese’s film, it feels like a sincere portrayal of possibly the most influential musicians in history. In Harrison’s own words, “Repeat until death.”

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Dig!

Ondi Timoner – 2004

Jesus, what a movie! If you’ve never been in a band, you need to watch Dig! If you have been in a band, you’ll laugh and cry as the protagonists strive to become famous and get their music heard by millions.

Dig! is a timeless story of two bands’ struggles to break into the music industry. Filmed over seven years, Timoner follows the fortunes of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols.

These two bands may have started in the same garage in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. However, call it luck, misfortune, personality clashes, or self-awareness, their paths soon diverged. One band went on to become the West Coast pop scene’s darlings, while the other you’ve probably never heard of.

Dig! is a blueprint for musicians everywhere; it exposes the potential pitfalls and documents what to expect on that long, arduous road to success.

I recognised the caustic traits and characteristics of Anton Newcombe, the leader of the BJM, in myself. This was quite concerning, given Newcombe is a massive arsehole but undeniably a musical genius.

BTW, if you’ve not heard of the BJM, then you’re in for a treat. They’ve released nineteen albums on which you’re sure to find a few new favourite songs.

You should also watch:

Marley – Kevin Macdonald – 2012

Death – Mark Christopher Covino – 2012

Soul Power 74 – Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte – 2009

Style Wars – Tony Silver – 1983

Beat This – Dick Fontaine – 1984

Mavis – Jessica Edwards – 2015

What Happened, Miss Simone? – Liz Garbus – 2015

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck – Brett Morgen - 2015

Searching for Sugar Man – Malik Bendjelloul – 2012

Amy – Asif Kapadia – 2015