NEW YORK CITY is UNIQUE PLACE with a STORIED LEGACY of SELF-CANNIBALIZATION.  due to its GLOBAL STATUS as an UNRIVALED NEXUS of all things CULTURAL and ECONOMIC with an EVER-SHIFTING POPULATION, the CITY has a NATURAL TENDENCY to inevitably FEED ON ITSELF which is simultaneously INVIGORATING and absolutely CONFOUNDING to LONG-TERM RESIDENTS.  i look no further than my own IRISH side of the FAMILY who descend from the BAY RIDGE SECTION of BROOKLYN, from whom i have heard for decades concerning the CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS of the NEIGHBORHOOD which was once NORWEGIAN, then PUERTO RICAN, then ARAB and now PRIMARILY CHINESE over the relatively short span of 70+ years.  that CHURN of NEWCOMERS and the subsequent DEMOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION rooted in the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES that the CITY affords OUTSIDE INVESTORS and DEVELOPERS alike is the CENTRAL NARRATIVE of NEW YORK CITY and by EXTENSION the UNITED STATES.

when NEW YORK CITY was in an ECONOMIC LULL back in the 1970s and DEMAND for REAL ESTATE was at an HISTORIC NADIR due to a plague of HIGH CRIME RATES and RAMPANT UNEMPLOYMENT, such provided SCRAPPY ARTISTS with an OPPORTUNITY to set up shop in UNCONVENTIONAL INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS, like ABANDONED FACTORIES, to go about creating their ART with SPACE in RELATIVE ISOLATION.  such was the STORY when the band MATERIAL decided that creating a MAKESHIFT STUDIO in the POLLUTED and altogether UNDESIRABLE GOWANUS section of BROOKLYN in the BASEMENT of a FACTORY suited their ARTISTIC NEEDS.  such was the INCEPTION of BC STUDIO and the PROFESSIONAL TRANSITION of MARTIN BISI from a LIVE SOUND ENGINEER to a RECORD PRODUCER.  SOUND AND CHAOS: THE STORY OF BC STUDIO (COLLECTIVE EYE, 2014) is a DOCUMENTARY that examines the DEVELOPMENT and LEGACY of a RECORDING STUDIO and PRODUCER that has witnessed everyone from BRIAN ENO, THE RAMONES, SWANS, IGGY POP, SONIC YOUTH, THE DRESDEN DOLLS, AFRIKA BAMBAATAA, FOETUS, GINGER BAKER, COP SHOOT COP, HERBIE HANCOCK, VIOLENT FEMMES, JOHN ZORN, POP. 1280 and even WHITNEY HOUSTON record within its CAVERNOUS, SUBTERRANEAN TRACKING ROOMS.

given the ECONOMIC CONSTRAINTS of the late 1970s and early 1980s, the EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC SCENE at the time with the UNDERGROUND HIP HOP, NO WAVE and POST PUNK MOVEMENTS, the CLIENTELE for BC STUDIO were understandably interested in NONTRADITIONAL SOUNDS and PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES.  and that was largely out of NECESSITY.  fast forward a few decades and the STUDIO has amassed a CELEBRATED CATALOGUED of INFLUENTIAL records that connects them to a NEW GENERATION of EXPERIMENTAL MUSICIANS and SONGWRITERS, but the NEW YORK CITY REAL ESTATE MARKET has caught up as SYMBOLIZED by the INCURSION of a NEW WHOLE FOODS MARKET across the STREET which predictably drives up LOCAL PROPERTY VALUES and pushes out the LONG-STANDING ARTS COMMUNITY.

now this FILM was made a decade ago in 2014 and the HOUSING AFFORDABILITY CRISIS has only grown in STATURE as a NATIONAL SCOURGE in the INTERIM, pitting GENERATIONS and COMMUNITIES against each other as NIMBYism and GENTRIFICATION tear apart the very FABRIC of NEIGHBORHOODS.  the UNENVIABLE and highly TENUOUS PREDICAMENT of BC STUDIO provides an USEFUL PERSPECTIVE to view NEW YORK CITY's SELF-CANNIBALIZING NATURE through. sure NEW OPPORTUNITIES provide the POTENTIAL for GROWTH and PROSPERITY, but for WHOM and at what cost?

and that QUESTION is as RELEVANT and PRESCIENT right now as those REVERED SWANS, JOHN ZORN and BRIAN ENO RECORDINGS BC STUDIO is FAMOUS for birthing into EXISTENCE. SOUND AND CHAOS: THE STORY OF BC STUDIO is a PENETRATING DOCUMENTARY well worth further INVESTIGATION with THEMES that transcend its FOCUS on CULTURE and URBAN GENTRIFICATION.  it also has an INCREDIBLE LIST of PARTICIPATING INTERVIEWEES from the likes of LEE RANALDO (SONIC YOUTH), MICHAEL GIRA (SWANS), JG THIRLWELL (FOETUS), MICHAEL HOLMAN (GRAY), BRIAN VIGLIONE (THE DRESDEN DOLLS), BILL LASWELL (MATERIAL), GRAND MIXER DXT and JIM COLEMAN (COP SHOOT COP).

i first stumbled onto the OTHERWORLDLY CLEVERNESS that is the QUIRKY BROOKLYN-based ALTERNATIVE ROCK DUO THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS back in high school when i was in and around the RADIO STATION preparing for my SHOW.  i recall hearing the SONG "ISTANBUL (NOT CONSTANTINOPLE)" off of FLOOD (ELEKTRA, 1990) in the STATION's green room and suddenly realizing that i had previously heard that PARTICULAR TRACK on the long-since DEFUNCT ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES TINY TUNES ADVENTURES (CBS, 1990-1992) way back in the day during my early elementary years.  and for me that sense of the PARTNERSHIP as having a SPECIFIC APPEAL and LYRICAL / SONGWRITING AESTHETIC that defies easy CATEGORIZATION or era, like say WEEN or SECRET CHIEFS 3, is what makes them such a SINGULAR CREATIVE UNIT.

GIGANTIC (A TALE OF TWO JOHNS) (PLEXIFILM, 2003) is essentially a RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY about the career and LEGACY of THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, i.e. JOHN FLANSBURGH and JOHN LINNELL, circa the turn of the millennium.  not surprisingly given the intellectually STIMULATING and downright IDIOSYNCRATIC LYRICAL CONCEITS of their most BELOVED SONGS, which tend to FOCUS on anything from the MUNDANE to the INANE and everything in between, their case is being made by ASSOCIATES, PEERS and FANS that share such an OBSCURE OBSESSION with KNOWING META-NARRATIVES and the COMPLEX ALLURE of the ABSURD.  MEDIA PERSONALITIES like NPR PRESENTERS IRA GLASS (THIS AMERICAN LIFE) and ROBERT KRULWICH (RADIOLAB), MUSICIANS FRANK BLACK  (PIXIES) and MARK HOPPUS (BLINK-182), COMEDIANS JANEANE GAROFALO, ANDY RICHTER and MICHAEL MCKEAN, as well as WRITERS MICHAEL AZZERAD, SARAH VOWELL and DAVE EGGERS.

my LONGSTANDING TAKE on THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS going back to high school was that there was a certain SELF-IMPORTANT INSULARITY to their MUSIC, as if it was too CLEVER by half to the point that it came off as INAUTHENTIC or perhaps even SELF-IMPORTANT and CONCEITED.  to me there was something almost BRILL BUILDING about their exceedingly CONCEPTUAL BRAND of POP SONGWRITING.  i now realize that with all that NEGATIVE ENERGY i wasnt really describing the BAND, but rather their FANBASE.  much like JOHN LENNON and PAUL MCCARTNEY, FLANSBURGH and LINNELL throughout GIGANTIC concede that what drives their CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP is a HEALTHY COMPETITION that finds both attempting to surprise, please and creatively spur on the other.  in other words their songs are anything but CONTRIVED, but rather HONEST ATTEMPTS at being ORIGINAL by avoiding SONGWRITING CLICHES and LYRICAL CONCEITS and/or SUBVERTING them in the PROCESS.  the fact that they both branched out into the highly SPECIALIZED WORLD of TELEVISION and FILM PLACEMENTS makes PERFECT SENSE given that THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS seemingly dedicated their career to ECCENTRIC TOPICS and SONG IDEAS.  in that sense they are almost like DEVO in their SEAMLESS INTEGRATION into CORPORATE music-for-hire SPOTS without artistically compromising one iota.  rather it is an EXTENSION of their VISION.

looking back now, they almost feel like the ALTERNATIVE to what was marketed as ALTERNATIVE ROCK back in the 1990s, having spearheaded and popularized a previous more BOOKISH wave of the MOVEMENT a decade earlier.  i think given my IMMENSE APPRECIATION for the MUSIC of the ERA and all of its inherent NIHILISTIC SOLIPSISM and SELF-ANNIHILATING TENDENCIES that some of those SEATTLE BANDS embodied (especially NIRVANA and ALICE IN CHAINS), it makes ABSOLUTE SENSE that a more SONICALLY UPBEAT and self-consciously HIGHBROW ENTITY like THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS would be looked past outright on first INSPECTION.  what they liked in PATHOS they more than made up with HUBRIS considering how truly ODD their MUSIC is.

which is what differentiates THEM and makes them enduringly INTERESTING to a WHOLE COHORT of annoying ACADEMIC TYPES that seemingly regenerates itself for time immemorial.  GIGANTIC is a COMPELLING FILM that puts THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS in PERSPECTIVE.  makes me wonder what they are up to now more than two decades after this DOCUMENTARY was released.

when the SOUTH AFRICAN ALTERNATIVE HIP HOP GROUP DIE ANTWOORD came to PROMINENCE in the late 2000s with their WARPED and outright TRANSGRESSIVE VISUAL AESTHETIC, PROVINCIAL ARIKAAN-inflected VERBIAGE and CONKED-OUT MUSIC that ingeniously blended the BOMBAST and DRIVE of RAVE and DANCE CULTURES with that of HIP HOP, it felt like a WHOLE MOVEMENT emerged overnight out of thin air.  and i wasnt alone in that FEELING.

in the RECENT DOCUMENTARY ZEF: THE STORY OF DIE ANTWOORD (PRESSURE COOKER, 2024),  the DUO of NINJA and YOLANDI, as well as their DAUGHTER SIXTEEN JONES, PRODUCER DJ HI-TEK and PHOTOGRAPHER ROGER BALLEN flesh out the details on what is one of the most UNLIKELY success stories that no doubt was indebted to the GLOBAL DOMINANCE of MODERN INTERNET CULTURE.  not surprisingly, whole swathes of this FILM are dominated by GNARLY and STRIKING IMAGERY of MANGLED and DISTORTED BODIES, COPIOUS NUDITY, ANGULAR HAIRCUTS and truly ODD ANIMAL CAMEOS that is no doubt meant to distract the VIEWER from the PLOT at hand and give the group an AURA of being EXOTIC and 'OTHER.'

for me the most COMPELLING COMPONENT of this ECCENTRIC DOCUMENTARY is the RELATIONSHIP between NINJA and YOLANDI and how DIE ANTWOORD evolved from such.  the look of the GROUP, inspired by ZEF CULTURE out of the DOWNTRODDEN and economically IMPOVERISHED POPULATIONS within URBAN SOUTH AFRICA. i believe most OUTSIDERS do not realize just how DANGEROUS the country is, especially MAJOR CITIES like DURBAN, PRETORIA, JOHANNESBURG, PIETERMARITZBURG, CAPE TOWN and PORT ELIZABETH, which all ranked higher in the 2024 CRIME INDEX than LAGOS, the NOTORIOUS NIGERIAN PORT CITY and MEGAPOLIS where i spent my middle school years in the 1990s with ARMED GUARDS on constant standby.  it is no joke out there and SOUTH AFRICA is one of the WORLD's GREAT MELTING POTS of CULTURE due to its COMPLEX DUTCH, BRITISH and AFRIKANER COLONIAL HISTORY and LONGSTANDING GEOGRAPHIC POSITIONING as a PROMINENT TRADE HUB between EUROPE and ASIA.  the fact that DIE ANTWOORD broke through the NOISE ONLINE and presented this SINGULAR CULTURE of their NATIVE UNDERCLASS from a FORGOTTEN part of the GLOBE is quite REMARKABLE. 

and UNEXPECTED.

the FILM makes clear that INTERNATIONAL FAME and SUCCESS was DIFFICULT for NINJA and YOLANDI and ultimately ESTRANGED them from each other in the PROCESS.  relocating to LOS ANGELES and being ingratiated and courted by fellow celebrities in SEN DOG (CYPRESS HILL), MARILYN MANSON, CARLA DELEVINGNE, FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),  DITA VON TEESE, GHOSTFACE KILLAH (WU-TANG CLAN), JACK BLACK and the like given their PROVINCIAL and UNASSUMING ROOTS must have been such a MINDS-CREW.  despite all the CRAZY VISUALS that perpetuate this DOCUMENTARY, its heartening to learn that the SEPARATION of the two MAIN MEMBERS from each other was what brought the GROUP to a CREATIVE STALL.  this FILM serves as a PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT of sorts that their TRIAL BY FIRE is over and that DIE ANTWOORD is back in action and STRONGER than ever. 

which is GREAT because HIP HOP and MODERN CULTURE is in a RUT at the MOMENT.  everything POPULAR seems rather INAUTHENTIC, PREFABRICATED and GROUP-TESTED to death, especially HIP HOP where there is a dearth of GENUINE MATERIAL.  DIE ANTWOORD offer a SINGULAR PERSPECTIVE, albeit a DARK and TWISTED one that is more worthy of INVESTIGATION than the MAJORITY of PRETENDERS currently filling up my NEWSFEED and INSTAGRAM STORIES.  ZEF: THE STORY OF DIE ANTWOORD is an INTRIGUING INTRODUCTION to the GROUP, albeit one that is a little LIGHT on SPECIFICS and saturated with STAGGERING VISUALS.

regardless it is well worth checking out.

immediately after college i worked part-time at a local NOW-DEFUNCT, CORPORATE, BIG-BOX RETAILER of all-things BOOKS, DVDs, CDs and OVERPRICED COFFEE and i had this coworker that was just the BIGGEST MUSIC SNOB ive ever met.  its FUNNY to me because i had a RADIO SHOW in college and knew PEOPLE that were very PASSIONATE about the ARTS, but the VIBE there was always one of wanting to share and learn about MUSIC.  it was like a SHARED OBSESSION.  but this DUDE was different.  it was my first REAL INTERACTION with SOMEONE that saw MUSIC as a CUDGEL that divided them from OTHERS. and the INDEPENDENT OTHER MUSIC RECORD SHOP in the EAST VILLAGE was his MECCA.  just thinking about the BANDS he championed are a VERITABLE WHOS-WHO of the ACTS promoted at OTHER MUSIC through the years such as STEREOLAB, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, BROADCAST, APHEX TWIN, THE FLAMING LIPS, GALAXIE 500, FENNEZS, THE MAGNETIC FIELDS, CORNELIUS, NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL and so on.

now id visited OTHER MUSIC back in the day, especially when i was en route to the LEGENDARY VIDEO DESTINATION of KIM'S UNDERGROUND in nearby ST MARKS PLACE (which i had no idea was where the OTHER MUSIC OWNERS originally worked).  now i went to middle school in NIGERIA and have been FAMILIAR with some NOTABLE ACTS like FELA KUTI (along with his SONS FEMI and SEAN), LAGBAJA and KING SUNNY ADÉ, but i remember going in there and talking to a CLERK who was KNOWLEDGABLE on the SUBJECT and led me to an OBSCURE AFROBEAT COMPILATION that i still have.  i didnt find them PRETENTIOUS or SNOOTY in the least, just ridiculously WELL-INFORMED and PASSIONATE about sharing their OBSESSION, sort of like my PEERS at the RADIO STATION.

what is INTERESTING to me about the OTHER MUSIC (FACTORY 25, 2019) DOCUMENTARY, which highlights the SIGNIFICANT cultural influence the SHOP maintained within the GREATER NEW YORK CITY ARTS COMMUNITY and the VOID left by its closing in 2016, is that sense of FACE-TO-FACE, TACTILE INTERACTION and INTERPERSONAL CONNECTION that has been lost in our DIGITAL ECONOMY.  ONLINE CHATROOMS and REDDIT FORUMS have taken the place of ACTUAL CONVERSATION that used to take place at BRICK AND MORTER VENUES such as small INDEPENDENT BOOK STORES, RECORD STORES and the like.  you can see that now in the ESTRANGEMENT and ISOLATION the UNITED STATES faces as ALGORITHMICALLY-ENABLED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS have completely dominated the public space for DISCUSSION about a myriad of issues, from ARTS and CULTURE to POLITICS.  the loss of OTHER MUSIC to the changing SPENDING HABITS of MUSIC CONSUMERS very much equates to the loss of a COMMUNITY.  and that CAUSAL OUTCOME is on full display in this DOCUMENTARY as attested by the throng of CELEBRATED MUSICIANS that participated in INTERVIEWS for this FILM, namely including the likes of  COMPOSER WILLIAM BASINSKI and CONTEMPORARY MUSICIANS KEIGO OYAMADA (CORNELIUS), JD SAMSON (LE TIGRE), JAMES CHANCE (THE CONTORTIONS), TUNDE ADEBIMPE (TV ON THE RADIO), MARTIN GORE (DEPECHE MODE), STUART BRAITHWAITE (MOGWAI), DEAN WAREHAM (GALAXIE 500), BRIAN CHASE (THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS), EZRA KOENIG (VAMPIRE WEEKEND), DANIEL KESSLER (INTERPOL), MATT BERNINGER (THE NATIONAL), REGINA SPEKTOR and DAVE PORTNER, NOAH LENNOX and BRIAN WEITZ of ANIMAL COLLECTIVE, as well as ACTORS JASON SCHWARTZMAN and BENICIO DEL TORO.

MATT BERNINGER of THE NATIONAL has a particularly POIGNANT QUIP in the DOCUMENTARY when he states that "when art gets dumber, when movies get dumber, when tv gets dumber, i think we all get dumber and meaner and shittier."  AMEN TO THAT.  the OWNERS of OTHER MUSIC wanted to be the CONSCIOUS ALTERNATIVE to TOWER RECORDS (who were literally across the street), VIRGIN MEGASTORE, CIRCUIT CITY, J&R MUSIC WORLD, SAM GOODY, BEST BUY and all the other MAJOR PLAYERS in RETAIL at the time, specializing in UNDERGROUND and ESOTERIC MUSIC.  that point of DIFFERENTIATION was their BUSINESS PLAN, their VALUE PROPOSITION, their very REASON for BEING.  and the COMMUNITY that embraced such, which yeah it included ASSHOLES like my FORMER COWORKER, molded itself in their MODEL.  i never personally felt from EXPERIENCE the PEOPLE who worked there were ELITIST.  just PASSIONATE, CURIOUS and beyond KNOWLEDGABLE.  OTHER MUSIC was basically a PUBLIC RESOURCE.  it was like a CULTURAL INSTITUTION that embodied a body of KNOWLEDGE that once dissipated into the ether after its closing was not REPLACABLE.  i remember returning from a two-year PEACE CORPS stint in ALBANIA to find that the store was gone.

still a BUMMER.  but such is CAPITALISM.

when i began in high school to actively learn and seek out what i considered EXPERIMENTAL RECORDS due to my INTEREST in a whole host of ANGULAR GROUPS like ELASTICA, BIG BLACK, SLINT and THE STRANGLERS, all roads quickly lazered in on POST PUNK OUTFITS like GANG OF FOUR, JOY DIVISION, WIRE, THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, MAGAZINE, THE FALL and MISSION OF BURMA.  these BANDS seemed determined on moving past TRADITIONAL SONG STRUCTURES and ESTABLISHED CHORD PROGRESSIONS and ODD TIME SIGNATURES and blazing a NEW SONIC VOCABULARY, arguably none more so than BOSTON's MISSION OF BURMA and their comically SHORT CATALOGUE and lifespan as a CREATIVE ENTITY.

the DOCUMENTARY NOT A PHOTOGRAPH: THE MISSION OF BURMA STORY (MVD VISUAL, 2006) CATALOGUE's their UNEXPECTED REUNION at the turn of the millennium almost two decades after the release of their INNOVATIVE then-only FULL-LENGTH VS (ACE OF HEARTS, 1982) and a few EPs.  for a BAND that was so overly GUARDED of its IMAGE and RECORDED OUTPUT, the CONCEPT of DOCUMENTARY seems pretty COUNTERINTUITIVE as they continue to be somewhat COY and OPAQUE about the REASONING behind their REFORMATION.  in fact, most of this film is pretty UNINTERESTING since the BAND MEMBERS seem completely ENAMORED with their own LEGEND and PUBLICITY.  that they are too GOOD for ROCK AND ROLL and its BIG DUMB AUDIENCES.  sadly i know PEOPLE as PATRONIZING and unrepentantly SELF-AGGRANDIZING as this in REAL-LIFE, who are overly concerned with RACE-TO-THE-BOTTOM ARGUMENTS about UNDERGROUND BANDS that never GAVE-IN or progressed beyond PROVINCIAL, LONG-GONE SCENES of yesteryear.  funny thing is they all listened to MISSION TO BURMA.

makes complete sense now.

i found this FILM difficult to stomach even if i appreciate their MUSIC pre-and-post REUNION.  this DOCUMENTARY did not further their case in my OPINION and came off more than a bit HEAVY-HANDED,  as if this was a HAGIOGRAPHY rather than a DOCUMENT about the REFORMATION of a quasi-successful EXPERIMENTAL band.  not recommended unless you yourself are a lonely INVETERATE INDIE ROCK PURIST with no hope of a SOCIAL LIFE, maybe then youd appreciate this CONDESCENDING FILM.

much as SOUND CITY (ROSWELL FILMS, 2013) was a CLOSE EXAMINATION of the ANALOG RECORDING PROCESS as a FOUNDATIONAL, EQUALIZING EXPERIENCE for MUSICIANS , the more RECENT WHAT DRIVES US (ROSWELL FILMS, 2021) is a COMPANION DOCUMENTARY that similarly finds DIRECTOR and FOO FIGHTERS FRONTMAN DAVE GROHL investigating the TOURING EXPERIENCE as a BEDROCK PURSUIT that both galvanizes and connects all WORKING MUSICIANS regardless of GENRE or STATUS.  as HENRY ROLLINS of HARDCORE PUNK ROCK ICONS BLACK FLAG made FAMOUS with his GET IN THE VAN: ON THE ROAD WITH BLACK FLAG (2.13.61, 1994) MEMOIR, the EXPERIENCE of TOURING endlessly throughout the country in a CONGESTED, OVERLOADED, FAR-TOO-INTIMATE PASSENGER VAN of some VARIETY was a VERITABLE RIGHT OF PASSAGE.  it is an ARDUOUS yet REWARDING PROCESS that all SUCCESSFUL MUSICIANS from a pre-internet age, until recently, went through at some PHASE in their CAREER and connects EVERYONE from U2 to AC/DC, SLAYER to DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG to THE BEATLES.

and GROHL makes that INTERCONNECTION between GENERATIONS of MUSICIANS intimately CLEAR as day with what has to be one of the most ECLECTIC and beyond IMPRESSIVE INTERVIEW PARTICIPANT LIST i have ever witnessed, including all THEN-CURRENT MEMBERS of the FOO FIGHTERS, BRIAN JOHNSON (AC/DC), THE EDGE (U2), FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), ANNIE CLARK (ST. VINCENT), PETE STAHL (SCREAM), IAN MACKAYE (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI), EXENE CERVENKA (X), STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH), DAVE LOMABARDO (SLAYER), D.H. PELIGRO (DEAD KENNEDYS), BEN HARPER, SLASH & DUFF MCKAGAN (GUNS N ROSES), KIRA ROESSLER (BLACK FLAG), TONY KANAL (NO DOUBT), CHARLIE GABRIEL (PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND), JENNIFER FINCH (L7) and MIKE WATT (MINUTEMEN) as well as MEMBERS of EMERGING BANDS RADKEY and STARCRAWLER and even RINGO STARR (THE BEATLES).  yes, he even got a freakin' BEATLE to talk about the CRUCIAL ETIQUETTE of admitting when one  has farted in the VAN to avoid DISCONTENT and ARGUMENTS therein.  GREAT STUFF.

but the CENTRAL QUESTION is why?  why leave literally EVERYTHING behind? and why bother with all that HEADACHE and UNCERTAINTY.  WHAT DRIVES US seems to argue that the ANSWER lies in BOTH. 

you RECORD and put out a PRODUCT (maybe) and then take the SHOW on the road as a PROVING GROUND of sorts.  putting your CREATIVE EFFORTS into action and possibly experienced that EUPHORIC MOMENT of having a genuine RECIPROCATED REACTION from a PAYING AUDIENCE.  the TOURING EXPERIENCE completes that CYCLE and is at the very essence of what it means to be a MUSICIAN.  its probably the same REASON SAILORS for centuries took to the UNKNOWN, with its INHERENT PHYSICAL and FINANCIAL RISKS, in search of GLORY.  pre-FILE SHARING and STREAMING was the IDEA that TOURING supported ALBUM SALES, but such EXPECTATIONS have been completely INVERTED for the past two decades whereby NEW RELEASES are an EASY EXCUSE to TOUR as extensively as possible and hopefully make a PROFIT to live off of in the PROCESS. 

that is the DREAM at least. 

it seemed before that there were a few TRAJECTORIES at play.  first, you stayed at the VAN-level of TOURING your ENTIRE CAREER, which is undoubtedly the vast majority of MUSICIANS.  the next is that you rise to a somewhat COMFORTABLE LEVEL of TOURING with LONGEVITY right above the VAN-level, which is the case with MIKE WATT or X for example.  thereafter there is the ladder of COMFORT up to SHARED BUSES and SEPARATE BUSES and the like for massively PROFITABLE TOURING OUTFITS like NO DOUBT, GUNS N' ROSES, U2, METALLICA or AEROSMITH.  WHAT DRIVES US interestingly makes the COGENT POINT that no NEW ACTS in the past twenty years have reached that TOP-LEVEL , ELITE STRATA, instead being somewhere in that decidedly more MODEST, MIDDLE GROUND.  at least before in THEORY there was the NOTION that TOURING in a VAN might lead somewhere.  now not so much.

which is why i felt the most IMPORTANT PERSPECTIVES in the FILM were that of EMERGING BANDS in RADKEY and STARCRAWLER, who both see TOURING devoid of CREATURE COMFORTS for months on end in IDEALISTIC TERMS.  the DIY-level TOURING EXPERIENCE is a means of proving their INTENT and their CRAFT to the MASSES.  in spite of their being more DIGITAL COMPETITION in the ENTERTAINMENT SPACE, the almost ELEMENTAL, VISCERAL EXPERIENCE from both the PERFORMER and AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE cannot be replicated online or shared in a file.  it is an ELUSIVE once-in-a-lifetime MOMENT that has the POTENTIAL to change lives.  those two young BANDS seem to be TRUE BELIEVERS no doubt.

and that is the OBJECTIVE and the payoff.  and the REASON to leave home and TOUR despite all the OBSTACLES, CHALLENGES and off-stage BULLSHIT.  it is a BELIEF in the POWER of the MUSIC itself.

watching the recent RETROSPECTIVE DOCUMENTARY ALL UP IN THE BIZ (MASS APPEAL, 2023) about the LIFE and CAREER of the LATE LONG ISLAND RAPPER BIZ MARKIE is a veritable CULTURAL HISTORY of the EMERGENCE of HIP HOP with many PROMINENT early LUMINARIES paying homage in the process.  given that he was such an INTER-GENERATIONALLY BELOVED FIGURE whose IMPACT far exceeded his IMPRINT on the GENRE, which is CONSIDERABLE, his EARLY DEATH at 57 in a BALTIMORE hospital during the COVID era was COMPLETELY SHOCKING.  his PASSING followed a lengthy hospital stint that originated with a STROKE followed shortly thereafter by a DIABETIC COMA.

much of his LEGACY revolves around his CHARACTER.  always a PRANKSTER and always up for a GOOD TIME.  his  REAL-LIFE was quite DARK with his MOTHER PASSING AWAY at an early age and a FATHER that put him up in the FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.  much of his CHARACTERISTIC HUMOR and LEGENDARY WILD ASIDES was a means of DISTRACTION from feelings of NOT BELONGING and DIMINISHED SELF-WORTH.  being POOR and BLACK on LONG ISLAND was a STRUGGLE (BIZ having been born in HARLEM) and his METHOD of relieving TENSION and addressing ADVERSITY was a contagiously FLAMBOYANT and completely DISARMING SENSE of HUMOR.  you dont get the SENSE that such was a COMPLETE ACT since BIZ seemed preternaturally PREDISPOSED to bouts of DEEP EMPATHY and COMPASSION, but there is a PERFORMATIVE ASPECT such nonetheless and its COMPELLING that such followed him through his ENTIRE LIFE, in and out of the SPOTLIGHT.

what is also INTRIGUING is how he shared the ATTENTION on STAGE, even during the early days of HIP HOP, and helped get TALENTED and fiercely COMPETITIVE ARTISTS he met along the way their FIRST OPPORTUNITIES in the GREATER COMMUNITY.  the FILM specifically lists LYRICAL LEGENDS BIG DADDY KANE and RAKIM as such BENEFICIARIES.  just on that alone his HIP HOP BONAFIDES are UNTOUCHABLE.  the ARTISTS, COLLABORATORS and ADMIRERS that participated and paid HOMAGE to the BIZ include ICONIC PRODUCERS MARLEY MARL and PRINCE PAUL, RAPPERS DARRYL 'DMC' MCDANIELS (RUN-DMC), RAKIM, BIG DADDY KANE, DOUG E. FRESH, ERICK SERMON (EPMD), FAT JOE, DAVE 'TRUGOY THE DOVE' JOLICOEUR & KELVIN 'POSDNUOS' MERCER (DE LA SOUL), DJ JAZZY JEFF, and MASTA ACE, as well as DESIGNERS DAPPER DAN and BENNY THE JEWELER, and COMEDIAN (and PROUD BROOKLYNITE) TRACY MORGAN.  and NICK CANNON.

i have to admit that in my COMPLETE NAIVETE, i only became aware of the HIP HOP LEGEND in the late 1990s via his INVOLVEMENT with the BEASTIE BOYS' HELLO NASTY (CAPITOL, 1998) RELEASE.  it was during his post-CAREER DJ phase when he became more of a BEHIND-THE-SCENES PRODUCER, COLLABORATOR and DJ-for-hire of the HIGHEST ORDER.  BIZ was part of a GENERATION of HIP HOP ARTISTS that preceded my own.  but instantaneously on record he came off as this TALENTED, GREGARIOUS, LARGER-THAN-LIFE FIGURE who lived for HIP HOP.  and to me that CRAZY, CONTAGIOUS ENERGY is the DEFINING TRAIT of the LATE, GREAT BIZ MARKIE.  INDUSTRY PEOPLE call him the "CLOWN PRINCE of HIP HOP" but i feel like he opened the doors for a WHOLE COHORT of IDIOSYNCRATIC LYRICISTS to find their way and be accepted as EQUALS in the GENRE, and from the outset.  i am talking about PECULIAR INDIVIDUALISTIC ARTISTS like OL' DIRTY BASTARD, ANDRE 3000, KOOL KEITH, TYLER THE CREATOR and DANNY BROWN.  BIZ created that LANE.  never mind the fact that THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, NAS, WU-TANG CLAN, JAY-Z, DE LA SOUL and BEASTIE BOYS all are on record as having let know their ABUNDANT PRAISE.

dude was a SELFLESS INDIVIDUAL that wanted to make sure EVERYONE around him was ENJOYING THEMSELVES, even when LIFE was NOT PLEASANT or FAIR.  to me that sense of COMPASSION, EMPATHY and LOVE was his REAL GIFT to the WORLD and will undoubtedly be his LASTING LEGACY.  in a GENRE that seemingly seeks out and consciously profits of of the ELEVATION of TIRED TROPES around NEEDLESS CONFLICT and lionizing TOXIC MASCULINITY, BIZ MARKIE stood as a RESPECTED ELDER STATESMAN that seemingly EVERYONE could agree on and believe in.

just like in any other PROFESSION, there is a lot of PRIDE and EGO involved in sports.  this is especially the case with regards to WELL-PAID, HIGH-PROFILE PLAYERS in PROMINENT SPORTS like BASKETBALL.  add in the VARIABLE of NATIONALISM and things become even more VOLATILE.  such is the case with regards to the UNITED STATES OLYMPIC MEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM in the wake of the CULTURAL PHENOMENON that was the "DREAM TEAM" of 1992 which both GALVANIZED and POPULARIZED the SPORT on a GLOBAL stage with NBA LEGENDS like HALL OF FAMERS MICHAEL JORDAN, CHARLES BARKLEY, MAGIC JOHNSON, LARRY BIRD and so on.

its a TOUGH ACT to follow.  and forget about the CONSEQUENCES as a PLAYER if you somehow manage to lose in the process.

such was the case at the 2004 SUMMER OLYMPICS in ATHENS where the relatively YOUNG and INEXPERIENCED MEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM sustained upset losses to PUERTO RICO, LITHUANIA and ARGENTINA in pursuit ultimately of a DISAPPOINTING BRONZE MEDAL.  the TEAM was subsequently publicly RIDICULED and LAMBASTED in the press back home as the EXPECTATION is always GOLD or bust with a TEAM stacked with NBA PLAYERS.  the TRUTH was a bit more COMPLICATED.  after 9/11 there were security concerns regarding GREECE and many VETERAN PLAYERS bowed out, bringing in a CORE of FIRST-YEAR PLAYERS in DWAYNE WADE, CARL BOOZER, CARMELLO ANTHONY and LEBRON JAMES to pair up with the remaining ROLE PLAYERS and STANDOUT VETERANS in ALLEN IVERSON and TIM DUNCAN.  as in years past, the TEAM practiced for two weeks before flying out to the OLYMPICS.  what they found were COHESIVE, TALENTED and WELL-COACHED TEAMS with years of DEVELOPMENT and INTERPERSONAL CHEMISTRY that exploited their RELATIVE COMPLACENCY with regard to ROSTER BUILDING and PREPARATION. 

the GAME had changed since 1992.

the RECENT DOCUMENTARY THE REDEEM TEAM (NETFLIX, 2022) regarding the 2008 OLYMPIC MEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM, otherwise known as the "THE REDEEM TEAM", follows how COACH MIKE KRZYZEWSKI of DUKE BASKETBALL fame established a CULTURE of MUTUAL COMMITMENT and UNSELFISH PLAY over the course of a few summers that resulted in an OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL once again.  this with many STANDOUT TEAM MEMBERS not necessarily considered "TEAM PLAYERS" on their RESPECTIVE NBA SQUADS.

the core of this FILM is related to the LEGACY of the OLYMPICS in the hearts and minds of ATHLETES and the DETERMINATION, WORK ETHIC and SACRIFICE needed to SUCCEED at that level.  by 2004 the OLYMPICS became an afterthought for NBA PLAYERS, worse there was some RISK involved should they not meet such LOFTY EXPECTATIONS.  also the game had EVOLVED and PROMINENT PLAYERS throughout EUROPE and LATIN AMERICA had NBA EXPERIENCE.  the DREAM TEAM never faced this ELEVATED level of COMPETITION.  FIBA RULES also contributed to a UNIQUE STYLE OF PLAY based on DIFFERENT COURTS, BALL DIMENSIONS, RULES REGARDING FOULING and so on.  the 2008 TEAM had to account for this and prepare for the COMPETITION as they stood and not simply utilizing STRATEGIES and TACTICS TRANSPLANTED directly from the NBA.

COACH K also made sure the PLAYERS knew what was at STAKE, introducing the TEAM to DOUG COLLINS whose 1972 MEN'S NATION BASKETBALL TEAM lost to the USSR due to a CONTROVERSIAL call that still reverberates in PAIN down through the decades.  that achieving this OUTCOME was IMPORTANT, not just in their CAREERS as PLAYERS, but as REPRESENTATIVES of their COUNTRY.  coming together was EASIER said than done and LONE WOLF ALPHA MALES like KOBE BRYANT learned much about LEADERSHIP in the process, arguably setting the TONE for the second half of his ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER.

all that being said, the REAL ENJOYMENT of this DOCUMENTARY is centered around getting a feel for the PALPABLE sense of CAMARADERIE, BROTHERHOOD and shared burden as passionately voiced by PROMINENT PARTICIPATING INTERVIEWEES in LEBRON JAMES, DWAYNE WADE, CHRIS BOSH, CARMELO ANTHONY and the LATE KOBE BRYANT.  the fact that BRYANT is not with us anymore only enhances his CONTRIBUTIONS to the FILM as these were the MOMENTS that defined his PUBLIC IMAGE as an ATHLETE for POSTERITY.  his untimely passing only confirms such and adds much MEANING and GRAVITY to the SITUATION.  the FILM almost feels like a TESTAMENT to his EVOLUTION as a PLAYER and the fact that the TEAM redeemed his PUBLIC IMAGE post-SHAQ inasmuch as it did the NATIONAL PRIDE of a BASKETBALL-loving AMERICAN PUBLIC.

THE REDEEM TEAM is a thoroughly ENJOYABLE FILM about a SPECIAL MOMENT in time and is absolutely RECOMMENDED for anyone interested in BASKETBALL, CULTURE BUILDING or EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT of INTER-PERSONAL TEAM DYNAMICS.

RIP KOBE BRYANT.

given the STATUS of RAPPER / SINGER DRAKE in HIP HOP and what he has meant for more than a decade to the BROADER POP CULTURAL LANDSCAPE, especially in the wake of his FALL FROM GRACE in the aftermath of the KENDRICK LAMAR AFFAIR, it is more than REVEALING to look back at what amounts to his origins in this EARLY MTV-aired DRAKE: BETTER THAN GOOD (RADICAL MEDIA, 2010) DOCUMENTARY which follows the lead-up to the release of his debut THANK ME LATER (UNIVERSAL MOTOWN, 2010) ALBUM.  the FIGURE presented (in what is effectively an INFORMERCIAL) is a YOUNG, HUNGRY, AMBITIOUS ARTIST that feels some TREPIDATION and VULNERABILITY going through the cycle of RECORDING and TOURING for the first time as a MAJOR ENTITY.  in other words you see someone going through an TRANSFORMATIVE ADJUSTMENT PROCESS to LIFE as a FAMOUS PERSON, with all of the HYPE and DISAPPOINTMENT that comes with it.

it is quite jarring to witness DRAKE being RETICENT to discuss ANTICIPATED FIRST WEEK SALES and the like, leaving the BUSINESS for others to figure out while he focuses on delivering SOLID PERFORMANCES on his first NATIONAL ARENA TOUR.  obviously in later years his EGO grew substantially to the point that he often used such COMMERCIAL SUCCESS with his string of hits as a BLUNT CUDGEL against RIVAL ARTISTS.  at 24, when this documentary was filmed, his FANS were largely in his SAME DEMOGRAPHIC.  again, over time his hold on the INDUSTRY was through a ZELIG-like ABILITY to be everywhere and everything to EVERYONE, adopting NEW SLANG, ACCENTS and PERSONAS as such seemed fit to EXPLOIT new REGIONAL SCENES and new SONIC AESTHETICS.  AUTHENTICITY would become an OVERRATED COMMODITY when you were attempting to swing a POP AUDIENCE with WATERED-DOWN, highly GENERIC HIP HOP.  you know, a BLAND, INOFFENSIVE SOUND that ICONIC BROOKLYN CONSCIOUS RAPPER MOS DEF described in a recent interview as being "compatible with shopping. or, you know, shopping with an edge in certain instances."  it was this STRANGE COMPULSION to stay CURRENT and RELEVANT to the next generation at the expense of being TRUTHFUL and AUTHENTIC to his situation that did ultimately him in as a once RESPECTED ARTIST.  i feel BELOVED LYRICISTS like RAKIM, EMINEM, ICE CUBE, JAY-Z and even LL COOL J are still WIDELY-RESPECTED with HIP HOP audiences and across the INDUSTRY, irrespective of their current numbers, specifically because they are REAL to who they are RIGHT NOW, not some previous DECADES-OLD INCARNATION of themselves.

its always INTRIGUING to see what ARTISTS reveal about themselves in documentaries and what AGENDA they are seeking to implement.  in this case, it is pretty INCREDIBLE how little is revealed about the CONNECTION between his PERSONAL HISTORY and no-doubt UNIQUE EXPERIENCES as a PROMINENT CANADIAN BIRACIAL CHILD ACTOR and that of his MUSIC.  even at this early stage his PERSONA as a PERFORMER was divorced from AUBREY GRAHAM the person.  for WU-TANG this is no problem since their LYRICAL AESTHETIC and PRESENTATION denotes a FICTITIOUS gang of MONIKERED RAPPERS utilizing KUNG FU films and TERMINOLOGY to express something HONEST and TRUTHFUL about the BLACK EXPERIENCE in URBAN AMERICA.  you dont see that in DRAKE.  his LYRICAL CONTENT is instead intently focused on the STRUGGLE for SUCCESS: FINANCIAL, ROMANTIC or otherwise.  which is pretty BORING, LAZY and REDUNDANT.  with such a COMPELLING BACK NARRATIVE its a MISSED OPPORTUNITY that he didnt dive deep into that reservoir instead of PERFORMATIVE SCREEDS about an INSATIABLE drive towards FINANCIAL SUCCESS and ARTISTIC MEDIOCRITY.

its FUNNY how all of that is there on view, even at this early stage in his MUSIC CAREER before a MAJOR-LABEL EFFORT bearing his name was even on the street.  at least he gives props to the real GENIUS and ARCHITECT of his SOUND, PRODUCER NOAH "40" SHEBIB.  at least that sold was done and recorded for posterity.  sadly we know where this all leads to down the line.  and that is the really INTERESTING ASPECT of watching this film in a post-"NOT LIKE US," "MEET THE GRAHAMS" and even "THE STORY OF ADIDON" universe.  you cant help but wonder about the delta between this CONFIDENT (but not yet COCKY) YOUNG ARTIST and the CREEPY, clout-chasing, sneak-dissing, WANNABE TORONTO UNDERWORLD CRIMINAL and IMMATURE INTERNET TROLL / EDGELORD that he transitioned into.  makes you think decisively about when and where DRAKE's HEEL TURN occurred along the way. 

​no DIDDY.

i remember a few weeks after i moved to YOKOHAMA in the summer of 2015 i made the MUCH-ANTICIPATED, SHORT TREK over to the SHIBUYA SECTION of TOKYO and found their flagship BEHEMOTH TOWER RECORDS LOCATION in all its NINE-STORY GLORY.  it was a little less than a decade since they had CLOSED their stateside doors in 2006 and felt very much like a WELCOME BLAST FROM THE PAST.  almost immediately i came to realize how much had been LOST in the INTERIM and was BEYOND NOSTALGIA into a SLIGHT FEELING of PTSD. 

when i lived in WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS during my freshman and sophomore years of boarding school, my EMOTIONAL, SPIRITUAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPITE was talking to the KNOWLEDGEABLE CLERKS at the nearby INDEPENDENT GREENFIELD RECORDS.  same with the DIMPLE RECORDS LOCATION in CITRUS HEIGHTS during my senior year in CALIFORNIA.  my junior year in KUWAIT was TERRIBLE, probably because they didnt have a RECORD STORE (plus everything would have been BANNED regardless).  it was at these LOCAL SHOPS that assisted me in my EXPLORATION of TRIP HOP, ALTERNATIVE METAL, DREAM POP, BEBOP JAZZ, POST PUNK, AMBIENT MUSIC, PSYCH ROCK, MINIMALISM, SHOEGAZE, KRAUTROCK, DEATH METAL and CLASSIC HIP HOP during my years where i was forming my TASTES and SELF-IDENTITY.  even now in NEW JERSEY there is a whole slew of INDEPENDENT RECORD STORES like STATION 1 BOOKS AND MUSIC in POMPTON LAKES, VINYL ADDICTION in NORTH ARLIINGTON, REVILLA GROOVES AND GEAR in MILLTOWN and the LONGSTANDING PREX in PRINCETON that cater to a COMMUNITY and actively support one another, never mind GENERATION RECORDS in GREENWICH VILLAGE, ACADEMY RECORDS in NEARBY BROOKLYN and the much BELOVED, long-since DEPARTED NYC INSTITUTIONS like KIM'S VIDEO, BLEEKER BOB'S and OTHER MUSIC.  returning to NEW JERSEY, the VOID left by the CLOSING of VINTAGE VINYL of FORDS in 2021, arguably the BEST RECORD STORE in the state which effectively serviced the NEARBY RUTGERS UNIVERSITY CROWD, is something very much still felt years later.  well beyond just the INVENTORY, the COMMUNITY has largely it PROMOTED has DISSIPATED in the AFTERMATH.

this is a whole longwinded way of saying that i understand the VOID left when an IMPACTFUL and much-BELOVED CULTURAL INSTITUTION like a RECORD STORE goes OUT OF BUSINESS, as was the case with SAN FRANCISCO's LONG-STANDING AQUARIUS RECORDS in 2016.  not only were they at the LITERAL INTERSECTION of countless AVANT-GARDE CULTURAL MOVEMENTS going back to its FOUNDING in 1969, from PROG ROCK to KRAUTROCK to PUNK ROCK and beyond, but they also were the CULTURAL AMBASSADORS of such.  the recent DOCUMENTARY IT CAME FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS (THE SCOURGE PRODUCTIONS, 2022) follows the HISTORY and IMPACT of the STORE, throughout its VARIOUS INCARNATIONS, GEOGRAPHIC LOCATIONS and lineage of OWNERS (in a TRADITION of passing such down from EMPLOYEE to EMPLOYEE).  the through line is an ARTISTIC COMMITMENT to the promotion of INDEPENDENT ARTISTS as curated throughout their STORE, which reached an apex with their MUCH-CITED and RESPECTED E-MAIL NEWSLETTER which LOVINGLY promoted ARTISTS with REVIEWS and RECOMMENDATIONS. 

a sort of PITCHFORK before such existed.

the FILM begins with the INNER ORBIT of that COMMUNITY, the OWNERS and FORMER EMPLOYEES, and then ASTUTELY expands to the MUSIC COMMUNITY they served and finally the other STORES INTERNATIONALLY that NETWORKED with them and took their E-MAIL NEWSLETTER as a VERITABLE GODSEND of what NEW RELEASES were worth ORDERING. 

the PROBLEM is that the MARKET had SHIFTED.

i feel like IT CAME FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS is part of a RECENT TRADITION of DOCUMENTARIES that look back at what has been DISCARDED and LOST to HISTORY with the CONTINUOUS forward momentum of MODERN TECHNOLOGY making our MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS evermore POWERFUL yet paradoxically ISOLATING us from each other along that same EXPONENTIAL CURVE.  yes, it is TRUE that these types of STORES literally at their most BASIC sold highly OBSCURE VINYL RECORDS to a local NICHE AUDIENCE.  that was their BUSINESS PLAN.  their function to the SOCIETY though was not as an ELEVATED CULTURAL GATEKEEPER (like say PITCHFORK), but rather a COMMUNITY RESOURCE and MUCH-NEEDED MEETING-PLACE where LIKE-MINDED INDIVIDUALS could talk about FILM, MUSIC, ART and IDEAS with KNOWLEDGABLE STAFF who could turn them on to RECORDING ARTISTS hitherto UNKNOWN and UNDER-APPRECIATED.  that sort of EYE-TO-EYE, TANGIBLE INTERACTION cannot be REPLICATED by a LOGARITHMICALLY-GENERATED PLAYLIST or ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.  that HUMAN TOUCH and CAPACITY for CONNECTION is what made AQUARIUS RECORDS such a BELOVED CULTURAL INSTITUTION for decades and is why it is so SORELY-MISSED by the BROADER BAY AREA COMMUNITY.

the FILM mentions but doesnt dive into the CHANGING LOCAL DEMOGRAPHICS and POLITICS of GENTRIFICATION APPARENT in SAN FRANCISCO, much as it also is in NYC, that spurred the FINANCIAL DECLINE of AQUARIUS RECORDS, only to state that with CHANGE comes OPPORTUNITY and that the STORE ran its course.  but that doesnt mean that such CHANGE is for the BETTER.  its all about what we VALUE as a COMMUNITY.  obviously JAPAN places a PREMIUM on INSTITUTIONS like TOWER RECORDS and the PHYSICAL MANUFACTURING, DISTRIBUTING and SELLING of PHYSICAL MEDIA, and is why they have LEGAL POLICIES that ensure such can persist.  if only AMERICANS had such CONSENSUS and FAR-RANGING VISION.  maybe then we wouldnt be SLAVES to APPLE, SPOTIFY and the like.

IT CAME FROM AQUARIUS RECORDS is an ESSENTIAL FILM and a topic of PARAMOUNT CULTURAL and ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE.  highly recommended.

the life and career NARRATIVE of the GENERATIONALLY-ELITE BRITISH FOOTBALL LEGEND WAYNE ROONEY, of whom many EXPERTS consider the GREATEST STRIKER to ever grace the ENGLISH NATIONAL TEAM, as told in this recent sanctioned ROONEY (LORTON, 2022) documentary is one of UNBELIEVABLE TALENT, DRIVE, AMBITION and SHEER FORCE OF WILL that was ultimately TEMPERED by the limits of ones FALLIBILITY as a SINGLE HUMAN BEING.  from the moment he scored his first PREMIER LEAGUE goal for EVERTON as a 16 year-old, the YOUNGEST in league history, his life was no longer his in a sense and was now essentially the PUBLIC's as perceived through the WARPED CARNIVAL PRISM of the BRITISH PRESS.  not to make excuses for the MAN, but its not hard to imagine anyone not living up to that UNREASONABLE level of ATTENTION and HYPE at such a TENDER age in the UNBLINKING public SPOTLIGHT.

what INTRIGUED me about his story is that his success on the pitch was the CONSEQUENCE of an INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC and EXPLOSION of effort on every play, attempting to capitalize on any and all opportunities for his side.  the ULTIMATE TEAM PLAYER.  ROONEY wasnt necessarily a FINESSE PLAYER like LIONEL MESSI or an AGILE TACTICIAN like CRISTIANO RONALDO, instead he was an EFFORT GUY who just wanted it more than his OPPONENT.  the film roots that sense of UNWAVERING DETERMINATION in his HUMBLE BEGINNINGS as a YOUTH growing up in the CROXTETH section of LIVERPOOL, where PUGILISTIC and SURVIVALIST ACTIVITIES, sometimes VIOLENT, were a WAY OF LIFE.  everything was fought for and earned in that CONTENTIOUS SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT and it makes total sense that ROONEY HIMSELF represents in BRITISH CULTURE a sort of EVERYMAN PERSONA, rather than a paragon of INDIVIDUALISM and RARIFIED and UNACHIEVABLE MASCULINITY like that of MESSI and RONALDO after him and DAVID BECKHAM before him.  perhaps the ADORING CROWDS could see him in THEMSELVES as, again, his ON-PITCH EXPLOITS were the result of a PURE RESOLVE.

the man seemed incredibly FORTUNATE to have a SUPPORT SYSTEM around him in his PARENTS, GRANDMOTHER and WIFE COLEEN.  especially in light of his much PUBLICIZED INFIDELITIES.  it seems that his IMMATURITY and PUBLIC STUMBLES were dealt with INTERNALLY as a FAMILY UNIT and that the bonds that tied him with his WIFE since a SHARED CHILDHOOD in LIVERPOOL could not be UNRAVELED.  its an INTERESTING DYNAMIC because his PERSONAL FAILURES are not excused but dealt with as DAMAGING BEHAVIORS that dont dissuade his WIFE from a CORE BELIEF in his love of her and his RESOLUTE FEALTY to their GROWING FAMILY.  i just cant imagine what that must be like in such a HIGH-PROFILE and PUBLICLY-SCRUTINIZED RELATIONSHIP.  seems HORRENDOUS on a scale i cant even perceptually conceptualize, the fact that everyone knows your business and has opinions.  i dont believe we have that same level of PRESS INTENSITY in the UNITED STATES for our ATHLETES, especially in the age of SOCIAL MEDIA.

look back at this film i am just AMAZED that everyone in his PERSONAL orbit came out of such an unimaginably INTENSE experience relatively intact.  especially since he had to juggle so much so YOUNG.  as a teenager i could never of handled such ATTENTION and SCRUTINY.  im startled he didnt go off the rails more quite frankly.  i think sex, especially of the solicited variety, for this caliber of ATHLETE / ENTERTAINER / POLITICIAN / CELEBRITY is more about the AMBITION of ESCAPISM from themselves and their many RESPONSIBILITY than anything else.  its almost about CONTROL in a sense or the LOSS of such.  not that i am excusing such UNFORTUNATE BEHAVIOR, just putting some CONTEXT on it.  i can only imagine the desire to step back from one's REALITY through other SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIORS and means like DRUGS and GAMBLING for instance.  glad to see he came out of it alright with his FAMILY in tow.

like the later similarly-produced BECKHAM SERIES, this likewise AUTHORIZED DOCUMENTARY does seemingly consciously gloss over the more SCRUTINIZED and UNSAVORY ASPECTS of ROONEY's BIOGRAPHY, but overall it is an ENJOYABLE FILM that provides some INSIGHT into his HUMBLE, distinctly WORKING-CLASS UPBRINGING in LIVERPOOL and his UNWAVERING FOCUS as a COMPETITOR that made him such a BELOVED ENGLISH CULTURAL FIGURE to date.

within the  MODERN DIGITAL ECONOMY, the CUSTOMER-ORIENTED concept of CUSTOMIZATION is CENTRAL and PARAMOUNT to maintaining any semblance of SUCCESS for MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS and INDEPENDENT, SELF-INITIATED ARTISANS from AMAZON to ETSY.  but such wasnt always the case, especially in the POSTWAR PERIOD of the 1940s and 1950s when CONSUMER APPLIANCES and AUTOMOBILES were produced with LIMITED OPTIONS in the name of efficiency and a PRODUCT-FOCUSED STRATEGY.  during this particular era of MODERN MARKETING known as the PRODUCTION ERA, the RATIONALE was to build STANDARDIZED, IDENTICAL goods as much as possible, as cheaply as possible, and that the MARKET would figure out who would purchase what later on.

step in ED "BIG DADDY" ROTH and his involvement in the development of what came to be known as KUSTOM KULTURE.

in the POSTWAR PERIOD, GIs came home and started tinkering with dirt cheap OUTDATED CARS from the 1920s, souped them up and started racing them around SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.  this eventually led to the TEENAGERS doing much the same to CONTEMPORARY CARS and creating, in effect, HOT RODS.  these HOT RODS they raced in the streets and caused DEATH and PROPERTY DAMAGE, so after LEGISLATION, LAW ENFORCEMENT CRACKDOWNS and some SELF-ORGANIZATION, such ACTIVITY was limited to SPECIALIZED VENUES where DRAG RACING and the like DEVELOPED and FLOWERED over the decade.  but the spirit of those ORIGINAL HOT RODS and LOADED FORD MODEL T's, A's and B's was kept alive when ARTISTS like VON DUTCH and late ROTH began DETAILING such with elaborate CUSTOM PAINT JOBS that included PIN-STRIPES, FLAMES, VIVID METAL FLAKE COLORS and the like.  thus KUSTOM KULTURE was born and effectively DEFINED the AMERICAN childhood from the 1950s through the early 1960s when it was summarily REPLACED by ROCK N ROLL (i.e. THE BEATLES and the BRITISH INVASION).  from then on instead of working on CARS, TEENAGERS worked on their GUITARS (which interestingly BRANDS like the ORANGE COUNTY-based FENDER used CUSTOM CAR COLORS to decorate).

TALES OF THE RAT FINK (SPHINX, 2006) is a lovingly-constructed documentary that examines the LEGACY of ROTH and his lasting impact on MODERN AMERICAN CULTURE.  in essence his UNIQUE, STYLISH PATTERNS and DESIGNS on boring STOCK CARS led him to innovate further and construct NEW VEHICLES altogether utilizing fiberglass and parts from previous AUTOMOBILES.  these CARS ran but they were more CUSTOM ART PIECES than PRACTICAL OPTIONS for WIDESPREAD PRODUCTION.  and that was kind of the point, his criticism of DETROIT at the time was how BORING the CARS produced were and at a time of such OPTIMISM and CULTURAL FORWARD MOMENTUM, such seemed PLAIN, CONFORMIST and UNINSPIRED.  KUSTOM KULTURE spread around SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and ROTH profited off it, being the first to market his designs (especially MONSTERS and the DEGENERATE MICKEY MOUSE-inspired sendoff RAT FINK) on CUSTOMIZED SHORTS and create ORIGINAL LOGOS and BRANDING for CAR CLUB APPAREL and the like.  TOY CARS based on his MODELS, COMIC BOOKS and other revenue streams followed.  what killed everything was when CAR CUSTOMIZATION made the INEVITABLE turn from HIGH ART to a COMMON SPECTACLE, with a myriad of subsequent OPPORTUNISTS making cynical NOVELTY VEHICLES out of TELEPHONE BOOTHS, COFFINS and the like. 

​also DETROIT got the hint and started making COOL CARS again.

the film makes the argument that the SPIRIT of ROTH and his CUSTOM DESIGNS carried on in the LOOK and FEEL of a whole host of SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENTS, everything from the HALLUCINOGENIC FEEL of 1960s PSYCHEDELIC ART (think PETER MAX, ALTON KELLEY, WES WILSON and STANLEY MOUSE), modern RETRO-FUTURISTIC CAR DESIGNS, the VISUAL AESTHETIC of THE SIMPSONS, to CONTEMPORARY APPLE COMMERCIALS and their CUSTOM COLORS available for purchase.  in essence, the world is a more VIBRANT and ENGAGING place to experience thanks to the WORK of ROTH and his UNSCHOOLED, ORGANIC AESTHETIC and the CAR COMMUNITY he helped initiate which survives into the present.

having spent a LARGE PORTION of my early youth in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA surrounded the REMNANTS of this KUSTOM KULTURE, im surprised it took me until now to get clued into ROTH and the ORIGINS of the instantly RECOGNIZABLE RAT FINK CHARACTER, of which id seen but had no ASSOCIATIONS with.  that is why i recommend this documentary to anyone interested in MODERN ART and CULTURAL MOVEMENTS write large.

also worth mentioning are the VOICE ACTORS in TALES OF THE RAT FINK for all the VINTAGE CARS involved, which include a VARIED and IMPRESSIVE CAST including the following: ACTOR JOHN GOODMAN, COMEDI DUO THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS, WRESTLER "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN, PAINTER ROBERT WILLIAMS, NOVELIST TOM WOLFE, SINGER ANN-MARGRET, CARTOONIST MATT GROENING (THE SIMPSONS, FUTURAMA) and MUSICIANS BILLY GIBBONS (ZZ TOP) and BRIAN WILSON (THE BEACH BOYS).

in the COLLECTIVE IMAGINATION of MUSIC FANS, DEE DEE RAMONE is every bit the PUNK ROCK ICON having lived a MYTHOLOGICAL, probably APOCRYPHAL, OPIATE-FUELED, DEBAUCHED EXISTENCE on the EDGE OF SOCIETY while creating some of the most BELOVED SONGS in the RAMONES' CATALOGUE including "COMMANDO," "BLITZKRIEG BOP," "53RD & 3RD," "TEENAGE LOBOTOMY," "ROCKAWAY BEACH," "CRETIN HOP," "WE'RE A HAPPY FAMILY," "BONZO GOES TO BLITBURG" and "CHINESE ROCKS."  to say he is a CONSEQUENTIAL FIGURE in MODERN ROCK N ROLL on his SONGWRITING TALENT is a FORGONE CONCLUSION, but sadly he is probably better remembered for his VOLATILITY, UNRULY ANTICS and DESERVED SPOT among KEITH RICHARDS, JOHNNY THUNDERS, SYD BARRETT, JANIS JOPLIN, LEMMY KILMISTER, KEITH MOON, SID VICIOUS and OZZY OSBOURNE in the ILL-FATED PANTHEON of INSATIABLE DRUG ADDICTS and INFAMOUS ROCK N ROLL BURNOUTS.

i recently located this largely FORGOTTEN HEY! IS DEE DEE HOME? (EXTINKT FILMS, 2002) DOCUMENTARY that is in essence RE-EDITED INTERVIEW FOOTAGE from a later DESERTED , RETROSPECTIVE FILM PROJECT.  DEE DEE essentially waxes poetic about his time with the RAMONES and the NYC MUSIC SCENE of the late 1970s that birthed it.  he also expands on his INTERACTIONS with PEERS in RICHARD HELL, DEBBIE HARRY and JOHNNY THUNDERS and how each influenced one another.  as expected, DEE DEE has a HAZY MEMORY and sometimes contradicts himself, even within the same story.  he is the very TEXTBOOK DEFINITION of an SONGWRITING NARRATOR and his overall PRESENTATION, COUNTENANCE and COMPOSURE is quite IRASCIBLE and quite JUVENILE in NATURE.  he comes off more like a NAUGHTY SCHOOL BOY having been caught smoking in the boys bathroom than one of the most FAMOUS, SOMEWHAT-FUNCTION JUNKIE MUSICIANS in MODERN MUSICAL HISTORY.  its almost a bit UNEASY to watch this FILM as there are rarely any CUTAWAYS or ALTERNATE FOOTAGE involved, just a CONSTANT MEDIUM-SHOT of DEE DEE with one side key lit.  its UNADORNED PRESENTATION and DIRECTNESS is not that unlike his MUSICAL OUTPUT, but in this instance such lack of CINEMATIC FLAIR makes watching this INTERVIEW a bit of a CHORE, irrespective of your interest in DEE DEE as a SUBJECT.  obviously this FILM was never meant to be PUBLISHED in this MANNER and serves more as an HISTORICAL DOCUMENT than a MUST-SEE DOCUMENTARY.

HEY! IS DEE DEE HOME? provided some USEFUL BACKGROUND into his FAMOUS COMPOSITIONS, but overall i would not recommend this FILM to any but the most HARDCORE of RAMONES or PUNK ROCK fans that can sit and listen to him INCOHERENTLY babble on UNINTERRUPTED for an hour on end.  i personally had a DIFFICULT EXPERIENCE watching this.  almost like listening to a YES RECORD.

GENE WILDER is one of the most BELOVED COMEDIC ACTORS of his or any other generation, due in no small part to the AUTHENTIC HUMANITY he imparted on his CHARACTERS.  to me he represents an often OVERLOOKED ASPECT of MASCULINITY that is secure in showcasing EMPATHY and COMPASSION unto others and acknowledging the UNDERLYING VULNERABILITY that in essence defines the COLLECTIVE HUMAN CONDITION we all share.  REMEMBERING GENE WILDER (HEALTH POINT, 2023) is a recent lovingly created documentary about his life from FRIENDS, PEERS and LOVED ONES still affected by his MEMORY almost a decade after his passing in 2016 from COMPLICATIONS associated with LATE-STAGE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (a DIAGNOSIS he kept HIDDEN from his FANS out of LOVE and not wanting to impart any further MELANCHOLY on the world).

and that core PEOPLE-PLEASING TRAIT is the through-line of both his CHARACTERS and his LIFE as argued in this film.  after his MOTHER returned home from the hospital after recovering from a HEART ATTACK, a PHYSICIAN told a YOUNG JEROME SILBERMAN (WILDER's given birth name) not to argue with his MOTHER as such may literally kill her.  from then on WILDER internalized his EMOTIONS and developed a certain COMPASSIONATE GENTLENESS and AFFECTIONATE QUALITY throughout his LIFE.  in the theater he could stretch out and showcase a FULL-RANGE of EMOTIONS, but offstage his CARING NATURE defined him.  enough anyway that his LATE CO-STAR on a BROADWAY, ANNE BANCROFT, suggested him as PERFECT for a PART being written by her THEN-BOYFRIEND MEL BROOKS that would later materialize in the LEGENDARY BLACK COMEDY THE PRODUCERS (EMBASSY, 1968). 

the rest is history.  

i dont believe this film is a HAGIOGRAPHY of WILDER, but it definitely has an in memoriam feel to it rather some HARD-HITTING EXPOSE on his LIFE and CAREER.  take for instance his WORKING RELATIONSHIP with BROOKS, which produced some TRANSCENDENT COMEDIES for the ages in the AFOREMENTIONED THE PRODUCERS as well as BLAZING SADDLES (WARNER BROS, 1974) and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (20TH CENTURY-FOX, 1974).  according to WRITER PATRICK MCMILLIGAN in his EXTENSIVE MEL BROOKS: FUNNY MAN (HARPER, 2019) BIOGRAPHY, WILDER felt that BROOKS had taken PUBLIC CREDIT for what was essentially his SCRIPT and chose never to work with him thereafter, effectively ending their WORKING RELATIONSHIP.  that WHOLE TOPIC is never broached or even suggested in REMEMBERING GENE WILDER, which makes sense given its AFFECTIONATE, NOSTALGIC and decidedly ROSE-TINTED TONE.  normally i would see such as a DETRIMENT to the QUALITY or OBJECTIVITY of the film, but given the PERSPECTIVE of this film, it is DIFFICULT to fault such an OMISSION.  WILDER himself seemed to possess a certain NAIVE AUTHENTICITY that gave him the ability to tap into a CHILDLIKE AMORALITY both in his CHARACTERS and in his interviews that affected his audience and rendered such MISGIVINGS as holistically relatively UNIMPORTANT in the long arc of LIFE.

my favorite part of this film are the TESTIMONIALS by CO-STARS who speak of his COMPASSION and GENEROSITY as an ACTOR, giving them CREATIVE SUPPORT and SPACE in what is normally quite a BRUTAL and INTENSE BUSINESS where MARQUEE STAR PERFORMERS are pampered and normally have little to no TIME or MIND-SPACE for the needs of others.  WILDER apparently treated his CO-WORKERS, regardless of their title, role or function, as EQUALS, or at least  such was attested in this documentary by FORMER CHILD ACTOR PETER OSTRUM who played CHARLIE BUCKET in WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (PARAMOUNT, 1971) and BURTON GILLIAM who played LYLE of TAGGART'S OUTLAWS in BLAZING SADDLES among others.  OSTRUM, the PRODUCT of a WELL-REGARDED regional theatre program in CLEVELAND, was adjusting to the new TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS of filmmaking and attests that WILDER was nothing if not SUPPORTIVE and exceedingly PATIENT with him to the point that he looks back at such, his only film, decades later as a POSITIVE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCE.  as is widely known, such is sadly not the case with most CHILD ACTORS.

the film likewise talks about the TRAGEDY surrounding his PERSONAL LIFE, first with his flowering if not COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP with third WIFE GILDA RADNER that was cut short by her all-too BRIEF BATTLE that culminated with her DEATH from OVARIAN CANCER at 42 and later his own TERMINAL BOUT with ALZHEIMER'S after finding LOVE and HAPPINESS again with fourth WIFE KAREN BOYER.  what is presented is a LIFE brimming with the TRUE SURVIVALIST's capacity to choose and embrace CONNECTION and INTIMACY even after taking absolutely DEVASTATING PERSONAL LOSSES while soberly acknowledging whole-heartedly the DUAL NATURE of being ALIVE and PRESENT.  i can remember witnessing an EMOTIONALLY MOVING later life 2005 appearance on THE LATE SHOW WITH CONAN O'BRIEN promoting his UPCOMING memoir KISS ME LIKE A STRANGER: MY SEARCH FOR LOVE AND ART (ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFITH, 2006), where despite looking OLDER and noticeably FRAIL, WILDER appeared UNFAZED about his VANITY and reacted with COMPASSION and SENSITIVITY to a YOUNG O'BRIEN and provided EARNEST WISDOM on a living a FULL LIFE WELL-LIVED sans jokes with a sense of GENUINE HUMILITY.  when at one point he even held O'BRIEN's hand, you could sense how genuinely moved the COMIC HOST was at the EMPATHETIC GESTURE.  usually the FORMAT itself is less about establishing a sense of CONNECTION and more about presenting a PUBLIC FRONT or PERSONA in order to promote CORPORATE CONSUMERIST ENDS.  this was something RARE and DIFFERENT entirely.

and to me that is the WILDER i take in as an ADMIRER from afar.  he seemed more like a BODDHISTAVA, more concerned with the plight of others than a COMEDY GENIUS for the ages.  and to that end he represents a DIFFERENT, more ENLIGHTENED kind of MASCULINITY then the SHALLOW, VAIN boasting and EMPTY BOMBAST of today's TOXIC and thoroughly INSECURE variety.  his is one defined by concern for others, COMPASSION, COMMUNITY-BUILDING, and the INTENTION of making us collectively laugh as a TEMPORARY RESPITE from the ENDURING PAIN OF LIVING. 

that is GENE WILDER i take with me.

when the SEMINAL IRISH ROCK AND ROLL band U2 played its last show on THE JOSHUA TREE TOUR in CORK in late 1987, the group found itself at the physically EXHAUSTED and spiritually DEPLETED end of a CREATIVE STREAK that had lasted and sustained them since their founding more than a decade earlier in 1976 as SCHOOLCHILDREN.  after six albums released over seven years that in totality spread a HUMANISTIC MESSAGE of SOCIO-POLITICAL UNITY, PEACE and HOPE that was informed by their INTIMATE APPRECIATION as IRISHMEN of the PERILS OF WAR and CIVIL UNREST, and found the band touring the UNITED STATES to ever-increasing crowds to the point of filling stadiums, the band had come to a CROSSROADS.  

in essence they were sick of THEMSELVES.

their COLLECTIVE PUBLIC PERSONA throughout that first phase of their career was EARNEST, POLEMIC, RIGHTEOUS and STRIDENT to an EXTREME.  counter to the personalities their FRIENDS, FAMILY and CLOSE ASSOCIATES knew intimately, the band came off as HUMORLESS as well.  by the time they embarked on their RATTLE AND HUM (ISLAND, 1988) FILM PROJECT that saw them encounter and explore AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC, (i.e. BLUES, GOSPEL, ROCKABILLY and the like), the band on stage had turned into a BLOATED PRODUCTION of MULTIPLE BACKUP SINGERS and CRINGY white bread takes on the AMERICAN SONGBOOK STANDARDS that was a world away from the LEAN, SPRITELY, ECONOMICAL POST-PUNK SOUND and MINIMALIST AESTHETIC of their youth.

what makes the FROM THE SKY DOWN (UMG, 2011) DOCUMENTARY about the PROCESS behind the GENESIS of the CELEBRATED ACHTUNG BABY (ISLAND, 1991) album so COMPELLING is that it showcases a band in TRANSITION.  not just CREATIVELY but INTERPERSONALLY as well.  in order to push ahead LOGICALLY one must leave something behind in the PROCESS and that ALBUM represented a CONSCIOUS shedding of one's PUBLIC PERSONA in the most striking of terms.  rather than point the proverbial finger at the ILLS of society, this RECORD found them pointing such at THEMSELVES.  especially MAIN SONGWRITERS BONO and THE EDGE.  both became enamored with the then-CURRENT MADCHESTER scene and its particular brand of ACID HOUSE and DANCE MUSIC that was at the forefront of INDIE ROCK CULTURE at the time, as well as rediscovering more EXPERIMENTAL FAIR in the KRAUTROCK of their youth with bands like KRAFTWERK, NEU! and CAN. there was also a keen interest in the related UNDERGROUND INDUSTRIAL scene at the time best exemplified in the work of EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN, DIE KRUPPS and KMFDM.  this HEADY mix of INFLUENCES was a world away SONICALLY and PHILOSOPHICALLY from the PUNK ROCK that first prompted the MEMBERS to start a band.  PUNK was about being ACCOUNTABLE and attacking the problem of society's ILLS, whereas ACID HOUSE and DANCE CULTURE was more about ESCAPISM, KRAUTROCK a new MUSICAL VOCABULARY and TRADITiON for a GERMAN POST-WAR GENERATION not interested in their PARENTS' (i.e. NAZIs) experience and INDUSTRIAL MUSIC the EFFECTIVE ERADICATION of the HUMAN ELEMENT from ART entirely.  all of which offered U2 a path forward.

with SONGS like "ONE" and "THE FLY," the band was able to find a SPIRITUAL IDENTITY in the NEW MATERIAL.  this did not happen without much PERSONAL CONSTERNATION, INTERPERSONAL STRUGGLE, and ARTISTIC TREPIDATION.  the band famously went to HANSA STUDIOS in BERLIN with RETURNING PRODUCERS DANIEL LANOIS and BRIAN ENO.  the later of which was involved in DAVID BOWIE's LOW (RCA, 1977) and HEROES (RCA, 1977) RECORDINGS as well as IGGY POP's LUST FOR LIFE (RCA, 1977) ALBUM, which were all recorded at the site.  the CONCEPT was that the change in scenery and focus on the ALBUM would help initiate their next step by OSMOSIS.  this didnt happen.  the SONGS came together through DETERMINATION and much EFFORT, but the result was SPECTACULAR.  gone were the sermons and instead where more IMPRESSIONISTIC and ALLEGORICAL MUSINGS on POST-MODERN LIVING, especially in this NEW AGE of 24/7 cable television.  BONO for one on TRACKS like "EVEN BETTER THAN THE REAL THING" and "ZOO STATION" feels LIBERATED and REINVIGORATED by channeling this DISAFFECTED LOU REED-inspired NEW CHARACTER to play against type and very much intelligently deconstruct his own previous HOLIER-THAN-THOU PUBLIC PERSONA with HUMOR and GUSTO. for me the highlight of the ALBUM was "LOVE IS BLINDNESS," which THE EDGE wrote in SULLEN ANTICIPATION of his IMPENDING DIVORCE.  it is one of the most startling BLEAK SONGS ever written and is contrary to everything the band stood for pre-ACHTUNG BABY in TONE and SUBSTANCE.  there is no RESPITE or HOPE, just the BRUTAL COLD REALITY that LOVE has ended and nothing is there to adequately fill that PAINFUL chasm.  NO OPTIMISM, NO MORAL VICTORIES, just DEATH. 

it is such a REAL SONG.  everyone has been there.  everyone is familiar with that FEELING.

what comes out of that ALBUM for the band is a RENEWED bond of AFFECTION for one another built on MUTUAL RESPECT and TRUST.  it is arguably the BIGGEST left turn of their career and no one was PHYSICALLY or CREATIVELY LEFT BEHIND.  the fact that the band didnt break up, but instead authentically reinvented THEMSELVES for the second phase of their INIMITABLE career is beyond REMARKABLE and the REAL ACHIEVEMENT documented with a deep well of COMPASSION and LOVE in this documentary which is required viewing for any U2 fan.

EMINEM is a VERITABLE AMERICAN CULTURAL ICON that has reached a zenith of fame, much like that of ELVIS PRESLEY, PRINCE, JIMI HENDRIX, MICHAEL JACKSON, ROBERT JOHNSON or KURT COBAIN before him, so much so that his PERSONAL NARRATIVE is effectively as an APOCRYPHAL MYTHOLOGY all unto itself.  in essence MARSHALL MATHERS the person functions as a FOLK HERO in the BROADER CULTURE, well beyond the PROVINCIAL confines of HIP HOP.

but that NARRATIVE is a CONSTRUCTION based on the POETRY and ARTISTRY that MATHERS so attentively presents on record.  the UNSANCTIONED and UNOFFICIAL EMINEM AKA (XENON, 2004) documentary presents his early life and rise to glory from the particular vantage point of FAMILY MEMBERS, FORMER MANAGERS, BODYGUARDS, FRIENDS, RECORD STORE OWNERS and MEMBERS of the DETROIT COMMUNITY that witnessed his early STRUGGLES and his INEXORABLE grind.  this film is by no means a HAGIOGRAPHY and presents a very real portrait of a deeply TROUBLED but preternaturally TALENTED ARTIST who fought his way through CHILDHOOD ABANDONMENT, TRAUMA and NEGLECT to achieve his goal of INDUSTRY RESPECT and the ability to provide for his DAUGHTER.

and that BACKSTORY isnt entirely IRRELEVANT either.  you learn about the impact of GENERATIONAL CYCLES OF POVERTY, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE and SUBSTANCE ABUSE, not only on MATHERS as a CHILD, but that endured by his MOTHER and MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER.  UNEDUCATED with few prospects when becoming PREGNANT in their early teens with DEADBEAT PARTNERS, that SIMILAR EXPERIENCE among his MATERNAL LINE provides CONTEXT into how MATHERS consciously chose to break the cycle.  you also learn about the extent to which MATHERS was BRUTALLY BULLIED as a GRADE SCHOOLER, at one point being PUNCHED so FORCEFULLY in a bathroom that he went into a COMA for ten days and had to relearn BASIC motor functions upon waking out of such.  you begin to understand that when his UNCLE RONNIE (whom he was very close in age) introduced him to HIP HOP, specifically ICE-T, that his WORLD was transformed and that he had finally found an APT VEHICLE to bury his PAIN and FRUSTRATIONS, as well as his CREATIVITY, into as an outlet.  having moved over twenty times throughout his upbringing with various SURROGATE FATHER FIGURES (his REAL one ditched his MOTHER shortly after his birth), MATHERS was the PERENNIAL NEW KID at school and was isolated in the EXTREME.  this info helps CONTEXTUALIZE both his FURY and INSPIRATION for picking up a microphone, as well as his DETERMINATION and RESILIENCE in reaching his goals.  he was literally all he had.

the FIGURE of KIM is an INTRIGUING one, given that she was a FOSTER KID that lived temporarily at their home.  their RELATIONSHIP transitioned from that of a SURROGATE SIBLING dynamic to a more INTIMATE one down the line, always with such being VOLATILE and PASSIONATE.  KIM served as a MUSE of sorts as well as a PUNCHING BAG, but in her there was an understanding that she knew and understood him pre-FAME.  there is a sense that their RELATIONSHIP grounded him even as it led him to create some of his most EXTREME CONTENT under his SLIM SHADY PERSONA.  that CHARACTER and the depths of DEPRAVITY it allowed him to plumb was a REVELATION and the point of DIFFERENTIATION for him as a NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RAPPER and HIP HOP ICON.  forget about being THIN-SKINNED in a RAP battle, this dude savagely insults his GIRLFRIEND and his own MOTHER relentlessly with NO REMORSE on record.  just a different breed entirely.

obviously it would be cool to have EMINEM CONTEXTUALIZE his own CATALOGUE and LIFE'S NARRATIVE up until that point, but back in the early 2000s he was already well underway writing and touring THE EMINEM SHOW (INTERSCOPE, 2002) which thematically seemed focused in how his seeming SURREAL LIFE had become an EFFECTIVE REALITY SHOW at that point.  his NUMEROUS COURT CASES, much publicized ON-AGAIN-OFF-AGAIN RELATIONSHIP with his WIFE and the very REAL LITIGATION against him by his own MOTHER made his LIFE something of an ENTERTAINMENT source for many.  being a part of this film was likely not a priority.  twenty years later he is still as METICULOUS with his PUBLIC IMAGE and consciously OPAQUE as any SUPERSTAR before him for good reason.  all you need to know about him is what he lets you know about him, especially on RECORD.  still looking forward to the day he decides to explain his half of the STORY.

until then, this MAKESHIFT effort will have to suffice.  EMINEM AKA is not an ESSENTIAL release but somewhat INTERESTING nonetheless.  id recommend it to only the most HARDCORE of EMINEM FANS.  otherwise there are other better opinons out there.

in HIP HOP there is an absolute premium put on the VALUE of AUTHENTICITY.  arguably such is a DEFINING facet of what makes the GENRE and its POWERFUL POLITICAL and CULTURAL INTENT what it is.  but most of the time that pressure to COME CORRECT is about REPRESENTATION and how you relate to a COMMUNITY, not necessarily yourself.  its an absolutely INTRIGUING loophole that HIP HOP ARTISTS are expected to remain GENUINE in light of their HOOD, BLOCK, PROJECT, STREET, REGION or BORROUGH, but not necessarily to themselves as INDIVIDUALS.

the argument being made in the RECENT A MAN NAMED SCOTT (AMAZON MGM, 2021) documentary about the INFLUENTIAL CLEVELAND RAPPER SCOTT MESCUDI, a.k.a. KID CUDI, is that his MODES of EXPRESSION which are deeply PERSONAL and IDIOSYNCRATIC and represent a sort of GENRE-LESS PERSPECTIVE, has freed the genre from the emotionally and psychologically LIMITED box it constructed for itself.  rather than relying purely on BRAVADO and SWAGGER, his work is more concerned with his INTRINSIC HUMANNESS and the SELF-DOUBT and VULNERABILITY he feels beyond the CREATIVE PROCESS and into daily life.  almost to the point of SELF-MARTYRDOM.

and i think this film really excels when it focuses on the trajectory of his career and how such parlayed its way into his SENSE OF SELF and altered his INTIMATE relationships with COLLABORATORS, SIGNIFICANT OTHERS and FAMILY alike.  the fact that he turned to SELF-MEDICATION at certain points in his career and the DEEP SHAME and GUILT he felt which only exacerbated his sense of ISOLATION and DEPRESSION.  failing his FAMILY.  his FRIENDS.  his LABEL.  his COLLABORATORS.  his AUDIENCE.  when the film focuses on that it makes the albums and singles i associate with him make more EMOTIONAL sense, with their PSYCHEDELIC IMAGES and SOUNDSCAPES related to space exploration and the INFINITE void that is a metaphor for the UNKNOWABILITY of our own PSYCHE.

where this film lost me completely was in a lot of these PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS.  not all of them, but it was a deeply FLAWED MISTAKE on the part of the director to allow JADEN and WILLOW SMITH opine about the NATURE of art and the responsibility of ARTISTS to their CRAFT.  nobody wants to hear that from them.  at all.  same with the choice to include KANYE WEST waxing poetic about BOXED-IN MINDSETS and that politics is the next frontier for artists to expand the public's CONSCIOUSNESS thereof.  to say that such was CRINGE-INDUCING is a severe understatement.  he seemed to be speaking more about himself than the subject of the documentary, which should surprise nobody as he is a MALIGNANT NARCISSIST.  i felt embarrassed for KID CUDI in spite of his OBVIOUS RELEVANCE to his professional career and their numerous MUTUAL COLLABORATIONS theyve maintained over the years.  people need to stop enabling that CONFIRMED ANTISEMITE and NAZI SYMPATHIZER with a platform.  this film included.  full stop.

not all of these PARTICIPANT INTERVIEWS were a waste however, with CONTEMPORARY PEERS like RAPPERS A$AP ROCKY, POLO G, LIL YACHTY and SCHOOLBOY Q adroitly attesting to the COURAGEOUSNESS and BOLDNESS of KID CUDI's artistic choices over the years, notwithstanding his influence on their own creative output.  LONG-TIME COLLABORATORS in PRODUCERS like DOT DA GENIUS, EMILE HAYNIE, PATRICK "PLAIN PAT" REYNOLDS, JEFF BHASKER and PHARRELL WILLIAMS attest to his IMPROVISATIONAL CREATIVE PROCESS which includes organically interacting and creating MELODIES on-the-spot with STILL-DEVELOPING RHYTHMS and CHORD CHANGES arising essentially from scratch.  even MANAGERS, EXECUTIVES, and ENTERTAINMENT PERSONALITIES like SYLVIA RHONE, DENNIS CUMMINGS,  NOAH CALLAHAN-BEVER and JOE LAPUMA provide INSIGHT into the sheer RADICAL NATURE of KID CUDI in a BROADER CULTURAL CONTEXT, both within and outside of HIP HOP.  other CREATIVES like ACTORS SHIA LEBEOUF and TIMOTHEE CHALAMET, as well as DESIGNER DON C elaborate on how his FEARLESS music positively shaped their own CREATIVE PROCESSES and expanded their EXPECTATIONS of HIP HOP in general.

for all of its HEAVY STYLIZATION and INEXPLICABLE, ARTISTIC VISUAL REPRESENTATION of KID CUDI's interviews utilizing dance choreography, THEATRICAL staging and JADEN SMITH (which came off hopelessly POMPOUS), this film was in bad need of SEVERE EDITING.  i dont know what kind of pressure the DIRECTOR was under to create something PROFOUND, but much of this documentary was OVER-BEARING and laughably SELF-IMPORTANT.  had nothing to do with KID CUDI as a subject or any of the points being made, but the PRESENTATION was unnecessarily GRANDIOSE and OSTENTATIOUS for such a discussion so intimately focuses on DELICATE issues surrounding the EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL PITFALLS of creating HONEST moments of TRUE INSULARITY and admitted lack of SELF-CONFIDENCE and broadcasting such VULNERABILITY to the WORLD. 

the TONE was completely off.

not sure if id recommend this film to anyone other than HARDCORE fans of KID CUDI who can wade through the FILLER, OVER-STYLIZATION and empty calories throughout this thoroughly COMPROMISED effort.

QUARTERBACK (NFL FILMS, 20023) is the first in an ongoing PEYTON MANNING-produced multi-episode NETFLIX miniseries franchise that follows a few NOTABLE NFL PLAYERS at a particular position throughout a SEASON, dealing with ADVERSITY in the form of ON-FIELD COMPETITION, INJURIES, industry EXPECTATIONS, FITNESS regimens, playbooks, CONDENSED schedules, diets and so on.  this inaugural SEASON followed three STARTING QUARTERBACKS in KIRK COUSINS (MINNESOTA VIKINGS), MARCUS MARIOTA (ATLANTA FALCONS) and PATRICK MAHOMES (KANSAS CITY CHIEFS) throughout the 2022-2023 SEASON. 

what is REMARKABLE is how different these three PLAYERS are, both in terms of LEADERSHIP and PERFORMANCE.  MAHOMES is an ABSOLUTE ALPHA DOG that speaks to his TEAMMATES, COACHING STAFF and COMPETITORS alike through his on-field CREATIVE INSTINCTS, INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC and ABILITY TO FIGHT effectively through PAIN.  he is the type of TEAMMATE that you can see others willing to run through a brick wall for, just based on his ENERGY and COMMITMENT alone.  in comparison, COUSINS and MARIOTA are both more MILD-MANNERED, DELIBERATE and less OUTSPOKEN in their LEADERSHIP style.  as a QUARTERBACK, you are the de facto LEADER and its INTRIGUING how much BODY LANGUAGE during times of IMMENSE ADVERSITY on-field find the team  mimicking that of their QUARTERBACK.  during bad games with POOR PERFORMANCES, you can feel the DIMINISHED ENERGY and WITHDRAWN, BLANK faces of COUSINS' and MARIOTA's MINNESOTA and ATLANTA TEAMMATES respectively.  not so with MAHOMES, where his intense self-confidence leaves out hope even when the likeliness of such manifesting on-field is of an ever more REMOTE mathematical POSSIBILITY.

not all the INFORMATION presented about these ATHLETES is POSITIVE.  i could have gone without knowing how much of an EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN COUSINS was, same with learning about MARIOTA's seeming UNFORTUNATE ADDICTION to the MCDONALD'S UNHEALTHY breakfast menu.  when he gets replaced by a ROOKIE midway through the SEASON, you cant help but consider that maybe his POOR diet was part of his issue (along with a seeming lack of COMPETITIVE DRIVE).  i feel like people are so used to ATHLETES like MICHAEL JORDAN and KOBE BRYANT who sought absolutely no stone unturned in seeking out a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE that when you see a GIFTED ATHLETE that doesnt do such and admit it, such feels rather ODD and UNBECOMING in comparison. 

its like, what is the point? 

and that is when you sense that for some of these ATHLETES WINNING is the only OBJECTIVE and for others that are a little less COMMITTED, GENERATIONAL WEALTH is the MAIN MOTIVATOR.  when you see MAHOMES writhing in AGONY after INJURING HIS ANKLE repeatedly in MULTIPLE playoff games, only to lie and force his way back onto the field to win a SUPER BOWL do you get sense of the true PHYSICAL SACRIFICE needed to ensure VICTORY in the MODERN BLOODSPORT that is the NFL.  in MARIOTA and to a lesser degree COUSINS, you are witness to far less FANATICAL ADHERENTS to that FIERCE WARRIOR CODE.  despite what they say, they both seem satisfied in not WINNING, which is arguably a MATURE, BALANCED PERSPECTIVE to carry as a FUNCTIONING ADULT.  but FOOTBALL SUCCESS has nothing to with MATURITY and PROPER PERSPECTIVES, instead requiring a SINGULAR FOCUS and a MINDSET of WINNING at all cost, no matter the HARDSHIP, SACRIFICE or PHYSICAL TOLL. 

​MAHOMES embodies such, the other two not so much.  this is evidenced by the fact that MARIOTA lasted in PHILADELPHIA as a BACKUP QUARTERBACK for one SEASON, now he is with WASHINGTON.  likewise COUSINS is now in ATLANTA where the team  hedged their bets on a FIRST-ROUND QUARTERBACK should he falter.  only MAHOMES is still established as the face of the league coming off yet another SUPER BOWL championship, an HISTORIC third in five years.

it is absolutely not hyperbole to state emphatically that the career narrative of LEGENDARY METAL SINGER RONNIE JAMES DIO (ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) was beyond IMPROBABLE and that the TRANSFORMATIVE power of ROCK N ROLL changed his life.  raised in UPSTATE NEW YORK in the small rural town of CORTLAND, the YOUNG RONALD JAMES PADAVONA was forced to play trumpet for multiple hours a day throughout his childhood by an OVERBEARING father.  this was during the BIG BAND era and over time PADAVONA realized that his VOICE could effectively mimic the range of his trumpet, which thus began the start of his SINGING career.

at the time, which was pre-BEATLES and pre-ROCK N ROLL, PADAVONA sang in a series of JAZZ-inflected VOCAL GROUPS (THE REDCAPS, THE PROPHETS) with his friends.  even at this TENDER stage, his RANGE and DICTION is IMPECCABLE.  always a quick study with an INDOMITABLE WORK ETHIC to boot, PADAVONA took his musical efforts seriously.  taking his cue from the BRITISH INVASION bands that rose to prominence in the early 1960s, he likewise transitioned to ROCK N ROLL with his friends by recommitting themselves as the BLUES ROCK band THE ELECTRIC ELVES and toured locally around the NORTHEAST.  by this time PADAVONA now went by the stage name DIO (after the NOTORIOUS MAFIA FIGURE). it was during this period that a DRUNK DRIVER hit their tour bus, KILLING one of his BANDMATES and severely injuring DIO in the process.  having good grades and admittance to PHARMACY SCHOOL in the bag, his recovery from his head wounds found DIO doubling down on his unlikely music career. 

and he never looked back. 

THE ELECTRIC ELVES became ELF, who gained attention from INCESSANT touring and had their major debut ELF (EPIC, 1972) produced by members of DEEP PURPLE, whom they idolized.  this led to multiple tours with DEEP PURPLE as openers and for DIO, a sense of camaraderie with their SINGER GLENN HUGHES and their ENIGMATIC and IMPULSIVE GUITARIST RICHIE BLACKMORE.  when DEEP PURPLE started writing more FUNK-inflected songs in the mid-1970s to keep up with the POPULAR trends, BLACKMORE departed the group and started the more CLASSICALLY-INDEBTED band RAINBOW with DIO on VOCALS.  this was a GREAT fit as DIO was prone to DRAMATIC LYRICS steeped in IMAGERY borrowed from the MEDIEVAL worlds of FANTASY NOVELISTS.  eventually after two records BLACKMORE wanted to steer RAINBOW in a more POP direction and dropped DIO.  it should be said that RISING (POLYDOR, 1976) is an absolute CLASSIC METAL RECORDING that sadly never got a proper follow-up.  around this period DIO joined BLACK SABBATH after that band famously sacked their much-beloved ORIGINAL SINGER OZZY OSBOURNE.  DIO revived that band's prospects with the HEAVEN & HELL (VERTIGO, 1980) and MOB RULES (VERTIGO, 1981) ALBUMS before departing due to EGO BULLSHIT on account of TONY IOMMI and the rest of the band being drugged out of their COLLECTIVE MINDS.  DIO in comparison was a not a DRUG USER so such friction feels in retrospect pretty INEVITABLE.

so now having been a formerly part of two massively SUCCESSFUL bands, DIO self-funded his own creative effort at starting a NAMESAKE group DIO by recruiting FORMER BLACK SABBATH BANDMATE VINNY APPICE on DRUMS, former RAINBOW BANDMATE JIMMY BAIN on BASS and most famously a YOUNG VIVIAN CAMPBELL (then of SWEET SAVATAGE, later of DEF LEPPARD) on GUITAR.  their debut HOLY DIVER (WARNER BROS, 1983) is a METAL CLASSIC for the ages, with DIO's REMARKABLE, OPERATIC VOCALS taking center stage.  commercially this was the apex of his career. 

CAMPBELL became an INTERNAL issue after leveraging for more money during the recording of the third album, after being promised such by DIO and his MANAGER WIFE WENDY years earlier during his recruitment.  in what is the most UNCOMFORTABLE and HEAD-SCRATCHING moment in the documentary, which largely promotes the NARRATIVE of DIO as a FOCUSED (maybe NAIVE) ARTIST who was screwed over repeatedly by the business efforts of FORMER COLLABORATORS, here was an example of DIO now taking the mantle of IOMMI and BLACKMORE.  he fired CAMPBELL in essence because DIO was his band that he could do what he wanted with, personnel included.  WENDY in the film SMUGLY asserts this line, but even she had to know that such bit into the relatively AMIABLE, GRACIOUS and altogether ALTRUISTIC PUBLIC PERSONA of DIO.  even in retrospect its hard not to side with CAMPBELL.  seems a bit like karma that the follow-up releases never lived up to the quality and/or commercial success of HOLY DIVER.  it may not have mattered in the end since once the 1990s hit with the arrival of NIRVANA and the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion, everything else was effectively carried away with it, not just HAIR METAL but METAL in general. 

​DIO included.

it was only later in the 2000s when UNFORESEEN acts like the JACK BLACK-fronted MUSICAL COMEDY duo TENACIOUS D began earnestly singing his praises that RONNIE JAMES DIO became a VIABLE CULTURAL ENTITY again.  even BLACK SABBATH reformed as HEAVEN & HELL with the ORIGINAL VINNY APPICE lineup for an album and tour before DIO passed on from a bout with STOMACHE CANCER.  it feels like DIO was on the verge of reestablishing his LEGACY when he unexpectedly passed on, which may be the purpose of this AUTHORIZED documentary that his widow largely oversaw.  given his stature in the METAL community, it is a little DISAPPOINTING that more HEAVYWEIGHT FIGURES (and OUTSPOKEN DIO FANS like SCOTT IAN, JAMES HETFIELD, GEOFF TATE, COREY TAYLOR, MATT HEAFY and so on) were not included in the mix.  DIO deserved better, especially given that there was a somewhat recent STAR-STUDDED (including METALLICA, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SCORPIONS and ANTHRAX) tribute album released in his MEMORY.  instead there is an UNFORTUNATE over-reliance on INDUSTRY HACK EDDIE TRUNK for historical context and perspective, which was more than a bit GRATING, but it was at least nice to see VETERAN WRITER MICK WALL thrown in the mix as well.  PARTICIPATING MUSICIANS included ROB HALFORD (JUDAS PRIEST), SEBASTIAN BACH (SKID ROW), DAN LILKER (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.), LITA FORD (THE RUNAWAYS), DON DOKKEN (DOKKEN), JACK BLACK (TENACIOUS D), GLEN HUGHES & ROGER GLOVER (DEEP PURPLE) and surviving FORMER MEMBERS of DIO (VINNY APPICE, RUDY SARZO, DOUG ALDRICH, JEFF PILSON and CRAIG GOLDY) and BLACK SABBATH (TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER and BILL WARD).

so much of what makes up RONNIE JAMES DIO's legacy to me is centered around his OPTIMISM, DECENCY and CHARITY and how he communicated such humanity with that SINGULAR instrument of his: that VOICE.  i think further generations that discover his music will likewise fall in love with the POSITIVE INTENT and MAJESTY of his LYRICS and the TRANSFORMATIONAL POWER of his VOICE, which is the very embodiment of ROCK N ROLL.

RECORDING STUDIOS are FUNNY things

to the outsider and even some MUSICIANS, they are a SONIC TEMPLE full of MYSTIQUE and WONDER where their best intentions are transformed into INSPIRED RECORDED COMPOSITIONS saved for posterity.  in essence they are where musicians go to become IMMORTAL.  to the PRODUCER, ENGINEER and TECHNICIAN, STUDIOS represent something categorically DIFFERENT: a series of purely TECHNICAL ENGINEERING PROBLEMS yet to be solved.  there is NOTHING ILLUSORY or MAGICAL about it all to them, it is just SCIENCE after all.  i was lucky enough to become acquainted with this contradictory dynamic back when my cousin, a TRAINED and EXPERIENCED RECORDING ENGINEER, ran his FORMER STUDIO in GREENPOINT.  to him SOUND was a WAVE to be dissected, analyzed and manipulated, whereas for me (a HOBBYIST GUITARIST and LONG-TIME MUSIC ENTHUSIAST) such was more to be experienced, revered and internalized.

when someone makes a documentary about a RECORDING STUDIO, it tends to be more about its status as a HERALDED CULTURAL INSTITUTION with a social dynamic given the people that have stepped inside and made SEMINAL RECORDINGS, than it is about the actual TECHNICAL aspects of the STUDIO itself.  which is a shame.  and the IF THESE WALLS COULD SING (DISNEY, 2022) film by MARY MCCARTNEY, DAUGHTER of FAMED BEATLE PAUL MCCARTNEY, falls headfirst into this trap regarding the GLOBALLY-REVERED and PRESTIGIOUS ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS.  most of the film goes into detail about stories of LEGENDARY RECORDED PERFORMANCES by everyone from the OBVIOUS (THE BEATLES, PINK FLOYD, OASIS, JOHN WILLIAMS) to the CURIOUS (SESSION MUSICIANS ELTON JOHN and JIMMY PAGE waxing poetic about working with THE HOLLIES and SHIRLEY BASS) and the OBSCURE (FELA RANSOME-KUTI, JACQUELINE DU PRE) in STUDIO B. 

i understand that LANDMARK ALBUMS were created at ABBEY ROAD, with the likes of SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEART CLUB BAND (PARLOPHONE, 1967) and THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON (HARVEST, 1973)  getting special attention in this documentary, but such is pretty much OBVIOUS information.  more INSIGHT into INNOVATIVE RECORDING TECHNIQUES or how the STUDIO compared to LONDON-based COMPETITORS throughout the years, namely OLYMPIC, ISLAND/BASING STREET, MORGAN or AIR STUDIOS.  that tact would have made the film so much more INTERESTING instead of resorting to a NOSTALGIC HAGIOGRAPHY of what is, in a time of DIGITAL RECORDING and DISTRIBUTION, something of a RELIC or worse, an ANACHRONISM of an INDUSTRY that largely doesnt exist anymore.  dont get me wrong, i am glad to live in a world where ABBEY ROAD still exists and is a CELEBRATED CULTURAL INSTITUTION on par with the ROYAL ALBERT HALL, WESTMINISTER ABBEY, TATE MODERN, CANTERBURY CATHEDRAL, STONEHENGE, THE NATIONAL GALLERY or even ANFIELD and OLD TRAFFORD.  but this film seems geared more towards AGING BABY BOOMERS reliving their SALAD DAYS than anything worthwhile to new generations of MUSICIANS and MUSIC FANS.  makes it feel like a BYGONE GOLDEN AGE that has long since transpired, which is kinda DEPRESSING to be honest.

interview PARTICIPANTS included ROGER WATERS, NICK MASON and DAVID GILMOUR of PINK FLOYD, PAUL MCCARTNEY and RINGO STARR of THE BEATLES, LIAM GALLAGHER and NOEL GALLAGHER of OASIS, CLIFF RICHARD, ELTON JOHN, JIMMY PAGE (LED ZEPPELIN), NILE RODGERS (CHIC), SHIRLEY BASS, JOHN WILLIAMS, GEORGE LUCAS and CELESTE.  most INTRIUGING to me where the comments by GILES MARTIN, SON of FAMED BEATLES' PRODUCER GEORGE MARTIN, and LONGTIME ABBEY ROAD TECHNICIAN LESTER SMITH, both of whom briefly talked about the realities of working with technology that is being pushed to its limit.  i just wish the whole documentary was about that and laid off the pixie dust a bit.  but i guess such is what to expect from a DISNEY production.

​in summation, there are better documentaries out there about RECORDING STUDIOS.  watch them and not this one.