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Bookmark this page50 greatest music films ever
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| Road rage: Anton Newcombe (right) with the Dandy Warhol's Courtney Taylor |
22 ‘DiG!’
(Ondi Timoner, 2004)
Regardless
of mythical (or not) tales about using fish as sex toys, touring is a
boring, bloody and brutal nightmare. If you’re lucky enough to go on a
tour like the one documented in ‘Festival Express’, in which The Band,
Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin spend two weeks in the summer of 1970 on
a train packed with friends, free booze, drugs and a gourmet restaurant
car, then it will probably be an enjoyable experience. But, for most
bands, touring is a mind- and friendship- destroying slog in which the
uppers, downers and groupies are cheap and more likely to destroy your
immune system than keep you going.
If ever a film catches this
on-the-road pain it’s ‘DiG!’, Ondi Timoner’s seven-years-in-the-making
rockumentary about psychedelic also-rans the Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Great guffawworthy moments arrive when frontman Anton Newcombe whines
the immortal line, ‘You broke my sitar, motherfucker,’ and when the
band’s jester/tambourine shaker Joel Gion pops up. But much of ‘DiG!’
deals with Newcombe’s paranoia (with record labels, The Dandy Warhols,
the director, you name it), ever expanding ego (including a messianic
complex) and a massive drug intake – out of control in the grubby petri
dish of constant touring. It’s a film that Pete Doherty should be
forced to watch with his eyes peeled back like Malcolm McDowell in ‘A
Clockwork Orange’ because it depicts a man losing his marbles and
believing his own hype without ever having proved himself. By the end
of ‘DiG!’, Newcombe, a man you’ll struggle to find sympathy for, has
lost his band mates, his friends and gets arrested for kicking an
abusive audience member in the face ‘Karate Kid’-style. It came as
little surprise when Newcombe disowned the film.
Elsewhere in
the world of bands on tour, things don’t look any more appealing.
Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy gets royally messed up in ‘I Am Trying To Break
Your Heart’ and the Ramones documentary, ‘End Of A Century’, is
essentially the tale of a group who’ve signed up to go on the road for
all eternity as a cartoon punk band. None of the members like each
other at all. They refuse to talk and the band’s existence becomes a
depressing gladiator match of a punk rock tour. One in which Johnny
Ramone is the last man standing.
For a more positive spin on
touring, perhaps see Cameron Crowe’s fictional ‘Almost Famous’, which
shows the shallow fun times (‘I’m on druuuugs,’ shouts Stillwater
frontman Russell Hammond), while Blur’s ‘Starshaped’ and the Minutemen
documentary, ‘We Jam Econo’, make touring as an indie band seem more
palatable. ‘Starshaped’ follows a young, spotty Blur journeying across
Europe fuelled by booze and features an important lesson to any touring
band: don’t drink tea from a cup and saucer while in a taxi. ‘We Jam
Econo’ – slang for doing things on the cheap – is rather more serious.
It shows early ’80s US indie punks and young idealists Minutemen touring
against all odds, being spat on and living in squalor, just because
they want to use their voice. It’s a triumphant, poignant film that,
quite rightly, and for their own health, will scare away poseurs or
naive indie kids who think getting in the van is an easy ride. Chris Parkin
Greatest hit The leader of Brian Jonestown Massacre dons some robes and thinks he’s God.
Top 50 index | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-6 | 5-1
Author: Dave Calhoun. Written by Derek Adams, Geoff Andrew, Dave Calhoun, Wally Hammond, Michael Hodges, Martin Horsfield, Martin Hoyle, David Jenkins, Trevor Johnston, Eddy Lawrence, Sharon O'Connell, Chris Parkin, Graeme Thomson, Peter Watts
User comments on this story
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- Vince said...
- this list is horse shit, wot's the deal, because the brits hate the irish you can't out "the commitments" or "once" up in the top 50? and did you forget about a movie one of your own made called "the wall"? and the number one film listed is a bloody movie about the world's worst singer karen carpenter? wot the hell???? Posted on Oct 06 2007 05:04
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- Massimo said...
- The worst movie ever, with the best soundtrack ever: Streets of Fire! Posted on Oct 05 2007 20:53
- Report as inappropriate
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- vagabondjohn said...
- What? No "Sunshine Daydream" or "Renaldo and Clara"? But at least "Be Here To Love Me" broke the top ten... Posted on Oct 05 2007 20:43
- Report as inappropriate
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- Marc said...
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...and that Carpenters film told with dolls is better than "The Kids Are Alright"?
Man, April Fools Day comes earlier every year. Posted on Oct 05 2007 17:39 - Report as inappropriate
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- kanchi said...
- RISE ABOVE - THE TRIBE 8 STORY directed by TRACY FLANNIGAN this is such a cool film about the lesbian punk band from california who are on the dead kennedys label - alternative tenticles. even if u don't like their music it is a well-made, interesting and inspiring film. i was sad (but not suprised) to see this (and other riot grrl/ women in music etc) films missing from the list. is it still uncool to be a feminist? Posted on Oct 05 2007 16:19
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- Matthew W said...
- Some amazing films here but c'mon, you're just trying to get a rise out of us with Superstar at No 1. What about Rockers, Stardust & That'll be the Day, Quadropeinia, Woodstock, (Slade in) Flame? Posted on Oct 05 2007 14:15
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- jules henry said...
- What about Babylon (1980)? Posted on Oct 05 2007 13:37
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- steven menkin said...
- What? Where is The Great Rock & Roll Swindle Posted on Oct 05 2007 13:30
- Report as inappropriate
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- Matt said...
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anyone any ideas on how I could find a copy of "So You wanna be a rock 'n' roll star?", or will I have to wait until it comes back on BBC four?
any help would be much appreciated.
cheers. Posted on Oct 05 2007 12:35 - Report as inappropriate
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- monkeystar said...
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I dont want to be funny but how could you leave out The Blues Brothers??? Really, with Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, James Brown and all the other superstars, this is one of the best films about a band and top music ever..
MS Posted on Oct 05 2007 12:30 - Report as inappropriate
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- Matt said...
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anyone any ideas on how I could find a copy of this film, or will I have to wait until it comes back on BBC four?
any help would be much appreciated.
cheers. Posted on Oct 04 2007 13:50 - Report as inappropriate
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