2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Can You DIG! It?
A tale of two bands on DVD
Raul Stancov
Issue date: 11/28/05 Section: Life & Leisure
DIG!
Director: Ondi Timoner
Released: 2004 DVD
The musical revolution has begun! Can you dig it? If you don't, could you start your own?
It was 1995 when the shooting of "DIG!" began. It took seven years to acquire enough footage for the documentary.
"DIG!" captures the obstacles that original bands face when they try to break out of the mainstream. Pop Rock in the '90s was bombarded with recycled post-grunge artists and later rap rock.
There was no space for dynamic shoe-gazing pop artists like The Dandy Warhols or '60s revivalists, The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The leader of the B.J.M, Anton Newcomb, is a musical genius who wants to have his revolution without the help of a major label. His insane approach to music affects his daily social life and breaks off reasonable record deals.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre from San Francisco struggles by touring under numerous indie rock labels: Rubric, Bomp, Voxx, Tee Pee, The Committee To Keep Music Evil, Which and TVT Records. The band gained a large part of their fame through street fights, drug use, arrests, band breakups, chaotic stage performances and the rivalry with The Dandy Warhols.
The Dandies from Portland, Oregon were less concerned with Newcomb's revolution because they were signed to a major label called Capitol Records.
"We hit the big time," said songwriter Courtney Taylor from The Dandy Warhols just before the first record got rejected. It is the conflict between the suits and the artist. Who decides what music is marketable? "There are no hits on the record," said A&R Perry Watts-Russel to Courtney after finishing what the Dandies eventually called "The Black Album," which was never released.
Meanwhile The Brian Jonestown Massacre, which is signed to an indie label, records an album for $17 dollars titled, "Thank God For Mental Illness," under Bomp Records. Not bad for a band that didn't have a drummer earlier that day.
In 1996, The Brian Jonestown Massacre released two more records. One under Bomb Records, "Take It From The Man," and another on Voxx Records titled, "The Satanic Majesties' Second Request"
Director: Ondi Timoner
Released: 2004 DVD
The musical revolution has begun! Can you dig it? If you don't, could you start your own?
It was 1995 when the shooting of "DIG!" began. It took seven years to acquire enough footage for the documentary.
"DIG!" captures the obstacles that original bands face when they try to break out of the mainstream. Pop Rock in the '90s was bombarded with recycled post-grunge artists and later rap rock.
There was no space for dynamic shoe-gazing pop artists like The Dandy Warhols or '60s revivalists, The Brian Jonestown Massacre. The leader of the B.J.M, Anton Newcomb, is a musical genius who wants to have his revolution without the help of a major label. His insane approach to music affects his daily social life and breaks off reasonable record deals.
The Brian Jonestown Massacre from San Francisco struggles by touring under numerous indie rock labels: Rubric, Bomp, Voxx, Tee Pee, The Committee To Keep Music Evil, Which and TVT Records. The band gained a large part of their fame through street fights, drug use, arrests, band breakups, chaotic stage performances and the rivalry with The Dandy Warhols.
The Dandies from Portland, Oregon were less concerned with Newcomb's revolution because they were signed to a major label called Capitol Records.
"We hit the big time," said songwriter Courtney Taylor from The Dandy Warhols just before the first record got rejected. It is the conflict between the suits and the artist. Who decides what music is marketable? "There are no hits on the record," said A&R Perry Watts-Russel to Courtney after finishing what the Dandies eventually called "The Black Album," which was never released.
Meanwhile The Brian Jonestown Massacre, which is signed to an indie label, records an album for $17 dollars titled, "Thank God For Mental Illness," under Bomp Records. Not bad for a band that didn't have a drummer earlier that day.
In 1996, The Brian Jonestown Massacre released two more records. One under Bomb Records, "Take It From The Man," and another on Voxx Records titled, "The Satanic Majesties' Second Request"