Good online documentaries about music...

Just now watch Gimme Danger, starring the Stooges, one of the best roc docs I've ever seen or heard (despite Behind The Music-type intro). If Ig mentions early inspiration by Harry Partch or Miles Davis (or of course Clarabell or the Three Stooges), Jarmusch has apt footage, ditto, when relevant, Pink Fairies (some of whom were proposed for backing Ig's solo debut, but he heard them as "an amalgamation" of the original Alice Cooper band and for inst MC5, so why not get real Stooges)(also has footage of MC5 live, despite their own excellent doc. linked above,still being in legal limbo, last I heard, because disputes over music royalties, although it sometimes shows up on YouTube), (also got relevant rockin clips of Destroy All Monsters and Sonic's Rendevous Band re Asheton involvement), but skips most of Ig and Bowie's post-Stooges work, and in fact all of Ig's solo career----jumping instead to how they got back together---also, the right (often surprising, though I thought I knew a lot of) details about tracks, albums, shows, people----if it's ever into the weeds, eyes are always on the ball, which is always rolling (not too speedy, but fleet). Streaming here, free for now, at least with free Prime membership, which can be cancelled any time:
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01LYRDGU4/moredarkthanshar?ref_=nav_custrec_signin&;

Of course the talk/music ratio is always tricky in these things, but overall effect seemed pretty exhilarating.

I need to see that still. Recall reading criticism of it for being too conventional for a Jarmusch movie. Plus the James Booker "Bayou Maharaja" one.

I thought it was just okay, redeemed largely by Iggy being such a great storyteller. A lot of the sillier animation and cut-in footage was goofy but what else could Jarmusch do - not a ton of archival footage he could rely on or anything.

I got carried away at the beginning of that post, but it's solid, and "conventional" mostly via a just-the-facts-Ma'am momentum that's really a bit atypical for rock docs, given the way so many stick with Behind The Music soap opera and/or infomercial touches---no nostalgic endorsements from Bono and/or Dave Grohl in this one, just comments from the musos and close associates, mainly Danny Fields and Kathy Asheton (didn't know they had a sister, even a mention of her as original connection w MC5, being Sonic Smith's gf---she should write a book)(so should Ig, or maybe he has?). Also, I think it makes clear as excerpts can their strengths and limitations.

The extra footage which is just Iggy making weird sounds is great.

https://youtu.be/2_A9XJQ1UdY

^ New Order documentary, ITV 1993.

Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution is streaming for free on Amazon Prime and is also on Youtube and elsewhere. it's really good. milton parker described it a few years ago on the cluster thread:

there are late 60's film clips from the Zodiak Free Arts Club in the Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution DVD, which is actually a very interesting documentary on the origins of Krautrock -- the first hour is all about Tangerine Dream / Kluster / Ash Ra Tempel, with interviews with Schulze / Moebius / Roedelius / Schnitzler & lots of clips. Kraftwerk's first record isn't even mentioned until 60 minutes in, at which point the documentary switches over mostly to critics talking about the records and the archival footage becomes far less interesting, but if you like Krautrock 68-71 you definitely want to see that DVD

Kraftwerk's first record isn't even mentioned until 60 minutes in, at which point the documentary switches over mostly to critics talking about the records and the archival footage becomes far less interesting

i will say, though, that i actually really liked the talking heads part of it because karl bartos is one of the heads (as well as moebius, roedelius, schniztler, schulze, and others) and he has lots of interesting tidbits about his role within the band when he first joined vs how he was let into the composition process more for man machine and computer world. i'm realizing more and more what an unsung hero bartos is. as far as the archival footage goes for the post radioactivity-era part of the film, i had seen a good deal of it before but there were also plenty of things that were new to me, so i enjoyed it. but yeah, the title is a bit of a misnomer because it's really only about 1/3 to 1/2 kraftwerk, all told, since they also spent a lot of time on early krautrock, new wave, eno and bowie, detroit and chicago techno, and other scenes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agUS6GnZr_U

oooh thx

^so good
Also works as a long podcast if you don’t care about visuals

yeah this was really great!

finished watching the jarmusch GIMME DANGER doc last night: tbed to agree with Οὖτις upthread, that ig as raconteur absolutely made it worth it but the fill-in visual material was all opportunities missed -- if you going to deploy the three stooges so often then at least talk to iggy abt the stooges!

(as it was we got the anecdote -- new to me but i bet not new to the world -- of ron asheton ringing moe to ask permission and iggy snicking muttley-style at the outcome) (which was basically yes)

also: why not did in a little against the entire cliche armature of what the stooges did and what they were against? for rock against hippies, ok -- get ig to talk abt this, push him on the problems. when he's being disobliging abt john sinclair and the white panthers push back and ask if maybe MC5 politics (which ig disdains) isn't the reason the mc5 were eager to help enable creative space for the stooges? he's a highly intelligent cultured man, he absolutely understands irony, th4e answer might be dull and self-serving but maybe it won't be!

if they "destroyed the 60s" what are they doing being inducted into the RnR hall of fame? when tony defries said ig shd play "peter pan" and he gurned back at him "manson or nothing!", i mean, look at where iggy is now: he is literally become the "world's forgotten boy who never grew up"! -- nudge him to comment (instead of replaying "they replaced elvis with fabian, oh my a-boo-hoo" for the trilliionth time, fabian is really not an issue these days

it ends with an anecdote abt the "cool kids" at his school come to harass him in his parents' trailer -- they were bullies and jerks and he hated them and wanted to impress them, well ok, why not expand on the complexities of this too, as an original story or a persona and an act and a stance

anyway the live stuff was good, it was nice to see dave alexender and the ashetons getting some belated human affection, and mr osterberg is always pleasant to spend company with

Think this is the one with sister Kathy or Cathy Asheton? More her please and a family doc, w the music of course.

Just missed a discussion author Ned Sublette had with director Robert Mugge re 2021 restored version of his 1991 Deep Blues doc in Mississippi

Just got this from Jessica Hopper, offering screeners, but also, as it says at bottom, first three eps are already streaming, with a new one about to drop:

Hello music writer buds, strangers, ex-colleagues--

I spent the better part of the last year directing and producing Women Who Rock, a four-part docuseries for EPIX/Amazon, spotlighting women's artistry and their innovations in music. It's four hours of delineating matrilineage, working through the last 70-ish years of popular recordings, from Bessie Smith on up to Syd.

It stars Mavis Staples, Chaka Khan, Rickie Lee Jones, Nona Hendryx of LaBelle, Nancy Wilson of Heart, Pat Benetar, Sheryl Crow, Shania Twain, Joan Jett and few dozen working artists including Tori Amos, Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads, Kira from Black Flag, Jayne County, Merry Clayton, Syd, St. Vincent, Sarah McLachlan, Alice Bag, Yola, Susanna Hoffs, Kelis, Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile, Kathleen Hanna, Sheila E, Nite Jewel, Kate Pierson of B52s, FeFe Dobson, Debora Iyall from Romeo Void, Margo Price, Star Amerasu, Tegan & Sara, Bethany of Best Coast, Aimee Mann, Jody Watley... it's a real cavalcade.

AND ALSO!? Some of your co-workers/mentors/critical faves: Ann Powers, Suzy Exposito, Ayana Contreras, Holly George-Warren, Danyel Smith, Andrea Warner, and Julianne Escobedo-Shepherd all weigh in with their deep expertise. PLUS! Ramona Gonzalez of Nite Jewel outlines the history of women screaming in music! Sheila E talks about building her own studio! Nona talks about being mentored by Nina Simone! Chaka Khan talks about Joni pulling her back from the brink! Shania gets emotional talking about Taylor Swift! A lot happens!

Gendered canons are weird, as we likely all agree, but I tried to make something that was really about what these women endowed to each other, their relationships to each other's work. To put the lie to competitive mythology. And to also have a discussion of punk that isn't centered on Henry Rollins memory of events. Modest and, perhaps, predictable goals.
I hope you enjoy it.

...& the first 3 episodes are streaming on EPIX and Amazon now.
They will hook you up with whatever you need.
Episode 4 airs this Sunday.

Best --
Jessica H.

up to Syd whut?

possibly Syd tha Kyd?

Syd Straw?

You have to sign up for Night Flight to watch this, but they have some good stuff, might not be too bad (haven't checked for any prices)

Fugazi - Instrument (1999)
Instrument is a collaboration between filmmaker Jem Cohen and Fugazi, covering the period of 1987-1996. Far from a traditional documentary, this is a musical document; a portrait of musicians at work.

The project mixes sync-sound, 16mm. Super-8 video and a wide range of archival formats, including concert footage, studio sessions practice, touring, interviews and portraits of audience members from around the country. (Special thanks to our friends at Dischord for tonight's new arrival).

"...a beguiling, mesmerizing film, because it never settles on a straightforward path. It creates a portrait of the band without revealing the whole picture." — Kyle Ryan, The AV Club

Sorry! Link to Night Flight is in here:
https://mailchi.mp/nightflight/fugaziinstrument?e=42851f1305

Only tangentially music, but I watched this Milton Glaser (famous Dylan poster, various album covers) documentary off YouTube last night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ1YHqgZzGQ

This is so great -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO4N_wgbl-o

I have no idea who Miller miller miller and sloan are but watched the first 10 minutes and the music sounds fantastic and the documentary interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWP_fmRnDEc

The Death (band) documentary^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLvCp7zqzxs

I have no idea who Miller miller miller and sloan are but watched the first 10 minutes and the music sounds fantastic and the documentary interesting.

I actually saw a bit of that - also didn't know who they were before, but one of those guys went on to build a pretty good career as an engineer. (He even worked on 3 Feet High and Rising.)