Dig

Dig
I am not a fan of rock and roll. On the other hand I love to learn something new. The Bloor Hot Docs offers the most wonderful opportunity to learn about a variety of topics. The Toronto International Film Festival begins this week. I don’t review films that have not opened. I take notes and will write them up if and when they open. This was my last chance to see a film before the festival. I love to support this amazing documentary house. That is why I headed to see a film about a topic that was quite foreign to me.

I had never heard of The Dandy Warhols or the Brian Jonestown Massacre. Both are famous rock groups. The Dandy Warhols have gone on to become famous. The other group still plays but has never made a lot of money.

What a life! We meet many of the members of the bands. We certainly get to hear a lot of the raucous music. Anton, the leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre was a character. It probably is safe to say he also had mental problems. He couldn’t get along with people. He saw himself as a messiah of rock and roll. There often was mayhem on the stage. He threw instruments and sometimes stormed off the stage. He didn’t listen to anybodies suggestions. His language was offensive all the time. Anton actually felt that nobody could play music like him.

One of his alums was called. Thank Goodness for Mental illness.  

I was interested in the interview with his mother and father. His father was an alcoholic with psychological problems.

It was interesting that Anton’s group was a big success in Europe and Japan.

The players all took drugs. They lived in dirty messy places. Some of the scenes felt as if I was watching psychedelic music. I can imagine that someone could actually have a migraine triggered by the wavy photo shots and the raucous music. Anton was called a ’brilliant monster.’

The path of the two groups overlaps. It was pointed out that many of the people that worked with Anton went on to success but he has remained in the same place.

It certainly was a different experience. How interesting!