The Best Indie Documentaries on Rock
Image Credits: Pixabay
When it comes to the genre of rock documentaries, there are rock documentaries and documentaries that rock. This here is a list containing names of the latter variety.
So, if you’re a big fan of rock music and indie documentaries, this list shall see you through the weekend.
Image Credits: Pixabay
The Year That Punk Broke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as5tGEyu3Is
The Year That Punk Broke is a documentary that came out in 1991. It wasn’t the best in terms of production quality. After all, it was put together from super8 footage that stretched 9 hours in length.
However, the end result was a film that found itself being compared to stellar productions within the genre such as Heavy Metal Parking Lot, The Last Waltz, and Woodstock.
The Year That Punk Broke traces the movements of famous Punk Rock band, Sonic Youth, as they make their way through the European festival circuit. We see the band interacting with other Punk/Rock greats such as Dinosaur Jr., Mudhoney, Babes in Toyland and a relatively lesser known act called “Nirvana”.
While the film does focus primarily on Sonic Youth, there is a segment on Nirvana that serves as a powerful preview of things to come.
DIG!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9IH-qVU5EM
DIG! is a brilliant documentary that follows two major rock acts from the early 90s – The Dandy Warhol’s and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. We get to see the rise and fall of both the bands as they fall victim to a music industry that can only be described as “opportunistic”.
The documentary’s director is Ondi Timoner, who is also known for her work titled “We Live in Public”.
Instrument
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEcbbsfPUV4
If rock meant freedom, Fugazi is one band that stayed true to that definition. The band was known for being very particular about managing themselves and staying independent. Needless to say, this very much helped them fall in line with their rhetoric.
Instrument was actually developed with oversight from the band. A lot of the content in here showcases the band tirelessly explaining their anti-corporate views, which is the primary theme in their music as well.
Though the documentary was criticized for its lack of a narrative, it doesn’t take long for the average fan to realize that the film actually agrees with Fugazi’s own method for communicating ideas.
Meeting People Is Easy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOuDST1uF20
Meeting People is Easy highlights the harsh reality of being a rock band through the perspective of one of rock’s most depression inducing acts, Radiohead. Viewers get to see the sheer physical, emotional, and mental pressure placed on the band as they deal with the drudgery of being on tour.