5 Great Rock-n-Roll Documentaries

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By DJ Funktual

# 5 - DIG! (Winner of Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival)

DIG! - The trailer

"Painfully Funny! It's like a spectacular roadside accident; You can't look away!" - Newsweek

This amazing film by Ondi Timoner is one that stays with you months after you see it. Seven years in the making and culled from over 2000 hours of footage, DIG! plunges into the underbelly of Rock-n-Roll, unearthing an incredible true story of success and self-destruction. Anton A. Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre and Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols are star-crossed friends and bitter rivals - DIG! is the story of their loves and obsessions, gigs and recordings, arrests and death threats, uppers and downers, and the delicate balance between art and commerce. The film is even narrated by Courtney Taylor himself.

Two bands, two mindsets, two outcomes. Which one do you like better? Who made the right decisions and who made the wrong ones?

This film comes in a 2-Disc set which features..

  1. 3 Dandy Warhols videos

  2. 3 Brian Jonestown Massacre live performances

  3. a rare Anton Newcombe & Courtney Taylor jam session

  4. "Where are they now?" featurette.

It was written, produced, edited and directed by Ondi Timoner!

More praise for DIG!

"Trancends the Rock-Doc genre!" - Rolling Stone

"The Best Film about musicians and the music industry in years!" - The Guardian

# 4 - The Devil and Daniel Johnston (Sundance Winner As Well)

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

Winner - SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2005 - American Documentary Directing Award

His drawings and sketches are exhibited and sold worldwide. Beck, Wilco, Sonic Youth and Pearl Jam have recorded his songs. But beneath Daniel Johnston's success as an artist and musician is an incredible story of genius touched by madness: diagnosed as manic-depressive, Johnston has spent the last three decades of his life in-and-out of mental institutions. It is told through a compelling combination of self-recorded interviews, home movies and performance footage. Kurt Cobain was a huge fan and supporter of Daniel's as well and is featured wearing his famous Daniel Johnston T-shirt.

"The Razor's Edge of Art and Madness" - John Anderson, NEWSDAY

"Two Thumbs Up" - Ebert & Roeper

Dig!
Amazon Price: $16.95
List Price: $24.98
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Amazon Price: $12.71
List Price: $19.99

# 3 - End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones

In 1974 the New York City music scene was shocked into consciousness by a band of misfits from Queens called the Ramones. Playing in a seedy Bowery barto a small group of fellow struggling musicians, the band struck a dissonant chord that rocked the foundation of the 70s music scene. This quartet of unlikely rock stars connected with the disenfranchised everywhere, sparking a movement that would resonate with two generations of outcasts across the globe. Although the Ramones never reached the top of the charts, they endured in the face of fleeting success and crushing interpersonal conflicts by maintaining a rogorous touring schedule for more than 22 years. Tracing the history of the band, from its unlikely origins through its bitter demise, END OF THE CENTURY is a vibrant, candid document of one of the most influential groups in the History of Rock. These are the facts.

Johnny & Joey & Linda

You will also learn the unbelievable story behind the song, "The KKK Took My Baby Away" written by Joey Ramone.

Joey had one girlfriend in his life.....and she married his racist and notoriously brutal bandmate Johnny Ramone. Johnny eventually married this woman but most people believe Joey never got over it. 'The KKK' is of course referring to Johnny who not only played the song live knowing this but he actually liked the song too. Wanna know how crazy Johnny Ramone is? When the band was inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, Johnny got on the mic in front of a room of punk contemporaries and said, "God bless President Bush!" Now that is about as PUNK as you'll ever see!

# 2 - The U.S. vs. John Lennon

"Lennon's spirit, like his music, shines through this movie like a beacon. - Peter Travers (Rolling Stone)

THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON is the compelling and provocative story of John Lennon's evolution from beloved Beatle to outspoken artist and activist to iconic inspiration for peace, and how in the midst of one of the most tumultuous times in American History. Lennon stood his ground, refused to be silenced and courageously won his battle with the U.S. government. Featuring never before seen footage from the Bed-In in Canada and the December 1969 interview with Gloria Emerson. This infamously contentious interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono at the Apple Records headquarters in London, during which she tried repeatedly not just to dispute the effectiveness of Lennon and Ono's anti-war campaign -- but to belittle the effort and embarrass the couple personally. A great history lesson that we HOPEFULLY won't forget next time we are threatened by our government with such ignorance. Speaking of which....

and the # 1 Rock-Doc is..

The Biggest Selling Female Group of all-time is also the most important. Who knew?

SHUT UP & SING takes you backstage, into the Dixie Chicks' dressing rooms, homes, and recording studio, where they created the 5-time Grammy award winning album "Take the Long Way". Featuring the Song of the Year & Record of the Year 2007 "Not Ready to Make Nice", this album was the first following "The Incident".

In case you live under a rock, the Dixie Chicks political controversy swirled around the statement, "We are ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." LOL! That's all they said. Having an opinion about the already realized 'worst president in US history' is a crime? Uh...isn't this the land of the free? Well...sometimes it is and sometimes it ain't.

End of the Century - The Story of the Ramones
Amazon Price: $5.86
List Price: $13.96
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Amazon Price: $6.87
List Price: $14.98
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up & Sing (Full Screen Edition)
Amazon Price: $2.42
List Price: $14.93

Now this is Hub worth talking about! :)

solarshingles profile image

solarshingles 4 years ago

Hey DJ Funktual, you are a real master of creating good hubs! Very, very good composition! and what is the President's Bush role, there? he should have smiled there, surrounded by beautiful girls):

LdsNana-AskMormon profile image

LdsNana-AskMormon 4 years ago

DJ -

This is a phenomenal hub. Great reporting.

Question - I have a 16-year-old son, who loves "classic" rock and roll just like his mom:-) Would he like any of these... but more of my concern is - would it be age appropriate?

Thanks,

tDMg

LdsNana-AskMormon

DJ Funktual profile image

DJ Funktual Hub Author 4 years ago

I think these would be good for any 16 year old.  #4 is a human study more than a ROCK-DOC because Daniel J had some serious mental problems. 

LdsNana-AskMormon profile image

LdsNana-AskMormon 4 years ago

DJ -

These just looked like something he would really get into. He is already like a rock and roll encylopedia. LOL That, as well as jazz and basketball!

Have you ever heard of a couple of guys by the name of Andy McKee and Don Ross? He is really into them now. Went to see them live and had his guitar even signed by them. Apparently they are relatively unknown, but have been around for quite sometime.

I can't stop listening to them!

Anyway, my son keeps begging me to write a hub about these guys. I think YOU should do it. They are awesome!

My son plays their music and has picked up on their same rhythmic abilities. He used to drum, but plays and breathes only his guitar now:-) We love listening to him. He is great to have around the house.

Live music rocks!

tDMg

Kathryn

DJ Funktual profile image

DJ Funktual Hub Author 4 years ago

Never even heard of them. I can't really write hubs about people I don't know anything about. Sorry. Post a link and I'll listen to it.

LdsNana-AskMormon profile image

LdsNana-AskMormon 4 years ago

This is Don Ross, playing "Afraid to Dance". My son has this one literally mastered by just watching this guy. He doesn't read notes. (my son)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFYa-r9UFyo

I will find one of McKee... Do you want me to post the link here or email it to you?

Thanks,

Kathryn

DJ Funktual profile image

DJ Funktual Hub Author 4 years ago

Either way...I'm easy

LdsNana-AskMormon profile image

LdsNana-AskMormon 4 years ago

DJ -

Here is another link. This one to Andy McKee. Another one my son loves to mess with...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddn4MGaS3N4

Being the funky guy that you are... I am curious as to what you think about these guys? I was suprised to see how many hits this video had received over on YouTube... 13 mil.

Thanks,

Kathryn

Theeyeballkid profile image

Theeyeballkid Level 4 Commenter 2 years ago

Spot on about the Devil and Daniel Johnston, its a brilliant, very moving documentary. Good to see Daniel is doing much better now.

Suzi-Q profile image

Suzi-Q 21 months ago

Another new documentary going aorund the Indie film world is When you're Stange ant it's about The Doors. It's by Tom DiCillo(director of Living in Oblivion) and is narrated by Johnny Depp. It has a bunch of never before seen footage.

DJ Funktual profile image

DJ Funktual Hub Author 21 months ago

Killer! Thnx Suzi-Q

stu-smith72 profile image

stu-smith72 21 months ago

Great Hub as always!

"Anvil- The story of Anvil" is a great roc doc id reccomend. im not a fan of their music but its a truly brilliant and inspirational story

Rex 4 months ago

The real-life exploits of glam band NOVA REX come back to life in this hilarious 2011 documentary DVD that recalls the heavy-metal group riffing through the late 1980s hair-band era before crashing into a wall of early '90s grunge. http://www.quantumrecords.com/

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