Dig! (2004)
So you wanna be a rock and roll
star? Well, listen man, to what this movie has to
say. "Dig!" is the story of Anton Newcombe, frontman
and mad genius behind the indie rock band The Brian
Jonestown Massacre. His complex and fascinating story
is narrated by Courtney Taylor of the alt_pop band
The Dandy Warhols, whose life sometimes fuses with
Newcombe's, giving the film a two-for-the-price-of-one
indie rock doc feel at times but always remaining
compelling and engrossing. In fact, it is often the
very dichotomy between these two bands, musically
as well as personality-wise, that make the film so
intriguing. Juxtaposing Newcombe's wont for the BJM
to remain independent and fresh while somehow basking
in near obscurity against the rise of The Dandys as
European pop stars is always a fascinating equation.
Mixing tons of home video footage
with performances and loose documentary style interviews,
the film paints a picture of Newcombe as a psychotic
genius, an outcast, drug addict and perhaps even a
schizophrenic who seems to insist on damaging any
momentum towards pop stardom that he and his band
seem to generate. The film is filled with intense
moments involving Newcombe that often seem to jump
right out of the screen at the audience. This man
is fascinating and watching him coil, snap, unravel
and then coil once again becomes spellbinding.
The film, pieced together by Ondi
Timoner over a series of several years, is narrated
by Taylor but the singer's close association to the
story (he is a subject almost as much as Newcombe
is) serves to offer insight rather than hinder objectivity.
In fact, Taylor's easy-going demeanor and seeming
lack of self-consciousness seems to provide much of
the humor and warmth of the film and the piece never
seems smug or disingenuous.
But truly it is Newcombe that drives
the film and it is Newcombe that seduces us so easily
in the film. For all his drama and psychosis, for
all his hostility and his bitterness, for all his
misanthropy and myopia, there is also a ton of warmth,
sweetness and tenderness. "Dig!" allows us to see
the man, to see his goodness and his evil, and to
still fall utterly and hopelessly under his spell.
It's a situation Taylor knows intimately. And here,
as tourguide, he invites us to fall with him. It's
an easy trip to take.
Notes:
All the members of the Dandy Warhols
and many members of The Brain Jonestown Massacre are
featured in the film. Lots of songs by the two bands
appear in the film as well including many live performances.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize
for Documentaries at Sundance in 2004.
Viewed at the Alamo Village in February
2005. This was my best experience going to an Alamo
in ages. Maybe it's just the downtown location that
sucks. The film previews featured the standard Alamo
video promos including one for Crispin Glover's "What
Is It?" feature which will be showing later this month.
I already got on-line and bought tickets. The "classic"
trailers before the film included one for a hilarious
looking movie called "Stunt Rock" (Hal Needham style
stunts and car crashes set to a 70's rock music score)
and The Who's "The Kid's are Alright."
