Rock Docs

Latest Episodes:

Rock Docs Live - In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50 Oct 24, 2023

Show notes

This episode is a recording of the first-ever live Rock Docs podcast, recorded at the home of Michael and Kristy Rennie along with friends and fans of the podcast. Along with King Crimson superfan Roger Morrison, we watched the 2022 documentary "In the Court of the Crimson King: King Crimson at 50", directed by Toby Amies.

What you'll hear in this episode is the conversation following the screening.

The movie is an exploration of the legendary prog rock band King Crimson, overseen by Robert Fripp, the band's leader and only consistent member. We see the band as they prepare for and go on a 50th anniversary tour, along with interviews with current and past members.

The movie is as eccentric as the band itself, and is also surprisingly warm and funny. Featuring memorable moments from fans (including a nun) and the band's grizzled roadies.

Thanks again to Michael and Kristy for co-hosting the event, to Michael for stepping into Andy's shoes as the episode's co-host, and to Roger for his KC insights.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing with Dylan Tupper Rupert Oct 10, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing", a 2006 doc about the (formerly Dixie) Chicks and the fallout from Natalie Maines' famous 2003 comment, "We do not want this war, this violence. We're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas". The film was directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck.

Our guest for this episode is the music writer and podcast producer Dylan Tupper Rupert.

We follow the band as they deal with the immediate repercussions of the statement and get a view of the social and political climate in the U.S. during the early days of the Iraq War. The movie takes us back and forth between 2003 and the band's 2005-6 recording of their next album, Taking the Long Way, and subsequent tour.

The movie presents the Chicks as a trio with an unbreakable bond facing the first real challenge to their spectacular career. While the focus is on "the comment" and what follows, the movie also gives us an opportunity to appreciate the Chicks' incredible catalog of hits and undeniable musicianship.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

The Devil and Daniel Johnston with Noah Bond Sep 26, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "The Devil and Daniel Johnston", a 2005 doc about the musician, outsider artist, and revered cult figure Daniel Johnston, directed by Jeff Feuerzeig.

The movie was selected by our guest Noah Bond, who plays drums with many excellent bands including Cut Worms, Bonnie Doon, Sylvie, and Anna St. Louis.

Daniel Johnston was an illustrator, filmmaker, and a musician who wrote and recorded countless beautiful songs, most of which were captured on a home cassette deck accompanied only by his rudimentary piano and guitar. Daniel was a troubled soul. He suffered from bipolar disorder and was hospitalized multiple times.

The film focuses on his upbringing, featuring deeply revealing interviews with his family, as well as the outpouring of art that followed his brief college friendship with fellow artist Laurie Allen, who unknowingly became Daniel's muse. Eventually Daniel found a measure of fame for his music and art thanks to the attention he received from supporters such as Kurt Cobain.

Daniel's life wasn't easy on him or the people around him. The film is a remarkable tribute to him and an enormous accomplishment.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche with Sweeping Promises Sep 12, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche", a 2021 doc about the British punk legend and X-Ray Spex leader, directed by Celeste Bell and Paul Sng.

The movie was selected by our guests, Sweeping Promises. Check out their outstanding new album Good Living Is Coming for You.

Poly Styrene, born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, was the child of a Scottish-Irish mother and a Somali father. Celeste Bell, her daughter, narrates and appears in the film in addition to being its co-director. It's a very personal examination of Poly's life and career as Celeste deals with the aftermath of Poly's 2011 death from cancer.

We learn about Poly's challenging youth as a mixed-race child in postwar Britain, her explosion as a teenage icon in the early British punk scene, and the mental health issues that arose as she encountered New York for the first time. If you're looking for a movie where John Lydon and Sid Vicious come off as good guys, this is not the film for you.

Poly went through several hospitalizations, became a Hare Krishna, lost custody of and later reunited with Celeste, and continued to pursue her artistic ambitions through it all.

It's a beautiful movie and it will hopefully continue to bring more attention to Poly Styrene's life and work.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio talks Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Aug 29, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami", a doc about legendary Jamaican singer and style icon Grace Jones, directed by Sophie Fiennes.

The movie was selected by our guest, Kyp Malone, who you probably know from the seminal 2000's Brooklyn indie-rock band TV on the Radio.

Bloodlight and Bami and is a verite portrait of Grace Jones' life, over the course of a few years in the 2010s. If you're looking for a Wikipedia-style run through Grace Jones' career and the backstory of how she got there, this ain't it. You are just right there with her, living her life. Fortunately, she is a compelling enough figure to carry a movie without a lot of hand-holding by the filmmakers. The movie features many stunning performances (what a voice! she's still got it!), a trip back to Jamaica to reunite with family, scenes of Grace dealing with record companies and TV producers and chewing out Sly & Robbie, and some genuinely touching moments.

Kyp absolutely brought the goods and we were honored and thrilled to have him on. Check out his solo stuff & go see him when he comes to your town.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Lance Bangs & The Elephant 6 Recording Co. Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "The Elephant 6 Recording Co." (C.B. Stockfleth, 2023), about the titular record label's roster of wild outsider indie artists such as Neutral Milk Hotel, the Olivia Tremor Control, the Apples In Stereo, Elf Power, the Music Tapes, the Minders, the Gerbils, of Montreal, Beulah, Dressy Bessy, Great Lakes & more.

Our Very Special Guest is the legendary Lance Bangs, whose credits are too long to list here, but he's worked with most of your favorite musical artists and all of your favorite Jackasses.

The movie is a true audiovisual treat, and Lance was there at the time with these musicians (he was roommates with Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel) and provided much of the film and still photography seen in the movie. So he's the perfect person to shed light on the 90's underground music and art scene in Athens, GA and the making of the movie itself. Plus we discuss the origin of Jackass, his films about Pavement and Slint, and the long and tantalizing list of musicians who Lance has filmed over the years for documentaries we hope to see one day.

The Elephant 6 Recording Co. is in US theaters August 25th, 2023 and on VOD September 1 (Amazon & Apple TV) from Greenwich Entertainment. In Canadian Theaters August 25th and VOD September 26th from levelFILM.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

WHAM! with Candice Renee Aug 08, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "WHAM!" (Chris Smith, 2023), a hot new Netflix doc about the massively successful George Michael/Andrew Ridgeley collab.

Our Very Special Guest is Candice Renee from Treble Media! Our podcast is brought to you by Treble Media. And Candice was our guest way back in 2021 for our episode about the documentary "Hype!"! She only talks about rock docs with exclamation points!

WHAM! is actually a very sweet movie about two best friends who supported each other through an unbelievable journey. The movie features the voices of both Andrew Ridgeley and the late George Michael sharing their stories of how they met as kids, how George was influenced by Andrew, and Andrew's perspective on watching his childhood friend eclipse him in artistic ambition and commercial appeal. And of course the movie has loads of great music and extremely entertaining fashion and hair choices.

Plus: was George Michael the Steely Dan of 80's pop?

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Grateful Dawg with Brian Weinstein of Attendance Bias Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "Grateful Dawg" (Gillian Grisman, 2000), which chronicles the friendship and artistic collaboration between Jerry Garcia and David Grisman.

Our Very Special Guest is Brian Weinsten of the podcast Attendance Bias. Brian was nice enough to have us on his show and we're returning the favor.

Grateful Dawg is very much a family affair - the director's father is David Grisman, other family members appear in the show, and it features cinematography by Justin Kreutzmann, son of Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann.

Garcia and Grisman connected in the 60's around the time the Dead was starting to take off. They had a bluegrass band together, Old and In the Way. After that band fell apart, they lost touch for years. The film goes through that history but focuses primarily on the period of time between their reconnection in the late 80s and Garcia's death in 1995. During that time, playing music with Grisman and spending time with Grisman's family and fellow musicians was a respite from the strain of being "Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead". The film captures revealing moments of Jerry away from the spotlight and (as we explain) contains several musical performances presented in full, along with the absolutely hilarious 1991 music video for Garcia/Grisman's cover of the blues classic "The Thrill Is Gone". It's a great hang.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Neil Young: Harvest Time with Tyler Wilcox Jul 18, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "Harvest Time" (Neil Young, 2022), which consists of footage shot by Neil and his crew between January and September 1971 during the creation of his acclaimed and beloved album "Harvest". Our Very Special Guest is Tyler Wilcox, who plays in the band Prairiewolf (check out their self-titled album out now!), curates the excellent Doom & Gloom From the Tomb site (a selection of rad bootlegs + other music), and writes for Aquarium Drunkard, among other accomplishments. Tyler is a real deal Neil head.

Harvest Time is, if we're not screwing this up, the first documentary we've reviewed that was directed by the artist in question. It's totally verite style - there's no latter-day commentary. Everything you see and hear was created in 1971. We follow Neil as he jams on the Harvest tunes at the Broken Arrow Ranch with his recently-assembled band the Stray Gators, in the studio as he records harmonies with Crosby, Stills, and Nash (in various combinations), as he tries to get the London Symphony Orchestra to get into his groove, and as he stumbles into a Nashville radio station to discuss the then-upcoming album (and the film itself).

Harvest Time is a portrait of a pivotal time in the career of one of the most legendary musicians in rock history. If you abandon the idea of a conventional narrative and just hang back and enjoy the music and the vibes, it's really something.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

Gimme Danger - Iggy & the Stooges with Dan Koch Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

Today's episode is about "Gimme Danger" (Jim Jarmusch, 2016), which is about Iggy & the Stooges. It's a rags-to-more rags story. We are all at least halfway to Jarmusch-heads. And of course we all love Iggy & the Stooges. If you care about punk rock, or any kind of rock, or music, or just watching Iggy, an extremly articulate and thoughtful person, discussing the fascinating events of his life while surrounded by his laundry, this is the movie for you.

Plus: Iggy roasts "Marrakesh Express"! Ron Asheton's phone call with Moe Howard! Mike Watt! And were the Stooges the second-ever jam band? Our Very Special Guest is Dan Koch of the podcast Pretty Good Vibrations. Pretty Good Vibrations analyzes and celebrates pop and rock music and its crucial role throughout our lives. We super highly recommend PGV.

Rock Docs is a Treble Media Podcast hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt

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