The Baker's Dozen Best Rock 'N Roll Documentary Films

Preface: Like other Baker’s Dozen lists, this one is a living document, created only from the movies that I have seen and including none that I’ve heard are good, but have yet to see. I’m sure that once I have seen some of the ones you’re going “What about…” right now, well sir, maybe those fuckers will be added at a later date.
But until that time, feast your eyes and submit to...



The Baker’s Dozen Best Rock ‘N Roll Movies Ever Made-Documentary Style

1. No Direction Home
   The only way you can successfully create a documentary about one of music’s most important music figures of all time is to commission one of film’s most important directors of all time. Scorsese not only weaves a very compelling account of Dylan ’61-’66, he adds new dimensions to songs that are perfect in their own realm. The other commendable thing that Scorsese does is make you want to go out immediately after viewing the movie and buy a couple of Dylan albums. Throughout it, Dylan himself gives modern commentary that offer little in terms of sage advice but plenty in making Bob Dylan come across as just a regular dude from Minnesota.
2. The Filth And The Fury
   Julian Temple rebounds incredibly from his other Sex Pistols movie, The Great Rock ‘N Roll Swindle, by focusing on the people in the band rather than spinning the myth that Malcolm McLaren originally weaved. These were not the smartest individuals in the world, but the hyperactive speed (for the time) rise to notoriety made everyone a helluva lot wiser. Except for Sid, of course, who struggled to maintain without the aid of caretaker Johnny Rotten. In one of the most moving scenes, Rotten breaks down as if he failed while trying to protect the dim Vicious. Great filmmaking that captures the excitement of the volatile London ’77 scene and shows the humanity of the band like never before.
3. Dig!
   I went into this film a Dandy Warhols fan and came out of it a Brian Jonestown Massacre fan. Oh sure, I still enjoy the Warhols a bit, but like head-Dandy Courtney Taylor, I fell in love with Anton Newcombe’s madcap antics and free-fall into self-destruction. And self-destruction to Anton means taking the band down with him. Obsessively documented, this slice of life from two of rocks most notable players in the 90’s underground scene (and the dichotomy of one band hell-bent on achieving success while the other band violently reacts to the prospects of it) is a remarkable sight.
4. Some Kind Of Monster­
   At the time this movie was released, I was firmly an enemy of the Metallica camp. The Black Album wounded the band’s integrity, but Some Kind Of Monster killed it. At the same time, the fact that they allowed this movie to be released at all makes it the most rocking thing they have done since …And Justice For All. Throughout it, but particularly during the moments with the creepy life coach, you just want to grab each member and yell, “Wake the fuck up!” Apparently, Jason Newstad did, and he left the band immediately before filming began.
5. The End Of The Century
   They pretended to be four dumb bruthas from N.Y.C., but this documentary shows how they were anything but stupid. The type of film that leaves you feeling like The Ramones were the greatest rock ‘n roll band ever. The shocker: Johnny and Joey spoke relatively little to one another thanks to a lover’s triangle. And now three of them are dead?! That just ain't right, man...
6. The Kids Are Alright
   It felt like the end of The Who when Keith Moon died, and this documentary from around the same time, felt like a great way to canonize the group on the eve of their retirement. The band picked up Kenny Jones and soldiered on for a few more albums, but this documentary proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the The Who once ruled the world. Probably the only movie on this list that contains pyrotechnics….and not the legitimate kind either. I cannot think of any other lip-synching television appearance as exciting as The Who on The Smothers Brothers show.
7. The Decline of the Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years
   While it certainly didn’t do much to enhance the credibility of heavy metal, it absolutely showed how entertaining it was. From Ozzy’s scrambled eggs to Chris Holmes drunk and pathetic in his fucking pool, you can’t make that shit up! And to this day, I have no idea what the fuck London had against the Soviet Union. Of course, most of you have no idea who the fuck London even is.
8. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
   How lucky was it that the film was rolling while Wilco was making their masterpiece? Pretty lucky, especially considering that they also were going through inter-band turmoil, being dropped from their label, and finding better days at the end of the entire drama.
9. Westway To The World
   Quite simply, it’s the film that turned me into a major Joe Strummer fan. Sure, I was a fan of The Clash prior to Westway (it’s why I bought it, yo) but hearing Strummer’s Everyman and unimposing delivery, I can’t think of a better hero to have.
10. The Last Waltz
    Another Scorsese landmark, particularly for implementing a rotoscoping technique to remove a cocaine booger from one Neil Young. I will confess to not fully appreciating The Band and, as a result, this film was actually given to me as a gift. Nonetheless, it’s a very informative and entertaining documentary, even if it fails to answer the question “What the fuck does Neil Diamond have to do with The Band?” It also demonstrates, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Robbie Robertson is an egotistical prick.
11. The Fearless Freaks
    Wayne Coyne is the kind of guy that I’d like to live next door to. He’s one of those genuine people that views life in a very unique manner and his enthusiasm about living it at the fullest. Even mowing the lawn is provided with a bent perception and his retelling of an armed robbery while working at Long Johns Silver’s is hilarious. All of this is counterbalanced with guitarist/drummer/keyboardist Steven Drozd’s on-camera heroin addiction and bassist Michael Ivins receding hairline.
12. Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars
    This was a toss up: T-Rex’s Born To Boogie or this, the last performance of Bowie’s Ziggy character. Two things put the Ziggy movie on the list: the fact that Bowie’s band had gotten so shit-hot that they could’ve performed the set in their sleep and at the moment where David/Ziggy tells the audience to “Shut up” during one of the acoustic moments. After you’ve heard the T-Rextasy frenzy of some of the teenage girls that made up Bolan’s performance, you’d wish he’d uttered the same words too. Oh, and Mick Ronson delivers one of his best solos ever on film too.
13. Kurt & Courtney­
    Anyone that gives screen time to the Mentor’s El Duce drunken claims needs serious criticism. At the same time, you have to hand it to director Nick Broomfield’s decision from going from a movie about the “murder” of Kurt Cobain to Courtney Love’s manhandling of the Cobain legacy. I remember thinking that the film was a little harsh on her and that she was rightfully protective of her dead husband’s legacy. But now, I think that Broomfield may have been the first person to figure out that Love was nothing more than an opportunistic con, which means that she probably fit in perfectly with a wack job like El Duce. And Rozz Rezabek’s on-camera breakdown, the one where he goes “And a kinder, gentler Charlie Manson is still fucking Charlie Manson…So don’t fuck with me Courtney!” Priceless.
    

Some honorable mentions include:

Urgh! A Music War
Missed it by this much: there's enough shitty performances here to knock it from the list. At the same time, some of the good performances (XTC, Devo, The Cramps, Wall of Voodoo) are awesome enough to recommend this flick.

Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii
The performance is awesome. The behind the scenes at the Dark Side Of The Moon recording session is staged. And the director's cut animation that they tacked on is completely retarded. Thanfully, the dvd issue allows you to watch the original version without the retardedness.

Don't Look Back
Another Dylan entry. Another D.A. Pennebaker entry. Dylan before the motorcycle crash and the only reason it didn't make the list is because No Direction Home includes a lot of the same footage, including the parts where Bob freaks his shit on an interviewer.

Stop Making Sense
I used to love this movie and, to some extent, I still do. But the moment I learned that the Talking Heads overdubbed some of the performances during the mixing process, some of the magic was lost for me.

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