Dig!

This cinéma vérité rock 'n' roll documentary filmed over 7 years and culled from 1500 hours of footage won Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. It traces the divergent fortunes of the Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre as the former compliantly rise to fame and fortune and the latter spiral into dissolution.

Centerstage is Anton Newcombe, singer and songwriter for the Brian Jonestown Massacre and to one side Courtney Taylor who fulfils the same role for the Dandy Warhols and who narrates their story (or his version of it). The main premise is that Newcombe was a brilliant creative talent but also a dysfunctional, drug-addled sod (in this respect the identification with Brian Jones was a self-fulfilling prophecy). The latter aspect is well documented by Timoner although the former is never justified despite some outlandish claims, not least from Newcombe himself.

Whilst there are some voyeuristically amusing diversions to be had from the antics of BJM on the road, particularly from Newcombe and his tambourine-playing side-kick, Joel Gion, this sort of thing has now been done many times before (most famously in The Rolling Stones' Cocksucker Blues) and unless you happen to be a fan of either or both performers or have an insatiable appetite for behind-the-scenes of the music industry this will be of little more than passing interest as yet another headstone in the graveyard of punk.

 

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