A documentary on the once promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. The friendship between respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor, escalated into bitter rivalry as the Dandy Warhols garnered major international success while the Brian Jonestown Massacre imploded in a haze of drugs.
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Reviews
Absolutely Brilliant!
This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.
The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
I just stumbled onto this guy who plays in the NYC subways and I tell you, he has more fire, talent, balls, anger, aggression, you name it, than any of this hyped self loving crap.He goes by Shakerleg and he has REINVENTED a damn instrument. Playing so completely wild and charging people up in a way NONE of these losers in this movie can. Anton??? Please... give me a break... play something slightly different from song to song, not the same two chord bull@#&%^ 4/4 time you are passing off for musical talent... Jeeeezus... Radiohead would wipe the floor with the oiled up hair of that pompous no talent hack. But seriously check out this Shakerleg guy. He had my head spinning I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Bashing away on this bizarre drumset with his bare hands. Something totally new that needs to be recognized... I couldn't believe I stood there that long listening to what I thought sounded like a full out song when it was just this guy drumming in this unbelievable way... I feel like quitting my job (accounting!) and becoming this guys manager. http://www.shakerleg.com http://myspace.com/shakerleg. Truly one of the most inspiring musicians I have ever witnessed... totally raw... and totally taking an instrument to a place it's never been. I'm done.
why did Ondi focus on all the gossip and stupid crap! she had an amazing band to work with (BJM) wheres all the music. wheres the concert footage.why so negative Ondi.i thought i was going to be watching a music documentary. not jerry springer. its frustrating more than anything. i think Ondi didn't like Anton and this movie was like revenge for her. its crap. don't watch but do go and buy or download all of BJM's music. PS who cares about the dandy's all Coutny dose is wine about his "career" PPS i love the line by Anton when he looks at capitol records "i'm not letting some square in a round building tell me what to do.
Although DiG! was being hailed as being closest to what the music industry is like it is highly fabricated. The director has misled the audience into believing the Brian Jonestown Massacre disappeared off the face of the earth post-'98. And the rivalry between the Dandy Warhols and Jonestown has been milked. The truth of the matter is not really exposed in this film.That said this film is endlessly quotable and is an interesting watch as we get a look at two groups of very talented musicians creating their art. One of the best things this film has going for it is a unique perspective between the indie music scene and the larger corporate scene.Recommended mostly for the music and the two fantastic bands.
Do opposites really attract? After watching 20 minutes of the 2004 documentary DiG!, the story of two burgeoning west coast rock bands, Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols, devolves into a tale of polar opposites trying to exist on the same plane. There's BJM's lead singer Anton Newcombe and his combustible attitude leading a pack of drug-happy musicians, all of who are Anton's worst enemies. And then there's the Dandys' front man Courtney Taylor, whose laid back nature is a driving force behind The Dandy Warhols' tight-knit community of sonic revolution. Their paths cross many times, but never travel down the same course.The film revolves around Brian Jonestown Massacre, the greatest band to never make it. Why they've never made it is debatable, and much of the movie explores this dynamic through the voice-over quandaries of Courtney Taylor. Anton is dissected throughout the movie, whether the focus is his yo-yo attitude, his descent into heavy drug use, or his role as the root cause of the band's in fighting. What's never in question is Anton's penchant for writing and playing some of the best rock/pop songs this side of Brian Jonestown Massacre's namesake. He clearly is a musical genius, but his destructible personality is his professional downfall. It holds the band down and buries the egos of the contributing forces behind the band, the most notable being Matt Hollywood. Matt isn't looking for the limelight or the credit he rightfully deserves; rather, he just wants acknowledgment and acceptance from Anton. When it never comes, the band and Anton take a turn for the worse.Conversely, the Dandy Warhols' story acts as the counterbalance to the shenanigans of Brian Jonestown Massacre. The band earns the much sought after major label contract, only to discover the true nastiness of recording albums, making videos and having little label support. Whereas the strains of everyday band business weighs down on Anton, Courtney Taylor and company are able to persevere and push ahead. The Dandys learn to adapt without compromising their spirit or their sound, even if it means being at odds with Capitol and fashion photographer-turned-video director Dave LaChapelle.The wonder of DiG! is discovered within each band's interaction with the other. Anton is turned onto the Dandys from a tape he receives from a friend, and soon the bands meet and become quick party buddies. Performances throughout the west coast solidify this friendship until the Dandy Warhols get the call to big leagues, leaving Brian Jonestown Massacre to wallow in minor obscurity. Their paths continue to cross again in the wildest of places: at a guerrilla photo shoot for the Dandys at Brian Jonestown Massacre's home, when Courtney Taylor flies across the country to hang out with Anton and company on their first major American tour, or when Anton passes out Brian Jonestown Massacre albums to anyone and everyone outside of a Dandy Warhols performance in NYC as the Dandys question Anton's sanity.The sad truth behind DiG! is discovering that Anton, no matter how capable he is behind a musical instrument, is nothing more than a fallible human. His constant fights with audience members, band members and his past leave him angry at everything but himself. He may want to live in the '60s, but he can't give in to peace, love and happiness. No matter the success and failures he and Brian Jonestown Massacre face, they're doomed to live in musical hell -- obscurity. Meanwhile, the Dandy Warhols rise above to discover that they're a band on the rise when left to their own devices. Whether it's rekindling a love of music in the basking glow of European admiration, or pushing the envelope of sound, the band seems to have it all -- or at least, everything Anton Newcombe wants but will never let himself have.