Review: Color Me Obsessed – A Film About the Replacements

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2015
Images from the Internet

Color Me Obsessed – A Film About the Replacements

Written and directed by Gorman Bechard
What Were We Thinking / MVD Visual
123 minutes: 2 discs, 2011 / 2012
www.colormeobsessed.com
www.mvdvisual.com

Only once have I had the honor of seeing the Replacements live. Thanks to writer and music historian (and friend) Nancy Neon Foster, we managed to get tickets to see them play at Madison Square Garden in 1991, opening up for Elvis Costello. While we didn’t have nose-bleed seats, weren’t close either, at an almost 90-degree angle from the stage. They put on a good show.

The Replacement rose in Minneapolis around the same time as Husker Du in the early 1980s, and while there was a Beatles/Rolling Stones rivalry between the two bands (which is which depends on your point of view), there is no question that these two groups were the most influential bands to rise out of that punk scene. Husker Du were a bit more driven towards success even with the internal pressures within the band, but the Replacements were a complete time bomb waiting for the right moment to both explode and implode. As the director, Gorman Bechard says correctly in his commentary track, the record companies that signed the Replacements should not have been surprised when the Replacements showed up. In other words, they were volatile, played by their own rules, and had absolutely no respect for any kind of authority, record company or otherwise.

Of course, that is part of what made them such an amazing musical force, whose impact is felt to this day, even after all these years, which includes newbies on the scene who don’t realize that their favorite band was influenced by them. Same is true for Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, or the New York Dolls. This is evidenced, in part, by the sheer number of musicians interviewed for this doc.

While we are at it, let’s talk about the interviews in this film. There are probably about a hundred people gushing and dishing about the band, including some big name musicians, actors, and fans. The musical who’s who is quite stunning, including Tommy Erdeli (aka Ramone, who produced one of their albums), two members of rival Husker Du (except Mould, natch), three members of the GooGoo Dolls from Buffalo (including Robby Goo), Archers of Loaf (with whom Bechard has also done a live film to be reviewed at some point here), Titus Andronicus, the Decemberists, the underrated Babes in Toyland, etc. For writers, the list includes Legs McNeil, Jack Rabid, and the late Robert Christgau. From the big and small screen, there’s (among others) George Wendt from Cheers and, of all people, Tom Arnold, who apparently is a huge fan of the band and has some great stories to tell. What I really like is that no one tells second hand stories, like “At that moment Paul was feeling like…” which really annoys me, but rather they tell their own experiences, or their interpretation of things.

With rare exception, all of the interviews are in short bytes. It’s unusual for any clip to last more than 30 seconds, so for most of the two-hour running time, it’s bam-bam-bam-bam-bam-etc. It’s a bit whiplash inducing, but happily Bechard puts in the captions of who is who quite often, so you’re not thinking, who is that?, which is another peeve of mine in documentaries. There is a nice touch where in many cases you see photos of the interviewee from the ‘80s.

Essentially, this is more of an oral history than just a bio of the band, which is actually what makes it even more interesting, because you definitely get more than one side of a story (and sometimes contradictory), and some questionable information, such as one guy claiming that he is the inspiration for the name of the Replacement’s album Tim. Could be true, just no way to verify it. But that’s what oral histories are all about, and also why the subtitle of the film is “The potentially true story of the last best band.”

Who isn’t interviewed? Well, any member of the Replacements. In his commentary, the director explains quite clearly that since the band were rule breakers, this documentary would do be same, therefore there is purposefully no member of the band in it whatsoever other than still photos, and no music, live or from the records, only the stories and the fans. Besides, if you’re obsessed with the band and viewing this, you’d probably know it anyway. For the casual or curious, their music is available elsewhere. At a running time of just a bit over two hours, it’s probably better it was left out because of the amount of time it would have extended the film. As it was, it was cut down from an original 3-hour first edit, and that from 250 hours of interviews.

Another nice touch is the text included sporadically throughout the film, such as facts about the albums (how many units sold of a particular record as compared to the top selling one of that year) including song list, what was happening with the band playing at particular shows, why the band’s nickname is the ‘Mats, and like that. It’s actually the closest to “fact” in the whole piece. Sometimes it interferes with the talking, and I ran it back so I could grasp both, but I wouldn’t change it.

Over the dozen years they were a viable band, the quartet were known for their excesses, be it great or dreadful shows, depending on the night you saw them (the Heartbreakers, a band I saw often, could be that way as well). Substances, such as booze – and lots of it – were also mixed into the equation. That they were banned from Saturday Night Live after practically destroying their dressing room in a drunken haze is an example of that.

Now for some truth: yeah, I really like the Replacements, but I’m not obsessed with the band. There is way more on this double-DVD set then I really want to watch (I can hear Gorman in my head saying, “You’re no fuckin’ fan!”). I sat through the entire first disk, which consists of the film (2 hours), an excellent commentary by Bechard (2 hours), an interesting commentary by producer Jan Radder about getting the interviews and editing them together (1 hour), and a 19 Deleted Scenes collection that is definitely worth watching (over 1 hour). The second disc, which I didn’t watch, is a Behind the Scenes with Bechard and producer Hansi Oppenheimer, which are two separate segments (over 1 hour), three complete interviews of Grant Hart of Husker Du, Robert Christgau, and Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis (over 3 hours), and four completely individualized trailers (5+ minutes).

That’s nearly 11 hours, not counting the desire to replay all their records. I’ve happily put in my 6, but I’m done. As I said, I like the band, and I like this documentary, but I’m not obsessed enough, I guess. Could be good for a cold, shut-in weekend. You won’t be sorry.

 

DVD Review: The Monochrome Set: M-80 [1979]

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2013
Images from the Internet

The Monochrome Set: M-80, Live at the Marathon 80 Festival, Minneapolis 1979
Weinerworld Presentation
50 minutes, 1979 / 2013
www.weinerworld.com
www.themonochromeset.co.uk/
www.MVDvisual.com

The Sex Pistols were still an active band in 1978, when London’s The Monochrome Set formed. The Clash was going strong and about to release London Calling when this video was recorded in September of 1979 in Minneapolis, during the two-day Marathon 80: New-No-Now-Wave festival. And yet, much as Brit punk was a shot across the bow to both the social climate of England at the time and the New York scene, aka First Wave Punk (yes, it was, Greil), The Monochrome Set (TMS) was - in its own way - a fuck you to the British Second Wave.

From 1976-79, British punk was largely flash and thrash, that is fashion and deconstruction. TMS seemed to borrow more from the burgeoning US Midwest scenes and the New York No Wave movement that began around 1977. Both these employed stilted rhythms, stoic stage presence, and an adapted-yet-played-down Mod fashion (e.g., straight ties, sunglasses, and earthtone clothes).

While I would be hard pressed to call TMS “No Wave,” I can see shadows of the blaring of the Contortions, the minimalism of industrialization, and the monotone of any of a number of that subgenre’s bands. Yet, within that, it’s easy to hear the kinds tones that would show up shortly on the Fresh Sounds of Middle America cassette series from Bill Rich’s Talk Talk fanzine in the early 1980s…and yes, I still have them. Crisp, occasionally atonal, and yet at other times quite earworm-like (see the song below). I always thought this style was a milder rock’n’roll version of the kind of jazz Miles D. posited on the world. And like Davis, this sound did not last very long, swallowed up the hardcore scene and the polar opposite proto Boy Bands (e.g., the Bay City Rollers).

Despite the static stances of TMS playing live, there is something about them that is enjoyable to watch. While they were influenced by others, the amalgamation (or synergy, if you will) would go on to influence others, arguably such as Tommy Tutone (“867-5309”), the Producers (“What’s He Got”) and the Split Enz (“I Got You”).

This was obviously taped by (a) an amateur person or organization, and (b) probably either onto reel-to-reel video, or a 3/4” videocassette; perhaps a Beta. It’s grainy as hell and a bit tinny, but being familiar with video of that period, it’s actually quite good (compare it, for example, with the infamous The Cramps video of the same era). Of course, in just a few years, the introduction of the 1/2” videocassette would change everything, but I digress…

But, all things considered for its era, the use of multiple cameras and superb editing, we have an important document of a band in its nascent years. Most of the songs they perform would show up on their first album, Strange Boutique (1980), including the wonderfully monikered “Eine Symphonie Des Grauens (part of the title of the classic 1922 vampire flick, Nosferatu. There are many memorable songs here, such as “He’s Frank” and the abovementioned “Strange Boutique.” There are also a couple performed by the bassist, Harrington, for which this is the only time it was filmed live. That’s a good thing because while the songs themselves are decent, his voice is not. Luckily, Bid sings most of them.

This is worth checking out if you’re interested in the period, because it’s so much of an anomaly for the period of British music. Plus there are some great songs in there, as well.

Band:
Bid (Ganesh Seshadri): vox / guitar
Lester Square (Thomas. Hardy): guitar
Jeremy Harrington: bass / vocals
JD Haney: drums

Track Listing
The Monochrome Set
Fallout
Tomorrow Will Be Too Long
Fly Me to Moon
The Etcetera Stroll
Mr. Bizarro
Love Goes Down the Drain
Ici Les Enfants
Lester Leaps In
Eine Symphonie Des Grauens
Martians Go Home
The Lighter Side of Dating
Viva Death Row
He’s Frank
Goodbye Joe
The Strange Boutique
Encore:
Expresso
Alphaville

Book Review: Hüsker Dü, by Andrew Earles

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2011
Book cover image and videos from the Internet


Hüsker Dü: The story of the noise-pop pioneers who launched modern rock
By Andrew Earles
Voyageur Press (Minneapolis, MN), 2010
288 pages; USD $24.00 / CAN $27.00
ISBN: 978-0-7603-3504-8
voyageurpress.com

I remember that day in 1984 when I went to my Post Office box and there was a package from SST Records. This wasn’t too unusual, except this one was heavy like a brick.

Rushing home I opened it up. Inside were two albums, each one a double disk: The Minutemen’s Double Nickel on the Dime and Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade. Apparently, they had both come out the same day. Then I took them out for a spin.

Hüsker Dü had grown quite a bit since their first LP, Land Speed Record, one I found excellent, but not a stand-out. With each HD release, though, their growth excited me more as they became somewhat more melodic. Still their rise was 45 degrees up until the end.

So what began as an above average fast-as-fuck hardcore band started to include some melody, rather than just trying to rely on proving how Speedy Gonzalez they were (after all, even a ratón rápido has a physical speed max). This is when HD became, well, more.

Throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, there were lynchpin bands that were of great influence, such as the Ramones (NY punk), Talking Heads (art rock), Sex Pistols (punk rock), Blondie (New Wave), REM (college rock), and Black Flag (hardcore); HD to were to become highly influential about mid-way through their history. While the subtitle of the book seems a bit hyperbole, there is no denying that HD played an important hub in the huge wheel of indie music in the ‘80s.

Other than a 37-page full chapter in Michael Zaerrad’s intriguing Our Band Could Be Your Life (acknowledged by Earles), there has been nothing extensive written on HD. That is, until this book, which follows the career somewhat before, during, and somewhat after. Drummer / co-singer / co-songwriter Grant Hart and bassist Greg Norton both took part in the process, giving Earles extensive quotes about the band. Only guitarist / co-singer / co-songwriter Bob Mould does not raise a voice here, except in quotes from previous sources such as fanzine interviews from the period. This could be because (a) he is currently working on his own auto-bio and didn’t want to be redundant, (b) he would not participate in anything that has to do with Grant Hart and / or Greg Norton, (c) he does not want to be associated with anything as singularly focused as a HD book that is not also about his other projects, or (d) all of the above. While his lack of participation does not eliminate the message of the book, it does leave a bit of a vacuum, and also a less-than-subtle message to the reader and / or previous members of HD.

Hüsker Dü is a fact filled telling of their early years, about finding each other, the growth of the band, recording sessions, the eventual break-up and a chapter-long follow-up of what-happened-since and where-are-they-now. What it does not reflect much, is the dynamics of the inner workings of the band (what made them tick).

In other words, as important a document as the book is, there is something missing as far as the band’s “personality,” even with extensive quotes by Hart and Norton and the fact that Earles is completely willing to face that HD were not perfect (e.g., there is, gratefully, no histrionics on the lines of “I have seen the future of…”). While the details are there, it’s a bit shy in the hues.

For example, it is clear that Grant and Mould were having huge ego attacks against each other, and that they fought for who would have what number of cuts on each release, but there is nothing about the form the “battles” took, just that they did. While their tours are discussed extensively, describing songlists, crowd reaction, and press mentions, there is no Get in the Van backstage stories, other than that Grant and Mould flew on separate planes while Norton rode back with the equipment. While not a dirt hound per se, I would like to see a little bit of juice to get the feel of being on the road with them, especially considering how often they toured. In other books there are wonderful stories about being on the road with the Ramones or the Clash, for example, and D.O.A.’s Joey Shithead wrote some wonderful road / war stories in I, Shithead. This book is dry meat with a hint of gravy (note that I would be just as critical if this was mostly gravy with little meat).

The last thing I will say in this direction is wondering if there was any fact checking going on with the book; there are some blatant errors that pop up here and there. For example, in discussing HD’s influence, Earles mentions Bostonian “all girl band” Salem 66. While they were all females for a very, very short period at their inception, during most of their career the two main women in the band were aided by a revolving series of males to round out the trio (and why he didn’t mention somewhat similarly sounding Boston band Christmas is a curiosity). But the biggest error I found was the repeated mention of Seymour Stein and his Sire bands (in a negative tone), including the Ramones, Talking Heads, Blondie and Television. Well, at least two of them were never on Sire (Blondie on Private Stock and Chrysalis, and Television on Elektra). Makes me wonder what else was off that I missed…

Despite these flaws, there is a lot to actually recommend about Hüsker Dü I was extremely glad to be able to read this more extensive story of their career. It made me go back into my collection and play all their records (yes, vinyl) again, as he discussed them in detail. I also appreciated the sometimes extensive republishing of articles about / interviews with the band during the period, especially those by Mould, since he did not participate in this venture.

I’d met HD during an interview on New York cable access show Videowave, when I was the cameraperson for the shoot. I noticed that while they all interacted well together, Grant and Mould never looked at each other (of course, having given them copies of FFanzeen, they decided to keep reading them during the actual interview, so there was little eye contact anyway). They were all pleasant enough, even Mould (who was known for being snarky), and their soundcheck was killer. A photo I took of Mould during the check was published in Brian Cogan’s The Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture.

Speaking of photos, there are two sections of great pictures (my favorites by Kathy Chapman; see kathychapman.com) of the band’s history (and after), flyers, and the like. Tour songlists are sporadically added throughout the text, and there is quite a few appendices, including (but not only) an extensive discography and filmography, bands who have covered HD songs, and bands who were influenced by them. Also included with the book is a free bumper sticker that states “What Would Hüsker Dü?”

Considering the strong personalities that inhabited the members of Hüsker Dü, this book could have been more, but even with the lacks mentioned within this review, there is surely more than enough of the history of the band and the world in which they spun, to keep the ardent fan’s attention, and inform those who are curious.