DOCS THAT ROCK, MUSIC THAT MATTERS by Harvey Kubernik Otherworld Cottage Industries, 2020, 508 pps  In Docs That Rock, Music That Matters, Harvey Kubernik has tapped into his deep archive of interviews—some from as long ago as 1975, others as recent as last year—to present a substantial, authoritative exploration of music documentaries and rock-related film and television. The hefty 500-plus page book compiles essays and multi-voice interview pieces, illustrated with photos, including some rarely-seen pics by the great Henry Diltz. Among the subjects, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker sheds light on the making of his acclaimed documentaries Dont Look Back, Eat the Document, Monterey Pop, Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars, and Only the Strong Survive. There’s an interesting conversation with Murray Lerner, who the author calls “The Godfather of Live Outdoor Music Cinema,” about his groundbreaking documentary Festival, which documented the Newport Folk Festival in the mid-sixties, and his later work like Message of Love: The Isle of Wight Festival and The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Festival 1963-1965. Albert Maysles discusses the filming of Gimme Shelter, Andrew Loog Oldham talks about Charlie is My Darling, and Allan Arkush takes us behind the scenes on the set of Rock ‘n’ Roll High |
School (fun fact: Harvey handclaps on the record along with Rodney Bingenheimer). A chapter about The Concert for Bangladesh draws on Harvey's interviews with George Harrison, Ravi Shankar, and Jim Keltner, who describes how he drummed alongside Ringo Starr at the concert. Travis Edward Pike’s adventures in the movie industry are also covered at length, starting in the mid-sixties when he worked alongside his father on films like Demo Derby and Feelin’ Good, and moving through subsequent career as a screenwriter and in multiple other roles, including sound and music production and a memorable assignment recording an Orson Welles voiceover for a 1983 documentary about Richard Wagner. As Kubernik points out, the 21st century has been something of a “golden age” for documentaries, and musicthemed docs in particular. Many of the best of them are covered here, backed up by interviews with the filmmakers and some of the subjects and participants including The Wrecking Crew, 20 Feet From Stardom, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World, Bang! The Bert Berns Story, Once We Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band, the Tower Records documentary All Things Must Pass, Melody Makers, and Horn From the Heart: The Paul Butterfield Story. Some of these chapters are quite expansive: in covering Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time, the author includes excerpts from interviews with Graham Nash, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman, Richie Furay, Micky Dolenz, Mark Volman, Michelle Phillips, Ray Manzarek, Nurit Wilde, and Johnny Echols. Another standout chapter is a lengthy interview with writer/filmmaker David Leaf, who talks at length about his fine documentaries, which include The US vs John Lennon, Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of SMiLE, The Bee Gees: This is Where I Came In, and The Night James Brown Saved Boston. Selected rock ‘n’ roll DVD releases are also discussed including Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of Otis Redding, The Best of the Johnny Cash Show, Jimi: All is By My Side, and The Doors: Live at the Bowl ’68 and Live at the Isle of Wight. There also insider stories about the making of The TAMI Show, The Big TNT Show, and Elvis Presley’s ’68 Comeback television special, including interviews with some of the musicians involved. Other TV-related chapters include coverage of Ready Steady Go!, Shindig!, Shebang!, and Upbeat, as well as an interviews with Dick Clark about American Bandstand and Where the Action Is. There’s a huge amount of information packed into these pages, making this book an invaluable reference source for anyone interested in how documentaries and television have chronicled and celebrated music that matters. (Mike Stax) |
