At long last, I saw We Jam Econo on Friday night. I get weird about the punk rock documentary phenom, mostly the talking heads interviews with old timers who gush about the majesty of this band or that.
I guess I am thinking mostly of Punk:Attitude that I saw on IFC a few weeks(?months?) ago. That was an impressive, expansive film. And by expansive I mean: Legs McNeil, author of Please Kill Me, which to me is the punk rock history book, is but one of like 50 equally interesting interviewees in this movie. Its almost too much.
And its always kind of weird seeing folks talk about how awesome it was back then. where back then is what seems like yesterday.
And then I remember that I’ve been out of college for over a decade, I skate like twice a year now, I’m married, and I am loosing all my hair.
Anyway, who cares? Its the Minutemen! The soundtrack providers(with firehose) for just about ever single amazing part of every Santa Cruz skate video of the late 80s.
You grow up listening to these bands. Buying their records in suburban malls, hearing of them thru word of mouth. Everything you know about them is basically second hand. Maybe they’re in a magazine. maybe they get mentioned on 120 minutes. As a teen skateboarder, you don’t even have a conception of the idea of the ideas behind a band. or the notion of a scene. You embrace the force of their music, the disonance, the speed. because thats what you are about. At this point in your life, its difficult to know anything real about these groups.
There are several parts of the doc where Mike Watt talks about the in jokes of the band: the origin of the title ‘Double Nickels on the Dime’, is a pro jimmy carter/fuel conservation dig on Sammy Hagar’s ‘I can’t drive 55′. Watt says ‘Nobody got it’. I sure didn’t. which is probably the reason why now, these docs, ones that focus on single bands(see also, Jem Cohen’sInstrument are so revalatory and wonderful to catch now.
All of the footage of Mike Watt driving around San Pedro, telling stories: fantastic. All of the stories about Mike Watt and D Boone and how they worked together. Truly interesting stuff. They are presented in a completely humanizing/ non icon/ rock star kind of way. which paradoxically makes the minutemen all the more legendary in my head.
anyway. We Jam Econo. Go see it.
Post a Comment