I’m a huge fan of rock documentaries. Whenever a new one hits Amazon or Netflix, I’m on it! I’m honestly afraid of subscribing to Quello because if I had access to THAT much true music television, I might never see my family again. But what exactly makes a rock documentary good?
The best rock documentaries make you feel a connection to the musicians, their families, and other fans. They show you how the individual band members came together to form a whole. They share new information that wasn’t widely known before. They include behind-the-scenes moments that humanize your heroes. And, obviously, they have music.
It may sound obvious, but if the documentary doesn’t include the performer’s actual music, it’s going to be terrible. The other day I was watching what looked like a promising documentary on a rock star who had recently passed away. Something just felt off. I eventually realized two things:
- The star was only shown in previously recorded interviews with news outlets.
- There was NO music other than instrumental soundalikes in the background.
It was an unauthorized project that was hastily put together to capitalize on the star’s death. The only new interviews were with ex-lovers or folks from the periphery of his early days. The filmmakers clearly didn’t have the funds, or likely the blessing of the artist’s estate, to use the music.
The result was almost unwatchable. (Full disclosure, though: I still hate-watched the whole thing.)
The Golden Age of Rock Docs
I think we’re in a golden age of rock docs right now. The rise of streaming services has made these films so much more accessible than they used to be, and for the most part the quality of what is coming out now is top-notch.
It used to be that you had to purchase rock documentaries just like feature films. They tended to be even more expensive than Hollywood blockbusters, and there was a good chance that you’d never seen it before so you weren’t sure if it was worth your investment. This kept most fans from taking a chance on anything other than bands that they truly loved.
The first game-changer was VH1’s Behind The Music. In college I would watch ANYONE’s Behind The Music. This show packed everything you needed to know about a particular artist in a convenient 60-90 minute package. And as long as you had cable, you could watch it for free! The world was hooked. Even South Park acknowledged this cultural phenomenon with their tongue-in-cheek Terrance and Phillip: Behind the Blow episode.
Other great series followed, like Ultimate Albums and Storytellers. Super-fans could also purchase extended versions of specific episodes on DVD if the version for the mass audience wasn’t enough to satisfy their lust for albums like Disraeli Gears or Dark Side of the Moon.
Recently, the proliferation of industry-quality equipment has allowed regular people to create visually compelling productions for far less money. This, coupled with the fact that the physical DVDs and/or VHS tapes no longer need to be produced in order for the project to be considered serious, has opened the door to rock docs that even 10 years ago would not have been pursued for profit reasons.
Types of Rock Docs
Most rock docs fit into one of two categories: concert films and life/career stories. There are some GREAT concert films out there, but I’m not going to get into those here (with the exception of a few that are what I’d call “concert films plus,” because they include interviews and other information in addition to concert footage).
A documentary should be honest. Otherwise it’s just a commercial for the band. The danger here is that sometimes you can come out of a movie hating your heroes — and worse, feeling that they don’t care if you hate them. There are also great rock docs that focus on something other than a band or a single superstar. There are excellent documentaries on single members of famous bands, as well as obscure musicians and studios. Finally, there are some that are just plain weird — but I love them anyway. (Well, most of them.)
Great Career-Spanning Rock Docs
The Beatles Anthology
BBC / ABC Miniseries 1995, 1996
My love affair with the rock doc started with The Beatles Anthology when I was about 15. In November of 1995 ABC, temporarily rebranding itself “A-Beatles-C,” broadcast two-hour chunks of the series over three nights in primetime. I watched it all, taping it so I could watch it again and again and again.
The miniseries chronologically follows the moptops from their childhoods to the formation of the band that would become the Beatles, to the Cavern Club to Hamburg, to being signed by manager Brian Epstein to invading America, to retiring from touring and crafting never-before-heard sounds in the studio, to their experimentation with transcendental meditation in India to the cracks in the armor of “the White Album”, to the experimental and odd Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine, to attempts at reconciliation and the final performance on the rooftop on Savile Row.
In addition to the three-part miniseries, a larger documentary set was released on VHS and later DVD. Three double-CD albums with studio outtakes and two “new” Beatles songs were also released, thanks to the wonders of modern technology. These tracks, Free As A Bird and Real Love, were based around unfinished John Lennon solo tracks to which the surviving Beatles added their parts. Nearly 15 years after John Lennon’s death, hearing all four Beatles together on new material was like catnip to Baby Boomers.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, 2007
Criminally omitted from Rolling Stone’s List of 40 Greatest Rock Documentaries
At four hours and nineteen minutes, Runnin Down a Dream is initially intimidating. Even on DVD it’s a two-disc set! But this Grammy-winning film by Peter Bogdanovich is, in my view, the gold standard for rock docs.
Beginning and ending with extended clips from the band’s 30th anniversary concert in their hometown of Gainesville, Florida, the film follows Petty’s journey from a rock ‘n’ roll obsessed kid to one of the most prolific American songwriters in history. The beauty of this film is that the endearing humor of Petty and the Heartbreakers themselves is given a chance to shine. You can’t help but root for these guys — even when there’s infighting.
The documentary is packed with guests, including collaborators like Stevie Nicks, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Rick Rubin as well as record industry and MTV figures, and fans like Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp. The viewer is reminded just how much of an impact Petty and company have had on rock music.
The only shortcoming of this documentary is that it glosses over the band’s troubled mid-to-late 90s period. This is a period of the band’s history that I have always wanted to know more about. The band’s studio output was bogged down by Songs and Music from “She’s the One,” which wasn’t discussed at all. And while Petty’s divorce and the divorce album Echo are discussed, Petty’s period of heroin addiction was left out entirely.
Thankfully this omission, which was at Petty’s insistence at the time, has been remediated by Warren Zanes’ Petty: The Biography. If I could be granted one roc doc wish, it would be that this film be re-edited to include this now public part of the story and to have the last 10 years of Petty’s career added in to complete the story.
Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage
Directed by Sam Dunn & Scott McFadyen, 2010
#29 on Rolling Stone’s List of 40 Greatest Rock Documentaries
Beyond the Lighted Stage offers viewers a very similar experience to Running Down A Dream. Book-ended by recent concert footage, this film follows the core unit of Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee from growing up as sons of Jewish refugees in Canada to forming the first version of Rush. Joining the band in time for their first U.S. tour, drummer and lyricist Neil Peart completes what is arguably the most cohesive and longest-lived power trio in history after ZZ Top.
Humor is a constant theme throughout this film. Highlights include stories from Gene Simmons about touring with the straight-laced Canadians early in their career, as well as clips from South Park and The Colbert Report. Perhaps the funniest part is when the distinctive-looking Lee is asked for an autograph by a waitress while Lifeson quietly eats his sandwich unnoticed at the table.
The film is not just a rose-colored view of the band. Tension points such as the mid-80s period where Lee was pulling the band more towards jazz and synthesizers are openly discussed. Peart’s late 90s period of family loss and grief as well as his complicated relationship with fans are also featured pieces of the story.
Foo Fighters: Back and Forth
Directed by James Moll, 2011
Back and Forth is a rare example of a great documentary about a band that is still active.
The trouble with making a good documentary about a band that’s still touring is that it’s instantly out of date. This film handles this challenge by focusing on the making of the album Wasting Light. Viewers learn about the history of the band while getting a behind-the-scenes look at their recording process.
The current stability of the Foo’s lineup makes it easy to forget that there were periods in the band’s history when there appeared to be a revolving door on lead guitar and the future of the band itself was in doubt.
These days Dave Grohl is viewed as everyone’s favorite rock ‘n’ roll uncle. He comes across as a super-nice guy and has played with all his heroes. This film reminds us all that at one point, faced with what to do after the end of Nirvana, he had to decide whether to join the Heartbreakers after the departure of drummer Stan Lynch or to bet on a demo he recorded on his own.
Great Special-Focus Rock Docs
Sound City
Directed by David Grohl, 2013
Sound City is essentially two stories. It is the story of the lifecycle of the studio itself, followed by an exploration of the collaborative nature of an analog approach to writing and recording music.
The first time I watched it, I was worried that it was going to be an ego piece by Dave Grohl. The opening scenes show a van trip from Seattle to Sound City in Los Angeles while Grohl narrates a somewhat pretentious, fairytale-sounding story about Nirvana being “just kids” when they went to the famed studio to record Nevermind. Thankfully, that moment passes with a quick bit of humor and the story of the studio begins.
There were two heydays for the Sound City studio: the 70s, when it was a favorite of acts like Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and the 90s, after the success of Nevermind reinvigorated the studio and its analog approach. The film’s most poignant point comes when the studio was forced to close its doors in 2011.
Immediately afterward, the film changes dramatically. Dave Grohl purchases the studio’s legendary Neve console and has it installed in his own studio. He then brings together Sound City alumni to write and record new music with him and the console. What follows is great music with insightful commentary from the likes of Trent Reznor, Stevie Nicks and Paul McCartney on the creative process and the importance of playing with other musicians in the same room at the same time.
Hired Gun
Directed by Fran Strine, 2016
Hired Gun tells the story of the “other” musicians you see on stage when you go to see a famous artist. These are the pros from Dover who can take anyone’s songs to the next level, but it is by no means a stable living. One minute you’re Mandy Moore’s guitarist, the next minute you’ve got bills due and no gig.
Occasionally these hired guns make the leap to fully patched-in member of the band (Jason Newsted with the Metallica), and sometimes they strike out on their own with an up-and-coming act (Jason Hook leaving Alice Cooper to join Five Finger Death Punch, or Rudy Sarzo leaving Ozzy Osbourne’s band to rejoin Quiet Riot).
Unfortunately, for every happy story that this film presents, there’s a correspondingly heartbreaking story. The only thing keeping this film off the list of Rock Docs That Make Your Heroes Look Like Tools (looking at you, Billy Joel and Richard Patrick) is how genuinely awesome some musicians are with their hired guns (thanks, Alice Cooper and P!nk).
It Might Get Loud
Directed by Davis Guggenheim, 2008
#40 on Rolling Stone’s List of 40 Greatest Rock Documentaries
When It Might Get Loud was initially announced, I was, frankly, confused. Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White? The idea of such an odd trio of guitarists getting together in a room just felt wrong to me. But I eventually added it to my Netflix queue and gave it a go.
What I thought was initially an odd group turned out to be very intriguing. Since each player comes at their sound from such a different perspective, the combination made for incredibly fertile exchanges and tons of gear shots!
The documentary starts with Jimmy Page. He provides the traditional guitar hero perspective because, well, he was one of the inventors of the role. Next you have U2’s The Edge, who is one of the most innovative guitarists in mainstream music when it comes to the use of effects. Finally there is Jack White. The youngest of the group, White’s approach often involves wrenching blues-inspired tones out of unwilling instruments.
After the three players tell their story individually, the group unites on a stage to exchange riffs, tips, and tricks. They take turns blowing the others’ minds with just how they achieved certain sounds.
Also Recommended:
Muscle Shoals, Directed by Fran Strine, 2016
Twenty Feet From Stardom, Directed by Morgan Neville, 2013
The Wrecking Crew, Directed by Denny Tedesco, 2015
Rock Docs That Make Your Heroes Look Like Tools
Sometimes rock stars aren’t the nicest of folks, and that can be unpleasant to watch — even in a good documentary. If you haven’t seen these films yet and are a big fan of the band, proceed with caution.
History of the Eagles
Directed by Alison Ellwood, 2013
Because Glenn Frey and Don Henley are notorious control freaks, you know that they approved everything about The History of the Eagles before its release in 2013 — and that almost makes it worse.
For the most part, this is a great rock doc about a band whose impact on American music cannot be denied — even if your personal feelings about them mirror those of the Dude in The Big Lebowski.
Where this one is tough is during interviews where Frey basically brags about insisting that he and Henley get paid more after their 1994 reunion and how Henley refuses to address Don Felder by anything other than “Mr. Felder” when discussing their past disagreements.
Rattle and Hum
Directed by Phil Joanou, 1988
#36 on Rolling Stone’s List of 40 Greatest Rock Documentaries
Even the band and the director have distanced themselves from this movie as it cemented their reputation for pretentiousness — even though the music is mostly pretty good.
I could take you through a bunch of reasons why this movie doesn’t make the band look great, but I can’t do a better job than Todd In The Shadows so I’ll leave it to him.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, 2004
#8 on Rolling Stone’s List of 40 Greatest Rock Documentaries
This is a cautionary tale about a band that just lets things slide for far too long. Eventually the simmering pot of resentment boils over and the mess is hard to clean up.
Power struggles within the band, particularly between singer/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, make the film uncomfortable from the beginning. This dynamic, and the scene where former guitarist Dave Mustaine confronts Ulrich about his early 80s firing, makes this film compelling but not necessarily fun to watch.
Much of the footage is of the band members in a group therapy setting. My hope is that this film has done some good for the world by highlighting the benefits of professional help, so I will give Metallica credit for allowing themselves to be so vulnerable on camera.
The Last Waltz
Directed by Martin Scorsese, 1978
#2 on Rolling Stone’s List of 40 Greatest Rock Documentaries
For the Band’s final gig, guests such as Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan join them — and Martin Scorsese is there to film it. This is a great documentary of an amazing set of live performances. The interviews with the Band itself, however, are less great.
It’s clear that the Band’s relationships are at an all-time low, which is a great reason to call it a day. In his interviews Robbie Robertson presents himself as the wiser member of the band for pushing them to call it quits, and it’s off-putting. Knowing how the careers of the other members of the Band’s careers pan out vs. Robertson’s makes the film even more uncomfortable.
Rock Docs Focusing On A Single Member of a Band
I Ain’t In It For My Health: A Film About Levon Helm
Directed by Jacob Hatley, 2010
Speaking of other members of the Band, Levon Helm’s chance in the spotlight comes at a time when he is reemerging with Grammy-winning solo albums and as the host of his famous Midnight Ramble concerts out of his home in Woodstock, New York. This film offers a welcome counterpoint to The Last Waltz without shying away from the rougher parts of Helm’s story.
The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir
Directed by Mike Fleiss, 2014
Not knowing much about the Grateful Dead (just never got around to it), I watched this on a whim one night while I was trying to get one of my kids to fall asleep in my arms. All I ever really knew about the band was American Beauty and the omnipresence of Jerry Garcia, so it was interesting to approach such a landmark band through the side-door, so to speak.
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Directed by Martin Scorsese, 2011
Living in the Material World is a fitting tribute to “the quiet Beatle.” The film covers the requisite parts of Beatlemania but it’s the post Beatle parts that resonated the most with me, including his well received (and less than well received) albums and tours, his interest in the Krishna Consciousness, and his work with Monty Python.
Weird Rock Docs
Most rock docs follow a similar pattern: chronological storytelling with interviews and footage. But there are some that are just plain weird.
Beware of Mr. Baker
Directed by Jay Bulger, 2012
I’m not aware of any other rock doc that starts with the subject threatening to put the filmmaker in the hospital before striking him in the face with a cane… and it just gets weirder from there. In the film the volatile drummer Ginger Baker discusses his career with Cream, Blind Faith, and Fela Kuti as well as the (many) demons he has faced.
It’s So Easy and Other Lies
Directed by Christopher Duddy, 2013
It’s So Easy and Other Lies is unique among rock docs. The film is part concert film, part book reading, and part animation. Former Guns ‘n’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan reads portions of his autobiography of same name during a concert with his band. Edited in between concert clips are vividly drawn cartoons humorously depicting the story.
John Mellencamp: Plain Spoken Live from the Chicago Theatre
Directed by Ben Coulson, 2018
When I started watching this film I thought it would be like It’s So Easy and Other Lies (minus the cartoons). It opens with John Mellencamp and his band on stage performing, and then you hear him narrating the story of his life. A few minutes in, you think, “They’ll cut away to him talking really soon,” but it doesn’t happen. The whole thing is a voice-over, with no interviews at all. This documentary is weird in a bad way: incomplete, distracting, and boring.
Conclusion:
We are indeed living in a Golden Age of Rock Documentaries. And for the record, I said that first in this post before Rolling Stone used it 😉