Today's episode is about "Gigantic! A Tale of Two Johns" (AJ Schnack, 2002). It's about They Might Be Giants. Our Very Special Guest is Dennis Perkins, music writer and the man who wrote " The best music documentaries of all time ". Rock Docs is hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Today we're joined by Michael Des Barres, who is the 26th Marquis Des Barres if you're keeping track. He's the subject of the documentary "Who Do You Want Me To Be?" (J. Elvis Weinstein, 2020). There's no simple way to sum up Michael's wild and eventful life, but here's a start: the son of a junkie aristocrat and a schizophrenic showgirl becomes a master of reinvention on a 50+ year journey through rock and roll, TV, and movies. As you'll hear, Michael is an open book and was nice enough to come...
Jan 03, 2023•57 min
Today's episode is about "We Are Twisted Sister" (Andrew Horn, 2014). It's about the rise - just the rise, none of the stuff after the rise - of the pioneering shock rock hair metal band Twisted Sister. Our guest is American painter, Mountain Brews and Richard Pictures band member, and Internet Radio Show host Jake Longstreth. File this movie under "way, way better than you thought it was going to be". Rock Docs is hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @R...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is Moonage Daydream, released in 2022, directed by Brett Morgen. Moonage Daydream is about David Bowie. It was released with the approval of the estate of Bowie, although Morgen was given final cut. The audio was mixed by Bowie's longtime producer and collaborator Tony Visconti. Befitting its subject, it stands out from most of the more conventional rock docs. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 1 min
You may have heard of today's documentary, The Last Waltz, featuring The Band. The documentary was directed by Martin Scorsese and released in 1978. For this episode we are joined by Very Special Guest Tyrell Lisson of the podcast The Band: A History. Tyrell is the official (unofficial) world's expert on The Band and he has lots of insight to share with us. So - does The Last Waltz deserve its place as possibly the most highly rated rock doc of all time? How do the various superstar guests (Bob ...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 31 min
Today's episode isn't about a specific documentary - instead, we're joined by Very Special Guest Jon Wurster to discuss some of his favorite music documentaries. Jon Wurster plays drums for Superchunk, The Mountain Goats, and Bob Mould (how did we forget to mention Bob Mould?), and has also played with artists as varied as (deep breath) Bob Dylan, R.E.M., Robert Pollard, Katie Perry, Charlie Daniels, Jay Farrar, The New Pornographers, Rocket From the Crypt, Ben Gibbard, and more! And he's also k...
Nov 08, 2022•41 min
Welcome to the final episode in our unofficial, unplanned Halloween episodes. Today's episode features Very Special Guest Ryan Bradford. Check out his Substack at https://awkwardsd.substack.com/ Today's documentary is This Is GWAR, released in 2022, directed by Scott Barber. GWAR is an art collective/metal/punk band of disgusting, blasphemous alien barbarians who have come to the worst planet in the universe: Earth. The movie tells the story of this longstanding project, with a few moments of vi...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is A Band Called Death, released in 2012, directed by Mark Christopher Covino and Jeff Howlett. Death was a band created by three black teenage brothers in Detroit in the 1970s. Some say they invented punk. They were completely ignored, and then were rediscovered 30 years later...but only after a family tragedy would make the resulting embrace of the band bittersweet. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDo...
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Welcome to Nick's Pick's Vol. 1, in which we invite our Very Special Guest and returning champion Nick McCann on to discuss any documentary he chooses. Today's documentary is Some Kind of Monster, about Metallica, released in 2004, directed by Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky. If you are at all interested in music documentaries, you've probably seen this one, or it's at least on your radar. We go on an emotional journey with Metallica as they deal with the departure of bassist Jason Newsted, spe...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 31 min
It's our first two-fer episode. Today we discuss "Urgh! A Music War", a film that showcases 30+ new wave/postpunk era acts in concert, directed by Derek Burbidge and released in 1981. This is a cult favorite with loads of great stuff, and unlike any other films that we've discussed on the show. We get into some of the featured artists, including The Police, XTC, The Go-Gos, John Cooper Clarke, Gary Numan, Klaus Nomi, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and many more. Plus: "Gaga: Five Foot Two", ...
Oct 04, 2022•53 min
Today's documentary is Pearl Jam Twenty. The documentary was directed by Cameron Crowe (director of Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Say Anything, and, relevant to today's episode, Singles) and released in 2011. For this episode we are joined by Very Special Guest Steven Hyden, author of the fantastic recent book "Long Road: Pearl Jam and the Soundtrack of a Generation". Steven is the author of several other excellent books about music, he writes a regular music column at Uproxx, and he is the co-h...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is The Other One: The Long Strange Trip of Bob Weir, released in 2014, directed by Mike Fleiss. It's available to stream on Netflix. This one, about the Grateful Dead's rhythm guitar player, is right in our wheelhouse. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is Randy Rhoads: Reflections of a Guitar Icon, released on Amazon Prime in 2022, directed by Andre Relis. Randy Rhoads was a guitar innovator who co-founded Quiet Riot and went on to play with Ozzy Osbourne, co-writing hits such as "Crazy Train". He died tragically at age 25 in a plane crash in 1982. We take a look at this tribute to Randy and explore topics such as 70s and 80s rock festival lineups, the lost world of local guita...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is Trainwreck: Woodstock 99, released on Netflix in 2022, directed by Jamie Crawford. This is not to be confused with the other Woodstock 99 documentary, "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love, and Rage", which came out on HBO Max in 2021. Or any future Woodstock 99 documentaries which are yet to be released. OK, let's do some comparing & contrasting! And discuss whether this is a rock doc at all, and if not, why are we even talking abou...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 9 min
This episode is a rerun of our 2021 review of "Woodstock 99: Peace, Love and Rage" (on HBO Max) + our interview with director Garrett Price. Stay tuned for our upcoming episode on Netflix's Woodstock 99 documentary. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt
Aug 30, 2022•1 hr 33 min
This episode was initially released on November 16, 2021 Rock Docs: A Podcast About Movies About Music Today's documentary is Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest, released in 2021, directed by Michael Rapaport. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt
Aug 23, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries We answer a few listener questions and reconsider the eternal question - are music biopics good? Questions, comments, suggestions, whatever? Hit us up on Twitter @RockDocsPod Oh and hey feel free to throw us a review too. Thanks!
Aug 16, 2022•38 min
Today's documentary is Reality 86'd, about Black Flag's final tour, in 1986, with the bands Painted Willie and Gone. The documentary was directed by David Markey and released in 1991. It's not officially avaiable at the moment, but in theory we have heard of people tracking it down on YouTube and Vimeo. For this episode we are joined by Very Special Guest Jim Ruland, author of the fantastic recent book about the history of SST records, "Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of SST Records". ...
Aug 09, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's episode of Rock Docs is actually an episode of the podcast The Cue Sheet, hosted by former Rock Docs Very Special Guests: Candice Renee and Jeff Terich of the band Blood Ponies, the music website Treble, and much more. The Cue Sheet is a podcast about TV music, and they had us on to discuss Mad Men. And they were nice enough to let us share the episode on our feed. Enjoy! Rock Docs is hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @R...
Aug 02, 2022•58 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is Elvis Presley: The Searcher, released in 2018, directed by Thom Zimny. It's a 2-part documentary that covers Elvis from birth to death, so we had a lot to say about it. Available on HBO+. It's good! Elvis rocks! Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 29 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is "Bob Dylan: Both Ends of the Rainbow 1978 - 1989" aka "Bob Dylan: Under Review 1978-1989", released in 2008. There is no credited director for reasons that may become clear as you listen to the show. For this episode we are joined by Very Special Guests Ian and Evan of "Jokermen", which was formerly a podcast about the mid-to-late career works of Bob Dylan and is now your spirit guide to Lou Reed, John Cale, and the Velvet Und...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 15 min
Originally Aired December 7, 2021 Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is Hype!, released in 1996, directed by Doug Pray. For this episode we are joined by some Very Special Guests: Candice Renee and Jeff Terich of the band Blood Ponies, the music website Treble, the podcast The Cue Sheet, and much more. Hype! describes the rise, and, to a lesser extent, fall of the Seattle grunge music/lifestyle scene in the 1980s and early 90s. The documentary features interviews ...
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Just an update! Dave & Andy are both traveling a bit this summer with their (respective) families, so some Tuesdays will have reruns of beloved classic Rock Doc episodes. But we're not going anywhere, we've got some exciting guests lined up and some docs that we can't wait to discuss. Questions, comments, suggestions, whatever? Hit us up on Twitter @RockDocsPod Oh and hey feel free to throw us a review too. Thanks!...
Jul 05, 2022•2 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart, released in 2020, directed by Frank Marshall. This documentary is an all-timer. At times thrilling, occasionally heartbreaking. Great talking heads, and a classic Rock Doc villain. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod
Jun 28, 2022•1 hr 13 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is The Sparks Brothers, released in 2021, directed by Edgar Wright. Who are Sparks? Are they brothers? Where are they from? What is their deal? Which talking head fails to compy with the dress code? All this and more today on Rock Docs. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's documentary is Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, released in 2019, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. Does this doc stand on its own, or is it merely another entry in the History of the Eagles Cinematic Universe? Plus: an update on a question raised in the Festival Express episode, and some chat about the upcoming Creedence Clearwater Revival doc. Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram...
Jun 14, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries We're joined by Very Special Guest James Campion, author of Take a Sad Song: The Emotional Currency of "Hey Jude" . We discuss his book about "Hey Jude" and the influence that the song had on the "Let It Be" sessions that led to Get Back. James shares his insights after talking to songwriters, musicologists, and even Michael Lindsay-Hogg himself about this era of the Beatles' career. Plus we talk about our mutual love of rock docs and James puts on ...
Jun 07, 2022•53 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries Today's Very Special Guest is Joseph Patel, the Oscar and Emmy-winnning Producer of Summer of Soul. Follow him on Twitter @ jazzbeezy Joseph tells us about how Summer of Soul came to be, how Questlove was brought on and how they determined what shape the movie would take, how they went about finding so many great interview subjects, and what's next, including an upcoming documentary about Sly Stone. Summer of Soul was released in 2021 and was direct...
May 31, 2022•41 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries We're joined by Very Special Guest Thomas Robsahm, director of a-ha: The Movie (2022). Hosted by David Lizerbram & Andrew Keatts Twitter: @RockDocsPod Instagram: @RockDocsPod Cover Art by N.C. Winters - check him out on Instagram at @NCWintersArt
May 24, 2022•39 min
Rock Docs: A Podcast About Music Documentaries We're joined by Very Special Guests Ondi and David Timoner, director and producing partner of DIG! (2004). DIG! is one of the most acclaimed music documentaries of all time. It's a documentary about the 90s indie rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols. Drugs are consumed, fights are had, Harry Dean Stanton Shows up, there's a lot going on in this one. We did a full review of DIG! way back in Episode 2 of Rock Docs & after ...
May 17, 2022•58 min
