HelloAngel
ONE love, blood, life
[SIMG]http://forum.interference.com/gallery/data//585/11632rattlehum_thumb.jpg[/SIMG]
By Devlin Smith, Contributing Editor
2005.04
The other night I watched "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," the documentary about the making of Metallica's "St. Anger" album. I am not a fan of Metallica, but am a huge music nerd and live for all those behind the scenes stories.
The film is fantastic and probably should have been nominated for a documentary Oscar, but that’s an argument for another forum. It's amazingly honest, sometimes even painfully so. Throughout, the possibility that Metallica would implode is always there. Even more urgent is the possibility that three 20-plus-year friendships would cease to exist as well.
Watching "Some Kind of Monster," I had the same thought as when I watched Madonna's "Truth or Dare" and other music-related documentaries—I thought about what an opportunity U2 blew when making "Rattle and Hum." As a soundtrack, "Rattle and Hum" is fantastic, as a movie it has its fair share of memorable moments, but as a tear-back-the-curtain look at a rock band in its prime, it failed.
The members of U2, over the years, have gained a reputation for being pretty guarded. Even though it feels like after more than 25 years we know all there is to know about Adam Clayton, Bono, Edge and Larry Mullen, Jr., truthfully, we don't. Unlike the majority of rock and pop stars in the market today, the members of U2 have never invited magazines inside their homes, have never talked about the ups and downs of their personal relationships, haven't sold their children's birthday pictures to the highest bidder.
While certain aspects U2's work at keeping the private life private are commendable (after all, do we really need to know what kind of bed sheets Bono and his wife Ali have?), the carefully drawn curtain does make it a little harder to fully understand U2's art. After all, the inner workings of each member's home life definitely influence the music they produce.
In "Some Kind of Monster," the home lives of lead singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich (the only members of Metallica with children) are shown without being exploited. Each has small children and showing that tender balancing act between being a dutiful father and rock god only makes the anger and frustration shown in the band's music more understandable.
When "Rattle and Hum" was filmed, U2 was taking on America with "The Joshua Tree" tour. While both Bono and Edge were married at the time, only Edge had children (his two oldest girls were under 5 at the time). There is no mention in the film of any of the band members having any kind of personal lives, let alone that of the young father playing guitar. Being separated from his family, even if it was for short periods of time, must have weighed on Edge, must have influenced his nightly performances, but the movie doesn't touch on it at all.
Though the personal lives for each of Metallica's members are addressed, "Some Kind of Monster" mainly focuses on the personal relationships between the band members. Interspersing group therapy sessions with in-studio screaming matches and remembrances of what it was like when these guys first met as teenagers, the film does an excellent job of showing the past and present reasons for why each relationship is what it currently is.
"Rattle and Hum" did show that the members of U2 like each other (like when Mullen not-so-subtly mocks Clayton during an interview session) but never really addresses the hows and whys of the lifelong relationships within the band.
In the years since "Rattle and Hum" came out, U2 has made strides on revealing a little more about the people behind the band, most famously bringing Musician magazine editor Bill Flanagan into the studio during the recording of “Achtung Baby” and, later, on the road for its subsequent tour to make the book "U2: At the End of the World." The book is filled with great stories about the band members, told by the boys themselves, as well as their family and friends, while also documenting the ups and downs of making two albums and spending several years on the road.
Somehow, though, in the wake of "Some Kind of Monster," it just isn't enough. While reading about Clayton holding his bass out to Bono in Hansa studios and asking, "You want to play it yourself? Go ahead," in "U2: At the End of the World" is definitely memorable, to actually see it would be indescribable. When reading a book or article, no matter how hard they try to disguise themselves, the writer is standing between you and the subject. With a documentary, however, you don't have to depend on someone else describing the grimace on someone's face or the hostile tone to their voice, you can see and hear those things for yourself. The entire process is much more immediate and personal.
I am a writer and a fan of books and magazines. But as much as I love reading interviews with Madonna, and will always buy any magazine when she is on the cover, it can't compare to hearing and seeing her trying to explain to her father that the star of the show can get whatever tickets she wants in "Truth or Dare." Witnessing that interaction for myself gave me more understanding of Madonna and her relationship with her father than if I had read an article about that same interaction.
It's easy to say that directors Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger lucked out when they walked into the studio to film a disintegrating Metallica possibly on its last legs for "Some Kind of Monster." The same can be said for "Truth or Dare's" Alek Keshishian who probably couldn't have imagined he'd be at Madonna's side as she faced possible jail time, protest from the Vatican and life in the spotlight with one of the world's most famous bachelors.
If U2 did agree to do another documentary, only this time to lay everything out on the table, would that filmmaker hit the same goldmine as previous music documentarians? Of course there are no guarantees, but I'm prone to think yes. With the making of every album and the undertaking of every tour, there are moments that easily become legend. While ensconced in the freezing-cold of Berlin's Hansa Studio, did the members of U2 think their actions would become part of the band's mythology? Probably not. I'm sure when he first accepted the assignment, Flanagan didn't know he'd be spending nearly five years criss-crossing the world with U2 and end up writing what is considered by many to be the "U2 Bible."
From any situation can come an outstanding story. With U2, this possibility seems practically guaranteed. If only there'd been a camera crew capturing the making of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," watching the band work with a string of producers before reuniting with Steve Lillywhite, seeing U2 work in Hanover Quay for what may be the last time. Certainly moments worthy of legend took place during the more than two years work on the album took place, unfortunately no one was there to capture it.
Even if there was somewhere there to capture the making of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," it probably wouldn't have turned out like "Some Kind of Monster." U2 has had camera crews in the studio before, including a documentary crew to capture the making of "Pride (In the Name of Love)" during "The Unforgettable Fire" sessions and a "60 Minutes" television crew watching the band create "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of" from "All That You Can't Leave Behind," but it felt like so little of the real U2 creative process and band dynamic was captured in either of those cases. I don’t think the band let it be captured.
As U2 reaches toward its third decade in the public eye, it may be time for its members to let their guard down slightly. I'm not suggesting an "At Home With…" spread in Hello! magazine or an episode of "Cribs," I know that wouldn't be their style, but I think a well done, honest, insightful documentary could be. Someday, U2 will be no more, in addition to all the music, what better legacy to leave behind than a film record of exactly how these four men interacted, created and lived together? I know I'd cherish it.
By Devlin Smith, Contributing Editor
2005.04
The other night I watched "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," the documentary about the making of Metallica's "St. Anger" album. I am not a fan of Metallica, but am a huge music nerd and live for all those behind the scenes stories.
The film is fantastic and probably should have been nominated for a documentary Oscar, but that’s an argument for another forum. It's amazingly honest, sometimes even painfully so. Throughout, the possibility that Metallica would implode is always there. Even more urgent is the possibility that three 20-plus-year friendships would cease to exist as well.
Watching "Some Kind of Monster," I had the same thought as when I watched Madonna's "Truth or Dare" and other music-related documentaries—I thought about what an opportunity U2 blew when making "Rattle and Hum." As a soundtrack, "Rattle and Hum" is fantastic, as a movie it has its fair share of memorable moments, but as a tear-back-the-curtain look at a rock band in its prime, it failed.
The members of U2, over the years, have gained a reputation for being pretty guarded. Even though it feels like after more than 25 years we know all there is to know about Adam Clayton, Bono, Edge and Larry Mullen, Jr., truthfully, we don't. Unlike the majority of rock and pop stars in the market today, the members of U2 have never invited magazines inside their homes, have never talked about the ups and downs of their personal relationships, haven't sold their children's birthday pictures to the highest bidder.
While certain aspects U2's work at keeping the private life private are commendable (after all, do we really need to know what kind of bed sheets Bono and his wife Ali have?), the carefully drawn curtain does make it a little harder to fully understand U2's art. After all, the inner workings of each member's home life definitely influence the music they produce.
In "Some Kind of Monster," the home lives of lead singer James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich (the only members of Metallica with children) are shown without being exploited. Each has small children and showing that tender balancing act between being a dutiful father and rock god only makes the anger and frustration shown in the band's music more understandable.
When "Rattle and Hum" was filmed, U2 was taking on America with "The Joshua Tree" tour. While both Bono and Edge were married at the time, only Edge had children (his two oldest girls were under 5 at the time). There is no mention in the film of any of the band members having any kind of personal lives, let alone that of the young father playing guitar. Being separated from his family, even if it was for short periods of time, must have weighed on Edge, must have influenced his nightly performances, but the movie doesn't touch on it at all.
Though the personal lives for each of Metallica's members are addressed, "Some Kind of Monster" mainly focuses on the personal relationships between the band members. Interspersing group therapy sessions with in-studio screaming matches and remembrances of what it was like when these guys first met as teenagers, the film does an excellent job of showing the past and present reasons for why each relationship is what it currently is.
"Rattle and Hum" did show that the members of U2 like each other (like when Mullen not-so-subtly mocks Clayton during an interview session) but never really addresses the hows and whys of the lifelong relationships within the band.
In the years since "Rattle and Hum" came out, U2 has made strides on revealing a little more about the people behind the band, most famously bringing Musician magazine editor Bill Flanagan into the studio during the recording of “Achtung Baby” and, later, on the road for its subsequent tour to make the book "U2: At the End of the World." The book is filled with great stories about the band members, told by the boys themselves, as well as their family and friends, while also documenting the ups and downs of making two albums and spending several years on the road.
Somehow, though, in the wake of "Some Kind of Monster," it just isn't enough. While reading about Clayton holding his bass out to Bono in Hansa studios and asking, "You want to play it yourself? Go ahead," in "U2: At the End of the World" is definitely memorable, to actually see it would be indescribable. When reading a book or article, no matter how hard they try to disguise themselves, the writer is standing between you and the subject. With a documentary, however, you don't have to depend on someone else describing the grimace on someone's face or the hostile tone to their voice, you can see and hear those things for yourself. The entire process is much more immediate and personal.
I am a writer and a fan of books and magazines. But as much as I love reading interviews with Madonna, and will always buy any magazine when she is on the cover, it can't compare to hearing and seeing her trying to explain to her father that the star of the show can get whatever tickets she wants in "Truth or Dare." Witnessing that interaction for myself gave me more understanding of Madonna and her relationship with her father than if I had read an article about that same interaction.
It's easy to say that directors Bruce Sinofsky and Joe Berlinger lucked out when they walked into the studio to film a disintegrating Metallica possibly on its last legs for "Some Kind of Monster." The same can be said for "Truth or Dare's" Alek Keshishian who probably couldn't have imagined he'd be at Madonna's side as she faced possible jail time, protest from the Vatican and life in the spotlight with one of the world's most famous bachelors.
If U2 did agree to do another documentary, only this time to lay everything out on the table, would that filmmaker hit the same goldmine as previous music documentarians? Of course there are no guarantees, but I'm prone to think yes. With the making of every album and the undertaking of every tour, there are moments that easily become legend. While ensconced in the freezing-cold of Berlin's Hansa Studio, did the members of U2 think their actions would become part of the band's mythology? Probably not. I'm sure when he first accepted the assignment, Flanagan didn't know he'd be spending nearly five years criss-crossing the world with U2 and end up writing what is considered by many to be the "U2 Bible."
From any situation can come an outstanding story. With U2, this possibility seems practically guaranteed. If only there'd been a camera crew capturing the making of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," watching the band work with a string of producers before reuniting with Steve Lillywhite, seeing U2 work in Hanover Quay for what may be the last time. Certainly moments worthy of legend took place during the more than two years work on the album took place, unfortunately no one was there to capture it.
Even if there was somewhere there to capture the making of "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," it probably wouldn't have turned out like "Some Kind of Monster." U2 has had camera crews in the studio before, including a documentary crew to capture the making of "Pride (In the Name of Love)" during "The Unforgettable Fire" sessions and a "60 Minutes" television crew watching the band create "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out of" from "All That You Can't Leave Behind," but it felt like so little of the real U2 creative process and band dynamic was captured in either of those cases. I don’t think the band let it be captured.
As U2 reaches toward its third decade in the public eye, it may be time for its members to let their guard down slightly. I'm not suggesting an "At Home With…" spread in Hello! magazine or an episode of "Cribs," I know that wouldn't be their style, but I think a well done, honest, insightful documentary could be. Someday, U2 will be no more, in addition to all the music, what better legacy to leave behind than a film record of exactly how these four men interacted, created and lived together? I know I'd cherish it.
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