John Serba is a veteran film and rock critic, formerly of and The Grand Rapids Press, and an “unapologetic metalhead.A central notion of Todd Haynes’ new documentary on The Velvet Underground is the concept of extended time, which appears to encapsulate the narrative of a band we often find it difficult to have a consensus on by juxtaposing immediacy and endurance. VIDEO: “The Velvet Underground” (Official Trailer) Wikipedia will give you the complete dry story of the band, but this is the slippery-wet version, the one that aims for the nebulous heart of a true artistic movement, delivering the vibe, the sauce, the juice, the air, the atmosphere. The Velvet Underground inspired a cottage industry of musical artists who popped in the ’70s and ’80s and even more so in the ’90s. Those folks also will intuit the subtext, hearing the band’s influence on punk and New Wave and noise rock and indie rock and lo-fi and Nick Cave and Swans and Sonic Youth and Joy Division and U2 and Talking Heads and Sunn 0))), and, and, and. So the film isn’t wholly challenging, only mostly so, and definitely less so for aficionados who still drop the hi-fi needle on their copy of “The Velvet Underground and Nico.” In fact, you’ll be grateful for Richman, who cuts the pretension by describing the Velvet Underground’s appeal in enthusiastic and relatable terms.Īlso entertaining are descriptions of the band’s black-cloud arrival on the West Coast - inspiring a negative review by none other than Cher herself - and Tucker’s amusingly virulent dismissal of the peace-and-love hippie movement. Friends, contemporaries, relatives and industry types are interviewed you’ll recognize John Waters, Jackson Browne and Jonathan Richman. We see Cale and drummer Moe Tucker we only hear Reed and guitarist Sterling Morrison’s voices, both of whom have passed. The Late and Great: Lou Reed (Courtesy Photo) It diligently and compellingly works through the band’s collaborations with Andy Warhol and singer/actress Nico, Cale’s departure and the band’s disintegration when it failed to meet Reed’s desired level of commercial success. “The Velvet Underground” gives introductory background on core collaborators Reed and Cale, details their meeting - the former was raw volatile, and the latter comes off as quiet and musically accomplished - and works its way through the group’s six most productive years, 1964-70. Haynes’ restless visual style represents a narrative that does its duty in an unconventional fashion, an easy parallel to how the Velvet Underground’s droning sounds, bleak beat-poet lyrics and relentless artistic exploration provided skin and muscle to the skeleton of singer/guitarist Lou Reed’s elemental rock ‘n’ roll songwriting. So consider the spirit of the band captured.Ī RESTLESS VISUAL STYLE DEPICTING A WILDLY INFLUENTIAL BAND By the time Haynes reaches the story of the band’s first tour, when interviewees explain how Velvet Underground concerts tended to drive half the audience out of the venue, it’s fair to speculate that half the viewers of this documentary will have turned it off. The film shows no desire to meet casual viewers halfway. Fifteen minutes go by before we see a talking head footage is almost exclusively archival the only Velvet Underground live performance we see is during the end credits there is no gauzy, triumphant footage of the band’s brief mid-’90s reunion or Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Haynes continues in this fashion for two hours, using visual cues, often on split screens, to give contextual hints, foregoing subtitles and other documentary cliches. No, the auteur behind highly unconventional Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There” and David Bowie-inspired glam-rock drama “Velvet Goldmine,” opens “The Velvet Underground” with a spattering of old news clips and grainy footage - most notably Cale’s appearance on the goofy TV game show “I’ve Got a Secret” - setting up the story of a band that defied everything that came before it, creatively and culturally, and inspired nearly everything that came after it in American underground music. They’d improvise so performances were “subconscious.” They’re described as “R&B meets Wagner.” The music “establishes a psychological state,” and I’ll translate that as meaning it’s hypnotic and transporting.ĭon’t expect Haynes to hold the spoon and feed you a “Behind the Music” narrative. They “shined so brightly, there was no way that light could be contained,” goes another. ‘R&B Meets Wagner’: The Velvet Underground (Courtesy Photo)Ĭonsidering the context, it’s no surprise that “The Velvet Underground” indulges the scene’s high-concept terminology: “It’s all about extended time,” says one commentator.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |